Patent ID: 7411315

Claim:
A UPS system for supplying electrical power to an electrical load, the UPS system comprising: a plurality of battery packs electrically coupled in parallel; a power circuit adapted to be coupled to the load and to a main power source, the power circuit being coupled to the battery packs and configured to transfer power from the battery packs to the load; a plurality of battery information sensors each coupled to a respective battery pack of the plurality of battery packs, each battery information sensor being configured to sense battery information, wherein the battery information includes battery pack charge and discharge current, battery pack temperature and voltage; one or more battery pack monitors configured to receive battery information, each battery pack monitor coupled to one or more of the battery information sensors and disposed in close proximity to one or more of the battery packs, the battery pack monitors each including a programmed monitor processor configured to process the battery information; and a UPS processor coupled to the one or more battery pack monitors and configured to receive the battery information from the one or more battery pack monitors over a communication link.