# US 2013/0158782 A1 · Battery tester for electric vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0158782 A1 - Document ID: US20130158782A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/668,523 - Filed: 2012-11-05 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2007-07-17 - Assignees: Midtronics, Inc. - Inventors: Kevin I. Bertness; Stephen J. McShane - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158782A1 ## CPC - B60L 58/10: for monitoring or controlling batteries - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 50/10: using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines - G01R 31/007: {using microprocessors or computers} - G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)} - B60L 2250/00: Driver interactions - G07C 2205/02: using a vehicle scan tool - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - 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 - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Testing or diagnostics are performed on an electric vehicle. The vehicle is operated and current flow through a system of the vehicle is monitored. A voltage related to the system is also monitored. Diagnostics are provided based upon the monitored voltage and the monitored current. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of testing an electrical system of an electric vehicle, comprising: operating the electric vehicle; coupling to a databus of the electric vehicle; monitoring data on the data bus and retrieving information related to current flowing into the system of the electric vehicle during the step of operating; monitoring data on the databus and retrieving information related to a voltage of the system during the step of operating; and diagnosing the electric vehicle based upon the monitored current and the monitored voltage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including instructing an operator regarding operation of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein diagnosing includes comparing monitored current and monitored voltage or function of the monitored current and monitored voltage with nominal values. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including wirelessly communicating. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the databus comprises an OBD databus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a battery pack of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 including monitoring a second system of the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein the second system comprises a regenerative braking system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein diagnosing comprises monitoring energy output from the regenerative braking system and monitoring energy input into the battery pack. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the diagnosing further comprises determining efficiency of the transfer of energy recovered from the regenerative braking system and stored in the battery pack. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a block of cells of a battery pack of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 including monitoring a second block of cells of the battery pack. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the diagnosing comprises comparing a parameter of the first block of cells with a parameter of the second block of cells. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnosing comprises measuring a parameter of the system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein the parameter comprises a dynamic parameter. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including providing an output to an operator of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the output comprises instructions related to operation of the vehicle for use in performing the step of diagnosing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the electric vehicle comprises a hybrid vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 wherein the system comprises an electric generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19 including monitoring a second system of the electric vehicle, wherein the second system comprises a battery pack and the step of diagnosing comprises determining efficiency of storage of energy from the generator by the battery pack. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnosing includes compensating for a delay between retrieving information related to current flowing into the system and retrieving information related to a voltage of the system. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including placing information onto the databus which affects operation of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including placing information onto the databus which affects operation of a system of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 including providing an output to an operator of the vehicle to instruct the operator to operate the vehicle in a manner to increase energy efficiency. ### Claim 25 An apparatus for testing an electric vehicle, comprising: a databus connector configured to connect to a databus of the electric vehicle; a microprocessor configured to: retrieve voltage information from the databus of the electric vehicle provided by a voltage sensor coupled to a system of the electric vehicle; retrieve current information from the databus of the electric vehicle provided by a voltage sensor coupled to the system of the electric vehicle; and diagnose the operation of the vehicle based upon the retrieved current information and the retrieved voltage information. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the microprocessor compares monitored current and monitored voltage or a function of monitored voltage and monitored current, with nominal values. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the databus comprises an OBD databus. ### Claim 28 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the system comprises a battery pack of the vehicle. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the microprocessor monitors a second system of the vehicle. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the second system comprises a regenerative braking system. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the microprocessor monitors energy output from the regenerative braking system and monitors energy input into the battery pack. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the microprocessor further determines efficiency of the transfer of energy recovered from the regenerative braking system and stored in the battery pack. ### Claim 33 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the system comprises a block of cells of a battery pack of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the microprocessor monitors a second block of cells of the battery pack. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the microprocessor compares a parameter of the first block of cells with a parameter of the second block of cells. ### Claim 36 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the microprocessor measures a parameter of the system. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the parameter comprises a dynamic parameter. ### Claim 38 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 including an output provided to an operator of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the output comprises instructions related to operation of the vehicle for use in performing the step of diagnosing. ### Claim 40 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the electric vehicle comprises a hybrid vehicle. ### Claim 41 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the system comprises an electric generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 42 (depends on 41) The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the microprocessor monitors a second system of the electric vehicle, wherein the second system comprises a battery pack and the microprocessor determines efficiency of storage of energy from the generator by the battery pack. ### Claim 43 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the microprocessor compensates for a delay between retrieving information related to current flowing into the system and retrieving information related to a voltage of the system. ### Claim 44 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the microprocessor is configured to place information onto the databus which affects operation of the electric vehicle.