Identifying and amerliorating a deteriorating condition for battery networks in-situ

• US 9,030,173 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Biourja Energy Systems, Llc
• Original Assignee: Global Energy Innovations, Inc.
• Inventors: McHardy, John, Chait, Paul Nicholas, Salloux, Kurt, Chait, Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• APPLICATION: US 20120084032A1
• Time in patent office: 1250 Days
• Field of Search: 320/152, 320/150, 703/130, 374/100, 702/130
• US Class Current: 320/152
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3627 Testing, i.e. making a one-time determination of some variables, e.g. testing ampere-hour charge capacity G01R31/3644 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3658 for testing or monitoring individual cells or groups of cells in a battery
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3679 for determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state-of-health (SoH), state-of-life (SoL)
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• 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: H01M 10/121 Valve regulated lead acid batteries [VRLA]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A temperature is measured for each terminal of the battery unit. The magnitude and sign of a temperature differential is calculated from the temperatures. The temperature differential is then correlated to a deteriorating condition of the battery unit.

Claims

1. A battery testing device to determine conditions in a battery unit in-situ based on a temperature differential between terminals, comprising:

a temperature measuring device, coupled to each terminal of the battery unit, to measure a temperature of each terminal; and

an analyzing engine to calculate a magnitude and a sign of a temperature differential between the terminals of the battery unit, and to correlate the temperature differential to a deteriorating condition of the battery unit,

wherein the temperature measuring device comprises at least one of an infrared device and a thermocouple.

2. The battery testing device of claim 1, wherein the temperature measuring device measures the temperature differential during float charging at a low current.

3. The battery testing device of claim 1, wherein the deteriorating condition comprises at least one of grid corrosion and thermal runaway.

4. The battery testing device of claim 1, further comprising an impedance measuring device to measure the impedance characteristics, wherein the analyzing engine correlates a combination of the temperature differential and impedance characteristics to the deteriorating condition of the battery unit.

5. A battery testing device to determine conditions in a battery unit in-situ based on a temperature differential between terminals, comprising:

a temperature measuring device, coupled to each terminal of the battery unit, to measure a temperature of each terminal;

an analyzing engine to calculate a magnitude and a sign of a temperature differential between the terminals of the battery unit, and to correlate the temperature differential to a deteriorating condition of the battery unit; and

an impedance measuring device to measure the impedance characteristics, wherein the analyzing engine correlates a combination of the temperature differential and impedance characteristics to the deteriorating condition of the battery unit.

6. The battery testing device of claim 5, wherein the temperature measuring device comprises at least one of an infrared device and a thermocouple.

7. The battery testing device of claim 5, wherein the temperature measuring device measures the temperature differential during float charging at a low current.

8. The battery testing device of claim 5, wherein the deteriorating condition comprises at least one of grid corrosion and thermal runaway.