Fuse life management in an electric mobile application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11095116-B2
Application number	US-201916712543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Nov 8, 2017
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A system includes a vehicle including a motive electrical power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in the motive electrical power path, the current protection circuit comprising a fuse; a 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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a vehicle having a motive electrical power path;
a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in the motive electrical power path, the current protection circuit comprising a fuse;
a 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.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising, a current source circuit, wherein the power distribution unit further comprises a plurality of fuses, and wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject a current across each of the plurality of fuses in a selected sequence.

3. The system of claim 2 , 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.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a current source circuit structured to determine a 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 fuse in response to at least one of an injected voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power distribution unit further comprises a plurality of breaker/relay devices disposed therein, and a current source circuit electrically coupled to the plurality of breaker/relay devices, and structured to sequentially inject a current across each fixed contact of the plurality of breaker/relay devices; and
a voltage determination circuit 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.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the voltage determination circuit further comprises a bandpass filter having a bandwidth selected to bound a frequency of an injected current.

8. The system of claim 6 , 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.

9. The system of claim 8 , 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.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust a selected order in response to at least one of: a rate of change of a temperature of a fixed contact 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 1 , further comprising, a load current circuit structured to determine a load current through a fuse in response to a thermal fuse impedance value.

12. A 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.

13. The controller of claim 12 , further comprising, a fuse thermal model circuit structured to determine a fuse temperature value of a fuse in response to at least one of an injected voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value.

14. The controller of claim 12 , further comprising, a load current circuit structured to determine a load current through a fuse in response to a thermal fuse impedance value.

15. The controller of claim 12 , further comprising, a current source circuit structured to determine a load power throughput of a motive electrical power path is low in response to a shutdown state.

16. The controller of claim 12 , further comprising, a voltage determination circuit comprising a bandpass filter having a bandwidth selected to bound a frequency of an injected current.

17. A method, comprising:
determining a fuse event value;
providing a fuse event response based on the fuse event value;
determining 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
providing the fuse event response further based on the fuse life remaining value.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising, determining a fuse temperature value of a fuse in response to at least one of an injected voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising, determining a load current through a fuse in response to a thermal fuse impedance value.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising, bounding a frequency of an injected current with a bandpass filter.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Douglass Robert Stephen

Classifications

• Y02T90/16

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

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• H01H89/00

  Combinations of two or more different basic types of electric switches, relays, selectors and emergency protective devices, not covered by any single one of the other main groups of this subclass · CPC title

• B60L3/0023

  Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train · CPC title

• H01H71/32

  having permanently magnetised part · CPC title