Method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system

• US 9,381,816 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Min, Kyung In, Lee, Yoon Jun, Kim, Dong Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, GARRETT F
• Application Number:
  US14/622,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20160107525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• 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: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system includes: measuring an insulation resistance between a positive electrode or a negative electrode of a battery and a vehicle chassis; turning off each of relays connected between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery and a load when the measured insulation resistance is less than a reference value; re-measuring the insulation resistance; and performing a relay-on sequence for turning on each of the relays when the resistance value of the re-measured insulation resistance is greater than the reference value. A relay reconnection number of the relay-on sequence, based on a repetition of the measuring and re-measuring, is set and limited so as to not exceed a threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system comprising:

measuring an insulation resistance between a positive electrode or a negative electrode of a battery and a vehicle chassis;

turning off each of relays connected between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery and a load when the measured insulation resistance is less than a reference value;

re-measuring the insulation resistance; and

performing a relay-on sequence for turning on each of the relays when the resistance value of the re-measured insulation resistance is greater than the reference value,

wherein a relay reconnection number of the relay-on sequence, based on a repetition of the measuring and re-measuring, is set and limited so as to not exceed a threshold value.

2. The method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system according to claim 1, wherein the reference value is set to a value greater than 100 kΩ

.

3. The method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set to a value greater than 2.

4. The method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a message indicating an off-state of a corresponding system for one or more loads outside the battery system and providing the off-state to an in-vehicle display device, when the re-measured resistance value is greater than the reference value after turning off each of the relays, and when a failure occurrence is detected in which the firstly measured resistance value of the insulation resistance is less than the reference value.

5. The method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system according to claim 4, further comprising:

turning off the corresponding load selected by a user using a dashboard in a vehicle.

6. The method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing the relay-on sequence when the relay is turned off by another cause of failure in the battery management system during the re-measuring of the insulation resistance, when the re-measured resistance value is greater than the reference value, and when the other cause of failure is not detected in the battery management system after turning off the relay.

7. The method for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system according to claim 1, wherein when the re-measured resistance value is less than the reference value, or when the relay reconnection number exceeds the threshold value, the vehicle runs in a limphome mode.

8. A vehicle battery management system comprising:

a counter;

an insulation resistance measurer configured to measure an insulation resistance between a positive electrode or a negative electrode of a battery and a vehicle chassis; and

a controller configured to turn off each of relays connected between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery and a load when the measured insulation resistance is less than a reference value and to perform a relay-on sequence for turning on each of the relays when the resistance value of the insulation resistance, which is re-measured by the insulation resistance measurer, is greater than the reference value,

wherein a coefficient of the counter is increased based on the insulation resistance measurement of the insulation resistance measurer, the insulation resistance re-measurement of the controller, and a repetition of a relay-on sequence, and a relay reconnection number of the relay-on sequence is set to a value less than a threshold value based on the coefficient of the counter.

9. The vehicle battery management system according to claim 8, wherein the reference value is set to a value greater than 100 kΩ

.

10. The vehicle battery management system according to claim 8, wherein the threshold value is set to a value greater than 2.

11. The vehicle battery management system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a display information provider configured to generate a message indicating an off-state of a corresponding system for one or more loads outside the battery system and provide the off-state to an in-vehicle display device, when the re-measured resistance value is greater than the reference value after turning off each of the relays, and when a failure occurrence is detected in which the firstly measured resistance value of the insulation resistance is less than the reference value.

12. The vehicle battery management system according to claim 11, wherein the corresponding load selected by a user using a dashboard in a vehicle is turned off.

13. The vehicle battery management system according to claim 8, wherein the controller performs the relay-on sequence when the relay is turned off by another cause of failure in the controller, when the re-measured resistance value is greater than the reference value, and when the other cause of failure is not detected in the battery management system after turning off the relay.

14. The vehicle battery management system according to claim 8, wherein when the re-measured resistance value is less than the reference value, or when the relay reconnection number exceeds the threshold value, the vehicle runs in a limphome mode.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for reconnecting a relay in a vehicle battery management system, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that measure an insulation resistance between a positive electrode or a negative electrode of a battery and a vehicle chassis;

program instructions that turn off each of relays connected between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery and a load when the measured insulation resistance is less than a reference value;

program instructions that re-measure the insulation resistance; and

program instructions that perform a relay-on sequence for turning on each of the relays when the resistance value of the re-measured insulation resistance is greater than the reference value,

wherein a relay reconnection number of the relay-on sequence, based on a repetition of the measuring and re-measuring, is set and limited so as to not exceed a threshold value.