Battery Status Control System and Method

Abstract

A compact battery monitoring system for monitoring a vehicle battery in a vehicle having an engine is described. The compact battery monitoring system may comprise a housing, a processor positioned within the housing, one or more sensors operatively coupled with said processor, a data port, a wireless data transceiver, and rechargeable lithium ion battery. The data port may be configured to removeably couple with a second data port positioned outside the housing to provide an electrical connection between the one or more sensors and the vehicle battery, wherein said processor is configured to monitor a parameter of the vehicle battery using said one or more sensors, yielding a monitored battery parameter. The wireless data transceiver within the housing is configured to wirelessly communicate the monitored battery parameter to a remotely situated, portable user device using, for example, ultra high frequency radio waves. A display device may be positioned on the housing, including a plurality of light emitting diodes. The rechargeable lithium ion battery is configured to supply power needed to operate the processor and the wireless data transceiver. When the engine is running, the battery monitoring system draws a charging current from the vehicle battery to charge the lithium ion battery.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A battery system for supplying current to a vehicle battery of a vehicle, the battery system comprising:
 a processor;   a pair of battery cables to detachably connect with the vehicle to charge the vehicle battery;   a charger circuit to receive an input current from a power supply and to output, via the pair of battery cables, a predetermined output current to the vehicle battery in accordance with one of a plurality of selectable charging modes,
 wherein said plurality of selectable charging modes includes a first charging mode to provide a first battery charging current and a second charging mode to provide a second battery charging current to the vehicle that is greater than the first battery charging current, and 
 wherein the charger circuit is operatively coupled with said processor and is configured to selectively supply the predetermined output current to the vehicle battery via the pair of battery cables; 
   a sensor operatively coupled with said processor to monitor a parameter of the vehicle battery via the pair of battery cables to yield a monitored battery parameter; and   a wireless data transceiver operatively coupled with said processor to communicatively couple the battery system with a portable user device,
 wherein the processor is configured to transmit, via the wireless data transceiver, said monitored battery parameter to the portable user device, 
 wherein the processor is configured to receive, via the wireless data transceiver, a control command from said portable user device that is configured to instruct the battery system to: (1) supply the predetermined output current to the vehicle battery via the charger circuit; or (2) discontinue supply of the predetermined output current to the vehicle battery via the charger circuit, and 
 wherein the battery system employs a predetermined charging mode based at least in part on a user input at said portable user device that indicates a battery type for the vehicle battery. 
   
     
     
         2 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the portable user device configured to render, based at least in part on the monitored battery parameter, a graphical user interface to display a state of charge or a state of health for the vehicle battery. 
     
     
         3 . The battery system of  claim 2 , wherein the second battery charging current is an engine start current. 
     
     
         4 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the power supply is an AC power source and said charger circuit comprises a high frequency charging circuit. 
     
     
         5 . The battery system of  claim 4 , wherein the power supply is an AC power source and said charger circuit comprises both a high frequency charging circuit and a linear battery charging circuit. 
     
     
         6 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the battery system is connected to the portable user device via the Bluetooth wireless standard. 
     
     
         7 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the battery system is connected to the portable user device over a cellular network using a cellular modem. 
     
     
         8 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the battery system further comprises a display device on a housing of the battery system to display whether the battery system is connected to the portable user device. 
     
     
         9 . The battery system of  claim 8 , wherein the battery system further comprises a user interface and a display device, wherein the display device is configured to display an icon indicative of whether the battery system is connected to the portable user device over. 
     
     
         10 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the battery system is configured to draw an operating current from the vehicle battery via the pair of battery cables to power the wireless data transceiver and the processor if the input current from the power supply is unavailable or depleted. 
     
     
         11 . The battery system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit, via the wireless data transceiver, an alert to the portable user device indicating whether the input current from the power supply is unavailable or depleted. 
     
     
         12 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to identify a low battery voltage condition when a voltage of the vehicle battery has dropped below a predetermined voltage. 
     
     
         13 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive, via the wireless data transceiver, a software update or a firmware update for the battery system. 
     
     
         14 . The battery system of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless data transceiver is configured to operate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standards and is operable to communicate with the portable user device over a local network. 
     
     
         15 . The battery system of  claim 2 , wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display a charging history for the vehicle battery over a predetermined period. 
     
     
         16 . The battery system of  claim 2 , wherein the graphical user interface includes a hyperlink that, when selected, displays a website with additional information about the vehicle battery or replacements thereof. 
     
     
         17 . A battery system for monitoring a vehicle battery in a vehicle having an engine, the battery system comprising:
 a housing;   a processor positioned within the housing;   one or more sensors operatively coupled with said processor;   a connector to provide an electrical connection between said one or more sensors and the vehicle, wherein said processor is configured to monitor a parameter of the vehicle battery using said one or more sensors to yield a monitored battery parameter;   a wireless data transceiver within the housing to wirelessly communicate the monitored battery parameter to a remotely situated, portable user device, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with a remotely situated, portable user device using ultra high frequency radio waves;   a rechargeable lithium battery within the housing to supply power to operate the processor and the wireless data transceiver; and   a display device positioned on said housing to indicate a condition of said vehicle battery or said battery system.   
     
     
         18 . The battery system of  claim 17 , wherein the battery system is configured to draw a charging current from the vehicle battery via the connector to charge the rechargeable lithium battery when the engine is running. 
     
     
         19 . The battery system of  claim 17 , further comprising a cellular modem within the housing to communicate with the remotely situated, portable user device over a cellular network. 
     
     
         20 . The battery system of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to use said monitored battery parameter to identify a battery current draw on the vehicle battery by a vehicle and to correlate the battery current draw with a condition of the vehicle via a data look up table, wherein the condition of the vehicle does not relate to a status or a condition of the vehicle battery.