Abstract:
The method comprises coupling an external load having a predetermined resistance directly in series with the battery, conducting a power transistor to supply a transient large current to the battery for sampling voltage of the battery in a set very short period of time, and determining the internal resistance of the battery. The internal resistance of the battery can then be compared with a predetermined warning value of internal resistance of the battery so as to determine whether the former is equal to or larger than the warning value, and displaying a warning on a display if the determination is affirmative. The invention enables a driver to correctly know the condition of the battery in substantially real time while consuming a minimum amount of current.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to monitoring apparatuses and more particularly to a method of monitoring the electric power, that is, the condition of a battery by measuring the internal resistance of the battery by means of an external load and comparing the internal resistance of the battery with a predetermined warning value thereof so as to display a warning if the power is lower than a predetermined level.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     It is known that a driver has to start the engine of a motor vehicle prior to driving it. Also, for successfully starting the engine, there must be sufficient electric power in the battery. Typically, a battery has an approximate lifetime. However, factors such as ambient temperature, charging conditions and time, and load discharge all can adversely affect the lifetime of the battery. Thus, there is a difference between the practical lifetime and the design lifetime of any particular battery and the difference is sometimes very large. Hence, in practice, there is no way for a driver (even an experienced one) to know the electric power level of the battery prior to starting the engine. Typically, only a motor vehicle repair shop can know the electric power level by means of a measuring device. The measuring device is bulky, thus prohibiting it from being carried by the motor vehicle. It is common that a driver finds the battery to be low only when it fails to start the engine. Alternatively, the battery may be already damaged but the driver is not aware before a next start even it is successful in a particular start. This is not desirable and may even be dangerous since the driver may park his/her car in a remote area, mountain, or desert.  
         [0005]     Advantageously, a battery power measuring device would be installed in a car as a requisite equipment. But power measurement of the battery may also consume the electric power of the battery. Hence, a frequent power measurement is not desirable. Thus, it is desirable to accurately measure the electric power of battery in a relatively short period of time by consuming a minimum electric power thereof. The present application is relevant to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,704,629 and 6,791,464, both entitled “Device for Monitoring Motor Vehicle&#39;s Electric Power and Method Thereof”, both incorporated by reference herein.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of monitoring electric power, i.e., the condition, of a battery by coupling an external load having a predetermined resistance in series with the battery, controlling a power transistor to conduct so as to draw a transient large current from the battery for a very short period of time while sampling the voltage across the battery, determining the internal resistance of the battery, comparing the internal resistance of the battery with a predetermined value of internal resistance of the battery so as to determine whether the former is equal to or larger than the predetermined value or not, and displaying a warning on a display if the determination is affirmative. By utilizing this method, it is possible to enable a driver to know the electric power of the battery, that is, its condition, in substantially real time.  
         [0007]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of monitoring electric power of battery by coupling an external load having a very small resistance in series with the battery, and operating a power transistor to draw a transient large current from the battery for sampling voltage of the battery for N times so as to enable a driver to correctly know the electric power of the battery in an energy saving manner.  
         [0008]     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of monitoring electric power of a battery by selecting a warning value of internal resistance of the battery from a plurality of values, sampling voltage of the battery in a set sampling time, calculating an internal resistance of the battery by means of a coupled external load, comparing the internal resistance of the battery with one of the predetermined warning values of internal resistance of the battery so as to determine whether the former is equal to or larger than the predetermined warning value or not, and displaying a warning in multiple stage manner on a display if the determination is affirmative.  
         [0009]     In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for monitoring electric power of a battery, comprising a microprocessor control unit (MCU) responsible for controlling the apparatus so as to sample a voltage of the battery in predetermined periods of time, calculate an internal resistance of the battery, and compare the internal resistance of the battery with a predetermined value of the internal resistance of the battery; a voltage-stabilizing circuit being optionally used for providing a stable voltage to the apparatus during operating periods; an external load having a predetermined resistance directly coupled in series with the battery so as to calculate the internal resistance of the battery; a voltage-sampling circuit responsible for sampling voltage of two terminals of the battery with a transient large current; a transient current control circuit including a power transistor in parallel to the battery and controlled by the MCU for controlling the magnitude of the transient current through the external load and sampling the voltage of the battery; and a display responsible for displaying a warning if the comparison done by the MCU shows the internal resistance of the battery is equal to or larger than the predetermined value of the internal resistance of the battery.  
         [0010]     In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of monitoring electric power of a battery, comprising the steps of (i) selecting an external load the resistance of which is based on the battery type, especially the internal resistance of the battery; (ii) selecting a predetermined value to which the internal resistance of the battery will be compared; (iii) sampling voltage at two terminals of the battery while a transient large current is drawn by the external load by operating a power transistor intermittently N times so as to obtain a voltage curve by connecting the N sampled voltages together; (iv) dividing the sampled voltage by the resistance of the external load to obtain the current of the battery, and obtaining the internal resistance of the battery by calculation; (v) comparing the obtained internal resistance of the battery with the predetermined warning value of internal resistance of the battery so as to determine whether the former is equal to or larger than the predetermined warning value; and (vi) displaying a warning on a display if the determination in step (v) is affirmative.  
         [0011]     In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of monitoring electric power of a battery, comprising the steps of (1) selecting a resistance of an external load; (2) selecting a predetermined value for comparison to the internal resistance of the battery to be measured; (3) transiently sampling the no load voltage Vo 1  between two terminals of the battery to be measured K1 times, where K1≧1, and sampling the no load voltage Vo 2  between two terminals of the external load L1 times, where L1≧1, and calculating and storing the average of the voltages Vo 1  and Vo 2 ; (4) adding the external load and operating the power transistor to conduct so as to provide a transient large current; (5) transiently sampling the load voltage Vi 1  between two terminals of the battery K2 times, where K2≧1, sampling the load voltage Vi 2  between two terminals of the external load L2 times, where L1≧1, and calculating and storing an average of voltages Vi 1  and Vi 2 ; (6) calculating the internal resistance of the battery by dividing an average of the sampled voltages by the transient large current; (7) comparing the internal resistance of the battery with the predetermined value of the internal resistance of the battery so as to determine whether the former is equal to or larger than the predetermined value and (8) displaying a warning on a display if the determination in step (7) is affirmative.  
         [0012]     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a flow chart illustrating a process of monitoring the electric power , i.e., the condition, of a battery according to the invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a detailed flow chart illustrating the  FIG. 1  process;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is an electrical block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of apparatus for monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is an electrical block diagram of a second preferred embodiment of apparatus for monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is an electrical block diagram of a third preferred embodiment of apparatus for monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is an electrical block diagram of a fourth preferred embodiment of apparatus for monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  plots sampled voltage versus sampling time for voltage curves according to the invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  plots internal resistance of the battery versus discharge percentage for a discharge curve according to the invention; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  is an equivalent circuit of the battery and a series external load according to the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 8 , a process of monitoring the electric power of a battery according to the invention is illustrated.  
         [0023]     In step  1 , the resistance R of an external load is set, that is, selected, from values between 25 uΩ to 1000 mΩ optionally using an amplifier, based on battery type and the internal resistance of the battery to be measured.  
         [0024]     In step  2 , the predetermined value to which the internal resistance r of the battery will be compared is selected from the range of 0.001 Ω to 1.5 Ω based on the battery type. An appropriate setting depends on applications so as to provide a predetermined value, a warning range, or one of a plurality of predeterminated warning values for multiple stages of warning before the end of discharging (see  FIG. 8 ).  
         [0025]     In step  3 , the voltage at two terminals of the battery is sampled while a transient large current is drawn by the external load by controlling a power transistor to conduct transiently, that is, intermittently, so as to obtain a plurality of sampled voltages. A voltage curve is formed by connecting a plurality of sampled voltages together.  
         [0026]     In step  4 , the sampled voltage is divided by the resistance of the external load (R) to obtain a current of the battery. And in turn, an internal resistance (r) of the battery to be measured is obtained by dividing the sampled voltage (V) by the current (I) of the battery.  
         [0027]     In step  5 , the obtained internal resistance of the battery is compared with the predetermined value of internal resistance (r) of the battery so as to determine whether the former is in a predetermined warning range or not.  
         [0028]     In step  6 , a warning is displayed on a display if the comparison result in step  5  is affirmative.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 7  and  8 , detailed method steps of the above process are illustrated.  
         [0030]     In step  11 , the process begins by setting an interrupt vector address as an initial address of a program.  
         [0031]     In step  12 , a register and I/O pins are initialized for setting an initial value of the register, the interrupt vector and timer are activated, and state and initial value of each I/O pin is defined.  
         [0032]     In step  13 , the resistance (R) of the external load is set as 25 uΩ to 1000 mΩ based on requirement of battery type and an internal resistance of the battery to be measured. The resistance R of the external load can be amplified.  
         [0033]     In step  14 , the predetermined value to which the internal resistance r of the battery will be compared is set as 0.001 Ω to 1.5 Ω based on the battery type. An appropriate setting value depends on applications so as to provide a predetermined warning value before the end of discharging (see  FIG. 8 ).  
         [0034]     In step  15 , the no load voltage is sampled a plurality of times. As shown in  FIG. 7 , prior to providing a transient large current by the power transistor, the no load voltage Vo 1  between two terminals of the battery to be measured is sampled for K1 times, where K1≧1, the no load voltage Vo 2  between two terminals of the load is sampled for L1 times, where L1≧1, and average values of voltages Vo 1  and Vo 2  are calculated and stored.  
         [0035]     In step  15   a , the external load having resistance R is added and the power transistor is operated so as to conduct, so that a large amount of current is drawn.  
         [0036]     In step  15   b , the load voltages Vi 1  and Vi 2  are sampled in a transient sampling time (see  FIG. 7 ). The transient sampling time is within 0.01 second and is set as voltage sampling time. After providing a transient large current by the power transistor, load voltage Vi 1  between two terminals of the battery to be measured is sampled for K2 times, where K2≧1, load voltage Vi 2  between two terminals of the load is sampled for L2 times, where L1≧1, and average values of voltages Vo 1  and Vi 2  is are calculated and stored. The transient large current is preferably in the range of 1 A to 500 A.  
         [0037]     More specifically, “large current” as used herein is typically a current equal to between 1C and 5C, where C, as is usual in the industry, is the number of ampere-hours (a-h) that can be provided by a given battery in 20 hours. For example, a battery rated at 34 a-h can deliver 34 a-h if discharged over a period of 20 hours, so 1C for this battery is 34 amperes.  
         [0038]     In step  15   c , the external load having resistance (R) is removed. The power transistor is cut off with no transient large current output.  
         [0039]     In step  15   d , it is determined whether the number of samples is equal to N, where N≧1. If yes, the process goes to step  16 . Otherwise, the process loops back to step  15 .  
         [0040]     In step  16 , the average of the internal resistance (r) of the battery to be measured is calculated by referring to  FIG. 9  as below. Current I of the battery to be measured is obtained by the following equation.  
       I   =         Vi2   -   Vo2     R     =       Δ   ⁢           ⁢   V   ⁢     i   -     ⁢     2   _       R           
 
         [0041]     Further, the internal resistance (r) of the battery to be measured is calculated by the following equation.  
       r   =         Vo1   -   Vi1     I     =       Δ   ⁢           ⁢   V   ⁢     o   _     ⁢     1   _       I           
 
         [0042]     In step  17 , the internal resistance (r) of the battery obtained in step  16  is compared with the predetermined value of internal resistance of the battery selected in step  14  so as to determine whether the former is in a warning range or not.  
         [0043]     In step  18 , an alarm is displayed on a display in response to reaching the value in step  17 .  
         [0044]     In step  19 , timer begins to count time.  
         [0045]     In step  20 , it is determined whether time is equal to time T2 of a next sampling. If yes, the process loops back to step  15  for a next sampling. Otherwise, the process loops back to step  19 . That is, the condition of the battery is evaluated from time to time, so as to reduce the total current drawn.  
         [0046]     The voltage sampling process from step  15  to step  15   d  takes one period of time. This is depicted in the graph of  FIG. 7  of sampled voltage versus sampling time for voltage curves according to the invention. Variation in the voltage across the battery is shown in the upper trace V 1 , while the corresponding voltage across the known load of resistance R is shown by the lower trace V 2 . In the graph of  FIG. 7 , voltages Vo 1  and Vo 2  are obtained in step  15  and voltages Vi 1  and Vi 2  are obtained in step  15   b.    
         [0047]     Referring to the voltage curves in  FIG. 7  again, the sampling with respect to respective voltage curves can be best understood. Curve P 1 , as a section of the battery voltage curve V 1 , is the no load voltage curve Vo 1  of the battery voltage, that is, is not conducting. That is, curve P 1  is the voltage curve Vo 1  which has been sampled for K1 times. Likewise, no load voltage curve Vo 2  (on the lower trace V 2 ) is the no-load voltage measured at two terminals of the external load R at the same sampling time. That is, voltage curve Vo 2  represents the no-load voltage across the load, having been sampled L1 times. A voltage Vo 2  may be detected across the external load although a test current is not flowing therethrough from the battery responsive to other components in the system, e.g., other electrical components connected across the battery of an automobile.  
         [0048]     Curve P 2  represents the transient voltage when the power transistor Q  1  is conducted. Curve P 3  represents a transition from a lowest voltage of two terminals of the battery to a highest voltage of the same after the power transistor Q 1  has begun conducting. Curve P 4  represents a section when both the voltage of the battery and the voltage measured at two terminals of the load R become stable after the power transistor Q 1  has begun conducting. Curve P 5  represents the transient voltage when the power transistor Q 2  is conducted again (see  FIG. 4 ). Curve P 6  represents a transition from a lowest voltage of two terminals of the battery to be measured to a highest voltage of the same after the power transistor Q 2  has begun conducting. Curve P 7  represents a section of stable voltage after both the power transistors Q 1  and Q 2  have begun conducting. Curve P 8  represents the transient voltage when the power transistor Q 2  is cut off. Curve P 9  represents a section when both the voltage of the battery and the voltage measured at two terminals of the load R become stable after the power transistor Q 2  has been cut off. Curve P 10  represents the transient voltage when the power transistor Q 1  is cut off. Curve P 11  represents a section of stable voltage after both the power transistors Q 1  and Q 2  have been cut off. At this time, voltage represented by curve P 11  is equal to that represented by curve P 1 .  
         [0049]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown an electrical block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of apparatus  60  for monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention. The apparatus  60  comprises a MCU (microprocessor control unit)  62 , a voltage-stabilizing circuit  61  (optionally provided depending on the actual application), an external load  63 , a voltage-sampling circuit  64 , a transient current control circuit  65 , and a display  66 . Each component will be described in detail below.  
         [0050]     The MCU  62  is responsible for controlling the apparatus  60  so as to send signals to the battery  7  for sampling its voltage in predetermined periods of time, calculate the internal resistance r of the battery  7 , and compare the warning value of internal resistance r with a predetermined value thereof for warning if necessary. The voltage-stabilizing circuit  61  is optionally used for providing a stable voltage to the apparatus  60  during operating periods, that is, if the apparatus  60  used a stable DC cell or battery, then, the voltage-stabilizing circuit  61  can be omitted accordingly. The external load  63  has a predetermined resistance. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the external load  63  is a resistor. The resistance R of the external load is set as 25 uΩ to 1000 mΩ and is provided directly in series with the battery so as to calculate the internal resistance r of the battery. Note that the external load  63  has a substantially very low resistance so as to be able to sample the voltage of the battery  7  in a very short period of time. For example, sampling voltage by optionally applying a transient larger amount of current 1 A to 500 A is required (to sample voltage) within 0.01 second. Also note that the external load  63  is implemented as a resistor such as Manganin or formed of any of a number of other alloys known to the art. Alternatively, the external load  63  can be implemented as a switching element having a resistance; for example, the internal resistance of Power Transistor Q 1  (and Q 2 , in the  FIG. 4  embodiment) of the transient current control circuit  65  can be used as the external load  63 , so that the external load (R)  63  in this embodiment can be omitted from the circuit  65 A- 65 B of  FIG. 3 . Furthermore, the external load  63  can also be implemented by a portion of conductor extended between two terminals of the battery, such as a portion of conductor between two terminals  63 E and  63 F (without R) or the conductor between A/D i.e. terminals  63 A- 63 B,  63 C- 63 D. Note that in a preferred embodiment of the invention the voltage-sampling circuit  64  is responsible for sampling voltage across two terminals  64 A,  64 A′. As shown in  FIG. 3 , one terminal  64 A is electrically interconnected a positive terminal of A/D pin of MCU  62  and a positive terminal of the battery  7  and the other terminal  64 A′ is electrically interconnected to a negative terminal of A/D pin of MCU  62  and a negative terminal of the battery  7 . As an end, a correct voltage can be sampled. That is, signal conductors connected to terminals  64 A,  64 A′ allow measurement of the voltage across the battery separately from the voltage across the load R. The transient current control circuit  65  is controlled by the MCU  62 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention the transient current control circuit  65  is implemented as power transistor Q 1  directly connected in parallel to the battery. The transient current control circuit  65  serves as a switch of the apparatus and is responsible for controlling the magnitude of transient current of the load. That is, a regulated transient current is drawn from the battery  7  for sampling voltage thereof during voltage sampling periods. The display  66  is responsible for displaying a warning if the comparison of the internal resistance of the battery with the set warning value of internal resistance of the battery by the MCU  62  show that a warning value has been reached.  
         [0051]     In brief, after connecting the apparatus  60  for monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention to the battery to be measured  7 , optionally, the voltage-stabilizing circuit  61  provides required voltage to the apparatus including the MCU  61  during operating periods. The MCU  62  then performs above operations based on the method of monitoring electric power by comparing internal resistance of its battery with that of external load. First, the voltage-sampling circuit  64  samples voltage of the battery  7  when the external load  63  is temporarily removed. After adding the external load  63  to the apparatus, the power transistor Q 1  of the transient current control circuit  65  conducts to provide a transient large amount of current. Next, the voltage-sampling circuit  64  samples voltage of the battery  7  when the external load  63  is added. After sampling voltage for N times in a predetermined period of time, the MCU  62  removes the load and calculates the internal resistance r of the battery  7  by making use of the sampled voltage and the equations above. Further, the obtained internal resistance r of the battery  7  is compared with the predetermined value of internal resistance of the battery. As an end, a warning is displayed on the display  66  if necessary.  
         [0052]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown an electrical block diagram of a second preferred embodiment of apparatus  60  of monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention. The second preferred embodiment substantially has same structure as the first preferred embodiment. The characteristics of the second preferred embodiment are detailed below. The transient current control circuit  65  of the apparatus  60  is implemented as two parallel power transistors Q 1  and Q 2 . The power transistors Q 1  and Q 2  are sequentially conducted so as to obtain a lowest voltage value of two terminals. This is shown in the curves P 3  and P 6  in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0053]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown an electrical block diagram of a third preferred embodiment of apparatus  60  of monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention. The third preferred embodiment substantially has same structure as the second preferred embodiment. The characteristics of the third preferred embodiment are detailed below. The external load  63  has a very low resistance. An amplifier  67  is optionally interconnected to the external load  63  and the MCU  62 . Preferably, the external load  63  has a resistance lower than 1000 uΩ.  
         [0054]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , there is shown an electrical block diagram of a fourth preferred embodiment of apparatus  60  of monitoring the battery&#39;s electric power according to the invention. The fourth preferred embodiment substantially has same structure as the second preferred embodiment. The characteristics of the fourth preferred embodiment are detailed below. The external load  63  is implemented as a shunt unit S labeled as  63 S. In the preferred embodiment, a shunt load of the single battery to be measured is implemented as a shunt circuit for obtaining the same effect as any of the above embodiments.  
         [0055]     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.