Vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system

• US 8,013,611 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reserve Power Cell LLC
• Original Assignee: Reserve Power Cell LLC
• Inventors: Elder, David, Bruno, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V
• Application Number:
  US11/486,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/127, 320/132, 320/152, 320/162, 320/164, 324/425, 324/426, 324/429, 324/433, 324/434, 324/427, 340/636.1, 340/636.12, 340/636.13, 340/636.15, 340/636.18, 340/636.2
• US Class Current: 324/427
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A vehicle battery product and a battery monitoring system communicating with a battery product having an at least one electronics module, the module having a controller, the controller having software and a computer readable storage media. An at least one sensor circuit senses the status of the battery product including a battery product voltage and a battery product temperature. Software modules in the battery monitoring system acquire battery product data such as the battery product voltage and the battery product temperature, filter the acquired battery product data into modified battery product data and process the modified battery product data against stored parameters through a lookup function on a variable event filter table resulting in an output that represents the state of charge or state of health of the battery. The acquired, filtered, modified and compared battery product data is stored to provide historical battery product data over the course of the life of the battery product. This stored battery product data is compared against threshold levels. An at least one communication device communicates the data from the battery product and to the battery product and from and to the battery monitoring system to communicate the condition of the battery to a user.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle battery monitoring system in communication with a vehicle battery product, the method comprising:

waking the battery monitoring system from a dormant state;

transmitting and receiving information regarding the vehicle battery product and updating said information based on initial data input by a user;

sensing at least a battery product voltage and a battery product temperature;

acquiring battery product data from the battery product voltage and the battery product temperature;

filtering the acquired battery product data into modified battery product data including passing the modified battery product data through a filter code segment and a predictive code segment acting on a predictive, parametric database of values and processing the modified battery product data against stored parameters through a lookup function on a variable event filter table resulting in an output that represents the state of charge or state of health of the battery;

storing the acquired, filtered, modified and compared battery product data in the portion of memory and retaining whole or in part the acquired, filtered, modified and compared battery product data to provide historical battery product data over the course of the life of the battery product;

comparing the stored battery product data against threshold levels;

analyzing the stored battery product data when threshold levels are met; and

determining a state of the battery based on the analyzing step and reporting same.

2. A vehicle battery product, the vehicle battery product being coupled to a battery monitoring system, the battery product and monitoring system comprising:

at least one sensor coupled to and communicating with the battery product and the battery monitoring system, the at least one sensor measuring at least a battery product voltage and a battery product temperature;

at least one communication interface for facilitating communication with one or more external devices;

a battery monitoring electronics module coupled to the at least one communication interface, the electronics module including at least one controller with at least one of an at least one CPU, EEPROM(s), ADC(s), PWM(s), Digital Input(s), and Digital Output(s) and including a portion of memory for storage of data and software operable in accordance with the software, the software having multiple code segments forming the software on the controller, the software segments including;

an at least one code segment acquiring battery product data for at least the battery product voltage and the battery product internal temperature from the at least one sensor;

an at least one code segment filtering the acquired battery product data into modified battery product data including a code segment that utilizes the modified battery product data and passes it through a filter code segment and a predictive code segment acting on a parametric database of values and processing the modified battery product data against stored parameters, the code segments including a lookup function on a variable event filter table resulting in an output that represents the state of charge or state of health of the battery;

an at least one code segment storing the acquired, filtered, modified and compared battery product data in the portion of memory and retaining whole or in part the acquired, filtered, modified and compared battery product data to provide historical battery product data over the course of the life of the battery;

an at least one code segment comparing the stored battery product data against threshold levels; and

one or more external devices, wherein if the at least one code segment comparing the stored battery product data against threshold levels determines that data is beyond those levels, it sends an alert via the communications interface to a user on the one or more external devices.

3. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the stored battery product data can also include warranty-related information.

4. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the warranty information includes at least one of identification of a point of sale, a date of purchase, a level of warranty, a time period of warranty, vehicle identifying information for a vehicle in which the battery is installed, and geographic information indicating a locale in which the battery is located.

5. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the electronics module is further operable to initially maintain the battery in a dormant state and to activate the battery from the dormant state responsive to interaction with the external device, and wherein the electronics module receives the set of software via the at least one communication interface subsequent to activation of the battery.

6. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, further comprising a battery product housing, the battery product housing containing the vehicle battery product.

7. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the electronics module is within or on top of the battery housing within the vehicle.

8. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the electronics module is remote from the battery product within the vehicle.

9. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the at least one filtering and processing code segment further comprises segments performing ADC scaling and integration of variables and Steinhart Hart Linearization on the battery product data acquired by the acquiring segment resulting in modified battery product data.

10. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is a single sensor circuit or a group of sensors coupled to a single sensor circuit.

11. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is a group of sensors or a group of sensor circuits.

12. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor also measures a battery product resistivity and a battery product current.

13. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the battery monitoring electronics module further comprises at least one of an at least one battery voltage detection circuit, a current drain and source detection circuit, an internal temperature detection circuit and an internal resistance detection circuit in communication with the at least one sensor and communicating measured battery product data to the controller code segments and storing the measured battery product data in the portion of memory.

14. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the battery product monitoring electronics module further comprises an at least one power condition and regulation circuit used to ensure that stable voltages are supplied to the at least one sensor.

15. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the software code segment that utilizes the modified battery product data further comprises an at least one adjustment code segment that adjusts the data for the type and size of the battery.

16. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the one or more external devices have an at least one indicator element.

17. The vehicle battery product and battery monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the one or more external devices have an at least one indicator element includes an audio indication circuit or a tri-color LED driver.