Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Schneider Electric Industries Sas

Renault S.a.s.

Dcns

Sebastien Carcouet

Daniel Chatroux

Julien Dauchy

Didier Leonard

Jeremy Dupont

Pierre Perichon

Michel Mensler

Lionel Cordesses

Bruno Beranger

Frederic Gaillard

Philippe Baudesson

Matthieu Desbois-Renaudin

Thierry Boudet

Michael Palmieri

Sid-Ali Randi

Anh-Linh Bui-Van

Nicolas Pierre

Jean-Noel Carminati

Frederic Sauneuf

Jacques Ecrabey

Etienne Durand

Cyrille Garans

Bernard Keruel

A switch including: first and second electrically conductive electrodes; an electrically conductive element; an electrically insulating medium separating the first and second electrodes and separating the electrically conductive element from the second electrode; and a pyrotechnic element including an explosive, explosion of the explosive causing the electrically conductive element to be driven into contact with the second electrode and the conductive element to be welded to the second electrode to form an electrically conductive link between the first and second electrodes.

Switch for short-circuiting a direct-current power source

A storage battery, including: first and second stages connected electrically in series, each stage including at least first, second, and third batteries connected electrically in parallel; at least first and second breakers by which the batteries of the first stage are connected in parallel and by which the batteries of the second stage are connected in parallel, each one of the breakers including: first and second electrodes; a fuse including a conducting link connected in series between the first and second electrodes and a fusible portion; an explosive, with a heat bridge between the fuse and the explosive causing the conducting link to open, the explosive having an explosion initiation temperature that is lower than the melting point of the fusible portion.

Storage battery including a disconnector having a fuse and an explosive with a heat bridge providing continuity of service in the event of a malfunction

A method for estimating insulation resistance between a terminal of a battery and an electrical ground, including: connecting a measuring circuit to one terminal of the battery, the measuring circuit including a resistance of known value and a capacitance; application of a known input signal having an input voltage; measurement of an output voltage between the ground and a point located between the resistance of known value and the capacitance; determination of a complex impedance of a dipole of the capacitance and the insulation resistance or determination of parameters of a differential equation; and determination of the insulation resistance from the parameters of the differential equation or the complex impedance.

Method and system for estimating the insulation resistance between a battery and an electrical earth

A DC voltage power source, comprising: first electrochemical cells electrically connected in series; a DC/DC converter, the output of the converter being connected in series with said first electrochemical cells, a secondary DC voltage source applying its potential difference to the input of the converter.

DC voltage source including electrochemical cells having an adaptive voltage level

The invention concerns an electrical system that comprises: &#x2014;an electrical charge (); &#x2014;a decoupling capacitor (); &#x2014;a DC voltage power supply system, comprising first and second terminals (), including: &#x2014;a DC voltage source () comprising first and second poles; &#x2014;a first branch including a first contactor (); &#x2014;a second branch including first and second switches () and an inductor () connected in series in order to selectively connect the DC voltage source to the first terminal () of the power supply system; &#x2014;a unidirectional conducting device () for conduction from the second terminal of the DC power supply system to a connection node () between the second switch () and said inductor (); &#x2014;a control circuit () comprising &#x2014;a mode for supplying electrical load (); &#x2014;a mode for charging the decoupling capacitor ().

DC voltage supply system configured to precharge a smoothing capacitor before supplying a load

An electrical apparatus, including: a circuit breaker having a breaking capacity and a breaking current; a DC voltage source including two batteries connected in parallel, connected in series with the circuit breaker, the sum of short-circuit currents of the batteries being greater than the breaking capacity, each battery including: a first branch including storage batteries and a switch connected in series; a second branch connected in parallel with the first branch and including a free-wheeling diode; an ammeter measuring output current; and a control circuit configured to detect a short-circuit. The control circuits simultaneously keep a majority of switches open and close one switch to apply a current passing through the circuit breaker which is higher than the breaking current and lower than the breaking capacity.

Protecting a power supply including a plurality of batteries in parallel against an external short-circuit

An accumulator battery, comprising at least: first and second stages electrically connected in series, each stage including at least first to third accumulators electrically connected in parallel. There are at least first and second current limiters via which the first to third accumulators of said first stage are connected in parallel and via which the first to third accumulators of said second stage are connected in parallel.

Accumulator battery protected against internal short circuits

A module for an electrochemical battery including plural accumulators electrically connected together by connection elements, a mechanism for electrical connection of the module with an exterior and a continuous envelope made from a dielectric polymer material that covers exterior surfaces of the accumulators, and connection elements that do not cover the mechanism for electrical connection of the module with the exterior. The continuous envelope is made by soaking to ensure coating of the accumulators and of the one or more connecting elements. The plural accumulators are distributed into plural layers, arranged in relation to each other so that one or more passages are made between the accumulators, wherein the continuous envelope covers a surface of the accumulator or accumulators delimitating the passages between the accumulators.

Electrochemical battery module having improved resistance in moist environments and method for producing at least one such module

An electrical installation includes a circuit-breaker having a breaking capacity PdC and a tripping current Is, an ammeter measuring the current, and a DC voltage source comprising batteries connected in parallel and connected in series with the circuit-breaker. The sum of the short-circuit currents of the batteries connected in parallel is higher than the breaking capacity PdC of the circuit-breaker. A plurality of the batteries each includes a respective switch capable of opening a connection between the battery of the same and the circuit-breaker. The electrical installation also includes a control circuit to detect that the current passing through the circuit-breaker is higher than the tripping current Is and to control the opening of a plurality of the switches in order to apply, through the circuit-breaker, a current higher than the tripping current Is of the same and lower than the breaking capacity PdC of the same.

Protection of a power supply including a plurality of batteries in parallel against an external short circuit

A device including a bridge assembly including: first, second, third, and fourth nodes, the first and third nodes being connected to a direct voltage source; a first branch connecting the first and second nodes; a second branch connecting the second and third nodes; a third branch connecting the first and fourth nodes; a fourth branch connecting the third and fourth nodes; a fifth branch connecting the second and fourth nodes and including a capacitor connected between the second and fourth nodes; a circuit controlling the switches to successively a) close the switches to charge the capacitor, and b) keep one switch closed and the other switches open; a measuring circuit measuring the current flowing through the capacitor; and a circuit determining magnitude of an insulation fault according to a current measured during b).

Insulation fault detection device for testing for insulation faults under critical conditions

An electrical power supply includes DC source outputting Vm and a device that detects insulation defects in the DC source. The device includes input terminals connected to the source's terminals, impedances Z1 and Z2 connected in series between the input terminals, where Z1=Z2=Z and Vm/Imax&#x3c;z&#x3c;(3/2)*Vm/Imax, wherein Imax is a maximum insulation defect current defined by a standardized safety threshold, and a current-detection circuit connected between ground and an intermediate point between the impedances. The current-detection circuit includes a microcontroller that receives a voltage proportional to the defect current originating from the intermediate point, the input terminal being connected by Z3 to a power supply with Vcc&#x3c;Vm, the input terminal being connected to ground by way of Z4. The microcontroller is configured to determine amplitude of an insulation defect as a function of the voltage applied to the input terminal, wherein Z*Vcc/(4*Vm)&#x3c;(Z3,Z4)&#x3c;Ztmax=Z*Vcc/2Vm.

Device for detecting a defect in insulation

A device balancing overall levels of electrical charge in plural blocks of cells in a battery. The blocks can be connected in a circuit during a charging phase of the cells accumulating charge, and during a discharging phase of the cells giving back charge. The device includes one series switch and one parallel switch. The series switch can, when closed and the parallel switch is open, connect a block to the circuit, in series with the other blocks, so that the block is connected during the charging and discharging phases. The parallel switch can, when closed and the series switch is open, disconnect the block from the circuit, so that the block is disconnected if discharging disconnection conditions are met during the discharging phase or if charging disconnection conditions are met during the charging phase. The block includes a mechanism locally balancing charge levels of its cells when disconnected.

Method for balancing the charge and discharge level of a battery by switching its blocks of cells

A device for detecting an insulation fault of a direct voltage source that can induce electrocution, including: first and second input terminals for the voltage source; first and third resistive dipoles connected in series between an electric ground and the second input terminal, the first resistive dipole having a resistance at least ten times higher than that of the third dipole; a second resistive dipole and a switch connected in series between the first input terminal and the electric ground; and a detection circuit connected to the terminals of the third dipole, configured to alternately open and close the switch, measure the voltage at the terminals of the third dipole, and determine the amplitude of an insulation fault according to the measured voltages.

Device for detecting and measuring an insulation fault

An electrical power supply device includes a DC voltage source with terminals, a controller, and an insulation-defect detecting device for detecting an insulation defect of the voltage source. The device has input terminals connected to source terminals, and circuits connected between respective input terminals and an intermediate point. The insulation-defect current-detection circuit connects between ground and the intermediate point. Both circuits have current-limiter circuits that open and close a connection between respective inputs and the intermediate point. Both current-limiter circuits are rated for traversal by a current of less than a standardized safety threshold when the first current-limiter circuit is closed and one of the terminals of the DC voltage source is shorted to ground. The control circuit is configured to simultaneously keep one current-limiter circuits open and the other closed.

Detection of an insulation defect

A battery element includes series-connected electrochemical accumulators applying a difference in potential between first and second poles, two power output terminals, and a securing device. The securing device comprises first and second switches connected in series between the first and second poles. The first switch is a normally-closed switch, and the second switch is a normally-open switch. The normally-open second switch is configured to selectively isolate/connect the first pole and the first terminal, and the normally-closed first switch being configured to selectively isolate/connect the first and second terminals. The electrochemical accumulators are configured to apply a voltage as a control signal for the normally closed first switch.

Growing community of inventors

Vif, France

Sebastien Carcouet