Battery safety monitor system

• US 7,646,173 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Inventors: Coleman, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fantu; Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US10/802,562
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134, 320/136, 301/134
• US Class Current: 320/134
• 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

Abstract

A battery safety monitor system. The system includes at least one battery, at least one zener diode, at least one safety device, a microcontroller, a display device and a power supply. The at least one battery comprises at least one cell string capable of outputting voltage signals. The at least one zener diode is operatively coupled to the at least one battery cell string. The at least one safety device is operatively coupled to the at least one battery cell string. The microcontroller is operatively coupled to the at least one zener diode. The display device is operatively coupled to the microcontroller. The power supply is operatively coupled to the microcontroller and the display device.

Claims

1. A battery safety monitor, comprising:

at least one battery comprising at least one cell string and providing at least one output signal;

a Zener diode coupled to the at least one output signal of the at least one battery and capable of reducing a received voltage therefrom;

a detector operatively coupled to an output of the Zener diode to determine a non-normal condition;

a microcontroller operatively coupled to the output of the Zener diode and to the at least one output signal of the at least one battery; and

an isolator coupled to an output of the microcontroller and providing an isolated signal to an external monitoring device.

2. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, wherein the isolator is an optoisolator.

3. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, wherein the detector is a wetness detector.

4. The battery safety monitor system of claim 3, wherein the wetness detector is operatively coupled to an A/D converter, and wherein said wetness detector is capable of detecting a dangerous battery condition.

5. The battery safety monitor system of claim 3, wherein said wetness detector comprises two narrowly spaced conductors that are operatively coupled to a high impedance voltage and an input of an A/D converter, wherein said wetness detector is configured to produce a reduced voltage when thionyl chloride condenses on said two narrowly spaced conductors.

6. The battery safety monitor system of claim 1 wherein said at least one battery is lithium based.

7. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, wherein the output of the Zener diode is an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter.

8. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, wherein the output of the microcontroller is a serial interface.

9. The battery safety monitor system of claim 8, wherein said serial interface comprises a UART.

10. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, further comprising a connector series-coupled to the isolated signal.

11. The battery safety monitor system of claim 10, wherein said connector comprises long wires.

12. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, wherein the at least one cell string, further comprises at least one of a positive thermal coefficient (PTC) device, a thermal fuse, a fuse, and a string isolation device.

13. The battery safety monitor of claim 12, wherein the string isolation device is a diode.

14. The battery safety monitor of claim 12, wherein the thermal fuse is series-coupled between the PTC and the at least one cell string, and the fuse is series-coupled between the at least one cell string and the string isolation device.

15. The battery safety monitor of claim 1, further comprising:

a digital multiplexer operatively coupled to the isolated signal;

a secondary microcontroller operatively coupled to the digital multiplexer;

a display device operatively coupled to the secondary microcontroller, providing a status of the at least one battery; and

an independent power supply providing power to the secondary microcontroller and the display device.

16. The battery safety monitor system of claim 15, wherein said display device is at least one of a visual alarm, audible alarm, relay switch and serial interface coupled to a display computer.