Electric system with electricity leakage prevention and warning system for hybrid electric vehicle and method for controlling same

• US 20020011935A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Young-Rock
• Application Number:
  US09/838,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20020011935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• 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 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

An electric system with an electricity leakage prevention and warning system for a hybrid electric vehicle includes batteries connected in series through battery cables, which are connected to battery connectors of the batteries; a current malfunction detection terminal connected to the battery cables between the batteries, and which detects a current malfunction; a battery contact terminal switch performing a switching operation according to an operation of the current malfunction detection terminal; an electronic control unit detecting an on operation of the battery contact terminal switch and detecting a charge level of the batteries; and a transformer fuse automatic cut-off unit for detecting the on operation of the battery contact terminal switch, and automatically cutting off a fuse of a transformer using an electric signal.

Claims

1. An electric system with an electricity leakage prevention and warning system for a hybrid electric vehicle comprising:

a plurality of batteries connected in series through battery cables;

a current malfunction detection terminal connected to the battery cables between the batteries, the current malfunction detection terminal detecting a current malfunction;

a battery contact terminal switch performing a switching operation according to an operation of the current malfunction detection terminal;

an electronic control unit detecting an on operation of the battery contact terminal switch and detecting a charge level of the batteries; and

a transformer fuse automatic cut-off unit for detecting the on operation of the battery contact terminal switch, and automatically cutting off a fuse of a transformer using an electric signal.

2. The electric system of claim 1 further comprising an instrument panel buzzer for receiving signals from the electronic control unit, and if there is a battery malfunction, performing control to alert the driver of the malfunction.

3. A method for controlling an electricity leakage prevention and warning system for a hybrid electric vehicle comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting, by a current malfunction detection terminal, a malfunction of battery cables such as a short circuit in or the removal of a battery cable from a battery;

(b) determining if a battery contact terminal switch is switched to on, which occurs as a result of an operation of the current malfunction detection terminal; and

(c) automatically cutting off a fuse of a transformer by an electric signal output by a transformer fuse automatic cut-off unit if the battery contact terminal switch switches to on, and repeating step (b) if the battery contact terminal does not switch to on; and

4. A method for controlling an electricity leakage prevention warning system of claim 3 further comprising the step of applying an electric signal to an instrument panel buzzer such that the instrument panel performs control to alert the driver of a battery malfunction if the battery contact terminal switch is switched to on in step (b).