Monitor system and method for stored battery

• US 9,285,430 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Loftus, Michael Edward, Tabatowski-Bush, Ben A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Sun
• Application Number:
  US14/013,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20150061603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 320/137
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A monitor system for an inventoried battery includes at least one battery pack; at least one embedded monitor subsystem interfacing with the battery pack, the embedded monitor system adapted to acquire sensor data from the battery pack; and at least one archival data storage system interfacing with the embedded monitor subsystem, the archival data storage system adapted to archive the sensor data. A method of monitoring a stored battery is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A monitor system for an inventoried battery, comprising:

at least one battery pack;

at least one embedded monitor subsystem interfacing with the at least one battery pack, the at least one embedded monitor subsystem comprising a computer processor configured to acquire sensor data from the battery pack, the sensor data comprising voltage data related to performance of the battery pack; and

at least one archival data storage system interfacing with the at least one embedded monitor subsystem, the at least one archival data storage system configured to archive the sensor data.

2. The monitor system of claim 1 wherein the at least one embedded monitor subsystem comprises a subsystem computer and at least one subsystem battery interfacing with the subsystem computer, the subsystem computer interfacing with a BECM (Battery Energy Control Module), the BECM associated with the at least one battery pack and configured to initialize and acquire sensor data from the at least one battery pack.

3. The monitor system of claim 2 further comprising a BECM wakeup connection interfacing with the subsystem computer of the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and the BECM.

4. The monitor system of claim 2 further comprising a BECM connection interfacing with the subsystem computer of the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and the BECM.

5. The monitor system of claim 2 further comprising a BECM power connection interfacing with the subsystem computer of the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and the BECM.

6. The monitor system of claim 1 wherein the at least one archival data storage system comprises a central data collection computer interfacing with the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and an archival database interfacing with the central data collection computer.

7. The monitor system of claim 1 wherein the at least one embedded monitor system is configured to wirelessly transmit the sensor data to the at least one archival data storage system.

8. The monitor system of claim 7 wherein the at least one archival data storage system comprises a wireless access device interfacing with the at least one embedded monitor subsystem, a central data collection computer interfacing with the wireless access device and an archival database interfacing with the central data collection computer.

9. A monitor system for an inventoried battery, comprising:

a storage container;

at least one battery pack in the storage container;

at least one embedded monitor subsystem in the storage container, the at least one embedded monitor subsystem interfacing with the at least one battery pack and comprising a computer processor configured to distribute flow of an electrical current to the at least one battery pack, including providing power to maintain a BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) associated with the battery pack in an alert mode, the BECM configured to acquire sensor data from the battery pack, the alert mode comprising maintaining the BECM operational for at least a time period sufficient to acquire the sensor data; and

at least one archival data storage system interfacing with the at least one embedded monitor subsystem, the at least one archival data storage system configured to archive the sensor data, the sensor data comprising voltage data related to performance of the battery pack.

10. The monitor system of claim 9 wherein the at least one embedded monitor subsystem comprises a subsystem computer and at least one subsystem battery interfacing with the subsystem computer.

11. The monitor system of claim 10 further comprising a BECM wakeup connection interfacing with the subsystem computer of the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and the BECM.

12. The monitor system of claim 10 further comprising a BECM CAN (Controller Area Network) connection interfacing with the subsystem computer of the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and the BECM.

13. The monitor system of claim 10 further comprising a BECM power connection interfacing with the subsystem computer of the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and the BECM.

14. The monitor system of claim 9 wherein the at least one archival data storage system comprises a central data collection computer interfacing with the at least one embedded monitor subsystem and an archival database interfacing with the central data collection computer.

15. The monitor system of claim 9 wherein the at least one embedded monitor system is configured to wirelessly transmit the sensor data to the least one archival data storage system.

16. The monitor system of claim 15 wherein the at least one archival data storage system comprises a wireless access device interfacing with the at least one embedded monitor subsystem, a central data collection computer interfacing with the wireless access device and an archival database interfacing with the central data collection computer.

17. A method of monitoring a stored battery, the method implemented by a computer processor executing programmed instructions stored in non-transitory memory, the method comprising:

the computer processor acquiring sensor data from at least one battery pack during storage of the at least one battery pack, the sensor data comprising battery voltage data, the sensor data comprising voltage data related to performance of the battery pack; and

archiving the sensor data.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising distributing flow of an electrical current to the at least one battery pack including to power a BECM (Battery Energy Control Module), the BECM associated with the at least one battery pack and configured to acquire sensor data from the at least one battery pack.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising maintaining the BECM of the battery pack in an alert mode, the alert mode comprising maintaining the BECM operational for at least a time period sufficient to acquire the sensor data.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising transmitting the sensor data for the archiving, the transmitting comprising wireless transmission.