Source: http://www.google.ca/patents/US9588185
Timestamp: 2017-11-22 05:52:31
Document Index: 442085329

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 2013', 'Application No. 201180011597', 'Application No. 201180030045', 'Application No. 201180030045', 'Application No. 201180038844', 'Application No. 201180038844', 'Application No. 103', 'Application No. 1120111020643', 'Application No. 2013', 'Application No. 201180011597', 'Application No. 201180038844', 'Application No. 201180011597', 'Application No. 2013', 'Application No. 2013', 'Application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10']

Patent US9588185 - Method and apparatus for detecting cell deterioration in an electrochemical ... - Google Patents
A testing device contains measuring circuitry adapted to apply time-varying electrical excitation to a cell or battery, to sense a time-varying electrical response, and to thus determine components of complex immittance at n+m discrete frequencies, where n is an integer equal to or greater than two and...http://www.google.ca/patents/US9588185?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US9588185 - Method and apparatus for detecting cell deterioration in an electrochemical cell or battery
Publication number US9588185 B2
Application number US 12/712,456
Filing date 25 Feb 2010
Also published as US20110208451
Publication number 12712456, 712456, US 9588185 B2, US 9588185B2, US-B2-9588185, US9588185 B2, US9588185B2
Patent Citations (942), Non-Patent Citations (96), Classifications (4)
US 9588185 B2
A testing device contains measuring circuitry adapted to apply time-varying electrical excitation to a cell or battery, to sense a time-varying electrical response, and to thus determine components of complex immittance at n+m discrete frequencies, where n is an integer equal to or greater than two and m is an integer equal to or greater than one. Computation circuitry utilizes measured complex immittance components at the n discrete frequencies to evaluate the elements of a 2n-element equivalent circuit model. It then calculates the complex immittance of this model at the m discrete frequencies and mathematically compares components of the calculated immittances with components of the measured immittances at the m discrete frequencies. The results of this comparison establish the degree of cell deterioration without regard to the battery's manufacturer, group size, or its electrical ratings.
1. Apparatus for determining a physical property of an electrochemical cell or battery comprising:
immittance measuring circuitry coupled to said cell or battery with a pair of current-carrying contacts and a separate pair of voltage-sensing contacts and adapted to apply time-varying electrical excitation to said cell or battery with said pair of current-carrying contacts, to sense time-varying electrical response to said excitation with said pair of voltage-sensing contacts, and to utilize said excitation and said response to measure components of complex immittance at n discrete frequencies, where n is a finite integer equal to or greater than two but less than a maximum value;
computation circuitry responsive to said complex immittance components and adapted to evaluate elements of a 2n-element equivalent circuit model from said measured complex immittance components at said n discrete frequencies;
whereas said immittance measuring circuitry is further adapted to utilize said excitation and said response to measure components of complex immittance at m additional discrete frequencies where m is a finite integer equal to or greater than one but less than a maximum value, wherein said computation circuitry is not adapted to evaluate elements of the 2n-element equivalent circuit model from said measured complex immittance components at said m discrete frequencies; and,
whereas said computation circuitry is further adapted to calculate complex immittance components of said 2n-element equivalent circuit model at said m additional discrete frequencies, and adapted to mathematically compare said calculated immittance components with said measured immittance components at said m additional discrete frequencies to obtain comparison results, said comparison results being related to said physical property.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 including display circuitry responsive to said computation circuitry and adapted to communicate results of said comparison to a user.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said results comprise a pass/fail determination.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said physical property is a degree of cell deterioration of said electrochemical cell or battery.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said physical property is state-of-charge of said electrochemical cell or battery.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein n is equal to three and m is equal to one.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex admittance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Y deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex admittance.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex impedance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Z deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex impedance.
9. A method for determining a physical property of an electrochemical cell or battery comprising the steps of:
coupling immittance measuring circuitry to said cell or battery with a pair of current-carrying contacts and a separate pair of voltage-sensing contacts;
using said immittance measuring circuitry to measure complex immittance of said cell or battery at n discrete frequencies where n is a finite integer equal to or greater than two but less than a maximum value;
using computation circuitry to evaluate elements of a 2n-element equivalent circuit model from said complex immittance at said n discrete frequencies;
using said immittance measuring circuitry to measure complex immittance of said cell or battery at m additional discrete frequencies where m is a finite integer equal to or greater than one but less than a maximum value, wherein said computation circuitry is not adapted to evaluate elements of said 2n-element equivalent circuit model from said complex immittance at said m discrete frequencies;
using said computation circuitry to calculate complex immittance of said 2n-element equivalent circuit model at said m additional discrete frequencies;
using said computation circuitry to mathematically compare components of said calculated and said measured complex immittances at said m additional discrete frequencies; and,
determining said physical property from the results of said comparison.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said physical property is a degree of cell deterioration of said electrochemical cell or battery.
11. The method of claim 10 including communicating a pass/fail determination to a user based upon said degree of cell deterioration.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein said physical property is state-of-charge of said electrochemical cell or battery.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein n is equal to three and m is equal to one.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex admittance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Y deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex admittance.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex impedance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Z deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex impedance.
16. Apparatus for evaluating a degree of cell deterioration in an electrochemical cell or battery comprising:
immittance measuring circuitry coupled to said cell or battery with separate pairs of current carrying and voltage-sensing contacts and adapted to apply time-varying electrical excitation to said cell or battery and to sense a time-varying response, said excitation and response containing frequency components at n discrete frequencies where n is a finite integer equal to or greater than two but less than a maximum value and further adapted to measure complex immittance values at each of said n discrete frequencies;
computation circuitry responsive to said measured complex immittance values of said cell or battery at said n discrete frequencies and adapted to evaluate element values of a 2n-element equivalent circuit model of said cell or battery from said measured immittance values at said n discrete frequencies;
whereas said excitation and said response contain frequency components at m additional discrete frequencies, where m is a finite integer equal to or greater than one but less than a maximum value, and said immittance measuring circuitry is adapted to measure immittance components at each of said m additional discrete frequencies, wherein said computation circuitry is not adapted to evaluate element values of said 2n-element equivalent circuit model of said cell or battery from said measured immittance values at said m discrete frequencies; and,
whereas said computation circuitry is further adapted to calculate complex immittance components of said 2n-element equivalent circuit model at said m additional discrete frequencies, and adapted to mathematically compare said calculated immittance components with said measured immittance components at said m additional discrete frequencies to obtain comparison results, said comparison results being related to said degree of cell deterioration.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 including display circuitry responsive to said computation circuitry and adapted to communicate said comparison results to a user.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said results comprises a pass/fail determination.
19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein n is equal to three and m is equal to one.
20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex admittance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Y deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex admittance.
21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex impedance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Z deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex impedance.
22. A method for determining a degree of cell deterioration of an electrochemical cell or battery comprising the steps of:
using computation circuitry to evaluate elements of a 2n-element equivalent circuit model from said measured complex immittance at said n discrete frequencies;
using said immittance measuring circuitry to measure complex immittance of said cell or battery at m additional discrete frequencies where m is a finite integer equal to or greater than one but less than a maximum value, wherein said computation circuitry is not adapted to evaluate elements of said 2n-element equivalent circuit model from said measured complex immittance at said m discrete frequencies;
using said computation circuitry to mathematically compare components of said calculated complex immittance at said m additional discrete frequencies with said measured complex immittance at said m additional discrete frequencies to obtain a comparison result; and,
determining said degree of cell deterioration from said comparison result.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein n is equal to three and m is equal to one.
24. The method of claim 22 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex admittance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Y deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex admittance.
25. The method of claim 22 wherein said complex immittance comprises complex impedance and said mathematical comparison comprises computing a percentage Z deviation between measured and calculated real and imaginary components of said complex impedance.
26. The method of claim 22 including communicating a pass/fail determination to a user based upon said degree of cell deterioration.
Batteries comprising a plurality of series-connected electrochemical cells are ubiquitous in transportation and industrial applications. Six-cell lead-acid batteries are commonly used for engine starting and energy storage in conventional automobiles and trucks and for energy storage in standby applications. Batteries comprising larger arrays of lithium-ion and nickel-metal-hydride cells are becoming increasingly common in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. With all such batteries, the cells have maximum capability and their properties are relatively uniformly distributed over the battery when the battery is new. As the battery ages, however, the cells deteriorate and their properties become more non-uniformly distributed. The challenge is to detect and quantify such deterioration in order to ascertain when the battery should be replaced.
In the past, lead-acid batteries always had filler caps making the electrolytes of the individual cells accessible. A strategy for detecting cell deterioration in such batteries employed a hydrometer to observe the distribution of the specific gravity values among the cells. A distribution that was sufficiently nonuniform identified a battery that should be replaced. For example, the following information can be found on the Interstate Battery website: “Check each individual battery cell. If the specific gravity varies more than 0.050 or “50 points” among the cells while the battery is at a 75% state of charge or above, then the battery is bad and should be replaced.” Unfortunately, this strategy has little value today since cell electrolytes are never accessible in AGM batteries and often not even accessible in flooded batteries.
Another earlier strategy for detecting a nonuniform distribution of cell properties was popular when the battery's inter-cell connectors were exposed. With such batteries, one could measure and compare the individual cell voltages. Cell voltages that deviated sufficiently from the average value identified a battery that should be replaced. Passing current through the battery while observing cell voltages enhanced the effect. Today, however, inter-cell connectors are not exposed, thus rendering this strategy also of little value.
Clearly, a method and apparatus that detects and quantifies cell deterioration in batteries for which neither cell electrolytes nor cell voltages are available would be desirable. The present invention addresses this need. It is based upon the important discovery that a well-known electrical circuit model best describes the battery's immittance characteristics (i.e., impedance or admittance characteristics) when the battery is new and all of its cells have nearly identical electrical properties. As the battery ages, cell deterioration sets in causing the cells' electrical properties to deviate from the norm and from one another. This deterioration can be detected and quantified by observing how well the circuit model actually “fits” the deteriorated battery. That is, how well the model predicts the battery's actual immittance at a particular measurement frequency. One advantage of this technique is that a pass/fail determination can be made without needing to know the battery's manufacturer, group size, or its electrical ratings.
A testing device detects and quantifies cell deterioration of an electrochemical cell or battery. The device contains measuring circuitry adapted to apply time-varying electrical excitation to said cell or battery, to sense time-varying electrical response to said excitation, and to utilize said excitation and response to determine components of complex immittance (i.e., either impedance or admittance) at n+m discrete frequencies, where n is an integer equal to or greater than two and m is an integer equal to or greater than one. Computation circuitry utilizes measured complex immittance components at the n discrete frequencies to evaluate the elements of a 2n-element equivalent circuit model. It then calculates the complex immittance of this model at the m discrete frequencies and mathematically compares components of the calculated immittances with components of the measured immittances at the m discrete frequencies. The results of this comparison are related to the degree of cell deterioration. A pass/fail determination can thus be made based solely upon cell deterioration—without even knowing the battery's manufacturer, group size, or its electrical ratings.
FIG. 1 is a bar graph depicting the electrolyte specific gravities of the individual cells of a new Group-24 12-volt automotive battery that is fully charged.
FIG. 2 is a bar graph depicting the electrolyte specific gravities of the individual cells of a 5-year old Group-70 12-volt automotive battery that is fully charged.
FIG. 3 is a bar graph depicting the open-circuit voltages of the individual cells of the fully-charged new Group-24 12-volt automotive battery.
FIG. 4 is a bar graph depicting the open-circuit voltages of the individual cells of the fully-charged 5-year old Group-70 12-volt automotive battery.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a device for detecting and quantifying cell deterioration in an electrochemical cell or battery according to the present invention.
FIG. 6a depicts a general 2n-element equivalent circuit model of an electrochemical cell or battery.
FIG. 6b depicts a six-element (n=3) equivalent circuit representation of the new fully-charged Group-24 12-volt automotive storage battery.
FIG. 7 is a Nyquist plot representation of the complex admittance of the new fully-charged Group-24 12-volt automotive storage battery modeled in FIG. 6b . Both measured and model-derived admittance values are plotted. The circled data points identify the three frequencies (5, 80, 1000 Hz) used for model evaluation.
FIG. 8 is a plot of the percentage admittance deviation between measured and calculated values of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a Nyquist plot representation of the complex admittance of the fully-charged 5-year old Group-70 12-volt automotive battery. Both measured and model-derived admittance values are plotted. The circled data points identify the three frequencies (5, 80, 1000 Hz) used for model evaluation.
FIG. 10 is a plot of the percentage admittance deviation between measured and calculated values of FIG. 9.
FIG. 1 is a bar graph disclosing specific gravities of the individual cells of a battery having very little cell deterioration. This battery is a brand-new Exide Dura-Start Group-24 12-volt automotive battery rated 525 CCA. It was fully charged. This battery possessed filler caps, so the cell electrolytes were readily accessible. One sees that the maximum gravity difference occurred between cells 1 and 4 and was only 10 points. That is well within the 50 point criterion allowed by the testing procedure described above. Thus, this battery would be considered “good” and could be returned to service.
FIG. 2 is a bar graph disclosing specific gravities of the individual cells of a battery having cell deterioration. This battery is a 5-year old AC Delco Group-70 12-volt automotive battery rated 770 CCA. It too was fully charged. Since this battery did not have filler caps, it was necessary to physically cut the top off of the battery to gain access to the electrolytes. One sees a maximum gravity difference of 125 points between either cell 2 or cell 3 and cell 4. This result is outside of the 50 point criterion permitted by the testing procedure described above. Furthermore, cell 5 deviated by 100 points from either cell 2 or cell 3 and was therefore also out of tolerance. Thus, on the basis of cell deterioration, this battery should be removed from service.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are bar graphs showing the open-circuit cell voltages for these same two batteries measured at the inter-cell connectors. In order to gain access to these connectors on the new Group-24 battery, it was necessary to cut the top off of this battery as well. FIG. 3 shows that the maximum voltage difference between cells of the new battery occurred between cells 4 and 6 and was only 0.0066 volts. On the other hand, the 5-year old battery had differences of 0.1099 volts between cells 4 and 6, and of 0.0909 volts between cells 5 and 6. These results are completely consistent with the specific gravity differences disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2 and again illustrate cell deterioration in the 5-year old battery—but not in the new battery.
The data disclosed in FIGS. 1 through 4 are very revealing vis-à-vis cell deterioration. Unfortunately, most of these data would be unavailable to an investigator interested in field-testing batteries.
FIG. 5 discloses a block diagram of apparatus for detecting and quantifying cell deterioration without requiring access to cell electrolytes or inter-cell connectors. It is based upon techniques disclosed previously in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,002,238, 6,172,483, 6,262,563, 6,294,896, 6,037,777, and 6,222,369. An example of measuring circuitry 10 is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,483 in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, and in the discussion beginning on line 63 of column 9 and ending on line 2 of column 12. An example of computation circuitry 50 is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,369 in FIGS. 7 and 8, and in the discussion beginning on line 31 of column 10 and ending on line 20 of column 11. Measuring circuitry 10 electrically couples to cell/battery 20 by means of current-carrying contacts A and B and voltage-sensing contacts C and D. Measuring circuitry 10 passes a periodic time-varying current i(t) through contacts A and B and senses a periodic time-varying voltage v(t) across contacts C and D. By appropriately processing and combining i(t) and v(t), measuring circuitry 10 determines real and imaginary parts of complex immittance, either impedance Z or admittance Y, at a measuring frequency fk; where fk is a discrete frequency contained in the periodic waveforms of both i(t) and v(t).
Control circuitry 30 couples to measuring circuitry 10 via command path 40 and commands measuring circuitry 10 to determine the complex immittance of cell/battery 20 at each one of n+m discrete measuring frequencies, where n is an integer number equal to or greater than two and m is an integer number equal to or greater than one. This action defines 3(n+m) experimental quantities: the values of the n+m measuring frequencies and the values of the n+m imaginary parts and n+m real parts of the complex parameter at the n+m measuring frequencies.
Computation circuitry 50 couples to measuring circuitry 10 and to control circuitry 30 via data paths 60 and 70, respectively, and accepts the 2(n+m) experimental values from measuring circuitry 10 and the values of the n+m measuring frequencies from control circuitry 30. Upon a “Begin Computation” command from control circuitry 30 via command path 80, computation circuitry 50 uses algorithms disclosed in U. S. Pat. Nos. 6,037,777 and 6,222,369 to combine these 3n quantities numerically to evaluate the 2n elements of an equivalent circuit model of the cell/ battery (FIG. 6a ). Computation circuitry 50 then calculates the complex immittance of this model at the m discrete measurement frequencies and mathematically compares components of these calculated immittances with components of the measured immittances at the m discrete frequencies. Cell deterioration is identified by the results of this comparison. If desired, computation circuitry 50 can make a pass/fail determination and can output this comparison result to the user on display 90. In practice, a microprocessor or microcontroller running an appropriate software program can perform the functions of both control circuitry 30 and computation circuitry 50. FIG. 6b discloses a six-element equivalent circuit model of the new fully-charged Group-24 automotive battery depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3. This circuit model was evaluated using apparatus of the type disclosed in FIG. 5 with n=3. The three measurement frequencies were 5 Hz, 80 Hz, and 1000 Hz.
FIG. 7 shows a Nyquist admittance plot for the battery whose model is depicted in FIG. 6b at 14 discrete measurement frequencies (n+m=14) ranging from 5 Hz to 10,000 Hz. Admittance Y is a complex quantity
Y=G+jB (1)
in which the real component G is conductance and the imaginary component B is susceptance. Complex admittance Y is the reciprocal of complex impedance
Z=1/Y=R+jX (2)
The real component of Z is resistance R and the imaginary component is reactance X.
The Nyquist admittance plot of FIG. 7 is a plot of susceptance B versus conductance G with frequency as the common parameter. As shown in FIG. 7, the data curves proceed clockwise as frequency increases from 5 to 1000 Hz. Both the 14 experimental data points and the 14 data points calculated from the model of FIG. 6b are displayed in FIG. 7. Data at the three frequencies used to evaluate the model (5, 80, and 1000 Hz) are identified by circles. As expected, measured and calculated data agree exactly at these three frequencies. At all 11 of the other measurement frequencies, comparisons show that the measured and calculated data disagree slightly.
To more carefully compare measured and calculated data, I define the Percentage Y Deviation as follows:
% Y Deviation = { ( G meas - G calc ) 2 + ( B meas - B calc ) 2 } 1 / 2  Y  × 100 ( 3 )
A plot of % Y Deviation as a function of frequency at the 14 measurement frequencies is shown in FIG. 8. One sees that the % Y Deviation is zero at the three modeling frequencies, 5, 80, and 1000 Hz. At all 11 other frequencies, the % Y Deviation is positive and attains its maximum value of 5.9 at f=22 Hz. Note the lack of scatter in the data of FIG. 8. This is a strong indication of very high measurement precision.
The apparatus of FIG. 5 was employed to measure the complex admittance of the 5-year old Group-70 battery at the same 14 discrete measurement frequencies (n+m=14) used previously. FIG. 9 is a Nyquist admittance plot displaying the results of those measurements. Again, the data curves proceed clockwise as frequency increases. Both the 14 experimental data points and the 14 data points calculated from the 6-element circuit model are displayed in FIG. 9. Again, data at the three frequencies used to evaluate the model (5, 80, and 1000 Hz) are identified by circles. Measured and calculated data again agree exactly at these three frequencies. At all 11 other frequencies, comparisons again show that measured and calculated data disagree. However, the disagreement is larger for the 5-year old Group-70 battery than that shown in FIG. 7 for the new Group-24 battery.
FIG. 10 displays a plot of % Y Deviation for the 5-year old Group-70 battery at the 14 measurement frequencies displayed in FIG. 9. One again sees that the % Y Deviation is zero at the three modeling frequencies, 5, 80, and 1000 Hz. At all 11 other frequencies, the % Y Deviation is positive and attains its maximum value of 10.5 at f=22 Hz. Again note the complete lack of scatter in the data. This is again a strong indication of very high measurement precision.
By comparing FIGS. 8 and 10, one sees that an increase in cell deterioration is associated with increases in % Y Deviation at every one of the m=11 measurement frequencies not used in the model evaluation. Accordingly, values of % Y Deviation at selected frequencies can be advantageously utilized to identify and quantify the degree of cell deterioration in the battery—without requiring access to either cell electrolytes or cell voltages. One need only determine % Y Deviation at, say, one “extra” frequency (m=1) in order to apply this principle. For example, the % Y Deviation at 22 Hz could be used alone. This quantity is seen to be nearly twice as large (10.5) for the 5-year old battery having significant cell deterioration than for the brand-new battery (5.9) having very little cell deterioration. On the basis of this number, a pass/fail determination could be made without knowledge of the battery's manufacturer, group size, or electrical ratings.
This completes the disclosure of my invention. Although, for illustrative purposes, measurements on only two batteries have been disclosed above, one finds the results to be generally true across a wide spectrum of batteries. Measurements on other batteries from different manufacturers, of different group sizes, and having different electrical ratings have all corroborated the results described herein. That is one significant advantage of this technique. One need not know the battery's electrical ratings or even its group size or manufacturer in order to make a pass/fail determination based upon cell deterioration.
One also finds that other battery properties such a state-of-charge can be determined by measuring “Percentage Y Deviation” of batteries that are known to have little cell deterioration. Although the “Percentage Y Deviation” defined by equation (3) was introduced to mathematically compare measured and calculated admittance components, other mathematical methods and comparison quantities are possible. For example, one finds that the “Percentage Z deviation”, defined in terms of measured and calculated Z components (R and X), gives identical results. Furthermore, one could make mathematical comparisons in other ways or by using any of the single immittance components R, X, G, or B. One could also use other battery models or other values of n and m. One finds that n=4 also works very well. Workers skilled in the art will recognize that these and other variations may be made in form and detail without departing from the true spirit and scope of my invention.
US85533 5 Jan 1869 Improvement in plowshares
US3745441 19 Jun 1972 10 Jul 1973 J Soffer Self-excitation device for an alternator
US4626765 25 May 1984 2 Dec 1986 Japan Storage Battery Company Limited Apparatus for indicating remaining battery capacity
US5309052 21 May 1993 3 May 1994 Asia Motors Co., Inc. Circuit for shielding electro-magnetic wave noise radiated and conducted from wiper motor
US5345384 26 Mar 1993 6 Sep 1994 Robert Bosch Gmbh Method of and apparatus for interrogating vehicle control device data
US5462439 19 Apr 1993 31 Oct 1995 Keith; Arlie L. Charging batteries of electric vehicles
US5631831 8 Aug 1995 20 May 1997 Spx Corporation Diagnosis method for vehicle systems
US5685734 16 Dec 1994 11 Nov 1997 Hm Electronics, Inc. Universally adaptable electrical connector and method of using same
US5870018 20 May 1996 9 Feb 1999 Chrysler Corporation Automotive radio anti-theft device via multiplex bus
US5935180 30 Jun 1997 10 Aug 1999 Chrysler Corporation Electrical test system for vehicle manufacturing quality assurance
US6225898 3 May 1999 1 May 2001 Denso Corporation Vehicle diagnosis system having transponder for OBD III
US6255826 17 Oct 2000 3 Jul 2001 Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Battery voltage measuring device
US6473659 10 Apr 1998 29 Oct 2002 General Electric Company System and method for integrating a plurality of diagnostic related information
US6501243 31 Aug 2000 31 Dec 2002 Hitachi, Ltd. Synchronous motor-control apparatus and vehicle using the control apparatus
US6832141 25 Oct 2002 14 Dec 2004 Davis Instruments Module for monitoring vehicle operation through onboard diagnostic port
US7049822 31 Oct 2002 23 May 2006 Hsn Improvements, Llc Combination battery, light bulb, and fuse tester
US7173182 28 Dec 2004 6 Feb 2007 Fdk Corporation Signal transmission cable with connector
US7209860 7 Jul 2003 24 Apr 2007 Snap-On Incorporated Distributed expert diagnostic service and system
US7251551 4 Jun 2004 31 Jul 2007 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha On-vehicle electronic control device
US7590476 7 Sep 2006 15 Sep 2009 Delphi Technologies, Inc. Vehicle diagnosis system and method
US7684908 29 Dec 2004 23 Mar 2010 Snap-On Incorporated Vehicle identification key for use between multiple computer applications
US7743788 19 Jun 2006 29 Jun 2010 Watts Regulator Co. Faucet assembly with water quality indicator
US7774130 31 Mar 2006 10 Aug 2010 Gary Thomas Pepper Methods and system for determining consumption and fuel efficiency in vehicles
US8024083 30 Jun 2005 20 Sep 2011 Chenn Ieon C Cellphone based vehicle diagnostic system
US8222868 2 Apr 2008 17 Jul 2012 Techtronic Power Tools Technology Limited Battery tester for rechargeable power tool batteries
US8594957 20 Feb 2008 26 Nov 2013 Advantest (Singapore) Pte Ltd System, method and computer program for detecting an electrostatic discharge event
US8827729 5 Apr 2011 9 Sep 2014 Delphi International Operations Luxembourg S.A.R.L. Electrical connector system
US9037394 21 Jun 2012 19 May 2015 Hartford Fire Insurance Company System and method to determine an initial insurance policy benefit based on telematics data collected by a smartphone
US20010012738 6 Aug 1999 9 Aug 2001 Cyrille Duperret Clamp for a battery jumper cable
US20010048226 17 May 2001 6 Dec 2001 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Hybrid vehicle and method of controlling hybrid vehicle
US20020003423 23 Mar 2001 10 Jan 2002 Bertness Kevin I. Modular battery tester
US20020007237 13 Jun 2001 17 Jan 2002 Phung Tam A. Method and system for the diagnosis of vehicles
US20020109504 * 8 Feb 2002 15 Aug 2002 Champlin Keith S. Method and apparatus using a circuit model to evaluate cell/battery parameters
US20030060953 21 Sep 2001 27 Mar 2003 Innova Electronics Corporation Method and system for computer network implemented vehicle diagnostics
US20030171111 29 Jan 2003 11 Sep 2003 Tim Clark Cellular telephone interface apparatus and methods
US20030177417 14 Mar 2002 18 Sep 2003 Sun Microsystems Inc., A Delaware Corporation System and method for remote performance analysis and optimization of computer systems
US20040044454 3 Sep 2003 4 Mar 2004 General Motors Corporation Method and system for implementing vehicle personalization
US20040064225 30 Sep 2002 1 Apr 2004 Jammu Vinay Bhaskar Method for identifying a loss of utilization of mobile assets
US20040065489 23 May 2003 8 Apr 2004 Ballard Power Systems Ag Method and apparatus to regulate the supply of power to an electric drive using a hybrid energy supply system in a vehicle
US20040088087 14 Oct 2003 6 May 2004 Denso Corporation Vehicular electronic control system, and electronic control unit, program, and storing member for the same
US20040172177 4 Nov 2003 2 Sep 2004 Nagai Ikuya N. Vehicle data stream pause on data trigger value
US20040221641 10 May 2004 11 Nov 2004 Denso Corporation And Nippon Soken, Inc. Fault detecting apparatus designed to detect different types of faults of gas sensor
US20040227523 13 May 2003 18 Nov 2004 Hamid Namaky Cellular phone configured with off-board device capabilities and starter/charger and battery testing capabilities
US20040257084 23 Jun 2003 23 Dec 2004 Restaino Harvey A. Cable for electronic battery tester
US20050021294 7 Jul 2003 27 Jan 2005 Trsar Dale A. Distributed expert diagnostic service and system
US20050096809 1 Nov 2004 5 May 2005 Davis Instruments Module for monitoring vehicle operation through onboard diagnostic port
US20050119809 3 Jan 2005 2 Jun 2005 Chen Ieon C. Method and system for computer network implemented vehicle diagnostics
US20050133245 28 Dec 2004 23 Jun 2005 Fdk Corporation Signal transmission cable with connector
US20050212521 22 Feb 2005 29 Sep 2005 Midtronics, Inc. Electronic battery tester or charger with databus connection
US20050218902 2 Jun 2005 6 Oct 2005 Midtronics, Inc. Battery test module
US20050231205 7 Jun 2005 20 Oct 2005 Bertness Kevin I Scan tool for electronic battery tester
US20050269880 8 Jun 2005 8 Dec 2005 Denso Corporation Vehicle-mounted electrical generator control system enabling suppression of supply voltage spikes that result from disconnecting electrical loads
US20060026017 28 Oct 2004 2 Feb 2006 Walker Richard C National / international management and security system for responsible global resourcing through technical management to brige cultural and economic desparity
US20060079203 8 Oct 2004 13 Apr 2006 General Motors Corporation. Method and system for enabling two way communication during a failed transmission condition
US20060095230 2 Nov 2004 4 May 2006 Jeff Grier Method and system for enhancing machine diagnostics aids using statistical feedback
US20060102397 2 Jul 2003 18 May 2006 Daimlerchrysler Ag Method and arrangement for controlling the energy supply of a mobile device comprising at least one electric driving motor and a hybrid energy system containing a fuel cell system and a dynamic energy system
US20060155439 12 Jan 2005 13 Jul 2006 Slawinski John A System and method for using a vehicle's key to collect vehicle data and diagnose mechanical problems, to store and compare security data to allow only authorized use of vehicles and a method to automatically set vehicle features usng the key
US20060161313 14 Jan 2005 20 Jul 2006 Rogers Kevin B User interface for display of task specific information
US20060161390 30 Dec 2004 20 Jul 2006 Hamid Namaky Off-board tool with optical scanner
US20070005201 30 Jun 2005 4 Jan 2007 Chenn Ieon C Cellphone based vehicle diagnostic system
US20070088472 6 Oct 2006 19 Apr 2007 Ganzcorp Investments Inc. Method and apparatus for validating OBD repairs
US20080059014 30 Oct 2007 6 Mar 2008 Oshkosh Truck Corporation System and method for braking in an electric vehicle
US20080064559 11 Sep 2006 13 Mar 2008 Cawthorne William R Control system architecture for a hybrid powertrain
US20080086246 4 Oct 2007 10 Apr 2008 Scott Bolt Portable vehicle powering and testing systems
US20080103656 6 Apr 2007 1 May 2008 Spx Corporation Universal serial bus memory device for use in a vehicle diagnostic device
US20080179122 25 Jan 2008 31 Jul 2008 Naoshi Sugawara Electric motor control system, series hybrid vehicle, electric motor control apparatus, and electric motor control method
US20080315830 4 Sep 2008 25 Dec 2008 Bertness Kevin I Electronic battery tester or charger with databus connection
US20090006476 28 Jun 2007 1 Jan 2009 Innova Electronics Corporation Automotive diagnostic and remedial process
US20090024266 17 Jul 2008 22 Jan 2009 Bertness Kevin I Battery tester for electric vehicle
US20090203247 11 Feb 2009 13 Aug 2009 Jacob Walt Fifelski Quick-connect splice-free car controller
US20090265121 16 Apr 2008 22 Oct 2009 Phoenix Broadband Technologies, Llc Measuring and monitoring a power source
US20090276115 13 Jul 2009 5 Nov 2009 Chen Ieon C Handheld Automotive Diagnostic Tool with VIN Decoder and Communication System
US20100023198 30 Oct 2008 28 Jan 2010 Brennan Todd Hamilton System and method for emulating vehicle ignition-switched power
US20100066283 19 Oct 2006 18 Mar 2010 Hidetoshi Kitanaka Vector controller for permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor
US20100214055 19 Feb 2010 26 Aug 2010 Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki Electric vehicle inverter apparatus and protection method therefor
US20110015815 23 Sep 2010 20 Jan 2011 Bertness Kevin I Battery tester for electric vehicle
US20110215767 17 May 2011 8 Sep 2011 Johnson Todd W Battery pack
US20120046824 18 Aug 2010 23 Feb 2012 Snap-On Incorporated System and Method for Extending Communication Range and Reducing Power Consumption of Vehicle Diagnostic Equipment
US20120062237 14 Sep 2010 15 Mar 2012 Spx Corporation Method and Apparatus for Charging a Battery
US20120116391 20 Oct 2011 10 May 2012 Houser Kevin L Surgical instrument with sensor and powered control
US20120249069 22 Mar 2012 4 Oct 2012 Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Electric charging system
US20120256568 13 Jun 2012 11 Oct 2012 Chong Uk Lee Multi-port reconfigurable battery
GB154016A Title not available
JPS6327776Y2 Title not available
WO1996006747A9 9 May 1996 A tyre condition monitoring system
WO2009004001A1 * 1 Jul 2008 8 Jan 2009 Biogauge - Nordic Bioimpedance Research As Method and kit for sweat activity measurement
WO2012078921A3 8 Dec 2011 10 Apr 2014 Aerovironment, Inc. Electric vehicle charger diagnostic extension cable
12 "Battery State of Health Monitoring, Combining Conductance Technology With Other Measurement Parameters for Real-Time Battery Performance Analysis", by D. Cox et la., Mar. 2000, 6 pgs; (10 total pgs.).
16 "DC-DC Converter Basics", Power Designers, downloaded from http://www.powederdesigners.com/InforWeb.design-center/articles/DC-DC/converter.shtm, prior to Oct. 1, 2002.
24 "Field and Laboratory Studies to Assess the State of Health of Valve-Regulated Lead Acid Batteries: Part I Conductance/Capacity Correlation Studies", by D. Feder et al., IEEE , Aug. 1992, pp. 218-233.
32 "JIS Japanese Industrial Standard-Lead Acid Batteries for Automobiles", Japanese Standards Association UDC, 621.355.2:629.113.006, Nov. 1995.
43 "Operators Manual, Modular Computer Analyzer Model MCA 3000", Sun Electric Corporation, Crystal Lake, Illinois pp. 1-1-14-13, (1991).
51 "Simple DC-DC Converts Allows Use of Single Battery", Electronix Express, downloaded from http://www.elexp.com/t-de-dc.htm, prior to Oct. 1, 2002.
58 Communication from GB1216105.5, dated Sep. 21, 2012.
59 European Search Report from European Application No. EP 15151426.2, dated Jun. 1, 2015.
60 Examination Report under section 18(3) for corresponding Great Britain Application No. GB1000773.0, dated Feb. 6, 2012, 2 pages.
61 First Office Action (Notification of Reasons for Rejections) dated Dec. 3, 2013 in related Japanese patent application No. 2013-513370, 9 pgs. Including English Translation.
62 First Office Action for Chinese Patent Application No. 201180011597.4, dated May 6, 2014, 20 pages.
63 IEEE Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testings, and Replacement of Large Lead Storage Batteries for Generating Stations and Substations, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., ANSI/IEEE Std. 450-1987, Mar. 9, 1987, pp. 7-15.
64 Internal Resistance: Harbinger of Capacity Loss in Starved Electrolyte Sealed Lead Acid Batteries, by Vaccaro, F.J. et al., AT&T Bell Laboratories, 1987 IEEE, Ch. 2477, pp. 128,131.
65 National Semiconductor Corporation, "High Q Notch Filter", Mar. 1969, Linear Brief 5, Mar. 1969.
66 National Semiconductor Corporation, "LMF90-4th-Order Elliptic Notch Filter", Dec. 1994, RRD-B30M115, Dec. 1994.
67 Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and Written Opinion from PCT/US2011/039043, dated Jul. 26, 2012.
68 Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and Written Opinion from PCT/US2011/053886, dated Jul. 27, 2012.
69 Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and Written Opinion from PCT/US2014/069661, dated Mar. 26, 2015.
70 Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report for PCT/US03/30707.
71 Office Action for Chinese Patent Application No. 201180030045.8, dated Jul. 21, 2014.
72 Office Action for Chinese Patent Application No. 201180030045.8, dated Mar. 24, 2015.
73 Office Action for Chinese Patent Application No. 201180038844.X, dated Jul. 1, 2014.
74 Office Action for Chinese Patent Application No. 201180038844.X, dated Jun. 8, 2015.
75 Office Action for German Patent Application No. 103 32 625.1, dated Nov. 7, 2014, 14 pages.
76 Office Action for German Patent Application No. 1120111020643 dated Aug. 28, 2014.
77 Office Action for Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-531839, dated Mar. 31, 2015.
78 Office Action from Chinese Patent Application No. 201180011597.4 dated Jun. 3, 2015.
79 Office Action from Chinese Patent Application No. 201180038844.X, dated Dec. 8, 2014.
80 Office Action from CN Application No. 201180011597.4, dated Jan. 6, 2015.
81 Office Action from Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-513370, dated Aug. 5, 2014.
82 Office Action from Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-531839, dated Jul. 8, 2014.
83 Office Action from Korean Application No. 10/2012-7033020, dated Jul. 29, 2014.
84 Office Action from U.S. Appl. No. 11/063,247 dated Apr. 11, 2008.
85 Office Action from U.S. Appl. No. 11/146,608 dated May 13, 2008.
86 Office Action from U.S. Appl. No. 11/352,945; dated Jan. 5, 2007.
87 Official Action dated Feb. 20, 2014 in Korean patent application No. 10-2013-7004814, 6 pgs including English Translation.
88 Official Action dated Jan. 22, 2014 in Korean patent application No. 10-2012-7033020, 2 pgs including English Translation.
91 Search Report from PCT/US2011/047354, dated Nov. 11, 2011.
95 Written Opinion from PCT/US2011/047354, dated Nov. 11, 2011.
96 Young Illustrated Encyclopedia Dictionary of Electronics, 1981, Parker Publishing Company, Inc., pp. 318-319.
Cooperative Classification G01R31/3624, G01R31/3679, G01R31/3662