Electronic battery tester

• US 6,172,505 B1
• Filed: 03/09/1999
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Midtronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Midtronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Bertness, Kevin I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOLIS, JOSE M
• Application Number:
  US09/264,743
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 324/430, 340/636, 320/120
• US Class Current: 324/430
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06711 Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06788 Hand-held or hand-manipulated probes, e.g. for oscilloscopes or for portable test instruments end pieces terminating in a probe H01R11/18
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382

Abstract

An apparatus for electronically testing or monitoring the condition of a storage battery is provided. The apparatus includes an inductance cancellation circuit for use in a Kelvin probe of an electronic battery tester. The induction cancellation circuit reduces inductive coupling between leads of the Kelvin probe. The apparatus also includes a DC coupled AC amplifier for amplifying an AC response signal of an electronic battery tester. Other aspects include a critically damped band-pass filter a response signal, a DC to DC convertor isolation circuit, operator editable test criteria, a battery temperature sensing element, an automatically adjustable gain stage and the use of an internal reference standard for a self calibration.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a storage battery, comprising:

battery test circuitry adapted to couple to the storage battery through a first Kelvin connection and second Kelvin connection;

first and second electrical leads coupled to a first terminal of the battery test circuitry and adapted to provide the first Kelvin connection to the battery;

third and fourth electrical leads coupled to a second terminal of the battery test circuitry and adapted to provide the second Kelvin connection to the battery; and

induction cancellation circuitry coupling the first electrical lead to the second electrical lead.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the induction cancellation circuitry provides an opposition current in the second electrical lead as a function of a current in the first electrical lead.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the current in the first electrical lead comprises an applied current and the second electrical lead provides a voltage sense connection to the battery test circuitry.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first electrical lead carries an electrical signal having a frequency between about 5 Hz and about 500 Hz.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the induction cancellation comprises a transformer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a first coil of the transformer is connected in series with the first electrical lead and a second coil of the transformer is connected in series with the second electrical lead.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first and second coils are configured with opposed polarities.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cancellation circuitry comprises means for providing an opposition current in the second electrical lead as a function of a current in the first electrical lead.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a first sense current in the first electrical lead is substantially carried in the third electrical lead as a second sense current and the induction cancellation circuit couples the second sense current to the second electrical lead.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first electrical lead extends adjacent the second electrical lead.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first, second, third and fourth electrical leads are removably coupled to the battery test circuitry and the inductance cancellation circuitry is carried in a housing which carries the first, second, third and fourth electrical leads whereby the induction cancellation circuitry can be adjusted during manufacture for a particular lead configuration.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first, second, third and fourth electrical leads are of sufficient length whereby the battery test circuitry can be placed inside the vehicle and the electrical leads will reach a battery carried in an engine compartment of the vehicle.

13. A method of reducing an inductively coupled current in a Kelvin probe of an electronic battery tester, comprising:

coupling to a sense current carried on a first electrical lead of the Kelvin probe; and

supplying an opposed current in a second electrical lead of the Kelvin probe in response to the sense current, the opposed current flowing in opposition to an inductively coupled current in the second electrical lead.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of coupling comprises directing the sense current through a first coil of a transformer and the step of supplying comprises connecting a second coil of the transformer in series with the second electrical lead.

15. The method of claim 14 including adjusting the response of the opposed current to the sense current to substantially cancel the inductively coupled current.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of adjusting comprises adjusting the coupling between the first and second coils of the transformer.

17. An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a storage battery, comprising:

first and second Kelvin connections configured to couple to terminals of the battery;

an AC test signal source adapted to couple to the terminals of the battery through a first terminal of the first Kelvin connection and a first terminal of the second Kelvin connection and inject an AC test signal therethrough;

test circuitry adapted to provide battery condition information in response to a battery response signal; and

a DC coupled AC amplifier adapted to couple to the terminals of the battery through a second connection of the first Kelvin connection and a second connection of the second Kelvin connection and provide the battery response signal to the test circuitry as a function of an AC response signal arising in response to the AC test signal between the battery terminals, the battery response signal substantially independent of DC battery voltage.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the DC coupled AC amplifier includes a differential amplifier having a DC error signal feedback path between an output of the amplifier and an input of the amplifier.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the input comprises a non-inverting input of the amplifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 including an inverting amplifier in the feedback path.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 including an integrating circuit in the feedback path.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 including a critically damped band-pass filter coupling an output of the differential amplifier to the test circuitry.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the band-pass filter is adapted to pass frequencies in a frequency range proximate a frequency of the AC test signal.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the band-pass filter comprises an 8th order filter.

25. The apparatus of claim 17 including a power supply comprising a DC to DC convertor to provide power to analog circuitry.

26. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the test circuitry includes a memory containing battery test criteria and the battery test criteria can be edited by an operator.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 including a temperature sensing element and the test circuitry performing compensation as a function of the temperature to detect battery temperature.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the temperature sensing element is directed toward a post of the battery.

29. The apparatus of claim 17 including an adjustable gain stage adapted to amplify the AC response signal.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein amplification of the adjustable gain stage is controlled as a function of conductance of the storage battery.

31. The apparatus of claim 17 including an automatic shutdown circuit to reduce power consumption of the test circuitry.

32. The apparatus of claim 17 including a reference standard and wherein the test circuitry performs a self calibration by selectively applying the AC test signal to the calibrated standard and monitoring a response signal.

33. The apparatus of claim 25 including filtering circuitry to reduce noise coupling into noise sensitive components of the apparatus of the test circuitry.

34. An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a storage battery, comprising:

an AC test signal source adapted to couple to terminals of the battery and inject an AC test signal therethrough;

test circuitry adapted to provide battery condition information in response to a battery response signal; and

a critically damped band-pass filter adapted to couple to the terminals of the battery and provide the battery response signal to the test circuitry as a function of an AC response signal arising in response to the AC test signal between the battery terminals, the battery response signal substantially independent of DC battery voltage.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the critically damped band-pass filter is adapted to pass frequencies in a frequency range proximate a frequency of the AC test signal.

36. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the critically damped band-pass filter comprises an 8th order filter.

37. The apparatus of claim 34 including a temperature sensing element and the test circuitry performing compensation as a function of the temperature to detect battery temperature.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the temperature sensing element is directed toward a post of the battery.

39. An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a storage battery, comprising:

first and second Kelvin connections configured to couple to terminals of the battery;

an AC test signal source adapted to couple to the terminals of the battery through a first terminal of the first Kelvin connection and a first terminal of the second Kelvin connection and inject an AC test signal therethrough;

test circuitry adapted to provide battery condition information in response to a battery response signal; and

an adjustable gain stage adapted to couple to the terminals of the battery through a second connection of the first Kelvin connection and a second connection of the second Kelvin connection and provide the battery response signal to the test circuitry as a function of an AC response signal arising in response to the AC test signal between the battery terminals, the adjustable gain stage having a gain input and wherein the amplification gain of the adjustable gain stage is a function of the gain input.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein amplification gain of the adjustable gain stage is controlled as a function of conductance of the storage battery.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 including a microprocessor to automatically control the gain of the adjustable gain stage.

42. The apparatus of claim 39 including an automatic shutdown circuit to reduce power consumption of the test circuitry.