Hazard Light Activation During HV Battery Disconnect
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electrified vehicles face challenges in providing a visual warning to nearby drivers when they experience a high voltage battery disconnect event, leading to a loss of motive power, as existing systems do not automatically activate hazard lights without operator intervention.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system and method that activate hazard lights automatically in response to a high voltage battery disconnect event, using a control module to monitor the battery and command a visual warning, with flashing patterns differing based on operator request and vehicle conditions, ensuring visibility to nearby drivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hazard lights are automatically activated in response to high voltage battery disconnect events, then safety and situational awareness are improved, but device complexity increases due to additional control logic and monitoring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects battery disconnect events and activates hazard lights without requiring operator intervention. The control module monitors battery status and self-activates the warning function, eliminating the need for manual operation while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The hazard light activation function is integrated with the existing battery management control module. By combining the battery monitoring and hazard light control functions into a single control module, the patent reduces overall system complexity while achieving automatic safety warnings.
2Reliability
If hazard lights are activated without operator request during battery disconnect events, then safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to automatic activation
Solution Approach 1:
The control module autonomously detects battery disconnect events and activates hazard lights without requiring operator request. This self-service approach ensures safety warnings are provided even when the operator is unaware of or unable to respond to the battery disconnect event.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of battery status and automatically activates hazard lights before the operator can respond to a battery disconnect event. This preliminary action ensures immediate safety warning is provided, eliminating the delay associated with manual activation.
3Reliability
If the system monitors additional vehicle conditions before activating hazard lights, then false activations are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple monitoring functions (battery disconnect detection, speed threshold monitoring, power request monitoring) into a single control module. By combining these functions, the system reduces overall complexity while implementing conditional logic to prevent false activations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts hazard light activation based on real-time vehicle conditions such as speed and power requests. The control module evaluates multiple parameters and activates lights only when appropriate conditions are met, improving reliability while using existing sensor data to minimize additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system includes a high voltage battery and at least one control module configured to monitor the high voltage battery and command a visual warning in response to a disconnect event of the high voltage battery. The visual warning may be produced by a hazard light.