Method and apparatus for determining the aging of an electronic interrupter element, in particular of a power contactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10101394-B2
Application number	US-201415024963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	Sep 25, 2013
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for determining the aging of an electronic interrupter element which is configured to open and close a power circuit. The method according to the disclosure comprises the following steps: a) initializing an aging counter NWear, b) determining the amount I of a current which flows through the electronic interrupter element upon opening the power circuit, c) determining a current-dependent aging value Nwear (I) from the amount I of the current, d) refreshing the aging counter NWear using the current-dependent aging value Nwear (I). The disclosure further relates to a computer program and to an apparatus for determining the aging of an electronic interrupter element and to a battery management system which are in particular configured to carry out the method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining an aging of an electronic interruption element that is configured to open and close a circuit, the method comprising:
a) initializing an aging counter N wear ;
b) determining an absolute value I of a current that flows when the circuit is opened by the electronic interruption element;
c) determining an aging value N wear (I) that is dependent on the absolute value I of the current;
d) refreshing the aging counter N wear using the aging value N wear (I),
wherein the electronic interruption element has a reference number N mech known for it that indicates a number of opening and closing operations for the electronic interruption element, the method further comprising:
ascertaining the aging value N wear (I) based on a division of the reference number N mech by a number N break (I), the number N break (I) indicating a current-dependent number of opening and closing operations for the electronic interruption element.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
e) determining an absolute value ΔU of a voltage difference across the electronic interruption element when the circuit is closed;
f) determining an aging value N wear (ΔU) that is dependent on the absolute value ΔU of the voltage difference; and
g) refreshing the aging counter N wear using the aging value N wear (ΔU).

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the electronic interruption element has a reference number N mech known for it that indicates a number of opening and/or closing operations for the electronic interruption element, the method further comprising:
determining the aging value N wear (ΔU) based on a division of the reference number N mech by a number N make (ΔU), the number N make (ΔU) indicating a voltage-dependent number of opening and closing operations for the electronic interruption element.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:
ascertaining the number N make (ΔU) taking into account a capacitance of a capacitor and a resistance of a resistor.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
ascertaining a life limit for the electronic interruption element.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising:
initiating an action at a moment at which the aging counter N wear at least one of reaches and exceeds the life limit of the electronic interruption element.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic interruption element is a power contactor for a battery in at least one of an electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle.

8. A computer program for determining an aging of an electronic interruption element that is configured to open and close a circuit, the computer program being stored on a non-transitory storage medium and configured to, when the computer program is executed on a programmable computer device:
a) initialize an aging counter N wear ;
b) determine an absolute value I of a current that flows when the circuit is opened by the electronic interruption element;
c) determine an aging value N wear (I) that is dependent on the absolute value I of the current; and
d) refresh the aging counter N wear using the aging value N wear (I),
wherein the electronic interruption element has a reference number N mech known for it that indicates a number of opening and closing operations for the electronic interruption element, the method further comprising:
ascertaining the aging value N wear (I) based on a division of the reference number N mech by a number N break (I), the number N break (I) indicating a current-dependent number of opening and closing operations for the electronic interruption element.

9. A method for determining an aging of an electronic interruption element that is configured to open and close a circuit, the method comprising:
a) initializing an aging counter N wear ;
b) determining an absolute value I of a current that flows when the circuit is opened by the electronic interruption element;
c) determining an aging value N wear (I) that is dependent on the absolute value I of the current;
d) refreshing the aging counter N wear using the aging value N wear (I);
e) determining an absolute value ΔU of a voltage difference across the electronic interruption element when the circuit is closed;
f) determining an aging value N wear (ΔU) that is dependent on the absolute value ΔU of the voltage difference; and
g) refreshing the aging counter N wear using the aging value N wear (ΔU),
wherein the electronic interruption element has a reference number N mech known for it that indicates a number of at least one of (i) opening and (ii) closing operations for the electronic interruption element, the method further comprising:
determining the aging value N wear (ΔU) based on a division of the reference number N mech by a number N make (ΔU), the number N make (ΔU) indicating a voltage-dependent number of opening and closing operations for the electronic interruption element.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
ascertaining the number N make (ΔU) taking into account a capacitance of a capacitor and a resistance of a resistor.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert
• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd
• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Salziger Jan
• Galamb Gergely
• Anzicek Joshua
• Propst Dylan

Classifications

• G05B23/0283 Primary

  Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] (preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06) · CPC title

• G07C3/00

  Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles · CPC title

• G01R31/327 Primary

  Testing of circuit interrupters, switches or circuit-breakers · CPC title

• B60L3/04

  Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) · CPC title

• B60W20/50

  Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode · CPC title