Patent ID: 8570047

Claim:
An apparatus to monitor a plurality of battery cells, said plurality of battery cells being operably connected to each other, comprising: a plurality of transformers; a plurality of battery windings operably associated with said plurality of transformers wherein said plurality of battery cells is operably connected to said plurality of battery windings; a plurality of first windings operably associated with said plurality of transformers; at least one waveform generator capable of producing a waveform, wherein said at least one waveform generator is operably connected to said plurality of first windings, wherein said plurality of first windings is capable of receiving said waveform; a plurality of saturable transformer operably associated said plurality of transformers, said waveform being operable to drive said plurality of saturable transformer cores from being magnetically saturated in one direction saturated in an opposite direction; and at least one signal detector operably connected with said plurality of transformers to detect a signal produced by said plurality of transformers responsively to said waveform to thereby monitor said plurality of battery cells, wherein said plurality of saturable transformers cores are magnetically saturated by said waveform in a predetermined direction.