The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 14, 2018
Filed:
Apr. 17, 2015
The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, CA (US);
Craig H. Becker-Irvin, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Allen R. Powers, Palos Verdes Estates, CA (US);
THE BOEING COMPANY, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A fault tolerant battery system includes an electrical storage cell having a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The electrical storage cell is provided with a normally open bypass circuit path that is closed in the event of an overdischarged, or open-circuit failure of, the electrical storage cell. The bypass circuit path includes a first electrical conductor connected to the negative terminal of the electrical storage cell, a second electrical conductor connected to the positive terminal of the electrical storage cell, and a shorting gap between the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor. The first and second electrical conductors and a non-conductive barrier define an enclosed chamber that encompasses a mass of a fusible material, a spring that is positioned to force the mass of the fusible material into the shorting gap when the mass of the fusible material is at least partially molten, and a heat source is activatable upon the occurrence of the failed electrical storage cell. Two diodes connected in electrical series serve as heat sources, one of which is operable to melt at least a portion of the mass of the fusible material and one of which is operable to heat the conductive web. The chamber entraps the partially molten fusible material such that the spring forces the molten material into the shorting gap, where it closes the shorting gap so that the first electrical conductor is in electrical communication with the second electrical conductor.