Method and apparatus for automotive battery condition indication

• US 6,275,161 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1999
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CK Electronics Sendirian Berhad
• Original Assignee: CK Electronics Sendirian Berhad
• Inventors: Wan, Yeoh Boon, Hong, Kok Chee, Lim, Chok Meo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US09/398,186
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 340/636, 340/638, 340/660, 340/661, 320/165, 320/116, 320/136, 320/119, 320/134, 320/104, 320/163, 324/430, 324/431
• US Class Current: 340/636.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health

Abstract

The present invention concerns a system and an apparatus for monitoring the electrical condition of an automotive battery [2] in use. The main purpose of this invention is to monitor and indicate automotive battery conditions, namely liquid electrolyte level and level of battery plate deterioration using the concept of ripple voltage. The present invention utilises ripple voltage present in battery supply line [4] as reference to deduce the condition of the said battery [2]. The method comprises the steps of first measuring the ripple voltage present in battery supply line [4] when engine is running, comparing the ripple voltage to a range of acceptable values determined by how bad the deterioration of battery is before issuing a signal or by nominal setting that best fit automotive vehicles and lastly providing indication when the ripple voltage exceeds the range of pre-set values. The said apparatus comprises a ripple voltage detector, having the acceptable range setting, connected to battery supply line [4] and an indicator connected to the ripple voltage detector which gives indication when the ripple voltage exceeds the acceptable range set.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring and indicating a condition of an automotive battery, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) extracting a ripple voltage component from a battery voltage present in an automotive battery supply line during engine running, said battery voltage constituted of a DC voltage component and said ripple voltage component;

(ii) generating a ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference based on said ripple voltage component; and

(iii) comparing said ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference with said ripple voltage component to determine the condition of said automotive battery [2].

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition of the automotive battery [2] includes liquid electrolyte level, level of positive and negative plate deterioration and battery terminal contact condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the automotive battery [2] is of a type of battery used in an automotive vehicle as the primary source of DC voltage supply, including at least one of lead acid battery and maintenance free battery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ripple voltage component comprises multiple non-DC frequency components of various amplitudes generated by alternator [3] together with other electrical and electronic load [5] during engine running.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the automotive battery supply line [4] comprises an electrical wiring connection that electrically connects positive and negative terminals of the automotive battery [2] to an alternator [3] and other electrical and electronic load [5], the electrical wiring connection includes at least one of fuses, switches and relay contacts.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference changes with respect to the ripple voltage component present during engine running.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference comprises at least one of a voltage signal or digital data within a micro-controller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of amplitude or shape of either positive side, negative side or both sides of the ripple voltage component is compared with the ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference.

9. An apparatus for monitoring and indicating a condition of an automotive battery, said apparatus comprising:

a signal extractor for extracting a ripple voltage component from a battery voltage present in an automotive battery supply line during engine running, said battery voltage constituted of a DC voltage component and said ripple voltage component;

a signal generator for generating a ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference based on said ripple voltage component; and

a comparator for comparing said ripple voltage characteristic comparison reference with said ripple voltage component to determine the condition of said automotive battery.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is in electrical connection to a point that is along the automotive battery supply line [4].