Systems and methods for redundant control of active fuses for battery pack safety

• Main Authors: Manadan, Anvin Joe, Johnstal, Ross, Gupta, Rohan
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 25.07.2023
• Subjects: AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTINGELECTRIC POWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; COSMONAUTICS; ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT OR PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLEDVEHICLES; ELECTRICITY; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES, IN GENERAL; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; GENERATION; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

In one embodiment, an apparatus for redundant control of active fuses for battery pack safety is provided, comprising a battery; an electrical load coupled to the battery via a fuse capable of being activated by an electrical signal; a sensor configured to sense a short circuit condition at the electrical load and output an analog sensor signal; an analog-to-digital converter configured to sample the analog sensor signal and output a digital sensor signal; a microcontroller configured to detect the short circuit condition at the electrical load based on the digital sensor signal, and, during normal operation, to output a first electrical signal to activate the fuse after detecting the short circuit condition at the electrical load; and an analog circuit configured to operate independently of the microcontroller to receive the analog sensor signal and output a second electrical signal to activate the fuse after receiving the analog sensor signal.