Predicting Remaining Capacity of Batteries for UAVs and Electric Vehicle Applications

The functionality and reliability of portable microelectronics systems is often limited by the ability of the power supply to provide a continuous source of energy. In modern portable applications, lithium ion, and lithium polymer batteries have become the choice energy system. The selection of these batteries is based on their high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities and their ability to be scaled up or down to fit the needs of a dynamic range of applications such as automobiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), active RFID tags and wireless sensors. Performance of these batteries is heavily dictated by the use conditions such as current rate of charge and discharge. In order to optimize performance of electronic systems, the user must know the state of charge (SOC) of the battery so that periods of recharge can be anticipated and scheduled. The user must also know the state of health (SOH) of the battery in order to plan for the replacement of the battery.