Device and system for management of battery back up power source

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention obviates and mitigates the disadvantages inherent in the prior art by providing a device and system for directly assessing the useful capacity of a back-up battery, even where the battery is located at a remote site and without compromising the ability of the back-up battery to operate should there be an AC power failure during the battery testing.
This objective is achieved by performing a sequential, individual assessment of each module which comprises a battery pack.
Where used in this specification, the term "module" means one or more electrochemical cells.
A further advantage of the present invention arises from its capability to rejuvenate or boost the health of the battery module of certain chemistries, e.
g.
valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) or nickel/cadmium.
The discharge/charge sequence which is carried out in order to assess and monitor the useful capacity of the module, also serves to better cycle the module.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method for managing the back-up, battery power source of the distributed communications systems of the telecommunications industry.
The invention enables individual telecom sites with fibre optic or radio equipment powered by systems containing back-up batteries to be operated with improved reliability and economy.
The invention provides smart charging at the cell or module level, thus ensuring that the back-up battery pack always receives optimum charging.
The invention further provides a continuously updated battery pack capacity based on cell or module discharge tests so that the individual sites on the telecom system are provided with a real time method of back-up battery network management.
This network battery management system provides the user with information to optimize the efficiency and operability of the telecom system, in case of AC power failure, particularly if the there is a widespread or prolonged AC power outage.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a networked system which enables the back-up battery power source of a system with multiple battery installations to be effectively assessed, monitored and managed