Safety apparatus for battery of vehicle and method for operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10093185-B2
Application number	US-201615365053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Aug 13, 2014
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a safety apparatus for a battery pack, the safety apparatus having a fixed housing fixed to a vehicle body, a movable housing movably disposed within the fixed housing in order to be able to move due to external impact, an impact sensor disposed within the fixed housing so as to be fractured due to a movement of the movable housing, an elastic member configured to provide a restoring force to the movable housing after the external impact, and a fracture part which is formed to extend within the movable housing toward the impact sensor to fracture the impact sensor by the movement of the movable housing, the method comprising:
detecting, by a controller, an external collision;
determining, by the controller, whether a sensed voltage, sensed by the controller, is 0V; and
requesting, by the controller, a power relay assembly (PRA) to be turned off when the sensed voltage is 0V,
wherein in determining whether the sensed voltage is 0V, when the impact sensor is fractured by the fracture part, the sensed voltage as determined by a battery management system of the battery pack is 0V.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
requesting, by the controller, that a warning lamp be turned on in response to the sensed voltage being 0V.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lim Hae Kyu

Classifications

• B60R21/017 Primary

  including arrangements for providing electric power to safety arrangements {or their actuating means, e.g. to pyrotechnic fuses or electro-mechanic valves} · CPC title

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• B60Y2300/26

  Dangerous conditions · CPC title

• B60R19/00

  Wheel guards; Radiator guards, {e.g. grilles}; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions ({reinforcement elements for side doors B60J5/0412; } mudguards B62D) · CPC title

• H01M2010/4271

  Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing · CPC title