Battery system and method for determining a battery condition
US5483165A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 14, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 14, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S320/21
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
This invention is a battery monitor and battery capacity indicator that uses a sense cell in addition to the main battery to determine main battery remaining capacity and depletion condition. A parameter of the sense cell is related to the main battery capacity so that the main battery will have a minimum capacity remaining when the sense cell parameter reaches a particular value or crosses a particular threshold. In a preferred embodiment, the sense cell is a battery which is identical and of the same manufacturing lot as the battery cell or cells in the main battery pack. A current is drawn from the sense cell that is larger than the current being drawn from the main battery. When the sense cell is fully depleted, the main battery will have a remaining capacity whose magnitude depends on the relationship between the main battery current and the sense cell current.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.