System, method, and apparatus for multi-port power converter and inverter assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11658477-B2
Application number	US-202117218806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2021
Priority date	Nov 8, 2017
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A multi-port power converter includes a housing that includes a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface to a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics. The multi-port power converter also includes a plurality of solid state components configured to provide selected electrical power outputs and to accept selected electrical power inputs and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-port power converter, comprising:
a housing comprising at least two AC interface ports and at least three DC interface ports 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; and
a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports.

2. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , wherein the distinct electrical characteristics are selected from the electrical characteristics consisting of: a DC voltage, an AC voltage or voltage equivalent, a load power rating, a regenerative power rating, a current rating, a current directionality, a response time characteristic, a frequency characteristic, and a phase characteristic.

3. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller, the controller comprising:
a component bank configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description, 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.

4. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics is a superset of the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics sufficient to encompass a selected class of applications.

5. The multi-port power converter of claim 4 , wherein each application of the selected class of applications comprises at least one of a vehicle, an off-road vehicle, and a set of load types for a vehicle.

6. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , further comprising, one or more fuses or contactors configured to be coupled into selected circuits by the plurality of solid state switches.

7. The multi-port power converter of claim 6 , further comprising:
a fuse load circuit structured to determine that no current is demanded for a fuse load, and to further determine that contactors associated with the one or more fuses are open;
an offset voltage determination circuit structured to determine an offset voltage corresponding to at least one component in a fuse circuit associated with the one or more fuses, in response to the determining that no current is demanded for the fuse load; and
an offset data management circuit structured to store the offset voltage, and to communicate a current calculation offset voltage for use by a controller to determine current flow through the one or more fuses.

8. The multi-port power converter of claim 6 , wherein the one or more fuses are in thermal connection to one or more laminated layers.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Mensch Martin Wayne
• Fisher Brandon William
• Douglass Robert Stephen
• Zurface Austin Robert
• Urian Jeff Howard
• David James
• Suda Bharath
• Soni Asheesh
• Gerving Karsten
• Vollmar Guido
• Schmitz Gerd
• Bausch Christoph
• Molitor Ute
• Friedrichsen Lutz
• Schroeder Kai
• Otte Julia
• Philipsohn Madeline
• Roesner Norbert
• Lang Volker
• Meissner Johannes
• D'Amico Paolo
• Shah Jalpa
• Wang Meng
• Piyabongkarn Damrongrit
• Ramseyer Niles Stephen
• Dukaric Dennis
• Haylock Matt
• Griffiths Justin Keith

Classifications

• 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

• H01H50/64

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

• B60L3/0023

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

• H05K7/2089

  for power electronics, e.g. for inverters for controlling motor · CPC title

• H01H50/12

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