摘要 |
<p>A method and apparatus for determining the state of charge of a battery include use of multiple battery tests to provide complementary insight into battery condition before, during, and after battery charging. Battery testing is performed using a light resistive load (22), a heavy resistive load (16), a conductance tester (20), and a battery charger (18). During a preliminary charging stage, average battery current and a predicted battery temperature are used to determine whether or not the battery is capable of being substantially fully charged, thereby permitting avoidance of unneeded charging. In the later charging stage, the rate of change of battery cold cranking amps is monitored to detect an end of charge condition.</p> |