SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLING RELAY, USING BIMETAL

• US 20180151319A1
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Published: 05/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SONG, Hyeon Jin, CHOI, Yanglim
• Granted Patent: US 10,446,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/00 Thermally-actuated switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/52 actuated due to deflection of bimetallic element
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/54 wherein the bimetallic element is inherently snap acting
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 47/002 Monitoring or fail-safe circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 61/00 Electrothermal relays thermal switches not operated by electrical input, thermal switches with anticipating electrical input H01H37/00; thermally-sensitive members H01H37/32
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 61/013 Heating arrangements for operating relays
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 61/02 wherein the thermally-sensitive member is heated indirectly, e.g. resistively, inductively
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 61/04 wherein the thermally-sensitive member is only heated directly
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 61/063 making use of a bimetallic element
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for independently controlling a relay using bimetal which allow bimetal to operate based on a signal output from a micro controller unit when current of a predetermined threshold or more flows on a circuit to allow current which flows between a battery and the relay to flow bypassing the bimetal to independently control the relay regardless of whether a circuit pattern is abnormal.

Claims

1. A system for independently controlling a relay using bimetal, the system comprising:

a bimetal unit configured to be connected with a relay provided in a circuit and shape-transformed by current; and

a switching unit configured to apply specific current to the bimetal unit based on a signal output from a micro controller unit (MCU),

wherein when a current value on the circuit is more than a predetermined threshold and the micro controller unit thus outputs a first signal,

the bimetal unit is shape-transformed by the specific current applied from the switching unit and connected with the circuit and the current on the circuit is applied to the bimetal unit to change a state of the relay from an on state to an off state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the bimetal unit includes

a heating unit generating heat by the current, and

bimetal bent in one direction by the heat.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein when the bimetal is bent in one direction, one terminal portion of the bimetal contacts a contact of the circuit and the current on the circuit is applied to one terminal portion of the bimetal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein when the current on the circuit is applied to the bimetal, a current amount applied to the relay is reduced in the circuit to change the state of the relay from the on state to the off state.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal inversion unit inverting the signal output from the micro controller unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the signal inversion unit inverts a low signal output from the micro controller unit into a high signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the switching unit is a field effect transistor (FET).

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a current measurement unit measuring the current value on the circuit and providing the measured current value to the micro controller unit.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the micro controller unit outputs the first signal when the current value provided from the current measurement unit is more than the predetermined threshold.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the current measurement unit is a shunt resistor.

11. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a fuse unit configured so that an inner part is disconnected by the heat generated from the heating unit in connection with the heating unit.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein when the inner part of the fuse unit is disconnected by the heat, the current applied to the relay is blocked in the circuit.

13. A method for independently controlling a relay using bimetal, the method comprising:

outputting, by a micro controller unit (MCU), a first signal according to whether a current value on a circuit is more than a predetermined threshold;

applying, by a switching unit, specific current to a bimetal unit;

being, by the bimetal unit, shape-transformed by the specific current applied from the switching unit and connected with the circuit; and

changing a state of the relay from an on state to an off state by applying the current on the circuit to the bimetal unit.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

inverting, by a signal inversion unit, the signal output from the micro controller unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the inverting of the signal includes inverting, by the signal inversion unit, a low signal output from the micro controller unit into a high signal.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the being connected with the circuit includes

generating, by a heating unit, the heat by the current,

bending bimetal in one direction by the heat, and

applying the current on the circuit to one terminal portion of the bimetal as one terminal portion of the bimetal contacts a contact of the circuit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the applying of the current on the circuit includes changing the state of the relay from the on state to the off state as a current amount applied to the relay is reduced in the circuit.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

measuring, by a current measurement unit, the current value on the circuit and providing the measured current value to the micro controller unit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the outputting of the first signal according to whether the current value on the circuit is more than a predetermined threshold includes outputting, by the micro controller unit, the first signal when the current value provided from the current measurement unit is more than the predetermined threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the being connected with the circuit further includes being, by an inner part of a fuse unit connected with the heating unit, disconnected by the heat generated from the heating unit in connection with the heating unit.

21. (canceled)