In-use unambiguously determining the near-end-of-life state of a combustion engine battery
First Claim
1. A method for in-use unambiguously determining the near-end-of-life state of a combustion engine battery, the combustion engine battery providing electrical power for cranking a crankshaft for starting the combustion engine and is automatically recharged by a charging system of the combustion engine following engine starting, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) counting a first number of occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, for a plurality of engine startings, via operative connection of a first multi-functional module, operating with a first set of low cranking strength criteria, to a logic function linking group, said first set of low cranking strength criteria is based on using value of a first reference voltage;
(b) substantially simultaneous to step (a), counting a second number of said occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, for same said plurality of engine startings of step (a), via operative connection of a second multi-functional module, operating with a second set of low cranking strength criteria, to said logic function linking group, said second multi-functional module is operatively connected in parallel to said first multi-functional module, said second set of low cranking strength criteria is based on using value of a second reference voltage, whereby said value of said second reference voltage is different from said value of said first reference voltage;
(c) monitoring extent to which the battery was recharged, in terms of voltage supplied, by the charging system of the combustion engine during previous operation of the combustion engine, via additional operative parallel connection of a third multi-functional module to said logic function linking group operative with said first and said second multi-functional modules, during each said engine starting; and
(d) unambiguously determining a single logically correct specific case, from a plurality of different logically correct specific cases, associated with the combustion engine battery in, or not in, the near-end-of-life state, by said logic function linking group performing logic operations and making decisions using simultaneously received output values of said first, said second, and said third, multi-functional modules, during each said engine starting.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Determining near-end-of-life (NEOL) state of a combustion engine battery, comprising: first and second multi-functional modules operatively connected to a logic function linking group, each operating with different low cranking strength criteria based on using different reference voltages, and each counting a different number of occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, for a plurality of engine startings; a third multi-functional module, additionally operatively connected to the logic function linking group, monitoring extent the battery was recharged by the charging system of the combustion engine during previous operation of the combustion engine, during each engine starting; and logic function linking group, performing logic operations and making decisions using simultaneously received output values of first, second, and third, multi-functional modules, for unambiguously determining a single logically correct specific case associated with the combustion engine battery in, or not in, the near-end-of-life state.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for in-use unambiguously determining the near-end-of-life state of a combustion engine battery, the combustion engine battery providing electrical power for cranking a crankshaft for starting the combustion engine and is automatically recharged by a charging system of the combustion engine following engine starting, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) counting a first number of occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, for a plurality of engine startings, via operative connection of a first multi-functional module, operating with a first set of low cranking strength criteria, to a logic function linking group, said first set of low cranking strength criteria is based on using value of a first reference voltage;
(b) substantially simultaneous to step (a), counting a second number of said occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, for same said plurality of engine startings of step (a), via operative connection of a second multi-functional module, operating with a second set of low cranking strength criteria, to said logic function linking group, said second multi-functional module is operatively connected in parallel to said first multi-functional module, said second set of low cranking strength criteria is based on using value of a second reference voltage, whereby said value of said second reference voltage is different from said value of said first reference voltage;
(c) monitoring extent to which the battery was recharged, in terms of voltage supplied, by the charging system of the combustion engine during previous operation of the combustion engine, via additional operative parallel connection of a third multi-functional module to said logic function linking group operative with said first and said second multi-functional modules, during each said engine starting; and
(d) unambiguously determining a single logically correct specific case, from a plurality of different logically correct specific cases, associated with the combustion engine battery in, or not in, the near-end-of-life state, by said logic function linking group performing logic operations and making decisions using simultaneously received output values of said first, said second, and said third, multi-functional modules, during each said engine starting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A device for in-use unambiguously determining the near-end-of-life state of a combustion engine battery, the combustion engine battery providing electrical power for cranking a crankshaft for starting the combustion engine and is automatically recharged by a charging system of the combustion engine following engine starting, comprising:
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(a) a first multi-functional module, operating with a first set of low cranking strength criteria, operatively connected to a logic function linking group, for counting a first number of occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, for a plurality of engine startings, said first set of low cranking strength criteria is based on using value of a first reference voltage;
(b) a second multi-functional module, operating with a second set of low cranking strength criteria, operatively connected to said logic function linking group and operatively connected in parallel to said first multi-functional module, for counting a second number of said occurrences of low cranking strength exhibited by the battery, substantially simultaneous to step (a), for same said plurality of engine startings of step (a), said second set of low cranking strength criteria is based on using value of a second reference voltage, whereby said value of said second reference voltage is different from said value of said first reference voltage;
(c) a third multi-functional module, additionally operatively parallel connected to said logic function linking group operative with said first and said second multi-functional modules, for monitoring extent to which the battery was recharged, in terms of voltage supplied, by the charging system of the combustion engine during previous operation of the combustion engine, during each said engine starting; and
(d) said logic function linking group, for performing logic operations and making decisions using simultaneously received output values of said first, said second, and said third, multi-functional modules, for unambiguously determining a single logically correct specific case, from a plurality of different logically correct specific cases, associated with the combustion engine battery in, or not in, the near-end-of-life state, during each said engine starting. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification