Battery charger status control system and method

• US 9,579,990 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schumacher Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Schumacher Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Butler, Brian F., Nguyen, Linh, Clarke, Patrick, Whiting, John
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US14/826,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20160046199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/12 Starting of engines by means of mobile, e.g. portable, starting sets
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/14 Starting of engines by means of electric starters with external current supply F02N11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/306 with external senders or receivers, e.g. receiving signals from traffic lights, other vehicles or base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/122 Provisions for temporary connection of DC sources of essentially the same voltage, e.g. jumpstart cables
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A battery charging system comprising a battery charger configured to deliver power to a rechargeable battery, wherein the battery charger comprises a wireless data transceiver; and a remote server communicatively coupled to the battery charger through a network via said wireless data transceiver and configured to communicate one or more battery charge parameters or battery charger control commands between the battery charger and a remotely situated portable user device.

Claims

1. A battery system comprising:

a battery charger to supply a starting current to jump start an engine electrically coupled with a starting battery, wherein the battery charger comprises a wireless data transceiver; and

a remote server communicatively coupled with the battery charger over a communication network via said wireless data transceiver,

wherein the remote server is configured (1) receive, from said battery charger one or more parameters of the battery charger or the starting battery;

(2) communicate said one or more parameters of the battery charger or the starting battery to a remotely situated, portable user device;

(3) receive, from said remotely situated, portable user device, one or more control commands; and

(4) communicate said one or more control commands to the battery charger, said battery charger configured to supply the starting current to the starting battery when at least one of said one or more control commands is a jump start control command.

2. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the portable user device is a mobile phone.

3. The battery system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more control command instructs the battery charger to perform at least one of:

(1) charge the starting battery;

(2) stop charging the starting battery; and

(3) reset the battery charger.

4. The battery system of claim 1, wherein said battery charger comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter.

5. The battery system of claim 4, wherein said GPS transmitter generates positional data, said positional data being communicated from said battery charger to said remotely situated, portable user device.

6. The battery system of claim 1, wherein said battery charger employs a predetermined charging mode based at least in part on a user input at said remotely situated, portable user device.

7. The battery system of claim 6, wherein said user input indicates a battery type or the starting battery'"'"'s nominal voltage.

15. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the battery charger further comprises an internal power source to supply the starting current.

16. The battery system of claim 15, wherein the internal power source is a supercapacitor or a lithium ion battery.

17. The battery system of claim 16, wherein the starting current is at least 200 cranking amperes.

8. A battery charger comprising:

a charger circuit for selectively charging a starting battery using one or more charging modes, wherein, in at least one of said one or more charging modes, the charger circuit supplies a starting current to jump start an engine electrically coupled with the starting battery;

a set of output terminals electrically connected to said charger circuit and configured to removably and electrically couple with the starting battery;

a sensor to detect one or more parameters of the battery charger or the starting battery;

a wireless data transceiver; and

a processor operatively couple with each of said charger circuit, a voltage sensor, and said wireless data transceiver,

wherein said battery charger is communicatively coupled with a remote server over a communication network via said wireless data transceiver,

wherein said battery charger is configured to (1) transmits said one or more parameters from said battery charger to a remotely situated, portable user device, and (2) receive one or more control commands from said remotely situated, portable user device, said battery charger being configured to supply the starting current to the starting battery when at least one of said one or more control commands is a jump start control command.

9. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein the portable user device is a mobile phone.

10. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein at least one of said control commands is configured to instruct the battery charger to perform at least one of:

(1) charge the starting battery;

(2) stop charging the starting battery; and

(3) reset the battery charger.

11. The battery charger of claim 8, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter, wherein said GPS transmitter generates positional data, said positional data being communicated from said battery charger to said remotely situated, portable user device.

12. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein one of said one or more charging modes is selected based at least in part on a user input at said remotely situated, portable user device, wherein said user input indicates a battery type or the starting battery'"'"'s nominal voltage.

18. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein the battery charger further comprises an internal power source to supply the starting current.

19. The battery system of claim 18, wherein the internal power source is a supercapacitor or a lithium ion battery.

20. The battery charger of claim 19, wherein the starting current is at least 200 cranking amperes.

21. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein the charger circuit comprises a high frequency charging circuit.

22. The battery charger of claim 21, wherein the charger circuit further comprises a linear battery charging circuit.

23. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein the wireless data transceiver operates in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standards.

24. The battery charger of claim 23, wherein the wireless data transceiver is configured to communicate with the portable user device over a local network.

25. The battery charger of claim 23, wherein the wireless data transceiver is configured to communicate with the portable user device and a remote server over the Internet.

26. The battery charger of claim 8, wherein the battery charger further comprises a user interface and a display device, wherein the display device is configured to display whether the battery charger is connected to the portable user device over the communication network.

13. A battery charger management system comprising:

processing circuitry; and

a communication interface communicatively coupled with one or more remotely situated battery chargers and one or more remotely situated, portable user devices over a communication network,

wherein said one or more remotely situated battery chargers are configured to supply a starting current to jump start an engine electrically coupled with a starting battery,

wherein the communication interface receives one or more parameters of said one or more remotely situated battery chargers or the starting battery from said battery charger,

wherein the communication interface communicates said one or more parameters of said one or more remotely situated battery chargers to said remotely situated, portable user device,

wherein the communication interface receives one or more control commands from one of said one or more remotely situated, portable user devices and transmits to the battery charger said one or more control commands, at least one of said one or more control commands being a jump start control command to instruct the battery charger to supply the starting current to the starting battery.

14. The battery charger management system of claim 13, wherein at least one of said one or more remotely situated battery chargers comprises a charger circuit that selectively charges a starting battery using one or more charging modes, wherein one of said one or more charging modes is selected based at least in part on a user input at one of said remotely situated, portable user device, wherein said user input indicates a battery type or the starting battery'"'"'s nominal voltage.