# US 12,009,168 B2 · Vehicle and method of controlling the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,009,168 B2 - Document ID: US12009168B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/102,849 - Filed: 2020-11-24 - Published: 2021-12-30 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-06-25 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; KIA Motors Corporation - Inventors: Joongwoo Lee; Man Jae Park - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009168B2 ## CPC - H01H 47/26: having thermo-sensitive input - B60R 16/005: {Electro-mechanical devices, e.g. switched (electric switches in general H01H)} - B60R 16/0231: {Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P)} - B60R 16/0232: {for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions} - G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)} - H01H 50/12: Ventilating; Cooling; Heating (for operating electrothermal relays H01H61/013) - B60R 16/033: characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) - G01R 31/327: Testing of circuit interrupters, switches or circuit-breakers - H01H 50/08: Indicators; Distinguishing marks - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A vehicle and a method of controlling the vehicle are provided. The method of controlling the vehicle includes detecting, by an excitation voltage computational measuring device, an excitation voltage applied to an excitation coil of a relay provided to regulate power supply of a battery; calculating, by a logical determination device, a temperature of the relay based on the excitation voltage; and calculating, by the logical determination device, a remaining life of the relay based on the calculated temperature of the relay. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising: detecting, by an excitation voltage computational measuring device, an excitation voltage applied to an excitation coil of a relay provided to regulate power supply of a battery; calculating, by a logical determination device, a temperature of the relay based on the excitation voltage; calculating, by the logical determination device, a remaining life of the relay using a temperature difference between the temperature of the relay and a preset reference temperature, a number of high temperature diagnosis, and a S-N life curve; and limiting, by the logical determination device, an output of the battery when the calculated temperature of the relay exceeds the preset reference temperature. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: calculating, by the logical determination device, the temperature of the relay using at least one of voltage-temperature data of the relay provided by a manufacturer of the relay or voltage-temperature data of the relay obtained through an experiment. ### Claim 3 A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising: detecting, by an excitation voltage computational measuring device, an excitation voltage applied to an excitation coil of a relay provided to regulate power supply of a battery; calculating, by a logical determination device, a temperature of the relay based on the excitation voltage; calculating, by the logical determination device, a remaining life of the relay using a temperature difference between the temperature of the relay and a preset reference temperature, a number of high temperature diagnosis, and a S-N life curve; determining, by the logical determination device, whether a deterioration failure of the relay has occurred or the relay has entered a deterioration failure risk group based on the calculated temperature of the relay; determining, by the logical determination device, whether the relay enters the deterioration failure risk group based on the calculated remaining life of the relay in response to the occurrence of the deterioration failure of the relay or entering the deterioration failure risk group, outputting, by the logical determination device, a warning; and limiting, by the logical determination device, an output of the battery when the calculated temperature of the relay exceeds the preset reference temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, further comprising calculating, by the logical determination device, the temperature of the relay using at least one of voltage-temperature data of the relay provided by a manufacturer of the relay or voltage-temperature data of the relay obtained through an experiment. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, further comprising in response to a number of times that the calculated temperature of the relay exceeds the preset reference temperature is greater than a preset number of times, determining, by the logical determination device, that the deterioration failure of the relay has occurred. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, further comprising: in response to determining that the deterioration failure of the relay has occurred, stopping, by the logical determination device, a driving of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, further comprising: in response to determining that the relay has entered the deterioration failure risk group, displaying, by the logical determination device, an entry of the deterioration failure risk group through a display, and displaying a vehicle maintenance guide message. ### Claim 8 A vehicle comprising: an excitation voltage computational measuring device configured to detect an excitation voltage applied to an excitation coil of a relay provided to regulate power supply of a battery; and a logical determination device configured to: calculate a temperature of the relay based on the excitation voltage of the relay; calculate a remaining life of the relay using a temperature difference between the temperature of the relay and a preset reference temperature, a number of high temperature diagnosis, and a S-N life curve; and limit an output of the battery when the calculated temperature of the relay exceeds the preset reference temperature. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the logical determination device is further configured to: calculate the temperature of the relay using at least one of voltage-temperature data of the relay provided by a manufacturer of the relay or voltage-temperature data of the relay obtained through an experiment. ### Claim 10 A vehicle comprising: an excitation voltage computational measuring device configured to detect an excitation voltage applied to an excitation coil of a relay provided to regulate power supply of a battery; and a logical determination device configured to: calculate a temperature of the relay based on the excitation voltage; calculate a remaining life of the relay using a temperature difference between the temperature of the relay and a preset reference temperature, a number of high temperature diagnosis, and a S-N life curve; determine whether a deterioration failure of the relay has occurred or the relay has entered a deterioration failure risk group based on the calculated temperature of the relay; determine whether the relay enters the deterioration failure risk group based on the calculated remaining life of the relay in response to the occurrence of the deterioration failure of the relay or entering the deterioration failure risk group, output a warning; and limit an output of the battery when the calculated temperature of the relay exceeds the preset reference temperature. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the logical determination device is configured to: calculate the temperature of the relay using at least one of voltage-temperature data of the relay provided by a manufacturer of the relay or voltage-temperature data of the relay obtained through an experiment. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the logical determination device is further configured to: determine that the deterioration failure of the relay has occurred when a number of times that the calculated temperature of the relay exceeds the preset reference temperature is greater than a preset number of times. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the logical determination device is further configured to: stop a driving of the vehicle when it is determined that the deterioration failure of the relay has occurred. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the logical determination device is further configured to: display an entry of the deterioration failure risk group through a display; and display a vehicle maintenance guide message when it is determined that the relay has entered the deterioration failure risk group.