Real-Time Capacity Monitoring for Lithium Polymer Batteries

Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) batteries are commonly used for applications that need medium current consumption in the range of about 0.5-3 A such as RC planes and RC cars. However, inefficient use and charging/discharging operation of Li-Po batteries can severely reduce their lifetime making the batteries unusable. Besides that, there is a need survey cost-effective methods to monitor the Li-Po battery in current application. An estimation of state-of-charge (SOC) is a practical indication of battery capacity which can be obtained from the linear range of the Li-Po battery discharge curves. In addition to the project, the chosen Li-Po battery have been tested on a 4WD Hercules Mobile Robotic Platform. As the mobile robot moves through its pre-programmed movement which is controlled using Bluetooth, voltage of the Li-Po battery is measured using analog input and the measurement is converted through analog-to-digital converter inside an Arduino Mega. Meanwhile, current drawn is measured by a current sensor module that connected in series with positive terminal of the battery and motor controller