Patent · US Expired

Device for accurate detection of remaining discharge capacities of a plurality of batteries

US5739671A · kind A · utility

24Cited by
11References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 15, 1996
Grant dateApr 14, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 15, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T10/70
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A charge state detecting device has a battery device including a plurality of batteries connected in series, a current sensor which detects a current flowing from the battery device, and a voltage sensor which detects the voltage of each of the batteries. A main controller calculates a correlation between discharge current and battery voltage, and provides an estimated voltage of each battery of the batteries under a constant energy discharge, based on the correlation. The estimated voltages for the batteries are used for deriving the capacity of each battery with reference to a voltage-capacity characteristic, which is stored in advance. The main controller supplies to a display indicator the minimum one of the derived capacities to warn of an impending need to charge the batteries.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.