# US 12,600,245 B2 · Power control apparatus for vehicle

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- Number: US 12,600,245 B2
- Document ID: US12600245B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/190,048
- Filed: 2023-03-24
- Published: 2023-10-05
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2022-03-31
- Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yuji Fujita; Yu Yamamoto; Atsushi Saito; Keita Kishi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600245B2

## CPC

- B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75)
- B60L 3/0038: {relating to sensors}
- B60L 3/04: Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H)
- B60L 58/26: by cooling
- B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors}
- B60L 3/0069: {relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current}
- B60L 2240/545: Temperature
- B60L 2240/547: Voltage
- B60L 2240/549: Current
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- 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
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

An IPU includes a battery that supplies power to a drive unit of a vehicle, a temperature sensor that detects temperature of the battery, a current sensor that detects electrical current of the battery, a voltage sensor that detects voltage of the battery, contactors that cut off the electrical current flow from the battery and the electrical current flow to the battery, and a battery ECU that, when a temperature detection function by the temperature sensor has been lost, calculates a value of the power of the battery based on a detection result of the electrical current and a detection result of the voltage, and operates the contactors when a calculated value of the power exceeds a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time to cut off the electrical current flow from the battery and the electrical current flow to the battery.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A power control apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a battery that supplies power to a drive unit of a vehicle;
a temperature sensor that detects temperature of the battery;
a current sensor that detects electrical current of the battery;
a voltage sensor that detects voltage of the battery;
a contactor that cuts off a flow of electrical current from the battery and a flow of electrical current to the battery and
a controller that, when a temperature detection function of the temperature sensor has been lost, calculates a value of the power of the battery based on a detection result of the electrical current by the current sensor and a detection result of the voltage by the voltage sensor, and operates the contactor when a calculated value of the power exceeds a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time to cut off flow of the electrical current from the battery and the flow of electrical current to the battery,
wherein the battery is cooled, and wherein the predetermined value and the predetermined period of time are set based on a heat generation characteristic of the battery and a cooling characteristic of a water cooling mechanism.