Method for responding to a fire-critical battery state in a vehicle, and a vehicle designed to carry out such a method

1. A method for responding to a fire-critical battery state in a motor vehicle having at least one battery, wherein a battery temperature is continuously detected by at least one temperature sensor, comprising the following steps:

continuously detecting of a temperature change of the battery based on the continuously detected battery temperature;

verifying whether the detected temperature change exceeds a specified threshold defining a fire-critical battery state;

actuating at least one vehicle function for carrying out a protective measure and/or warning measure by a control device, if the fire-critical battery state is reached; wherein the battery is enclosed by a battery housing, which has a degassing vent at a location leading into a trunk of the vehicle, and a burst opening with an exit point outside an area of a passenger occupancy area of the vehicle

wherein, as the protective measure, the following measures are carried out in the vehicle:

activating a safety mode of an air conditioner by deactivating the air conditioner or operating the air conditioner in recirculation mode without ventilation function;

door release;

automatic closing of opened vehicle windows and or of an opened vehicle moonroof; and

interrupting a power supply for an electric drive unit of the motor vehicle; and

wherein the following measures are carried out as the warning measure:

automatically activating a hazard warning light; and

placing an automatic emergency call to a specified control center;

displaying a warning signal in the vehicle interior.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, checking whether the continuously detected battery temperature exceeds a specified threshold temperature, which defines the fire-critical battery state.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein local battery temperatures are continuously detected by several temperature sensors, a spatial temperature gradient is determined on the basis of the continuously detected battery temperatures, and checking whether the determined spatial temperature gradient exceeds a specified gradient threshold, which defines the fire-critical battery state.

4. A motor vehicle comprising:

a battery, at least one temperature sensor for continuously detecting a battery temperature and a control device for actuating at least one vehicle function of the motor vehicle, wherein the control device is designed to carry out a method according to claim 1 .

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the battery has several battery cells and is designed to supply power to an electrical drive unit of the motor vehicle.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein a fire protection layer is arranged between the battery and the vehicle interior.