Patent ID: 6915220

Claim:
A battery monitoring system, comprising: a central controller; a plurality of integrated battery monitoring devices, each of said integrated battery monitoring devices having a pair of input leads coupled across the terminals of a corresponding battery cell included within a battery string; and a communication bus between said central controller and said plurality of integrated battery monitoring devices; wherein each of said integrated battery monitoring devices includes a sensor for sensing a desired battery cell parameter, and a self-contained power supply therein having the voltage across said battery cell terminals as an input thereto, said self-contained power supply configured for providing power to said sensor; wherein each of said integrated battery monitoring devices further comprises a serial controller, said serial controller configured for transmitting said data generated by said sensor to said central controller through a pair of output leads coupled to said communication bus; and an isolator for providing voltage isolation between said serial controller and said output leads, wherein said isolator is powered by said self-contained power supply.