Battery test circuit with energy recovery
First Claim
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1. A battery test circuit, for testing batteries in a working circuit having a plurality of batteries and a load, said test circuit comprising:
- a DC step up converter having an input at a first voltage and an output at a second voltage higher than said first voltage, that may be selectively interconnected between a first one of said plurality of batteries and at least one second one of said plurality of batteries to cause said first battery to supply a defined test current and deliver a current from said output to said at least one second one of said plurality of batteries;
an indicator output, for providing a signal indicative of whether said first battery provides said test current, substantially at the rated voltage of said first battery;
a plurality of input switches, each one of said input switches for connecting a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries to said input of said DC step up converter; and
a plurality of output switches, each one of said output switches for connecting a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries to said output of said DC step up converter.
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Abstract
A battery test circuit for testing batteries in a working circuit having a plurality of batteries includes a DC step up converter. The DC step up converter may be selectively interconnected between a first one of a plurality of batteries and a second one of a plurality of batteries, to draw a test current from the first battery and to supply current at an elevated voltage to the second battery. The test circuit further includes an indicator output for providing a signal indicative of whether the first battery provides the test current substantially at its rated voltage.
29 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A battery test circuit, for testing batteries in a working circuit having a plurality of batteries and a load, said test circuit comprising:
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a DC step up converter having an input at a first voltage and an output at a second voltage higher than said first voltage, that may be selectively interconnected between a first one of said plurality of batteries and at least one second one of said plurality of batteries to cause said first battery to supply a defined test current and deliver a current from said output to said at least one second one of said plurality of batteries; an indicator output, for providing a signal indicative of whether said first battery provides said test current, substantially at the rated voltage of said first battery; a plurality of input switches, each one of said input switches for connecting a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries to said input of said DC step up converter; and a plurality of output switches, each one of said output switches for connecting a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries to said output of said DC step up converter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of testing a battery in a working circuit comprising a plurality of batteries, said method comprising:
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interconnecting by way of one of a plurality of input switches, a selected first battery of said plurality of batteries with an input of a DC step up converter to draw a test current at an input voltage from said first battery; interconnecting by way of one of a plurality of output switches, a selected second battery of said plurality of batteries with an output of said DC step up converter to supply current at an elevated voltage higher than said input voltage to said second battery and any load interconnected to said second battery; monitoring a voltage of said first battery to determine if said first battery is able to provide said test current. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification