Modular unit connectable to the battery of a vehicle for monitoring its condition and protecting the electrical system of said vehicle

• US 7,164,272 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lear Automotive EEDS Spain SL (Lear Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lear Automotive EEDS Spain SL (Lear Corporation)
• Inventors: Borrego Bel, Carles, Fontanilles Pinas, Joan, Vall Gendre, Gerard, Guasch Murillo, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Easthom; Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRANT, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US10/398,860
• Time in Patent Office: 2,286 Days
• Field of Search: 320/128, 320/104, 320/136, 324/426, 324/429, 324/434
• US Class Current: 324/429
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0239 Electronic boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/04 Arrangement of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• 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 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Modular unit connectable to a battery for monitoring its condition and protecting, including a housing which is directly connectable to the B battery posts of by means of receptor terminals clamped to said posts, the housing containing a first BD module, used to perform a disconnection of the supply of energy from said B battery; a second electronic module BM, used for a dynamic measurement of the B battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH) and charge (SOC); a third electronic LCM module, used to control and manage all or part of the charges that supply said B battery, and a fourth electronic PDFS module, used to control the distribution of power supplied by said B battery.

Claims

1. Modular unit connectable to a battery for monitoring its condition and protection, of the kind that includes a housing which is directly connectable to the B battery posts by means of terminal receptors clamped to said posts, the housing containing at least a first BD module used to disconnect the power supply from said B battery, characterised in that it also comprises:

a second electronic BM module, used for a dynamic measurement of the battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH); and

charge (SOC); and

a third electronic LCM module, used to control and manage all or part of the charges that supply said B battery;

wherein said second electronic BM module dynamically measures the B battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH) and charge (SOC) based on the measurement of the sinusoidal voltage increase when a sinusoidal current is added to the normal charging and discharging B battery current.

2. Unit in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that said fist power supply disconnecting module is connected to and controlled by said third electronic LCM module, to the effect that the BD module is activated to perform an automatic disconnection in response to a request from the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system, in the case of an accident, detection of overcurrent or other anomaly in said vehicle'"'"'s electrical distribution networks connected to said battery or associated with the same.

3. Unit in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that it integrates a fourth electronic PDFS module, used to control the distribution of power supplied by said B battery.

4. Unit in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that it integrates a fourth electronic PDFS module, used to control the distribution of power supplied by said B battery.

5. Unit in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that the two said BM and LCM modules are arranged as one single integrated unit on a printed circuit board making up a circuit prepared for the logical interpretation of received signals, for the handling of these and for the execution of signals used to operate various electromechanical devices or solid state semiconductors, the unit incorporating at least a microprocessor or microcontroller, which is associated to corresponding bus control modules to manage the charges.

6. Unit in accordance with claim 3, characterised in that the three 3M, LCM and PDFS modules are arranged as one single integrated unit on a printed circuit board making up a mixed power and signal circuit prepared for the logical interpretation of received signals, for the handling of these and for the execution of signals used to operate various electromechanical devices, solid state semiconductors or other components of the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system, the unit incorporating at least a microprocessor or microcontroller, which is associated to corresponding bus control modules to manage the charges.

7. Unit in accordance with claim 6, characterised in that said first electronic module comprises a switching device activated by elevated flows of current, designed to partially or completely isolate the electrical system associated with said B battery, the device being directly connected by one of its terminals to one of the B battery posts and controlled by means of a signal transmitted from said third charging control and management LCM module.

8. Unit in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that said second electronic BM module integrates means of controlling the supply and management of various devices installed inside the B battery, such as thermal conditioning devices and measuring probes.

9. Unit in accordance with claim 4, characterised in that the unit is equipped with

a high power BF fuse inserted between said first B battery disconnecting BD module and said fourth electronic PDFS module, used to control the distribution of power in the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system.

15. Unit in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that

said third electronic LCM module is controlled by the same microprocessor/microcontroller which is in charge of the second electronic BM module including a control algorithm, and said LCM module is connected to a data exchange system using a bus of the vehicle, such as a CAN bus.

16. Unit as in one of claims 1 or 3–

6,

wherein said housing covers the upper part of the B battery, is clamped to the two posts, and is provided with detachable means of attachment having hooks that engage a peripheral edge of the B battery body.

17. Unit in accordance with one of the claims 1–

6, characterised in that said B battery disconnecting module works automatically and is reversible.

18. Unit in accordance with claim 1, 3, or 4, characterised in that said B battery forms part of an the vehicle'"'"'s electrical distribution system, using networks working at two different voltage levels, or a dual voltage system.

19. Unit in accordance with claim 18, characterised in that said B battery is the battery with the highest voltage of the dual voltage system.

10. Modular unit connectable to a battery for monitoring its condition and protection, of the kind that includes a housing which is directly connectable to the B battery posts by means of terminal receptors clamped to said posts, the housing containing at least a first BD module used to disconnect the power supply from said B battery, characterised in that it also comprises:

a second electronic BM module, used for a dynamic measurement of the battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH); and

charge (SOC); and

a third electronic LCM module used to control and manage all or part of the charges that supply said B battery;

wherein said first power supply disconnecting module is connected to and controlled by said third electronic LCM module, to the effect that the BD module is activated to perform an automatic disconnection in response to a request from the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system, in the case of an accident, detection of overcurrent or other anomaly in said vehicle'"'"'s electrical distribution networks connected to said battery or associated with the same;

wherein the two said BM and LCM modules are arranged as one single integrated unit on a printed circuit board making up a circuit prepared for the logical interpretation of received signals, for the handling of these and for the execution of signals used to operate various electromechanical devices or solid state semiconductors, the unit incorporating at least a microprocessor or microcontroller, which is associated to corresponding bus control modules to manage the charges; and

wherein said second electronic BM module, used for a dynamic measurement of the B battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH) and charge (SOC), is based on the measurement of the sinusoidal voltage increase when a sinusoidal current is added to the normal charging and discharging B battery current, said BM module including an intensity generator set up to induce a sinusoidal current of a predetermined frequency to the B battery posts, as well as a voltage terminal connecting said B battery posts to an amplifying device and a filtering unit, the latter receiving the frequency values of said induced current.

12. Unit in accordance with claim 10, characterised in that said second module includes, furthermore, a probe for measuring the interior temperature of the B battery.

14. Unit in accordance with claims 12 or 13, characterised in that it is provided with A/D converters to introduce the values resulting from B battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH)/charge (SOC) measurement as well as temperature into said microprocessor or microcontroller of which there are at least one.

11. Modular unit connectable to a battery for monitoring its condition and protection, of the kind that includes a housing which is directly connectable to the B battery posts by means of terminal receptors clamped to said posts, the housing containing at least a first BD module used to disconnect the power supply from said B battery, characterised in that it also comprises:

a second electronic BM module, used for a dynamic measurement of the battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH); and

charge (SOC); and

a third electronic LCM module, used to control and manage all or part of the charges that supply said B battery; and

a fourth electronic PDFS module, used to control the distribution of power supplied by said B battery;

wherein the three 3M, LCM and PDFS modules are arranged as one single integrated unit on a printed circuit board making up a mixed power and signal circuit prepared for the logical interpretation of received signals, for the handling of these and for the execution of signals used to operate various electromechanical devices, solid state semiconductors or other components of the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system, the unit incorporating at least a microprocessor or microcontroller, which is associated to corresponding bus control modules to manage the charges; and

wherein said second electronic BM module, used for a dynamic measurement of the B battery'"'"'s state of health (SOH) and charge (SOC), is based on the measurement of the sinusoidal voltage increase when a sinusoidal current is added to the normal charging and discharging B battery current, said BM module including an intensity generator set up to induce a sinusoidal current of a predetermined frequency to the B battery posts, as well as a voltage terminal connecting said B battery posts to an amplifying device and a filtering unit, the latter receiving the frequency values of said induced current.

13. Unit in accordance with claim 11, characterised in that said second module includes, furthermore, a probe for measuring the interior temperature of the B battery.