Intelligent monitoring systems for liquid electrolyte batteries

Abstract

An improved battery monitoring system for liquid electrolyte batteries is provided. The battery monitoring system includes a network of sensors for monitoring the condition or performance of a plurality of liquid electrolyte batteries, for example lead-acid batteries. The sensors are adapted to share data regarding battery condition or battery performance to a standalone device over a wireless local area network. A server in electrical communication with the standalone device receives some or all of the data for analysis, which can result in maintenance alerts and other alerts being sent to the standalone device. The improved battery monitoring system can reduce or eliminate the manual inspection of lead-acid batteries and can improve battery operation and longevity by ensuring an appropriate level of maintenance for each lead-acid battery.

1 . A battery monitoring system for a liquid electrolyte battery, the battery monitoring system comprising:
 a battery monitoring unit including a control module and a plurality of sensors, wherein the battery monitoring unit is joined to the liquid electrolyte battery;   a local standalone device in communication with the control module for the battery monitoring unit over a network; and   a remote server in communication with the standalone device, wherein the server receives sensor data from the standalone device for the liquid electrolyte battery, and wherein the remote server performs an analysis of the sensor data and transmits a battery notification to the standalone device.   
     
     
         2 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 1  wherein the control module includes a communications circuit for transmitting over the network, the network being a wireless personal area network. 
     
     
         3 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 1  wherein the sensor data relates to battery liquid level, battery refilling volume, battery half voltage, or battery orientation. 
     
     
         4 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of sensors includes an accelerometer, a liquid level sensor, a flow rate sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or a dirty battery sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 1  wherein the battery notification indicates a recommended action item including refilling a battery, replacing a battery, inspecting a battery, returning a battery to an upright orientation, equalization, charging a battery, repairing a battery, temperature single point watering system repair, or state of charge. 
     
     
         6 . A battery monitoring system for a liquid electrolyte battery having a battery housing, the battery monitoring system comprising:
 a control module joined to the battery housing and including:
 a multi-axis accelerometer, the multi-axis accelerometer providing an output, and 
 a controller electrically coupled to the accelerometer output, the controller being operable to determine an impact to the battery housing and an orientation of the battery housing based on the accelerometer output. 
   
     
     
         7 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 6  further including a standalone device in electrical communication with the controller over a wireless network, wherein the controller is adapted to output battery impact data and battery orientation data to the standalone device over the wireless network to alert a user of an unsafe battery condition. 
     
     
         8 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 7  wherein the unsafe battery condition indicates the battery housing includes an unsafe orientation or was subject to a predetermined impact. 
     
     
         9 . The battery monitoring system of  claim 7  wherein the controller includes an integrated communications circuit for sharing data over the wireless network.