Pairing of a battery monitor to a communication device

• US 9,699,818 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Winner, Dean, Grothaus, Brent J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Yong Hang
• Application Number:
  US14/666,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 3408558, 340531, 34053926, 3406931, 340 72, 340333, 340 31, 340 37, 455572, 455573, 455574, 455 412, 455 413
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/06 Lead-acid accumulators semi-lead accumulators H01M10/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A monitoring system comprises a storage device monitor and a communication device. The storage device monitor is powered by an energy storage device (e.g., battery or fuel cell) to which the storage device monitor is attached. The communication device is mounted on an industrial vehicle or battery charger. A load is electrically connected to the communication device that is external to and independent from the storage device monitor. In operation, the communication device transmits an encoded message to the load. A controller of the storage device monitor detects the encoded message by sensing changes in a characteristic of the energy storage device that occur responsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded message to the load. The controller of the storage device monitor converts the encoded message into a discovery parameter, and pairs with the communication device across a wireless network based upon the discovery parameter.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for industrial vehicles, comprising:

a storage device monitor that is powered by an energy storage device to which the storage device monitor is attached, the storage device monitor comprising;

a wireless transceiver;

a sensor capable of sensing an energy storage device characteristic; and

a controller coupled to the wireless transceiver and the sensor;

a communication device mounted to an industrial vehicle, the communication device and the industrial vehicle also powered by the energy storage device, the communication device comprising a wireless transceiver; and

a load that is electrically connected to the communication device, wherein the load is external to and independent from the storage device monitor;

wherein;

the communication device is programmed to transmit an encoded message to the load;

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to;

detect, using the sensor, the encoded message by sensing changes in the energy storage device characteristic that occur responsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded message to the load;

convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter; and

pair with the communication device across a wireless network based upon the discovery parameter; and

the communication device and the storage device monitor wirelessly communicate information between each other using the paired wireless connection.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the discovery parameter includes a broadcast name; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to;

broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor, the broadcast name to the wireless transceiver of the communications device;

receive, in response to broadcasting the broadcast name, a pairing request from the wireless transceiver of the communications device; and

pair with the communication device.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the discovery parameter includes a substitute media access control (MAC) address; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to;

broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor, the substitute MAC address to the wireless transceiver of the communications device;

receive, in response to broadcasting the substitute MAC address, a pairing request from the wireless transceiver of the communications device; and

pair with the communication device.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the discovery parameter includes a passkey; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to;

broadcast, via the wireless storage device monitor transceiver, a discovery name to the communications device transceiver;

receive, in response to broadcasting the discovery name, a pairing request including a security value from the wireless communications device transceiver; and

pair with the communication device if the security value matches the passkey.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller of the storage device monitor is further programmed to:

enter a discovery mode when detecting a triggering event; and

listen for the encoded message until the encoded message is detected.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a battery.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a fuel cell.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter by being programmed to process the encoded message to generate the discovery parameter.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter by being programmed to use the encoded message as the discovery parameter without any data manipulation.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the sensor is a current sensor coupled to the energy storage device; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to detect the encoded message by being programmed to detect current drawn by the energy storage device responsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded message to the load.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is select one of:

a voltage sensor;

a resistance sensor;

an impedance sensor;

a power sensor;

a temperature sensor;

a fluid-level sensor; and

a chemical sensor.

12. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the communication device further includes power enabling circuitry; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to pair with the communication device before the power enabling circuitry enables the industrial vehicle for normal operation.

13. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor is a Bluetooth wireless transceiver; and

the wireless transceiver of the communication device is a Bluetooth wireless transceiver.

14. A monitoring system comprising:

a storage device monitor that is powered by an energy storage device to which the storage device monitor is attached, the storage device monitor comprising;

a wireless transceiver;

a sensor capable of sensing an energy storage device characteristic; and

a controller coupled to the wireless transceiver and the sensor;

a communication device mounted on a battery charger, the communication device comprising a wireless transceiver; and

a load that is electrically connected to the communication device, wherein the load is external to and independent from the storage device monitor;

wherein;

the communication device is programmed to transmit an encoded message to the load;

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to;

detect, using the sensor, the encoded message by sensing changes in the energy storage device characteristic that occur responsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded message to the load;

convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter; and

pair with the communication device across a wireless network based upon the discovery parameter.

15. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein:

the discovery parameter includes a broadcast name; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to;

broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor, the broadcast name to the communications device transceiver;

receive, in response to broadcasting the broadcast name, a pairing request from the wireless transceiver of the communications device; and

pair with the communication device.

16. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein:

the discovery parameter includes a substitute media access control (MAC) address; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to;

broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor, the substitute MAC address to the wireless transceiver of the communications device;

receive, in response to broadcasting the substitute MAC address, a pairing request from the wireless transceiver of the communications device; and

pair with the communication device.

17. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein:

the discovery parameter includes a passkey; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to;

broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor, a discovery name to the communications device transceiver;

receive, in response to broadcasting the discovery name, a pairing request including a security value from the wireless transceiver of the communications device; and

pair with the communication device if the security value matches the passkey.

18. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter by being programmed to process the encoded message to generate the discovery parameter.

19. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter by being programmed to use the encoded message as the discovery parameter without any data manipulation.

20. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein:

the sensor is a current sensor coupled to the energy storage device; and

the controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to detect the encoded message by being programmed to detect current drawn by the energy storage device responsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded message to the load.