Battery capacity and usage system

• US 20040027249A1
• Filed: 08/07/2002
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Duffield Marine Inc.
• Original Assignee: Duffield Marine Inc.
• Inventors: Heiser, Arthur J. Jr., Calvagna, James F.
• Application Number:
  US10/213,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20040027249A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/636.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables

Abstract

A battery capacity and usage system, applied to an electric powered boat. A battery monitor is controlled by a micro-controller which includes a non-volatile memory for storing a lookup table. The lookup table comprises a database of characteristics of various batteries, including a relationship between the capacity and the charged voltage, the driving current and remaining hours of usage. The load of the battery is measured by a hall effect device. By monitoring the current micro-controller calculates the remaining time of the battery is obtained from the lookup table and displays the results on a digital readout installed on dashboard of the electric powered boat.

Claims

1. A battery capacity and usage system, for use in an electric powered vehicle to monitor battery capacity and to convey the information to the vehicle operator comprising:

a microprocessor including;

a first input in electrical communication with a current sensor for monitoring the current load on the battery power supply;

a second input in electrical communication with a voltage sensor to indicate the battery charge, and

a first output in electrical communication with a peripheral device for displaying information; and

a memory device in electrical communication with said microprocessor having an embedded data table of battery characteristics including the relationship between the remaining battery capacity, the current load of the battery and the corresponding remaining hours of battery usage;

wherein said microprocessor receives input data regarding the load current and data input regarding battery charge, and compares such data with the data table of the memory device to determine the remaining time left on the battery charge and displays that information to the vehicle operator.

2. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1, then said microprocessor further includes a second output in electrical communication with a plurality of light elements;

and

wherein said micro-processor receives input data regarding battery charge and determined the percentage of battery usage remaining and displays that information to the vehicle operator through a said light elements.

3. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 2 wherein said light elements comprise at least two LED'"'"'s, each LED representing a percentage of charge remaining on the battery.

4. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said current sensor is a Hall effect device.

5. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said peripheral device is a digital display.

6. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor includes a second output in electrical communication within alarm device for indicating low battery charge.

7. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 6 wherein said alarm device is a speaker.

8. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 6 wherein said alarm device is a tone generator.

9. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 6 wherein said alarm system comprises a light element.

10. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor includes a second output in electrical communication with a light element for indicating that the battery is being recharged.

11. A method of monitoring battery capacity and usage time remaining for use with electric powered vehicles comprise the following steps:

receiving data indicating the current load on the battery power supply;

receiving data indicating the battery charge;

comparing the current data and charge data to a battery characteristic data table to determine the remaining time of battery usage; and

outputting the remaining time data to a peripheral display.