Warning system and warning method for a motor vehicle having a high-voltage battery

Abstract

A warning system and a warning method for a motor vehicle having a high-voltage battery. The warning system includes a battery housing having the high-voltage battery, an underride protection device, a spatially closed cavity, at least one pressure sensor, and an evaluation device. The spatially closed cavity is arranged in a vertical direction of the warning system above the underride protection device and below the battery housing and is designed to change a volume of the cavity upon a deformation of the underride protection device under the action of a predetermined external force on the underride protection device. The at least one pressure sensor is designed to detect a pressure change value that describes a change in pressure in the pressure in the cavity.

Claims

1. A warning system comprising, a battery housing; an underride protection device; a spatially closed cavity; a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure difference in the spatially closed cavity between the underride protection device and the battery housing, wherein the pressure sensor is arranged within the battery housing laterally to a battery; and an evaluation device, wherein the spatially closed cavity is arranged in a vertical direction of the warning system above the underride protection device and below the battery housing and is configured to change a volume of the spatially closed cavity upon a deformation of the underride protection device under the action of a predetermined external force on the underride protection device, the pressure sensor is further configured to detect a pressure change value, which describes a pressure change of the pressure in the spatially closed cavity due to the change in the volume of the spatially closed cavity, and to provide the pressure change to the evaluation device, and the evaluation device is configured to provide a warning signal after the detected pressure change value is greater than a predetermined limit change value.

2. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is arranged in the spatially closed cavity.

3. The warning system according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one hose having a first hose end and a second hose end, wherein the first hose end is coupled to the sensor and the second hose end is positioned open in the spatially closed cavity.

4. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is arranged in the underride protection device.

5. The warning system according to claim 1, further comprising: a display device configured to display the warning signal provided as a predetermined warning message.

6. The warning system according to claim 2, wherein the warning system further comprises: at least one hose having a first hose end and a second hose end, wherein the first hose end is coupled to the pressure sensor and the second hose end is positioned open in the cavity.

7. The warning system according to claim 2, further comprising: a display device configured to display the warning signal provided as a predetermined warning message.

8. The warning system according to claim 3, further comprising: a display device configured to display the warning signal provided as a predetermined warning message.

9. The warning system according to claim 4, further comprising: a display device which is configured to display the warning signal provided as a predetermined warning message.

10. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is arranged within the battery housing within at least one separating element of the battery housing and the at least one separating element spatially separates at least two high-voltage battery modules of a battery from one another.

11. The warning system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is arranged above a screw head of at least one connecting screw of the warning system, the battery housing is coupled to the underride protection device by means of the at least one connecting screw, and the at least one connecting screw is coupled by means of the screw head to an upper side of the at least one separating element of the battery housing.

12. A motor vehicle having the warning system as claimed in claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are described hereinafter. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle having a warning system;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a deformation of an underride protection device as well as a cavity of a warning system of a motor vehicle upon driving over an elevation;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a warning system for a motor vehicle having different positionings of a pressure sensor;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a warning system for a motor vehicle, having multiple possible positionings of a pressure sensor in the region of a separating element as well as a connecting screw of a battery housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The exemplary embodiments explained hereinafter are preferred embodiments of the disclosure. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the disclosure to be considered independently of one another, which each also refine the disclosure independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is also intended to include combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the disclosure that have already been described.

(7) In the figures, the same reference numerals designate elements that have the same function.

(8) In FIG. 1, a motor vehicle 10 is sketched that comprises a warning system 12. The warning system 12 comprises a high-voltage battery 14 of the motor vehicle 10, which has multiple high-voltage battery modules 16. The high-voltage battery 14 is enclosed by a battery housing 18. Between the individual high-voltage battery modules 16 of the high-voltage battery 14, respective separating walls 20 are arranged within the battery housing 18.

(9) The warning system 12 also includes an underride protection device 22 which is produced from a plastic. This plastic is designed, for example, in the form of a plastic foam. A spatially closed cavity 24 is arranged between the underride protection device 22 and the battery housing 18. In a vertical direction of the warning system, which corresponds to the z-direction shown here and thus a vehicle vertical direction of the motor vehicle 10, the spatially closed cavity 24 is arranged above the underride protection device 22 and below the battery housing 18. In addition, individual components of a cooling system 28 of the high-voltage battery 14, such as cooling water lines, protrude into the cavity 24. These components of the cooling system 28 are shown here only for the high-voltage battery module 16 which is front in a vehicle longitudinal direction, wherein the vehicle longitudinal direction corresponds to a y-direction shown in FIG. 1.

(10) The warning system 12 also comprises a pressure sensor 30, an evaluation device 32, and a display device 40. The display device 40 is arranged, for example, as a display screen and/or loudspeaker in an interior of the motor vehicle 10. The warning system 12 can comprise multiple pressure sensors 30 overall (not shown in FIG. 1).

(11) In FIG. 2, the warning system 12 arranged in the motor vehicle 10 is sketched again in a detail, wherein the motor vehicle 10 here drives over an elevation 34, such as a bollard or a raised curb. Because the elevation 34 is driven over, an external force 36 acts on the underride protection device 22, whereby the underride protection device 22 is deformed. A deformation 38 of the underride protection device 22 is thus observed. A direction of the external force 36 is drawn here with the aid of an arrow, which here is arranged parallel to the z-direction, that is to say to the vertical direction of the warning system 12.

(12) The cavity 24 is designed to change a volume of the cavity 24 upon the deformation 38 of the underride protection device 22. Not only is an outer wall 23 of the underride protection device 22 deformed, but also a cavity wall 25 of the cavity 24. This causes a volume change of the current volume of the cavity 24 and thus a pressure change of a pressure in the cavity 24. The cavity 24 is therefore designed ultimately to experience a pressure change of the pressure in the cavity 24 during the deformation 38 of the underride protection device 22 due to the action of the external force 36.

(13) The at least one pressure sensor 30 is designed to detect a pressure change value, which describes the pressure change of the pressure in the cavity 24 due to the change in the volume of the cavity 24, and to provide it to the evaluation device 32. The pressure change value is therefore detected in a first method step S1 by means of the at least one pressure sensor 30 and in a step S2 this pressure change value is provided to the evaluation device 32.

(14) The evaluation device 32 is designed to provide a warning signal if the detected pressure change value is greater than a predetermined limit change value. In a method step S3 there is therefore a check by means of the evaluation device 32 as to whether the provided pressure change value is greater than the predetermined limit change value. The warning signal is then provided in a step S4, specifically if the provided pressure change value is greater than the predetermined limit change value.

(15) It can also be checked whether the provided pressure change value is greater than a predetermined alarm limit change value, wherein the alarm limit change value is greater than the limit change value. If the provided pressure change value is greater than the predetermined alarm limit change value, an alarm signal is provided. If only an increased pressure change is stored as a warning signal within the evaluation device 32 as an observed event, without there being a notice output by means of the display device 40, it can be output by means of the display device 40 as an alarm signal that the driver should visit a workshop as soon as possible. However, if the driver is already requested as a warning signal to drive to a workshop, it can be displayed as an alarm signal by means of the display device 40 that the driver should stop as quickly as possible and leave the vehicle, since the high-voltage battery has been severely damaged.

(16) This is based on the fact that the display device 40 of the warning system 12 is designed to display the provided warning signal as a predetermined warning message. Similarly, the alarm signal provided can be displayed as a predetermined alarm message. This display can take place in the form of an optical warning signal or alarm signal, that is to say with the aid of an illuminated display and/or text display. Alternatively or additionally thereto, the warning message and/or the alarm message can be output as an audio signal, for example as a warning tone and/or spoken warning message and/or alarm message.

(17) FIG. 3 shows various arrangements of the at least one pressure sensor 30 within the warning system 12. Here, the various positions of the pressure sensor 30 are distinguished from one another with the aid of letters. In a position A, the pressure sensor 30 is arranged directly in the cavity 24 by being positioned on the cavity wall 25. The further positions of the pressure sensor 30 sketched in FIG. 3, namely positions B, C, D, and E, each have a pressure sensor 30 having a hose 42. The hose 42 is coupled to the respective pressure sensor 30 at a first hose end 44. The hose 32 also has a second hose end 46 which is positioned open in the cavity 24 in each case. With the aid of the hose 32, the respective pressure sensor 30 is thus in an exchange with the cavity 24 regardless of its exact position within the warning system 12, so that the pressure change observed there can be detected by the respective pressure sensor 30.

(18) In position B, the pressure sensor 30 is positioned above the battery housing 18 in the z-direction, that is to say in the vertical direction of the warning system 12. For this purpose, the hose 42 is guided through the separating element 20 and through the underride protection device 22 to the cavity 24.

(19) In position C, the pressure sensor 30 is positioned in the underride protection device 22, wherein the hose 42 leads through the underride protection device 22 into the cavity 24. The underride protection device 22 is produced from the plastic foam through which corresponding holes for the hose 42 have been drilled.

(20) In position D, the pressure sensor 33 is arranged inside the battery housing 18 in the z-direction above the high-voltage battery 14, that is to say above the high-voltage battery module 16. The hose 42 leads here through an intermediate space between the separating element 20 and the battery module 16 and is guided on the lower wall of the battery housing 18 in the z-direction into the underride protection device 22 and from there into the cavity 24.

(21) In position E, the pressure sensor 30 is arranged within the battery housing 18 in a transverse direction of the warning system 12, that is to say in the y-direction, laterally to the high-voltage battery 14, that is to say laterally to the high-voltage battery module 16. The hose 42 is guided here through the intermediate space between the high-voltage battery module 16 and the separating element 20, wherein a passage for the hose 42 from the battery housing 18 to the cavity 24 is provided here.

(22) In FIG. 4, three further positions for the pressure sensor 30 are sketched, namely the positions F, G, and H. Here, the separating element 20 is designed such that a connecting screw 50 is guided through it, which extends from a screw head 52 to a screw tip 53, wherein the screw head 52 is coupled to the separating element 20 on an upper side 54 of the separating element 20. The connecting screw 50 is used here to couple the battery housing 18 to the underride protection device 22. The three pressure sensors 30 shown here also each have a hose 42, wherein the second hose end 46 ends open in the cavity 24.

(23) In position F, the pressure sensor 30 is positioned within the battery housing 18 inside the separating element 20. The hose 42 extends here through an inner cavity of the separating element 20 and through the underride protection device 22 to the cavity 24.

(24) In position G, the pressure sensor 30 is positioned above the separating element 20, so that the hose 42 is guided through an opening in the upper side 54 of the separating element 20, through the inner cavity of the separating element 20, and through the underride protection device 22 to the cavity 24.

(25) In position H, the pressure sensor 30 is arranged above the screw head 52 of the connecting screw 50 within the battery housing 18. The hose 42 extends here through the screw head 52 and through an opening within the connecting screw 50, wherein the hose 42 leaves the connecting screw 50 again in the region of the screw tip 53 and is guided through the underride protection device 22 into the cavity 24.

(26) Overall, the examples show how contactless damage detection on a high-voltage battery 14 of an electrically operable motor vehicle 10 or a hybrid vehicle as the motor vehicle 10 can be provided. One or more pressure change sensors, that is, one or more pressure sensors 30, can be provided here, which detect a pressure change in the cavity 24 between the underride protection device 22 and the battery housing 18 upon a deformation 38 of the underride protection device 22. This deformation 38 can be a consequence of an accident, that is to say a crash, of the motor vehicle 10. Such pressure change sensors are normally installed in doors of the motor vehicle 10 for airbag triggering of a vehicle door airbag, since they detect this very well. In the event of a crash in the underride protection device 22, the underride protection device 22 is compressed and a pressure wave is triggered. This would be sufficient to give a deflection in the case of the pressure sensor 30. A signal can then be sent to motor vehicle 10 that comprises that the motor vehicle 10 should be brought to a workshop. This signal is therefore the warning signal or the alarm signal. A deflection threshold would exist in case of a crash.

(27) The pressure sensor 30 is not necessarily to be seated in the cavity 24 of the underride protection device 22, since this is located in the watt region and can fill up with water, for example. It is therefore possible to place the pressure sensor 30 above the battery housing 18, where it is always in the dry space. For example, via the through screw connection, that is, with the aid of the connecting screw 50 or similar connection points in the battery housing 18, respective hoses 42 can be placed that are in contact with the pressure sensor 30, that is, are connected to the pressure sensor 30. The pressure sensor 30 can then be arranged above the connecting screw 50, for example.

(28) The warning system 12 thus represents a measuring arrangement for measuring a pressure difference in the cavity 24 between the underride protection device 22 and the battery housing 18. The pressure sensor is seated here above the high-voltage battery 14, below the battery housing 18, above the high-voltage battery module 16, and/or above the connecting screw 50.

(29) When the underride protection device 22 is compressed under the pressure wave, this is read out with the aid of the pressure sensor 30. The pressure sensor 30 can distinguish here between two different pressure levels, specifically on the basis of the limit change value and the alarm limit change value. This allows a distinction between a level 1 and a level 2 for a crash. The pressure sensor 30 can be connected to a detection hose in the form of the hose 42, which protrudes into the cavity 24. Data evaluation and reporting of a possible fault in the high-voltage battery 14 can take place when values exceed or fall below the corresponding limit values, that is to say the limit change value and/or the alarm limit change value. Corresponding vehicle electronics, that is to say the evaluation device 32, then send a message to the display device 40 in the form of a vehicle display, on the basis of which a visit to the workshop is suggested, for example.