METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTELLIGENT BATTERY CHARGE EQUALIZATION AND MONITORING

• US 20110068746A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Broadband Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Broadband Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Rocci, Joseph D., Quelly, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 11,218,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/06 Lead-acid accumulators semi-lead accumulators H01M10/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0001 using modification of a parameter of the network power signal
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

An intelligent battery charge equalization and monitoring system may assist in the management of battery string health by detecting individual batteries within a string that may need servicing. The system may detect a battery within a string that is charged to a higher voltage than other batteries within the string and discharge the overcharged battery until the battery'"'"'s charge is equalized with the other batteries in the string. The system may use metrics related to how often individual batteries within a string of batteries must be equalized and utilize these metrics to perform maintenance actions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of voltage characteristics, wherein each voltage characteristic of the plurality of voltage characteristics is associated with a corresponding battery in a charging string of batteries;

calculating a target voltage characteristic associated with each battery in the charging string of batteries based on the plurality of voltage characteristics; and

sending a discharge instruction to a sensor associated with a battery in the charging string of batteries based on the voltage characteristic associated with the battery and the target voltage characteristic.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each battery in the charging string of batteries is a lead-acid monobloc.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each battery in the charging string of batteries is a lead-calcium monobloc.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the target voltage characteristic is the mean battery voltage associated with the charging string of batteries.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the discharge instruction is indicative of an optimum discharging current for the battery.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the discharge instruction is indicative of a maximum discharging time for discharging the battery.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the discharge instruction causes each battery in the charging string of batteries that is not sent a discharge instruction to receive a greater charge.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a health indication of the battery based on a frequency of discharge instructions sent to the sensor.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising transmitting an alarm signal when the frequency of the discharge instructions exceed an alarm threshold.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the voltage characteristic comprises at least one of voltage, current, temperature, or internal admittance associated with the battery.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said discharge instruction is determined based on a difference between the voltage characteristic associated with the battery and the target voltage characteristic.

12. A battery sensor device comprising:

a communications interface;

a controller in communication with a site control unit via the communications interface, wherein the controller is configured to perform the following steps;

measure a voltage characteristic indicative of a condition associated with a battery;

transmit the voltage characteristic to the site control unit;

receive a discharge instruction associated with the battery from the site control unit, wherein the received discharge instruction is based on the measured voltage characteristic and at least one other voltage characteristic associated with at least one other battery; and

generate a discharge current that discharges the battery in accordance with the discharge instructions.

13. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the battery is a lead-acid monobloc.

14. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the battery is a lead-calcium monobloc.

15. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the discharge current causes the battery to generate a test current on the battery until an excess charge is removed.

16. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the discharge instruction is indicative of a maximum discharging time for discharging the battery.

17. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 16, wherein the controller automatically turns off the discharge current when the target voltage is not reached within the maximum discharging time.

18. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the discharge current discharges the battery until an excess charge is removed from the battery.

19. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the discharge instruction is indicative of a pulse-width modulated discharge pattern.

20. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a target voltage, and wherein the discharge current discharges the battery until the voltage characteristic of the battery is equal to the target voltage characteristic.

21. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the voltage characteristic is transmitted to the site control unit via a wireless transmission.

22. The battery sensor device as recited in claim 12, wherein the battery sensor device is included in the battery.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, perform a method comprising:

receiving a plurality of voltage characteristics, wherein each voltage characteristic of the plurality of voltage characteristics is associated with a respective lead-acid monobloc of a plurality of lead-acid monoblocs;

calculating a target voltage characteristic based on the plurality of voltage characteristics; and

sending a discharge instruction to a sensor associated with a lead-acid monobloc of the plurality of lead acid monoblocs based on the difference between the voltage characteristic associated with the lead-acid monobloc and the target voltage characteristic.