# US 12,759,408 B2 · Systems and methods for internal discharge of battery systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,408 B2 - Document ID: US12759408B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/797,207 - Filed: 2024-08-07 - Published: 2026-02-12 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2024-08-07 - Assignees: Textron Innovations Inc. - Applicants: Textron Inc. - Inventors: Gregory August Theodosakis; Russell William King; Charles Daniel Dauchess; Christopher Kenneth Furman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759408B2 ## CPC - B60L 3/04: Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) - B60L 1/02: to electric heating circuits - B60L 1/14: to electric lighting circuits - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)} - H01M 50/204: Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells - H01M 50/249: specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) - H01M 50/512: Connection only in parallel - B60L 2200/22: Microcars, e.g. golf cars - H01M 2010/4271: {Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing} - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - 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 - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY ## Abstract A golf vehicle includes a chassis, a front axle coupled to the chassis, a rear axle coupled to the chassis, a battery pack supported by the chassis and including a plurality of battery cells, an electric motor powered by the battery pack, and a vehicle control system. The vehicle control system includes a battery management system coupled to the battery pack and a motor controller coupled to the electric motor and the battery management system. The battery management system is configured to monitor the battery pack, detect a fault, and trigger a discharge protocol for the battery pack in response to the fault to prevent an overcharge condition. The motor controller is configured to provide direct current power from the battery pack to the electric motor to discharge the battery pack in response to the discharge protocol. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A golf vehicle comprising: a chassis; a front axle coupled to the chassis; a rear axle coupled to the chassis; a battery pack supported by the chassis, the battery pack including a plurality of battery cells; an electric motor powered by the battery pack, the electric motor configured to drive at least one of the front axle or the rear axle, the electric motor being a three-phase alternating current motor; and a vehicle control system including: a battery management system coupled to the battery pack, the battery management system configured to: monitor the battery pack; detect a fault; and trigger a discharge protocol for the battery pack in response to the fault to prevent an overcharge condition; and a motor controller coupled to the electric motor and the battery management system, the motor controller configured to provide direct current power from the battery pack to the electric motor to discharge the battery pack in response to the discharge protocol. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the direct current power causes the electric motor to generate heat to discharge the battery pack without driving the at least one of the front axle or the rear axle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is further configured to adjust at least one of a voltage or a current of the direct current power provided to the electric motor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to monitor at least one of a first temperature of the motor controller or a second temperature of the electric motor during the discharge protocol. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The golf vehicle of claim 4, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to monitor the first temperature and the second temperature. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The golf vehicle of claim 5, further comprising: a first temperature sensor positioned to facilitate monitoring the first temperature of the motor controller; and a second temperature sensor positioned to facilitate monitoring the second temperature of the electric motor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The golf vehicle of claim 4, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to modulate the direct current power provided to the electric motor to maintain at least one of (a) the first temperature of the motor controller below a first temperature threshold or (b) the electric motor below a second temperature threshold while attempting to prevent the overcharge condition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The golf vehicle of claim 7, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to modulate the direct current power provided to the electric motor to maintain the first temperature of the motor controller below the first temperature threshold and the electric motor below the second temperature threshold while attempting to prevent the overcharge condition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The golf vehicle of claim 8, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to permit at least one of (a) the first temperature of the motor controller to exceed the first temperature threshold or (b) the second temperature of the electric motor to exceed the second temperature threshold to prioritize prevention of the overcharge condition. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The golf vehicle of claim 9, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to permit the first temperature of the motor controller to exceed the first temperature threshold and the second temperature of the electric motor to exceed the second temperature threshold to prioritize prevention of the overcharge condition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is configured to ignore throttle commands from an operator during the discharge protocol. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is configured to wait for the golf vehicle to come to a stop if moving before providing the direct current power to the electric motor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes a first battery module including a first plurality of battery cells and a second battery module including a second plurality of battery cells, and wherein the first battery module and the second battery module are connected in parallel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to power one or more electrically-operated components of the golf vehicle with the battery pack as part of the discharge protocol, the one or more electrically-operated components including at least one of a brake resistor, lights, microprocessors, a heater, or a chiller. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to continue the discharge protocol until a charge level of the battery pack falls below a threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to: monitor a first temperature of the motor controller of the golf vehicle and a second temperature of the electric motor during the discharge protocol; modulate the direct current power provided to the electric motor to maintain the first temperature of the motor controller below a first temperature threshold and the electric motor below a second temperature threshold; and permit the first temperature of the motor controller to exceed the first temperature threshold and the second temperature of the electric motor to exceed the second temperature threshold to prioritize prevention of the overcharge condition of the battery pack during the discharge protocol. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is configured to: ignore throttle commands from an operator during the discharge protocol; and wait for the golf vehicle to come to a stop if moving before providing the direct current power to the electric motor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The golf vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is configured to provide the direct current power to the electric motor without creating a rotating magnetic field that turns the electric motor. ### Claim 19 A vehicle system comprising: one or more processing circuits including one or more memory devices storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: monitor a battery system of a vehicle, wherein the battery system is configured to provide power to an alternating current motor of the vehicle that drives an axle of the vehicle; detect a fault associated with the battery system; trigger a discharge protocol for the battery system in response to the fault; provide direct current power from the battery system to the alternating current motor to discharge the battery system in accordance with the discharge protocol; monitor a first temperature of a motor controller of the vehicle and a second temperature of the alternating current motor during the discharge protocol; modulate the direct current power provided to the alternating current motor to maintain the first temperature of the motor controller below a first temperature threshold and the alternating current motor below a second temperature threshold; and permit the first temperature of the motor controller to exceed the first temperature threshold and the second temperature of the alternating current motor to exceed the second temperature threshold to prioritize prevention of an overcharge condition of the battery system during the discharge protocol. ### Claim 20 A vehicle system comprising: one or more processing circuits including one or more memory devices storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: monitor a battery system of a vehicle, wherein the battery system is configured to provide power to an alternating current motor of the vehicle that drives an axle of the vehicle; detect a fault associated with the battery system; trigger a discharge protocol for the battery system in response to the fault; provide direct current power from the battery system to the alternating current motor to discharge the battery system in accordance with the discharge protocol; ignore throttle commands from an operator during the discharge protocol; and wait for the vehicle to come to a stop if moving before providing the direct current power to the alternating current motor.