Battery tester with promotion feature to promote use of the battery tester by providing the user with codes having redeemable value

[0001] The present invention relates to storage batteries, such as lead acid storage batteries. More specifically, the present invention relates to battery maintenance equipment for use with such storage batteries.

[0002] Storage batteries, such as lead acid storage batteries of the type used in the automotive industry, have existed for many years. However, understanding the nature of such storage batteries, how such storage batteries operate and how to accurately test such batteries has been an ongoing endeavor and has proved quite difficult. Storage batteries consist of a plurality of individual storage cells electrically connected in series. Typically each cell has a voltage potential of about 2.1 volts. By connecting the cells in series, the voltages of the individual cells are added in a cumulative manner. For example, in a typical automotive storage battery, six storage cells are used to provide a total voltage when the battery is fully charged of 12.6 volts.

[0003] There has been a long history of attempts to accurately test the condition of storage batteries. A simple test is to measure the voltage of the battery. If the voltage is below a certain threshold, the battery is determined to be bad. However, this test is inconvenient because it requires the battery to be charged prior to performing the test. If the battery is discharged, the voltage will be low and a good battery may be incorrectly tested as bad. Furthermore, such a test does not give any indication of how much energy is stored in the battery. Another technique for testing a battery is referred as a load test. In a load test, the battery is discharged using a known load. As the battery is discharged, the voltage across the battery is monitored and used to determine the condition of the battery. This technique requires that the battery be sufficiently charged in order that it can supply current to the load.

[0004] More recently, techniques have been pioneered by Dr. Keith S. Champlin and Midtronics Inc. for testing storage batteries by measuring the conductance of the batteries. This technique is described in a number of United States patents obtained by Dr. Champlin and Midtronics, Inc., for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,911, issued Mar. 25, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,708, issued Sep. 30, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,768, issued Mar. 28, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,170, issued Apr. 25, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,038, issued Nov. 14, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,416, issued Mar. 27, 1990, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,269, issued Aug. 18, 1992, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,380, issued Aug. 30, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,136, issued Nov. 5, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,355, issued Nov. 12, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,416, issued Dec. 10, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,728, issued Dec. 17, 1996; U.S. Pat. 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No. 09/756,638, filed Jan. 8, 2001, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING BATTERY PROPERTIES FROM COMPLEX IMPEDANCE/ADMITTANCE; U.S. Ser. No. 09/862,783, filed May 21, 2001, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TESTING CELLS AND BATTERIES EMBEDDED IN SERIES/PARALLEL SYSTEMS; U.S. Ser. No. 09/880,473, filed Jun. 13, 2001; entitled BATTERY TEST MODULE; U.S. Ser. No. 09/993,468, filed Nov. 14, 2001, entitled KELVIN CONNECTOR FOR A BATTERY POST; U.S. Ser. No. 10/042,451, filed Jan. 8, 2002, entitled BATTERY CHARGE CONTROL DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/109,734, filed Mar. 28, 2002, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COUNTERACTING SELF DISCHARGE IN A STORAGE BATTERY; U.S. Ser. No. 10/112,998, filed Mar. 29, 2002, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH BATTERY REPLACEMENT OUTPUT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/263,473, filed Oct. 2, 2002, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH RELATIVE TEST OUTPUT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/310,385, filed Dec. 5, 2002, entitled BATTERY TEST MODULE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/462,323, filed Jun. 16, 2003, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER HAVING A USER INTERFACE TO CONFIGURE A PRINTER; U.S. Ser. No. 10/653,342, filed Sep. 2, 2003, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER CONFIGURED TO PREDICT A LOAD TEST RESULT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/656,526, filed Sep. 5, 2003, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A PARAMETER OF A VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 10/441,271, filed May 19, 2003, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 09/653,963, filed Sep. 1, 2000, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER GENERATION AND STORAGE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/174,110, filed Jun. 18, 2002, entitled DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT CONTROL USING AN INTELLIGENT POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 10/258,441, filed Apr. 9, 2003, entitled CURRENT MEASURING CIRCUIT SUITED FOR BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 10/681,666, filed Oct. 8, 2003, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH PROBE LIGHT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/748,792, filed Dec. 30, 2003, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREDICTING THE REMAINING DISCHARGE TIME OF A BATTERY; U.S. Ser. No. 10/783,682, filed Feb. 20, 2004, entitled REPLACEABLE CLAMP FOR ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 10/791,141, filed Mar. 2, 2004, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING A BATTERY TEST; U.S. Ser. No. 10/864,904, filed Jun. 9, 2004, entitled ALTERNATOR TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 10/867,385, filed Jun. 14, 2004, entitled ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/896,834, filed Jul. 22, 2004, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 10/897,801, filed Jul. 23, 2004, entitled SHUNT CONNECTION TO A PCB FOR AN ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM EMPLOYED IN AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/958,821, filed Oct. 5, 2004, entitled IN-VEHICLE BATTERY MONITOR; U.S. Ser. No. 10/958,812, filed Oct. 5, 2004, entitled SCAN TOOL FOR ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 11/008,456, filed Dec. 9, 2004, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREDICTING BATTERY CAPACITY AND FITNESS FOR SERVICE FROM A BATTERY DYNAMIC PARAMETER AND A RECOVERY VOLTAGE DIFFERENTIAL, U.S. Ser. No. 60/587,232, filed Dec. 14, 2004, entitled CELLTRON ULTRA, U.S. Ser. No. 11/018,785, filed Dec. 21, 2004, entitled WIRELESS BATTERY MONITOR; U.S. Ser. No. 60/653,537, filed Feb. 16, 2005, entitled CUSTOMER MANAGED WARRANTY CODE; U.S. Ser. No. 11/063,247, filed Feb. 22, 2005, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER OR CHARGER WITH DATABUS CONNECTION; U.S. Ser. No. 60/665,070, filed Mar. 24, 2005, entitled OHMMETER PROTECTION CIRCUIT; U.S. Ser. No. 11/141,234, filed May 31, 2005, entitled BATTERY TESTER CAPABLE OF IDENTIFYING FAULTY BATTERY POST ADAPTERS; U.S. Ser. No. 11/143,828, filed Jun. 2, 2005, entitled BATTERY TEST MODULE; U.S. Ser. No. 11/146,608, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled SCAN TOOL FOR ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 60,694,199, filed Jun. 27, 2005, entitled GEL BATTERY CONDUCTANCE COMPENSATION; U.S. Ser. No. 11/178,550, filed Jul. 11, 2005, entitled WIRELESS BATTERY TESTER/CHARGER; U.S. Ser. No. 60/705,389, filed Aug. 4, 2005, entitled PORTABLE TOOL THEFT PREVENTION SYSTEM, U.S. Ser. No. 11/207,419, filed Aug. 19, 2005, entitled SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY GATHERING BATTERY INFORMATION FOR USE DURING BATTERY TESTER/CHARGING, U.S. Ser. No. 60/712,322, filed Aug. 29, 2005, entitled AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE, U.S. Ser. No. 60/713,169, filed Aug. 31, 2005, entitled LOAD TESTER SIMULATION WITH DISCHARGE COMPENSATION, U.S. Ser. No. 60/731,881, filed Oct. 31, 2005, entitled PLUG-IN FEATURES FOR BATTERY TESTERS; U.S. Ser. No. 60/731,887, filed Oct. 31, 2005, entitled AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 11/304,004, filed Dec. 14, 2005, entitled BATTERY TESTER THAT CALCULATES ITS OWN REFERENCE VALUES; U.S. Ser. No. 60/751,853, filed Dec. 20, 2005, entitled BATTERY MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 11/304,004, filed Dec. 14, 2005, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH CALCULATES ITS OWN REFERENCE VALUES; U.S. Ser. No. 60/751,853, filed Dec. 20, 2005, entitled BATTERY MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 11/352,945, filed Feb. 13, 2006, entitled BATTERY TESTERS WITH SECONDARY FUNCTIONALITY; U.S. Ser. No. 11/356,299, filed Feb. 16, 2006, entitled CENTRALLY MONITORED SALES OF STORAGE BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 11/356,436, field Feb. 16, 2006, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH RELATIVE TEST OUTPUT; U.S. Ser. No. 11/356,443, filed Feb. 16, 2006, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH NETWORK COMMUNICATION; U.S. Ser. No. 11/410,263, filed Apr. 24, 2006, entitled QUERY BASED ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 11/498,703, filed Aug. 3, 2006, entitled THEFT PREVENTION DEVICE FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE SERVICE CENTERS; U.S. Ser. No. 11/507,157, filed Aug. 21, 2006, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SIMULATING A BATTERY TESTER WITH A FIXED RESISTANCE LOAD; U.S. Ser. No. 11/511,872, filed Aug. 29, 2006, entitled AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 11/519,481, filed Sep. 12, 2006, entitled BROAD-BAND LOW-CONDUCTANCE CABLES FOR MAKING KELVIN CONNECTIONS TO ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS AND BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 60/847,064, filed Sep. 25, 2006, entitled STATIONARY BATTERY MONITORING ALGORITHMS; which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0005] Although battery maintenance techniques have improved, it is still desirable to encourage the use of battery maintenance equipment with such storage batteries.

[0006] Battery maintenance equipment for use with storage batteries includes battery maintenance circuitry. A redemption code output is configured to provide an output having a redeemable value in response to the battery maintenance circuitry. A method is also provided.

[0012] The present invention provides a new and useful apparatus and technique for promoting the use of battery maintenance equipment. For example, in many commercial settings such as service stations, automotive dealerships, etc, it is desirable to encourage the service personnel to utilize battery maintenance equipment such as battery chargers, battery testers, etc. Techniques for monitoring usage of battery maintenance equipment are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,445,158 entitled VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TESTER WITH ENCODED OUTPUT issued Sep. 3, 2002, invented by Kevin I. Bertness and Michael E. Troy; U.S. Pat. No. 6,914,413 entitled ALTERNATOR TESTER WITH ENCODED OUTPUT issued Jul. 5, 2005, invented by Kevin I. Bertness and Michael E. Troy; U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,410 entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH RELATIVE TEST OUTPUT issued Feb. 21, 2006, invented by Kevin I. Bertness and David Vonderhaar; U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,195 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING A BATTERY TEST issued Apr. 26, 2005, invented by Kevin I. Bertness; U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,102 entitled AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM TESTER issued Feb. 26, 2002, invented by Michael E. Troy; U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,245 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING A BATTERY TEST issued Jul. 18, 2000, invented by Kevin I. Bertness; U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,976 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING A BATTERY TEST issued Apr. 18, 2000, invented by Kevin I. Bertness; pending U.S. Ser. No. 10/791,141 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING A BATTERY TEST filed Mar. 2, 2004, invented by Kevin I. Bertness; pending U.S. Ser. No. 11/356,436 entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH RELATIVE TEST OUTPUT filed Feb. 16, 2006, invented by Kevin I. Bertness and David J. Vonderhaar which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0013] For example, a battery manufacturer which uses dealers using electronic battery testers and encourage the dealers to use the testers in order to service batteries under warranty. The techniques described in the above patents can be used to audit or monitor such measurements and activities in returning batteries under warranty.

[0014] The present invention provides an apparatus and technique to encourage service personnel to utilize battery maintenance equipment by rewarding the personnel for such usage. Further, safeguards can be employed to make falsification of the usage more difficult.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of battery maintenance equipment 100 coupled to a storage battery 102. Battery maintenance equipment 100 includes electronic circuitry 104 for coupling to battery 102. Circuitry 104 can be used, for example, charging battery 102, monitoring circuitry 102, testing battery 102, or other battery maintenance circuitry including hydrometers users, load testers, bar code readers used to extract battery parameters, visual inspection check lists, etc. Microprocessor 106 couples to circuitry 104 and operates in accordance with programming instructions stored in memory 108. Memory 108 can also be used to store information during operation of microprocessor 106. An output 110 is provided for providing an output discussed below in more detail. A user input 112 couples to microprocessor 106. Output 110 and input 112 can be in accordance with any type of input and output technique.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of battery monitoring circuitry 216 in accordance with the present invention. Apparatus 216 is shown coupled to battery 102 which includes a positive battery terminal 222 and a negative battery terminal 224.

[0017] Circuitry 216 operates in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and determines the conductance (G_BAT) of battery 102 and the voltage potential (V_BAT) between terminals 222 and 224 of battery 102. Circuitry 216 includes current source 250, differential amplifier 252, analog-to-digital converter 254 and microprocessor 256. Amplifier 252 is capacitively coupled to battery 102 through capacitors C₁ and C₂. Amplifier 252 has an output connected to an input of analog-to-digital converter 254. Microprocessor 256 is connected to system clock 258, memory 260, memory 262 and analog-to-digital converter 254. Microprocessor 256 is also capable of receiving an input from input devices 266 and 268. Microprocessor 256 also connects to output device 272.

[0018] In operation, current source 250 is controlled by microprocessor 256 and provides a current I in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, this is a square wave or a pulse. Differential amplifier 252 is connected to terminals 222 and 224 of battery 102 through capacitors C₁ and C₂, respectively, and provides an output related to the voltage potential difference between terminals 222 and 224. In a preferred embodiment, amplifier 252 has a high input impedance. Circuitry 216 includes differential amplifier 270 having inverting and noninverting inputs connected to terminals 224 and 222, respectively. Amplifier 270 is connected to measure the open circuit potential voltage (V_BAT) of battery 102 between terminals 222 and 224. The output of amplifier 270 is provided to analog-to-digital converter 254 such that the voltage across terminals 222 and 224 can be measured by microprocessor 256.

[0019] Circuitry 216 is connected to battery 102 through a four-point connection technique known as a Kelvin connection. This Kelvin connection allows current I to be injected into battery 102 through a first pair of terminals while the voltage V across the terminals 222 and 224 is measured by a second pair of connections. Because very little current flows through amplifier 252, the voltage drop across the inputs to amplifier 252 is substantially identical to the voltage drop across terminals 222 and 224 of battery 102. The output of differential amplifier 252 is converted to a digital format and is provided to microprocessor 256. Microprocessor 256 operates at a frequency determined by system clock 258 and in accordance with programming instructions stored in memory 260.

[0020] Microprocessor 256 determines the conductance of battery 102 by applying a current pulse I using current source 250. The microprocessor determines the change in battery voltage due to the current pulse I using amplifier 252 and analog-to-digital converter 254. The value of current I generated by current source 250 is known and is stored in memory 260. In one embodiment, current I is obtained by applying a load to battery 102. Microprocessor 256 calculates the conductance of battery 102 using the following equation:

[0021] $\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{Conductance}=G_{\mathrm{BAT}}=\frac{\Delta I}{\Delta V}& \mathrm{Equation}1\end{array}$
where I is the change in current flowing through battery 102 due to current source 250 and V is the change in battery voltage due to applied current I.

[0022] Based upon the battery conductance G_BAT and the battery voltage, the battery tester 216 determines the condition of battery 102. For example, if the battery conductance G_BAT is lower than a predetermined threshold for a particular battery at a particular voltage, microprocessor 256 determines that battery 102 has failed the battery test. For example, as explained in the Champlin patents, the tester can compare the measured CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) with the rated CCA for that particular battery. Microprocessor 256 uses information input from input device 266 provided by, for example, an operator. This information may consist of the particular type of battery, location, time, the name of the operator. Additional information relating to the conditions of the battery test is received by microprocessor 256 from input device 268. Input device 268 may comprise one or more sensors, for example, or other elements which provide information such as ambient or battery temperature, time, date, humidity, barometric pressure, noise amplitude or characteristics of noise in the battery or in the test result, or any other information or data which may be sensed or otherwise recovered which relates to the conditions of the test how the battery test was performed, or intermediate results obtained in conducting the test. Additional test condition information is provided by microprocessor 256. Such additional test condition information may include the values of G_BAT and battery voltage, the various inputs provided to battery tester 216 by the operator which may include, for example, type of battery, estimated ambient or battery temperature, type of vehicle (i.e., such as provided through the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) code for the vehicle) or the particular sequence of steps taken by the operator in conducting the test. In accordance with the present invention, microprocessor 256 uses some, or all, of the various battery test condition information and combines such test condition information with the test result to generate a redemption code. This redemption code is provided to output device 272 which may comprise, for example, a display or a printer. In another embodiment, the redemption code is stored in memory 262 for subsequent use. As used herein, input circuitry refers to any circuitry used to obtain the test condition information and may include inputs 266 and 268, memory 260, etc.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a battery charger 300 showing another example of battery maintenance equipment. Charger 300 is configured to couple to battery 102 through connections 322 and 324. A power source 302 can optionally controlled by microprocessor 304. Power source 302 is illustrated as being coupled to battery 102 through a transformer 306 and a rectifying dial 308. Microprocessor 304 operates in accordance with instructions stared in memory 310 and can receive other types of input through 312 and provide an output through output 314. During operation, the battery 102 is charged with power from power source 302. The microprocessor 304 provides a redemption code in accordance with the invention.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram 400 showing steps in accordance with the present invention. At block 402, the procedures start and at block 404 the procedure verifies that battery maintenance has been performed. In response to the battery maintenance, at block 406 a redemption code is generated. At block 408, the redemption code is provided as an output and the procedure stops at block 410.

[0025] As discussed above, it is often desirable to encourage the use of battery maintenance equipment. For example, encouraging the use of battery testing equipment can assist in identifying bad batteries and thereby increase battery sales. Similarly, the use of battery test equipment can reduce warranty claims. Use of battery charging equipment can also be desirable to help maintain the charge on a customer's battery, batteries in storage, etc. In accordance with present invention, the battery maintenance device provides a battery redemption code which has some value to an operator. The redemption code is based upon usage of the battery maintenance equipment and thereby encourages the operator to use the operator equipment.

[0026] In one example, the redemption code is output on a coupon, paper receipt, or other physical output. This can be collected by the operator for subsequent redemption. In another example, the output is non-physical in nature, for example, data transmitted over a network, either wireless or wired, such that the redemption can be performed electronically.

[0027] The output can be provided based upon any desired criteria. For example, the output can be provided based upon a certain number of tests or usage (X) performed by the maintenance equipment, a certain number of days (Y), etc. X or Y can be random numbers or fixed numbers. X, the amount the maintenance equipment is used, can be configured to exclude duplicate usage, such as duplicate tests, in order to reduce the likelihood that usage of the maintenance equipment is falsified. Duplicate tests can be determined by noting relatively small difference in test results or usage, short time duration, or other techniques.

[0028] The output can be redeemable for any type of goods or service, or for other items having value to an operator. For example, the output can be redeemable for merchandise, exchanged for money, discounts, event tickets, vacation days, recognition for outstanding personnel, etc. The output can be a simple number carried on a printout and manually entered into a database or can be transmitted electronically, faxed, mailed, etc. to a central location. The number can be formed in an encrypted format or otherwise “hashed” so that it is difficult to falsify. This output can contain information such as statistics on the usage of the maintenance equipment, the serial number of the maintenance equipment, the zip code of the location of the maintenance equipment, the number of “good” batteries or “bad” batteries tested, the date of usage, the name or other information, identifying the operator, etc. This additional information can be retrieved from the memory in the device or can be retrieved over the input illustrated in Figures discussed above.

[0029] In another example, the output is provided in response to every use of the maintenance equipment. The outputs can be placed in some type of “pool” and a lottery held periodically to determine a winning number. The lottery system can be altered to increase the odds of winning for special promotions.

[0030] The redemption code can be provided to a database, for example, database 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. The database can be located in any appropriate location including at the site where the maintenance equipment is used, or at a remote location such as at a manufacturers site, central office, etc. The database 500 can be coupled to the maintenance equipment using, for example, a network connection such as a through the internet, private network, a telephone link, etc.

[0031] In another configuration, the redemption code is displayed on the maintenance equipment and/or printed out and entered directly into the database 500 by the operator. The redemption code can, for example, comprise a bar code which is scanned into the database or, as mentioned above, be transmitted wirelessly to the database using techniques such as radio frequency (RF) transmission, infrared transmissions, etc. Such wireless methods can be desirable because they can be used to provide instant notification of “winning”. For example, the communications with the maintenance equipment can be bidirectional communications such that an output is provided directly on the equipment indicating to the operator that they have “won”. The redemption codes can be retained with the maintenance equipment for subsequent auditing or can be retained and printed or otherwise output in a batch mode. For example, the batch may contain a series of bar codes, numbers, network outputs, etc.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the particular battery tester or battery charger configuration illustrated above. Further, the invention can be used with any type of battery maintenance equipment and is not limited to those discussed herein.