Vehicle Battery Cell Disabling After Impact to Block Unauthorized Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preventing reuse of a traveling battery after an accident do not effectively deter improper reuse by third parties, as they only focus on lowering the battery voltage during an impact but do not provide a mechanism to prevent subsequent reuse.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an electronic control unit and an impact detection sensor that selectively applies low-voltage-control to specific battery cells of a battery module, rendering them unusable and identifiable, thus preventing unauthorized reuse by switching the power supply to a branch circuit and using resistors to exhaust the electric power of these cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If low-voltage control is applied to all battery cells after an accident, then safety is improved by preventing electric shock and fire, but the battery module becomes completely unusable and cannot be reused even when undamaged
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module is divided into multiple individual battery cells, and only specific selected cells are subjected to low-voltage control rather than the entire battery module. This segmentation allows the system to maintain safety by disabling potentially dangerous cells while preserving the functionality of undamaged cells, enabling future reuse of the battery module.
Solution Approach 2:
Different treatment is applied to different parts of the battery system based on their specific condition and location. Selected battery cells that are closer to potential impact points or deemed higher risk are subjected to low-voltage control, while other cells maintain normal voltage levels, creating a localized safety measure that preserves overall system usability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the battery voltage is lowered to prevent unauthorized reuse, then security is improved, but the battery becomes inoperable and cannot be distinguished from genuinely damaged batteries
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses visual identification markers (analogous to color changes) on selected battery cells that have been subjected to low-voltage control. These markers allow authorized personnel to easily distinguish between cells that have been intentionally disabled for security reasons and cells that may be damaged, preserving information about the battery's operational status.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback through visual markers indicating which cells are in a low-voltage controlled state. This feedback mechanism allows authorized users to understand the battery's status and the reasons for its inoperability, preventing confusion between security-induced disability and damage-induced disability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If all battery cells are disabled to prevent theft and misuse, then security against third-party misuse is improved, but the complexity of battery recovery and authorization processes increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the battery module into individually controllable cells and applying low-voltage control only to selected cells rather than the entire module, the system simplifies the recovery process. Authorized personnel only need to restore voltage to specific cells rather than dealing with the entire battery system, reducing the complexity of authorization and recovery procedures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively prevents improper reuse of traveling batteries by ensuring only authorized individuals can restore the battery module to a reusable state, as the low-voltage-controlled cells are identifiable, making it difficult for third parties to reuse the battery module without knowing the reason for its inoperability.
Implementation Method 1
an impact detection sensor configured to detect a magnitude of an impact to be applied to the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
using resistors to exhaust the electric power of these cells
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for preventing improper reuse of a traveling battery mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle includes a battery module, an electronic control unit, and an impact detection sensor. The battery module includes battery cells that are stacked together. The electronic control unit is capable of controlling a voltage of each of the battery cells of the battery module, using an auxiliary battery as a drive power supply. The impact detection sensor is configured to detect a magnitude of an impact to be applied to the vehicle. The method for preventing reuse of the traveling battery includes causing the electronic control unit to perform low-voltage-control exclusively on one of the battery cells that is selected in advance in a case where the magnitude of the impact detected by the impact detection sensor is a predetermined value or greater.