Patent ID: 6747371
Filing Date: 2004-06-08
Classification: H02J

Abstract:
In a vehicular engine equipment system provided with an engine-chargeable main battery aid provided also with engine operational information (and where desired positional information) communicating electronic radio transponder/transceiver communications equipment having backup batteries, a method of enabling the efficient charging of such backup batteries from the main equipment battery while regulating the power consumption by the communication equipment, that comprises, charging the main battery from the engine during the operating of the engine fully charging the backup battery from the main battery; monitoring the charge state of the backup batten during periods of non-operating of the engine and of continued power demands upon the backup battery by the communication equipment; and, upon the monitored reaching of a predetermined level of discharge of the backup battery, further charging the backup battery from the main battery back to full charge and thereupon terminating such further charging; and repeating said monitoring and further charging and terminating as needed during the continued non-operating of the engine and the continued operational power demands of the communication equipment, wherein said predetermined level of discharge corresponds to a drop in the backup battery voltage below a predetermined voltage or the running average of voltage drops below a second predetermined voltage, and wherein when the monitoring indicates that the backup battery voltage has increased above a third predetermined voltage indicating that the charge current has dropped below a charger current limit, the further charging being continued for a further minimum predetermined period of time based upon earlier experimental determination of the additional time required to achieve full charge.