Vehicle Battery Fault Response Using Weighted Context Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current electrical energy storage systems in vehicles manage faults independently without considering broader vehicle context, leading to suboptimal safety outcomes due to the influence of vehicle surroundings and operating conditions.

Innovation Solution

A computer system that integrates fault detection with vehicle data, including location and surroundings, to determine a safe fault reaction based on weighted inputs, considering the impact on vehicle and passenger safety, and decides on maintaining or disconnecting energy storage packs accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If fault management is performed independently at the battery pack level, then the response speed to faults is improved, but the safety outcome deteriorates due to lack of vehicle context consideration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefault response speedVSAvoidsafety outcome
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the local fault detection capability at the battery pack level with global vehicle context information (location, surroundings, operating conditions) by integrating data from multiple sources including GPS, sensors, and vehicle systems into a unified fault management approach that considers both local and global factors simultaneously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The fault management system is designed to perform multiple functions: it detects local battery faults, evaluates global vehicle context, determines appropriate responses, and coordinates with other vehicle systems, making it a multi-functional system that addresses both rapid response and comprehensive safety considerations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If the system considers broader vehicle context and surroundings data, then the safety outcome is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety outcomeVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the fault management process into distinct functional modules: fault detection module, context data collection module, risk assessment module, and response determination module. Each module handles specific tasks, making the overall complex system manageable through functional decomposition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that collects, integrates, and evaluates data from multiple vehicle systems and external sources. This intermediary layer acts as a mediator between raw data from various sensors and the final fault response decisions, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing data processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4663456A1Computer system and method for responding to faults in an electrical energy storage system of a vehicle based on weighted faults
Publication Date: 2025.12.17 VOLVO TRUCK CORP
  • EP4663456A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4663456A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4663456A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A computer system (100) for responding to faults in an electrical energy storage system (104) of a vehicle (106) comprising multiple electrical energy storage packs (108), the computer system comprising processing circuitry (102) configured to: detect at least one of a thermal fault and an electrical fault in at least one of the electrical energy storage packs (108); provide a weight (132) to the fault based on the severity of the fault; collect vehicle data including at least a vehicle location parameter (124); provide weights to the vehicle data parameters based on their impact on vehicle/passenger safety, determine a safe fault reaction based on an algorithm (120) using the weighted fault(s) and the weighted vehicle data parameters, as inputs to the algorithm; and provide an instruction (C) to execute the safe fault reaction.