Service Battery Charge Monitoring With Safe Vehicle Immobilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a safety risk for drivers and passengers when the state of charge of the secondary battery, which powers critical safety devices in electric or hybrid vehicles, is insufficient, and the driver is not alerted or ignores the alert, potentially leading to accidents.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system that includes a current converter with a converter control device sending alerts to the supervision computer, which checks the persistence of the alert and controls the immobilization of the vehicle when the battery state of charge falls below a threshold, allowing the driver to safely stop before the vehicle is immobilized, and includes a degraded mode to limit power consumption and deactivate non-essential electrical equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the service battery charge level monitoring system issues an alert when charge level is insufficient, then driver awareness of the safety risk is improved, but the driver may ignore the alert or delay taking action, leaving the safety risk unresolved
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting insufficient charge levels and issuing alerts to the driver in advance before the battery is completely depleted. This allows the driver to take corrective action (such as connecting to a charging station) before the safety devices fail, thereby improving reliability while giving the driver time to respond without immediate immobilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the service battery charge level and providing real-time information to the driver through alerts. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the driver to understand the current safety status and take appropriate actions, transforming a passive safety system into an active communication system that guides driver behavior.
2Reliability
If the vehicle is immobilized immediately when service battery charge level falls below threshold, then safety is maximized, but the driver loses the possibility of continuing journey when charge still allows operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system issues a preliminary alert to the driver when the charge level becomes insufficient, providing advance warning before immobilization occurs. This allows the driver to plan for safe stopping and potential charging, maximizing safety while preserving vehicle availability for as long as technically possible.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the vehicle's operational state based on the service battery charge level. Instead of a static immobilization threshold, the system provides a dynamic response that transitions from normal operation to alert state to eventual immobilization, optimizing both safety and productivity based on real-time battery status.
3Reliability
If the driver is required to continuously monitor service battery charge level, then safety awareness is improved, but driver attention and cognitive load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by autonomously monitoring the service battery charge level and managing the alert/immobilization logic without requiring continuous driver attention. The electronic control unit automatically detects charge levels, determines when alerts should be issued, and controls immobilization, thereby maintaining high reliability while minimizing the driver's cognitive burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides structured feedback to the driver only when necessary (when charge level becomes insufficient), rather than requiring continuous driver monitoring. This feedback mechanism transfers the monitoring burden from the driver to the automated system, improving reliability while ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Disclosed is a vehicle comprising: - a current converter (C1); - a supervising computer (CS) of the vehicle; - a first electrical grid and a second electrical grid, interconnected by the current converter (C1), this second electrical grid comprising a service battery (BR2), a convertor control device (OBCDC) being designed to send a malfunction alert for the recharging of the service battery to the supervising computer (CS), the supervising computer (CS) being configured to verify the persistence of the alert after a predetermined time; - and a unit (BECB) for determining the state of charge of the service battery (BR2), the supervising computer (CS) being configured to order the immobilisation of the vehicle (V) when the state of charge of the service battery (BR2) is less than a predetermined threshold and the persistence of the alert is verified.