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Battery Conditioner

A Single Cabinet Solution for Power Cell;
Thermal Aging, Precision Load Testing and Charging


Multi-function, high capacity at 90% less cost
xii “per channel” than stand-alone fixtures.
Independent, programmable control of current,
xiivoltage, load and power for each channel.
Handle multiple battery profiles in a single
xiirun with mixed lots.
Scalable from 50 to 2000 channels
xiiby making simple configuration changes.
High accuracy - 0.02% FSR control of
xiicurrent or voltage.
Configurable pulsing with synchronized DAQ.
Measures both internal battery and system level
xiiresistive, inductive and capacitive resistances.
Multiple current ranges on every channel for
xiihigh accuracy over a wide, dynamic range.
Over current discharge protection.
Designed for upgradeability, easy maintenance
xiiand dependable performance.

V I Engineering has combined the three most important power cell conditioning functions into a single cabinet system that provides fully automated, thermal aging (forming), precision load testing and “constant current, constant voltage” recharging. This flexible and highly accurate product simultaneously conditions up to 450 individual power cells in 15 varying lots while monitoring the voltage, current, resistance and impedance of each unit under test.

Configurable for All Battery and Capacitor Types

The first installation of this product was built to the exacting specifications for Lithium-Ion batteries, but advanced hardware and software design allow easy configuration for most stored power devices including Ni-CAD, Ni-MH, and Lead Acid batteries, plus capacitors, super capacitors, fuel cells and more.

Fully Validated

The software application was developed, verified, and validated using strict regulatory agency guidelines. System validation included unit testing to assure accuracy and consistent quality, followed by extensive “black box” testing to confirm correct and reproducible results
.
Integrated Components

The system includes all necessary, custom designed load boards, fixtures, and trays to suit each customer's specific battery, electrical, size, and quantity requirements. A wide range of alternate instruments may be specified based on specific accuracy requirements. This unique device utilizes the most advanced and highly accurate COTS (commercial off the shelf) technology available including:

Durable and robust PXI chassis and controller.
Precision “laboratory grade” ovens.
An LCR meter measures in-process impedance.
A PXI module acquires in process voltage and current.
A DMM provides high resolution measurements for calculating in-process voltage & current.
CAN communication with the custom PCBs.

Reliable and Scalable Software

Software functionality is based on a highly scalable and reliable application developed with National Instruments’ (NI) LabVIEW™. The system architecture was developed with advanced programming techniques that allow the application to scale from 50 to 2000 channels by making simple configuration changes. Programming logic also includes a built in system self check and calibration routine for each individual channel.

COTS Software and Instrumentation

VIE Battery Burn-in software application (LabVIEW source code available)
VIE Battery LLM2005-01-030 (Load Multiplexing Card)
VIE Battery BP2005-02-001 (Card rack and backplane)
VIE Battery TF2005-03-015 (Fixturing trays)
VIE SMIB (custom multiplexing board)
NI PXI 1042Q chassis

NI PXI 8196 controller with GPIB, plus controller memory and hard drive upgrades
NI PXI-6528, Industrial DIO Module
NI PXI-6031E, Multi-function MIO Module
NI PXI 8464 CAN Card
NI PXI 4072 LCR Meter
NI PXI 4071 DMM
NI PXI 8423 RS485 Serial


Specifications

Capacity

200 - 2000 channels

Temperature Range

32°C to 200°C

Temperature Uniformity

9 point calibration ± 1°C

Discharge Profile (Accuracy ± 1%)

 

Load On Current Low

10 uA – 100 uA

Load On Current Medium

1 mA – 100 mA

Load On Current High

1 A – 2 A

Timing Resolution

0.1 to 99 seconds in .01 increments

System Leakage Current

< 320 nA (all loads off)

Re-Charge

 

Charge Current

1 mA – 50 mA: in increments of 0.1 mA. (Accuracy ± 1%)

Charge Voltage

1.0 V to 5.0 V, in increments of 0.01 V. (Accuracy ± 1%)

Measurements

 

Current (Low & Medium)

± 1% of reading; ±0.02% FSR

Current (High)

± 0.1% of reading

Voltage

± 1.0 mV

Sampling Time Low

± 0.1 second for measurement < 99 seconds

Sampling Time High

1 second for measurement > 99 seconds

Contact Resistance

± 0.01 Ohm (Using 4-wire measurement)

Current Range per Channel

10 uA – 2.00 A

Voltage Range per Channel

1.00 V – 5.00 V

Current Ranges per Channel

4 (for greater accuracy)

Accuracy

0.02% FSR for 5V

DAQ Speed

1 K samples/sec - 3 K samples/sec