Active current injection through a fuse for an electric mobile application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050241-B2
Application number	US-201916712528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Nov 8, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A system includes a vehicle including a power distribution unit comprising a current protection circuit disposed in a motive electrical power path with a thermal fuse and a contactor in a series arrangement; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse to determine that a load power throughput is low, and to inject a current across the thermal fuse in response to the load power throughput being low; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse to determine an injected voltage amount and/or a thermal fuse impedance value; where the power distribution unit further includes a plurality of fuses, and where the current source circuit is structured to inject the current across each fuse in a selected sequence; and where the current source circuit injects the current across a first and second fuse of the plurality of fuses at a first shutdown event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a vehicle having a motive electrical power path;
a power distribution unit comprising a current protection circuit disposed in the motive electrical power path, the current protection circuit comprising a thermal fuse and a contactor in a series arrangement with the thermal fuse;
a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine that a load power throughput of the motive electrical power path is low, and to inject a current across the thermal fuse in response to the load power throughput of the motive electrical power path being low;
a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an injected voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit comprises a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected in response to a frequency of the injected current;
wherein the power distribution unit further comprises a plurality of fuses, and wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across each of the plurality of fuses in a selected sequence; and
wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across a first one of the plurality of fuses at a first shutdown event of the vehicle, and to inject the current across a second one of the plurality of fuses at a second shutdown event of the vehicle.

2. A controller, comprising:
a current source circuit electrically coupled to a thermal fuse and structured to determine that a load power throughput of a motive electrical power path is low, and to inject a current across the thermal fuse in response to the load power throughput of the motive electrical power path being low, wherein the thermal fuse is in a series arrangement with a contactor;
a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an injected voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit comprises a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected in response to a frequency of the injected current;
wherein the current source circuit electrically coupled to a plurality of fuses, and wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across each of the plurality of fuses in a selected sequence;
wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across a first one of the plurality of fuses at a first shutdown event, and to inject the current across a second one of the plurality of fuses at a second shutdown event.

3. A method, comprising:
determining that a load power throughput of a motive electrical power path is low, and to inject a current across a thermal fuse in response to the load power throughput of a motive electrical power path being low, wherein the thermal fuse is in a series arrangement with a contactor;
determining at least one of an injected voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the determining is determined at least in part from a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected in response to a frequency of the injected current;
injecting a current across each of a plurality of fuses in a selected sequence; and
injecting the current across a first one of the plurality of fuses at a first shutdown event, and to injecting the current across a second one of the plurality of fuses at a second shutdown event.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the current source circuit is further structured to determine the load power throughput of the motive electrical power path is low in response to a shutdown state.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising, a fuse thermal model circuit structured to determine a fuse temperature value of the thermal fuse further in response to the at least one of the injected voltage amount and the thermal fuse impedance value.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising, a load current circuit structured to determine a load current through the thermal fuse in response to the thermal fuse impedance value.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller, the controller comprising:
a fuse status circuit structured to determine a fuse event value;
a fuse management circuit structured to provide a fuse event response based on the fuse event value; and
a fuse life description circuit structured to determine a fuse life remaining value, wherein the fuse event value comprises a representation that the fuse life remaining value is below a threshold value, and wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the fuse event response further based on the fuse life remaining value.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power distribution unit further comprises a plurality of breaker/relay devices disposed therein, and wherein the current source circuit is further electrically coupled to the plurality of breaker/relay devices, and to sequentially inject a current across each fixed contact of the plurality of breaker/relay devices; and
wherein the voltage determination circuit is further electrically coupled to each of the plurality of breaker/relay devices, and further structured to determine at least one of an injected voltage amount and a contactor impedance value for each of the plurality of breaker/relay devices.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sequentially inject the current across each of the plurality of breaker/relay devices in a selected order of the plurality of breaker/relay devices.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to at least one of: a rate of change of a temperature of each of the fixed contacts of the plurality of breaker/relay devices; an importance value of each of the plurality of breaker/relay devices; a criticality of each of the plurality of breaker/relay devices; a power throughput of each of plurality of breaker/relay devices; and one of a fault condition or a contactor health condition of each of the plurality of breaker/relay devices.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to one of a planned duty cycle and an observed duty cycle of a vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the voltage determination circuit further comprises a bandpass filter having a bandwidth selected to bound the frequency of the injected current.

13. The controller of claim 2 , further comprising:
a fuse status circuit structured to determine a fuse event value;
a fuse management circuit structured to provide a fuse event response based on the fuse event value; and
a fuse life description circuit structured to determine a fuse life remaining value, wherein the fuse event value comprises a representation that the fuse life remaining value is below a threshold value, and wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the fuse event response further based on the fuse life remaining value.

14. The controller of claim 2 , wherein the current source circuit is further structured to determine the load power throughput of the motive electrical power path is low in response to a shutdown state.

15. The controller of claim 2 , wherein the voltage determination circuit further comprises a bandpass filter having a bandwidth selected to bound the frequency of the injected current.

16. The controller of claim 2 , further comprising, a f

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Fisher Brandon William

Classifications

• Y02T90/16

  Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• H02H1/0007

  concerning the detecting means (in general G01R or other subclasses of G01; reed switches H01H71/2445) · CPC title

• B60K6/22

  characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs · CPC title

• H02P29/68

  based on the temperature of a drive component or a semiconductor component · CPC title