Pulse-discharge battery testing methods and apparatus
First Claim
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1. A method for evaluating the condition of a battery, the method comprising:
- applying a discharge pulse to the battery;
measuring a response of the voltage of the battery to the discharge pulse;
obtaining at least one parameter relating to a change in the battery voltage resulting from the application of the discharge pulse; and
,computing a measure of a condition of the battery based at least in part on the at least one parameterwherein the at least one parameter comprises a difference between the battery voltage at a first time after a start of the discharge pulse and a second time during the discharge pulse and after the first time.
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Abstract
A method for evaluating the conditions a battery comprises applying a discharge pulse to the battery and monitoring a response of the battery to the discharge pulse. In some embodiments a measure of battery condition is based at least in part on at least one of first and second parameters. The first parameter is related to the decrease in battery voltage after the onset of the discharge pulse. The second parameter is related to the recovery of the battery voltage after the discharge pulse. The first and/or second parameters may be supplied as inputs to an evaluation system such as a neural network, a fuzzy logic inference engine or the like.
18 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for evaluating the condition of a battery, the method comprising:
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applying a discharge pulse to the battery; measuring a response of the voltage of the battery to the discharge pulse; obtaining at least one parameter relating to a change in the battery voltage resulting from the application of the discharge pulse; and
,computing a measure of a condition of the battery based at least in part on the at least one parameter wherein the at least one parameter comprises a difference between the battery voltage at a first time after a start of the discharge pulse and a second time during the discharge pulse and after the first time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for evaluating the condition of a battery, the method comprising:
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applying a discharge pulse to the battery; taking first measurements of the voltage of the battery at selected times during the discharge pulse; from the first measurements obtaining a first parameter relating to a reduction of the battery voltage during a period following an onset of the discharge pulse, the first parameter comprising a difference between the battery voltage at a first time after a start of the discharge pulse and a second time during the discharge pulse and after the first time; and
,computing a measure of a condition of the battery based at least in part on the first parameter. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24)
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21. Battery testing apparatus comprising:
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first and second connectors for connecting to terminals of a battery under test; a volt meter connected to measure a voltage between the first and second connectors; a current sink switchably connectable between the first and second connectors; a controller configured to; cause the current sink to be connected between the first and second connectors for an interval to cause a discharge pulse to be applied to the battery under test; sample an output from the volt meter at least at a plurality of times during the interval; obtain at least one parameter relating to a change in the battery voltage resulting from the application of the discharge pulse, the at least one parameter comprising a difference between the battery voltage at a first time after a start of the discharge pulse and a second time during the discharge pulse and after the first time; and compute a measure of a condition of the battery based at least in part on the at least one parameter. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification