GB2338074A - A method and means of identifying an electrical cell type - Google Patents
A method and means of identifying an electrical cell type Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2338074A GB2338074A GB9812232A GB9812232A GB2338074A GB 2338074 A GB2338074 A GB 2338074A GB 9812232 A GB9812232 A GB 9812232A GB 9812232 A GB9812232 A GB 9812232A GB 2338074 A GB2338074 A GB 2338074A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- standby
- battery
- cell type
- voltage drop
- voltage
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R19/00—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof
- G01R19/165—Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values
- G01R19/16533—Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values characterised by the application
- G01R19/16538—Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values characterised by the application in AC or DC supplies
- G01R19/16542—Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values characterised by the application in AC or DC supplies for batteries
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/36—Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
- G01R31/378—Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC] specially adapted for the type of battery or accumulator
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Charge And Discharge Circuits For Batteries Or The Like (AREA)
Abstract
A method and means of identifying an electrical cell type of a battery 8 comprises measuring a battery's low-load voltage and low-load to high-load voltage drop. Determining a threshold value related to one of the said measurements, then comparing the other of the said measurements with the threshold value to identify the cell type of the battery. The threshold value may be derived from a predetermined look-up table stored in a memory. The method and means may be used in a radio device in which the low-load condition relates to a standby condition and the high-load condition relates to a transmitting condition. The identification of a battery's cell type allows effective battery monitoring to be provided in devices which may use different types of battery.
Description
2338074 Method And Apparatus For Determining Battery Type
Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining a type of battery. It is particularly applicable to radio transmitting apparatus which is powered by the battery but will also have application in other battery powered equipment.
BackL-round To The Invention Battery checking is now a common feature on battery powered equipment, particularly, where a user of such equipment must receive a timely warning to renew a battery to prevent loss of data or otherwise where it is essential for the equipment to remain available for use. Such an application is two way radio equipment.
In two way radio equipment, the length of warning period before the battery reaches such a low power level that the equipment has to stop functioning is considered to be adequate by most users if about thirty minutes. A user of the equipment will then have sufficient time, under most circumstances, to replace the battery pack with a fresh one or to complete a communication before the battery pack is exhausted.
Battery performance varies with the type of battery being used. Rechargeable nickel cadmiun batteries will have different discharge characteristics to those of alkaline cells. Thus, battery monitoring circuits optimised for a particular type of battery will not work satisfactorily with other types of battery. For example, if a hand portable radio has a low battery warning threshold set for NiCad cells, then when alkaline cells are used the low battery level warning thresholds will not be appropriate. In a high current drain operation, such as when the radio is transmitting, even a fresh alkaline battery will be below the low battery threshold for a Nicad battery. The radio will then provide a warning that the battery level is low which is inappropriate.
2 CM00524P In the same circumstances, when the radio is in standby mode, by the time that the alkaline battery drops below the low battery threshold for a NiCad the alkaline battery has insufficient life left to receive or transmit. Thus no useful warning is given that the battery is exhausted.
Summary
According to the invention there is provided a method of identifying an electrical cell type comprising the steps of; determining one of a standby voltage and a standby to high-load voltage drop; providing a threshold appropriate to the determined one of the standby voltage and standby to high-load voltage drop, comparing the other of the standby voltage and high-load voltage drop to the threshold, to identify the cell type.
The invention also provides apparatus for identifying an electrical cell type.
Brief Descri-otion Of The Drawines A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a radio transceiver with a battery, checking function operating in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams.
Detailed Descriv)tion Of A Si)ecific Embodiment As is shown in figure 1, a hand-held portable radio 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a microprocessor 2, a memory 3, a transmitter section 4, a receiver section 5, an antenna switch 6, an 3 CM00524P antenna 7, a battery 8, a liquid crystal display 9 and resistor network 10 comprising resistors R1, R2.
The microprocessor 2 is connected to the memory 3, the transmitter and receiver sections, the antenna switch 6 and to the junction between R1 and R2. The microprocessor 2 provides the intelligence for the radio 1 and controls its operation.
The memory 3 holds the program which governs the operation of the microprocessor 2 and it may be read and written to by the microprocessor 2 by means of a databus.
The battery 8 may be an alkaline, nickel cadmium or other type and is of conventional form. The type of battery used can vary at the option of the user.
The receiver section 5, transmitter section 4, antenna 7 and antenna switch 6 are of conventional form. The antenna switch 6 operates under the control of the microprocessor 2 to selectively couple the transmitter section 6 and the receiver section 5 to the antenna 7.
The liquid crystal display is also of conventional form and it is used for the display of information to a user of the radio.
The resistor network is connected to a battery monitor input of the microprocessor 2, to the positive terminal of the battery 8 and to ground. The network provides a potential divider thus presenting at the input of the microprocessor 2 a voltage to be monitored. The microprocessor 2 is programmed to provide an analogue to digital conversion function to convert the voltage level into a digital form.
The memory 3 includes a table data structure in which a number of battery voltage in standby values and voltage drop threshold values are 4 CM00524P stored. The table is shown in figure 2 and it comprises in the left hand column a set of battery voltage in standby(receive mode) values ranging from 6.4 to 9 volts in steps of 0.2 volts and a set of corresponding appropriate threshold values ranging from 1.6 to 1.3. The values are shown in decimal form rather than as stored hexadecimal for the convenience of the reader.
The table structure works in the following way. When a voltage value is measured by the microprocessor 2 it is passed to the table in memory 3.
The table then returns the appropriate voltage drop threshold to be used by the microprocessor 2 to identify the battery 8 and this is held at a further memory location.
When the user places the radio in transmit mode, (by depressing a pushto-talk switch not shown) the microprocessor 2 will via the resistor network determine the voltage drop in this high current drain mode as well as carrying out the conventional functions when a radio is operating in transmit mode.
The microprocessor then compares the detected voltage drop with the threshold held in the further memory location. If the drop exceeds the threshold the battery type is identified by the microprocessor 2 as being an alkaline type. If the drop is less than or equal to the threshold the battery type is identified as being a nickel cadmium.
The type of battery determined may then, or at a later stage, be used to determine whether or not to issue a low battery warning to the user via the liquid crystal display 9.
The steps carried out to identify the battery are shown in Fig. 3. In a first step 30 the standby voltage is measured and the measured voltage used to select the appropriate threshold step 31. When the radio is used in a high current drain mode, that is to say, in transmit the voltage drop is again CM00524P measured, step 32. the voltage drop is then compared with the threshold in comparison step 33 and the result used to identify the battery step in step 33.
The battery voltage is then monitored for a low condition in step 35. If the battery is low then a warning to the user is given on the liquid crystal display in step 36. If the battery is not low then after a suitable pause the process returns to step 35.
6
Claims (7)
- ClaimsCM00524P 1. A method of identifying an electrical cell type comprising the steps of. determining one of a standby voltage and a standby to high-load voltage drop; providing a threshold appropriate to the determined one of the standby voltage and standby to high-load voltage drop; comparing the other of the standby voltage and standby to high-load voltage drop to the threshold to identify the cell type.
- 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the standby voltage is determined and the threshold is a standby to high-load voltage drop which is compared to a measured standby to high-load voltage drop to identify the cell type.
- 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 comprising the step of providing a plurality of standby and corresponding standby to high load voltage drops.
- 4. A method for identifying a cell type substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and or as illustrated by the drawings.
- 5. Apparatus for identifying an electrical cell type comprising:a voltage determinator for determining a voltage of the cell when in a standby condition and a high load condition; a processor responsive to the voltage deterniinator to determine one of a standby voltage drop and a standby to high load voltage drop; memory for, in use, storing threshold values; comparitor for comparing the determined one of a standby voltage drop and a standby to high load voltage drop to the threshold values to determine the battery type.
- 6. A radio including an apparatus as cl aimed in claim 5.
- 7. Apparatus for identifying cell type substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings.7 CM00524P 6. A radio including an apparatus as claimed in claim 5.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9812232A GB2338074A (en) | 1998-06-05 | 1998-06-05 | A method and means of identifying an electrical cell type |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9812232A GB2338074A (en) | 1998-06-05 | 1998-06-05 | A method and means of identifying an electrical cell type |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB9812232D0 GB9812232D0 (en) | 1998-08-05 |
GB2338074A true GB2338074A (en) | 1999-12-08 |
Family
ID=10833335
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB9812232A Withdrawn GB2338074A (en) | 1998-06-05 | 1998-06-05 | A method and means of identifying an electrical cell type |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2338074A (en) |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2285317A (en) * | 1993-12-29 | 1995-07-05 | Nec Corp | Determining the capacity of a battery |
-
1998
- 1998-06-05 GB GB9812232A patent/GB2338074A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2285317A (en) * | 1993-12-29 | 1995-07-05 | Nec Corp | Determining the capacity of a battery |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9812232D0 (en) | 1998-08-05 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |