In a method of charging a battery pack, the pack is inserted in a charger and an initial set of checks of cell voltage and pack temperature is performed. Once the initial set of checks is satisfied, the cells may be charged at a first constant current level. The first constant current level is adjusted to one or more lower levels of constant current until cell voltages of all the cells are within a full charge voltage window. The voltage window is defined between a minimum full charge cell voltage level and a maximum full charge cell voltage level. The charge may be terminated once all of the cells are within the full charge voltage window.

Methods of charging battery packs for cordless power tool systems

A system for condition monitoring and fault diagnosis includes a data collection function that acquires time histories of selected variables for one or more of the components, a pre-processing function that calculates specified characteristics of the time histories, an analysis function for evaluating the characteristics to produce one or more hypotheses of a condition of the one or more components, and a reasoning function for determining the condition of the one or more components from the one or more hypotheses.

Intelligent condition monitoring and fault diagnostic system for preventative maintenance

A hybrid vehicle includes a control apparatus having an engine controller and a motor controller A first battery and a second battery which has higher voltage than the first battery are provided An electric power generator which is driven by the engine is provided for charging the first battery The second battery and the electric motor are connected through the motor controller, and the first battery or the electric power generator is connected to the motor controller and the engine controller In addition, the first battery or the electric power generator is connected to the engine controller for maintaining a power supply for operation maintenance of the engine controller The second battery and the electric motor are connected through the motor controller The second battery or the electric motor is connected to the motor controller through a DC/DC converter As a result, even if the high voltage line including the electric motor in the control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle has failed, this system can drive the vehicle

Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

A control device for a vehicular drive system is disclosed as including reverse drive for suppression means operative to preclude output member, such as an output shaft and drive wheels, of an automatic transmission portion from inputting a reverse drive force to a differential portion. This prevents a power transmitting member from rotating in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the same with a running position being set. This suppresses a first electric-motor rotation speed, determined with an engine rotation speed and a power transmitting member rotation speed based on the relationship on mutually relative rotation speeds in the differential portion, from increasing to a high level. This results in improved durability of a first electric-motor.

Control device for vehicular drive system

A hybrid electric vehicle has an energy storage system including one or more batteries. Battery service life is managed by establishing an amp-hour throughput budget and limiting battery current substantially to the budget.

Managing service life of a battery

A system is provided to clearly determine a problem in the discharge of a capacitor provided for an inverter of an electric vehicle and its cause. If a capacitor voltage drops below a predetermined value at the end of a first predetermined time period after a main contactor is turned off, it is determined that the main contactor and a discharge circuit are normal. If the capacitor voltage drops below the predetermined value for the first time after a second predetermined time period, it is determined that the discharge circuit has failed and discharge is performed by a discharge resistor. If the capacitor voltage is still above the predetermined value after the second predetermined time period, it is determined that the main contactor has failed and is fixed in a turned-on state.

Control system for an electric vehicle

An apparatus for displaying the charging of the battery of an electric vehicle has a charging connector mounted on an outer panel of a vehicle body of the electric vehicle, a lid openably mounted on the panel in covering relation to the charging connector and a cavity defined in the outer panel, and a display panel disposed in the cavity for displaying a period of time required until the battery is fully charged and/or a charged capacity of the battery. The driver of the electric vehicle can easily recognize the remaining time required until the battery is fully charged and a percentage of the fully charged capacity of the battery to which the battery is presently charged, from outside of the electric vehicle. The driver is not required to confirm the state of charge of the battery with an indicator on a battery charger or within the passenger's compartment of the electric vehicle, but can easily confirm the state of charge of the battery from outside of the electric vehicle.

Apparatus for displaying battery charging of electric vehicle

When a charging control computer energized by an auxiliary battery detects a failure of an external AC power supply based on a change in the level of a failure on/off signal while a battery, mounted as an energy source on an electric vehicle, is being charged by the external AC power supply, the charging control computer stores a charged time up to the failure of the external AC power supply. Then, the charging control computer immediately changes from a normal power consumption mode to a low power consumption mode. When the charging control computer subsequently detects when the external AC power supply recovers from the failure, the charging control computer calculates a new target charging time from an initial target charging time and the charged time. Wasteful power consumption by the auxiliary battery during the failure of the external AC power supply is minimized. After the external AC power supply recovers from the failure, the charging control computer can charge the battery accurately to its fully charged state.

Battery charging system and electric vehicle with battery charging system

A state of charge (SOC) measuring apparatus for a battery device is provided capable of detecting accurate state of charge based on integrating charge and discharge current. The state of charge measuring apparatus carries out data substitution for displaying and controlling state of charge depending on the upper limit SOC or lower limit SOC. The integrated SOC obtained by integrating charge and discharge currents is corrected into the corrected SOC by the incremented corrected value incremented at every data substitution time. The state of charge measuring apparatus corrects the integrated SOC at every data substitution such that the difference between the integrated SOC and the corrected SOC becomes larger, and when the integrated SOC is smaller than the upper limit SOC and larger than the lower limit SOC, the corrected SOC is displayed on the display portion as the displaying and controlling SOC.

State of charge measuring apparatus for battery device

The present invention relates to a cooling fan failure detection apparatus for a hybrid vehicle. This apparatus comprises a cooling capacity calculation device which calculates a cooling capacity of a cooling fan provided in the hybrid vehicle; a battery heating value calculation device which calculates a heating value of a battery provided in the hybrid vehicle; an assumed temperature change calculating device which calculates an assumed temperature change of the battery based on the heating value and the cooling capacity; an actual temperature change calculating device which calculates an actual temperature change of the battery; and a failure determination device which determines whether the cooling fan is failing by comparing the assumed temperature change calculated by the assumed temperature change calculating device and the actual temperature change calculated by the actual temperature change calculating device.

Shinobu Ochiai

Papers

Control system for an electric vehicle

Apparatus for displaying battery charging of electric vehicle

Battery charging system and electric vehicle with battery charging system

State of charge measuring apparatus for battery device

Cooling fan failure detection apparatus for hybrid vehicle