Dynamically disconnectable battery system for a motor vehicle and method for operating a dynamically disconnectable battery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11075412-B2
Application number	US-201916353284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2018
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A dynamically disconnectable battery system for a motor vehicle, including a plurality of battery cells, having a respective battery cell housing with electrical connections by which the battery cells are electrically interconnected. In the battery cell housings there is arranged a respective cell branch connecting the connections to a galvanic cell. Each cell branch includes a switching element for opening and closing the cell branch; the battery system includes a control device, which is configured to actuate all the switching elements of the cell branches for the opening of the switching elements when the control device has received a danger signal from at least one sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dynamically disconnectable battery system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of battery cells, having a respective battery cell housing with electrical connections by which the battery cells are electrically interconnected, wherein in the battery cell housings there is arranged a respective cell branch connecting the connections to a galvanic cell, wherein
each cell branch has a switching element for opening and closing the cell branch; and
the battery system has a control device in communication with at least one sensor, wherein the control device is programmed to actuate all the switching elements of the cell branches to open the switching elements when the control device receives a danger signal from the at least one sensor above a first threshold,
wherein each battery cell includes at least one internal sensor integrated with a microcontroller in communication with the control device, each microcontroller programmed to actuate the switching element of its respective battery cell to open directly if the integrated microcontroller determines that the danger signal received from the at least one internal sensor is above a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

2. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a crash sensor wherein the control device is programmed to receive the danger signal from the crash sensor.

3. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensors are shock sensors, gyrometers and/or acceleration sensors.

4. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the battery system has at least one contactor for disconnecting a plus pole from a minus pole of the battery system, wherein the control device is programmed to actuate the contactor for opening the contactor if the control device has received the danger signal.

5. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the control device is programmed to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches for opening the switching elements only if the contactor has been opened.

6. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each battery cell housings has a respective bypass branch for bypassing the respective galvanic cell and each bypass branch has a bypass switching element for opening and closing the bypass branch, wherein the control device is programmed to actuate the switching elements and the bypass switching elements to open if the control device has received the danger signal above the first threshold.

7. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the control device is programmed to actuate the switching elements to close the switching elements after the opening of the switching elements and bypass switching elements if the battery cells are functioning fault-free and the bypass switching elements are still opened.

8. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the control device is programmed to actuate the bypass switching elements to close the bypass switching elements after the opening of the switching elements and bypass switching elements if the battery cells are not functioning fault-free and the switching elements are still opened.

9. The dynamically disconnectable battery system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one internal sensor of each battery cell detects whether the battery cells are fault-free and transmits this data to the control device.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Hinterberger Michael
• Hellenthal Berthold

Classifications

• H02J2105/30

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

• H02J7/667

  disconnection of loads if battery is not under charge, e.g. in vehicle if engine is not running · CPC title

• B60L3/04 Primary

  Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title