BATTERY MAINTENANCE SYSTEM

• US 20130116868A1
• Filed: 11/04/2011
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Erko, Robert J., Groschen, Paul L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 battery-powered vehicle and a vehicle battery maintenance system that includes a battery charger that monitors energy consumption data from the vehicle battery to generate charging instructions to a charger. A central data unit (CDU) can determine whether if a vehicle electrical load is consuming too much energy and then generate instructions to the vehicle controller to limit the energy consumption. The CDU can notify an offsite central computer if the battery has not been charged according to charging instructions.

Claims

1. A battery-powered vehicle comprising:

a vehicle battery;

a battery charger capable of charging batteries of differing chemistries;

a vehicle electrical load; and

a central data unit (CDU) in communication with the vehicle battery, the battery charger, and the vehicle electrical load, wherein the CDU;

(a) receives battery identification data, including the chemistry type of the vehicle battery;

(b) receives energy consumption data from the vehicle battery;

(c) uses the battery identification data and energy consumption data to generate charging instructions for the battery charger; and

(d) outputs the charging instructions to the battery charger.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle battery is a lithium-ion battery and the CDU outputs charging instructions to the battery charger that prompts the battery charger to charge the lithium-ion battery to a set charge level that is not a full charge level.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the charging instructions also prompt the battery charger to begin charging the lithium-ion battery before a set time point, the set time point being a time point that allows the battery charger to complete charging before a next expected use of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle battery is not a lithium-ion battery and the CDU outputs charging instructions to the battery charger that prompts the battery charger to charge the vehicle battery to a full charge level.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the battery includes an RFID tag that stores the battery identification data, and the CDU is in communication with and receives the battery identification data from the RFID tag.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the CDU receives the battery identification data from the battery.

7. A vehicle battery maintenance system comprising:

a battery charger; and

a central data unit (CDU), wherein the CDU is in communication with the battery charger and is configured to gather data from an existing vehicle battery and an existing vehicle electrical load; and

wherein the CDU;

(a) collects energy consumption data from the existing vehicle battery;

(b) maintains a clock and a calendar;

(c) creates an energy consumption profile for the vehicle by tracking the energy consumption data over a time period of use, the timing of the use, and the date of use of the vehicle;

(d) predicts the amount of energy needed by the battery during a subsequent use of the vehicle based on the energy consumption profile;

(e) uses the energy consumption data and the prediction of the amount of energy needed to generate charging instructions for the battery charger; and

(f) outputs the charging instructions to the battery charger.

8. The vehicle battery maintenance system of claim 7, wherein the charging instructions also prompt the battery charger to begin charging the battery before a set time point, the set time point being a time point that allows the battery charger to complete charging before a next expected use of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle battery maintenance system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle battery is a lithium-ion battery and the CDU outputs charging instructions to the battery charger that prompts the battery charger to charge the lithium-ion battery to a set charge level that is not a full charge level.

10. The vehicle battery maintenance system of claim 7, further comprising a water pump and water reservoir in communication with the CDU, wherein the CDU instructs the water pump to pump water from the water reservoir to the battery.

11. The vehicle battery maintenance system of claim 10, wherein the CDU instructs the water pump to pump water from the water reservoir to the battery at a set time point.

12. A battery-powered vehicle comprising:

a vehicle battery;

a vehicle electrical load;

a vehicle controller that controls the vehicle electrical load;

a battery charger;

a central data unit (CDU) in communication with the vehicle battery, the battery charger, and the vehicle electrical load, wherein the CDU;

(a) collects energy consumption data from the vehicle battery indicating the amount of energy being drawn by the vehicle electrical load;

(b) creates an energy consumption profile for the vehicle by tracking the energy consumption data over a time period of use of the vehicle;

(c) predicts the amount of energy needed from the battery based on the energy consumption profile;

(d) determines if the vehicle electrical load is consuming too much energy based on prediction of the amount of energy needed from the battery;

(e) generates instructions to the vehicle controller to limit the energy consumption by the vehicle electrical load; and

(f) outputs the instructions to the vehicle controller.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle electrical load includes a motor and a vehicle controller, wherein the CDU:

(g) receives operation data from the motor;

(h) uses the operation data and the energy consumption data to generate instructions for the vehicle controller; and

(i) outputs instructions to the vehicle controller.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the energy consumption profile corresponds to the down-pressure of a scrubber brush of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the CDU generates instructions to limit the energy consumption by the scrubber brush of the vehicle if the down-pressure is set too high.

16. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle electrical load is a scrubber brush motor of the vehicle.

17. A vehicle battery maintenance system comprising:

a battery charger; and

an offsite central computer; and

a central data unit (CDU), wherein the CDU is in communication with the battery charger and the offsite central computer, the CDU being configured to be placed in communication with an existing vehicle battery and an existing vehicle electrical load; and

wherein the CDU;

(a) receives energy consumption data from the existing vehicle battery;

(b) uses the energy consumption data to generate charging instructions for the battery charger;

(c) outputs the charging instructions to the battery charger;

(d) monitors whether the battery charger follows the charging instructions;

(e) analyzes whether the existing vehicle battery has been charged; and

(f) notifies the offsite central computer if the battery has not been charged following the charging instructions.

18. The battery maintenance system of claim 17, wherein the CDU receives charging algorithms from the offsite central computer.

19. The battery maintenance system of claim 18, wherein the CDU receives the charging algorithms from the offsite central computer when the battery charger is connected to the existing vehicle battery.

20. A vehicle battery maintenance system comprising:

a battery charger; and

an offsite central computer; and

a central data unit (CDU), wherein the CDU is in communication with the battery charger and the offsite central computer, the CDU being configured to be placed in communication with an existing vehicle battery; and

wherein the CDU;

(a) collects energy consumption data from the existing vehicle battery;

(b) uses the energy consumption data to generate charging instructions for the battery charger;

(c) outputs the charging instructions to the battery charger;

(d) provides the offsite central computer with the energy consumption data and the charging instructions; and

wherein one of the CDU and the offsite central computer determine the charge capacity remaining in the existing vehicle battery based on the energy consumption data and the charging instructions.

21. The vehicle battery maintenance system of claim 20, wherein the CDU outputs an alert that the battery needs replacement based on the determined charge capacity remaining in the battery.