Electric vehicle safety system and methods
AssigneesVolkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Audi AG, Porsche AG
InventorsMirko Herrmann, Angela-Kristina Speidel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems, components, and methodologies are provided for improvements in operation of automotive vehicles by enabling monitoring analysis and reaction to subtle sources of information that aid in prediction and response of vehicle control systems across a range of automation levels. Such systems, components, and methodologies include wheel-turn detection equipment for detecting a wheel angle of another vehicle to trigger a vehicle control system to perform an operation based on the detected wheel angle of the other vehicle.
Claims18
An electrical vehicle for operation on roadways, the vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle base including a chassis,
- a drive train coupled to the chassis to drive the chassis along roadways, and
- an electric power control means connected to the drive train to control provision of motive power, configured to receive insertion of safety enhancement fluid arranged to provide electrical connection shorting across electrical terminals of a vehicle power pack,
- wherein the electric power control means includes a tray defining a cavity, the power pack arranged within the cavity and having a pair of main terminals of opposite polarity,
- wherein the vehicle power pack includes at least two power cells electrically connected in series and each having a plurality of auxiliary terminals arranged in fluid communication with each other to achieve electrical connection for shorting in response to at least partial filling of the tray with safety enhancement substance,
- wherein the tray includes an inlet for receiving safety enhancement substance into the cavity,
- further comprising a flow control system including a flow controller for governing the flow of safety enhancement substance through the tray,
- wherein the flow control system includes at least one outlet for discharging safety enhancement substance from the cavity and the at least one outlet is configured to discharge safety enhancement fluid from the cavity such that at a first inlet rate of safety enhancement substance the cavity maintains a cooling level of safety enhancement substance to electrically connect the auxiliary terminals without shorting the main terminals and at a second inlet rate of safety enhancement substance, greater than the first inlet rate, the cavity maintains a flooding level of safety enhancement fluid which shorts the main terminals.
An electric power system for providing motive power to an electrical vehicle having a chassis and a power train arranged to drive the chassis along roadways, the electric power system comprising:
- a tray defining a cavity, and
- a power pack arranged within the cavity, the power pack including a pair of main terminals of opposite polarity, at least two power cells electrically connected in series, and a plurality of auxiliary terminals connected to the at least two power cells and arranged in fluid communication with each other within the tray to receive insertion of safety enhancement fluid arranged providing electrical connection shorting across at least two of the plurality of auxiliary terminals with at least partial filling of the tray with the safety enhancement substance;
- wherein the tray includes an inlet for receiving safety enhancement substance into the cavity;
- further comprising a flow control system including a flow controller for governing the flow of safety enhancement substance through the tray;
- wherein the flow control system includes at least one outlet for discharging safety enhancement substance from the cavity and the at least one outlet is configured to discharge safety enhancement fluid from the cavity such that at a first inlet rate of safety enhancement substance the cavity maintains a cooling level of safety enhancement substance to electrically connect the auxiliary terminals without shorting the main terminals and at a second inlet rate of safety enhancement substance, greater than the first inlet rate, the cavity maintains a flooding level of safety enhancement fluid which shorts the main terminals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.