JPS63298079A - Diagnosing and warning device for on-vehicle battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform processing corresponding to battery trouble by recording and holding battery diagnosing data until the time of driving and generating a next engine start previous warning when the data meets specific battery diagnosing requirements. CONSTITUTION:When a microcomputer 9 when powered on, said microcomputer measures the release voltage E0 of the battery 1 first. Then when an ignition switch 5 is turned on, the voltage E0 is updated. Then when the engine is started with a start switch 3 on, the battery voltage at the start and a discharging current by a current detector 6 are measured. The computer 9 inputs the voltage E0, battery terminal voltage, discharging current, etc., to computer the remaining electric discharging quantity of the engine after its stop, and also holds this data as battery diagnostic data even after the switch 5 is turned off. When this stored data meet specific battery diagnostic requirements, a warning is voiced through a speaker 12 right after the switch 5 is turned on next time and right before the engine restarts.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a battery diagnostic device for diagnosing the condition of a vehicle battery.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, in the automotive field, devices have been put into practical use that diagnose the lifespan of in-vehicle batteries and issue an alarm to notify the driver if it is determined that the battery life is running out or has reached the end of its lifespan. be. This type of battery diagnostic device, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-233380, detects the battery open voltage detected before starting the engine, and the battery discharge current flowing during engine starting (starter operation). The internal resistance of the battery is calculated from the battery terminal voltage during , discharge, etc., and the battery life is estimated using this internal resistance value as a guideline for determining the progress of the battery life.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As mentioned above, when estimating the battery life, conventional battery diagnostic devices need to detect the discharge current, voltage, etc. of the battery at the time of starting the engine as life calculation data. until the engine is started.

Since the lifespan cannot be determined, the lifespan is determined and a warning is issued after the engine is started.

By the way, when driving a car, even if the battery life status is displayed after the engine is started as described above, the battery life status is displayed until the end of driving and the next time the car is driven.

In some cases, a problem with the battery status is not noticed because the driver forgets about the battery life status or the driver changes. As a result, during the next operation, there is a possibility that the starter motor continues to rotate without noticing the battery malfunction and the battery charge is used up, causing problems such as difficulty in starting the engine.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to notify the driver of battery malfunctions (for example, battery life, insufficient remaining charge, etc.) before starting the engine. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery diagnostic device that can perform the following tasks.

[Means for solving problems]

The above purpose is to input data necessary for battery diagnosis from the battery open voltage, battery discharge current/voltage at the time of engine startup, charging current after engine startup, etc., and based on this data, determine the lifespan or remaining charge of the battery. a calculation means for calculating at least one of the quantities; a storage means for storing and retaining the result calculated by the calculation means as battery diagnostic data even after the engine key is turned off; When the battery diagnosis conditions are satisfied, a battery diagnosis means outputs a warning drive signal immediately after the engine key is turned on and before the engine starts during the next operation, and an alarm means outputs an alarm based on the drive signal of the battery diagnosis means. This can be achieved by providing

[Effect]

According to the present invention having such a configuration, the battery current is inputted when starting the engine, after starting the engine, and so on.

When the battery life or remaining charge amount is calculated based on detected data such as voltage, the calculation result is stored and held in the storage means as battery diagnostic data even after the engine key is turned off. Incidentally, the life of a battery does not deteriorate rapidly, but rather progresses gradually, and the amount of remaining charge when the engine is stopped also gradually decreases. Therefore,
It is also possible to consider the previous battery diagnosis data stored in the past as the current battery diagnosis.

Therefore, in the present invention, from the above point of view, the previous battery diagnosis data is stored and held by the storage means until the next operation. Then, the battery diagnostic means determines whether or not this battery diagnostic data satisfies predetermined battery diagnostic conditions, and if it is determined that the battery diagnostic data satisfies the predetermined battery diagnostic conditions (for example, battery If the progress of the battery life exceeds the allowable level or the remaining charge is below the specified value, the battery diagnostic means will output an alarm drive signal immediately after the engine key is turned on and before starting the engine during the next operation, and as a result, the alarm drive signal will be output. An alarm is issued via means.

Therefore, according to the present invention, an early warning of battery malfunction is given immediately after the engine key is turned on, and the driver can notice the battery malfunction before starting the engine and take appropriate measures.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 2.

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of a battery for a car with a gasoline engine specification and its surroundings. In the figure, 1 is a battery, 2 is a starter motor driven by battery 1, and 3 is an engine starting switch (starter switch). , 4 is an ignition device, which is composed of an ignition coil 41, a contact 42, and a spark plug 43.

5 is an ignition switch (key switch). 6 is a current detector that detects the current of the battery 1, and 7 is an A/D converter that converts the voltage of the battery 1 and the current value detected by the current detector 6 into a digital signal. 8 is ignition coil 4
This is a waveform shaping circuit that shapes one primary voltage to obtain a pulse train. 9 is a microcomputer operated by a clock signal, and includes a built-in RAM and ROM (not shown);
Perform digital calculations. The functional microcomputer 9 is composed of a C-MOS, and inputs data such as the battery open voltage, the battery discharge current at the time of starting the engine, and the battery terminal voltage (discharge voltage) through the A/D converter 7. , has a function to calculate the remaining charge capacity of the battery, battery life, etc., has a function to send these calculation results to the D/A converter 1o in the form of a digital signal, and also inputs these calculation results to the RAM. In addition, the power is always turned on even after the engine is stopped (after the key switch is turned off), and the data in the RAM is retained even after the key switch is turned off.

10 is a D/A converter, which converts the digital signal from the microcomputer 9 into an analog value. Reference numeral 11 denotes an audio amplifier, which amplifies the power of the analog output of the D/A converter 10. A speaker 12 is installed near the driver's seat of the automobile and transmits audio to the driver.

The operation of the above configuration will be explained using the flow chart of FIG. First, when the microcomputer 9 is powered on, the program is started in step 2o. After initializing the register in step 21, in step 22 the open circuit voltage Eo of the battery 1 is set.
Measure.

Thereafter, in step 23, it is determined whether the key switch 5 has been turned on. When the key switch 5 is turned on, battery voltage is applied to the ignition coil 41, so when the output of the waveform shaping circuit is raised to a high level, the microcomputer 9 determines that the key switch is on. Step 22 when the key switch 5 is in the off state
．． 23 is repeated to update the battery open circuit voltage EO data one by one. If the key switch 5 is turned on in step 23, the process proceeds to step 24, where the microcomputer 7 determines the specific gravity ρ of the battery electrolyte based on the battery open voltage.
Calculate. The battery open circuit voltage Eo measured in step 22 is the data immediately before the key switch 5 is turned on, and the battery discharge current at this time is so small that it can be ignored. In general, the relationship between ρ and Eo is determined from the empirical formula by p
= (Eo -5,04)/6 ・
...It is expressed as (1) and is easily calculated.

Next, the process proceeds to step 25, where the specific gravity ρ and the battery life (the timing of calculating the battery life will be described later) are determined, and an audio signal is generated. Note that the battery life is the first
Since there is no data at the time of the first start, it is determined that the life has not yet been reached. Regarding speech synthesis technology, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-2234 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-4003
By compressing the voice characteristic parameters and registering them in the memory device using speech synthesis technology known in
6 Using the above technology, which allows voice messages to be stored for a long time with a small memory capacity, the following voice warnings are performed.

(i) When the specific gravity ρ is lower than the preset value ρl: ``The battery is insufficiently charged.'' (n) When the battery has reached the battery life range: ``Please replace the battery.'' This allows the battery to Early warning of battery failure can be provided before the condition deteriorates.

Next, the process moves to step 26, and the presence or absence of a rotation pulse is detected from the voltage change of the first ignition coil 41. If the two-rotation pulse is not detected, the engine has not yet been started, and step 26 is repeated.

When the start switch 3 is turned on and the starter motor 2 rotates, the engine rotates, the ignition device 4 operates, and rotation pulses are taken into the microcomputer 9 through the waveform shaping circuit 8. Then, the process advances to step 27, where the values of the battery voltage E and discharge current when the battery 1 is supplying a large current to the starter motor 2 are taken in. Regarding signal processing when performing this import, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61
The method described in Japanese Patent No. 233380 is to take out the discharge current when the operating waveform of the starter is stable and the battery voltage value at that time several times and calculate the average value.

Next, the process proceeds to step 28, where the microcomputer 7 calculates the battery life as follows. First, step 2
Eo measured in step 2 and E measured in step 27,
From the value of I, the internal resistance γ of the battery 1 is calculated using the following formula.

γ=(Eo-E)/I...(2
) Next, the battery fluid specific gravity ρ calculated based on formula (1)
Then, the value of internal resistance γ in equation (2) is compared with a preset battery life determination map, and both ρ and γ values are in the battery life range (in other words, both ρ and γ are greater than the battery life boundary value). ), the memory will remember that the battery life has been reached. Note that this battery life determination method is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-233380. The battery life data stored here is used for a lifespan warning the next time the vehicle is started, as will be described later.

Next, the process proceeds to step 29, where the on/off state of the key switch 5 is detected and determined. When the vehicle continues to drive, the loop returning to step 29 is repeated.

Here, if the vehicle has stopped (the key switch is turned on), the process proceeds to step 3o, where the microcomputer 7 is powered on even after the key switch 5 is turned off, holds the life data calculated in step 28, and proceeds to step 3o. Return to

Then, measurement of Eo is continued until the key switch 5 is turned on again in step 23. When the operation is to be started again, the key switch 5 is first turned on, and the process moves to step 24, where the battery open circuit voltage E is set again.

The specific gravity ρ is calculated according to the formula (1) based on the equation (1), and the lifespan is determined based on the battery life data already held in step 30, and as a result of the 5 determination, as described above,
When the specific gravity ρ is lower than the reference value ρ1, the system will notify you that the battery is insufficiently charged, and when both the battery internal resistance γ and the specific gravity ρ have reached the battery life range, the system will notify you that the battery needs to be replaced. will be issued as an audio warning.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by storing battery life data even after the operation is stopped (key switch off), this data can be stored immediately after the key switch is turned on (before the engine starts) during the next operation. Since the lifespan determination result based on the battery life determination result and the battery remaining capacity determination result are given an early warning by voice, the driver can notice a battery malfunction before starting the engine and can take appropriate driving or other measures to deal with the battery malfunction. Furthermore, in this example.

The microcomputer 9 uses a low power consumption LSI based on C-MOS technology and is always in a standby state, and in this state it takes in the battery open voltage before the key switch 5 is turned on, so it has the following advantages. That is, when comparing the open circuit voltage before and after the key switch 5 is turned on, the battery open circuit voltage decreases due to the load current supplied to the ignition device etc. after the switch is turned on. Data before the key switch is turned on without any significant voltage drop can be taken in as the battery open voltage, and errors in calculating the specific gravity ρ can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the warning is given by voice, it has a great psychological effect of urging the driver to replace the battery.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, parts given the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 are the same parts as in FIG. In FIG. 3, 13 is an output register, which holds the digital signal output from the microcomputer 9.

14 is a resistor, 1 and 5 are 1-hylang resistors, and 16 is a light emitting element (display lamp). In this embodiment, the display lamp 16 provides a warning instead of an audio warning. FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of this embodiment. This flow chart is the second
Only steps 25a and 28a are different from those in the figure.

First, the battery life calculation method in step 28a will be described. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the specific gravity ρ, and the vertical axis represents the internal resistance γ. In the prior art, battery life regions 1 and 2 were combined to form the battery life region, but in this embodiment, the battery life regions are classified into two stages, I and 2, according to the degree of progress of the life. The identification conditions at this time are (1) When ρ>ρ2 and γ>γ2, the battery life is within the range.
When , the battery life is in region I. Furthermore, when the specific gravity ρ decreases in Fig. 5, it is classified as (3) battery capacity insufficient region when ρ3〈ρ〈ρ〈(4) battery capacity insufficient region when ρ decreases ρδ. be done.

Further, in step 25a, a lamp blinking operation is performed.

Lamp 16 indicates the four types of malfunction modes classified above.
In order to identify the image, the blinking pattern is set as shown in FIG. In other words, the lack of capacity varies from I to ■
Furthermore, as the battery life progresses from I to II, the blinking cycle is accelerated.

In this embodiment, the warning circuit is simple, and there is no need to have data for voice synthesis as in the first embodiment, and the ROM capacity can be small.

Furthermore, as the flashing cycle becomes faster as the battery life progresses and the level of capacity shortage progresses, it also has a great psychological effect on the driver. In addition, as a visual display, it is also possible to communicate through display means such as letters and symbols.

In addition, the above-mentioned 1. In the second embodiment, the battery life data calculated based on the voltage and current at the time of starting the engine is stored and retained even after the key switch 5 is turned off, and is used to determine the lifespan during the next operation. Instead, by sequentially integrating the charging current after the engine starts,
This integrated value and the initial open battery voltage are added together and converted into battery specific gravity, and the remaining charge amount of the battery is calculated in this way.This remaining charge amount is memorized and retained even after the key switch 5 is turned off, and the next time the battery is operated. It may also be used as diagnostic data for batch alarms.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As mentioned above, according to the present invention, since it is possible to warn the driver of a battery malfunction before starting the engine, vehicle troubles such as unexpected difficulty in starting can be avoided, and safety can be improved. becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operating state of the first embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a circuit diagram showing the operating state of the second embodiment, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operating state of the second embodiment,
FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram for explaining the battery life determination operation of the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram for explaining the blinking pattern of the warning flashing lamp of the second embodiment. 1...Battery, 2...Starter motor, 3...
Engine starting switch, 4... Ignition device, 5... Key switch (ignition switch), 6... Battery current detector, 7... A/D converter (data input means), 9...
...Microcomputer (computation means, storage means, variation diagnosis means), 11.12...Alarm means (speech synthesizer, speaker), 13...Output register, 16...
・Knee −>, Alarm means (light emitting element). ,
...1 4' Agent Patent Attorney Katsuo Ogawa ゛<-5so'fZ Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Detection means for detecting the current and voltage of an on-vehicle battery, battery open voltage detected through the detection means, battery discharge current/voltage at the time of engine start, or charging after engine start a calculation means for inputting data necessary for battery diagnosis from current, etc., and calculating at least one of the battery life or remaining charge amount based on the data; A storage means for storing and retaining the battery diagnostic data as battery diagnostic data even after the operation is completed, and when the battery diagnostic data stored and retained by the storage means satisfies a predetermined battery diagnostic condition, an alarm is issued immediately after the engine key is turned on during the next operation and before the engine is started. 1. A vehicle battery diagnostic/warning device comprising: a battery diagnostic means for outputting a driving signal for the battery; and an alarm means for issuing an alarm based on the drive signal of the battery diagnostic means. 2. In claim 1, the alarm means:
A vehicle battery diagnostic system comprising a voice synthesizer and a speaker, and wherein the battery diagnostic means is set to generate a plurality of patterns of audio signals depending on the progression of life of the battery or the level of remaining charge. Alarm device. 3. In claim 1, the alarm means is composed of a light emitting element, and the diagnostic means is set to change the blinking cycle of the light emitting element in accordance with the progression of life of the battery or the level of remaining charge. Automotive battery diagnostic/warning device.