Method and apparatus for measuring the state of charge of a battery by monitoring reductions in voltage
First Claim
1. Apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition comprising:
- means for monitoring the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing an intermediate output signal for at least some instances when the magnitude of the terminal voltage falls below a threshold value during said discharge;
means for integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of reductions in the magnitude of the terminal voltage which produce an intermediate output signal; and
means for producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating means.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for measuring the state of charge of a battery. The apparatus comprises threshold means for sensing reductions below a threshold level in the output terminal voltage of the battery and for producing a signal in response thereto and means for integrating said signal over a plurality of such reductions. The output of the integrating means is indicative of the state of charge of the battery. In a preferred embodiment the signal comprises a series of pulses whose number is proportional to the time that the terminal voltage is below the threshold value and the integrating means counts such pulses. Alternatively, a single pulse may be produced and counted for each time the output terminal voltage is reduced below the threshold level. In another embodiment, the signal from the threshold means is integrated directly to develop a representation of the state of charge of the battery. Circuits are also disclosed using a plurality of threshold means connected in series or in parallel.
124 Citations
129 Claims
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1. Apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition comprising:
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means for monitoring the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing an intermediate output signal for at least some instances when the magnitude of the terminal voltage falls below a threshold value during said discharge; means for integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of reductions in the magnitude of the terminal voltage which produce an intermediate output signal; and means for producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 119)
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27. Apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition comprising:
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means for monitoring at least a portion of the frequency spectrum of the output terminal voltage of the battery and for producing an intermediate output signal when the magnitude of said monitored portion of the output terminal voltage is less than a threshold value during said discharge; means for integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of reductions in the magnitude of said monitored portion of the output terminal voltage to less than said threshold value; and means for producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating means. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 120, 121, 126, 127)
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37. Apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition comprising:
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means for monitoring the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing an intermediate output signal for at least some instances when the magnitude of the terminal voltage is less than a threshold value; means for forming the integral of said intermediate output signal and accumulating said integral over a plurality of periods in which said intermediate output signal is produced, such intermediate-output-signal-producing periods occurring during said discharge; and means for producing a first output signal related to said accumulated integral of said intermediate output signal. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 122, 123)
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- 44. Apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition comprising means for sensing the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing in response thereto a series of pulses, the number of pulses being proportional to the time that said terminal voltage is below a threshold value, and means responsive to said pulses for counting the number of pulses produced throughout said discharge.
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50. Apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition comprising:
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means for sensing at least some reductions in the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing in response thereto at least a single pulse for at least some sensed reductions in voltage to less than a threshold value; means for counting said pulses over a plurality of such pulse-producing reductions occurring during said discharge; and means for producing a first output signal related to said count. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method for monitoring the condition of a battery connected in a system in which it is subjected to transient reductions in voltage during its discharge from a charged condition, said method comprising the steps of:
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producing an intermediate output signal for at least some instances when the magnitude of said terminal voltage falls below a threshold value during said discharge; integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of reductions in the magnitude of the output terminal voltage which produce an intermediate output signal; and producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating step. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 124, 125)
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76. A method for monitoring the condition of a battery connected in a system in which it is subjected to transient reductions in voltage during its discharge from a charged condition, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing at least some reductions in the magnitude of the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing in response thereto at least a single pulse for at least some sensed reductions in voltage below a threshold value; counting said pulses over a plurality of such pulse producing reductions occurring during said discharge; and producing a first output signal related to said count. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 87)
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85. A method for monitoring the condition of a battery connected in a system in which it is subjected to transient reductions in voltage during its discharge from a charged condition, comprising the steps of:
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monitoring at least a portion of the frequency spectrum of the output terminal voltage of a battery; producing an intermediate output signal when the magnitude of said monitored portion of the output terminal voltage is less than a threshold value; integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of intermediate-output-signal-producing events occurring during said discharge; and producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating step. - View Dependent Claims (86, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A method for monitoring the condition of a battery connected in a system in which it is subjected to transient reductions in voltage during its discharge from a charged condition, said method comprising the steps of:
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producing an intermediate output signal for at least some reductions in the magnitude of the output terminal voltage of the battery to less than a threshold value which occur during said discharge; forming the integral of said intermediate output signal and accumulating said integral over a plurality of such reductions for which an intermediate output signal is produced; and producing a first output signal related to said accumulated integral of said intermediate output signal. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 128, 129)
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103. Apparatus for producing a signal representative of the decrease in state-of-charge of a battery during its discharge from a charged condition said apparatus comprising:
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means for monitoring the output terminal voltage of the battery and producing an intermediate output signal for at least some instances when the magnitude of the terminal voltage falls below a threshold value during said discharge; means for integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of reductions in the magnitude of the terminal voltage which produce an intermediate output signal; and means for producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating means, said first output signal being representative of the decrease in state-of-charge of said battery. - View Dependent Claims (104, 105)
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111. A method for producing a signal representative of the decrease in state-of-charge of a battery connected in a system in which it is subjected to transient reductions in voltage during its discharge from a charged condition, said method comprising the steps of:
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producing an intermediate output signal for at least some instances when the magnitude of said terminal voltage falls below a threshold value during said discharge; integrating said intermediate output signal over a plurality of reductions in the magnitude of the output terminal voltage which produce an intermediate output signal; and producing a first output signal related to the integral formed by said integrating step, said first output signal being representative of the decrease in state-of-charge of said battery. - View Dependent Claims (112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118)
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Specification