GB2602670A

GB2602670A - Battery monitoring

Info

Publication number: GB2602670A
Application number: GB2100373.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Quigley Chris; Hall Graham
Original assignee: Codesmith Technology Ltd; Codesmith Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Codesmith Technology Ltd; Codesmith Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-12
Filing date: 2021-01-12
Publication date: 2022-07-13
Also published as: GB202100373D0

Abstract

A system 100 for monitoring battery-powered vehicles 10, 20, 30 comprises a battery monitor 1 in communication with a data logger 11, 21, 31 within each vehicle 10, 20, 30. Each data logger 11, 21, 31 is configured to receive data from its respective battery 13, 23, 33, and process the received data to create organised data before transmitting the organised data to the battery monitor 1. The battery monitor 1 is configured to receive the organised data from each data logger 11, 21, 31 and calculate the health of each battery 13, 23, 33. Organised data may be created by summarising the data received. The organising module may perform event based analysis of the data received, based on a change in one or more of the battery’s parameters. The battery monitor may be remote from the battery.

Description

Battery monitorirw

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to battery monitoring. In particular to remote battery monitoring. More particularly to the remote monitoring of the health of a population of rechargeable batteries.

Background to the Invention

Rechargeable batteries are used to supply energy in a large variety of applications such as electric passenger cars, trucks, and marine vessels, as well as providing load-levelling and local power to buildings. Usage of these batteries is increasing and will continue to increase as society adopts electric vehicles and increasingly relics on intermittent renewable power sources which require battery storage to provide a stable energy supply.

Over time and through use, the performance of rechargeable battelies degrades and eventually the battery must be replaced. This provides an opportunity for the degraded battery to be repurposed for a second life in a different application, such as moving from an electric vehicle to building energy storage. However, accurate information on the health/condition of the battery is required to accurately predict its future potential and suitability for a given task.

It can also he in the interest of the owner of a battery to falsify the apparent health of the battery to increase its value for second life applications. There is therefore a need to provide more secure and verifiable data on the health of a battery.

It is therefore an object of embodiments of the present invention to at least partially overcome the above issues.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a data logger for a battery comprising: a battery interface configured to communicate with the battery and receive data from the battery; a security module configured to authenticate the received data; a communication module configured to transmit data to a battery monitor; and an organising module configured to organise the received data to create organised data, and send the organised data to the battery monitor via the communication module.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of monitoring a battery comprising the steps of: receiving data from the battery; authenticating the data; organising the received data to create organised data; and transmitting the organised data to a battery monitor.

Advantageously, in embodiments of the present invention, the disorganised and largely redundant data output by the battery is organised so that only aspects relevant to the battery's health arc maintained. This allows the organised data to be a small enough size that it can be transmitted effectively to a battery monitor and stored indefinitely. The present invention therefore provides accurate monitoring of the usage of a battery over the course of its life so that the health of the battery can be better understood.

The invention also provides for data received from the battery to be authenticated to ensure that it is accurate and representative of the battery's health, and has not been falsified. This provides an additional layer of security and ensures that the battery health statistics are verifiable and not subject to malicious attempts to falsify battery data.

The present invention thereby allows for battery waste to be reduced and extends the lifespan of batteries which is incredibly important given the high environmental and energetic cost in the raw materials extraction and manufacturing of new batteries.

The organising module may be configured to create organised data by summarising data received from the battery interface. The step of organising may comprise summarising the received data. Thus the organised data is much smaller in size than the received data it represents and still contains all information relevant to the battery's health. This permits the efficient transmission of this information and maintenance of an accurate record of the battery's life.

The organising module may be configured to perform event-based analysis of 30 the data received from the battery interface. The step of organising may comprise performing event-based analysis on the received data. The organising module may be configured to identify events indicative of the state of the battery in the received data. The step of organising may comprise identifying events indicative of the state of the battery in the received data. Thus, key events that may significantly affect the health of the battery are identified to ensure they are appropriately considered when assessing the suitability of the battery for a given task or application.

An event may be identified on the basis of a change in one or more of a battery's parameters. An event may be identified where one or more of the battery's parameters undergoes a change that occurs for longer than a qualification time. The qualification time may depend on any one or more of: the nature of the related battery parameter; the magnitude of a change in the value of the parameter; the magnitude of the rate of change of the value of the parameter. The qualification time may be set manually. Jr one embodiment, the qualification time increases as the magnitude of the change in the value of the parameter decreases, and vice versa.

The battery's parameters may be any one or more of: the battery temperature; the battery charge rate; the battery discharge rate; the charge level of the battery; the age of the battery; the number of charging cycles of the battery; usage patterns of the battery; power, voltage or current delivered or applied to the battery; and faults in the battery, control signals applied to the battery, or data received from the battery, such as an internally calculated state of health for the battery. The state of health for the battery here refers to a statistic calculated by the battery's internal control systems. The state of health may also be calculated by a battery management system connected to the battery. It is typically an input to, rather than a result of, the battery health calculations conducted by the battery monitor in embodiments of the present invention. The battery parameters may relate to the battery as a whole, or may relate to individual cells within a multicell battery. An event may also be identified on the basis of external parameters specific to the use of the battery. For example, ambient temperature, humidity, or other weather statistics, and where the battery is integrated into a vehicle, vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, vehicle control inputs and the like.

As described above, events can be flexibly identified on the basis of the battery's parameters and the specific use of the battery. As such, events can provide rich and detailed information about the battery's health. This also ensures that only important changes to the battery's parameters are identified which reduces computational load and data storage requirements when calculating the battery's health without comprising accuracy.

An event may be identified periodically according to a set time period. The time period may be set manually or may depend on any one or more of the battery' s parameters as detailed above. Thus, embodiments of the invention can provide for continuous monitoring of a battery if required.

Events may also be identified if the received data cannot be authenticated, or there is an error in the authentication of the received data. This can be used to identify how accurate any future calculations of the battery's health may be, and/or provide warnings relating to attempted data falsification or hacking of the systems connected to the battery.

The security module may be configured to fingerprint all or part of a communication network between the battery and the battery interface. The security module may authenticate the received data with reference to the fingerprint. The step of authenticating may comprise fingerprinting a communication network connected to the battery. The communication network may be a Controller Area Network (CAN). Devices on the communication network may communicate via messages. The fingerprint may include any one or more of: allow/deny message lists; message periods; message data statistics; network loading statistics; electrical characteristics of messages; message watermarks; bit timing characteristics of messages. Thus, by fingerprinting the battery' s local network any changes which may be an attempt to falsify battery data can be identified.

The battery monitor may be configured to determine the health of the battery with reference to the organised data. The method may include the step of determining the health of the battery with reference to the organised data. The health of the battery may be determined with reference to any one or more of the battery's: internal resistance; internal impedance; internal conductance; power capacity; voltage; ability to accept charge; number of completed charge/discharge cycles; total energy charged/discharged; age; and temperature during previous use. The battery parameters used to identify events as mentioned above may also be used to determine the health of the battery. Thus, the health of the battery is detelinined accurately, securely and efficiently with reference to the organised data, this allows the suitability of a battery for a given application to be more accurately assessed.

Any one or more of the steps of: receiving; authenticating; and organising the data may be performed in close proximity to the battery. The step of determining the health of the battery may be performed remote from the battery. The battery monitor may be remote from the battery. Advantageously, the determination of the battery health is conducted remotely allowing for efficient monitoring of multiple batteries if required.

The communication module may be configured to compile a message representing an event indicative of the state of the battery. The step of transmitting the organised data may comprise compiling a message representing an event indicative of the state of the battery. The communication module may be configured to send a message representing an event indicative of the state of the battery. The step of transmitting the organised data may comprise sending a message representing an event indicative of the state of the battery. The organising module may be configured to identify an event, and instruct the communication module to compile and send a message on the basis of the identified event. The method may comprise identifying an event, and compiling and sending a message on the basis of the identified event. Thus important events in a battery's use are identified and sent to the battery monitor where they can be used to assess the battery's health, while information that is not important does not get reported and as such the monitoring of the battery is more efficient.

Messages may be sent by any suitable communication protocol. The message may be sent by one or more of the following communication protocols: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP); Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP); Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS); Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT); User Datagram Protocol (UDP); Controller Area Network (CAN); or the like. The communication module may be configured to communicate by any suitable technology, such as: ethernet; WiFi (RTM); Bluetooth (RTM); 3G; 4G; 5G; radio; or the like. The step of transmitting may involve any suitable technology, such as: ethernet; WiFi (RTM); Bluetooth (RTM); 30; 40; 50; radio; or the like. Thus, the present invention provides for messaging to be used to transmit the organised data ensuring efficient and secure transmission over a wide range of communications technologies. It is also suited to wireless communications in situations where the battery is moving and part of a vehicle, and the small message sizes ensures transmission requirements and cost is low.

The battery interface may be configured to receive data from a Battery Management System (BMS). The battery interface may be configured to receive data from the battery via the BMS. The method may include the step of receiving data from a BMS. The BMS may control the battery. The BMS may protect the battery from unsafe operating conditions. The BMS may protect the battery by any suitable known method, for example balancing temperature, electrical load and voltage across the individual cells of the battery. Thus, where a BMS is used in conjunction with the battery, the present invention can also monitor information broadcast by the BMS to better understand the operation of the battery and its health.

The battery may be any suitable type of battery that undergoes degradation during its lifetime. The battery may be a single cell, or multi-cell battery. The battery may be a liquid, or solid-state battery. The battery may be any one or more of: a lithium-ion battery; a sodium-ion battery; graphene-based battery; or the like. The battery may be portable, or it may be fixed and integrated into other equipment. The battery may be any one or more of: a vehicle battery; an automobile battery; a marine vessel battery; a grid storage battery; a home energy battery; an industrial power supply; or the like.

The battery interface may connect to the battery or battery management system via a control network, or data network of the battery or battery management system. The control network or data network may be an in-vehicle network where the battery powers a vehicle. The control network or data network may be a Controller Area Network (CAN).

The security module and/or organising module may be implemented using an electric processor, such as a microprocessor. The security module and organising module may he integrated into the same processor.

The battery monitor may be provided by an electric processor. The battery monitor may comprise a storage device. The battery monitor may be implemented on a remote server. The battery monitor may be implemented using cloud-computing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a battery comprising the data logger of the first aspect of the present invention.

The battery of the third aspect of the present invention may incorporate any one or more of the features of the first and second aspects of the present invention as desired or required.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising a battery and the data logger of the first aspect of the present invention.

The vehicle may be a battery-electric vehicle. The vehicle may be a hybrid-electric vehicle. The vehicle may be any one of: an automobile; an aeroplane; a drone; a boat; a motorbike; an electric bicycle; a scooter; or the like.

The vehicle of the fourth aspects of the present invention may incorporate any I 5 one or more of the features of the first, second and third aspects of the present invention as desired or required.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for monitoring one or more batteries comprising: one or more data loggers according to the first aspect of the present invention, each data logger associated with a respective battery; and a battery monitor in communication with the or each data logger.

Advantageously, the system can monitor multiple batteries to accurately determine the health of any one battery, or analyse trends and health statistics for a population of battery's independent of their location, or use.

The battery monitor may be configured to determine the health of the or each battery with reference to the organised data transmitted by the or each battery. Where the system comprises two or more batteries, the battery monitor may be configured to determine the health of each battery with reference to the organised data received in relation to the other battery or batteries. Thus, the battery monitor can potentially compare data received from large numbers of monitored batteries to better predict and understand the health of a battery and its suitability for a particular application in future.

The battery monitor may be configured to store organised data received from the or each battery. The battery monitor may be configured to create a timeline representing the evolution of the health of the or each battery. Thus, as the data received from each battery is small in size as it is delivered in individual messages. It can therefore be used to create a timeline of each battery's health which allows the effect of an event in a battery's life on its health to be better understood and quantified.

The battery monitor may be configured to predict the future health or performance of a battery. The battery monitor may predict when a given battery will degrade to a predetermined level. The battery may make predictions with reference to the organised data received in relation to the other batteries. Thus, the battery monitor can predict when a battery will need to be replaced and be used to ensure it is repurposed into a suitable second-life on the basis of its expected performance/health.

The system may comprise at least: 100; 1,000; 100,000; or 1,000,000 batteries.

Thus, due to the optimisation and efficiencies provided by the invention, large populations of batteries can be monitored.

The system of the fifth aspect of the present invention may incorporate any one or more of the features of the first, second, third or fourth aspects of the present invention as required or desired.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood one or more embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for monitoring one or more batteries; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a data logger for monitoring a battery; and Figure 3 is a flow diagram for a method of battery monitoring.

Referring to Figure 1, an embodiment of a system 100 for monitoring three battery-powered vehicles 10, 20, 30 comprises a battery monitor 1 in communication with a data logger 11, 21, 31 within each vehicle 10, 20, 30. In this embodiment, the vehicles 10, 20.30 are automobiles, but other embodiments may also monitor batteries that power other vehicles such as marine vessels, as well as other applications of batteries such as home power supplies and electrical load-levelling for building or grid-level power.

Each vehicle 10, 20, 30 comprises a battery 13, 23, 33 that provides power to each respective vehicle 10,20, 30. Each data logger 11, 21, 31 is configured to receive data from its respective battery 13, 23, 33, and process the received data to create organised data before transmitting the organised data to the battery monitor 1 as described below. The battery monitor 1 is configured to receive the organised data from each data logger 11,21. 31 and calculate the health of each battery 13, 23, 33 as described below in more detail.

In this embodiment, system 100 monitors three batteries, but other embodiments may monitor any number of batteries. Some embodiments monitor large numbers of batteries, for example at least 100,000 batteries simultaneously due to the low data transmission requirements achieved by the invention as described below.

The first two vehicles 10.20 also comprise a battery management system (BMS) 12,22 in communication with the data logger 11, 21 and battery 13, 23 of each vehicle 10, 20 via a controller area network (CAN) in each vehicle. The BMS 12, 22 is configured to receive data from the battery 13, 23 and control the battery 13, 23 to ensure that it maintains safe operating conditions. The BMS 12, 22 maintains safe operating conditions by continuously monitoring temperature, electrical load and voltage within the battery 13, 23, and controlling charging/discharging rates to ensure they are maintained within the safe operating range of the battery 13, 23. In these vehicles 10, 20, the BMS 12,22 also passes information from the battery 13,23 to the data logger 11, 21, and the data logger 11. 21 does not communicate directly with the battery 13,23.

The data logger 31 of the third vehicle 30 is integrated within the battery 33 that powers the third vehicle 30. As such, the data logger 31 receives data from the battery 30 33 directly and without transmission of the data via a BMS or CAN in the vehicle 30.

Referring to Figure 2, each data logger 11, 21, 31 comprises the same components and operates in an equivalent way, so the data logger 11 of the first vehicle is described by way of example. The data logger 11 comprises a battery interface 11 a, a security module 1 lb. and an organising module 11 c all in communication with 5 each other, and a communication module lid in communication with the organising module 11 c.

The battery interface 1 la is configured to communicate with the battery 13 and receive data from the battery 13. This data is received at least 100 or 1,000 times per second from the battery 13 as it is also used to provide real-time information about the battery to other devices (not shown) that may be required for safety-critical functions or vehicle operation such as vehicle braking, collision avoidance systems, and the vehicle power train etc. In relation to the first vehicle 10 specifically, the battery interface 1 la is configured to receive data from the battery 13 via the CAN of the vehicle 10. In other embodiments, the battery interface 11 a may receive data by any

suitable means.

The data received from the battery 13 comprises messages containing information relating to the current state of the battery 13, for example whether it is charging, discharging or idle. It may also contain more detailed information on battery parameters, for example: the battery temperature; the battery charge rate; the battery discharge rate; the charge level of the battery; the age of the battery; the number of charging cycles of the battery; usage patterns of the battery; power, voltage or current delivered or applied to the battery; and faults in the battery, control signals applied to the battery, or data received from the battery, such as an internally calculated state of health.

In this embodiment, the battery interface lla receives data from the battery 13 via the BMS 12, but in other embodiments the battery interface 1 la may receive data either directly or indirectly by any suitable means. For example in the third vehicle 30, the battery interface receives data directly from the battery 33 as it is integrated into the battery 33.

The security module 11 b is configured to authenticate the data received by the battery interface 1la. In this embodiment, the security module 1 lb authenticates the data by capturing a fingerprint of the devices connected to the data logger 11 via the battery interface lla. The fingerprint is first recorded during manufacture of the vehicle or battery, and can contain information about all devices connected to the battery 13. This allows the fingerprint to identify changes to the devices that may signify a security breach on the vehicle network and/or an attempt to falsify information relating to the battery 13. For example, the fingerprint could be used to detect when an engine control unit (ECU) has been replaced or reprogrammed. More specific details of the authentication that might be performed by the security module 1 lb can be found in UK patent application no. 2003599.4.

In this embodiment, the data received comprises messages on the CAN of the vehicle 10. As such, the fingerprint constructed by the security module 1 lb comprises information relating to: allow/deny message lists; message periods; message data statistics; network loading statistics; electrical characteristics of messages; message watermarks; and bit timing characteristics of messages. In other embodiments, any suitable authentication method may be used, for example cryptographic authentication may be implemented.

hi embodiments where the data logger is integrated into a battery, such as the third vehicle 30, the security module may be configured to fingerprint any network externally connected to the battery, as well as internal communications networks within the battery to ensure the received data is not manipulated or falsified.

The organising module 11c is configured to first collect the received data from the battery interface 11 a and corresponding authentication information from the security module 1 lb. and second to organise this data and create organised data that represents important events in the battery's lifecycle. In this embodiment, the organising module 11c is configured to identify an event when a change in one of the battery parameters mentioned above occurs for longer than a predetermined qualification time. This allows the organising module 11 c to identify significant and possibly permanent changes to the battery parameters. In other embodiments, the qualification time may depend on the type of parameter being monitored, and also the magnitude of the measured change in a parameter. Furthermore, events may be identified on the basis of the rate of change of a parameter rather than, or as well as, its absolute value. Events may also be identified if the security module llb indicates the received data has been subject to a malicious attack or falsified in some way. This can be used to identify how accurate any future calculations of the battery's health may be.

The organised data accompanying each event comprises the relevant information to describe the event in sufficient detail that it may be used to determine the health of the battery, or be used in calculations of the health of the battery. For example, the organised data may contain the specific values of the battery parameters discussed above, as well as the historic evolution of these parameters, time and location data for the event, as well as other operating statistics of the application the battery is currently being used for. Such as, trip distance, speed, or ambient temperature in the case of an automobile battery.

The communication module 1 1 d is configured to compile and send messages to the battery monitor 1. In this embodiment, the organising module 11c is configured to instruct the communication module lid to compile a message containing the organised data relating to an identified event, and then send the message to the battery monitor 1.

The communication module 11 d may be configured to send messages according to any of the following communication protocols: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP); Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP); Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS); Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT); User Datagram Protocol (UDP); Controller Area Network (CAN). Furthermore, the communication module may be configured to communicate by any suitable technology, such as: ethernet; WiFi (RTM); Bluetooth (RTM); 30; 40; 50; radio; or the like. In this embodiment, as the data loggers 11, 21, 31 are in vehicles 10, 20, 30, each communications module communicates with the battery monitor 1 wirelessly using 30 or 40 technology by the MQTT protocol which is common for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the battery monitor 1 is configured to receive messages sent from each data logger 11, 21, 31 and use the organised data contained within each message to determine the health of each battery 13, 23, 33. The health of each battery is determined based on a range of information including the battery parameters mentioned above and the battery's: internal resistance; internal impedance; internal conductance; power capacity; voltage; ability to accept charge; number of completed charge/discharge cycles; total energy charged/discharged; age; and temperature during previous use.

Furthermore, the battery monitor 1 is configured to store logs of organised data received in relation to each battery, and the evolution of each battery's health over time.

This allows the battery monitor 1 to compare the health of each battery 13, 23, 33 with the other batteries in the system 100 and make predictions about the future health and/or performance of each battery 13, 23, 33. As the organised data is delivered in small messages to the battery monitor 1, the organised data is conducive to long term storage and advantageously still contains a summary of the important events in a battery's lifecycle. This makes long-term monitoring of a large population of batteries feasible, as it is otherwise impractical to store the thousands of messages generated every second by each battery or BMS.

In this embodiment, the battery monitor 1 is a remote server that comprises a processor and a storage device implemented in the cloud This allows the battery monitor 1 to flexibly monitor varying numbers of batteries.

Referring to Figure 3, the method of monitoring of a battery 13 is described in more detail, and equivalent monitoring steps also apply to batteries 23, 33. In step Si, data is received from the battery 13 at the battery interface 1 I a. In this embodiment, the battery 13 is connected to the battery interface Ila via the B MS 12. At step S2, the security module 1 lb authenticates the received data. At step 53, the organising module 11c collects the received data from the battery interface I la, and the result of the authentication of that data from the security module 1 lb. At step S4, the organising module 11c continuously monitors the received data until it identifies an event as described above, for example this could be a change in one of the battery parameters that occurs for longer than a qualification time. At step S5, the organising module 11c creates organised data which represents all the information that describes the event. At step S6 the organising module 11c instructs the communication module 1 1 d to compile and send a message to the battery monitor 1 containing the organised data. At step S7, the communication module compiles the message, and sends it to the battery monitor 1 as instructed. In this embodiment, the message is compiled and sent wirelessly according to the MQTT protocol, but any suitable format/protocol may be used as described above.

At step S8, the message is received by the battery monitor 1 and stored along with all other messages received in relation to each battery 13, 23, 33. At step 59, the battery monitor 1 calculates the health of the battery 13 with reference to the organised data received in relation to the battery 13. At step S10, the battery monitor 1 compares the health data of the battery 13 with the data received in relation to the other batteries 23, 33 so that a prediction of the battery's health in future can be obtained. Due to the efficiencies in battery monitoring provided by embodiments of the present invention, the battery monitor 1 can receive and process data from a large population of batteries.

Thus, the health calculations performed can predict the future capacity and performance of each battery. For example, the battery monitor 1 may predict at what point in the future the battery will degrade to a predetermined level. This is crucial for ensuring batteries are repurposed for new uses in a timely manner.

Step S9 and S10 above may be performed sequentially as described above, or may be performed with a set frequency, or on an adhoc basis as information on the health of one or more of the batteries is required.

As described above important events in the hundreds or thousands of messages received from the battery each minute at step S I are identified and organised to represent changes in the batteries health. This results in messages being sent to the battery monitor with a frequency that is many orders of magnitude less depending on the use of the battery. For example, a message may be received from the battery at step S 1 every 10 ms, equating to 8.6 million messages received over 24hrs of use. By identifying the important events and organising them as described above, embodiments of the present invention typically require less than 1,000 events or messages to fully describe the battery' s usage over that period, and in some cases 200 or less. This equates to over three orders of magnitude of compression of the received battery data.

Thus, detailed and secure information on the evolution of a battery's health is collected and stored without burdening communications and storage systems with the 30 raw data output by a battery. This allows for remote monitoring to be feasible and provides for an accurate prediction of a battery's suitability for repurposing in a second life application. This will allow battery waste to be reduced and recycling of batteries to be more effective which is incredibly important. given the high environmental and energetic cost in the raw materials extraction and manufacturing of new batteries.

The one or more embodiments are described above by way of example only.

Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of protection afforded by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMSI. A data logger for a battery comprising: a battery interface configured to communicate with the battery and receive data from the battery; a security module configured to authenticate the received data; a communication module configured to transmit data to a battery monitor; and an organising module configured to organise the received data to create organised data, and send the organised data to the battery monitor via the communication module.
2. A data logger as claimed in claim I wherein the organising module is configured to create organised data by summarising data received from the battery interface. 4. 5. 6. 7.
A data logger as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the organising module is configured to perform event-based analysis of the data received from the battery interface.
A data logger as claimed in claim 3 wherein the organising module is configured to identify events on the basis of a change in one or more of the battery' s parameters.
A data logger as claimed in claim 4 wherein an event is identified if the associated parameter undergoes a change that occurs for longer than a qualification time.
A data logger as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the communications module is configured to compile and send a message representing an event. indicative of the state of the battery, and the organising module is configured to instruct the communications module to compile and send a message on the basis of an identified event.
A data logger as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the security module is configured to fingerprint all or part of a communication network between the battery and the battery interface and authenticate received data with reference to the fingerprint.
8. A method of monitoring a battery comprising the steps of: receiving data from the battery; authenticating the data; organising the received data to create organised data; and transmitting the organised data to a battery monitor.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the steps of receiving, authenticating and organising the data are performed in close proximity to the battery.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the battery monitor is remote from the battery.
11. The method as claimed in any of claims 8 to 10 additionally comprising the step of determining the health or condition of the battery with reference to the organised data.
12. The method as claimed in any of claims 8 to 11 wherein the step of organising comprises identifying events indicative of the state of the battery in the received data.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein an event is identified where one or more of the battery's parameters undergoes a change that occurs for longer than a qualification time.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the qualification time depends on any one or more of: the nature of the related battery parameter; the magnitude of a change in the value of the parameter; and the magnitude of the rate of change of the value of the parameter.
15. The method as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the battery's parameters are any one or more of: the battery temperature; the battery charge rate; the battery discharge rate; the charge level of the battery; the age of the battery; the number of charging cycles of the battery; usage patterns of thc battery; power, voltage or current delivered or applied to the battery; and faults in the battery, control signals applied to the battery, or data received from the battery, wherein data received from the battery comprises a state of health for the battery.
16. The method as claimed in any of claims 8 to 15 wherein the step of transmitting the organised data comprises compiling a message representing an event indicative of the state of the battery.
17. A battery comprising a data logger wherein the data logger is a data logger according to any of claims 1 to 7, or wherein the data logger is configured to monitor the battery according to the method of any of claims 8 to 16.
18. A vehicle comprising a battery according to claim 17 or comprising a battery and a data logger according to any of claims 1 to 7, or wherein the data logger is configured to monitor the battery according to the method of any of claims 8 to 16.
19. The vehicle of claim 18 wherein the vehicle is an automobile.
20. A system for monitoring one or more batteries comprising: one or more data loggers according to any of claims 1 to 7, or wherein the data logger is configured to monitor the battery according to the method of any of claims 8 to 16, each data logger associated with a respective battery; and a battery monitor in communication with the or each data logger.
21. The system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the battery monitor is remote from the or each data logger.
22. The system as claimed in claim 20 or claim 21 wherein the battery monitor is further configured to determine the health of the or each battery with reference to the organised data transmitted by the or each battery.
23. The system as claimed in claims 22 wherein the battery monitor is further configured to store the organised data received from the or each battery and create a timeline representing the evolution of the health of the or each battery.
24. A system as claimed in any of claims 20 to 23 comprising two or more batteries, wherein the battery monitor is configured to deteimine the health of each battery with reference to the organised data received in relation to the other battery or batteries.
25. A system as claimed in any of claims 20 to 24 wherein the or each battery and its respective data logger are incorporated into a respective vehicle as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19.