Ultracapacitor Overvoltage Protection Circuit With Self Verification
First Claim
1. A system for protecting a hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack from an overvoltage condition, the hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack including a plurality of energy storage cells electrically connected in series and electrically coupled with a vehicle direct current (DC) bus, the system comprising:
- an overvoltage detection circuit configured to detect an overvoltage condition across a subset of the plurality of energy storage cells;
a disconnect circuit configured to electrically decouple the hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack from the DC power bus responsive to a detection of an overvoltage condition across the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells; and
a connection verification circuits configured to verify the overvoltage detection circuits are electrically coupled to the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for protecting a hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack from an overvoltage condition is described. The energy storage pack includes a plurality of energy storage cells electrically connected in series and electrically coupled with a vehicle direct current (DC) bus. The system includes one or more overvoltage detection circuits, a disconnect circuit and one or more connection verification circuits. The one or more voltage detection circuits detect an overvoltage condition across a subset of the plurality of energy storage cells. The disconnect circuit electrically decouples the energy storage pack from the DC power bus upon detection of an overvoltage condition across the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells. The one or more connection verification circuits verify that the overvoltage detection circuit is electrically coupled to the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for protecting a hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack from an overvoltage condition, the hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack including a plurality of energy storage cells electrically connected in series and electrically coupled with a vehicle direct current (DC) bus, the system comprising:
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an overvoltage detection circuit configured to detect an overvoltage condition across a subset of the plurality of energy storage cells; a disconnect circuit configured to electrically decouple the hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack from the DC power bus responsive to a detection of an overvoltage condition across the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells; and a connection verification circuits configured to verify the overvoltage detection circuits are electrically coupled to the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An overvoltage protection system adapted to protect a propulsion energy storage pack for a hybrid electric vehicle, the propulsion energy storage pack including a plurality of energy storage cells grouped into a plurality of strings, each of the strings having a string positive node and a string negative node, an electrical interface with the hybrid electric vehicle coupled to the plurality of energy storage cells and configured to deliver electrical energy to and from the plurality of energy storage cells, the system comprising:
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a communication interface with the hybrid electric vehicle; an energy storage pack communication bus communicatively coupled to the communication interface with the hybrid electric vehicle; a plurality of overvoltage protection circuits, each of the plurality of overvoltage protection circuits singularly electrically coupled to one of the plurality of strings and communicatively coupled to the energy storage pack communication bus, each of the plurality of overvoltage protection circuits configured to register voltage across it'"'"'s respective string'"'"'s string positive node and string negative node, and each of the plurality of overvoltage protection circuits further configured to communicate an overvoltage condition to the energy storage pack communication bus; and a connection verification circuit configured to verify that each of the plurality of overvoltage protection circuits are electrically coupled to one of the plurality of strings. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for protecting a hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack from an overvoltage condition, the hybrid electric vehicle propulsion energy storage pack including a plurality of energy storage cells electrically connected in series and electrically coupled with a vehicle direct current (DC) bus, the method comprising:
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verifying an overvoltage protection circuit is electrically coupled to a subset of the plurality of energy storage cells by a connection verification circuit; and
,communicating that the overvoltage protection circuit is electrically coupled to the subset of the plurality of energy storage cells. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification