Fan Fault Isolation Circuit for High-Voltage Battery Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High voltage battery systems face increased costs due to the scarcity and expense of insulating elements required for fault detection circuits, particularly for cooling fans, which must be isolated from the high voltage side, leading to challenges in supplying and configuring these circuits.
Innovation Solution
A fan fault detection device comprising sub-modules and a master module, utilizing a switching circuit and signal transmission circuits, including photocouplers, to detect fan faults while maintaining insulation from the high voltage side, allowing for the use of readily available and cost-effective components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If insulating elements operating at 1.5 kV or higher are used to separate the fan fault detection circuit from the high voltage side, then safety and insulation reliability are improved, but manufacturing cost and part supply difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary isolation circuit between the high voltage side and the control unit. This isolation circuit acts as a mediator that transmits fan fault detection signals from the high voltage side to the control unit without requiring direct electrical connection, thereby eliminating the need for expensive high-voltage insulating elements while maintaining safety and insulation reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional electrical insulation mechanism (using high-voltage rated insulating elements) with an optical or electromagnetic signal transmission mechanism. The isolation circuit converts electrical signals to optical/electromagnetic signals for transmission across the insulation barrier, then converts them back, substituting the need for high-voltage electrical insulation with a different physical principle that uses readily available, low-cost components
2Reliability
If insulating elements operating at 1.5 kV or higher are used to separate the fan fault detection circuit from the high voltage side, then safety and insulation reliability are improved, but installation space and circuit configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The isolation circuit serves as an intermediary that simplifies the overall circuit configuration. Rather than requiring complex high-voltage insulation designs and large insulation distances, the mediator circuit provides a compact, standardized interface that reduces circuit configuration complexity while maintaining the necessary insulation barrier
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the battery management system into distinct high voltage side and low voltage control sides, with the isolation circuit providing a clear boundary interface. This segmentation allows each side to be designed and configured independently using appropriate components, reducing overall system complexity compared to integrating high-voltage handling throughout the entire control circuit
3Ease of manufacture
If high voltage battery systems use standard fault detection circuits without proper insulation, then circuit simplicity and ease of manufacture are improved, but safety and insulation requirements are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The isolation circuit acts as a safety mediator that allows standard, simple fault detection circuits to be used on the control side while physically isolating them from high voltage. This mediator maintains the simplicity advantage of standard circuits while eliminating the safety risk through optical/electromagnetic isolation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the system into high voltage and low voltage domains with a clear isolation boundary. This segmentation allows the control unit and fault detection circuitry to use standard low-voltage components for simplicity, while the isolation barrier ensures high voltage safety requirements are met, effectively decoupling the two concerns
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
The solution reduces manufacturing costs and installation space by enabling easy selection and supply of signal transmission parts, ensuring reliable fault detection without the need for specialized high-voltage components, thus addressing the cost and configuration challenges of high voltage battery systems.
Implementation Method 1
a first signal transmission circuit connected between the first input terminal and the switching circuit, the first signal transmission circuit configured to transmit the detection signal to the switching circuit according to a signal received by the second input terminal
Data Source
AI summary
A fan fault detection device includes: a plurality of sub-modules; and a master module to configured to determine faults of a plurality of fans, wherein each of the plurality of sub-modules includes: a first input terminal for receiving a detection signal indicating whether a corresponding fan is defective; a second input terminal; an output terminal; a switching circuit connected between the output terminal and a first power source for supplying a voltage signal corresponding to a state signal and, the switching circuit configured to switch an output of the state signal through the output terminal according to the detection signal; and a first signal transmission circuit connected between the first input terminal and the switching circuit, the first signal transmission circuit configured to transmit the detection signal to the switching circuit according to a signal received by the second input terminal.