Method for automatic energy discharge of a battery pack via internal battery electronics post crash event

摘要

A system and method for individually discharging battery cells in a high voltage vehicle battery. The system includes a battery controller that monitors and controls the state-of-charge of each of the battery cells and a cell balancing circuit for maintaining the charge of the cells substantially equal. The controller receives a signal from a vehicle crash detector indicating that the vehicle has been in a crash, and in response instructs the cell balancing circuit to discharge all of the battery cells.

主权项

1. A method for discharging a vehicle battery having a plurality of battery cells on a vehicle in response to a vehicle damaging event, said vehicle including a battery controller that controls a state-of-charge (SOC) of each of the battery cells and a separate battery cell balancing circuit for each of the battery cells that is operable to discharge each battery cell separate from the other battery cells to balance the SOC of the battery cells, said method comprising:
detecting that the vehicle damaging event has occurred; providing an event signal to the battery controller instructing the battery controller that the damaging event has occurred; turning on each of the cell balancing circuits for all of the battery cells to cause the battery cells to discharge in response to the event signal, where a battery module circuit, in response to a signal from the battery controller, controls discharge of all of the battery cells contained in a battery module on the vehicle, and the battery module circuit includes the cell balancing circuit and a cell voltage monitoring circuit for each battery cell in the battery module; and controlling the discharge of the battery cells.