Battery system

A vehicle comprising a first electrical consumer and a battery system, the battery system comprising:

• a plurality of battery cells electrically connected to each other in series between a first node and a second node;
• a power switch interconnected between the first node or the second node and the first electrical consumer;
• and
• a control unit comprising:
• an input node configured to receive a sensor signal indicative of a state of at least one of the plurality of battery cells;
• a microcontroller connected to the input node to receive a state signal based on the sensor signal and configured to generate a first control signal based on the state signal;
• and
• a switch control circuit configured to control the power switch of the battery system by:
• receiving the state signal, the first control signal, and a fault signal indicative of an operational state of the microcontroller,
• generating a second control signal based on the state signal, and
• transmitting one of the first control signal and the second control signal to an output node of the control unit based on the received fault signal,
• wherein the output node of the control unit is connected to the power switch to control the power switch.

A method for operating a battery system, the battery system comprising a plurality of battery cells electrically connected to each other in series between a first node and a second node, a power switch interconnected between the first node or the second node and an external load, and a control unit configured to control the power switch, the method comprising:

• detecting, by a sensor, a sensor signal indicative of a state of at least one of the plurality of battery cells;
• determining, by a microcontroller of the control unit, a first control signal for controlling the power switch based on a state signal based on the sensor signal;
• receiving, by a switch control circuit of the control unit, the state signal, the first control signal, and a fault signal that is indicative of an operating state of the microcontroller;
• generating, by the switch control circuit, a second control signal based on the state signal;
• and
• transmitting, by the switch control circuit to the power switch, one of the first control signal and the second control signal based on the received fault signal.