Battery condition detecton apparatus

• US 5,193,067 A
• Filed: 12/04/1989
• Issued: 03/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Japan Storage Battery Company Limited (GS Yuasa Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Japan Storage Battery Company Limited (GS Yuasa Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatakeyama, Yoshiya, Sato, Hirohide
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Application Number:
  US07/444,873
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 320/18, 320/21, 320/22, 320/37, 320/39, 320/32, 320/43, 320/48, 73/32 A, 324/427, 324/430, 324/433, 324/431, 324/432, 364/480, 364/481, 364/483, 364/496, 364/571.01-571.08
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements

Abstract

A battery condition detection apparatus comprises at least the first two of a battery discharge current detector, a battery terminal voltage detector, and a battery electrolyte concentration signal detector. The battery condition detection apparatus further comprises a memory circuit for storing detection signals generated by at least the first two detectors and inputted to the battery condition detection apparatus, and a computation device for executing computation processing on output signals from the aforesaid detectors.

With the foregoing structure, the battery condition detection apparatus performs computation to obtain at least one of corrected values of the battery terminal voltage and the battery electrolyte concentration in the state where the battery discharge current assumes a predetermined value, and performs the detection of the battery condition and/or the control of power generation of a battery-charging generator.

Claims

1. An apparatus which detects a condition of a battery which operates using a reactive substance in an electrolyte thereof, said apparatus comprising:

a battery voltage detector for detecting a voltage of the battery and providing a battery voltage signal;

a battery current detector, connected in a battery discharge path, for detecting a discharge current of said battery and providing a battery current signal;

a battery electrolyte concentration detector for detecting a value representing a concentration of the reactive substance in the electrolyte of the battery and providing a battery electrolyte concentration signal;

memory means for storing a standard characteristic representing a standard value of the concentration of the reactive substance in the electrolyte of said battery at a time when said battery current signal reaches a predetermined value, as a function of one of a voltage and an internal resistance of said battery;

computation means for receiving said battery voltage signal provided by said battery voltage detector at a time when said battery current signal reaches the predetermined value, and for obtaining a value representing the standard concentration of the reactive substance in said battery using a value of the voltage of said battery or a value of the internal resistance to obtain the standard characteristic stored in said memory means, the value thus obtained being outputted as a standard concentration value;

correction value computation means for receiving said battery electrolyte concentration signal provided by said battery electrolyte concentration detector, at a time near when said computation means receives said battery voltage signal and for computing a concentration correction value on the basis of said battery electrolyte concentration signal and the standard concentration value inputted from said computation means; and

correction means for correcting said battery electrolyte concentration signal provided by said battery electrolyte concentration detector by using the concentration correction value obtained by said correction value computation means to provide a corrected battery electrolyte concentration signal.

2. A battery condition detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said computation means includes means for temperature compensating a parameter used in the computation by said computation means and the value of the reactive substance concentration of said battery corrected by the concentration correction value.

3. A battery condition detection apparatus comprising:

a battery;

a connection terminal to a starter fed by said battery;

means for detecting a discharge current of said battery and for providing a discharge current signal;

means for detecting a battery voltage and for providing a battery voltage signal;

memory means for storing a plurality of battery voltage values, which battery voltage values assume different values when said discharge current signal is continuous at a predetermined value due to a phase difference between waveforms of said discharge current signal and said battery voltage signal, at a time when said discharge current signal varies periodically at a time of starting of said starter, wherein said battery voltage signal varies with a waveform opposite to that of said discharge current signal;

computation means for calculating an average battery voltage value of the plurality of battery voltage values stored in said memory means; and

means for detecting a battery condition based on the average battery voltage value obtained by said computation means and on the discharge current signal having the predetermined value, said detecting means providing said average battery voltage value as a true battery voltage signal at the time when said discharge current value assumes the predetermined value.

4. A battery condition detection apparatus comprising:

a battery;

a connection terminal to a starter fed by said battery;

means for detecting a discharge current of said battery and for providing a discharge current signal;

means for detecting a battery voltage and for providing a battery voltage signal;

memory means for storing a plurality of discharge current values, said discharge currents assuming different values when said battery voltage signal is continuous at a predetermined value due to a phase difference between waveforms of said battery voltage signal and said discharge current signal, at the time when said battery voltage signal varies periodically at the time of start of said starter, wherein said discharge current signal varies with a waveform opposite to that of said battery voltage signal;

computation means for calculating an average discharge current value of the plurality of discharge current values stored in said memory means; and

means for detecting a battery condition based on the average discharge current value obtained by said computation means and on the battery voltage signal having the predetermined value, said detecting means providing said average discharge current value as a true discharge current signal at the time when the battery voltage assumes the predetermined value.

5. A battery condition detection apparatus comprising:

a discharge current detector for detecting a discharge current of a battery, said discharge current flowing through a starter and providing a discharge current signal;

a terminal voltage detector for detecting a terminal voltage of said battery and providing a terminal voltage signal;

memory means for storing current values and voltage values detected by said current detector and said voltage detector, respectively, at a plurality of time points while said starter is actuated; and

reference discharge time terminal voltage computation means for obtaining a characteristic representing a relationship between the battery discharge current signal and the terminal voltage signal during actuation of said starter by making a linear approximation of the current values and the voltage values stored in said memory means at the plurality of time points, and for computing a reference discharge time terminal voltage corresponding to a predetermined reference discharge current based on said characteristic representing the relationship between the battery discharge current signal and the terminal voltage signal; and

means for detecting a battery condition on the basis of the reference discharge time terminal voltage and for providing a time discharge signal.

6. A battery condition detection apparatus comprising:

a battery voltage detector for detecting a voltage of a battery and providing a battery voltage signal;

a battery current detector for detecting a discharge current of said battery and for providing a battery current signal;

a battery electrolyte concentration detector for detecting a value representing a concentration of a reactive substance in an electrolyte of said battery and for providing a battery electrolyte concentration signal;

memory means for storing a standard characteristic of one of the discharge current and an internal resistance of said battery corresponding to the value representing said battery electrolyte concentration signal at a time when said battery voltage signal reaches a predetermined value;

computation means for receiving said battery discharge current signal provided by said current detector at the time when said battery voltage signal reaches substantially a predetermined value, and for obtaining a value representing the concentration of the reactive substance in said battery, from a value of the discharge current of said battery or a value of the internal resistance as a function of said battery discharge current signal, and on the basis of the standard characteristic stored in said memory means, the value thus obtained being outputted as a standard concentration value;

correction value computation means for receiving said battery electrolyte concentration signal provided by said battery electrolyte concentration detector, at the time when said computation means receives said battery discharge current signal, or before or after this receiving time, and for computing a concentration correction value on the basis of said battery electrolyte concentration signal and the standard concentration value inputted from said computation means; and

correction means for correcting said battery electrolyte concentration signal provided by said battery electrolyte concentration detector by using the concentration correction value obtained by said correction value computation means to provide a corrected battery electrolyte concentration signal.

7. A battery condition detection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a parameter used in the computation by said computation means is corrected to have a value equal to that at the time a predetermined time later when the parameter is settled.

8. A battery condition detection apparatus comprising;

a first battery characteristic detector for detecting a first characteristic of said battery and for providing a first characteristic signal, said first characteristic being a concentration of a reactive substance in an electrolyte of said battery;

a second battery characteristic detector for detecting a second characteristic of said battery and for providing a second battery characteristic signal;

a third battery characteristic detector for detecting a third characteristic of said battery and for providing a third battery characteristic signal;

memory means for storing a standard characteristic of one of said second battery characteristic and a fourth battery characteristic, said standard characteristic corresponding to the value representing said first battery characteristic signal at a time when said third battery characteristic signal reaches a predetermined value;

computation means for receiving said second battery characteristic signal provided by said second battery characteristic detector at the time when said third battery characteristic signal reaches substantially a predetermined value, and for obtaining a value representing said first battery characteristic, from one of said second battery characteristic signal or a value of said fourth battery characteristic as a function of said second battery characteristic signal, and on the basis of the standard characteristic stored in said memory means, the value thus obtained being outputted as a standard concentration value;

correction value computation means for receiving said first battery characteristic signal provided by said first battery characteristic detector, at the time when said computation means receives said second battery characteristic signal, or before or after this receiving time, and for computing a first battery characteristic correction value on the basis of said first battery characteristic signal and the standard concentration value inputted from said computation means to provide a first battery characteristic correction signal.