Abstract: The present invention provides a method for determining the occurrence of ice blocking in an electrode surface in real time by analyzing minimum cell voltages of a fuel cell stack and, at the same time, distinguishing the occurrence of ice blocking in an anode from the occurrence of ice blocking in a cathode.

Abstract: A battery pack includes one or a plurality of secondary batteries that are connected with each other; a positive pole terminal and a negative pole terminal to which external equipment is connected; a variable resistance portion which is connected between a positive pole of the secondary battery and the positive pole terminal or between a negative pole of the secondary battery and the negative pole terminal and resistance values of which are changed; a battery voltage measuring portion for measuring the voltage of the secondary battery; and a controlling portion for controlling the resistance value of the variable resistance portion based on the measurement result of the battery voltage measuring portion.

Abstract: The method of estimation of the state of charge of a lead acid battery comprises measuring the open circuit voltage difference between an integrated liquid junction reference electrode and a negative battery terminal during at least one cut-off period. It further comprises determination of the sign of the current though the battery prior to cut-off and estimation of the state of charge on the basis of the open circuit voltage difference and, according to the sign of the current, respectively of a charge or a discharge calibration curve, previously determined during a calibration procedure. The cut-off period has preferably a duration of at least 5 minutes.

Abstract: A method for determining the state of charge (SOC) of a lithium ion battery is provided. The method leverages a circuit model of the lithium ion battery, and generates four battery parameters from which the SOC is derived.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for modeling temperature characteristics of components in a system such as a power module for a hybrid or electric vehicle. A power dissipation value is calculated for each of the components in the system. A first filter is applied to the power dissipation value associated with a selected component to determine its estimated temperature. For each of the neighboring components located adjacent to the selected component, a cross-coupling temperature is estimated by applying other filters to each of the power dissipation values for the neighboring components. The estimated temperature of the selected component and the estimated cross-coupling temperatures for each of the neighboring components can then be added to thereby estimate the operating temperature for the selected component. Further, the operation of the system may be adjusted if the operating temperature determined for the selected component exceeds a threshold value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for rapidly and safely estimating the high-rate load test voltage of a storage battery utilizing open-circuit voltage, temperature and a dynamic parameter such as conductance or resistance. An output indicative of the condition of the battery is provided as a function of the estimated load test voltage of the battery compared to industry standards without the necessity to charge the battery or discharge the battery with high-rate loads using bulky load testing equipment.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for accurately characterizing thermodynamic and materials properties of electrodes and electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. Enhanced sensitivity provided by the present methods and systems combined with measurement conditions that reflect thermodynamically stabilized electrode conditions allow very accurate measurement of thermodynamic parameters, including state functions such as the Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of electrode/electrochemical cell reactions, that enable prediction of important performance attributes of electrode materials and electrochemical systems, such as the energy, power density, current rate, the cycle life and the state of health of an electrochemical cell. Also provided are systems and methods for charging electrochemical cells; for example, systems and methods for charging an electrochemical according to its state of health.

Abstract: A method and arrangement is provided for estimating an initial value for an internal battery temperature of a vehicle using a four zone process that determines which of a predetermined set of time zones correlates with a measured period of time for an engine of the vehicle being in an engine-off condition. Once the time zone is determined, an initial estimated value of the internal temperature of the battery is determined as a function of a set of parameters correlated with the determined time zone. The set of time zones include a holding time zone, a model based estimation time zone which is greater in time than the holding time zone, a first self-adjustment zone which is greater in time than the model based estimation time zone, and a second self-adjustment time zone which is greater in time than the first self-adjustment time zone.

Abstract: A battery monitoring device includes a probe for insertion into a valve of a lead acid battery. The probe includes an electrolyte monitoring probe connected to an electrolyte level sensor, and a temperature probe connected to a temperature sensor. The battery monitoring device also includes a display for communicating the temperature and electrolyte level of the lead acid battery, and an LED for indicating that the electrolyte level is low. At appropriate intervals, the battery monitoring device can deliver pulses of electricity to the lead acid battery and counteract sulfation, in order to enhance battery performance and extend the useful lifetime of the battery.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus of estimating a state of health (SOH) of a battery using internal resistance, which has been found to act as a parameter exerting the greatest influence on the SOH of the battery. The method comprises the steps of: storing an SOH estimation table constructing SOH values corresponding to various values of internal resistance according to temperature and a state of charge (SOC) in a memory; performing measurement of the temperature and estimation of the SOC of the battery when a request is made to estimate the SOH; detecting the internal resistance value of the battery; and reading the SOH values corresponding to the measured temperature, the estimated SOC of the battery, and the detected internal resistance value of the battery from the SOH estimation table.

Abstract: A method for ascertaining the temperature in an electrical battery includes determining at least one temperature value at a temperature measuring point outside the battery in the vicinity of the battery; determining at least one electrical power value in dependence on a characteristic power variable associated with the operation of the battery; weighting the power values and the temperature values with an assigned weighting factor; and ascertaining the temperature in the electrical battery from an energy balance in dependence on the at least one weighted temperature value and the weighted electrical power values.

Abstract: Sate-of-life for an electrical energy storage device is predictively determined based on electrical current, state-of-charge, and temperature of the electrical energy storage device during active and quiescent periods of operation.

Abstract: In a method for estimating the charge of a motor vehicle battery, at least one sensor measures terminal voltage, current circulating in the battery, and temperature, such that: current variations are measured at predetermined time intervals; a modeled voltage is determined according to current and temperature; the modeled voltage includes components corresponding to charge polarization; estimated and measured voltage are compared to determine voltage error; theoretical model is adapted according to battery operating phase and determined voltage error.

Abstract: A modular heavy load battery test system is provided. The system includes a heavy load module and a battery tester. The heavy load module includes a housing, first and second lengths of high-resistivity, large-gauge wire arranged on respective upper and lower surfaces of a heat-resistant support plate, a switch and at least one cooling fan. The battery tester includes a housing, a microcontroller and a set of battery charging wires. The microcontroller selects the configuration of the first and second wires and provides the control signal to the heavy load module, while the switch selectively connects the first and second wires to the battery tester based upon the control signal.

Abstract: Coefficients A and B are calculated from the measured temperature and the measured state of charge. Next, a response voltage Vc is calculated by substituting the measured internal impedance X into a response-voltage correlation equation. Besides, by comparing the response voltage Vc with a predetermined threshold V0, if Vc is bigger than or equal to V0, the battery is determined as normal. By substituting the measured values of internal impedance, temperature, and SOC into the internal impedance calculation formula, a final internal impedance calculation formula is determined by calculating the value of C by an iterating operation. Next, in the case of determining SOH of a battery, by substituting a standard temperature and a standard SOC into the final internal impedance calculation formula, the internal impedance to determine the SOH is calculated. By comparing the internal impedance with SOH determination threshold, the SOH of the battery is determined.

Abstract: A battery capacity detection device for a portable electronic apparatus and the method thereof are disclosed. The portable electronic apparatus has a battery with a capacity. The battery capacity detection method includes the following steps: a plurality of capacity values and a plurality of temperature values are provided, and each of the capacity values corresponds to one of the temperature values; a temperature surrounding the battery is sensed by a sensing unit, and a temperature signal is generated; the temperature signal is then compared with the temperature values for finding a matched temperature value and obtaining the capacity value corresponding to the matched temperature value; and the capacity of the battery is adjusted according to the capacity value corresponding to the matched temperature value.

Abstract: The battery pack is provided with communication lines that connect with attached electrical equipment, a temperature-sensing element that connects with a communication line, a switching device that connects with the temperature-sensing element, and a control section to control the switching device. The control section puts the switching device in the open state when the communication lines are being used and puts the switching device in the closed state when the communication lines are not being used to output temperature-sensing element voltage to the electrical equipment-side via the communication lines.

Abstract: A modular and scalable power source can be used to supplement and/or replace existing sources of power. In some embodiments, a DC source can be used to charge a battery in a host system, provide power as a back-up system, or be a primary source of power. The power source includes a set of battery units and one or more circuits that provide an alternative signal path around the battery units if the battery units are at a particular charge level. Temperature sensors are used to turn off or otherwise adjust the alternative signal paths if the temperatures of the alternative signal paths become too high.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a thermal battery testing apparatus and a method for testing a thermal battery. The method includes one or more of the following steps: connecting the thermal battery in series with a resistance; connecting the thermal battery and resistance in series with a sinusoidal voltage source; applying a sinusoidal voltage to the thermal battery, measuring an impedance, reactance and/or capacitance across two terminals of the thermal battery, comparing the measured impedance, reactance and/or capacitance to a reference impedance, reactance and/or capacitance; and indicating whether the tested thermal battery is “in family” or “out of family.” The battery testing apparatus may include a testing device configured to apply a sinusoidal voltage to the thermal battery and to measure the impedance, reactance and/or capacitance across two terminals of the thermal battery. The testing apparatus may further be configured to report “out of family” batteries.

Abstract: A electrical energy storage device may experience quiescent periods of operation. A method is disclosed effective to account for the effects that temperature during quiescent periods has upon the electrical energy storage device.

Abstract: The present invention is a battery fuel gauge circuit for measuring the capacity of a battery pack. The battery fuel gauge circuit includes an amplifier circuit, a correction circuit, a plurality of comparators, and a multiplexer. The amplifier circuit can sense a discharge current flowing through a sense resistor and a variable temperature from the battery pack and generate a first and a second voltage signals, which are corrected by the correction circuit and compared with a reference voltage by the plurality of comparators. After correction and comparison, the multiplexer can transmit the compared signals to an external indicating circuit that controls the display of the capacity of the battery pack.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of estimating a maximum output of a battery for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The method comprises extracting maximum charge/discharge outputs of the battery depending on a plurality of charged states (SOC) of the battery under which the vehicle is able to be driven and calculating an interrelation between them; extracting maximum charge/discharge outputs of the battery at plural temperatures under which the vehicle is able to be driven, and calculating an interrelation between them; extracting degradations of outputs of the battery as a capacity of the battery is discharged during the traveling, and calculating an interrelation between them; and based on the interrelations obtained, estimating a maximum output of the battery using a function.

Abstract: A lead acid battery model suitable for programming on a motor vehicle body computer uses environmental and target battery operating variables for maintaining synchronization of the model with the target battery under actual operating conditions. The model includes a energy flow section with at least two integrators for simulating primary and recovery reservoirs of charge in the battery. An output voltage estimation signal provides a signal for comparison with measured battery voltage for synchronization. Capacity of the reservoirs is generated from manufacturer specifications measured against battery performance.

Abstract: A secondary cell residual capacity calculation method and a battery pack capable of calculating the secondary cell residual capacity is provided. The calculation method includes detecting a temperature of a plurality of secondary cells; detecting a current and a terminal voltage of the plurality of secondary cells; digitizing temperature, current, and terminal voltage; calculating a cell polarization voltage from the digitized temperature, current and terminal voltage; calculating an original cell voltage from both of the calculated cell polarization voltage and the detected terminal voltage; and calculating a residual capacity rate based on the calculated original cell voltage with reference to a prearranged residual capacity reference data table.

Abstract: A system and method for charging and thus extending the life of an electrical storage device is disclosed. The system provides for developing an essentialized cell model structure of the electrical storage device; determining model parameters for charge-discharge data of the structure; and determining charge-discharge behavior of the structure in a voltage-charge plane. The method also includes measuring voltage values of the structure based upon the charge-discharge behavior; and deriving an instantaneous damage rate from the measured voltage values. The method further includes developing a charging profile based upon the instantaneous damage rate, wherein the charging profile optimizes a charging current with respect to the damage per cycle so as to extend the overall life of the electrical storage device. The method also includes the ability of the system to track the parameters of the electrical storage device as the device changes with time.

Abstract: A member for measurement of cell voltage and temperature in a battery pack comprises temperature measuring elements (a) attached to the surfaces of unit cells, and a printed circuit board (b) having protrusions formed at the upper end thereof such that the protrusions are connected to electrode lead connection members that connect electrode leads of the unit cells, connection parts formed at the lower part thereof for allowing the temperature measuring elements to be attached to the printed circuit board, and a circuit through which electric current for voltage measurement of the unit cells and electric current for temperature measurement of the temperature measuring elements flow.

Abstract: A method for determining at least one characteristic variable for the state of a battery includes: (a) determining the charge throughput of the battery per time step; having, (b) determining a first characteristic figure in order to describe the stratification of the electrolyte concentration in the battery on the basis of a defined initial state for an as-new battery, and of a second characteristic figure in order to describe the stratification of the state of charge in the battery on the basis of a defined initial value for an as-new battery during operation of the battery, in which (c) in each time step, the first characteristic figure and the second characteristic figure are adapted as a function of the charge throughput from the instantaneous state of the battery, and at least one characteristic variable is determined from the first and the second characteristic figure.

Abstract: A system for monitoring the battery capacitor is disclosed. The system comprises an ADC (analog to digital converter), a CPU, a ROM, a clock generator, a SMbus (smart management bus) interface. A series of RTC interrupt signals are generated by the clock generator and feeds to the CPU. When the CPU receives a RTC interrupt, the CPU runs a program in said ROM to calculate the remaining capacity of the battery and stores it into register or RAM according to the digital signal outputs from the ADC, which converts an analog signal of the battery into a digital signal. The SM bus interface then fetches the calculated results from the CPU and displays them by LED in terms of lighting, dark and flashing.

Abstract: This invention provides an electronic device that has a battery with a power storage unit and a display module, a power detector and a display control module. The power storage unit is for storing electrical power and the display module is placed on the surface of the battery. The power detector is selectively coupled to the battery, and generates a remaining power signal after detecting the remaining power in the battery. The remaining power signal is used to control the display control module. When the power detector is selectively coupled to the battery, the display module shows the current remaining power in response to the action of the display control module. When the power detector is separated from the battery, the display module is essentially capable of maintaining the showing of remaining power.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus is used for measuring a remaining coulomb of a rechargeable electrical energy storage device. The measuring apparatus includes a storing module, a measuring module, and a processing module. The storing module is used for storing data on relations between voltage and charge of the rechargeable electrical energy storage device. The measuring module is used for measuring an initial voltage of the rechargeable electrical energy storage device, and obtaining an initial charged coulomb based on the data. The processing module is used for calculating a charged coulomb and a discharged coulomb, and calculating the remaining coulomb based on the charged coulomb or the discharged coulomb and the initial charged coulomb and updating the data with the remaining coulomb. A measuring method and an electronic device including a measuring apparatus for measuring a remaining coulomb are also disclosed.

Abstract: A temperature sensing circuit for a ballast for a HID lamp multiplexes the temperature measurement function with another function to reduce the number of pins required for the temperature measurement function performed by the microcontroller of the ballast. The circuit includes a microcontroller having a first A/D input/output pin, a second A/D input/output pin and a multifunction pin, a temperature measurement circuit connected to the second A/D pin, a timing circuit connected to the first A/D pin, and a switch connected to the multifunction pin, temperature measurement circuit and timing circuit. The switch activates the temperature measurement function by connecting the temperature measurement circuit to the multifunction pin in a first position and deactivates the function by disconnecting the temperature measurement circuit from the multifunction pin in a second position.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for the rapid charging of a lithium-ion battery. A charging algorithm is applied to modify a charging pulses frequency, duty cycle and amplitude depending on the measurement of the battery temperature. The charging algorithm is based on the chemical Diffusion Coefficient of the battery, with this Diffusion Coefficient, in turn, dependent on the type of solvent system, the type of electrolyte, and the temperature of the battery.

Abstract: When impedance calculating conditions are satisfied after a system is started, the impedance of a battery is calculated using the current of the battery, a time variation in open circuit voltage thereof, a time variation in terminal voltage thereof, a time variation in current thereof, and a time variation in impedance thereof. The ratio of the calculated impedance to the initial impedance is calculated. The impedance ratio is subjected to weighting and averaging, thus obtaining a weighted average. When the system is terminated, an impedance-correction-coefficient learned value is updated using the weighted average. Thus, a change in impedance of the battery can be accurately grasped. Advantageously, parameters indicating the state of the battery, e.g., the remaining capacity thereof, reflect the change in impedance, resulting in accurate battery management.

Abstract: A battery monitoring apparatus that obtains a current measurement for a current in a conductive element. The battery monitoring apparatus includes conductive lines configured to couple to a conductive element having an electrical current, a filter coupled to the conductive lines and configured to filter noise from a signal derived from a voltage difference between the conductive lines, an analog-to-digital converter that converts the signal filtered by the filter and outputs a digital signal, and a controller that receives the digital signal from the analog-to-digital converter.

Abstract: A battery management system is disclosed for control of individual cells in a battery string. The battery management system includes a charger, a voltmeter, a selection circuit and a microprocessor. Under control of the microprocessor, the selection circuit connects each cell of the battery string to the charger and voltmeter. Information relating to battery performance is recorded and analyzed. The analysis depends upon the conditions under which the battery is operating. By monitoring the battery performance under different conditions, problems with individual cells can be determined and corrected.

Abstract: An electronic battery tester for testing a storage battery that includes a battery housing with a plurality of electrochemical cells electrically connected to terminals of the battery is provided. The battery tester includes positive and negative connectors that can connect to the battery terminals. The tester also includes a temperature sensor that can measure a temperature of an individual electrochemical cell of the plurality of electrochemical cells. Processing circuitry, which is coupled to the temperature sensor, is configured to test the battery using the positive and negative connectors and to provide an output related to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. The present invention also provides a battery charger with an integrated battery cell temperature sensor.

Abstract: A method of estimating an internal temperature of a vehicle battery is based on heat transfer between a heat source and the battery. In addition to the heat source, airflow generated by vehicle movement and radiator fans affects the internal temperature of the battery. The method estimates an initial internal temperature of the battery at engine startup based on how long the engine was off. The temperature of the heat source is determined. A transfer function is determined to represent the effect of the airflow. The method updates a current internal temperature of the battery based on the initial internal temperature and an integration of the transfer function and the heat source temperature.

Abstract: A gas detection sensor system including active and reference elements (Rsense, Rref) are arranged in a modified bridge circuit (12, 14, 22, 24) which allows power (Vbat) to be supplied seperately to the active and reference element (Rsense, Rref). A digal processor (30) monitors the resistances of the elements (Rsense, Rref) to control a pulse-width modulator supplying power to the elements, thereby maintaining nearly constant temperatures in the sensor elements (Rsense, Rref) and to translate the decrease in power needed to maintain constant temperature on the catalytic element into an output proportional to the concentration of combutible gas in air. The system periodically measures the resistance of the elements (Rref, Rsense) and enables dual operating modes of catalytic-bead detector. One active or reference element (Rsense, Rref) can alternately measure low concentrations of combustible gases up to the lower explosive limit (LEL) or measure high concentrations, up to 100% by volume.

Abstract: A method for determining the wear to an electrochemical energy store includes determining the temperature of a battery and determining a wear variable over time as a function of the battery temperature. The wear variable is determined as a sum of temperature-dependent wear contributions over time, with the values of the wear contributions rising more than proportionally as the battery temperature rises. An energy store such as a battery or a system provided with an energy store includes a temperature measurement device or means and a computation device or means configured to calculate a wear variable in accordance with the method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for rapidly and safely estimating the high-rate load test voltage of a storage battery utilizing open-circuit voltage, temperature and a dynamic parameter such as conductance or resistance. An output indicative of the condition of the battery is provided as a function of the estimated load test voltage of the battery compared to industry standards without the necessity to charge the battery or discharge the battery with high-rate loads using bulky load testing equipment.

Abstract: An instrument (20) has a well (28a-b) for receiving a dry cell (75), an opening (78) through which a first connector (74) is exposed to the well (28a-b), and a boss (76) adjacent the opening (78). The boss (76) precludes the wrong terminal of the dry cell (75) from engaging the first connector (74) when the dry cell (75) is inserted into the well (28a-b) in incorrect orientation. A second connector (80) includes a base (81), a first leg (82) resiliently connected to and extending away from the base portion, a second leg (84) resiliently connected to and extending away from the first leg (82), and a third leg (86) resiliently connected to and extending away from the second leg (84) and toward the first leg (82). A display (42) for the instrument (20) has a lens (90) having a substantially transparent substrate with a polyurethane coating. The instrument housing has first and second portions.

Abstract: A system for monitoring performance of one or more batteries in a battery plant facility. A set of sensors for each battery are used to measure a plurality of battery operation parameters comprising the battery current, battery voltage, and internal battery temperature of each said battery. A processor generates, for each battery, a plurality of battery status parameters comprising a true age parameter and a float capacity parameter. During a float period, the true age parameter is updated based on elapsed time corrected for battery temperature history and the float capacity is updated based on the most recent true age parameter. During a discharge period, the float capacity parameter is updated based on the evolution of plant voltage during the discharge. After the discharge period, at the beginning of a subsequent float period, the true age parameter is updated based on the float capacity parameter determined during the immediately previous discharge period.

Abstract: A power detector (50) detects a power level of an amplified signal (S20) produced by a power amplifier (16) on the same integrated circuit (100). The power detector compensates for an effect of temperature variations on the magnitude of the detected power level.

Abstract: An electrical rechargeable battery with an electronic functional monitoring circuit integrated in the rechargeable battery container. The rechargeable battery contains an apparatus for measuring battery voltage, an apparatus for measuring battery temperature and an apparatus which detects the current direction by means of a measurement apparatus on the battery pole stem. The electronic circuit contains a microprocessor which uses the input variables to calculate the state of charge and/or the serviceability of the rechargeable battery, and the calculated output values can be passed on via a communication apparatus. A visual indicator is arranged on the rechargeable battery container, can be actuated via the communication apparatus, and indicates information about the state of charge and/or serviceability.

Abstract: A process for the detection of a defect of an automotive vehicle battery includes analyzing the time dependence of the discharge voltage across the terminals of the battery. This process has the steps of measuring at least two successive values of the discharge voltage of the battery, during the phase of cranking the engine of the automotive vehicle, for at least two consecutive top dead center points, taking a difference of the measured voltage values, and deducing therefrom whether the battery is charged or defective. The process is built into an electronic computer carried on board the automotive vehicle.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system to efficiently ensure functionality of a battery pack during assembly using thermal imaging. After individual battery modules are combined into sections, such as for a high voltage battery pack to power a traction motor for an electric vehicle, a power discharge test using thermal imaging is conducted on each section before combined to form the battery pack. This can determine whether any connections are loose or faulty based on the additional heat generated and detected at the site and allow them to be fixed during assembly. Further tests can include a comparison of voltage among the battery pack and each battery section and a means to adjust any battery pack that exceeds a predetermined voltage variation. The thermal image scan can obtain thermal radiation variation using infrared intensity data that can be digitized, processed, assigned color values, put on a visual display and recorded.

Abstract: Rotation of an air-blowing motor is continued also upon completion of charge; by retrieving a presumed temperature for cooling and upon detecting that a measured temperature is higher than the presumed temperature for cooling by not less than a specified value, a LED lamp is switched ON for indicating that clogging of an airflow path of a battery package has occurred, and an abnormal condition is written to an EEPROM of the battery package.

Abstract: A testing device applies time-varying electrical excitation to a cell or battery and senses the resulting time-varying electrical response. Computation circuitry within the device uses voltage and current signals derived from the excitation and response signals as inputs and computes values of elements of an equivalent circuit representation of the cell or battery. The internal temperature of the cell or battery is calculated from the value of the time constant of a particular parallel G-C subcircuit of the equivalent circuit. The battery's internal temperature is then either displayed to the user, used to apply appropriate temperature corrections to other computed quantities, used to detect thermal runaway, and/or used to control an external process such as charging of the battery.

Abstract: A computer program is provided. The computer program product includes a medium readable by a computer, the medium (1) having means for inputting a signal representative of a temperature range in which a temperature of an operating environment of a battery resides; and (2) means for estimating a service life of the battery based on the signal. Other means are also provided.

Abstract: Device for detecting the charge condition of a battery which measures the first output of the battery when connected to the first load and the second output of the battery when connected to the second load, and performs a predetermined computation on the basis of both the first and second outputs of the battery to detect the charge condition of the battery. The charge condition of the battery can be very accurately detected.