Device for detecting welding of relay

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10114059-B2
Application number	US-201815973734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	Sep 13, 2012
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

In the present invention, the connection between an external power supply and a unit for detecting welding of a relay is disestablished at least when a short circuit is detected, thereby preventing the short circuit from being falsely detected in the event that the short circuit and the welding of the relay can both be detected. A device for detecting welding of a relay detects welding of a relay provided to a path via which a cell is charged by an external power supply. Welding of a power-supply-side relay or a ground-side relay is detected on the basis of a current flowing disproportionately more toward the external power supply than the power-supply-side relay or ground-side relay when a control unit has deactivated the power-supply-side relay or ground-side relay during an interrupting in charging. A disconnecting switch establishes or disestablishes the connection between the external power supply and a weld-detection switch.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A relay welding detection apparatus that detects welding of a relay provided to a charging path extending from an external power supply to a storage battery, the external power supply including an electrical leakage detection section, wherein:
the charging path comprises a positive-terminal-side power line and a negative-terminal-side power line,
the relay comprises a power-supply-side relay provided on the positive-terminal-side power line and a ground-side relay provided on the negative-terminal-side power line,
the electrical leakage detection section detects electrical leakage when the power-supply-side relay and the ground-side relay are turned off, and
the relay welding detection apparatus comprises:
a detection circuit that is provided on a path connecting a portion of the positive-terminal-side power line that extends from the power-supply-side relay toward the external power supply and a portion of the negative-terminal-side power line that extends from the ground-side relay toward the external power supply; and
a connection interrupting circuit that is provided on the path connecting the portion of the positive-terminal-side power line that extends from the power-supply-side relay toward the external power supply and the portion of the negative-terminal-side power line that extends from the ground-side relay toward the external power supply, the connection interrupting circuit being provided in series with the detection circuit.

2. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the connection interrupting circuit electrically interrupts the path when detection of electrical leakage is performed.

3. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection circuit detects whether or not a current of at least a predetermined value from the storage battery has flowed on the path.

4. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the connection interrupting circuit electrically interrupts the path when detection of welding of the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay is not performed, and
the connection interrupting circuit electrically connects the path when the detection of welding of the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay is performed.

5. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the detection circuit is connected to the portion of the positive-terminal-side power line that extends from the power-supply-side relay toward the external power supply, and
the connection interrupting circuit is connected between the detection circuit and the portion of the negative-terminal-side power line that extends from the ground-side relay toward the external power supply.

6. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the detection circuit comprises a first photocoupler, and
the connection interrupting circuit comprises a second photocoupler.

7. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the first photocoupler comprises a first light-emitting diode and a first phototransistor, an anode terminal of the first light-emitting diode being connected to the portion of the positive-terminal-side power line that extends from the power-supply-side relay toward the external power supply, a cathode terminal of the first light-emitting diode being connected to the second photocoupler, and
the second photocoupler comprises a second light-emitting diode and a second phototransistor, a collector terminal of the second phototransistor being connected to the cathode terminal of the first light-emitting diode, an emitter terminal of the second phototransistor being connected to the portion of the negative-terminal-side power line that extends from the ground-side relay toward the external power supply.

8. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
a collector terminal of the first phototransistor is connected to a controller that detects welding,
an emitter terminal of the first phototransistor is connected to a ground,
an anode terminal of the second light-emitting diode is connected to the controller, and
a cathode terminal of the second light-emitting diode is connected to the ground.

9. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the first light-emitting diode lights up when a current of at least a predetermined value flows,
the first phototransistor conducts when the first light-emitting diode lights up and does not conduct when the first light-emitting diode does not light up,
the second light-emitting diode lights up upon receiving a control signal from the controller, and
the second phototransistor conducts when the second light-emitting diode lights up and does not conduct when the second light-emitting diode does not light up.

10. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the controller controls light emitting and detects welding of the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay based on a detection result of a voltage that varies between cases where the first phototransistor conducts and does not conduct, and
the controller is electrically insulated from the external power supply by the first photocoupler and the second photocoupler.

11. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the controller:
controls the second light-emitting diode to light up in a state where the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay are turned off during stop of charging when supplying power from the external power supply to the storage battery is not performed, and
detects welding of the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay based on a voltage change in a case where a current of at least a predetermined value flows through the first light-emitting diode, and thereby the first light-emitting diode lights up and the first phototransistor conducts.

12. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a resistor provided in series with the detection circuit and the connection interrupting circuit, and at the positive-terminal-side power line on the path.

13. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the positive-terminal-side power line connects a power-supply-side terminal of a power supply connection section for connecting with the external power supply and a positive terminal of the storage battery, and
the negative-terminal-side power line connects a ground-side terminal of the power supply connection section and a negative terminal of the storage battery.

14. The relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a controller that detects welding of the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay based on a detection result of the detection circuit in a state where the power-supply-side relay and/or the ground-side relay are turned off during stop of charging when supplying power from the external power supply to the storage battery is not performed.

15. A vehicle comprising the relay welding detection apparatus according to claim 3 .

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mochizuki Kento
• Tazaki Shintaro

Classifications

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• H01H47/002

  Monitoring or fail-safe circuits · CPC title

• H01H47/00

  Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the relay and designed to obtain desired operating characteristics or to provide energising current · CPC title

• B60L3/0069

  relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current · CPC title

• G01R31/68

  Testing of releasable connections, e.g. of terminals mounted on a printed circuit board · CPC title