System for charging batteries and measuring capacities and efficiencies thereof

• US 4,918,368 A
• Filed: 02/29/1988
• Issued: 04/17/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SPAN Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SPAN Incorporated
• Inventors: Stevens, James C., Baker, William, Chau, Phong B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce, Patrick R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peckman, Kristine
• Application Number:
  US07/162,219
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 320/20, 320/21, 320/22, 320/37, 320/40, 320/48
• US Class Current: 320/136
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007184 in response to battery voltage gradient
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/18 Indicator or display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A battering charging system is controlled by a microprocessor to charge and discharge batteries while periodically effecting monitoring and control operations in which battery current data are registered to accumulate capacity data in a memory and to thereafter display such data which includes both charge and discharge capacity data. The system has different modes of operation which may be selected by a user, including a charge mode, a discharge mode and an autocycle mode. In the autocycle mode, efficiency rate data is computed and displayed.

Claims

1. Control apparatus for battery current control, comprising:

battery terminals, current flow control means coupled to said battery terminals for effecting flow of battery current in at least one direction, current- monitoring means and voltage monitoring means coupled to said battery terminals, microprocessor means coupled to said current monitoring means and said voltage monitoring means for register of battery current data and battery voltage data and coupled to said current flow control means to apply control signals thereto, memory means associated with said microprocessor means for storage of registered battery voltage data and for storage of accumulated capacity data, said microprocessor means being arranged to effect a mode of operation in which said accumulated capacity data is set at an initial value and said current flow control means effects flow of battery current and in which monitoring and control operations are thereafter effected periodically, said monitoring and control operations including comparisons of presently registered and stored battery voltage data and further including capacity-determining operations for processing registered battery current data to accumulate capacity data in said memory means.

2. Control apparatus as defined in claim 1, said current flow control means being operative by said microprocessor means in a charge mode and including power supply means and charge means coupling said power supply means to said battery terminals for supplying a charging current to a battery coupled to said battery terminals, said accumulated capacity data including charge capacity data corresponding to the charge capacity of said battery.

3. Control apparatus as defined in claim 1, said current flow control means being operative by said microprocessor means in a discharge mode and including load means and discharge means coupling said load means to said battery terminals for drawing a discharge current from a battery coupled to said battery terminals, said accumulated capacity data including discharge capacity data corresponding to the discharge capacity of said battery.

4. Control apparatus as defined in claim 3, said current flow control means being also operative by said microprocessor means in a charge mode and including power supply means and charging means coupling said power supply means to said battery terminals for supplying a charging current to a battery coupled to said battery terminals, said accumulated capacity data further including charge capacity data corresponding to the charge capacity of said battery.

5. Control apparatus as defined in claim 4, said microprocessor means being operative in an autocycle mode to effect said charge and discharge modes of operation in sequence and to compare said charge and discharge capacity data to provide battery efficiency data.

6. Control apparatus as defined in claim 5, display means arranged for display of numeric data and coupled to said microprocessor means for operation thereby, said microprocessor means being operative in said autocycle mode for display of data which includes said efficiency data.

7. Control apparatus as defined in claim 2, display means arranged for display of numeric data and coupled to said microprocessor means for operation thereby, said microprocessor means being operative in said charge mode for display of data which includes said charge capacity data.

8. Control apparatus as defined in claim 3, display means arranged for display of numeric data and coupled to said microprocessor means for operation thereby, said microprocessor means being operative in said discharge mode for display of data which includes said discharge capacity data.

9. Control apparatus as defined in claim 5, display means arranged for display of numeric data and coupled to said microprocessor means for operation thereby, said microprocessor means being operative in said discharge mode for display of data which includes said discharge capacity data, being operative in said charge mode for display of data which includes said charge capacity data and being operative in said autocycle mode for display of data which includes said battery efficiency data.

10. Control apparatus as defined in claim 1, said capacity determining operations including operations performed periodically at a substantially fixed rate, each such periodically performed operation including the accumulation of said registered battery current data to provide capacity data in the form of accumulated total current.

11. Control apparatus as defined in claim 10, said microprocessor and memory means providing a time counter and a time-out counter, said microprocessor means being operative to operate said time-out counter during said monitoring and control operations and being operative upon a time-out of said time-out counter to re-initialize said time-out counter, increment said time counter, measure a new current and accumulate total current.

12. Control apparatus for battery current control, comprising:

battery terminals, power supply means, charge means coupling said power supply means to said battery terminals for supplying a charging current to a battery coupled to said battery terminals, discharge means coupled to said battery terminals for discharging said battery coupled thereto, current monitoring means coupled to said battery terminals and said charge and discharge means, microprocessor means coupled to said current monitoring means for register of battery charging and discharging current, memory means associated with said microprocessor means for storage of data including accumulated capacity data, said microprocessor means being operative to control said charging and discharging means and to effect a plurality of modes of operation including a charge mode in which said charge means is operated, a discharge mode in which said discharge means is operated and an autocycle mode in which said charge and discharge means are sequentially operated, and said microprocessor means being operative in both said charge and discharge modes to effect accumulate-capacity operations and being operative in said autocycle mode to effect an operation to calculate efficiency rate data.

13. Control apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said efficiency rate is calculated from the ratio of discharge capacity to charge capacity.

14. Control apparatus as defined in claim 12, display means arranged for display of numeric data and coupled to said microprocessor means for operation thereby, said microprocessor means being operative in said charge mode for display of charge capacity data, being operative in said discharge mode for display of discharge capacity data and being operative in said autocycle mode for display of said efficiency rate data.