Patent ID: 8264200

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting cell connection status of a multi-cell battery, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of battery cell inputs; a plurality of cell connection status detectors, each connected to a battery cell input, each of the plurality of cell connection status detectors having a current-based status indicator output, wherein each of the plurality of cell connection status detectors comprises a bandgap referenced voltage to current converter generating a discretely-valued current signal having one of an on value and an off value, the bandgap referenced voltage to current converter connected between a positive terminal and a negative terminal, which comprise adjacent ones of the plurality of battery cell inputs; and at least one comparator connected to the plurality of current-based status indicator outputs, wherein each of the plurality of cell connection status detectors floats in a different supply voltage range, and wherein the at least one comparator is referenced to a lower voltage potential than at least one of the plurality of cell connection status detectors.