VEHICLE BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20110106330A1
• Filed: 11/02/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lickfelt, Brian K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,446,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00

Abstract

A vehicle battery management system and method includes a battery, a battery sensor for measuring a condition of the battery and an electronic control unit that receives a signal from the battery sensor corresponding to the condition of the battery. The electronic control unit selectively connects and disconnects that the battery from each of: at least one accessory load and at least one other load. The at least one other load is disconnected from the battery when the vehicle is in a shipping mode and the at least one accessory load is connected to the battery when the vehicle is in an accessory ON mode. The electronic control unit disconnects the at least one accessory load from the battery when the vehicle is in the accessory ON mode and in the shipping mode when the signal indicates that the condition of the battery is below a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A battery management system for a vehicle, comprising:

a battery;

a battery sensor for measuring a condition of said battery; and

an electronic control unit receiving a signal from said battery sensor corresponding to said condition of said battery, said electronic control unit configured to selectively connect and disconnect the battery to and from each of at least one accessory load and at least one other load, said electronic control unit connecting said at least one accessory load to said battery when the vehicle is in an accessory ON mode and disconnecting said at least one other load from said battery when the vehicle is in a shipping mode, and said electronic control unit disconnecting said at least one accessory load from said battery when the vehicle is in said accessory ON mode and in said shipping mode when said signal indicates that said condition of said battery is below a predetermined threshold.

2. The vehicle battery management system of claim 1 further including an accessory relay that connects and disconnects said at least one accessory load to and from said battery when commanded by said electronic control unit.

3. The vehicle battery management system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is in said shipping mode when a fuse normally interposed between said battery and said at least one other load is removed.

4. The vehicle battery management system of claim 1 further including an accessory mode control switch connected to said electronic control unit, said accessory mode control switch movable to from an accessory mode ON position wherein said electronic control unit is in said accessory ON mode and an accessory mode OFF position wherein said electronic control unit is not in said accessory ON mode.

5. The vehicle battery management system of claim 1 wherein said condition is a state of charge of said battery.

6. The vehicle battery management system of claim 1 wherein said at least one other load includes other vehicle electronic control units having programmable memory items.

7. A battery management system for a vehicle, comprising:

a battery;

a battery sensor for measuring a condition of said battery;

at least one accessory load selectively connected to said battery for powering thereof, said at least one accessory load connected to said battery when the vehicle is in an accessory ON mode;

at least one other load selectively connected to said battery for powering thereof, said at least one other load disconnected from said battery when the vehicle is in a shipping mode; and

an electronic control unit receiving a signal from said battery sensor corresponding to said condition of said battery, said electronic control unit configured to disconnect said at least one accessory load from said battery based on said accessory ON mode, said shipping mode and said condition of said battery.

8. A vehicle battery management method, comprising:

connecting at least one accessory load to a vehicle battery when an accessory mode is ON;

disconnecting at least one other load from said vehicle battery when a shipping mode is ON;

monitoring a condition of said vehicle battery; and

after connecting said at least one accessory load, disconnecting said at least one accessory load from said vehicle battery while both said accessory and shipping modes are ON when said condition of said battery is below a predetermined threshold.

9. The vehicle battery management method of claim 8 wherein disconnecting said at least one accessory load from said vehicle battery includes commanding an accessory relay to disconnect said at least one accessory load from said vehicle battery.

10. The vehicle battery management method of claim 9 wherein commanding said accessory relay to disconnect said at least one accessory load from said battery includes deenergizing said accessory relay.

11. The vehicle battery management method of claim 8 further including:

removing a shipping fuse interposed between said battery and said at least one other load to turn said shipping mode ON.

12. The vehicle battery management method of claim 8 wherein said accessory mode is turned ON by an accessory mode control switch being moved from an OFF position to an ON position.

13. The vehicle battery management method of claim 12 wherein said accessory mode control switch is disposed in a passenger compartment of a vehicle for manipulation by a vehicle operator.

14. The vehicle battery management method of claim 8 wherein monitoring said condition of said vehicle battery includes monitoring a state of charge of said battery.

15. The vehicle battery management method of claim 14 wherein monitoring said state of charge includes having a battery sensor monitor said state of charge of said battery and communicate a signal to an electronic control unit indicative of said state of charge.

16. A battery management method for a battery in a vehicle, comprising

determining whether the vehicle is in shipping mode;

determining whether accessory power is ON in the vehicle;

determining whether the battery in the vehicle is low; and

turning accessory power OFF in the vehicle when determined that the vehicle is in shipping mode, said accessory power is ON and that the battery is low.

17. The battery management method of claim 16 wherein determining whether the vehicle is in said shipping mode includes determining whether a shipping fuse has been removed from the vehicle.

18. The battery management method of claim 16 wherein determining whether accessory power is ON includes determining whether an accessory power control switch is in an ON position.

19. The battery management method of claim 16 wherein determining whether the battery in the vehicle is low includes using a battery sensor to monitor a state of charge of the battery.

20. The battery management method of claim 16 wherein an electronic control unit determines whether the vehicle is in shipping mode, receives an input signal from an accessory power control switch indicating that said accessory power is ON and receives a condition signal from a battery sensor connected to the battery indicating whether the battery is low.