Method and system for determining a state of charge of a battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513338-B2
Application number	US-201213460012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 5, 2007
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for determining a state of charge of a battery. A magnetic force between the battery and a magnet is detected. The state of charge of the battery is determined based on the detected magnetic force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automotive drive system comprising:
an electric motor;
a battery coupled to the electric motor;
a sensor comprising a magnet, the sensor being arranged and configured to detect a magnetic force between the battery and the magnet and generate a signal representative thereof; and
a processor in operative communication with the sensor and configured to:
receive the signal representative of the magnetic force from the sensor; and
determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detect magnetic force.

2. The automotive drive system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a current associated with the battery, and wherein the determining the state of charge is further based on the current.

3. The automotive drive system of claim 2 , wherein the battery is a lithium ion battery.

4. The automotive drive system of claim 3 , wherein as the state of charge of the battery increases, an attractive magnetic force between the battery and the magnet is reduced.

5. The automotive drive system of claim 4 , further comprising a memory in operative communication with the processor, the memory having a table stored thereon including magnetic force values and state of charge values associated with the magnetic force values.

6. A product comprising:
a battery and a sensor, the sensor being arranged and configured to detect a magnetic response produced by the battery and to generate a signal representative thereof; and
a processor in operative communication with the sensor and configured to:
receive the signal representative of the magnetic response from the sensor; and
determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detected magnetic response.

7. The product as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a current associated with the battery, and wherein the determining the state of charge is further based on the current.

8. The product as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the battery is a lithium ion battery.

9. The product as set forth in claim 6 , the sensor comprises a magnet and wherein the sensor is attached to the battery.

10. The product as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the magnetic response is a magnetic force produced by the battery and further comprising a memory in operative communication with the processor, the memory having a table stored thereon including magnetic force values and state of charge values associated with the magnetic force values.

11. A method comprising: providing a battery or battery component, a processor, and a magnetic sensor, and detecting a magnetic property of the component of a battery or of the battery wherein the detecting a magnetic property of the component of a battery or of the battery comprises using the magnetic sensor to detect a magnetic field produced by the component or by the battery and relaying the magnetic property to the processor in operative communication with the sensor where the processor is configured to determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detected magnetic property.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the magnetic property comprises a magnetic susceptibility of a component of the battery.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the magnetic property comprises a magnetic force produced by the battery.

14. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the magnetic property comprises a net magnetic force produced by the battery and a magnet imposing a magnetic force on the battery.

15. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the detecting a magnetic property comprises determining a magnetic susceptibility of a component of the battery.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the determining the magnetic susceptibility of component of the battery comprises exposing the component of the battery to a first magnetic field and measuring the induced magnetic field created by the component under the influence of the first magnetic field.

17. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the detecting a magnetic property of a component of a battery or of a battery comprises determining a net magnetic field produced by a battery being exposed to a first magnetic field.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising producing the first magnetic field using a magnet.

19. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising a magnet connected to the battery and causing the battery to produce a first magnetic field acting on a component of the battery and wherein the detecting a magnetic property comprises determining the net magnetic field produced by the component or the battery.

20. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the detecting a magnetic property comprises detecting a magnetization of a component of the battery or of the battery.

21. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the detecting a magnetic property comprises detecting magnetic moments of a component of the battery or of the battery.

22. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the detecting a magnetic property comprises detecting a magnetic permeability of a component of the battery or of the battery.

23. A method comprising: providing a battery, a processor, and a magnetic sensor, stimulating a magnetic response in the battery, and detecting the magnetic response wherein the detecting the magnetic response comprises using the magnetic sensor to detect a magnetic field produced by the battery and relaying the magnetic response to the processor in operative communication with the sensor where the processor is configured to determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detected magnetic response.

24. A method comprising: providing a battery, a processor, a magnet, and a magnetic sensor, detecting a magnetic force between the battery and the magnet acting on the battery, generating a signal representative of the magnetic force between the battery and the magnet, and relaying the signal representative of the magnetic force to the processor in operative communication with the sensor where the processor is configured to determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detected magnetic force.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24 further comprising determining a state of charge of the battery based upon the detected magnetic force between the battery and a magnet acting on the battery.

26. A product comprising: a battery, a magnetic force generating component or device, a processor, and a magnetic sensor connected to the battery and constructed and arranged to detect the magnetic force between the battery and the magnetic field generating component wherein the processor is configured to receive a signal representative of the magnetic force from the magnetic sensor and determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detected magnetic force.

27. A product comprising a battery, a magnetic field generating component connected to the battery, a processor, and a magnetic sensor connected to the battery wherein the processor is configured to receive a signal representative of a magnetic property from the magnetic sensor and determine a state of charge of the battery based on the detected magnetic property.

28. A method comprising: providing a component of a battery, a processor, a magnet, and a magnetic sensor, exposing the component of a battery to a first magnetic fie

Assignees

• Koch Brian J
• Conell Robert S
• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Koch Brian J
• Conell Robert S

Classifications

• G01R31/3606 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01R31/3648

  comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm · CPC title

• G01R31/382 Primary

  Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC · CPC title