Patent Application
20070194755
The present invention relates generally to battery testers. More particularly, the invention relates to testing a battery pack without knowing the configuration of the batteries within the battery pack.
A large amount of electrical current is necessary to start a heavy-duty vehicle's engine. Battery packs are often relied upon to provide such electrical current. A faulty battery pack can result in the vehicle's failure to start. Thus, upon the vehicle's failure to start, it is desirable to test the vehicle's battery pack to determine whether the battery pack is, indeed, faulty.
Known battery testing equipment compares the battery pack's measured current output capacity to the battery pack's rated current capacity to determine whether the battery pack is supplying adequate current. Thus, it follows, the technician must determine, and input into the testing equipment, the battery pack's rated current capacity before testing. This enables the testing equipment to compare the rated current capacity against the measured current output capacity.
To determine the battery pack's rated current capacity, the technician must first know the battery pack's configuration. The configuration is characterized, in large part, by the individual batteries' arrangement within the battery pack. For example, the technician must specifically identify the parallel and/or serial connections among the batteries. Based on the connections, the technician must then calculate the overall current capacity of the battery pack.
This is a time consuming and costly process. It is hard to determine the battery pack's configuration. The technician can likely determine, by simple observation, the number of batteries within the battery pack, but the technician cannot easily, if at all, determine the parallel and/or serial connections among the batteries. For example, a battery pack comprising four 12-volt batteries could consist of four 12-volt batteries connected in parallel, two pairs of serial connected 12-volt batteries wherein the pairs are connected in parallel, or four 12-volt batteries connected in series. All of the aforementioned configurations are hard to distinguish and all have a different rated current capacity. Thus, to determine the configuration, the technician must spend time studying either an engineering diagram of the battery pack or the actual connections. Not only are these determinations time consuming and costly, they give rise to human error.
Moreover, once the technician determines the battery pack's configuration, he must utilize the information to calculate the battery pack's rated current capacity. These calculations give rise to human error. For example, if the technician incorrectly calculates the rated current capacity, the battery tester would provide incorrect results. Thus, known battery testers depend on human calculations, which are subject to human error.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system capable of determining a battery pack configuration based on easily determined variables. For example, a technician can easily determine the overall voltage of the battery pack, the number of batteries within the battery pack, and the respective voltage and/or current capacity of each battery within the battery pack. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a system and method capable of determining a battery pack's configuration based the aforementioned easily determined variables.
The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect a system and method are provided that in some embodiments the present invention provides an easy and efficient way to test a battery pack without knowing the actual battery pack configuration.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention is a method for determining a charging characteristic of a battery pack, comprising: receiving an overall voltage of the battery pack, wherein a plurality of individual batteries is disposed in battery pack; receiving a number of batteries corresponding to the individual batteries disposed in the battery pack; receiving an individual battery property common to all individual batteries disposed in the battery pack; and determining the charging characteristic of the battery pack based on the overall voltage of the battery pack, the number of batteries, and the individual battery property.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention is a system for determining a charging characteristic of a battery pack, comprising: means for receiving an overall voltage of the battery pack, wherein a plurality of individual batteries is disposed in battery pack; means for receiving a number of batteries corresponding to the individual batteries disposed in the battery pack; means for receiving an individual battery property common to all of the individual batteries disposed in the battery pack; and means for determining the charging characteristic of the battery pack based on the overall voltage of the battery pack, the number of batteries, and the individual battery property.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for testing a battery pack, comprising: an input device configured to receive an overall voltage of the battery pack, a number of individual batteries disposed in the battery pack, and an individual current capacity common to the individual batteries disposed in the battery pack; and a processor configured to determine an overall rated current capacity of the battery pack based on the overall voltage of the battery pack, the number of individual batteries disposed in the battery pack, and the individual current capacity of the individual batteries disposed in the battery pack.
There has thus been outlined, ratherbroadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a system and method that enables a user, such as a technician, to easily and efficiently determine a battery pack's rated current capacity, e.g., the spec Cold Cranking Amperage, without knowing the configuration of the batteries within the battery pack. It is important to determine the battery pack's rated current capacity, which is necessary for testing the battery pack. For example, to determine a battery pack's condition, the testing equipment compares the battery pack's measured current output capacity to its rated current capacity. If the measured current output capacity is proximate to the rated current capacity, then the battery pack is in good condition.
Not only does the current invention enable the user to avoid manually determining the battery pack's configuration, in some situations, the user also avoids disconnecting and individually testing the battery pack's batteries. For example, upon the vehicle's failure to start, it is desirable to test the vehicle's battery pack to determine whether the battery pack is faulty. Utilizing the present invention, the user can quickly test the entire battery pack, instead of separately testing each battery within the battery pack. If the battery pack is in good condition, then the user has successfully tested the battery pack without disconnecting the batteries, and the user can utilized the saved time to troubleshoot other parts of the vehicle. Moreover, even if the battery pack is faulty, the present invention can save time by notifying the user whether the batteries are connected in series. If the batteries are connected in series, then the batteries can be individually tested while connected. Thus, the user saves time by not having to disconnect the batteries before individual battery testing. However, if the batteries configurations contain a parallel connection, then the batteries must be disconnected before individual battery testing can occur.
The present invention is capable of determining a battery pack's configuration and its rated current capacity based on several easily determined variables. For example, the user can input the overall voltage of the battery pack, the number of batteries within the battery pack, and the respective voltage or current capacity of each battery within the battery pack. Based on the aforementioned user-inputs, the present invention is capable of determining the battery pack's configuration and its rated current capacity. A battery tester can then test the battery pack by comparing its measured current output capacity to its rated current capacity. Thus, the present invention facilitates an easy and efficient battery pack test.
It is desirable to test the battery pack without first determining the configuration of the batteries within the battery pack because determining the configuration is costly and time consuming. This is because the technician must determine the specific connections among the various batteries within the battery pack. There are dozens of possible combinations of connections within the battery pack. For example, a 12-volt charging system can comprise the following configurations: two 12-volt batteries connected in parallel; four 12-volt batteries connected in parallel; and two pairs of serial connected 6-volt batteries wherein the pairs are connected in parallel. A 24-volt charging system can comprise, for example, the following configurations: two 12-volt batteries connected in series; and two pairs of serial connected 12-volt batteries wherein the pairs are connected in parallel. A 6-volt charging system, for example, comprises any number of 6-volt batteries connect in parallel.
Various exemplary battery configurations are illustrated in FIGS. 1-4:
As a result of the parallel connection, the battery pack's 10 current capacity equals the combined current capacity of the batteries 12, 14, 16, and 18, and the battery pack's 10 operating voltage equals the average voltage output of the respective batteries' 12, 14, 16, and 18. Thus, the exemplary battery pack 10 has a rated current capacity of 6000 CCA (4×1500 CCA) and a rated operating voltage of 12 volts.
As illustrated in
A technician attempting to manually calculate the rated current capacity of battery pack 10 would have to make observations much like those presented in the previous paragraph. This manual process is time consuming and gives rise to human error. Instead, using the present invention, a technician can obtain the current capacity of battery pack 10 by, for example, simply inputting the following data into the present invention: the battery pack comprises four 1500 CCA batteries; and the charging system, in which the battery is utilized, is a 12-volt charging system.
As illustrated in
A technician attempting to manually calculate the rated current capacity of battery pack 51 would have to make observations much like those presented in the previous paragraph. This manual process is time consuming and gives rise to human error. Instead, using the present invention, a technician can obtain the current capacity of battery pack 51 by simply inputting into the present invention the number of batteries within the battery pack, the rated current capacity of the individual batteries, and the overall voltage rating of the charging system.
As illustrated in
Battery pack 86 has rated voltage output of 24 volts, which is equal to the average rated voltage of batteries 88 and 90 plus the average rated voltage of batteries 92 and 94. The battery pack 86 has a rated current capacity of 3000 CCAs, which is equal to the average of the aggregated rated current capacities of batteries 88 and 90 and the aggregated rated current capacities of batteries 92 and 94.
As illustrated in
Battery pack 128 has a rated voltage output of 24 volts, which is equal to the average rated voltage of batteries 130 and 134 plus the average rated voltage of batteries 132 and 136. The battery pack 128 has a rated current capacity of 3000 CCAs, which is equal to the average of the aggregated rated current capacities of batteries 130 and 134 and the aggregated rated current capacities of batteries 132 and 136.
If the batteries and cables of battery pack 128 have the same specifications as those of battery pack 86, then the respective rated current capacities and rated voltage outputs of battery pack 128 and battery pack 86 are equal. A technician attempting to manually calculate the rated current capacities of battery packs 86 and 128 would have to make observations much like those presented in the previous paragraphs. This manual process is time consuming and gives rise to human error. Instead, using the present invention, a technician can obtain the rated current capacity of battery packs 86 and 128 simply by inputting into the present invention the number of batteries within each battery pack 86 and 128, the rated current capacity of individual batteries, and the overall voltage of the charging system. Based on the inputted data, the present invention can determine the overall rated current capacity of battery packs 86 and 128.
A cable 192 extends from the housing 184 and is configured to measure a current flow in the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 using an amprobe clamp 194. The apparatus 182 also contains cables 196. A first testing cable 198 is configured to couple to the positive voltage output +V of battery packs 10, 51, 86, and 128 using a battery clamp 200. Likewise, a second testing cable 202 is configured to couple to the negative voltage output −V of battery packs 10, 51, 86, and 128 using a battery clamp 204.
Alternatively, cable 198 may connect to the negative voltage output −V of battery packs 10, 51, 86, and 128, and cable 202 may connect to the positive voltage output +V of battery packs 10, 51, 86, and 128. The clamps 200 and 204 may be alligator clamps or any suitable type of attaching device. Although shown as a separate device, the battery testing apparatus 182 may be combined with any type of electrical device such as an automotive scan tool or an amprobe, for example.
The display 186 is configured to show step-by-step detailed instructions and is driven by the processor 188. These instructions will instruct the technician on where and when to attach a particular clamp or when to remove a particular clamp. The display 186, among other things, also shows the battery packs' 10, 51, 86, and 128 rated current capacities, the battery packs' 10, 51, 86, and 128 measured current output capacities.
The display 186 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or the like. The LCD may show letters and numbers. A Video Graphics Array (VGA) display will be able to show images instead of characters. The display 186 may include either an LCD screen, a VGA screen or a combination of both.
The battery testing device 182 also includes an internal processor 188. The processor 188 is configured to receive and record the battery packs' 10, 51, 86, and 128 actual current output capacity measurement and actual voltage output measurements. The processor 188 is further configured to receive user-inputs and determine the battery packs' 10, 51, 86, and 128 configuration based on the received data and inputs.
The processor 188 is programmed to apply accepted battery concepts: batteries connected in series produce a voltage equal the aggregated voltage of all connected batteries and have a current capacity equal to the average current capacity of all connected batteries; and batteries connected in parallel produce a voltage equal the average voltage of all connected batteries and have a current capacity equal to the aggregated current capacities of all connected batteries.
In an embodiment, the processor 188 is programmed to determine battery configurations based on the user-inputs without applying a mathematical formula. In other words, the processor 188 is programmed to select the battery configuration upon receiving specific combinations of user-inputs. Some of these possible combination are discussed below.
For example, the processor 188 can be programmed with possible battery configurations and corresponding current capacities for a 12-volt charging system. If the user-inputs indicate a 12-volt charging system having two 12 volt batteries, then the processor 188 is programmed to indicate that the battery configuration is two parallel connected 12 volt batteries. If the user-inputs indicate a 12-volt charging system having four 12 volt batteries, then the processor 188 is programmed to indicate that the battery configuration is four parallel connected 12 volt batteries. If the user-inputs indicate a 12-volt charging system having four 6 volt batteries, then the processor 188 is programmed to indicate that the battery configuration is two pairs of serial connected 6 volt batteries, and the pairs are connected to each other in parallel. The foregoing possible battery configurations are exemplary and are included for illustrative purposes.
Also for example, the processor 188 can be programmed with possible battery configurations and corresponding current capacities for a 24-volt charging system. If the user-inputs indicate a 24-volt charging system having two 12 volt batteries, then the processor 188 is programmed to indicate that the battery configuration is two serial connected 12 volt batteries. If the user-inputs indicate a 24-volt charging system having four 12 volt batteries, then the battery configuration is two pairs of serial connected 12 volt batteries, and the pairs are connected to each other in parallel. The foregoing possible battery configurations are exemplary and are included for illustrative purposes.
Also for example, the processor 188 can be programmed with at least a possible battery configuration and various current capacities for a 6-volt charging system. If the user-inputs indicate a 6-volt charging system having any number of 6-volt batteries, then the processor 188 is programmed to indicate that the battery configuration is all batteries are connected in parallel. The foregoing possible battery configuration is exemplary and is included for illustrative purposes.
As shown in
Once the system has received the charging system type, the system next receives the number of batteries within the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 in step 212. For example, the processor 188 can prompt the user, via the display 186, to enter the number of batteries into the input device 190. The number of batteries is easily determined by a physical inspection of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128. Next, in step 214, the system receives an input a characteristic common to all batteries within the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128. For example, the system prompts the user to input the individual batteries' rated current capacities. Rated current capacity is easily determinable because it is printed on the battery and, in the heavy-duty vehicle context, the rated current capacity is usually 1500 CCA. Also for example, the system prompts the user to input the individual batteries' voltage ratings. Voltage rating is easily determinable because it is printed on the battery and, in the heavy-duty vehicle context, the voltage rating is usually either 6 volts or 12 volts.
Once the aforementioned inputs are received, the system then determines the configuration of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128, in step 216. For example, if the charging system type is a 24-volt charging system, the number of batteries is 2, the battery characteristic is a voltage rating of 12 volts, then processor 188 applies the aforementioned accepted battery concepts or accesses the programmed battery configurations to determine that the battery pack comprises two serial connected 12 volt batteries. Other example battery configurations are discussed above. Moreover, it should be appreciated that the battery configuration can be a configuration other than those discussed in this application. Once the battery configuration has been determined, the system proceeds to step 218 and presents the configuration details to the user via the display 186.
In addition to, or in lieu of, determining the configuration of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128, in step 220 the system determines the rated current capacity of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128. For example, if the charging system type is a 24-volt charging system, the number of batteries is 2, the battery characteristic is a voltage rating of 12 volts and a rated current capacity of 1500 CCA, then processor 188 applies the aforementioned accepted battery concepts or accesses the possible battery configurations and corresponding rated current capacities to determine that the current capacity of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, 128 is 1500 CCA. Once the current capacity has been determined, the system proceeds to step 222 and presents the current capacity to the user via the display 186.
Next, the system proceeds to step 224 and determines the condition of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128. For example, the system compares the measured current output capacity of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128, which can be previously determined using known testing devices, to the rated current capacity of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128. If the measured current output capacity is proximate to the rated current capacity, then the system determines that the condition of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 is good. However, if the measured current output capacity is not proximate to the rated current capacity, then the system determines that the condition of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 is faulty. Upon determining the condition of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128, the system presents the condition to the user via the display 186 in step 226.
If the condition of the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 is faulty, then the system proceeds to step 228 and instructs the user to individually test the batteries located within the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 to determine which batteries are faulty. Next, the system proceeds to step 230 and, if the battery configuration includes a parallel connection, then the batteries are dependent on each other and, thus, the system instructs the user to disconnect all batteries within the battery pack 10, 51, 86, or 128 before individual testing. If, however, the battery configuration does not include a parallel connection, then the batteries are operating independently and, thus, the system instructs the operator to proceed with individual testing without disconnecting the batteries. It can be very advantageous to prompt the user not to disconnect the batteries before testing because disconnecting a battery pack, especially in the field, can be time consuming.
Although examples of the present invention are shown as applied to battery packs included in heavy-duty vehicles, it will be appreciated that the present invention may also be applied with any kind of power system having batteries and a battery pack. Also, although the present invention is useful to determine the battery pack's rated current capacity, it can also be used determine other characteristic of the battery pack such as rated voltage output.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents maybe resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
