Vehicle battery housing including explosive fuse compartment

Abstract

The invention discloses a vehicle battery housing including an explosive fuse compartment. An example vehicle battery module includes a battery housing of a vehicle, the battery housing including a plurality of walls defining an interior of the battery housing; at least one battery located in the interior of the battery housing, the at least one battery configured to provide power for the vehicle; an explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery; and a compartment on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery case, the compartment defining a space separated from an interior of the battery case. A space defined by the compartment is accessible from the exterior of the battery housing without accessing the interior of the battery housing, and the explosive fuse is located in the space defined by the compartment.

Description

[0001] The information provided in this section is for the purpose of presenting the general background of this disclosure. The work of the currently named inventors, to the extent described in this section, and in all aspects of that description which at the time of filing may not be regarded as prior art, is neither expressly nor implicitly considered prior art to this disclosure. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to vehicle battery housings including pyrofuse compartments. Background Technology

[0003] Electric vehicles consist of a vehicle battery module that powers the vehicle's electrical components, such as the electric motor. Vehicle battery modules often operate at high voltages and sometimes require maintenance by technicians. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The example vehicle battery module includes a battery housing for the vehicle, the battery housing comprising: a plurality of walls defining an interior of the battery housing; at least one battery located within the interior of the battery housing, the at least one battery configured to provide power for the vehicle; an explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery; and a compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery housing, the compartment defining a space separated from the interior of the battery housing. The space defined by the compartment can be accessed from the outside of the battery housing without approaching the interior of the battery housing, and the explosive fuse is located within the space defined by the compartment.

[0005] In some examples, the explosive fuse is positioned adjacent to the outer wall of the battery casing to allow for maintenance of the explosive fuse independently of any other parts of the battery module and without removing any other parts of the battery module.

[0006] In some examples, the battery casing includes a battery disconnect unit (BDU) with a plastic housing, and an explosive fuse is positioned adjacent to the outer wall of the battery disconnect unit.

[0007] In some examples, the explosive fuse is configured to disconnect the busbar connection to at least one battery in response to a fuse trigger state.

[0008] In some examples, the vehicle battery module includes a proximity panel that is removably coupled to the compartment. In some examples, the surface of the proximity panel is parallel to the plane of at least one of the plurality of walls.

[0009] In some examples, the compartment defines an opening along the surface of at least one of the plurality of walls, and the access panel is removably coupled to the opening of the compartment via a friction fit.

[0010] In some examples, the compartment includes five walls and an open side, the five walls separating the space defined by the compartment from the interior of the battery casing, and the open side exposing the exterior of the battery casing.

[0011] In some examples, each wall of the compartment includes an electrically insulating material. In some examples, the electrically insulating material is plastic.

[0012] In some examples, the explosive fuse includes: at least one finger-proof male connector with an IPXXB rating; and at least one finger-proof male connector with an insulated bolt, the finger-proof male connector having an IPXXB rating.

[0013] In some examples, the compartment is a first compartment and the explosive fuse is a first explosive fuse, and the vehicle battery module further includes a second compartment located on at least one of a plurality of walls of the battery housing, the second compartment defining a space separated from the interior of the battery housing, wherein the space defined by the second compartment can be accessed from the outside of the battery housing without approaching the interior of the battery housing, and the second explosive fuse is located in the space defined by the compartment.

[0014] In some examples, the first and second compartments are located on the same wall among multiple walls of the battery casing.

[0015] In some examples, the compartment is configured to facilitate replacement of the explosive fuse without accessing the interior of the battery casing. In other examples, the compartment is configured to facilitate replacement of the explosive fuse while the vehicle battery module is energized.

[0016] In some examples, the compartment is configured to facilitate replacement of the explosive fuse without removing the vehicle's battery module. In some examples, the compartment is rectangular.

[0017] The example vehicle battery module includes a battery housing for the vehicle, the battery housing comprising: a plurality of walls defining the interior of the battery housing; at least one battery located within the interior of the battery housing, the at least one battery being configured to provide power for the vehicle; an explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery; a compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery housing; and a proximity panel removably coupled to the compartment, wherein the explosive fuse is located within the compartment.

[0018] In some examples, the surface near the panel is parallel to the plane of at least one of the multiple walls of the battery casing.

[0019] In some examples, the compartment defines an opening along the surface of at least one of the plurality of walls, and the access panel is removably coupled to the opening of the compartment via a friction fit.

[0020] The present invention also discloses the following technical solutions:

[0021] Option 1. A vehicle battery module, comprising:

[0022] A battery housing for a vehicle, the battery housing including a plurality of walls defining the interior of the battery housing;

[0023] At least one battery located inside the battery housing, the at least one battery being configured to provide power for the vehicle;

[0024] An explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery; and

[0025] A compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery housing, the compartment defining a space separated from the interior of the battery housing, wherein,

[0026] The space defined by the compartment can be accessed from the outside of the battery housing without approaching the interior of the battery housing, and

[0027] The explosive fuse is located in the space defined by the compartment.

[0028] Option 2. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the explosive fuse is positioned adjacent to the outer wall of the battery housing so as to be maintained independently of any other part of the battery module and without removing any other part of the battery module.

[0029] Option 3. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein:

[0030] The battery casing includes a battery disconnect unit (BDU) with a plastic casing; and

[0031] The explosive fuse is positioned adjacent to the outer wall of the battery disconnection unit.

[0032] Option 4. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the explosive fuse is configured to disconnect the busbar connection to the at least one battery in response to a fuse trigger state.

[0033] Option 5. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1 further includes a proximity panel, the proximity panel being removably coupled to the compartment.

[0034] Option 6. The vehicle battery module according to Option 5, wherein the surface of the proximity panel is parallel to the plane of at least one of the plurality of walls.

[0035] Option 7. The vehicle battery module according to Option 5, wherein:

[0036] The compartment defines an opening along the surface of at least one of the plurality of walls; and

[0037] The access panel is removably attached to the opening in the compartment via a friction fit.

[0038] Option 8. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the compartment includes five walls and an open side, the five walls separating the space defined by the compartment from the interior of the battery housing, and the open side exposing the exterior of the battery housing.

[0039] Option 9. The vehicle battery module according to Option 8, wherein each wall of the compartment includes an electrically insulating material.

[0040] Option 10. The vehicle battery module according to Option 9, wherein the electrical insulating material is plastic.

[0041] Option 11. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the explosive fuse comprises:

[0042] At least one anti-fingerprint connector with an IPXXB rating; and

[0043] At least one anti-finger male connector with an insulating bolt, the anti-finger male connector having an IPXXB rating.

[0044] Option 12. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the compartment is a first compartment and the explosive fuse is a first explosive fuse, and the vehicle battery module further includes:

[0045] A second compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery housing, the second compartment defining a space separated from the interior of the battery housing.

[0046] The space defined by the second compartment is accessible from the outside of the battery housing without approaching the interior of the battery housing, and the second explosive fuse is located in the space defined by the compartment.

[0047] Option 13. The vehicle battery module according to Option 12, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment are located on the same wall of the plurality of walls of the battery housing.

[0048] Option 14. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the compartment is configured to facilitate replacement of the explosive fuse without accessing the interior of the battery housing.

[0049] Option 15. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the compartment is configured to facilitate the replacement of the explosive fuse while the vehicle battery module is energized.

[0050] Option 16. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the compartment is configured to facilitate replacement of the explosive fuse without disassembling the vehicle battery module.

[0051] Option 17. The vehicle battery module according to Option 1, wherein the compartment is rectangular.

[0052] Option 18. A vehicle battery module, comprising:

[0053] A battery housing for a vehicle, the battery housing including a plurality of walls defining the interior of the battery housing;

[0054] At least one battery located inside the battery casing, the at least one battery being configured to provide power for the vehicle;

[0055] An explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery;

[0056] A compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery casing; and

[0057] A removable access panel is attached to the compartment, wherein the explosive fuse is located within the compartment.

[0058] Option 19. The vehicle battery module according to Option 18, wherein the surface of the proximity panel is parallel to the plane of at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery housing.

[0059] Option 20. The vehicle battery module according to Option 18, wherein:

[0060] The compartment defines an opening along the surface of at least one of the plurality of walls; and

[0061] The access panel is removably attached to the opening in the compartment via a friction fit.

[0062] Further applicability of this disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0063] This disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0064] Figure 1This is a functional block diagram of an example embodiment of a vehicle including a vehicle battery module, the vehicle battery module including an explosive fuse component.

[0065] Figure 2 This is a side view of the vehicle battery casing, including two explosive fuse compartments.

[0066] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A side view of the vehicle battery casing, which includes two proximity panels covering an explosive fuse.

[0067] Figure 4 This is an orthographic view of an example explosive fuse.

[0068] Figure 5 It is an orthographic view of the open compartment that houses the explosive fuse.

[0069] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 An orthographic view of the compartment after the explosive fuse has been removed.

[0070] Figure 7 This is an example circuit diagram that illustrates two explosive fuses connected to two vehicle batteries.

[0071] Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is an orthogonal view of the battery disconnect unit aligned with the external compartment used for accessing the explosive fuse.

[0072] Figure 10 This is a front view of the battery disconnect unit before it is inserted into the battery module.

[0073] In the accompanying drawings, reference numerals may be reused to identify similar and / or identical elements. Detailed Implementation

[0074] Some of the example embodiments described herein include exemplary methods and systems for maintaining high-voltage explosive fuses in vehicle battery modules, such as a vehicle's high-voltage rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). These example designs allow the explosive fuses to be easily accessible to maintenance technicians while preserving protection for technicians throughout the maintenance procedure (e.g., IPXXB finger protection). The designs also facilitate maintenance of the explosive fuses without disassembling or partially disassembling the vehicle battery module.

[0075] Example maintainable explosive fuse designs can combine finger-protected terminals (e.g., up to IPXXB rating) on ​​the explosive fuse, a dedicated explosive fuse mounted on the vehicle battery module (e.g., a battery disconnect unit (BDU)), and a removable access panel on the RESS tray structure. In some product systems using high-voltage explosive fuses, the explosive fuse does not have finger protection. The explosive fuse can be packaged inside the BDU, with the BDU's shell / housing providing high-voltage protection for assembly plant operators within the BDU. However, in this configuration, the explosive fuse is not easily maintained, and de-energization and removal of the RESS may be required before maintenance can begin.

[0076] An example of a finger-protected explosion fuse may include a combination of an IPXXB finger-protected terminal and an insulating fastener. This combination allows maintenance technicians to maintain / remove the explosion fuse while voltage remains in the vehicle battery module and without requiring a power outage RESS. Similarly, because the explosion fuse can have a dedicated finger-protection element, it can be packaged externally or semi-externally within the vehicle battery module, as it does not rely on the vehicle battery module housing for the IPXXB finger-protection element.

[0077] External or semi-external mounting of explosive fuses allows them to be placed in convenient locations for maintenance. A robust electrical connection can be established between explosive and RESS high-voltage systems using insulated bolts, providing enhanced protection and electrical connection compared to other methods (such as push-fit connections that may be unacceptable for high-current applications).

[0078] In some examples, the explosive fuse is housed within a semi-external pouch (e.g., a compartment) of the vehicle battery module. This compartment is geometrically separated from other high-voltage compartments. For example, the compartment may include plastic walls on five sides of the pouch and an RESS tray / access panel on the remaining side of the compartment. This pouch allows the explosive fuse to be maintained without exposing the operator to unintended high-voltage components (e.g., high-voltage components inside the vehicle battery module housing, separated from the explosive fuse by the walls of the explosive fuse compartment) during maintenance. The pouch, combined with the IPXXB explosive fuse terminals, forms a "safe zone" that does not expose technicians to high voltage. The pouch also allows for easy assembly of maintainable vehicle battery modules at the RESS assembly plant.

[0079] As mentioned above, proximity panels can be mounted on one side (e.g., the rear) of the vehicle's battery module (such as the RESS tray). These maintainable proximity panels align with the explosive fuse pocket on the vehicle's battery module. When the proximity panel is removed, the explosive fuse safety pocket is exposed, allowing technicians to easily remove the explosive fuse. The proximity panel can use a press-in-place (PIP) seal with sufficient geometry to ensure a secure seal to the RESS tray and to ensure no additional leakage current or other leakage paths into the RESS.

[0080] The example designs described in this article can provide RSS system designs that allow for easy maintenance of high-voltage explosive fuses, such as RSS system designs that place the explosive fuse within a finger-protected connector for safe maintenance. For example, the system can be designed to allow the explosive fuse to be maintained while energized without posing an excessive risk to maintenance professionals.

[0081] In some examples, the RESS system design includes a finger-explosive fuse located within a semi-external BDU pocket, which is also finger-proof. Once the RESS external access panel is removed, the semi-external BDU pocket can be accessible to maintenance technicians. For example, the RESS access panel can be maintainable (e.g., removable or openable), with the finger-explosive fuse assembly located behind the panel.

[0082] The example system can be designed such that the BDU and RESS tray (in combination) allow the explosive fuse to be maintained while the removable access panel is detached. For example, the RESS system design can house the explosive fuse within a tool-safe connector for safe maintenance. The example system design can allow the maintenance-friendly explosive fuse to be integrated into a high-voltage RESS without requiring additional assembly steps at the RSSS assembly plant.

[0083] The example embodiments described herein can provide one or more advantages, such as the ability to easily maintain explosive fuses in vehicle battery modules, the ability to seal explosive fuses without significantly disassembling vehicle battery modules (e.g., RESS), the ability to protect explosive fuses from fingers while maintaining secure bolted connections, and the ability to incorporate maintainable explosive fuses into RESS designs without requiring additional manufacturing steps at an RESS assembly plant and to reduce maintenance costs for maintaining explosive fuses.

[0084] Now for reference Figure 1 The vehicle 10 includes front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13. Figure 1In this configuration, drive unit 14 selectively outputs torque to the front wheels 12 and / or the rear wheels 13 via drive lines 16, 18. Vehicle 10 may include different types of drive units. For example, the vehicle may be an electric vehicle, such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle, a vehicle including an internal combustion engine (ICE), or other types of vehicles.

[0085] Some examples of drive unit 14 may include any suitable electric motor, power inverter, and motor controller configured to control the power switch in the power inverter to adjust motor speed and torque during propulsion and / or regeneration. The battery system supplies power to or receives power from the electric motor of drive unit 14 via the power inverter during propulsion and / or regeneration.

[0086] Although vehicle 10 is Figure 1 The vehicle 10 includes a drive unit 14, but it may have other configurations. For example, two separate drive units may drive the front wheels 12 and the rear wheels 13, one or more independent drive units may drive individual wheels, and so on. As can be understood, other vehicle configurations and / or drive units may be used.

[0087] The vehicle control module 20 can be configured to control the operation of one or more vehicle components, such as drive unit 14 (e.g., by commanding the torque setting of the electric motor of drive unit 14). The vehicle control module 20 can receive inputs for controlling vehicle components, such as signals received from the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, etc. The vehicle control module 20 can monitor vehicle information communications for safety purposes, such as vehicle speed, vehicle position, vehicle braking, and acceleration.

[0088] The vehicle control module 20 can receive signals from any suitable component for monitoring one or more aspects of the vehicle, including one or more vehicle sensors (such as cameras, microphones, pressure sensors, wheel position sensors, position sensors such as GPS antennas, etc.). Some sensors can be configured to monitor the vehicle's current motion, vehicle acceleration, steering torque, etc.

[0089] like Figure 1As illustrated in the diagram, vehicle 10 includes a vehicle battery module 22, which may include any suitable battery for supplying power to vehicle 10. For example, vehicle battery module 22 may include one or more batteries, battery packs, etc., which are capable of being charged and storing power to supply energy (such as lithium batteries) to the vehicle. Batteries, battery packs, etc., may be connected to each other in any suitable arrangement, such as multiple groups connected in parallel or in series. Vehicle battery module 22 may be considered as a battery disconnect unit (BDU) or a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), or a component of a battery disconnect unit (BDU) or a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS).

[0090] The vehicle battery module 22 can supply power to one or more components of the vehicle 10, such as the drive unit 14, the vehicle control module 20, other electronic components of the vehicle 10, etc. The vehicle control module 20 can be connected to control the charging and discharging of the vehicle battery module 22.

[0091] like Figure 1 As illustrated, the vehicle battery module 22 includes an explosive fuse compartment 24. The explosive fuse compartment 24 is configured to house an explosive fuse for the vehicle battery module 22. For example, the explosive fuse can be configured to rapidly cut off the high voltage from the vehicle battery module 22 in response to a fuse triggering state (such as detection of a vehicle collision, airbag deployment, overload current state, thermal state, etc.). The explosive fuse can cut off the high voltage in any suitable manner, such as disconnecting an electrical connection, cutting off a busbar connection (e.g., via a knife), etc.

[0092] although Figure 1 The illustration shows a vehicle battery module and an explosive fuse compartment 24, but other example embodiments may have more vehicle battery modules, more explosive fuse compartments and corresponding explosive fuses, vehicle battery modules and explosive fuses in other locations in the vehicle, etc.

[0093] As further described below, the explosive fuse compartment 24 can be configured to allow access to the explosive fuse for maintenance while protecting technicians from high-voltage components inside the vehicle battery module 22 housing. For example, the explosive fuse compartment 24 may include five plastic walls that separate the space of the explosive fuse compartment 24 from the interior of the vehicle battery module 22 housing. The explosive fuse compartment 24 may be located on one side of the vehicle battery module 22, with one side opening to the outside of the vehicle battery module 22. The explosive fuse is located within the explosive fuse compartment 24, and the opening of the explosive fuse compartment is covered by an access panel to allow technicians easy removal of the access panel to maintain the explosive fuse.

[0094] The vehicle control module 20 can communicate with another device via a wireless communication interface, which may include one or more wireless antennas for transmitting and / or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication interface can communicate via any suitable wireless communication protocol, including but not limited to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, Wi-Fi communication, wireless local area network (WAN) communication, cellular communication, personal area network (PAN) communication, short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth), etc. The wireless communication interface can communicate with remote computing devices through one or more wireless and / or wired networks. For vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) communication, vehicle 10 may include one or more V2X transceivers (e.g., V2X signal transmitting and / or receiving antennas).

[0095] Figure 2 This is a side view of a vehicle battery module 200 including two explosive fuse compartments. The vehicle battery module 200 includes a housing 202, which can be a housing for multiple batteries, battery packs, etc. The housing 202 can be a housing for a RESS or BDU and may include multiple sidewalls to protect the batteries within the vehicle battery module 200. One or more rails 212 can be used to mount the vehicle battery module 200 within a vehicle to supply power to other parts of the vehicle, to charge the batteries within the vehicle battery module 200, etc.

[0096] like Figure 2 As shown, the sidewall of the vehicle battery module 200 includes a first explosive fuse compartment 204 and a second explosive fuse compartment 206. The first explosive fuse 208 is located in the first explosive fuse compartment 204, and the second explosive fuse 210 is located in the second explosive fuse compartment 206.

[0097] As further described below, each of the first explosive fuse compartment 204 and the second explosive fuse compartment 206 may define a space for its respective explosive fuse, which is separated from the interior of the housing 202. For example, each of the first explosive fuse compartment 204 and the second explosive fuse compartment 206 may include five walls (e.g., plastic walls arranged in a rectangular configuration) that separate the space of the explosive fuse compartment from the interior of the housing 202.

[0098] In this example, the sixth side of each of the first explosive fuse compartment 204 and the second explosive fuse compartment 206 may be open to allow technicians to maintain the corresponding first explosive fuse 208 or second explosive fuse 210. For example, Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the location where the access panel is removed to expose the interior of the first explosive fuse compartment 204 and the second explosive fuse compartment 206, wherein... Figure 3 The diagram shows the position where the panel has been returned to its original location. Although Figure 2 The illustration shows two explosive fuse compartments located on the same side of the housing 202, but other example embodiments may include more or fewer explosive fuse compartments and explosive fuses, explosive fuse compartments and explosive fuses located on other parts of the housing 202, etc.

[0099] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A side view of a vehicle battery module 200, which includes two proximity panels covering an explosive fuse. A first proximity panel 314 covers a first explosive fuse compartment 204, and a second proximity panel 316 covers a second explosive fuse compartment 206.

[0100] Each proximity panel can be connected to the corresponding compartment in any suitable manner. For example, each of the first proximity panel 314 and the second proximity panel 316 may include one or more seals, gaskets, etc., which protect the interior of the first explosive fuse compartment 204 and the second explosive fuse compartment 206 when the first proximity panel 314 and the second proximity panel 316 are connected to the housing 202 and / or the first explosive fuse compartment 204 and the second explosive fuse compartment 206.

[0101] In some examples, a first proximity panel 314 may be friction-fitted with a first explosive fuse compartment 204 via a push-in-place (PIP) engagement, and a second proximity panel 316 may be friction-fitted with a second explosive fuse compartment 206 via a PIP engagement. The proximity panels allow technicians to maintain and / or remove the explosive fuses without removing the vehicle battery module 200 while it remains energized, and simultaneously provide protection against the high voltage inside the housing 202. In other embodiments, there may be more or fewer proximity panels, proximity panels of different shapes or sizes, proximity panels in different locations on the housing 202, and so on.

[0102] Figure 4 This is an orthographic view of an example explosive fuse 400. The explosive fuse 400 includes an explosive fuse element 402 configured to rapidly disconnect a high voltage in a battery within a vehicle battery module. For example, in response to a fuse triggering state (such as a detected vehicle collision, airbag deployment, overload current state, thermal state, etc.), the explosive fuse element 402 can rapidly disconnect the high voltage in the vehicle battery module. The explosive fuse can disconnect the high voltage in any suitable manner, such as disconnecting an electrical connection, cutting off a busbar connection (e.g., via a knife), etc.

[0103] Explosive fuses are common in battery packs used in electric vehicles. Explosive fuses can be configured for single-use, meaning they are no longer usable after a fuse triggering event. Explosive fuses increase the likelihood of nuisance activation. The example embodiments described herein provide solutions for replacing explosive fuses without requiring the removal of the entire battery pack.

[0104] In some cases, all relays, contactors, fuses, etc., are housed in a common box embedded within the BDU. Example embodiments described herein include explosive fuses located in a pocket or half-pocket within the BDU. An explosive fuse compartment facilitates maintenance of the explosive fuse while providing finger protection against high-voltage contact and restricts access to other components of the BDU. The explosive fuse compartment allows technicians to safely access both the compartment and components of the explosive fuse while maintaining it. For example, the terminals of the explosive fuse may also be finger-proof to allow contact with bolts, which are capped with plastic.

[0105] In response to a fuse triggering state, an example explosive fuse can completely sever the busbar connection (e.g., via a knife, etc.). A fuse triggering state (e.g., an event) can be triggered by a vehicle collision (e.g., airbag deployment), an overload current state, a thermal state, etc., to quickly disconnect the high voltage of the vehicle's battery module.

[0106] In some examples, the explosive fuse compartment includes five sides of a box protruding into the BDU interior, along with an access panel. This allows the explosive fuse to remain within a covered area outside the vehicle battery module while remaining accessible from the outside of the vehicle battery module housing. In some examples, the explosive fuse is positioned close to the outer wall of the battery structure and is designed to require no special tools for maintenance. The explosive fuse can be maintained independently of any other battery pack component and without removing other battery components (the benefits are achieved through the design of the packaging close to the outer wall and finger-proof features).

[0107] For example, an explosive fuse can be housed in a semi-external package on the BDU. While explosive fuses may be deeply encased in the BDU (i.e., not easily accessible) or separate from the BDU (i.e., requiring more parts and assembly steps), some example embodiments described herein house the explosive fuse in a semi-external package on the BDU. Furthermore, the plastic housing of the BDU provides some finger protection while maintaining the explosive fuse.

[0108] The circuitry of a vehicle battery module that includes an explosive fuse allows the explosive fuse to remain maintainable even when high voltage is applied to the vehicle battery module. In some examples, plastic or nylon materials (such as PA66 nylon) can be used on the side of the compartment and / or near the panel.

[0109] A press-in-place (PIP) pad can be used to hold the device on the proximity panel. The proximity panel can block the outflow path into the battery pack, for example, if a technician breaks it. Some example embodiments allow technicians to maintain explosive fuses without altering the circuitry.

[0110] like Figure 4 As illustrated in the diagram, the explosive fuse 400 includes a finger-protected male connector 404 with an insulated bolt. For example, the finger-protected male connector 404 can provide IPXXB level protection for technicians maintaining the explosive fuse 400. The explosive fuse 400 also includes a finger-protected female connector 406. The finger-protected female connector 406 can also provide IPXXB level protection for technicians maintaining the explosive fuse 400.

[0111] Figure 5 This is an orthographic view of the vehicle battery module 500, including the open compartment 502 housing the explosive fuse 504. (See image.) Figure 5 As shown, compartment 502 is mounted on the outer wall 508 of the vehicle battery module 500 housing. This allows technicians to access compartment 502 from the outside of the vehicle battery module 500 while being protected from the high voltage inside the vehicle battery module 500 housing.

[0112] For example, compartment 502 may include a rear wall 512 and multiple side walls 514, which separate the space defined by compartment 502 from the interior of vehicle battery module 500. The walls of compartment 502 may be made of any suitable electrically insulating material, such as plastic. In this way, technicians can maintain the explosive fuse 504 while maintaining finger protection against high voltage, including by using a finger-protection connector 506 on the explosive fuse 504.

[0113] Figure 6 This is after removing the 504 explosive fuse. Figure 5 An orthographic view of the compartment 502 of the vehicle battery module 500. (See image below.) Figure 6 As shown, after the explosive fuse 504 is removed, the space defined by compartment 502 can be empty. Connector 516 can extend through the wall of compartment 502 (e.g., rear wall 512) for connecting a new explosive fuse.

[0114] Figure 7This is an example circuit diagram illustrating two explosive fuses connected to two vehicle batteries. Figure 7 As shown, circuit 700 includes a first battery 704 and a second battery 706. A first current sensor 708 is connected to sense the current flowing through the first battery 704, and a second current sensor 710 is connected to sense the current flowing through the second battery 706. Figure 7 As shown in the example, the first battery 704 and the second battery 706 may be outside the battery disconnection unit 701, while other components are inside the battery disconnection unit 701.

[0115] An explosive fuse 702 is connected to a first battery 704 and a second battery 706 and can be configured to rapidly disconnect the high voltage of circuit 700 in response to a fuse triggering state. Circuit 700 may include other circuit components for powering electrical components of the vehicle, such as a switch 712, etc. Circuit 700 can supply power from the battery to any suitable electrical system or component of the vehicle (or vice versa), such as a DC-DC fast charging (DCFC) module 714, an integrated power electronics (IPE) module 716, a front-drive powertrain module 718, and a low-power inverter module (LPIM) 720.

[0116] like Figure 7 As shown in the example, each explosive fuse 702 is permanently connected to the high-voltage terminal of the battery and cannot be "disconnected" by a switch. As described in the example embodiments herein, the finger guard and BDU outer casing of the explosive fuse allow maintenance of the explosive fuse 702 while voltage is still present on the explosive fuse 702. Without the finger guard and BDU outer casing, the maintenance operator would have to visibly disassemble the battery pack using extensive personal protective equipment (PPE), or the explosive fuse would have to be placed in a position where it could be disconnected by a switch (which is not ideal for battery pack safety).

[0117] Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is an orthographic view of the battery disconnection unit 802, aligned with the external compartment for accessing the explosive fuse. Figure 8 As shown, the driver's side access cover has been removed to depict a partially disassembled state, where compartment 804 is accessible for maintenance of the explosive fuse. The passenger side access cover 806 remains attached. Figure 9 In the middle, the access cover on the passenger side was also removed so that compartment 808 was accessible for maintenance of the explosive fuse.

[0118] Figure 10This is a front view of the battery disconnect unit 802 before it is inserted into the battery module. The assembly structure has a removed driver-side access panel. When loaded, the semi-external explosive bag 810 on the BDU 802 will align with the access panels 804 and 806 of the tray.

[0119] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure, its application, or use. The broad teachings of this disclosure can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes specific examples, its true scope should not be so limited, as other modifications will become apparent upon examination of the drawings, specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps within the method may be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of this disclosure. Furthermore, while each of the embodiments described above is described as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of this disclosure can be implemented and / or combined with features of any other embodiment, even if such combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the arrangement of one or more embodiments with each other remains within the scope of this disclosure.

[0120] Spatial and functional relationships between components (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including “connection,” “joint,” “link,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and “set.” Unless explicitly described as “direct,” when describing the relationship between the first and second components in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship in which no other intervening components exist between the first and second components, or it can be an indirect relationship (spatially or functionally) between the first and second components. As used herein, at least one of the phrases A, B, and C should be interpreted using non-exclusive logic or referential logic (A or B or C) and should not be interpreted as meaning “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

[0121] In the accompanying drawings, the direction indicated by the arrowhead typically represents the flow of information of interest in the illustration (such as data or instructions). For example, when components A and B exchange various types of information, but the information transmitted from component A to component B is related to the illustration, the arrow may point from component A to component B. This unidirectional arrow does not imply that no other information is transmitted from component B to component A. Furthermore, for information sent from component A to component B, component B may send a request for the information or an acknowledgment of receipt of the information to component A.

[0122] In this application, including as defined below, the term "module" or "controller" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, partially refer to, or include: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs); digital, analog, or mixed-signal analog / digital discrete circuits; digital, analog, or mixed-signal analog / digital integrated circuits; combinational logic circuits; field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); processor circuitry (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that executes code; memory circuitry (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that stores code executed by the processor circuitry; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or combinations of some or all of the foregoing, such as in a system-on-a-chip.

[0123] A module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces that connect to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a combination thereof. The functionality of any of the modules given in this disclosure can be distributed among multiple modules connected via interface circuits. For example, multiple modules can allow for load balancing. In another example, a server (also known as a remote server or cloud server) module may perform some of the functions on behalf of a client module.

[0124] As used above, the term "code" can include software, hardware, and / or microcode and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures, and / or objects. The term "shared processor circuitry" includes a single processor circuitry that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor circuitry" includes processor circuitry that, in combination with additional processor circuitry, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "multiple processor circuitry" includes multiple processor circuitry on a discrete chip, multiple processor circuitry on a single chip, multiple cores of a single processor circuitry, multiple threads of a single processor circuitry, or a combination thereof. The term "shared memory circuitry" includes a single memory circuitry that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory circuitry" includes memory circuitry that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules.

[0125] The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readable medium. As used herein, the term computer-readable medium does not contain transient electrical or electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium (e.g., on a carrier wave); the term computer-readable medium can therefore be considered tangible and non-transient. Non-limiting examples of non-transient, tangible computer-readable media are non-volatile memory circuits (e.g., flash memory circuits, erasable programmable read-only memory circuits, or mask read-only memory circuits), volatile memory circuits (e.g., static random access memory circuits or dynamic random access memory circuits), magnetic storage media (e.g., analog or digital magnetic tape or hard disk drives), and optical storage media (e.g., CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).

[0126] The apparatus and methods described in this application can be implemented, in part or in whole, by a special-purpose computer configured to perform one or more specific functions implemented in a computer program. The function blocks, flowchart parts, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be converted into computer programs by the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

[0127] A computer program includes processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium. A computer program may also include or depend on stored data. A computer program may contain a basic input / output system (BIOS) for interacting with the hardware of a special-purpose computer, device drivers for interacting with specific devices of the special-purpose computer, one or more operating systems, user applications, background service programs, background applications, and so on.

[0128] Computer programs may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, such as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language), or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation); (ii) assembly code; (iii) object code generated from source code by a compiler; (iv) source code executed by an interpreter; (v) source code compiled and executed by a just-in-time (JIT) compiler; and so on. As an example only, source code may be written using syntax from languages ​​including: C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, etc. Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language 5), Ada, ASP (Dynamic Server Pages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Visual Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK and

Claims

1. A vehicle battery module, comprising: A battery housing for a vehicle, the battery housing including a plurality of walls defining the interior of the battery housing; At least one battery located inside the battery housing, the at least one battery being configured to provide power for the vehicle; An explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery; as well as A compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery housing, the compartment defining a space separated from the interior of the battery housing, wherein, The space defined by the compartment can be accessed from the outside of the battery housing without approaching the interior of the battery housing, and The explosive fuse is located in the space defined by the compartment.

2. The vehicle battery module of claim 1, wherein the explosive fuse is positioned adjacent to the outer wall of the battery housing to facilitate maintenance of the explosive fuse independently of any other part of the battery module and without removing any other part of the battery module.

3. The vehicle battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The battery casing includes a battery disconnect unit (BDU) with a plastic casing; and The explosive fuse is positioned adjacent to the outer wall of the battery disconnection unit.

4. The vehicle battery module of claim 1, wherein the explosive fuse is configured to disconnect the busbar connection to the at least one battery in response to a fuse trigger state.

5. The vehicle battery module of claim 1, further comprising a proximity panel removably coupled to the compartment.

6. The vehicle battery module of claim 5, wherein the surface of the proximity panel is parallel to the plane of at least one of the plurality of walls.

7. The vehicle battery module according to claim 5, wherein: The compartment defines an opening along the surface of at least one of the plurality of walls; and The access panel is removably attached to the opening in the compartment via a friction fit.

8. The vehicle battery module of claim 1, wherein the compartment comprises five walls and an open side, the five walls separating the space defined by the compartment from the interior of the battery housing, and the open side being exposed to the exterior of the battery housing.

9. The vehicle battery module of claim 8, wherein each wall of the compartment comprises an electrically insulating material.

10. A vehicle battery module, comprising: A battery housing for a vehicle, the battery housing including a plurality of walls defining the interior of the battery housing; At least one battery located inside the battery casing, the at least one battery being configured to provide power for the vehicle; An explosive fuse electrically connected to the at least one battery; A compartment located on at least one of the plurality of walls of the battery casing; as well as A removable access panel is attached to the compartment, wherein the explosive fuse is located within the compartment.

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