Vehicle backup electrical power system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10752116-B2
Application number	US-201815922989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2018
Priority date	Mar 16, 2018
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

An electrical power system for a vehicle includes an interface electrically connected to a node and a battery electrically connected to the interface. The interface includes circuit elements that permit current flow between the battery and the node when and only when the voltage of the node is below a threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical power system for a vehicle comprising:
an interface electrically connected to a node; and
a battery electrically connected to the interface;
wherein the interface includes circuit elements that permit current flow between the battery and the node when and only when a voltage of the node is below a threshold;
the circuit elements include a plurality of field-effect transistors and a plurality of comparators each paired with a respective one of the field-effect transistors;
each field-effect transistor includes a source, a drain, and a gate;
each comparator includes two inputs and an output;
for each field-effect transistor, one of the source or the drain is directly electrically connected to the node, and the other of the source or the drain is directly electrically connected to a same terminal of the battery;
for each comparator, one input is directly electrically connected to the node, and the other input is directly electrically connected to a reference node; and
for each pairing of one field-effect transistor and one comparator, the gate of the field-effect transistor is directly electrically connected to the output of the comparator.

2. The electrical power system of claim 1 , further comprising a control module, wherein the interface is communicatively coupled to the control module.

3. The electrical power system of claim 2 , wherein the circuit elements of the interface transmit a signal to the control module when the voltage of the node is below the threshold.

4. The electrical power system of claim 3 , wherein the control module is programmed to instruct a vehicle computer to put the vehicle in a minimal risk condition in response to the voltage of the node being below the threshold.

5. The electrical power system of claim 4 , wherein putting the vehicle in the minimal risk condition is driving the vehicle to a roadside.

6. The electrical power system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit elements of the interface include an or-gate electrically connected to each of the field-effect transistors.

7. The electrical power system of claim 6 , further comprising a control module, wherein the or-gate is electrically connected to the control module.

8. The electrical power system of claim 6 , wherein the or-gate includes a plurality of inputs and an output, and the outputs of the comparators are directly electrically connected to the inputs of the or-gate.

9. The electrical power system of claim 8 , further comprising a control module, wherein the output of the or-gate is directly electrically connected to the control module.

10. The electrical power system of claim 9 , wherein the control module is programmed to instruct a vehicle computer to put the vehicle in a minimal risk condition in response to a signal from the or-gate.

11. The electrical power system of claim 10 , wherein putting the vehicle in the minimal risk condition is driving the vehicle to a roadside.

12. The electrical power system of claim 8 , further comprising means for putting the vehicle in a minimal risk condition in response to a signal from the or-gate.

13. The electrical power system of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a first battery, the electrical power system further comprising a second battery electrically connected to the node.

14. The electrical power system of claim 1 , further comprising means for putting the vehicle in a minimal risk condition in response to the voltage of the node being below the threshold.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Symanow David Anthony
• Siciak Ray C
• Awad Alla Michael Adel
• Dagher Sami

Classifications

• H02J2105/33

  exchanging power with road vehicles · CPC title

• B60L1/00 Primary

  Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) · CPC title

• B60R16/033 Primary

  characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) · CPC title

• B60L3/0092 Primary

  with use of redundant elements for safety purposes · CPC title

• B60L50/60

  using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) · CPC title