# US 11,506,719 B2 · Vehicle battery monitoring method and assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,506,719 B2 - Document ID: US11506719B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/550,657 - Filed: 2019-08-26 - Published: 2021-03-04 - Granted: 2022-11-22 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-26 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Hanyang B. Chen; Michael J. Irby; Matthew Thomas Loiselle; William David Treharne; Mark E. Shields; Josephine S. Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11506719B2 ## CPC - G01R 31/3828: using current integration - G01R 31/386: {using test-loads} - B60L 50/16: with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - B60R 16/0234: {related to maintenance or repairing of vehicles} - B60R 16/03: for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} - F02N 11/0825: {related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state} - F02N 11/0866: {comprising several power sources, e.g. battery and capacitor or two batteries} - F02N 11/14: Starting of engines by means of electric starters with external current supply (F02N11/12 takes precedence) - F02N 11/0814: {comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop} - F02N 11/087: {Details of the switching means in starting circuits, e.g. relays or electronic switches} - F02N 2011/0888: {DC/DC converters} - F02N 2200/044: Starter current - F02N 2200/0803: Parking brake state - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A monitoring method includes, among other things, within a vehicle, providing a first electrical system with an auxiliary battery, and a second electrical system with a primary battery. The method further includes electrically coupling the first electrical system to the second electrical system, electrically loading the auxiliary battery and the primary battery, and comparing an electrical parameter of the auxiliary battery to a threshold value to assess a state of the auxiliary battery. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A monitoring method, comprising: within a vehicle, providing a first electrical system with an auxiliary battery, and a second electrical system with a primary battery; electrically coupling the first electrical system to the second electrical system; electrically loading the auxiliary battery and the primary battery; and comparing an electrical parameter of the auxiliary battery to a threshold value to assess a condition of the auxiliary battery, wherein the vehicle is a stop-start vehicle, wherein electrically loading the auxiliary battery and the primary battery includes cranking an engine of the vehicle at a start of a vehicle drive cycle, and further comprising, later in the vehicle drive cycle, stopping the engine and then warm cranking the engine using a starter generator powered by the primary battery. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The monitoring method of claim 1, wherein the starter generator is a belt integrated starter generator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The monitoring method of claim 1, electrically decoupling the first electrical system from the second electrical system when warm cranking the engine using the starter generator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The monitoring method of claim 3, further comprising powering electrical loads of the vehicle using the auxiliary battery when the first electrical system is decoupled from the second electrical system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The monitoring method of claim 3, further comprising transitioning at least one switch to electrically couple the first electrical system to the second electrical system, and transitioning the at least one switch to electrically decouple the first electrical system from the second electrical system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The monitoring method of claim 5, wherein the at least one switch is within a battery isolation box. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The monitoring method of claim 1, further comprising cold cranking the engine at the start of the vehicle drive cycle using a starter motor powered by the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The monitoring method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary battery and the primary battery are each 12-Volt low-voltage batteries. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The monitoring method of claim 1, wherein the first electrical system includes a high-voltage battery. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The monitoring method of claim 1, wherein the electrical parameter is a discharge current from the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The monitoring method of claim 10, further comprising detecting the discharge current from the auxiliary battery using a Hall effect sensor. ### Claim 12 A monitoring method, comprising: within a vehicle, providing a first electrical system with an auxiliary battery, and a second electrical system with a primary battery, the auxiliary battery and the primary battery each low-voltage batteries; electrically coupling the first electrical system to the second electrical system; electrically loading the auxiliary battery and the primary battery; comparing an electrical parameter of the auxiliary battery to a threshold value to assess a condition of the auxiliary battery; and disabling a start-stop function of the vehicle in response to the condition of the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The monitoring method of claim 12, further comprising communicating a message to a user of the vehicle in response to the condition of the auxiliary battery. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The monitoring method of claim 12, further comprising disabling a DC/DC converter within the first electrical system during the comparing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The monitoring method of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary battery and the primary battery are each 12-Volt, lead acid, low-voltage batteries.