SAFETY APPARATUS FOR BATTERY OF VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20160046178A1
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lim, Hae Kyu
• Granted Patent: US 9,539,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/54 related to batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0007 Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions
• 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 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/91 Electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/26 Dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/01 Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection
• 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: H01M 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/20 Pressure-sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/579 in response to shock
• 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: Y10S 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/952 : Housing details

Abstract

A safety apparatus for a vehicle battery and a method for operating the same capable of preventing accidents such as fire and battery explosion are provided. The safety apparatus includes a fixed housing that is fixed to a vehicle body and a movable housing that is movably disposed in the fixed housing to move due to external impact. An impact sensor is disposed within the fixed housing configured to be fractured due to the movement of the movable housing and an elastic member is configured to provide a restoring force to the movable housing.

Claims

1. A safety apparatus for a vehicle battery, comprising:

a fixed housing to a vehicle body;

a movable housing movably disposed within the fixed housing to move due to external impact;

an impact sensor disposed within the fixed housing and configured to be fractured due to a movement of the movable housing; and

an elastic member configured to provide a restoring force to the movable housing after the external impact.

2. The safety apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fracture part configured to be extendedly formed in the movable housing toward the impact sensor to fracture the impact sensor by the movement of the movable housing.

3. The safety apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact sensor includes a notch which facilitates a fracture of the impact sensor upon impact.

4. The safety apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact sensor includes a conductive material.

5. The safety apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact sensor is further provided with a connector electrically connected to a battery management system (BMS) of the vehicle.

6. A method for operating a safety apparatus for a vehicle battery comprising:

detecting, by a controller, the external collision;

determining, by the controller, whether a sensed voltage, sensed by the controller, is about 0V; and

requesting, by the controller, a power relay assembly (PRA) relay of the vehicle to be turned off when the sensed voltage is about 0V.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the determining whether the sensed voltage is about 0V, when the impact sensor is fractured, the sensing value sensed by the battery management system of the battery pack is about 0V.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

requesting, by the controller, that a warning lamp of a vehicle be turned on in response to the sensed voltage being about 0V.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a processor in communication with a safety apparatus for a vehicle, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that operate a battery management system of the battery pack to sense a voltage of the battery pack;

program instructions that determine whether the sensed voltage is about 0V; and

program instructions that request a power relay assembly (PRA) relay of the vehicle to be turned off in response to the sensed voltage being about 0V.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

program instructions that request that a warning lamp of a vehicle be turned on in response to the sensed voltage being about 0V.