Fault detection for battery management systems
AssigneeO2 Micro, Inc.
InventorGuoxing LI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A battery management system includes multiple sensors, status detection circuitry, and fault detection circuitry. The sensors sense statuses of a battery pack. The status detection circuitry detects whether the battery pack is in a normal condition based on the statuses to generate a detection result. The fault detection circuitry detects whether a fault is present in the battery pack. The sensors include a current sensor that senses a battery current of the battery pack. The fault detection circuitry includes a detection circuit that monitors a rate of change of a voltage at a terminal of the battery pack, and detects whether a fault is present in the current sensor based on a result of a comparison between the rate of change and a threshold and based on the detection result.
Claims20
A battery management system comprising:
- a plurality of sensors that sense statuses of a battery pack;
- status detection circuitry, coupled to said sensors, that detects whether said battery pack is in a normal condition based on said statuses to generate a detection result;
- and
- fault detection circuitry, coupled to said sensors, that detects whether a fault is present in said battery pack,
- wherein said sensors comprise a current sensor that senses a battery current of said battery pack, and
- wherein said fault detection circuitry comprises a detection circuit that monitors a rate of change of a voltage at a terminal of said battery pack, and detects whether a fault is present in said current sensor based on a result of a comparison between said rate of change and a rate of change threshold and also based on said detection result.
A battery pack comprising:
- a plurality of battery cells;
- a plurality of sensors that sense statuses of said battery cells;
- and
- a battery management system, coupled to said battery cells and said sensors, that detects whether said battery pack is in a normal condition based on said statuses to generate a detection result, and detects whether a fault is present in said battery pack,
- wherein said sensors comprise a current sensor that senses a battery current of said battery cells, and
- wherein said battery management system comprises a detection circuit that monitors a rate of change of a voltage at a terminal of said battery pack, and detects whether a fault is present in said current sensor based on a result of a comparison between said rate of change and a rate of change threshold and also based on said detection result.
A method for detecting a fault in a battery pack, said method comprising:
- sensing a battery current of said battery pack using a current sensor;
- detecting whether said battery pack is in a normal condition based on statuses of said battery pack to generate a detection result;
- monitoring a rate of change of a voltage at a terminal of said battery pack;
- and
- detecting whether a fault is present in said current sensor based on a result of a comparison between said rate of change and a rate of change threshold and also based on said detection result.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.