Battery jump starting connection detection system and method

• US 10,505,379 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2018
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paris Business Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Paris Business Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Toscani, Gerard M, Rodriguez, Efrain
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M Baye
• Application Number:
  US16/123,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20190081492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 320104
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/02 Measuring real or complex resistance, reactance, impedance, or other two-pole characteristics derived therefrom, e.g. time constant by measuring phase angle only G01R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/69 of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• 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 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery jump starting connection detection system and method assists in making the best connection to the vehicle battery by detecting the connection resistance to the battery. The connection resistance measurement is taken with the jump start battery isolated from the battery and involves placing a load of known resistance on the battery via the clamps and cabling, and measuring the voltage differential in loaded and unloaded states. The connection resistance is calculated in a main controller, given the loaded and unloaded voltages. As the user adjusts the jump start clamps on the battery terminals in order to get the best possible contact, the system measures the resistance and the results are presented on a display in a meaningful, easy-to-read format such as an LCD display. The user can thus optimize the connection while seeing the results of the optimization in real time.

Claims

1. A method of detecting the optimal electrical connection between a vehicle battery with battery terminals and a jump start battery with jump start battery clamps, said method comprising:

providing circuitry comprising a main controller unit, said main controller unit containing internal, pre-set resistance values ranging from high resistance values to low resistance values;

attaching the jump start battery clamps to the battery terminals of the vehicle battery;

measuring the voltage of the vehicle battery while in a non-load clamping condition;

storing the measured voltage in the main controller unit;

measuring the voltage of the vehicle battery while in a load clamping condition;

storing the load clamping condition voltage in the main controller unit;

comparing the non-load clamping condition voltage with the load clamping condition voltage;

calculating the real time clamp resistance connection between the vehicle battery and the jump start battery using the main controller unit and the stored non-load condition and load condition voltages;

comparing the clamp resistance connection with the pre-set resistance values contained in the main controller unit to obtain clamp resistance connection values;

displaying the clamp resistance connection values; and

adjusting the jump start battery clamps on the battery terminals to obtain low clamp resistance connection values.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising a component in the circuitry which provides instantaneous electric current to the main controller unit.

3. The method as in claim 2 wherein the component comprises a capacitor.

4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising a component in the circuitry which allows voltage and electric current to pass from the battery via the jump start clamps to the circuitry.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the component is a Schottky diode.

6. The method as in claim 1 further comprising a component in the circuitry which controls the flow of electric current through the circuitry.

7. The method as in claim 6 wherein the component is an N-channel mosfet.