# US 10,766,441 B2 · Charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply, and in-vehicle power supply system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,766,441 B2 - Document ID: US10766441B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/075,391 - Filed: 2017-02-28 - Published: 2019-02-14 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-08 - Assignees: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Inventors: Hiromichi Yasunori - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10766441B2 ## CPC - B60R 16/03: for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} - B60R 16/04: Arrangement of batteries - G01R 31/36: Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC] - G01R 31/3828: using current integration - G01R 31/3835: involving only voltage measurements - H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - H01M 10/48: Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) - H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries - H02J 7/1423: {with multiple batteries} - H02J 7/34: Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other DC sources, e.g. providing buffering (H02J7/14 takes precedence) - H02J 7/50: acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially - H02J 7/80: including monitoring or indicating arrangements - H02J 2105/33: exchanging power with road vehicles - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply configured to monitor charging rates of both a first power storage device and a second power storage device that supply power to a load via a power line, the apparatus including: a first switch connected between the power line and the first power storage device; a second switch connected between the power line and the second power storage device; a first monitoring circuit configured to output on/off signals to the first switch; and a second monitoring circuit configured to output on/off signals to the second switch. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply configured to monitor charging rates of both a first power storage device and a second power storage device that supply power to a load via a power line, the apparatus comprising: a first switch connected between the power line and the first power storage device; a second switch connected between the power line and the second power storage device; a first monitoring circuit configured to output on/off signals to the first switch; and a second monitoring circuit configured to output on/off signals to the second switch, wherein the first monitoring circuit is configured to execute: a first process in which a terminal voltage of the first power storage device when the first switch is off is detected as a first open-circuit voltage, and a first charging rate is obtained based on the detected first open-circuit voltage and a relationship between the first open-circuit voltage and the first charging rate of the first power storage device, and a second process in which a first current flowing through the first power storage device is detected when the first switch is on, and the first charging rate is updated based on the first current, wherein the second monitoring circuit is configured to execute: a third process in which a terminal voltage of the second power storage device when the second switch is off is detected as a second open-circuit voltage, and a second charging rate is obtained based on the detected second open-circuit voltage and a relationship between the second open-circuit voltage and the second charging rate of the second power storage device, and a fourth process in which a second current flowing through the second power storage device is detected when the second switch is on, and the second charging rate is updated based on the second current. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 1, wherein when the first open-circuit voltage is detected, the second monitoring circuit turns on the second switch. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 2, wherein the second charging rate is input to the first monitoring circuit from the second monitoring circuit, and when the second charging rate is larger than a first reference value, the first monitoring circuit starts the first process. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 3, wherein when the second charging rate falls below the first reference value during the first process, the first monitoring circuit suspends the first process and turns on the first switch. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 3, wherein when the second charging rate is larger than the first reference value and the first charging rate is larger than a second reference value, the first monitoring circuit starts the first process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 1, wherein the first monitoring circuit and the second monitoring circuit respectively control the first switch and the second switch such that both the first switch and the second switch are not turned off at least while the vehicle is moving. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 1, wherein the first power storage device is a lead battery, and when an engine of the vehicle is stopped, the first monitoring circuit does not execute the first process. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 7, wherein the first switch is a normally closed switch. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 7, wherein the second power storage device is a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery, and the second switch is a normally open switch. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 1, wherein in the second process, the first monitoring circuit updates the first charging rate based on a value obtained by integrating the first current, and in the fourth process, the second monitoring circuit updates the second charging rate based on a value obtained by integrating the second current. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An in-vehicle power supply system comprising: the charging rate monitoring apparatus for in-vehicle power supply according to claim 1: the first power storage device; and the second power storage device, wherein the first power storage device and the first monitoring circuit are disposed in an engine room, and the second power storage device and the second monitoring circuit are disposed opposite to the engine room with respect to a vehicle interior.