US-20260128399-A1 - Battery With Internal Monitor And Display

Abstract

A battery for marine applications includes multiple battery cells, a sense module, a communications module, a network interface, and a battery management system, all disposed within a watertight housing. The sense module includes circuitry for generating battery status information indicative of the status of the battery cells. The communications module receives the battery status information and transmits network communication data containing the battery status information. The network interface is configured to connect directly to a standard NMEA 2000 network connector and communicate the battery status information via the standard NMEA 2000 network connector to an NMEA 2000 network. The battery management system measures the voltage of each battery cell and determines a voltage difference between a lowest-voltage cell and a highest-voltage cell and balances the charging of the plurality of battery cells to maintain the voltage difference at less than a predetermined maximum value.

Inventors

• Kevin J. Bennett
• Alan J. Testani

Assignees

• Systematic Power Solutions, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20230929

Claims (7)

1. 1 . A battery for marine applications, the battery comprising: a watertight housing; a plurality of battery cells disposed within the housing; a sense module disposed within the housing and in electrical communication with the plurality of battery cells, the sense module including circuitry configured for generating battery status information indicative of the status of the battery cells; a communications module disposed within the housing and in electrical communication with the sense module, the communications module configured to receive the battery status information and then transmit network communication data containing the battery status information; and a network interface disposed within the housing and in electrical communication with the communications module, the network interface configured to connect directly to a standard NMEA 2000 network connector and communicate the battery status information via the standard NMEA 2000 network connector directly to an NMEA 2000 network.
2. 2 . The battery of claim 1 , further comprising: a battery management system disposed within the housing and in electrical communication with the plurality of battery cells, the battery management system configured to measure the voltage of each battery cell, and determine a voltage difference (ΔV) between a lowest-voltage cell and a highest-voltage cell, and to balance charging and discharging of the plurality of battery cells to maintain (ΔV) at less than a predetermined maximum value.
3. 3 . The battery of claim 2 , has further comprising: circuity for accepting data from a battery management system having functionality to output coulomb data.
4. 4 . The battery of claim 3 , wherein the circuit comprises a current shunt connected to a coulomb counter for measuring coulombs.
5. 5 . The battery of claim 2 , further comprising: an OLED display for displaying the battery status information.
6. 6 . The battery of claim 5 , further comprising: a data interface for outputting battery status information wirelessly or via a wired NMEA 2000 network connector.
7. 7 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery cells comprise Sodium-ion or Lithium-ion, cells.

Description

STATEMENT OF RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is filed as a U.S. National Phase patent application under 35 U.S.C. § 371. The application claims priority to PCT/US2023/075533 filed Sep. 29, 2023. That application was titled “Battery With Internal Monitor and Display.” The International Patent Application claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/411,261 filed Sep. 29, 2022. Each of these prior applications is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT Not applicable. THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT Not applicable. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art. Technical Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of mobile electrical power sources. More particularly, this invention relates to a battery for marine applications. Discussion of the Background NMEA 2000, also referred to as N2K, is a plug-and play communications standard used for connecting marine sensors and display units within marine vehicles. Devices that use the NMEA 2000 protocol can communicate with any other NMEA 2000 compatible sensor, display unit or other device on a communication network. NMEA 2000 is electrically compatible with the Controller Area Network (CAN) communication protocol used on road vehicles. NMEA 2000 can be used to create a network of electronic marine instruments and devices via one central backbone cable that provides power to and relays data between all of the devices on the network. This allows one display unit on the network to display information from many different types of marine devices. Prior marine batteries have included network interfaces for communicating battery status information. However, those batteries have proprietary interface connections on their housings that require a separate proprietary interface device-such as an adaptor or gateway unit-to be able to electrically connect the battery to the NMEA 2000 network in a boat. Without the separate proprietary interface device, such prior batteries are unable to communicate with other marine devices over an NMEA 2000 network. What is needed, therefore, is a battery that can communicate battery status information directly to an NMEA 2000 network through an NMEA 2000 interface port provided on the battery's housing, thereby eliminating the need for a separate proprietary interface device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and other needs are met by a battery for marine applications. The battery includes a sealed watertight housing containing battery cells, an internal battery management system, a full-function, internal battery monitoring system, a communications system for reporting data directly to an NMEA 2000 network, and an OLED display. In one preferred embodiment, the battery cells are Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) lithium-ion cells. Alternatively, the battery cells may be Sodium-ion, Lithium-ion, or other battery chemistry cells. However, the battery is not limited to LFP cells, as other types of battery chemistries could be implemented in other embodiments. LFP battery cells provide: three times the energy density of comparable lead acid batteries;vibration dampening to endure abusive high-vibration and G-shock environments;the ability to charge up to five times faster than lead-acid batteries;five times the charge cycle life of lead-acid batteries at 80% DoD (depth of discharge), providing more than 2,500 charge cycles;96% efficiency at converting input energy into stored energy (compared to approximately 75% for lead-acid batteries), which is advantageous in solar applications and when recharging from a generator; anda self-discharge rate of less than 2% per month (compared to about 5-8% per month for lead-acid batteries). The battery is designed for inductive loads, such as trolling motors, and is also capable of engine start applications. The battery features high-power cells and a high-current battery management system (BMS) designed for repeated pulse loading and alternator charging. The battery is also capable of dampening voltage transients. One point of novelty of the system described herein is that it provides a direct network connection between the battery and the NMEA 2000 network, so that battery status can be reported over the network without external boxes, gateways or adaptors needed between the battery and the NMEA 2000 network. A second point of novelty is that the system provides a battery monitor that is electrically outside the BMS but physically inside the battery. In this respec