Safety device for a vehicle and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9634362-B2
Application number	US-201314085990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2013
Priority date	Nov 30, 2012
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A safety device for a vehicle having a battery system with a plurality of battery cells, a method for controlling the safety device, and a system that includes the safety device and the battery system. The safety device includes an electronic unit; a first device configured to detect an insulation resistance between components of the battery system and a reference potential, which components are connected in an electrically conductive manner to at least one battery cell; a second device configured to supply and/or discharge heat to and/or from the battery cells via a heat transfer medium which circulates in at least one circular flow pattern; and at least a first cut-off valve configured to interrupt the circular flow path of the heat transfer medium and which is actuated by the electronic unit from an open position into a closed position when the detected insulation resistance is below a predetermined limit value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A safety device for a vehicle having a battery system with a plurality of battery cells, the safety device comprising:
an electronic unit;
a first device configured to detect an insulation resistance between components of a battery system and a reference potential, the components of the battery system being connected in an electrically conductive manner to at least one of the battery cells;
a reference resistance between the components of the battery system and the reference potential;
a switch electrically coupled between the reference resistance and the components of the battery system;
a second device configured to supply or discharge heat to or from the battery cells via a heat transfer medium which circulates in at least one circular flow pattern; and
at least a first cut-off valve arranged in the circular flow pattern and configured to be actuated by the electronic unit,
wherein, when the detected insulation resistance is below a predetermined limit value, the first cut-off valve is actuated by the electronic unit to interrupt the circular flow pattern of the heat transfer medium.

2. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the circular flow pattern is an open circular flow pattern having a feed flow connection and a return flow connection.

3. The safety device of claim 2 , further comprising a second cut-off valve,
wherein the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve are arranged between the feed flow connection and the return flow connection of the circular flow pattern.

4. The safety device of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve is arranged inside a section of the circular flow pattern adjacent to the battery system.

5. The safety device of claim 3 , wherein the second device comprises a cooling body having a heat transfer medium inlet and a heat transfer medium outlet.

6. The safety device of claim 5 , wherein the first cut-off valve is arranged adjacent to the heat transfer medium inlet and the second cut-off valve is arranged adjacent to the heat transfer medium outlet.

7. The safety device of claim 3 , wherein the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve each comprises an actuating device.

8. The safety device of claim 3 , wherein the first cut-off valve is arranged adjacent to the feed flow connection and the second cut-off valve is arranged adjacent to the return flow connection.

9. The safety device of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve is arranged outside a section of an outer housing.

10. The safety device of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve comprises an electromagnetic actuating device configured to automatically assume a closed position when a mean magnitude of the current flowing through the electromagnetic actuating device is below a predetermined limit value.

11. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises a component of the electronic unit.

12. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer medium comprises a liquid heat transfer medium.

13. The safety device of claim 12 , wherein the heat transfer medium comprises a water-glycol mixture.

14. A system comprising:
a battery system including a plurality of battery cells; and
a safety device for the battery system, the safety device including:
an electronic unit;
a first device configured to detect an insulation resistance between components of the battery system and a reference potential, the components of the battery system being connected in an electrically conductive manner to at least one of the battery cells;
a reference resistance between the components of the battery system and the reference potential;
a switch electrically coupled between the reference resistance and the components of the battery system;
a second device configured to supply or discharge heat to or from the battery cells via a heat transfer medium which circulates in at least one circular flow pattern; and
at least a first cut-off valve arranged in the circular flow pattern of the heat transfer medium and configured to be actuated by the electronic unit,

wherein, when the detected insulation resistance is below a predetermined limit value, the first cut-off valve is actuated by the electronic unit to interrupt the circular flow pattern of the heat transfer medium.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a second cut-off valve,
wherein the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve are arranged between a feed flow connection and a return flow connection of the circular flow pattern.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the second device comprises a cooling body having a heat transfer medium inlet and a heat transfer medium outlet.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the first cut-off valve and the second cut-off valve comprises an electromagnetic actuating device configured to automatically assume a closed position when a mean magnitude of the current flowing through the electromagnetic actuating device is below a predetermined limit value.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first device comprises a component of the electronic unit.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Dämon Peter
• Trathnigg Thomas

Classifications

• H01M10/6568

  characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings · CPC title

• B60L11/1877

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60L11/1874

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60L11/1864

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H01M2200/00

  Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries · CPC title