Sensor Monitors Standby Batteries

By monitoring standby batteries, the life, performance and reliability of systems providing backup power in applications such as industrial UPSs, telecommunications, safety-critical systems and computing can be dramatically increased. Many of these applications already use LEM current measuring transducers for monitoring standby batteries.

The LEM Sentinel sensors feature a custom intelligent SoC device that processes the signal and interfaces to the digital S-Bus control bus. In standby applications, the failure of one cell can prevent the operation of an entire chain of batteries, causing large systems to fail to deliver the desired operating time. Monitoring voltage, current and impedance allow users to accurately predict which cells are likely to fail, and to replace them ensuring higher system reliability. Monitoring temperature allows engineers to ensure that the lifetime of the batteries is maximised, and also ensures that thermal runaway situations can be detected and corrected before they cause potentially catastrophic failures.

In addition to the sensor component, LEM will also offer interface module kits, a low-cost stand-alone monitor and an ‘instant monitor’ PCB that can be integrated into OEM equipment. PC-based software that allows for analysis of readings is available as source code for use in battery monitoring systems.