Parallel Battery Fuse Anomaly Control Using Branch Current Coherence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery architectures with parallel-connected branches face safety issues due to increased current flow when a fuse blows, potentially leading to damage or fire, and existing detection methods are inaccurate or require complex measurements, causing operational disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the presence or absence of branch current and junction current, checks for inconsistencies, and modifies the battery management system to continue supplying power by reducing the junction current limit, without precise current measurement, ensuring safety margins are maintained.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective fuse is installed in each branch to ensure safety, then the risk of general fault is reduced, but if the fuse blows, the current in remaining branches increases excessively causing potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors branch currents and compares them against expected values. When a fuse blows, the monitoring system detects the current imbalance and provides feedback to the control unit, which then adjusts the operation of remaining branches to prevent excessive current conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The battery management system dynamically adjusts the current distribution among branches based on real-time monitoring. When a fuse anomaly is detected, the system modifies the operational parameters of remaining branches to maintain safe current levels, transitioning from static to dynamic current management
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If voltage monitoring is used to detect fuse anomalies, then detection capability is provided, but measurement accuracy requirements become extremely high for high-voltage batteries
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directly measuring branch currents which would require high-precision sensors, the system uses voltage measurements across known resistances as an intermediary. The control unit calculates current values from these voltage measurements using Ohm's law, reducing the precision requirements of direct current sensing
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct electrical current measurement with voltage measurement and computational calculation. By measuring voltage across known resistive elements and calculating current values through software processing, the system avoids the need for high-precision current sensors
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the battery is disconnected upon anomaly detection, then safety is ensured, but the vehicle becomes inoperable reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is segmented into multiple independent branches, each with its own protective fuse. When a fuse anomaly occurs in one branch, only that specific branch is isolated while other branches continue to operate, allowing the vehicle to remain functional with reduced capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The system preemptively identifies fuse anomalies through continuous monitoring and takes gradual corrective actions. Rather than immediately disconnecting the entire battery, the system first attempts to operate with reduced capacity by isolating only the affected branch, preserving vehicle operability as long as safety margins are maintained
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for controlling an electric battery provided with a battery management system, the electric battery comprising at least two branches connected in parallel, each branch comprising at least one energy storage module, the branches being electrically connected to a junction box through which the current of the battery passes, each branch being provided with at least one protection fuse which is suitable for interrupting the passage of an electric current in the event of a current surge in said branch. The method comprises: - determining the absence or presence of a branch current and the absence or presence of a junction current; - checking coherence between the branch current and the junction current, an anomaly of the fuse on said branch being taken into consideration in the event of incoherence; - modifying the operation of the battery management system on the basis of the fuse anomaly, with the other branch providing current.