# US 12,111,368 B2 · Fuse life expectancy prediction device for electric vehicle battery and prediction method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,111,368 B2 - Document ID: US12111368B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/870,034 - Filed: 2022-07-21 - Published: 2023-05-18 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-11-18 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Inventors: Bo Seon Lee; Kyung Ho Kim; Beom Joo Kwon; Hui Tae Yang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111368B2 ## CPC - G01R 31/74: Testing of fuses - B60L 3/0023: {Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train} - B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} - B60L 53/11: {DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4} - B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH] - B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage - G01R 31/2849: {Environmental or reliability testing, e.g. burn-in or validation tests (of individual semiconductors G01R31/2642; of printed circuits boards G01R31/2817; of IC's G01R31/2855)} - B60L 2250/10: by alarm - B60L 2260/50: by future state prediction - G01R 31/007: {using microprocessors or computers} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES ## Abstract A device for predicting a life expectancy of a fuse for a battery of an electric vehicle may include a sensor configured to generate and output current information about current flowing in the fuse, a processor, and a memory connected to the processor and configured to store a preset lookup table, the memory storing program instructions which are executable by the processor to generate fuse-life expectancy information corresponding to the fuse based on the lookup table and time corresponding to an excess when the current information exceeds a preset threshold value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for predicting a life expectancy of a fuse for a battery comprising a first battery and a second battery of an electric vehicle, the device comprising: a processor; a sensor configured to generate and output current information about current flowing in the fuse to the processor, wherein the fuse is disposed between the first battery and the second battery; and a memory connected to the processor and configured to store a preset lookup table; wherein the memory is configured to store program instructions which are executable by the processor to generate fuse-life expectancy information corresponding to the fuse based on the preset lookup table and time corresponding to an excess when the current information exceeds a preset threshold value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein, when the current information is driving current information, the memory is configured to store program instructions for generating the fuse-life expectancy information based on a preset method by measuring a peak current and a peak time corresponding to the driving current information when the driving current information exceeds a preset driving threshold value, and the preset threshold value is the preset driving threshold value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device according to claim 2, wherein the memory is configured to store program instructions for cumulatively measuring the peak current and the peak time until the driving current information is lower than or equal to the preset driving threshold value, and generating the fuse-life expectancy information by looking up information corresponding to the cumulatively measured peak current and peak time from the preset lookup table. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein, when the current information is quick-charging current information, the memory is configured to store program instructions for generating a quick-charging absolute current value corresponding to the quick-charging current information, and generating the fuse-life expectancy information based on a preset method by measuring a quick-charging current information and charging time when the quick-charging absolute current value exceeds a preset quick-charging threshold value, and the preset threshold value is an absolute value of the quick-charging current value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein the memory is configured to store program instructions for cumulatively measuring the quick-charging current information and the charging time until the quick charging is completed, and generating the fuse-life expectancy information by looking up information corresponding to the cumulatively measured quick-charging current information and charging time from the preset lookup table. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the memory is configured to further store program instructions for outputting a preset warning when the fuse-life expectancy information is lower than or equal to a preset warning reference. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device according to claim 6, wherein the memory is configured to store program instructions for detecting a warning level of the fuse-life expectancy information, and outputting a warning corresponding to the warning level. ### Claim 8 A method of predicting a life expectancy of a fuse used for a battery comprising a first battery and a second battery of an electric vehicle, the method comprising: generating information about current flowing in the fuse disposed between the first battery and the second battery; comparing the current information with a preset threshold value; and generating fuse-life expectancy information corresponding to the fuse based on a lookup table previously stored in a provided memory and time corresponding to an excess when the current information exceeds the threshold value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein, when the current information is driving current information, generating the fuse-life expectancy information comprises: measuring a peak current and a peak time corresponding to the driving current information when the driving current information exceeds a preset driving threshold value; and generating the fuse-life expectancy information based on a preset method using the peak current and the peak time; wherein the threshold value is the driving threshold value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein generating the fuse-life expectancy information comprises: cumulatively measuring the peak current and the peak time until the driving current information is lower than or equal to the driving threshold value; and generating the fuse-life expectancy information by looking up information corresponding to the cumulatively measured peak current and peak time from the lookup table. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein, when the current information is quick-charging current information, generating the fuse-life expectancy information comprises: generating a quick-charging absolute current value corresponding to the quick-charging current information; and generating the fuse-life expectancy information based on a preset method by measuring a quick-charging current information and charging time when the quick-charging absolute current value exceeds a preset quick-charging threshold value; wherein the threshold value is the quick-charging absolute current value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein generating the fuse-life expectancy information further comprises: cumulatively measuring the quick-charging current information and the charging time until the quick charging is completed; and generating the fuse-life expectancy information by looking up information corresponding to the cumulatively measured quick-charging current information and charging time from the lookup table. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, further comprising outputting a preset warning when the fuse-life expectancy information is lower than or equal to a preset warning reference. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein outputting the warning comprises: detecting a warning level of the fuse-life expectancy information; and outputting a warning corresponding to the warning level.