Apparatus and method for calorimetrically determining battery charge state

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and a method for determining the state of charge of a rechargeable battery. It comprises a means for charging the batter, current sensors, heat detectors for detecting the heat emanating from the battery during charging, with the heat being the complement of the charge acceptance percentage, and a processor for storing a mathematical charge acceptance model for providing the relationship between the charge acceptance percentage and the state of charge of the battery, and for calculating the state of charge of the battery from the heat detected by the heat detectors and the charge acceptance model. An accurate measure of battery charge state is produced while the battery is being charged. This provides information concerning the operability of the battery and also allows efficient charging to avoid energy waste. The present invention is adaptable to existing battery power systems without the need for significant additional components and is applicable to any system utilizing rechargeable batteries.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.