BATTERY CHECKER

• US 20170184677A1
• Filed: 03/09/2017
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Inventors: NODA, Hiroyuki, Mizutani, Masatoshi, Mori, Natsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,459,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4285 Testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery checker is provided with: voltage application unit configured to apply an AC voltage to a battery to be measured; ripple voltage measurement unit configured to measure a ripple voltage contained in a terminal voltage of the battery; and electric power storage level detection unit configured to detect an electric power storage level of the battery by comparing the measured ripple voltage with a set reference. The voltage application unit includes a transformer that transforms voltage for an alternating current of an AC power supply such as a commercial AC power supply, and an output circuit that applies, to the battery, an alternating current with transformed voltage.

Claims

1. A battery checker comprising:

a voltage application unit configured to apply an AC voltage to a battery to be measured;

a ripple voltage measurement unit configured to measure a ripple voltage contained in a terminal voltage of the battery; and

an electric power storage level detection unit configured to detect an electric power storage level of the battery by comparing the ripple voltage measured by the ripple voltage measurement unit with a set reference.

2. The battery checker as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the voltage application unit includes a transformer configured to transform a voltage of an AC power supply to a voltage suitable for a voltage of the battery, and an output circuit configured to apply, to the battery, the AC voltage transformed by the transformer.

3. The battery checker as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the electric power storage level detection unit includes a reference storage unit configured to store, as the set reference, a plurality of battery type-specific references corresponding to types of the battery to be measured, and a reference switching unit configured to switch between the plurality of battery type-specific references.

4. The battery checker as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the ripple voltage measurement unit includes a capacitor connected to an output terminal on a positive electrode side of the battery, an amplifier configured to amplify a voltage between the capacitor and a terminal on a negative electrode side of the battery, and a voltmeter configured to measure a ripple voltage amplified by the amplifier.