Method of testing characteristics of battery set

• US 5,387,871 A
• Filed: 11/25/1992
• Issued: 02/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wei-Jen Tsai
• Original Assignee: Wei-Jen Tsai
• Inventors: Tsai, Wei-Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): Regan, Maura K.
• Application Number:
  US07/981,496
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 324/429, 324/430, 324/433, 324/434, 340/636, 320/48, 320/14
• US Class Current: 324/429
• 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 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A method of testing characteristics of battery set includes a multicircuit voltage tester having a plurality of voltage testing line sets, which are coupled respectively with a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a battery unit of the battery set, which is subsequently permitted to discharge to a load for a predetermined period of time and which is subsequently recharged. During such times when the discharging and the recharging of the battery set are under way, the multicircuit voltage tester is capable of scanning, reading and writing repeatedly the voltage data of each battery unit. Such data are stored in a memory and are plotted equidistantly to form a chart comparing the voltage characteristics of the battery set. The characteristics of each battery unit can be determined by observing the change in space between the characteristic curves in the chart.

Claims

1. A method of testing characteristics of battery set making use of a multicircuit voltage tester having a plurality of voltage testing line sets connected respectively with a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a battery unit of said battery set, which is subsequently permitted to discharge to a load for a period of time upon an interruption of an input power source and which is subsequently recharged by a resumption of said input power source;

wherein said multicircuit voltage tester scanns, reads and writes repeatedly data of voltage of said battery unit of said battery set at a time when said battery set discharges and is recharged, with said data stored in a memory of said multicircuit voltage tester and plotted as characteristic curves in relation to time such that said characteristic curves are spaced in coordinate equidistantly to form a chart, comparing said characteristic curves and determining a characteristic of said battery unit of said battery set by observing a change in space between said characteristic curves.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said multicircuit voltage tester comprises a microcomputer in communication with an analog-to-digital converter and a decoder;

wherein said multicircuit voltage tester is characterized in that said analog-to-digital converter has an input terminal communicating with a plurality of relays, each of which is connected with a capacitor and provided with a set of voltage testing lines coupled respectively with a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a battery to be tested, and further that said decoder is controlled by said microcomputer to activate said relays one after another so as to enter a voltage value of said capacitor into said analog-to-digital converter, which converts said voltage value into a digital datum to be stored in said microcomputer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said battery unit of said battery set is connected in parallel with a capacitor, through which a terminal voltage of said battery unit is measured.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said battery set has an average voltage value which is computed by all voltage values of all battery units making up said battery set;

wherein said battery unit has a voltage value deviation percentage which is obtained by comparing said voltage value of said battery unit with said average voltage value of said battery unit; and

wherein the characteristic of said battery unit is poor if said deviation percentage of said battery unit shows a sharp divergence from said average voltage value of said battery set.

5. A method of testing characteristics of a battery set making use of a multicircuit voltage tester having a plurality of capacitors, each of which is connected no a voltage testing line set connected respectively with a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a battery unit of said battery set, which battery set is subsequently permitted to discharge to a load for a period of time upon an interruption of an input power source and which battery set is subsequently recharged by a resumption of said input power source, comprising the steps of

scanning, reading and writing repeatedly data on the voltage of each battery unit of said battery set at a time when said battery set discharges and is recharged by scanning, reading and writing the voltages across each of the capacitors;

storing said data in a memory of said multicircuit voltage tester;

plotting said stored data as characteristic curves in relation to time with said characteristic curves spaced in coordinates equidistantly from each other on a chart;

observing for a variance in equidistant spacing between said characteristic curves;

and determining from said chart which battery units in said battery set require individual testing by determining where variance from equidistant spacing exists.