Fail operational vehicle power supply

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10829066-B2
Application number	US-201715713448-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2017
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

An electrical system can include a power supply configured to provide electrical power to components at a time at which the electrical system experiences an electrical fault. The electrical system can include a first battery electrically coupled in parallel to a second battery via an electrical bus, whereby the first and second batteries can provide electrical power to a first electrical load and a second electrical load. Upon experiencing a fault, a first circuit element can electrically decouple the first battery and the second battery by opening a circuit provided by the electrical bus, thereby isolating the first battery from the second battery. Next, the battery experiencing the fault can include a second circuit element that can electrically decouple the battery experiencing the fault from a respective electrical load, while the battery isolated from the fault can continue to provide electrical power to components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical system configured to supply electric power to a first electric load and a second electric load, the electrical system comprising:
a first battery electrically coupled to the first electric load and a bus;
a second battery electrically coupled to the second electric load and the bus, wherein the first battery and the second battery are electrically coupled in parallel via a connection provided by the bus;
a first circuit element configured to electrically disconnect the connection between the first battery and the second battery provided by the bus at a first time in which a first electrical current associated with the bus is above a first threshold current;
a second circuit element configured to electrically disconnect the first battery from the first electric load at a second time in which a second electrical current output by the first battery is above a second threshold current, wherein the second time is after the first time; and
a third circuit element configured to electrically disconnect the second battery from the second electric load at a third time in which a third electrical current output by the second battery is above a third threshold current;
wherein the first threshold current is lower than the second threshold current and the third threshold current; and
wherein the second threshold current and the third threshold current are substantially identical.

2. The electrical system of claim 1 , wherein the first circuit element is a first switch, the second circuit element is a second switch, the third circuit element is a third switch, the electrical system further comprising:
at least one sensor configured to monitor the first electrical current associated with the bus; and
at least one controller configured to:
receive an indication from the at least one sensor indicative of the first electrical current;
determine that the first electrical current is above the first threshold current; and
control operation of at least the first switch to electrically disconnect the connection between the first battery and the second battery provided by the bus at the first time in which the first electrical current is above the first threshold current.

3. The electrical system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine that the first electrical current is provided by the first battery; and
control operation of the second switch to electrically disconnect the first battery from the first electric load based at least in part on determining that the first electrical current is provided by the first battery.

4. The electrical system of claim 2 , wherein the first switch includes at least one of:
a pyrotechnic fuse; or
a relay.

5. The electrical system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine the first threshold current based at least in part on one or more operational parameters of a vehicle including the electrical system.

6. The electrical system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first circuit element is a first thermal fuse;
the second circuit element is a second thermal fuse; and
the third circuit element is a third thermal fuse.

7. The electrical system of claim 1 , wherein the first electric load includes one or more of:
one or more drive motors;
one or more steering motors;
one or more voltage converters;
one or more computing systems;
one or more air conditioning systems;
one or more heating systems;
one or more braking systems;
one or more lights;
one or more blowers;
one or more audio systems;
one or more charging systems; or
one or more sensors.

8. The electrical system of claim 1 , wherein upon the second circuit element electrically disconnecting the first battery from the first electric load at the second time, the third circuit element is configured to maintain an electrical connection between the second battery and the second electric load.

9. A method of operating an electrical system configured to supply electric power to a first electric load and a second electric load, the method comprising:
electrically decoupling a connection provided by an electrical bus at a first time in which a first electrical current associated output by a first battery or a second battery meets a first threshold current, wherein the first battery and the second battery are electrically coupled in parallel via an electrical bus;
electrically decoupling the first battery from the first electric load at a second time in which a second electrical current output by the first battery is above a second threshold current, wherein the second time is after the first time; and
electrically decoupling the second battery from the second electric load at a third time in which a third electrical current output by the second battery is above a third threshold current.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
monitoring at least the first electrical current; and
providing an indication of the first electrical current to a controller.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising instructing an electrically controllable circuit element to decouple the connection provided by the electrical bus at the first time via an instruction from the controller.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first battery is configured to provide power to the first electric load at the third time at which the second battery is electrically decoupled from the second electric load.

13. A vehicle comprising:
a first battery electrically coupled to a first electric load and a bus;
a second battery electrically coupled to a second electric load and the bus, wherein the first battery and the second battery are electrically coupled in parallel via a connection provided by the bus;
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
electrically disconnecting, by a first circuit element, the connection between the first battery and the second battery provided by the bus at a first time in which a first electrical current associated with the bus is above a first threshold current;
electrically disconnecting, by a second circuit element, the first battery from the first electric load at a second time in which a second electrical current output by the first battery is above a second threshold current, wherein the second time is after the first time; and
electrically disconnecting, by a third circuit element, the second battery from the second electric load at a third time in which a third electrical current output by the second battery is above a third threshold current, wherein:
the first threshold current is lower than the second threshold current and the third threshold current, and
the second threshold current and the third threshold current are substantially identical.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , further comprising a backup power supply configured to provide power to a computing system at a time in which the second circuit element electrically disconnects the first battery from the first electric load.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the first circuit element is a first switch, the second circuit element is a second switch, and the third circuit element is a third switch, the vehicle further comprising:
at least one sensor to monitor the first electrical current or the second electrical current; and
at least one controller to:
receive a signal from the at least one sensor indicative of the f

Assignees

• Zoox Inc

Inventors

• Boecker Moritz
• Booth Bryan
• Foley Kyle Matthew
• Ng Robert
• Kentley-Klay Timothy David

Classifications

• H02J2105/33

  exchanging power with road vehicles · CPC title

• H02J2105/30

  the load networks being external to vehicles, i.e. exchanging power with vehicles · CPC title

• H02J7/80

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/60

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• B60R16/03 Primary

  for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} · CPC title