Detection arrangement, motor vehicle and method for detecting a possible fault in an energy storage of a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024351469-A1
Application number	US-202418631305-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 10, 2024
Priority date	Apr 20, 2023
Publication date	Oct 24, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A detection arrangement for detecting a possible fault of an energy storage device of a motor vehicle. The detection arrangement has an underride guard, a sensor arranged on or integrated into the same, and a control device for detecting at least two different possible fault cases including a possible first fault case and a possible second fault case, and for determining based on a measurement signal received from the sensor, whether the possible first or second fault case is present. At least one first reaction measure is assigned to the possible first fault case and at least one second reaction measure, which is different from the first, is assigned to the possible second fault case.

First claim

1 . A detection arrangement for detecting a possible fault case of an energy storage of a motor vehicle, comprising:
an underride guard, at least one first sensor arranged on the underride guard or integrated into the underride guard, a control device which is designed to detect at least two different specific possible fault cases, comprising a possible first fault case and a possible second fault case, and depending on a measurement signal received from the at least one first sensor, to determine whether the possible first fault case is present or whether the possible second fault case is present, at least one first reaction measure is assigned to the possible first fault case and at least one second reaction measure, which differs from the first reaction measure, is assigned to the possible second fault case, wherein the control device is designed to initiate the first reaction measure if the control device has determined that the possible first fault case is present, and to initiate the second reaction measure if the control device has determined that the possible second fault case is present.

2 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the possible first and possible second fault case differ in terms of their type and/or severity.

3 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first sensor is designed as:
at least one temperature sensor; and/or at least one deformation and intrusion sensor for detecting a deformation of the underride guard and/or the intrusion of an object into or through the underride guard; and/or at least one harmful gas sensor for detecting harmful gases emerging from the energy storage; and/or at least one moisture and/or liquid sensor for detecting moisture and/or liquid on the underride guard.

4 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the detection arrangement has the energy storage, which comprises a storage housing with a housing base, and multiple storage cells arranged in the storage housing, wherein the detection arrangement has a gas discharge channel for discharging harmful gas emerging from at least one of the storage cells, wherein at least part of the gas discharge channel is provided by a space between the underride guard and the housing base.

5 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the detection arrangement comprises multiple first sensors, and the control device is designed to determine, depending on multiple measurement signals provided by the respective first sensors, whether the possible first or the possible second fault case is present.

6 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is designed to detect the first and/or second possible fault case, additionally as a function of a second measurement signal which can be provided by at least one second sensor which is arranged within the energy storage.

7 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one possible first and possible second fault case each represent at least one of the following fault cases:
damage to a cooling device of the energy storage device and/or leakage of cooling liquid from the cooling device; an intrusion of an object into the energy storage; a mechanical deformation of the energy storage, in particular of the storage housing; an abnormal cell state of a storage cell, in particular a state parameter lying outside a predetermined target range, for example a cell temperature and/or a cell pressure; an outgassing of at least one storage cell of the energy storage; a thermal runaway of one or more storage cells of the energy storage.

8 . The detection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second response measures each represent at least one of the following:
outputting information on an output device, in particular of the motor vehicle or a mobile communication device assigned to a user or owner of the motor vehicle; safely shut-down of the entire energy storage device, in particular an entire high-voltage electrical system of the motor vehicle; safely shut-down of a battery bank of multiple energy banks included in the energy storage; increasing a cooling performance of a cooling device for cooling the energy storage, in particular increasing a cooling performance in a sub-region of the cooling device, which corresponds to a sub-region of the energy storage for which the possible fault case was detected, or increasing a cooling capacity for increased cooling of the entire energy storage device; reducing the performance of consumers of the motor vehicle and/or limiting the total power that can be extracted from the energy storage device; limiting a charging power for charging the energy storage; interrupting and/or preventing a charging process for charging the energy storage device; initiating an extinguishing measure, in particular flooding the energy storage.

9 . A motor vehicle with a detection arrangement according to claim 1 .

10 . A method for detecting a possible fault case of an energy storage of a motor vehicle by a detection arrangement comprising:
an underride guard, at least one first sensor arranged on the underride guard or integrated into the underride guard, a control device which is designed to detect at least two different specific possible fault cases, comprising a possible first fault case and a possible second fault case, and depending on a measurement signal received from the at least one first sensor, to determine whether the possible first fault case is present or whether the possible second fault case is present, and at least one first reaction measure is assigned to the possible first fault case and at least one second reaction measure, which differs from the first reaction measure, is assigned to the possible second fault case, wherein the control device initiates the first reaction measure if the control device has determined that the possible first fault case is present, and initiates the second reaction measure if the control device has determined that the possible second fault case is present.

11 . The detection arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one first sensor is designed as:
at least one temperature sensor; and/or at least one deformation and intrusion sensor for detecting a deformation of the underride guard and/or the intrusion of an object into or through the underride guard; and/or at least one harmful gas sensor for detecting harmful gases emerging from the energy storage; and/or at least one moisture and/or liquid sensor for detecting moisture and/or liquid on the underride guard.

12 . The detection arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the detection arrangement has the energy storage, which comprises a storage housing with a housing base, and multiple storage cells arranged in the storage housing, wherein the detection arrangement has a gas discharge channel for discharging harmful gas emerging from at least one of the storage cells, wherein at least part of the gas discharge channel is provided by a space between the underride guard and the housing base.

13 . The detection arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the detection arrangement has the energy storage, which comprises a storage housing with a housing base, and multiple storage cells arranged in the storage housing, wherein the detection arrangement has a gas discharge channel for discharging harmful gas emerging from at least one of the storage cells, wherein at least part of the gas discharge channel is provided by a space between the underride guard and the housing base.

14 . The

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Achhammer Florian
• Lorenz Carsten
• Schneider Paul
• Schüssler Martin

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · 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

• B60L3/04

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

• B60L3/0046

  relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors · CPC title

• B60L3/0007 Primary

  Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions · CPC title