Method for determining the amount of charge which can be drawn from a storage battery and a monitoring device for a storage battery

• US 6,949,911 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VB Autobatterie GmbH
• Original Assignee: VB Autobatterie GmbH
• Inventors: Meissner, Eberhard, Laig-Hoerstebrock, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US10/639,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 320/132, 320/149, 324/426, 324/427, 324/430, 324/433
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/379 for lead-acid batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables

Abstract

A method for determining the amount of charge which can be drawn from a storage battery includes determining a response signal profile within a time interval to an electrical stimulus to the storage battery. The method also includes linearizing the response signal profile and determining the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of a degree of change of the linearized response signal profile in the time interval. A monitoring device for a storage battery is provided that includes measurement means for measuring at least one of voltage and current of the storage battery over time intervals. The monitoring device also includes evaluations means that are designed for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A method for determining the amount of charge which can be drawn from a storage battery, the method comprising:

determining a response signal profile within a time interval to an electrical stimulus to the storage battery,

linearizing the response signal profile; and

determining the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of a degree of change of the linearized response signal profile in the time interval.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the response signal profile is a voltage response to a pulsed current stimulus to the storage battery.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the degree of change is related to the magnitude of a sudden current change in the pulsed current stimulus.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the response signal profile is a current response to a pulsed voltage stimulus to the storage battery.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the degree of change is related to the magnitude of a sudden voltage change in the pulsed voltage stimulus.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the amount of charge which can be drawn utilizing a function or a value table.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a regression straight line by the linearized response signal profile; and

determining a gradient of the regression straight line to determine the degree of change.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the amount of charge which can be drawn has a response that is inversely proportional to the gradient of the regression straight line.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the amount of charge which can be drawn is determined from the product of a rated capacity of the storage battery and a function of the degree of change and a characteristic degree of change characteristic value for the storage battery.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the amount of charge which can be drawn is determined from a product of the rated capacity of the storage battery and a function of the quotient between the degree of change and a characteristic degree of change characteristic value for the storage battery.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the amount of charge which can be drawn is determined using the formula:

Q_R=Rated capacity·

S_new/S

where S_new is a characteristic degree of change characteristic value and S is a present degree of change.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of linearizing the response signal profile comprises evaluating the response signal profile as a function of the square root of a time difference between a start time of the time interval and the time.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying a sequence of current pulses or voltage pulses to the storage battery, each of the pulses providing a response signal profile;

determining the degrees of change for each of the response signal profiles of the individual current pulses or voltage pulses; and

determining the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of the determined degrees of change.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the degrees of change of linearized response signal profiles repeatedly throughout the time during which the storage battery is in use;

determining the relative change in the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of the relative change in the determined degrees of change; and

determining a measure for the wear to the storage battery from the relative change.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of the degree of change related to a degree of change characteristic value which is characteristic of the storage battery in a new state.

16. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining the present energy storage capacity of the storage battery as a measure of the amount of charge which can be drawn, with the present energy storage capacity having a response that is inversely proportional to the gradient of the regression straight line.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the present energy storage capacity is determined from the product of the storage capacity of the storage battery in a new state and a function of the present degree of change and a characteristic degree of change characteristic value.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the present energy storage capacity is determined from the product of the storage capacity of the storage battery in the new state and a function of the quotient between the present degree of change and the characteristic degree of change characteristic value.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the present energy storage capacity is determined using the formula:

K=K_new*S_new/S

where K_new is the storage capacity of the storage battery in the new state, S_new is the characteristic degree of change characteristic value and S is the present degree of change.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the degrees of change for a new storage battery repeatedly over a defined time to determine a characteristic degree of change characteristic value from the determined degrees of change.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining the degrees of change for comparable states of charge and temperatures of the storage battery.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising determining the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of storage battery temperature.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising normalizing the degrees of change to a nominal temperature.

24. The method of claim 2 wherein the magnitude of current values of the pulsed current stimulus corresponds at most to a 10-hour current of the storage battery.

25. The method of claim 2 wherein the magnitude of current values of the pulsed current stimulus corresponds at most to a 50-hour current of the storage battery.

26. The method of claim 2 wherein the magnitude of current values of the pulsed current stimulus corresponds at most to a 200-hour current of the storage battery.

27. The method of claim 2 wherein a current change in the pulsed current stimulus is carried out with a current rate of change whose magnitude is at least in the same order of magnitude as a quotient of the 5000-hour current per second.

28. The method of claim 2 wherein a current change in the pulsed current stimulus is carried out with a current rate of change whose magnitude is at least in the same order of magnitude as a quotient of the 1000-hour current per second.

29. The method of claim 2 wherein a current change in the pulsed current stimulus is carried out with a current rate of change whose magnitude is at least in the same order of magnitude as a quotient of the 200-hour current per second.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the degree of change is determined only from that section of the response signal profile which was measured at the earliest one second after the stimulus.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the degree of change is determined only from that section of the response signal profile which was measured at the earliest 10 seconds after the stimulus.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the degree of change is determined only from that section of the response signal profile which was measured at the latest 1000 seconds after the stimulus.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein the degree of change is determined only from that section of the response signal profile which was measured at the latest 100 seconds after the stimulus.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein the only values of the response signal profile which are used for linearization are those which satisfy a defined determination measure.

35. The method of claim 2 wherein the pulsed current stimulus is applied to the storage battery by means of an electrical switching unit.

36. The method of claim 1 further comprising linking the determined amount of charge which can be drawn to at least one other battery state variable to determine the amount of charge with which the storage battery can be charged.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the at least one other battery state variable is selected from a present degree of discharge and a present state of charge.

38. The method of claim 36 further comprising comparing at least one of the determined amount of charge which can be drawn, the degree of charge, the amount of charge with which the storage battery can be charged, and the energy storage capacity of the storage battery as a comparison variable with a defined threshold value, and outputting the discrepancy or the ratio of the comparison variable to the threshold value.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the threshold value is temperature-dependent.

40. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the present storage capacity of the storage battery from the determined amount of charge which can be drawn and linking the present storage capacity to the storage capacity of the storage battery in a new state to determine a measure for the reduction in storage capacity.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising comparing the determined measure for the reduction in the storage capacity with a defined threshold value.

42. A monitoring device for a storage battery comprising:

measurement means for measuring at least one of voltage and current of the storage battery over time intervals; and

evaluation means;

wherein the evaluation means are designed for carrying out a method comprising;

determining a response signal profile within a time interval to an electrical stimulus to the storage battery,

linearizing the response signal profile; and

determining the amount of charge which can be drawn as a function of a degree of change of the line arized response signal profile in the time interval.