Battery capacity and usage system

• US 20040227491A1
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arthur J. Heiser Jr, James F. Caivagna
• Original Assignee: Arthur J. Heiser Jr, James F. Caivagna
• Inventors: Caivagna, James F., Heiser, Arthur J. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,015,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• 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, comprising;

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 measure an initial capacity of the battery;

a timing apparatus to continuously calculate an application time of the load; and

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

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

wherein when said microprocessor receives the load current and the initial capacity of the battery, the data table of the memory device is retrieved to determine and display an available operation time of the battery, the microprocessor further continuously calculates the application time of the load and the load current to continuously update and display the available operation time of the battery usage.

2. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1, said microprocessor further including a second output in electrical communication with a plurality of light elements to display the remaining percentage of the battery usage determined in accordance with the battery characteristics in the data table.

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

12. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein the voltage sensor includes an external voltmeter.

11. (Canceled)

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

pre-testing the battery to obtain a lookup table showing a relationship between an initial voltage level and an initial available charge of the battery, and a relationship between a load current applied to the battery and a remaining usage time of the battery;

measuring the initial voltage level of the battery;

resetting the battery to a full scale with the initial battery charge;

measuring the current load applied on the battery power supply and determining the available usage time of the battery according to the lookup table;

continuously counting an application time of the load and updating and displaying the remaining usage time of the battery according to the lookup table.