Temperature responsive battery tester

• US 5,389,470 A
• Filed: 05/07/1993
• Issued: 02/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jack Brass, Robert M Parker
• Original Assignee: Jack Brass, Robert M Parker
• Inventors: Parker, Robert, Brass, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/058,449
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 429/90, 429/92, 429/93, 324/435
• US Class Current: 429/90
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/225 by means of thermocouples or other heat sensitive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/374 with means for correcting the measurement for temperature or ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/386 using test-loads
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/388 involving voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/505 Cells combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A temperature responsive tester for measuring the voltage of a voltage source includes a temperature responsive display and an electrical element thermally coupled with the temperature responsive display for heating the temperature responsive display when a voltage exceeding a predetermined threshold level is impressed across the electrical element. Other embodiments of a voltage tester are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the voltage of a battery, comprising:

a temperature responsive material;

a conductive heating means for heating said temperature responsive material in response to an applied current; and

diode means for applying a current from a battery to said conductive heating means when a battery having a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said diode means is electrically connected to said device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said temperature responsive material includes at least one thermochromic material.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said conductive heating means is tapered to generate differing quantities of heat along its length.

4. A device for measuring the voltage of a voltage source, comprising:

a temperature responsive display; and

electrical means thermally coupled with said temperature responsive display for heating said temperature responsive display when a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said electrical means is impressed across said electrical means.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said temperature responsive display includes at least one thermochromic material.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein said temperature responsive display includes two thermochromic materials having different opaque colors and different transition temperatures, the thermochromic material having the lower transition temperature being disposed atop the thermochromic material having a higher transition temperature.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein said temperature responsive display includes at least two thermochromic materials disposed adjacent one another, said at least two thermochromic materials having different transition temperatures.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein said temperature responsive display is disposed on one side of an electrically non-conductive film and said electrical means is disposed on an opposite side of said film.

9. The device of claim 8, further including conductive leads disposed on said film and electrically coupled to said electrical means.

10. The device of claim 4, further including a current limiting resistor in electrical series with said electrical means.

11. The device of claim 4, wherein said electrical means includes a diode.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said temperature responsive display does not significantly respond to heat generated by said diode means when a voltage below said threshold conducting voltage is impressed across said diode means.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein said diode means includes a zener diode.

14. A device for testing a voltage source, comprising:

a temperature responsive display; and

electrical means thermally coupled with said temperature responsive material for heating said temperature responsive material when electrically coupled to a voltage source having a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said electrical means.

15. The device of claim 14, said electrical means comprising a zener diode.

16. The device of claim 14, said electrical means comprising plural zener diodes.

17. The device of claim 14, said electrical means comprising plural zener diodes in electrical series and reverse polarity relation to each other.

18. A device for testing a voltage source, comprising:

a temperature responsive material; and

a plurality of diode means thermally coupled with said temperature responsive material, each of said plurality of diode means for heating a portion of said temperature responsive material when electrically coupled to a voltage source having a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage for each of said plurality of diode means.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said temperature responsive material is disposed is discrete regions, each region being thermally coupled to a separate diode means.

20. The device of claim 18, further including a current limiting resistor in electrical series with each of said diode means.

21. A method for measuring the voltage across a device, comprising the steps of:

sensing the voltage of such device;

generating heat to produce a visual indication by conducting current through a heat generating device when the detected voltage exceeds a threshold conducting voltage of said heat generating device.

22. A device for testing a voltage source, comprising:

a temperature responsive material;

diode means thermally coupled with said temperature responsive material for heating said temperature responsive material when electrically coupled to a battery having a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said diode means; and

,

conductive heating means electrically in parallel with said diode means for heating said temperature responsive material in response to an applied current from such battery.

23. A circuit comprising:

a thin dielectric film

a heat generating electrical component surface mounted to said dielectric film; and

,

a temperature responsive material thermally coupled with said heat generating electrical component, wherein said heat generating electrical component is activated upon application of a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said heat generating electrical component.

24. A device for testing a voltage source over differing ambient temperatures comprising:

a first temperature responsive display;

diode means thermally coupled to said first temperature responsive display and electrically coupled to plural conductive leads, said diode means for heating said first temperature responsive display when a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said diode means is impressed across said diode means; and

a second temperature responsive display which is responsive over ambient temperature ranges, said second temperature responsive display providing different visual indicia for different ambient temperatures to assist the user in determining at what point along said conductive leads to couple said leads to the voltage source.

25. The device of claim 24, at least one of said conductive lead has a resistance characteristic.

26. The device of claim 25, said second temperature responsive display indicating the point along a respective conductive lead for connection to a voltage source to provide an appropriate resistance in circuit with said diode means to compensate for ambient temperature.

27. A device for measuring the voltage of a voltage source, comprising:

a first temperature responsive display; and

first and second diode means in electrical series, said first diode means thermally coupled with said temperature responsive display for heating said temperature responsive display when a voltage exceeding a threshold conducting voltage of said first diode means is impressed across said first and second diode means;

said second diode means for protecting said first diode from damage when said impressed voltage is of wrong polarity.

28. The device of claim 27, including a second temperature responsive display thermally coupled to said second diode means.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein said second temperature responsive display displays a visual indicia indicating if the voltage impressed across said diode means is of wrong polarity.

30. The device of claim 27, wherein said first temperature responsive display includes at least one thermochromic material.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein said first temperature responsive display includes two thermochromic materials having different opaque colors and different transition temperatures, the thermochromic material having the lower transition temperature being disposed atop the thermochromic material having a higher transition temperature.

32. The device of claim 27, wherein said first temperature responsive display includes at least two thermochromic materials disposed adjacent one another, said at least two thermochromic materials having different transition temperatures.

33. The device of claim 27, wherein said first temperature responsive display is disposed on one side of an electrically non-conductive film and said first and second diode means are disposed on an opposite side of said film.

34. The device of claim 27, further including conductive leads disposed on said film and electrically coupled to said first and second diode means.

35. The device of claim 27, further including a current limiting resistor in electrical series with said first and second diode means.

36. The device of claim 27, wherein said temperature responsive display does not significantly respond to heat generated by said first diode means when a voltage below said threshold voltage is impressed across said first and second diode means.