Btech Inc.

Edward M Potempa

Allan J Baum, Jr

Thomas J Leonard

George A Pedersen

Allan J Baum Jr

A complex impedance battery monitor has one or more primary switches, a load resistor in series with the primary switches, a current sensor in series with the primary switches, two or more lead wires connected to two or more busbars in a string of batteries, and a digital signal processor. The primary switches are connected to two or more terminals of the batteries in the string of batteries. The primary switches are turned on and off to produce a ripple current in the string of batteries. The digital signal processor determines at least a portion of the complex impedance of at least one of the batteries by analyzing the voltage and current waveform of the ripple current. The primary switches may be turned on and off with a pulse width modulated wave.

Complex impedance battery monitor

A battery monitor control system has a load plate, two or more lead wires connected to two or more busbars in a string of batteries, and a digital signal processor. The load plate has one or more primary switches connected to two or more terminals of the batteries in the string of batteries. The load plate also has a load resistor and a current sensor. The primary switches are turned on and off to produce a ripple current in the string of batteries. The digital signal processor determines the real portion of the complex impedance of at least one of the batteries by analyzing the voltage and current waveform of the ripple current. The primary switches may be turned on and off with a sine wave modulation.

Battery monitor control system

A battery monitoring system for simultaneously managing the batteries in 100 or more remote locations, each with 100 or fewer cells, has an individual battery monitor operatively engaged with at least one of the cells, a network access module in communication with the battery monitor, and a battery manager that has a fixed IP address that can be connected via an M2M data protocol to the battery monitor. The network access module is programmed to periodically transfer battery monitor data, including ohmic measurements, to the battery manager at a frequency of not less than once per week and with a total rate of data transfer of not more than 1 Mb per month. When the network access module initiates contact with the battery manager, the M2M data communication protocol assigns a variable IP address to the modem of the network access module.

Networked battery monitors

A method and apparatus for determining to which battery cell in a string of battery cells between a pair of busses a test instrument is connected. Knowing the average voltage of the battery cells in the string, the voltage from one of the busses to the side furthest from that bus of the cell of interest is measured, and that measured voltage is compared with a voltage range calculated as a multiple of the average voltage.

Method and apparatus for determining to which battery cell in a string of battery cells a test instrument is connected

A probe assembly for use with a battery impedance meter which minimizes excitation pick-up voltages by routing the wires from the meter to the battery cell terminals without forming a loop within a changing magnetic field caused by current drawn from the battery cell.

Probe assembly for minimizing excitation pick-up voltages

A method for determining the internal impedance of each battery cell within a system including at least one parallel string of serially connected battery cells without disconnecting the battery cells from the system, which initially makes measurements of two battery cells within each string to calculate the internal impedance of each of those two battery cells and to calculate a common impedance multiplier term for the rest of the battery cells in each string. The remaining battery cells in each string are individually measured and the common impedance multiplier term for that string is used to account for measured current which comes from the Thevenin equivalent voltage source of the rest of the system, in addition to current drawn from the battery cell being measured.

Growing community of inventors

Pittstown, NJ, United States of America

Edward M Potempa