Battery failure indicator for a single battery

• US 6,140,927 A
• Filed: 10/26/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Batcon, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Batcon, Inc.
• Inventors: Whitmire, Warren Taylor
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US09/179,282
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 340/636, 340/635, 324/433, 324/434, 320/126, 320/116, 320/112, 320/113, 320/FOR 106, 320/FOR 107, 320/FOR 115, 320/FOR 16, 320/FOR 147, 320/FOR 148, 320/DIG. 13 , 320/DIG. 18, 320/DIG. 21
• US Class Current: 340/636.15
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/185 Electrical failure alarms
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/13 Fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/18 Indicator or display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A modification to existing mono-block battery design for positively indicating the operating condition of the battery. The voltage of two groups of internal series connected cells are measured and compared. An indicator of one color indicates the battery is operating normally, an indicator of a contrasting color indicates the battery is defective.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the condition of a single electrical battery and providing warning of possible battery failure, said system comprising:

means for penetrating the exterior enclosure of said battery so as to connect electrical wires to the internal battery electrical conductors,

means for connecting a plurality of said internal battery conductors to said monitoring system,

means for detecting the difference in the magnitude of the voltage of a first group of cells in said battery and a second group of cells in said battery, said voltage difference detecting means comprising a multiplicity of voltage dividers, each of said voltage dividers connected between at least one cell of said electrical battery and one input of a multiple input analog to digital converter;

a microprocessor;

a power conditioning system; and

an operating program, said microprocessor containing means for communication with said digital to analog converter, said operating program containing instructions executed in said microprocessor, and said instructions containing algorithms for commanding said analog to digital converter to detect voltage potential to every other said voltage potential and determine if the result of said comparisons is less than zero, whereby the condition of said single electrical battery is monitored and a warning of possible battery failure is provided;

means responsive to said detecting means for indicating the condition of said battery, said battery condition indicating means always indicating a first color when battery condition is at an acceptable working potential, and a second color when battery condition is at an unacceptable working potential, said battery condition indicating means being active with either said first color or said second color displayed.