Open circuit detection for vehicle power system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10816609-B2
Application number	US-201816055960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2018
Priority date	Aug 6, 2018
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle power system includes an inverter, outlets, and circuit breakers. The inverter supplies power to the outlets through the circuit breakers. The inverter, in response to detecting no voltage at designated amount and combination of the outlets, based on the designated amount and combination, generates a signal indicating that one or more of electrical paths to the outlets has failed or one or more of the circuit breakers is open.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit comprising:
outlets;
circuit breakers coupled to the outlets; and
an inverter configured to:
supply power to the outlets through the circuit breakers; and
responsive to detecting no voltage at designated amount and combination of the outlets, based on the designated amount and combination, generate a signal indicating that one or more of electrical paths from the inverter to the outlets has failed or one or more of the circuit breakers is open,

wherein the circuit breakers comprise a first circuit breaker, wherein the first circuit breaker comprises two ends, wherein the outlets comprise a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein one end of the first circuit breaker is coupled to the first outlet and the other end of the first circuit breaker is coupled to the inverter and the second outlet via a first node, and wherein the inverter is further configured to, responsive to detecting no voltage at the first outlet and the second outlet, determine that the first node includes a circuit fault.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein a second circuit breaker of the circuit breakers is coupled to a subset of the outlets that are connected in parallel, and wherein the inverter is further configured to, responsive to detecting no voltage at the subset of the outlets, determine that the second circuit breaker is open.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the subset of the outlets comprises a third outlet and a fourth outlet, and wherein the second circuit breaker and the subset of the outlets are coupled by a second node, the second node comprising:
a first wire connected to the third outlet;
a second wire connected to the fourth outlet; and
a third wire connected to the second circuit breaker, wherein the first wire, the second wire, and the third wire are connected to each other, wherein the inverter is further configured to:
responsive to detecting no voltage at the third outlet and detecting voltage at the fourth outlet, determine that the first wire includes the circuit fault; and
responsive to detecting no voltage at the fourth outlet and detecting voltage at the third outlet, determine that the second wire includes the circuit fault.

4. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the inverter is further configured to, responsive to detecting no voltage at the subset of the outlets, determine that the third wire includes the circuit fault.

5. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the inverter is further configured to, responsive to detecting no voltage at the first outlet and detecting voltage at the second outlet, determine that the first circuit breaker is open.

6. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first power line comprising the first node and a second node; and
a second power line comprising a third node,
wherein the outlets further comprises a third outlet, a fourth outlet, and a fifth outlet,
wherein the circuit breakers further comprises, a second circuit breaker and a third circuit breaker,
wherein the inverter, the first circuit breaker, the second circuit breaker, and the second outlet are coupled to each other via the first node,
wherein the third outlet and the fourth outlet are coupled to each other via the second node, and
wherein the inverter, the third circuit breaker, and the second outlet are coupled to each other via the third node.

7. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein the inverter is further configured to:
responsive to detecting no voltage at the third outlet and the fourth outlet, determine that the second circuit breaker is open;
responsive to detecting no voltage at one of the third outlet and the fourth outlet and detecting voltage at the other one of the third outlet and the fourth outlet, determine that the second node includes the circuit fault;
responsive to detecting no voltage at the first outlet and the second outlet, determine that the first node includes the circuit fault;
responsive to detecting no voltage at the first outlet and detecting voltage at the second outlet, determine that the first circuit breaker is open;
responsive to detecting no voltage at the second outlet and the fifth outlet, determine that the third node includes the circuit fault; and
responsive to detecting no voltage at the fifth outlet and the detecting voltage at the second outlet, determine that the third circuit breaker is open.

8. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a communication bus, the communication bus coupled to the inverter and each of the outlets, wherein the communication bus is configured to transmit information regarding a voltage level at each of the outlets.

9. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the inverter is further configured to transmit the signal to one or more electronic control units (ECU) within a vehicle.

10. A method of open circuit detection for a power system, comprising:
supplying, via an inverter, power to outlets through circuit breakers;
responsive to detecting no voltage at designated amount and combination of the outlets, based on the designated amount and combination, generating a signal indicating that one or more of electrical paths from the inverter to the outlets has failed or one or more of the circuit breakers is open, wherein the circuit breakers comprise a first circuit breaker, wherein the first circuit breaker comprises two ends, wherein the outlets comprises a first outlet and a second outlet, and wherein one end of the first circuit breaker is coupled to the first outlet and the other end of the first circuit breaker is coupled to the inverter and the second outlet via a first node; and
responsive to detecting no voltage at the first outlet and the second outlet, determining that the first node includes a circuit fault.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a second circuit breaker of the circuit breakers is coupled to a subset of the outlets that are connected in parallel, the method further comprising, responsive to detecting no voltage at the subset of the outlets, determining that the second circuit breaker is open.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the subset of the outlets comprises a third outlet and a fourth outlet, wherein the second circuit breaker and the subset of the outlets are coupled by a second node, the second node comprising:
a first wire connected to the third outlet;
a second wire connected to the fourth outlet; and
a third wire connected to the second circuit breaker, wherein the first wire, the second wire, and the third wire are connected to each other, the method further comprising:
responsive to detecting no voltage at the third outlet and detecting voltage at the fourth outlet, determining that the first wire includes the circuit fault; and
responsive to detecting no voltage at the fourth outlet and detecting voltage at the third outlet, determining that the second wire includes the circuit fault.

13. The method of claim 12 , the method further comprising, responsive to detecting no voltage at the subset of the outlets, determining that the third wire includes the circuit fault.

14. The method of claim 10 , the method further comprising, responsive to detecting no voltage at the first outlet and detecting voltage at the second outlet, determining that the first circuit breaker is open.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the power system comprises:
a first power line comprising the first node and a second node; and
a second power line comprising a third node,
wherein the outlets further comprises a third outlet, a fourth outlet, and a fifth outlet,
wherein the circuit breakers further comprises a second circuit breaker and a third circuit breaker,
wherein

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Enslin Heinrich
• Grimes Jeffery R

Classifications

• G01R31/083

  in cables, e.g. underground · CPC title

• H02H7/1227

  responsive to abnormalities in the output circuit, e.g. short circuit · CPC title

• G01R31/50 Primary

  Testing of electric apparatus, lines, cables or components for short-circuits, continuity, leakage current or incorrect line connections (testing of sparking plugs H01T13/58) · CPC title

• G01R19/2513

  Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging · CPC title

• G01R31/007

  using microprocessors or computers · CPC title