Detection of short circuits in a vehicle

• US 7,282,811 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Niska, Mats, Nygren, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherry; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US11/308,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20060193097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 307/10.7, 324/522, 702/58, 702/64, 702/177, 702/183, 702/185, 340/636.15, 340/660, 340/438, 340/636.1, 320/133
• US Class Current: 307/10.7
• 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 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for the detection of shorts circuits in the electrical system in a vehicle provided with a battery comprising—measuring and storing the value of the battery voltage at a first moment in time,—measuring the value of the battery voltage at a second moment in time,—comparing the values of the battery voltage at the first and second moments in time,—checking, if the battery voltages at the two moments in time differ from each other by more than a predetermined value, whether one or several of certain predefined systems in the vehicle have been engaged during the interval of time between the first and the second moments in time, with a short circuit being assumed to have taken place if none of the systems in the vehicle have been engaged during the interval of time.

Claims

1. A method for the detection of short circuits in the electrical system in a vehicle provided with a battery, comprising:

measuring and storing a value of a battery voltage at a first moment in time;

measuring and storing a value of the battery voltage at a second moment in time;

comparison of the values of the battery voltages at the first and second moments in time;

checking if the battery voltages at the first and the second moments in time differ from each other by more than a predetermined value, and checking whether at least one of certain predefined systems in the vehicle have been engaged during an interval of time between the first and the second moments in time; and

generating a message indicative of a short circuit if the battery voltages at the first and second moments in time differ from each other by more than a predetermined value and if none of the certain predefined systems in the vehicle have been engaged during the time interval.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising carrying out the method continually while the vehicle is in operation.

3. An arrangement for detection of short circuits in an electrical system in a vehicle provided with a battery, comprising:

means for measuring and storing a value of the battery voltage at a first moment in time;

means for measuring the value of the battery voltage at a second moment in time;

means for comparing the values of the battery voltage at the first and second moments in time;

means arranged to check if the battery voltages at the first and the second moments in time differ from each other by more than a predetermined value, and means arranged to check whether at least one of certain predefined systems in the vehicle have been engaged during an interval of time between the first and the second moments in time; and

means for generating a signal indicative of a short circuit if the battery voltages generated at the first and second moments in time differ from each other by more than the predetermined value and if none of the certain predefined systems in the vehicle have been engaged during the time interval.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein an electronic control unit comprises at least one of the measuring means, the comparing means, and the signal generating means.