Battery tester for electric vehicle

• US 8,306,690 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Midtronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Midtronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Bertness, Kevin I., McShane, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/174,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/34.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/00 Driver interactions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/10 using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Testing or diagnostics are performed on an electric vehicle. The vehicle is operated and current flow through a system of the vehicle is monitored. A voltage related to the system is also monitored. Diagnostics are provided based upon the monitored voltage and the monitored current.

Claims

1. A method of testing an electrical system of an electric vehicle, comprising:

operating the electric vehicle;

coupling to a databus of the electric vehicle;

monitoring data on the data bus and retrieving information related to current flowing into the electrical system of the electric vehicle during the step of operating;

monitoring data on the databus and retrieving information related to a voltage of the electrical system during the step of operating;

diagnosing the electric vehicle based upon the monitored current and the monitored voltage; and

wherein diagnosing the electric vehicle includes compensating for a time difference between retrieving information related to current flowing into the system and retrieving information related to a voltage of the system.

2. The method of claim 1 including instructing an operator regarding operation of the electric vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein diagnosing includes comparing monitored current and monitored voltage or function of the monitored current and monitored voltage with nominal values.

4. The method of claim 1 including wirelessly communicating between the connection to the databus and test circuitry.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the databus comprises an OBD databus.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a battery pack of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6 including monitoring a second system of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second system comprises a regenerative braking system.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein diagnosing comprises monitoring energy output from the regenerative braking system and monitoring energy input into the battery pack.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the diagnosing further comprises determining efficiency of the transfer of energy recovered from the regenerative braking system and stored in the battery pack.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a block of cells of a battery pack of the electric vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 including monitoring a second block of cells of the battery pack.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the diagnosing comprises comparing a parameter of the first block of cells with a parameter of the second block of cells.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnosing comprises measuring a parameter of the system.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the parameter comprises a dynamic parameter.

16. The method of claim 1 including providing an output to an operator of the electric vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the output comprises instructions related to operation of the vehicle for use in performing the step of diagnosing.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the electric vehicle comprises a hybrid vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the system comprises an electric generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of the electric vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19 including monitoring a second system of the electric vehicle, wherein the second system comprises a battery pack and the step of diagnosing comprises determining efficiency of storage of energy from the generator by the battery pack.

21. The method of claim 1 including placing information onto the databus which affects operation of the electric vehicle.

22. The method of claim 1 including placing information onto the databus which affects operation of a system of the electric vehicle.

23. The method of claim 1 including providing an output to an operator of the vehicle to instruct the operator to operate the vehicle in a manner to increase energy efficiency.

24. An apparatus for testing an electric vehicle, comprising:

a databus connector configured to connect to a databus of the electric vehicle;

a microprocessor configured to;

retrieve voltage information from the databus of the electric vehicle provided by a voltage sensor coupled to an electrical system of the electric vehicle;

retrieve current information from the databus of the electric vehicle provided by a voltage sensor coupled to the electrical system of the electric vehicle;

diagnose the operation of the vehicle based upon the retrieved current information and the retrieved voltage information; and

wherein the microprocessor compensates for a time difference between retrieving information related to current flowing into the system and retrieving information related to a voltage of the system.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the microprocessor compares monitored current and monitored voltage or a function of monitored voltage and monitored current, with nominal values.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the databus comprises an OBD databus.

27. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the system comprises a battery pack of the vehicle.

28. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the microprocessor monitors a second system of the vehicle.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the second system comprises a regenerative braking system.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the microprocessor monitors energy output from the regenerative braking system and monitors energy input into the battery pack.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the microprocessor further determines efficiency of the transfer of energy recovered from the regenerative braking system and stored in the battery pack.

32. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the system comprises a block of cells of a battery pack of the electric vehicle.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the microprocessor monitors a second block of cells of the battery pack.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the microprocessor compares a parameter of the first block of cells with a parameter of the second block of cells.

35. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the microprocessor measures a parameter of the system.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the parameter comprises a dynamic parameter.

37. The apparatus of claim 24 including an output provided to an operator of the electric vehicle.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the output comprises instructions related to operation of the vehicle for use in performing the step of diagnosing.

39. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the electric vehicle comprises a hybrid vehicle.

40. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the system comprises an electric generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of the electric vehicle.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the microprocessor monitors a second system of the electric vehicle, wherein the second system comprises a battery pack and the microprocessor determines efficiency of storage of energy from the generator by the battery pack.

42. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the microprocessor is configured to place information onto the databus which affects operation of the electric vehicle.