Redundant power supply

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10093187-B2
Application number	US-201615224722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2016
Priority date	Aug 1, 2016
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle system includes multiple DC-DC converter circuits, vehicle batteries, and vehicle power distribution buses. Each vehicle battery is electrically connected in parallel to each of the DC-DC converter circuits. Each of the vehicle batteries is also electrically connected in parallel to one another. Further, each of the DC-DC converter circuits and each of the vehicle batteries are electrically connected to multiple vehicle power distribution buses.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle system comprising:
a plurality of DC-DC converter circuits; and
a plurality of vehicle batteries electrically connected in parallel to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits, wherein each of the vehicle batteries are electrically connected in parallel to one another,
wherein each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and each of the plurality of vehicle batteries is electrically connected to a plurality of vehicle power distribution buses.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vehicle power distribution buses includes:
a main power distribution bus electrically connected to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and each of the plurality of vehicle batteries; and
an auxiliary power distribution bus electrically connected to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and each of the plurality of vehicle batteries.

3. The vehicle system of claim 2 , wherein each of the main power distribution bus and the auxiliary power distribution bus further includes an overload protection circuit that shuts off at least one of the plurality of vehicle power distribution buses when a current consumption associated with at least one of the plurality of vehicle power distribution buses exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. The vehicle system of claim 2 , wherein the main power distribution bus and the auxiliary power distribution bus each include a plurality of individually interruptible output terminals.

5. The vehicle system of claim 4 , further comprising a processor programmed to detect a malfunction associated with at least one of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and shut off one or more of the individually interruptible output terminals of at least one of the plurality of vehicle power distribution busses in response to detecting the malfunction.

6. The vehicle system of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further programmed to select one or more of the individually interruptible output terminals for shut off in accordance with a current consumption of each of loads connected to the respective individually interruptible output terminals, a safety level of the loads connected to the respective individually interruptible output terminals, and a power level of the at least one of the DC-DC converter circuits with which the detected malfunction is associated.

7. The vehicle system of claim 4 , wherein each of the individually interruptible output terminals further includes an overload protection circuit that selectively interrupts at least one of the individually interruptible output terminals based at least in part on a current consumption of the individually interruptible output terminal exceeding a predetermined threshold.

8. The vehicle system of claim 4 , further comprising a load having first and second power supply input terminals, wherein the first power supply input terminal is connected to one of the individually interruptible output terminals of the main power distribution bus, and wherein the second power supply input terminal is connected to at least one output of the auxiliary power distribution bus.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8 , wherein the load further includes a current leak protection circuit connected to the first and the second power supply input terminals.

10. The vehicle system of claim 9 , wherein the current leak protection circuit includes at least one of a plurality of transistors and a plurality of diodes, each of the plurality of diodes having an anode and a cathode, wherein each of the anodes is connected to one of the first and second power supply input terminals.

11. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein each of the DC-DC converter circuits further includes an input terminal, wherein the input terminals of the DC-DC converter circuits are connected to one another.

12. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of vehicle batteries includes a first battery, a second battery, and a third battery, wherein the first and second batteries are electrically connected in parallel to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and to one another, and wherein the third battery is electrically connected to the input terminals of each of the DC-DC converter circuits.

13. A vehicle system comprising:
a plurality of DC-DC converter circuits;
a plurality of vehicle batteries electrically connected in parallel to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits, wherein each of the vehicle batteries are electrically connected in parallel to one another;
a main power distribution bus electrically connected to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and each of the plurality of vehicle batteries, wherein the main power distribution bus further includes a plurality of individually interruptible output terminals;
an auxiliary power distribution bus electrically connected to each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and each of the plurality of vehicle batteries, wherein the auxiliary power distribution bus further includes a plurality of individually interruptible output terminals; and
a processor programmed to detect a malfunction associated with at least one of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits and shut off one or more of the individually interruptible output terminals of at least one of the main power distribution bus and the auxiliary power distribution bus in response to detecting the malfunction.

14. The vehicle system of claim 13 , wherein the malfunction is associated with at least one of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits.

15. The vehicle system of claim 13 , wherein the malfunction is associated with at least one of the main power distribution bus and the auxiliary power distribution bus.

16. The vehicle system of claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of DC-DC converter circuits further include a diagnostics circuit, and wherein detecting a malfunction further includes receiving a signal from at least one of the diagnostic circuits.

17. The vehicle system of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of monitoring sensors, wherein detecting the malfunction further includes receiving a signal from at least one of the plurality of monitoring sensors.

18. The vehicle system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of monitoring sensors includes at least one shunt resistor.

19. The vehicle system of claim 17 , wherein each of the plurality of monitoring sensors is electrically connected to an output terminal of one of the DC-DC converter circuits.

20. The vehicle system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of monitoring sensors includes a plurality of battery monitoring sensors, wherein each of the plurality of battery monitoring sensors is electrically connected to one of the plurality of vehicle batteries.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Berels David Jeffeory
• Thornburg Douglas B
• Watters Brock

Classifications

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• B60L3/0092 Primary

  with use of redundant elements for safety purposes · CPC title

• B60L11/1851

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60R16/04

  Arrangement of batteries · CPC title

• B60L2210/10

  DC to DC converters · CPC title