Electrical control system

• US 10,730,402 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2017
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Godo, Edvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Betsch, Regis J
• Application Number:
  US15/814,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/571 with overvoltage detector
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An electrical control system is provided. A first slave IC generates a first message indicating that a first battery cell has an overvoltage condition that is received by a communication IC. The communication IC sets a fault line coupled between the communication IC and a secondary microcontroller to a first logic level indicating that an overvoltage condition has been detected. The secondary microcontroller sends a message to a primary microcontroller indicating that the overvoltage condition has been detected in response on the fault line having the first logic level. The primary microcontroller commands a contactor control system to set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, in response to receiving the message.

Claims

1. An electrical control system, comprising:

a first slave IC that monitors a voltage of a first battery cell;

a second slave IC that monitors a voltage of a second battery cell;

a primary microcontroller and a secondary microcontroller that operably communicate with one another;

a communication IC that operably communicates with the first and second slave ICs and the primary microcontroller;

a contactor control system that is operably coupled to the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, and to a first contactor and a second contactor;

the first slave IC generating a first message indicating that the first battery cell has an overvoltage condition, that is received by the communication IC;

the communication IC setting a fault line coupled between the communication IC and the secondary microcontroller to a first logic level indicating that an overvoltage condition has been detected in response to the first message;

the secondary microcontroller sending a second message to the primary microcontroller indicating that the overvoltage condition has been detected in response to the fault line having the first logic level;

the primary microcontroller sending a third message through a communication bus transceiver IC to a vehicle controller indicating that the primary microcontroller will set each of the first and second contactors to an open operational state, in response to receiving the second message;

the primary microcontroller commanding the contactor control system to set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, in response to receiving the second message;

the primary micorcontroller sending a fourth message to the secondary microcontroller requesting that the secondary microcontroller further command the contactor control system to set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, in response to receiving the second message; and

the secondary microcontroller disabling operation of the communication bus transceiver IC such that the vehicle controller does not receive messages from the secondary microcontroller and the primary microcontroller, if the secondary microcontroller does not receive the fourth message from the primary microcontroller within a first predetermined amount of time after the secondary microcontroller sent the second message.

2. The electrical control system of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle controller determining that the secondary microcontroller will set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, in response to the vehicle controller not receiving messages from the secondary microcontroller and the primary microcontroller for a second predetermined amount of time.

3. The electrical control system of claim 1, wherein the secondary microcontroller further commanding the contactor control system to set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, if the secondary microcontroller does not receive the fourth message from the primary microcontroller within the first predetermined amount of time after the secondary microcontroller sent the second message.

4. The electrical control system of claim 1, wherein the primary microcontroller further commanding the contactor control system to set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, by de-energizing first and second contactor coils in the first and second contactors, respectively.

5. The electrical control system of claim 1, wherein the first and second contactors are electrically coupled to a vehicle powertrain.

6. The electrical control system of claim 1, further comprising another communication bus operably coupled between the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller.

7. The electrical control system of claim 1, wherein:

the first slave IC further generating a fifth message with a measured voltage value therein, the measured voltage value indicating a measured voltage level of the first battery cell, that is received by the communication IC; and

the communication IC sending the fifth message with the measured voltage value to the primary microcontroller.

8. An electrical control system, comprising:

a first slave IC that monitors a voltage of a first battery cell;

a primary microcontroller and a secondary microcontroller that operably communicate with one another;

a communication IC that is external to the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, the communication IC operably communicates with the first slave IC utilizing a communication bus;

a fault line being an electrical line that is electrically coupled to and between the communication IC and the secondary microcontroller;

a contactor control system that is operably coupled to the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, and to a first contactor and a second contactor;

the first slave IC sending a first message indicating that the first battery cell has an overvoltage condition through the communication bus that is received by the communication IC;

the communication IC setting the fault line coupled between the communication IC and the secondary microcontroller to a first logic level indicating that the overvoltage condition has been detected in response to the first message;

the secondary microcontroller sending a second message to the primary microcontroller indicating that the overvoltage condition has been detected in response to the fault line having the first logic level;

the primary microcontroller commanding the contactor control system to set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, in response to receiving the second message.

9. The electrical control system of claim 8, wherein:

the secondary microcontroller disabling operation of a communication bus transceiver IC such that a vehicle controller does not receive messages from the secondary microcontroller and the primary microcontroller.

10. The electrical control system of claim 9, wherein:

the vehicle controller determining that the secondary microcontroller will set each of the first and second contactors to the open operational state, in response to the vehicle controller not receiving messages from the secondary microcontroller and the primary microcontroller for a predetermined amount of time.