Lithium Ion Fuel Gauges for a Streetlight-Mounted Camera

Speaker:  Ross Kerley (ECE, Virginia Tech)

Date: Friday, February 28, 2014
Time: 3 PM - 4 PM
Location: Whittemore 6th Floor Conference Room 

Abstract:

Lithium Ion batteries are rapidly becoming the most prolific battery chemistry in the world. Their adoption for hybrid and electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf in addition to laptops and cell phones is due to high energy density and long cycle life. In each of these applications, it is important to know how much battery life remains, a job that is performed by a Fuel Gauge IC. This research tests two commercial ICs to determine if they will be appropriate for an outdoor streetlight-mounted camera that will experience temperatures of -20 °C to 70 °C. The testing identified a commercial IC that can achieve less than 6% error at -20 °C. 

Speaker:

Ross Kerley received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, in 2011. He is currently pursuing a M.S. in electrical engineering at Virginia Tech.

He is currently a Graduate Research Assistant at Virginia Tech. Previously he was an analog design intern at Texas Instruments, a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Virginia Tech, a contractor for Rockwell Collins working on test equipment for avionics, and an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Central Florida working in power electronics for wind and solar alternative energy.

His research interests include battery management, LED lighting, and energy harvesting.