Abstract: A storage battery of the conventional kind for supplying power to electrical devices has a supervising unit for determining the electric capacity. The supervising unit is electrically connected to terminal posts of the battery in order to measure the battery voltage and also measures the battery current. Measurement posts are connected to the end cells of the battery in parallel to the terminal posts and to the supervising unit through bridges. The supervising unit also measures the voltage between the measurement posts and the difference between the measured voltages is a measure of the current flowing through the battery, this difference voltage corresponding to a sum of the voltages over portions of the terminal posts and the bridges. From this difference voltage the current through the battery is calculated and therefrom the remaining electric capacity of the battery is determined by repeating regularly the measurement.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling power to a cranking subsystem in a device having a power source is disclosed. The cranking subsystem is coupled to an engine and a starter that allows a user to activate the cranking subsystem. The method and system include providing a switch and at least one controller. The switch is coupled between the power source and the cranking subsystem. The at least one controller is coupled with the switch and is for controlling the switch to be open or closed based on the starter being used to activate the cranking subsystem and at least one other criteria. The at least one other criteria is programmed into the controller.

Abstract: A method and system for managing power in a device having a power source is disclosed. The power source includes a power storage unit capable of storing a particular amount of power. The device is capable of performing a plurality of functions using the power storage unit alone. The method and system include providing a plurality of switches, a plurality of signal inputs and at least one controller. The plurality of switches are coupled with the power source. Each of the plurality of switches is coupled with a portion of the device and thus can cut off power to that portion of the device. The plurality of signal inputs is for receiving information from the device. The at least one controller is coupled with the plurality of switches and the plurality of signal inputs. The at least one controller is for controlling the plurality of switches to be open or closed based on software provided to the at least one controller.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling power to a cranking subsystem in a device having a power source is disclosed. The method and system comprise providing at least one switch and providing at least one controller. The switch is coupled with the power source and a portion of the device. The at least one controller is coupled with the switch. The at least one controller is for controlling the switch based detection of at least one failure in the portion of the device and to account for the at least one failure in a portion of the device. In one aspect, the method and system comprise monitoring a portion of the device and determining whether at least one failure exists in the portion of the device. In this aspect, the method and system also comprise utilizing the at least one controller to operate at least one switch in order to account for the at least one failure.

Abstract: A method and system for managing power in a device having a power source is described. The system includes a switch and at least one controller. The switch is coupled with the power source and a portion of the device. The at least one controller is coupled with the switch and is for controlling the switch to be open or closed based on instructions provided to the controller. Thus, the switch and controller can manage the power provided to the portion of the device.

Abstract: In a battery such as a starter battery for a motor vehicle semiconductor switches such as MOSFET-switches (11) are connected in parallel between the middle battery cells (7, 9). The switches (11) are controlled by a processor (15) which can receive signals from the exterior, such as rf-signals received by a receiver (25), for allowing a high but not too high current for powering a starter motor from the battery. In other cases only small currents can be drawn from the battery for powering a clock, illumination, etc. The processor also monitors the charge state and can block also small currents when there is too little charge left whereby also a sufficient charge can be left for starting the motor. The switches (15) are located inside the battery in a conducting contact with a metal plate, which is mounted directly on a terminal of one of the middle battery cells and which can be mounted against a bent cooling flange.