BATTERY MONITOR SYSTEM

• US 3,786,343 A
• Filed: 03/19/1973
• Issued: 01/15/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John G. Ehlers
• Original Assignee: John G. Ehlers
• Inventors: Ehlers, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Alfred E.
• Application Number:
  US05/342,349
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 324/29.5 340/249
• US Class Current: 324/434
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/18 Indicator or display

Abstract

A monitoring system for a multicell storage battery periodically scans the voltage of each cell and indicates highest and lowest individual cell voltages. The system has provisions for a printout of the cell voltages of each cell to assist in locating defective cells.

Claims

1. A battery monitor system for use with multicelled battery comprising:

a parallel-in-series-out multiplexer circuit means connected to the multicell battery to provide an input for each cell thereon for sequentially scanning each cell and producing an analog output signal corresponding to the voltage output of the scanned individual cells;

programmer means connected to said parallel-in-series-out multiplexer circuit means for providing scanning signals to trigger the sequential scanning of the battery cells;

digital voltmeter means connected to said parallel-in-series-out multiplexer circuit for converting the analog voltage signals to digital signals corresponding to the individual cell voltages. high/low comparator means connected to said digital voltmeter means for determination of the highest and lowest individual cell voltages; and

display means connected to said high/low comparator means for visual display of the highest and lowest individual cell voltages obtained in each sequential scan of the multicell battery.

2. A battery monitor system according to claim 1 further including a printer readout effectively connected to said programmer means and to said digital voltmeter means for making a printed record of the individual cell voltages and identifying indicia corresponding to the order in which the cell was scanned.

3. A battery monitor system according to claim 1 in which said parallel-in-series-out multiplexer means includes a plurality of multiplexer units each connected to a different multicell battery for monitoring a plurality of multicell batteries in sequence.

4. A battery monitor system according to claim 3 in which the parallel-in-series-out multiplexer comprises a plurality of individual multiplex circuit assemblies each containing a plurality of switching circuits which are selectively responsive to the scanning signals supplied by said programmer means.

5. A battery monitor system according to claim 4 in which each multiplex circuit assembly includes a binary-to-decimal decoder circuit.

6. A battery monitor circuit according to claim 1 in which said programmer means includes a visual display means to indicate the particular cell being scanned for individual cell voltage.

7. A battery monitor system according to claim 6 in which the aforesaid digital voltmeter includes a visual readout of the measured individual cell voltage.

8. A battery monitor system according to claim 1 in which said high/low comparator means includes:

storage means connected to said digital voltmeter means for selectively retaining the digital output thereof;

digital multiplexer means conNected to said storage means for transfer of the stored digital signal; and

comparator circuit means connected to said digital multiplexer means and to said digital voltmeter means to receive input signals therefrom and effectively connected to said storage means to provide selective access signals therefore for comparing the individual cell voltage output signals from said digital voltmeter with those stored in said storage means and accessing the storage means to store the digital voltmeter signal when it differs from the stored signal in a predetermined fashion.

9. A battery storage system according to claim 8 wherein said storage means includes a high storage circuit and a low storage circuit.

10. A battery storage system according to claim 1 in which the multicell battery is a silver-zinc wet cell battery.