Device for measuring a battery energy, in particular during charge/discharge of a battery

• US 20070001647A1
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Awelco Incorporated SPA
• Original Assignee: Awelco Incorporated SPA
• Inventors: De Rosa, Guglielmo, D'Avanzo, Carmine
• Application Number:
  US11/097,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20070001647A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3832 without measurement of battery voltage

Abstract

A device for measuring a battery energy, in particular during charge/discharge of a battery, includes supply elements (3) apt to be connected to a battery (5) so as to make an electric current flow in/from the latter for one or more time intervals, and controlling and detecting elements (2), characterised in that the controlling and detecting elements (2) are apt to detect the energy stored in the battery (5) during a time period including at least one portion of the one or more time intervals.

Claims

1. Device for measuring a battery energy, in particular during charge/discharge of a battery, comprising supply means (3) apt to be connected to a battery (5) so as to make an electric current flow in/from the latter for one or more time intervals, and controlling and detecting means (2), characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) is apt to detect the energy stored in said battery (5) during a time period comprising at least one portion of said one or more time intervals.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) is apt to detect said stored energy through an integration in said time period of said current flowing in/from the battery (5).

3. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises at least one microcontroller (IC0).

4. Device according claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises enabling means (4), controlled by said controlling and detecting means (2), apt to enable or disable the flow of said current in/from the battery (5).

5. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that said enabling means (4) comprises at least one thyristor (TIR), said controlling and detecting means (2) controlling triggering and/or turning-off of said at least one thyristor (TIR).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterised in that said supply means (3) comprises a power supply unit (D1-D4), apt to provide a periodic voltage, in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises a unit (R1, R2, IC1-B) of detection of the voltage provided by the power supply unit (D1-D4), and in that said controlling and detecting means (2) controls triggering and/or turning-off of said at least one thyristor (TIR) on the basis of the detected voltage provided by the power supply unit (D1-D4).

7. Device according to claim 5, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises means (IC1-A) of detection of the current flowing in said at least one thyristor (TIR).

8. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) controls acoustic and/or visual signalling means (6).

9. Device according to claim 8, characterised in that said acoustic and/or visual signalling means (6) comprises a display.

10. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that said supply means (3) are apt to be connected to a battery (5) through pliers means (BATT+, BATT_ELETTRONICA−

), and in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises means (R4, R5) of detection of at least one voltage applied to said pliers means (BATT+, BATT_ELETTRONICA−

).

11. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2), when it detects that said at least one applied voltage is not positive, is apt to control said enabling means (4) so as to disable the flow of said current in/from the battery (5).

12. Device according to claim 10, when depending on claim 4, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2), when it detects that said at least one applied voltage reaches at least one corresponding threshold voltage value, is apt to control said enabling means (4) so as to disable the flow of said current in/from the battery (5).

13. Device according to claim 12, characterised in that said at least one corresponding threshold voltage value is selectable by a user.

14. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises interruption means activable by a user, following the activation of which said controlling and detecting means (2) controls said enabling means (4) so as to disable the flow of said current in/from the battery (5).

15. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2), when it detects that said time period reaches a corresponding threshold time value, is apt to control said enabling means (4) so as to disable the flow of said current in/from the battery (5).

16. Device according to claim 15, characterised in that said threshold time value is selectable by a user.

17. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) is apt to detect an energy efficiency Re_t, for each recharge-discharge cycle t, of said battery (5), equal to the ratio

Re _t =Wh _0t /Wh _1t

where Wh_0t is the electric energy obtainable during a discharge of said battery (5) at the cycle t and Wh_1t is the electric energy needed for a recharge of said battery (5) at the cycle t.

18. Device according to claim 17, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) is apt to detect the residual electric energy Wh_int of said battery (5) during a discharge step during the cycle t, equal to

Wh _int =Re _t-1 ·

Wh _1t −

Wh _ut

where Re_t-1 is the energy efficiency of recharge-discharge of said battery (5) during the preceding cycle t−

1, Wh_1t is the electric energy of recharge of said battery (5) at the cycle t and Wh_ut is the electric energy obtained from said battery (5) before its complete discharge during said cycle t.

19. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises means (NTC) of detection of the temperature of said enabling means (4).

20. Device according to claim 19, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) activates at least one cooling fan when it detects that said temperature reaches a first corresponding threshold temperature value.

21. Device according to claim 19, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2), when it detects that said temperature reaches a second corresponding threshold temperature value, is apt to control said enabling means (4) so as to disable the flow of said current in/from the battery (5).

22. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said controlling and detecting means (2) activates at least one cooling fan when it detects that said electric current flowing in/from the battery (5) reaches a corresponding threshold current value.

23. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said supply means (3) are apt to be connected to a battery (5) through pliers means (BATT+, BATT_ELETTRONICA−

), and in that said controlling and detecting means (2) comprises means (R4, R5) of detection of at least one voltage applied to said pliers means (BATT+, BATT_ELETTRONICA−

).