Patent attributes
A portable defibrillator includes a self-test circuit in which electrical energy is discharged from one or a bank of capacitors to a charge receiving circuit which recycles the energy to a rechargeable battery to prolong the original battery charge. A charge receiving circuit may contain a relatively high Ohmic value/low Wattage resistor such that the discharge occurs over a relatively long period of time, rendering a heat sink unnecessary. The resistor may be a single high value resistor or a network of plural smaller value resistors. Optional switching of the discharge electrical energy during a self-test either recycles it to the rechargeable battery or discharges it through the resistor. The self-test may be carried out on a bank of capacitors in rotation, discharging energy from one capacitor into the next such that all capacitors are charged and discharged from substantially a single power input.
