Method and Apparatus for Charging a Battery

• US 20120062237A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Service Solutions US LLC
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Robinson, Dennis, Miller, Garret
• Granted Patent: US 8,395,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/386 using test-loads
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method of testing a battery is provided the method may include: (a) applying a heavy load to the battery, (b) measuring the voltage V1 between the positive and negative terminals of the battery after a first time period under which the battery is subjected to the heavy load; (c) removing the heavy load, (d) waiting for a second length of time, (e) reading the voltage across the positive and negative terminals after the second length of time V2, (f) performing a cold cranking amps CCA test if the CCA test indicates a CCA value above a first threshold, then consider V2, if V2 is below the second threshold than skip to step g but if V2 is above a second threshold than determine if the V2 is above a third threshold, if V2 is above a third threshold than determine that the battery is good and skip steps g-h; but if V2 is below the third threshold then if a battery charge flag has been set, determine that the battery is bad and skip steps g and h, if the battery charge flag has not been set, determine that the battery is good but needs additional charging and skip steps g-h, if the CCA test indicates a CCA valve below the first threshold then move to step g, (g) determine if the battery charge flag has been set, if the battery charge flag has been set, then determine that the battery is bad, if the battery charge flag has not been set then move to step h; and (h) applying a charging current to the battery if the charging current is less than a fourth threshold amount then stop charging the battery and return to step a, if the charging current is greater than the fourth threshold amount, then charge the battery for a third length of time then stop charging the battery and return to step a.

Claims

1. A method of testing a battery comprising:

(a) applying a heavy load to the battery;

(b) measuring the voltage V1 between the positive and negative terminals of the battery after a first time period under which the battery is subjected to the heavy load;

(c) removing the heavy load;

(d) waiting for a second length of time;

(e) reading the voltage across the positive and negative terminals after the second length of time V2;

(f) performing a cold cranking amps CCA test

if the CCA test indicates a CCA value above a first threshold, then consider V2, if V2 is below the second threshold than skip to step g but if V2 is above a second threshold than determine if the V2 is above a third threshold, if V2 is above a third threshold than determine that the battery is good and skip steps g-h;

but if V2 is below the third threshold then if a battery charge flag has been set, determine that the battery is bad and skip steps g and h, if the battery charge flag has not been set, determine that the battery is good but needs additional charging and skip steps g-h;

if the CCA test indicates a CCA valve below the first threshold then move to step g;

(g) determine if the battery charge flag has been set,

if the battery charge flag has been set, then determine that the battery is bad,

if the battery charge flag has not been set then move to step h; and

(h) applying a charging current to the battery

if the charging current is less than a fourth threshold amount then stop charging the battery and return to step a,

if the charging current is greater than the fourth threshold amount, then charge the battery for a third length of time then stop charging the battery and return to step a.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold amount is about 75% of the rated CCA.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first threshold about is about 7 volts for batteries rated between 150 and 199 CCA;

about 7.8 Volts for batteries rated between 200 and 249 CCA; and

about 8.6 Volts for batteries rated between 250 and 300 CCA.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second threshold amount is about 12.1 Volts

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third threshold amount is about 12.3 Volts.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth threshold amount is about 3 Amps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the heavy load is about 150 Amps.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first length of time is about 4 seconds.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second length of time about 20 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the third length of time is about 10 minutes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the CCA test includes applying a micro load to a battery, waiting for 500 ms, read the micro load volts mV1;

turn off the micro load, wait for about 2 seconds, read micro load volts mV2, calculate a bounce back voltage Vbb as Vbb=mV2−

mV1 and correlate the Vbb with a tested CCA as listed in or interpolated from the following values; and

return the tested CCA for Vbb*1000=400 the tested CCA is 350;

for Vbb*1000=446 the tested CCA is 300;

for Vbb*1000=507 the tested CCA is 250;

for Vbb*1000=630 the tested CCA is 200;

for Vbb*1000=799 the tested CCA is 150;

for Vbb*1000=1035 the tested CCA is 100;

for Vbb*1000=1629 the tested CCA is 50.

12. The method of claim 1, if V2 is less than 11 volts, then applying a 4 second load if the voltage after applying the four second load is greater than 3.5 volts than determine that the battery is bad.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a charge time after measuring V2.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the charge time is limited to no more than 60 minutes.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a report after determining that the battery is good or bad.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising entering data regarding the battery into a battery tester.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first length of time is about 4 seconds, the second length of time about 20 seconds, the third length of time is about 10 minutes.

17. A battery tester charger comprising:

a microcontroller;

a data entry device operatively connected to the microcontroller;

a display operatively connected to the microcontroller; and

a set of terminals configured to connect the microcontroller to a battery,

wherein the microcontroller is configured to;

(a) applying a heavy load to the battery;

(b) measuring the voltage V1 between the positive and negative terminals of the battery after a first time period under which the battery is subjected to the heavy load;

(c) removing the heavy load;

(d) waiting for a second length of time;

(e) reading the voltage across the positive and negative terminals after the second length of time V2;

(f) performing a cold cranking amps CCA test

if the CCA test indicates a CCA value above a first threshold, then consider V2, if V2 is below the second threshold than skip to step g but if V2 is above a second threshold than determine if the V2 is above a third threshold, if V2 is above a third threshold than determine that the battery is good and skip steps g-h;

but if V2 is below the third threshold then if a battery charge flag has been set, determine that the battery is bad and skip steps g and h, if the battery charge flag has not been set, determine that the battery is good but needs additional charging and skip steps g-h;

if the CCA test indicates a CCA valve below the first threshold then move to step g;

(g) determine if the battery charge flag has been set, if the battery charge flag has been set, then determine that the battery is bad, if the battery charge flag has not been set, then move to step h; and

(h) applying a charging current to the battery

if the charging current is less than a fourth threshold amount then stop charging the battery and return to step a,

if the charging current is greater than the fourth threshold amount, then charge the battery for a third length of time then stop charging the battery and return to step a.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first threshold amount is about 75% of the rated CCA, the second threshold amount is about 12.1 Volts, the third threshold amount is about 12.3 Volts, and the fourth threshold amount is about 3 Amps.

20. A battery tester charger comprising:

a means for processing;

a means for entering data operatively connected to the means for processing;

a means for displaying operatively connected to the means for processing; and

means for connecting the means for processing to the battery,

wherein the means for processing is configured to;

(a) applying a heavy load to the battery;

(b) measuring the voltage V1 between the positive and negative terminals of the battery after a first time period under which the battery is subjected to the heavy load;

(c) removing the heavy load;

(d) waiting for a second length of time;

(e) reading the voltage across the positive and negative terminals after the second length of time V2;

(f) performing a cold cranking amps CCA test

if the CCA test indicates a CCA value above a first threshold, then consider V2, if V2 is below the second threshold than skip to step g but if V2 is above a second threshold than determine if the V2 is above a third threshold, if V2 is above a third threshold than determine that the battery is good and skip steps g-h;

but if V2 is below the third threshold then if a battery charge flag has been set, determine that the battery is bad and skip steps g and h, if the battery charge flag has not been set, determine that the battery is good but needs additional charging and skip steps g-h;

if the CCA test indicates a CCA valve below the first threshold then move to step g;

(g) determine if the battery charge flag has been set,

if the battery charge flag has been set, then determine that the battery is bad,

if the battery charge flag has not been set, then move to step h; and

(h) applying a charging current to the battery if the charging current is less than a fourth threshold amount then stop charging the battery and return to step a,

if the charging current is greater than the fourth threshold amount, then charge the battery for a third length of time then stop charging the battery and return to step a.