System, method, and apparatus for power distribution in an electric mobile application during run time using configurable electrical interface ports

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11128124-B2
Application number	US-201916710573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2019
Priority date	Nov 8, 2017
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A multi-port power converter including a housing including a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface to a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid-state components configured to provide selected electrical power outputs and to accept selected electrical power inputs; a plurality of solid-state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid-state components and the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller including: a component bank configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description during a run-time operation of the multi-port power converter, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of the distinct electrical characteristics; and a component bank implementation circuit structured to provide solid switch states in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid-state switches are responsive to the solid switch states.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-port power converter, comprising:
a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface to a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics;
a plurality of solid-state components configured to provide selected electrical power outputs and to accept selected electrical power inputs;
a plurality of solid-state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid-state components and the plurality of ports; and
a controller, the controller comprising:
a component bank configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description during a run-time operation of the multi-port power converter, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of the distinct electrical characteristics; and
a component bank implementation circuit structured to provide solid switch states in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid-state switches are responsive to the solid switch states.

2. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports support four distinct DC voltages.

3. The multi-port power converter of claim 2 , wherein the four distinct DC voltages are each selected from: a high voltage battery voltage, 12V, 24V, or 48V.

4. The multi-port power converter of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of ports further support two distinct AC voltages.

5. The multi-port power converter of claim 4 , wherein the two distinct AC voltages are each selected from: a motive power voltage, and a regenerating power voltage.

6. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises:
a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret at least one source/load drive characteristic for driving a particular load; and
a load/source drive implementation circuit that provides a component driver configuration.

7. The multi-port power converter of claim 6 , wherein the at least one source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one of a required phase, a required frequency, and a required rise time parameter.

8. The multi-port power converter of claim 6 , wherein the at least one source/load drive characteristic comprises a voltage value.

9. A method, comprising:
providing a power converter having a plurality of ports;
interpreting a port electrical interface description, with a component bank configuration circuit, during a run-time operation of the power converter, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of distinct electrical characteristics; and
providing solid switch states, with a component bank implementation circuit, in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein a plurality of solid-state switches are responsive to the solid switch states.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the solid switch states at a time of initial manufacture of a mobile application including the power converter.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the solid switch states in response to a change in a power rating for a vehicle including the power converter.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the solid switch states in response to a change in an electrical load for a vehicle including the power converter.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the solid switch states in response to a remanufacture event for a vehicle including the power converter.

14. A controller, comprising:
a component bank configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description during a run-time operation of a multi-port power converter, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of distinct electrical characteristics;
a component bank implementation circuit structured to provide solid switch states in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein a plurality of solid-state switches are responsive to the solid switch states;
a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret at least one source/load drive characteristic for driving a particular load; and
a load/source drive implementation circuit that provides a component driver configuration.

15. The controller of claim 14 , wherein the at least one source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one of a required phase, a required frequency, and a required rise time parameter.

16. The controller of claim 14 , wherein the at least one source/load drive characteristic is an emergency shutoff command that is required to be supported.

17. The controller of claim 14 , wherein the component driver configuration comprises gate driver controls utilized to drive at least one component of a component bank responsive to the controller.

18. The controller of claim 17 , wherein the at least one component of the component bank is a SiC solid state inverter/converter component.

19. The controller of claim 17 , wherein the component driver configuration provides interface commands and requests that are passed to one or more manufacturer gate driver controls to make appropriate requests for driving the at least one component such that the at least one source/load drive characteristic is met.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Shah Jalpa
• Wang Meng
• Piyabongkarn Damrongrit

Classifications

• Y02T90/16

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

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• H01H50/64

  Driving arrangements between movable part of magnetic circuit and contact (structurally associated with contact spring sets H01H50/58) · CPC title

• H01H50/12

  Ventilating; Cooling; Heating (for operating electrothermal relays H01H61/013) · 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