Motor vehicle supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518643-B2
Application number	US-201715591660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2014
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A motor vehicle supply network, in particular a 48V on-board power supply of a motor vehicle, contains a current source, a power distributor connected to the current source via a supply current path, and at least one load connected to the power distributor via a load current path with an integrated semiconductor switch. A current-measuring unit, a voltage-measuring unit and a monitoring unit are integrated into the power distributor. The monitoring unit is configured in such a way that same detects an imminent fault based on the measurement data of the current-measuring unit and/or the measurement data of the voltage-measuring unit, and in such a way that same initiates a switching-off of the at least one load using the semiconductor switch. Both imminent over-current faults and imminent arc faults are detected as an imminent fault.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle supply system, comprising:
a current source;
a supply current path;
a power distributor connected to said current source via said supply current path;
a load current path;
an integrated semiconductor switch;
at least one load connected to said power distributor via said load current path and said integrated semiconductor switch, said at least one load further connected to said current source via said power distributor;
a current measuring unit integrated in said power distributor;
a voltage measuring unit integrated in said power distributor; and
a monitoring unit integrated in said power distributor, said monitoring unit being set up such that said monitoring unit identifies an imminent fault on a basis of measurement data from said current measuring unit and/or measurement data from said voltage measuring unit and that said monitoring unit initiating a disconnection of said at least one load by means of said integrated semiconductor switch, wherein both imminent overcurrent faults and imminent arc faults are identified as the imminent fault.

2. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , wherein:
said load current path is one of a plurality of load current paths;
said integrated semiconductor switch is one of a plurality of integrated semiconductor switches;
said at least one load is one of a plurality of loads each connected to said power distributor via a separate one of said load current paths with one of said integrated semiconductor switches; and
said monitoring unit is set up to monitor all of said load current paths independently of one another, so that in an event of a fault in one of said load current paths, only said load connected thereto is disconnected.

3. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , wherein at least said integrated semiconductor switch is integrated in said load current path with said at least one load and said integrated semiconductor switch is a power transistor.

4. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 2 ,
wherein said current measuring unit is one of a plurality of current measuring units;
wherein said voltage measuring unit is one of a plurality of voltage measuring units;
further comprising a common printed circuit board having each of said loads, said integrated semiconductor switches, said current measuring units, said voltage measuring units and said monitoring unit disposed on it, said monitoring unit being common to all of said loads and configured to record:
a) an overcurrent;
b) a short from any of said load current paths to ground;
c) a parallel arc in any of said load current paths;
d) a serial arc in any of said load current paths; and
e) a serial arc in a ground path between a respective load and a ground potential for each of said loads.

5. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , wherein said current measuring unit, in order to monitor said load current path with said at least one load, is integrated in said integrated semiconductor switch of an applicable load current path.

6. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , wherein said monitoring unit is set up to identify the imminent fault and a nature of the imminent fault.

7. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , wherein said monitoring unit is set up to identify the imminent fault and a nature of the imminent fault by collating the measurement data from said current measuring unit and/or the measurement data from said voltage measuring unit with stored current and/or voltage profiles.

8. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 6 , wherein said power distributor has a signal output and said monitoring unit is set up such that a fault log is generated and transmitted to a receiver via said signal output on said power distributor when the imminent fault has been identified.

9. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising a measuring bridge with a bridge head, said monitoring unit identifying imminent arc faults in said load current path by monitoring a potential difference, recorded by means of said voltage measuring unit, in said measuring bridge with said bridge head in a region of said load of said load current path and with said bridge head in a region of said integrated semiconductor switch of said load current path.

10. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 9 , wherein said measuring bridge is based on a principle of a Wheatstone measuring bridge.

11. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 9 , further comprising a sensor line being routed from said bridge head in a region of said load to said power distributor, said sensor line having at least one section formed by a core or a shield of a power transmission cable that connects said load to said power distributor.

12. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 9 , further comprising a power transmission cable having a plug connector, said bridge head in said region of said load is integrated in said plug connector of said power transmission cable that connects said load to said power distributor.

13. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle supply system is a 48 V onboard electrical system of a motor vehicle.

14. The motor vehicle supply system according to claim 3 , wherein said power transistor is a MOSFET.

15. A motor vehicle supply system, comprising:
a current source;
a supply current path;
a power distributor connected to said current source via said supply current path;
a plurality of load current paths;
a plurality of integrated semiconductor switches;
a plurality of loads each connected to said power distributor via a separate one of said load current paths with one of said integrated semiconductor switches, said loads are each further connected to said current source via said power distributor;
current measuring units integrated in said power distributor;
voltage measuring units integrated in said power distributor;
a monitoring unit integrated in said power distributor, said monitoring unit being set up such that said monitoring unit identifies an imminent fault on a basis of measurement data from said current measuring units and/or measurement data from said voltage measuring units and that said monitoring unit initiating a disconnection of a respective one of said loads by means of said integrated semiconductor switches, wherein both imminent overcurrent faults and imminent arc faults are identified as the imminent fault;
said monitoring unit being set up to monitor all of said load current paths independently of one another, so that in an event of a fault in one of said load current paths, only said respective load connected thereto is disconnected;
a common printed circuit board having each of said loads, said integrated semiconductor switches, said current measuring units, said voltage measuring units and said monitoring unit disposed on it, said monitoring unit being common to all said loads and configured to record:
a) an overcurrent;
b) a short from any of said load current paths to ground;
c) a parallel arc in any of said load current paths;
d) a serial arc in any of said load current paths; and
e) a serial arc in a ground path between said respective load and a ground potential for each of said loads;
a measuring bridge with a bridge head, said monitoring unit identifying imminent arc faults in said load current paths by monitoring a potential difference, recorded by means of said voltage measuring units, in said measuring bridge with said bridge head in a region o

Assignees

• Leoni Bordnetz Sys Gmbh

Inventors

• Ebert Matthias
• Rau Markus

Classifications

• B60R16/005

  Electro-mechanical devices, e.g. switched (electric switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• B60Y2400/3086

  Electric voltages sensors · CPC title

• B60R16/0238

  Electrical distribution centers · CPC title

• G01R31/006

  on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks (testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00) · CPC title

• B60R16/03 Primary

  for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} · CPC title