Powertrain Controller Battery Fault Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicles, faulty connections between the battery pole and cable can lead to engine stalls and failure to restart, especially in Smart-Regeneration-Charging (SRC) and auto Start-Stop (SS) modes, due to corrosion or vibration, causing battery power disconnection and increased resistance, which existing systems struggle to detect and manage effectively.
Innovation Solution
A battery fault detection algorithm that monitors battery current and voltage changes to detect disconnections or high resistance, disabling SRC and SS modes and generating warnings, and using a controller to set a flag for battery pole failure, ensuring the alternator remains on and critical vehicle operations are maintained.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If automatic stop-start system is enabled to improve fuel economy, then fuel consumption decreases, but engine reliability deteriorates due to battery connection faults causing stalls and failure to restart
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of battery connection status by monitoring voltage and current characteristics before enabling automatic stop-start function. The controller detects battery pole connection faults by analyzing voltage changes and current flow patterns, and only enables stop-start mode when battery connection is confirmed healthy, preventing future reliability issues
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors battery voltage and current during operation and provides feedback to the controller. When voltage change exceeds threshold while current remains below threshold (indicating disconnection), or when voltage fluctuates abnormally during start cycles, the controller detects the fault and adjusts stop-start enablement accordingly, creating a closed-loop reliability assurance mechanism
2Measurement precision
If battery monitoring complexity is increased to detect connection faults, then detection precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the battery's own electrical characteristics (voltage and current) to detect its own connection faults. The controller analyzes voltage changes and current flow patterns that naturally occur during normal operation and start cycles, eliminating the need for separate dedicated sensors or complex monitoring hardware while achieving accurate fault detection
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects battery connection faults by monitoring changes in electrical parameters (voltage and current) under different operating conditions. By analyzing voltage change magnitude, current flow levels, and voltage stability during start cycles, the controller identifies connection faults through parameter variations rather than requiring complex diagnostic equipment
Data Source
AI summary
A powertrain control system may include an engine and a controller. The controller may be configured to, responsive to a maximum difference in battery voltage values remaining less than a threshold value during a period in which a number of engine stop-start cycles exceeds a limit, enable an automatic stop-start system of the engine.