Service disconnect notification strategy

• US 10,639,998 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sturza, John, Newman, Kevin Lloyd, Lee, Josephine S., Kimoto, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, Mcdieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/958,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20190322178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/42 Voltage source inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/427 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/526 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A vehicle includes main contactors powered via a low voltage bus and disposed electrically between a traction battery and a high voltage bus, and a controller. The controller, responsive to the contactors remaining open following activation of the low voltage bus and reported voltage values associated with the high voltage bus being less than a threshold, operates a horn of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

main contactors powered via a low voltage bus and disposed electrically between a traction battery and a high voltage bus; and

a controller configured to, responsive to the contactors remaining open following activation of the low voltage bus and reported voltage values associated with the high voltage bus being less than a threshold, operate a horn of the vehicle to issue a system discharge notification.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the activation is caused by a vehicle on command.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a service disconnect switch, disposed between the low voltage bus and the high voltage bus, configured to, when open, prevent the contactors from closing following the activation.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to the contactors remaining open following the activation, request the reported voltage values.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 further comprising other controllers configured to, responsive to receiving the request, generate the reported voltage values.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the other controller is an inverter controller, an on-board charger controller, a DC/DC converter controller, an electric air conditioning (eAC) controller, or a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater controller.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to operate an exterior light of the vehicle.

8. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

by a controller, responsive to main contactors, powered via a low voltage bus and disposed electrically between a traction battery and a high voltage bus, remaining open following activation of the low voltage bus and reported voltage values associated with the high voltage bus being less than a threshold, operating a horn of the vehicle or flashing exterior lights of the vehicle to provide a system discharge notification.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the activation is caused by a vehicle on command.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the contactors remaining open following the activation is responsive to a service disconnect switch disposed electrically in series between a power source of the low voltage bus and the contactors being open.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising requesting, from other controllers, the reported voltage values responsive to the contactors remaining open following the activation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the other controllers are configured to, responsive to receiving the request, generate the reported voltage values.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the other controllers include an inverter controller, an on-board charger controller, a DC/DC converter controller, an electric air conditioning (eAC) controller, or a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater controller.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the flashing includes dimming or brightening the exterior lights.

15. A system for a vehicle comprising:

main contactors electrically powered by a low voltage bus and disposed electrically between a traction battery and a high voltage bus; and

a controller configured to, responsive to the contactors remaining open following activation of the low voltage bus and reported voltage values associated with the high voltage bus being less than a threshold, operate exterior lights of the vehicle to provide a system discharge notification.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein operating the exterior lights includes dimming or brightening the exterior.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising a service disconnect switch configured to, when open, prevent the contactors from closing following the activation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to the contactors remaining open following the activation and at least one of the reported voltage values being greater than the threshold, issue a diagnostic alert notification.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to the contactors remaining open following activation of the low voltage bus and the reported voltage values associated with the high voltage bus being less than a threshold, operate a horn or chime of the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the chime is a door alert chime, a seatbelt alert chime, or a trunk alert chime.