# US 11,906,588 B2 · Battery monitoring apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,906,588 B2 - Document ID: US11906588B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/720,768 - Filed: 2022-04-14 - Published: 2022-07-28 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-05 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Akihiko Ito; Tatsuhiro Numata - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906588B2 ## CPC - G01R 31/371: with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/18: of two or more battery modules - G01R 31/3835: involving only voltage measurements - G01R 31/396: Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery - H04W 76/10: Connection setup - B60L 2240/547: Voltage - B60L 2240/80: Time limits - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - 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 - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A battery monitoring apparatus includes a battery ECU, satellite devices each of which measures the voltage at a battery cell in response to a command signal from the battery ECU, and a wireless module which achieves a wireless communication between the battery ECU and each of the satellite devices after a wireless connection between the battery ECU and each of the satellite devices is completed. When receiving a start signal outputted before a start switch for a drive power source of the vehicle is turned on, the wireless module is activated to start the wireless connection between the battery ECU and each of the satellite devices. This establishes and completes the wireless connections faster than when the wireless module is activated simultaneously with turning on of the start switch for the drive power source. This achieves quick monitoring of the state of the battery cells. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A battery monitoring apparatus which monitors states of battery cells installed in a vehicle comprising: a battery electronic control unit; satellite devices each of which measures a voltage at a battery cell in response to a command outputted from the battery electronic control unit; and a single wireless module configured to implement wireless communication between the battery electronic control unit and each of the satellite devices after a wireless connection between the battery electronic control unit and each of the satellite devices is completed, wherein the wireless module includes a plurality of master units installed in the battery electronic control unit and a plurality of slave units installed in the satellite devices, the battery electronic control unit includes a microcomputer configured to output the commands for the satellite devices to the master units, and the master units are connected parallel to each other directly with the microcomputer, each of the master units implementing the wireless communication with a corresponding one(s) of the slave units. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the master units transmit wireless signals to the slave units, and wherein each of the slave units is activated in response to reception of a corresponding one of the wireless signals to start the wireless communication. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the master units implements the wireless communication with at least one preselected slave unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the master units include a first master unit and a second master unit, and wherein at least one first slave unit is associated with the first master unit, and at least one second slave unit is associated with the second master unit which is different from the at least one first slave unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the battery electronic control unit includes a power supply which delivers electric power to the microcomputer and the master units, and wherein the master units are connected parallel to each other with the power supply. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the satellite devices includes a monitor which is connected to the battery cell to obtain a battery cell information, and a power supply which delivers electric power to the slave unit and the monitor, and wherein the power supply and the slave unit are connected together through an insulator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the satellite devices includes a monitor which is connected to the battery cell to obtain a battery cell information, and a power supply which delivers electric power to the slave unit and the monitor, and wherein the monitor and the slave unit are connected together through an insulator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the satellite devices includes a monitor which is connected to the battery cell to obtain a battery cell information, and a power supply which delivers electric power to the slave unit and the monitor, wherein the power supply and the slave unit are connected together through an insulator, and wherein the monitor and the slave unit are connected together through the insulator. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the master units are configured to implement the wireless communication simultaneously with the slave units.