Automotive battery charging system tester
AssigneeMidtronics, Inc.
InventorMichael E. Troy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automotive battery charging system tester for testing the charging system of an automotive vehicle includes AC and DC voltage measurement circuits and a microprocessor controlled testing sequence. The microprocessor is used to perform a series of tests and to instruct an operator to perform steps associated with performing those tests. Through the application of various loads at various engine speeds, the tester is capable of identifying faults in the battery charging system including a bad battery, problems in the alternator or associated electronics, and problems in the starting system.
Claims123
A charging system tester adapted to be electrically coupled to a battery of a vehicle containing a charging system and an engine, comprising:
- voltage measurement circuitry adapted to measure a voltage across the battery;
- a microprocessor adapted to obtain voltage measurements from the voltage measurement circuitry during a plurality of conditions including while the engine is running at different speeds and/or different loads are applied to the battery and responsively provided a diagnostic output related to the charging system of the vehicle as a function of the measured voltage and as a function of the plurality of conditions at which the voltages are obtained.
A method of testing a battery charging system in a vehicle of the type used to charge a vehicle battery, comprising:
- measuring voltages across the battery during a plurality of conditions including at differing engine speeds and with differing loads applied to the battery;
- and
- responsively diagnosing the charging system as a function of the measured voltages and the plurality of conditions at which the voltages were obtained.
A diagnostic device for testing an electrical system of a vehicle including a battery and an alternator configured to charge the battery, comprising:
- a first connection adapted to couple to a positive battery terminal;
- a second connection adapted to couple to a negative battery terminal;
- an AC ripple amplifier coupled to the first and second connections having an output related to an AC ripple voltage across the battery generated by the alternator in the vehicle electrical system;
- and
- a microprocessor operably coupled to the battery and the AC ripple amplifier, the microprocessor configured to provide an output related to an alternator failure as a function of the AC ripple amplifier output, a DC voltage of the battery and a battery test performed on the battery and further configured to provide an output related to a condition of the battery.
A method for testing an electrical system of a vehicle containing a battery, comprising:
- measuring a battery cranking voltage during operation of a starter motor of the electrical system;
- obtaining condition information related to a condition of the battery;
- and
- providing a starter condition output related to a condition of the starter motor as a function of the measured battery cranking voltage and the obtained condition information of the battery.
An apparatus for testing an electrical system of an automobile, comprising:
- first and second Kelvin connections configured to couple to terminals of a battery of the electrical system;
- and
- a microprocessor configured to operate in accordance with programming instructions in memory and operably coupled to the battery through the Kelvin connections, the microprocessor configured to provide a battery test result, the microprocessor further configured to measure a starting voltage related to a voltage of the electrical system during operation of a starter motor of the electrical system and responsively provide a starter motor condition output as a function of the battery test result and the measured starting voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.