Heavy duty battery system testor and method
First Claim
1. A method of testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
- measuring a voltage of the bank of batteries;
comparing said measured voltage to a threshold voltage using cold cranking amps of each battery and temperature;
applying a load to the bank of batteries if said measured voltage is greater than said threshold voltage;
measuring the voltage of the bank of batteries while the load is being applied, wherein the voltage change is correlated to a condition of the bank of batteries; and
determining whether said bank of batteries passes the test based on said change in voltage.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A systematic method and system for testing the charging and starting systems of a vehicle, which requires each individual test to pass before proceeding is provided. In addition, the invention incorporates an improved alternator test that determines whether the alternator belt is slipping using data read using a vehicle data port. Further, the invention provides a battery bank test that correlates the voltage before and after a load is applied to the battery bank to the batteries'"'"' conditions. When testing the starter, the oil temperature is read via the vehicle data port, allowing for a determination of whether the current draw is abnormally high.
32 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method of testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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measuring a voltage of the bank of batteries;
comparing said measured voltage to a threshold voltage using cold cranking amps of each battery and temperature;
applying a load to the bank of batteries if said measured voltage is greater than said threshold voltage;
measuring the voltage of the bank of batteries while the load is being applied, wherein the voltage change is correlated to a condition of the bank of batteries; and
determining whether said bank of batteries passes the test based on said change in voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle comprising:
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a tester apparatus;
a plurality of leads for connecting to said bank of batteries;
a data cable for connecting said tester to a vehicle data port; and
a circuit for determining the condition of said bank of batteries. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle comprising:
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a plurality of leads for connecting to said bank of batteries;
a data cable for connecting said tester to a vehicle data port; and
a circuit for determining the condition of said bank of batteries. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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Specification