U.S. patent application number 10/213469 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-12 for battery capacity and usage system.
Invention is credited to Calvagna, James F., Heiser, Arthur J. JR..
Application Number | 20040027249 10/213469 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31494460 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040027249 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Heiser, Arthur J. JR. ; et
al. |
February 12, 2004 |
Battery capacity and usage system
Abstract
A battery capacity and usage system, applied to an electric
powered boat. A battery monitor is controlled by a micro-controller
which includes a non-volatile memory for storing a lookup table.
The lookup table comprises a database of characteristics of various
batteries, including a relationship between the capacity and the
charged voltage, the driving current and remaining hours of usage.
The load of the battery is measured by a hall effect device. By
monitoring the current micro-controller calculates the remaining
time of the battery is obtained from the lookup table and displays
the results on a digital readout installed on dashboard of the
electric powered boat.
Inventors: |
Heiser, Arthur J. JR.;
(Newport Beach, CA) ; Calvagna, James F.;
(Anaheim, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Kit M. Stetina
STETINA BRUNDA GARRED & BRUCKER
Suite 250
75 Enterprise
Aliso Viejo
CA
92656
US
|
Family ID: |
31494460 |
Appl. No.: |
10/213469 |
Filed: |
August 7, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/636.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01R 31/367
20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/636.1 |
International
Class: |
G08B 021/00 |
Claims
1. A battery capacity and usage system, for use in an electric
powered vehicle to monitor battery capacity and to convey the
information to the vehicle operator comprising: a microprocessor
including; a first input in electrical communication with a current
sensor for monitoring the current load on the battery power supply;
a second input in electrical communication with a voltage sensor to
indicate the battery charge, and a first output in electrical
communication with a peripheral device for displaying information;
and a memory device in electrical communication with said
microprocessor having an embedded data table of battery
characteristics including the relationship between the remaining
battery capacity, the current load of the battery and the
corresponding remaining hours of battery usage; wherein said
microprocessor receives input data regarding the load current and
data input regarding battery charge, and compares such data with
the data table of the memory device to determine the remaining time
left on the battery charge and displays that information to the
vehicle operator.
2. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1, then said
microprocessor further includes a second output in electrical
communication with a plurality of light elements; and wherein said
micro-processor receives input data regarding battery charge and
determined the percentage of battery usage remaining and displays
that information to the vehicle operator through a said light
elements.
3. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 2 wherein said
light elements comprise at least two LED's, each LED representing a
percentage of charge remaining on the battery.
4. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said
current sensor is a Hall effect device.
5. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said
peripheral device is a digital display.
6. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said
microprocessor includes a second output in electrical communication
within alarm device for indicating low battery charge.
7. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 6 wherein said
alarm device is a speaker.
8. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 6 wherein said
alarm device is a tone generator.
9. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 6 wherein said
alarm system comprises a light element.
10. The battery capacity and usage system of claim 1 wherein said
microprocessor includes a second output in electrical communication
with a light element for indicating that the battery is being
recharged.
11. A method of monitoring battery capacity and usage time
remaining for use with electric powered vehicles comprise the
following steps: receiving data indicating the current load on the
battery power supply; receiving data indicating the battery charge;
comparing the current data and charge data to a battery
characteristic data table to determine the remaining time of
battery usage; and outputting the remaining time data to a
peripheral display.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] (Not Applicable)
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
[0002] (Not Applicable)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to an electric battery
capacity and usage system, and more particularly, to a battery
capacity/usage system particularly useful in electric powered
boats.
[0004] Electric powered boats, like many other electric powered
vehicles, require an electric power system, which typically
includes one or more onboard rechargeable storage batteries. It is
important to monitor the capacity of the batteries in real time to
avoid an unexpected or unwanted loss of power resulting in a
shutdown of the electric motor during operation. Safety and
convenience concerns dictate the importance of having a battery
"fuel gage," so that boat occupants are not stranded, or unable to
maneuver away from danger.
[0005] Prior art electric powered boat technology, a volt meter is
typically employed to monitor the residual voltage supply of the
batteries. The voltmeter indicates the remaining charge on the
batteries based upon voltage alone without time indication.
Alternatively, a current measuring type meter may be employed to
monitor the battery capacity. In the current measuring type meter,
wiring must be interrupted by shunts, and Peukert's Equation is
used to estimate the remaining time.
[0006] The information supplied to a boat operator when using a
voltmeter indicator may be unreliable. For example, when using a
36V battery, the battery is only effective to drive the electric
motor within the voltage range of about 32V to about 36V. Under
this circumstance, it is possible that an operator may have
insufficient battery power to pull the boat in shore when the meter
shows that the battery is low, but not empty. In this regard, many
prior art and configurations can only measure the remaining time
under a full load condition. In such a configuration, the exact
remaining time for using the battery when the boat is driven in a
slower speed cannot be ascertained.
[0007] Also, the prior art metering systems for determining battery
charge are costly and difficult to install. In addition, the wire
leading to the battery requires the placement of an intervening
shunt resister exposing metal components to the elements. Exposed
metal is subject to corrosive forces, particularly in a sea
environment. Also, a different voltmeter is required for different
types of batteries.
[0008] Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a universal
battery capacity monitor for use in electric boats that can provide
a true reading of the time remaining before loss of power and motor
shutdown. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide battery
monitor that is easy to install, and which will be more resistant
to corrosive forces encountered in boating environments.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A battery capacity/usage system applied to a vehicle such as
an electric boat is provided by the invention. The battery
capacity/usage system includes a Hall effect sensor,
micro-controller, a light display and a readout meter. A lookup
table is stored in a memory of the micro-controller. The look-up
table has a database of particular battery characteristics,
including the total capacity for various input voltage, the
remaining hours for various loads. Various kinds of batteries are
pre-tested to obtain the characteristics written in the database
before installing the system in the electric boat. Each time when
the batteries are charged/recharged, the battery capacity/usage
system is reset with a full scale of capacity. The effective time
for the battery pack is obtained from the lookup table, and the
load current is monitored by the Hall effect sensor. With the data
of the using time and load current, the remaining hours of the
battery pack for certain driving speed can be obtained from the
look-up table. The remaining hours are displayed on the readout
meter, or expressed by the light indicator.
[0010] A light display and a digital read out are further included
in the battery capacity/usage system. When the battery pack is
full, all of the light elements of the light display are on. As the
power of the battery is consumed and reduced, single light elements
turn off in descending order. When the capacity of the battery pack
drops to zero, all the light elements turn off.
[0011] The digital readout aids the operator by providing a reading
of the calculated remaining time of battery usage. For example, the
remaining hours that the battery is still effective are displayed.
Because of the characteristics of the batteries are pre-stored in a
lookup table, by measuring the driving current, the remaining
capacity of the battery pack can be obtained from the
micro-controller. In addition, the digital readout can also drive
an analog meter as required.
[0012] It should be noted and understood that with respect to the
embodiments of the present invention, the materials suggested may
be modified or substituted to achieve the general overall resultant
high efficiency. The substitution of materials or dimensions remain
within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Other objects advantages of the invention will become more
apparent from the study of the following specification when viewed
in light of the accompanying drawing, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows the control console and the dashboard of an
electric powered boat;
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a dashboard display of an electric powered boat
of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 shows the digital read out of the battery
capacity/usage system of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a micro-controller for
battery monitoring and display of the present invention; and
[0018] FIG. 5 shows a multiple battery configuration employing a
Hall effect sensor of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The detailed description as set forth below in connection
with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the
presently preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are
not intended to represent the only form in which the present
invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets
forth functions and sequence of steps for constructing and
operating the invention in connection with the illustrated
embodiments. It is understood, however, the same or equivalent
functions and sequences may be accomplished by different
embodiments and that they are also intended to be encompassed
within the spirit and scope of this invention.
[0020] Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the control console 10 and
the dashboard 12 of an electric boat are shown. The control console
10 includes a steering wheel 14 for maneuvering the electric
powered boat and a throttle 16 for placing the boat in forward or
reverse and adjusting the speed of the boat. Also provided on the
console 10 within dashboard 12, is the dashboard display 18.
Dashboard display 18 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2.
[0021] Referring particularly to FIG. 2, the dashboard display 18
includes a digital readout 20. Immediately below the digital
readout 20, light indicators 22 including several light elements.
The light elements of the light indicators 22 preferably comprise
light emitting diodes, but may also include light bulbs. The
remaining time of battery usage is shown in readout 20. The light
indicators 22 gives the driver an idea of the percentage of the
consumed power of the battery storage, and also the remaining
capacity of the battery pack. Under the light indicators 22, a
charge indicator 24 is installed to display the charging mode of
the battery. For example, charge indicator 24 is lighted when the
battery pack is charging. The charge indicator 24 is preferably a
light bulb, but may also be an LED.
[0022] The display 18 of the electric power boat is user friendly
and provides not only the time remaining on the charge through
readout 20, but also the relative percentage of battery storage
utilized through light indicators 22. It is important for an
operator to have both levels of information as the time remaining
shown in the readout 20 is calculated based upon the speed of the
boat at that time. The LED indicators 22 provide the relative
drainage of the remaining power irrespective of the speed of the
boat.
[0023] In FIG. 3, a PC board 26 is shown which carries the digital
readout 20 and the light indicators 22. It is contemplated by the
present invention that the PC board 26 would be installed under the
dashboard display 18 with the visual components, namely the display
readout 20 and the light indicators 22 being visible through a
window of the dashboard display 18. The PC board 26 shown in FIG.
3, includes footprint 28 and 30 for receiving a memory module and a
micro-controller.
[0024] Referring particularly to FIG. 4, the block diagram is
showing the function of the battery capacity and usage system of
the present invention. In particular, a micro-controller 32 (i.e.,
microprocessor) is in electrical communication with a memory device
34. The memory device 34 is preferably a flash memory device, but
may comprise any like memory storage device. After the battery pack
is fully charged/recharged, a supply voltage of the battery pack is
input to the micro-controller 32, which then performs a
self-calibration operation to reset the capacity of the battery
pack to a full scale in the micro-controller's 32 non-volatile
memory. Meanwhile, all the light elements 22 are on, and the total
effective time versus various load current corresponding to the
supply voltage can be obtained from a lookup table embedded in said
memory 34. The apparatus to measure the voltage of the battery pack
includes the standard voltage divider sensor. Further, the voltage
is only measured when the charging mode of the battery pack is
over. The voltmeter can be built external to the battery
capacity/usage system. The problems occurring to the conventional
structure that has the built-in voltmeter can thus be avoided.
[0025] Empirical data of characteristics of various batteries are
stored in the memory 34 lookup table (i.e., data table). In the
lookup table, a database of characteristics for various batteries,
including the total capacity for a given voltage and the remaining
time with a given load. The batteries are pretested before
installation, and the empirical data of the characteristics are
saved in the database. The capacity of the battery is a function of
effective time and driving current. After obtaining the total
capacity for a given voltage, one can measure the effective time of
the battery by applying a driving current. A different effective
time of the battery is obtained by applying a second driving
current. Similarly, different effective time of the battery can be
obtained by applying different driving currents. This data is the
empirical data of characteristics of the battery saved in the
lookup table of memory 34.
[0026] In the embodiment of the present invention, the effective
time of the battery is measured every time when the driving current
is increased with an increment of 0.1 Ampere. When the vehicle
initially starts with a certain speed, by inputting the load (the
driving current) to the micro-controller 32, the effective hours of
the battery pack can be found from the lookup table and displayed
on the display readout 20. When the vehicle initially starts, all
the light elements 22 are on. Each of the light elements 22
extinguishes as a certain percentage of the capacity is consumed.
Preferably, the number of the light elements 22 is 8. When half
capacity of the battery pack is consumed, four of the light
elements 22 are on, and four are off. Each light element 22
indicate 12.5% of the full power. In addition to the light
indicator 22, the display readout 20 shows the exact remaining
hours of the battery pack. As mentioned above, the remaining hours
of the battery pack is a function of the driving current. That is,
when the driving current of the vehicle is changed, the remaining
hours of the battery pack is different. Therefore, the driving
current is detected and input to the micro-controller 34 whenever
it is changed. The exact remaining hours corresponding to the
driving current can be obtained from the lookup table of memory 34.
The data includes the total capacity versus charged voltage, and
the remaining time versus the load current for various battery
pack. When the vehicle is cruising, the cruising time is
continuously counted and fed into the micro-controller 34. From the
lookup table, the remaining hours at any moment when the vehicle is
cruising is monitored by inputting the cruising time and the load
for driving the vehicle. The load current can be detected from a
Hall effect sensor 36 (shown in FIG. 5), while the cruising time of
the vehicle, that is, the running time for the battery pack can be
easily counted by a counting or timing apparatus built in the
micro-controller 32. Again, the remaining capacity of the battery
pack is displayed in terms of remaining hours on the digital
readout 20, and the remaining capacity percentage is expressed by
the numbers of the light elements 22 which are on.
[0027] In addition, a telephone port or other data entry port can
be used to download performance of the battery pack for adding to
the database or for trouble shooting. Further, as shown in FIG. 4,
an alarm such as a flashing light or a speaker can be installed and
coupled to the micro-controller 32. When the capacity of the
battery pack drops to a certain level, the alarm is on to warn the
driver.
[0028] FIG. 5 shows the Hall effect apparatus 36 to measure the
load of the battery pack 38. In this embodiment, a Hall effect
sensor 36 is placed over a wire 40 connected to a positive
electrode of the battery pack 42 which includes a plurality of
batteries connected in series. As shown in FIG. 4, the output of
the Hall effect sensor 36 is connected to the micro-controller 32
to input the detected driving current of the battery pack. Although
the configuration of FIG. 5 shows three batteries in series, it is
contemplated by the present invention that the batteries may be
multiple configuration and may be comprised of any battery type
system currently available.
[0029] It is contemplated by the present invention that although
the disclosure indicates that the invention will be particularly
useful with respect to electric powered boats, and is recognized
that the present invention can be equally utilized with other
electric powered vehicles. For example, electric cars, electric
scooters, electric bicycles and other electric powered vehicles may
equally benefit on the technology of the present invention.
[0030] Indeed, each of the features and embodiments described
herein can be used by itself, or in combination with one or more of
the other features and embodiments described herein. Thus, the
invention is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments but
is to be defined by the following claims when read in the broadest
reasonable manner to preserve the validity of the claims
[0031] Additional modifications and improvements of the present
invention may also be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, a
particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is
intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present
invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of
alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *