Automatic monitoring system in an explosive environment of a direct current source by storage batteries

Claim 1

An automatic monitoring system for monitoring the condition of a plurality of batteries based on predetermined parameters representative of the operating state of at least one pilot cell of each battery, said parameters including at least one of the density, temperature, cell voltage, and electrolyte level contained in said pilot cell, said monitoring means comprising: an insulation shield enclosure constituting a Faraday cage surrounding said plurality of batteries; a plurality of sensors removably located in the electrolytes of corresponding pilot cells for detecting at least one of said parameters, an acquisition satellite detachably coupled to each of the sensors, each acquisition satellite including a measurement circuit electrically connected to said sensor by a connection conductor and a transmission circuit coupled to the measurement circuit, said measurement circuit providing a data signal in response to the detection of at least one of said parameters by the sensor coupled to the acquisition satellite, connection means for electrically and detachably connecting each acquisition satellite to terminals of opposite polarity of the pilot cell in which the sensor coupled to the acquisition satellite is located so as to use the pilot cell as a power supply for the acquisition satellite, including the measurement and transmission circuits thereof, and/or the sensor, a data concentrator comprising a data multiplexer circuit located outside said insulation shield enclosure and a processing unit, a data processor located outside said insulation shield enclosure coupled to said data concentrator via a bidirectional communication bus, said data processor including a display unit; a wave transmission system for transmitting the data signal between the transmission circuit of each acquisition satellite and the data concentrator and for transmitting order signals, coming from the processing unit to the concentrator via said bidirectional communication bus, from the data concentrator to each acquisition satellite.