US 8,203,345 B2Grant

Storage battery and battery tester

Issue Date:2012-06-19

•32 Claims

•7 Drawing Sheets

Abstract

A storage battery is provided which has a first and second post for electrically coupling to an electrical system. A test plug is provided for use in coupling the storage battery to an electronic battery tester. In another aspect, a battery tester is provided having a plug configured to couple to a test plug of a storage battery for use in performing an electronic battery test on the storage battery.

Metadata

Assignee

Midtronics, Inc.

Inventor

Kevin I. Bertness

Application Information

Application Number:US 12/328,022

Filing Date:2008-12-04

Priority Date:2007-12-06

Art Unit:2858

Classifications

IPC:

G01N27/416G01R1/04

Patent Drawings (7 sheets)

Description

[0001] The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/992,798, filed Dec. 6, 2007, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Background of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to storage batteries and electronic battery testers used to test such storage batteries.

[0003] Storage batteries, of the type used in automotive vehicles, as backup power sources, etc., typically comprise a plurality of battery plates which form a series of single cells batteries, coupled together to form the storage battery. Various chemistries are used in such batteries.

[0004] Storage batteries typically have a limited life span and must be replaced and periodically recharged. Various techniques are known to monitor the condition of such batteries to determine if replacement or recharging is necessary. Midtronics, Inc. of Willowbrook, Ill. and Dr. Keith S. Champlin have pioneered techniques for monitoring such storage batteries. Examples of such techniques are shown and described in 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. 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No. 7,198,510, issued Apr. 3, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,175, issued Apr. 22, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,914, issued Apr. 24, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,015, issued Jul. 17, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,295,936, issued Nov. 13, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,304, issued Jan. 15, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,175, issued Apr. 22, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,176, issued Jul. 8, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,408,358, issued Aug. 5, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,833, issued Sep. 16, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,446,536, issued Nov. 4, 2008; U.S. Ser. No. 09/780,146, filed Feb. 9, 2001, entitled STORAGE BATTERY WITH INTEGRAL BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. 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. 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. 10/653,342, filed Sep. 2, 2003, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER CONFIGURED TO PREDICT A LOAD TEST RESULT; 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. 10/783,682, 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. 10/867,385, 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. 10/958,821, 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. 60/713,168, 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. 11/356,299, filed Feb. 16, 2006, entitled CENTRALLY MONITORED SALES OF STORAGE BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 11/356,443, filed Feb. 16, 2006, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH NETWORK COMMUNICATION; 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; U.S. Ser. No. 11/638,771, filed Dec. 14, 2006, entitled BATTERY MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 11/641,594, filed Dec. 19, 2006, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A PARAMETER OF A VEHICLE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 11/711,356, filed Feb. 27, 2007, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH PROMOTION FEATURE; U.S. Ser. No. 11/811,528, filed Jun. 11, 2007, entitled ALTERNATOR TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 60/950,182, filed Jul. 17, 2007, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR HYBRID VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 60/973,879, filed Sep. 20, 2007, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER FOR TESTING STATIONARY BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 11/931,907, filed Oct. 31, 2007, entitled BATTERY MAINTENANCE WITH PROBE LIGHT; U.S. Ser. No. 60/992,798, filed Dec. 6, 2007, entitled STORAGE BATTERY AND BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/099,826, filed Apr. 9, 2008, entitled BATTERY RUN DOWN INDICATOR; U.S. Ser. No. 61/061,848, filed Jun. 16, 2008, entitled KELVIN CLAMP FOR ELECTRONICALLY COUPLING TO A BATTERY CONTACT; U.S. Ser. No. 12/168,264, filed Jul. 7, 2008, entitled BATTERY TESTERS WITH SECONDARY FUNCTIONALITY; U.S. Ser. No. 12/174,894, filed Jul. 17, 2008, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 12/204,141, filed Sep. 4, 2008, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER OR CHARGER WITH DATABUS CONNECTION; which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0005] There is an ongoing need for improved methods and techniques for testing and monitoring storage batteries.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] A storage battery is provided which has a first and second post for electrically coupling to an electrical system. A test receptacle is provided for use in coupling the storage battery to an electronic battery tester. In another aspect, a battery tester is provided having a plug configured to couple to a test receptacle of a storage battery for use in performing an electronic battery test on the storage battery.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram showing a battery and battery tester in accordance with the present invention.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of the battery of FIG. 1.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery of FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a battery in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention having a temperature sensor.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a side view of a battery including a test receptacle mount.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a test plug including fuse elements or the like.

Detailed Description of Illustrative Embodiments

[0013] Various types of storage batteries are known in the art and are used for many purposes including, for example, automotive vehicles, backup power sources, etc. As discussed in the background section, various techniques are used for testing such batteries. The present invention provides a storage battery having a test receptacle which is adapted to couple to an electronic battery tester. Further, the present invention includes an electronic battery tester having a test plug adapted to couple to the test receptacle of the storage battery for use in performing an electronic battery test on the storage battery.

[0014] In one specific example, a storage battery is provided having a test receptacle built into the battery housing. The receptacle has 2 or more connections (1-2 to each pole) connected in a standard or Kelvin configuration.

[0015] The four connection configuration enables consistent connection of conductance/impedance testing instruments for periodic testing with a handheld device. One problem with portable testers now is that the operator is not consistent in placement of the clamps/probes are placed, resulting in considerable variability for any ohmic test method. A standardized connector would guarantee a consistent and reliable connection.

[0016] The 2 or 4 pole configurations provide a simple and quick way to connect a monitoring system. When battery monitoring systems are presently connected, the battery straps must be disconnected in order to attach ring terminals, etc., to the battery in order to make the connections. In this way, the electrical system must be taken off line. With the present invention, the batteries themselves make the system “monitor ready”, and cables can be simply plugged in while the battery system remains live. It further eliminates the possibility of incorrect wiring. The 2 pole version can still be used with ohmic measurement methods The 2 poles may be for the sensing function, and a forcing function may be applied across multiple series connected cells.

[0017] For monitoring applications, 2 or 4 fuses (number depending on whether a 2 or 4 wire cable is connected) are provided to limit current should the wires become pinched or shorted against a frame rail. In one example, the fuses have a rating of 4 amperes, which is considerably more than either the force current or the sense current, yet significantly smaller than the fusing current of the connection wire (typically 18 gauge). An alternative embodiment is to provide fuses of the automatic reset (PTC, i.e., Positive Temperature Coefficient) type, or standard circuit breakers.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram 10 of a electronic battery tester 12 coupled to a storage battery 14 in accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention. Storage battery 14 includes terminals (or posts) 16 and 18 which are used to couple to an electrical system (illustrated as a resistance) 19, for example of an automotive vehicle, backup power source (such as those used to power cellular telephone sites, power substations, etc), or other device. A test receptacle 20 is provided in a housing 21 of battery 14.

[0019] Although FIG. 1 shows a test receptacle having four electrical connections, any number of electrical connections may be employed. A battery tester test plug 22 is provided of battery tester 12 and is configured to plug into test plug 20 and also has four electrical connections. However, any number of connections can be used and they do not need to be the same number as provided by receptacle 20.

[0020] Battery tester 12 includes some type of a forcing function generator 30 which provides a time varying signal and a sense amplifier 32. This can be an active or a passive forcing function. In this configuration, the battery tester 12 is configured to perform a test using a Kelvin connection in which a forcing function signal is applied by forcing function generator 30 between cells of the battery 14 and the resultant response the cell is measured by sense amplifier 32. Analog to digital converter 33 receives output from the amplifier 32 and provides a digitized value to a microprocessor 36. The microprocessor 36 operates in accordance with instructions stored in memory 38 and, for example, can determine conductance of the battery 14 using appropriate technique, or perform other tests, including but not limited to those described in the background section. In one configuration, a Kelvin connection is not used and instead a single connection is provided to the battery 14. This can be used, for example, to measure standard resistance, as opposed to a dynamic parameter. Microprocessor 36 provides an output 40 related to the condition of battery 14.

[0021] FIG. 1 also illustrates the individual connections 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D of receptacle 20. These are configured to receive individual pins or connectors on plug 22 which couple to connectors or wiring 22A, 22B, 22C and 22D, respectively.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a simplified electrical schematic diagram of battery 14 which shows the electrical connections between test plug 20 and the internal cell or cells 50 of battery 14. Further, as discussed above, fuses 52 54, 56 and 58 are provided which electrically couple plug 20 to the cell or cells 50. These elements may be fuses, automatically resettable fuses (i.e., such as a PTC), circuit breakers or the like. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the plug 20 can be coupled to the battery tester 12 without disturbing the electrical connections to terminals 16 and 18. Although battery 14 illustrated in FIG. 2 shows only a single cell 50, any number of cells 50 may be included. The electrical connection between receptacle 20 and the cell or cells 50 may be configured as desired. For example, the connection can be to individual cells within the battery 14 or may provide a connection across all of the cells 50 within battery 14. Thus, if desired, configurations can be provided which allow testing of individual cells within a battery as opposed to testing all of the cells simultaneously.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of battery 14 showing posts 16 and 18 and plug 20. In this example, two fuses 52 and 56 are provided and are accessible to an operator. Note that receptacle 20 has a notch or slot 80 formed therein to polarize the receptacle. This provides a polarizing key for use with plug 22. This can be used to ensure that test plug 22 from battery tester 12 is connected with a desired polarity to battery 14.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram of storage battery 14 in accordance with another example configuration. In FIG. 4, a temperature sensor 90 is provided. In this example, temperature sensor 90 comprises a thermistor which has a resistance which changes as a function of temperature. In such a configuration, additional connections can be provided through receptacle 20. For example, connectors connections 20E and 20F are provided for coupling to temperature sensor 90. In such a configuration, the temperature of the battery, such as the internal battery temperature, can be directly measured by battery tester 12. Referring back to FIG. 1, in this configuration battery tester 12 includes two additional connections to test plug 22 allowing temperature to be measured. The measurement can be made, for example, by applying a current with source 30 through temperature sensor 90 and measuring the resultant voltage drop using amplifier 32.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram of another configuration of battery 14. Similar elements have retained their numbering for consistency. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, battery 14 also includes a temperature sensor 90 illustrated as RT. This can comprise, for example, a resistance based temperature sensor in which the resistance of element 90 changes as a function of temperature. The resistance can be measured using any appropriate technique, for example, using forcing function generator 30 and amplifier 32.

[0026] In various configurations, the test plug 22 of battery tester 12 may not include a connector for each of the connectors in test receptacle 20. In such a configuration, the battery tester 12 may have access to some of the connections, for example the sense connections and/or the temperature connections, while not having access to other connections. This can be used in combination with slot 80 to provide a polarized connection between plug 22 and test receptacle 20.

[0027] Although the receptacle 20 is shown as being positioned on the top of battery 14, the receptacle 20 can be positioned as appropriate, for example, on one of the sides or bottom of the battery 14.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a side view of battery 16 showing a receptacle mount 100 in accordance with another example configuration. Mount 100 includes post connectors 104 which are configured to electrically couple to battery post 16 and 18. Electrical connections are provided between post connectors 104 and test receptacle 20 as illustrated schematically, for example, in FIG. 2. Attachment mechanisms 102, for example, screws or bolts, are provided to physically couple receptacle mount 100 to the battery housing 16. In one configuration, the temperature sensor 90 is positioned within mount 100. Fuses, PTC elements or circuit breakers 52, 54, 56 and 58 (not shown in FIG. 5) can also be positioned in mount 100. Such a configuration allows the present invention to be easily retrofit with existing batteries, or with existing battery designs, without having to retool the battery manufacturing facilities.

[0029] FIG. 6 shows another example configuration of plug 22 in which fuses 52, 54, 56 and 58 are associated with the plug 22 and the battery tester 12. In such a configuration, the fuses 52-58 do not need to be placed in or on the battery 14 thereby reducing the individual costs associated with each battery. As discussed above, elements 52-58 can comprise any appropriate component for preventing a short circuit such as a circuit breaker or PTC element.

[0030] 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. Although specific battery configurations, plug configurations and battery tester configurations are shown, the present invention is not limited to these. Further, the plug 20 may include a latch, clip or other mechanism to selectively lock test plug 20 with battery tester plug 22. In one example, element 19 shown in FIG. 1 comprises any automotive vehicle electrical system. Tester 12 can measure a dynamic parameter of battery 14, or some other parameter as desired.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A storage battery, comprising:

a housing;

at least one battery cell in the housing;

a first terminal electrically coupled to a first end of the at least one battery cell through a first electrical connection, a second electrical terminal mounted to the housing and electrically coupled to a second end of the at least one battery cell, the first and second terminals configured to electrically couple the at least one battery cell to an electrical system;

a test receptacle mounted to the housing and electrically coupled to the at least one separate battery cell for use in coupling the at least one battery cell to a battery tester, the test receptacle electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell in parallel with the first and second electrical terminals;

wherein the test receptacle provides a plug configured to releasably electrically couple to a battery test plug of the battery tester, the test receptacle thereby allows the first and second terminals to remain connected to the electrical system, providing a separate electrical connection to the at least one battery cell and providing a consistent electrical connection to the at least one battery cell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the test receptacle provides a first connection coupled between the first end of the at least one battery cell and the first terminal and a second connection coupled between the second end of the at least one battery cell and the second terminal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the test receptacle includes a third connection electrically coupled to the first end and a fourth connection electrically coupled to the second end of the at least one battery cell.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including at least one fuse electrically coupled between the first terminal and the test receptacle.

5. An electronic battery tester including the battery tester plug configured to connect to the test receptacle of the battery of claim 1.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the battery tester includes a forcing function and a sense amplifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the battery tester is configured to measure a dynamic parameter of the storage battery through the test receptacle.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 including an analog to digital converter which is configured to digitize a voltage measured across connectors of the test receptacle.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the battery tester is further configured to couple to a temperature sensor through the test receptacle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the temperature sensor is mounted to the storage battery.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the battery tester plug and the test receptacle include four connections.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the battery tester plug and the test receptacle include six connections.

13. The apparatus of claim 5 including at least one fuse electrically coupled between circuitry of the battery tester and the battery tester plug.

14. The apparatus of claim 5 including at least one circuit breaker electrically coupled between circuitry of the battery tester and the battery tester plug.

15. The apparatus of claim 5 including at least one PTC element electrically coupled between circuitry of the battery tester and the battery tester plug.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 including at least one circuit breaker electrically coupled between the first terminal and the test receptacle.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 including at least one PTC element connected between the first terminal and the test receptacle.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the test receptacle includes a polarity key.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the test receptacle is attached to a test receptacle mount, the test receptacle mount electrically coupled to the first and second terminals.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the test receptacle mount includes a temperature sensor.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the electrical system comprises an automotive vehicle electrical system.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the electrical system comprises a backup power source electrical system.

23. A method of testing a storage battery of the type which couples to an electric system, comprising:

providing a first terminal mounted to a housing and electrically coupled to a first end of at least one battery cell through a first electrical connection, a second electrical terminal mounted to the housing and electrically coupled to a second end of the at least one battery cell, the first and second terminals configured to electrically couple to the at least one battery cell;

electrically coupling a test receptacle to the at least one storage cell of the storage battery, the test receptacle mounted to the housing and electrically coupled to the at least one battery cell in parallel with the first and second electrical terminals;

electrically connecting a test plug of a battery tester to the test receptacle, the test plug and the test receptacle providing at least four electrical connections, wherein two of the electrical connections are electrically coupled to the first terminal of the battery and two of the electrical connections are electrically coupled to the second terminal of the battery thereby providing Kelvin connections to the first and second terminals;

coupling a sensor to the battery tester using a plurality of connections provided through the test receptacle;

applying a forcing function with the battery tester to the storage battery through the test plug and the test receptacle, the forcing function applied between the first and second terminals of the storage battery using a first pair of the electrical connections;

sensing, in the battery tester through the test plug and the test receptacle, a response to the applied forcing function using a second pair of the electrical connections; and

determining a battery condition based upon the sensed response;

24. The method of claim 23 wherein electrically coupling a test receptacle to at least one storage cell of the storage battery comprises coupling a first connection to the first terminal and coupling a second connection to the second terminal.

25. The method of claim 23 including providing at least one fuse electrically coupled between the first terminal and the test receptacle.

26. The method of claim 23 including measuring a dynamic parameter of the storage battery using the battery tester.

27. The method of claim 23 including coupling a temperature sensor in the storage battery to the battery tester.

28. The method of claim 23 including coupling a temperature sensor mounted to the storage battery to the battery tester.

29. The method of claim 23 including coupling the test receptacle to a test receptacle mount, the test receptacle mount electrically coupled to the first and second terminals.

30. The method of claim 23 including sensing temperature at the test receptacle mount with a temperature sensor.

31. The method of claim 23 further comprising electrically coupling the first and second terminals to the electrical system, wherein the electrical system comprises an automotive vehicle electrical system.

32. The method of claim 23 further comprising electrically coupling the first and second terminals to the electrical system, wherein the electrical system comprises a backup power source electrical system.

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Abstract