HEAVY DUTY BATTERY SYSTEM TESTER AND METHOD

• US 20080224710A1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auto Meter Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Auto Meter Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Henningson, Dale B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/025 concerning dedicated user interfaces, e.g. GUI, or dedicated keyboards G01R31/31912 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/374 with means for correcting the measurement for temperature or ageing

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.

Claims

1. A method of testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle, comprising:

measuring a voltage of a bank of batteries;

comparing said measured voltage to a threshold voltage;

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;

comparing the change in voltage of the battery bank to a voltage drop maximum threshold, wherein the voltage drop maximum threshold is based on the number and temperature of batteries in the bank of batteries; and

determining whether said bank of batteries passes the test based on said change in voltage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the bank of batteries fails the test, said method further comprises:

testing each individual battery; and

charging said batteries until it is determined that said battery bank passes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether said vehicle has a vehicle data port; and

if said vehicle has a data port, reading data from said vehicle data port when the ignition of said vehicle it turned on.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the ignition is on by reading any ripple voltage on said battery; and

outputting a message instructing said operator to turn the ignition off, if ripple is detected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprises calculating the said voltage drop maximum threshold when said bank of batteries has two batteries using the equation:

0.9+(70−

Temperature)×

0.0027.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprises calculating the said voltage drop maximum threshold when said bank of batteries has three batteries using the equation:

0.75+(70−

Temperature)×

0.0023.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprises calculating the said voltage drop maximum threshold when said bank of batteries has four batteries using the equation:

0.6+(70−

Temperature)×

0.0018.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at a given temperature of the batteries of the bank of batteries the voltage drop maximum threshold decreases as the number of said batteries increases.

9. A system for testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle comprising:

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 by measuring the voltage change across the bank of batteries and comparing the voltage change to a voltage drop maximum threshold, wherein the voltage drop maximum threshold is based on the number of batteries in the bank of batteries.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said tester apparatus is a hand-held tester.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said circuit is configured to perform a method, said method comprising:

measuring a voltage of the bank of batteries;

comparing said measured voltage to a threshold voltage based on at least the battery temperature;

applying leads to the bank of batteries, if said measured voltage is greater than said threshold; and

wherein said measuring the voltage of the bank of batteries occurs while a load is being applied, and said voltage change is compared to the voltage drop maximum threshold to determine whether said bank of batteries passes the test based on said change in voltage.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein at a given temperature of the batteries of the bank of batteries the voltage drop maximum threshold decreases as the number of said batteries increases.

13. An apparatus for testing a bank of batteries of a vehicle comprising:

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 by measuring the voltage change across the bank of batteries and comparing the voltage change to a voltage drop maximum threshold, wherein the voltage drop maximum threshold is based on the number and temperature of batteries in the bank of batteries.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said apparatus is a hand-held tester.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, where said circuit comprises:

means for measuring a voltage of the bank of batteries;

means for comparing said measured voltage to a threshold voltage, where said threshold voltage is partially dependent on the cold cranking amps of each battery and temperature;

if said measured voltage is greater than said threshold, means for applying a load to the bank of batteries;

means for measuring the voltage of the bank of batteries occurs while the load is being applied; and

means for comparing said voltage change to the voltage drop maximum threshold to determine whether said bank of batteries passes the test based on said change in voltage.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at a given temperature of the batteries of the bank of batteries the voltage drop maximum threshold decreases as the number of said batteries increases.