Activation system and method for operating an electric machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12424960-B2
Application number	US-202318524293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2023
Priority date	Nov 30, 2022
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

An activation system for operating an electric machine includes a control circuit device for activating a rotor winding, and having a highside switch, a semiconductor component, and a de-excitation switch. A first terminal of the rotor winding is connectable to a positive supply terminal via the highside switch and to a negative supply terminal via the semiconductor component. A second terminal of the rotor winding is connectable to the negative supply terminal via the de-excitation switch. The activation system is configured to attain a secure state, when at least one fault is present, by disconnecting the rotor winding from the positive supply terminal and/or by de-exciting the rotor winding. A diagnosis may be carried out using an additional highside switch supplied with power via another activation circuit, and/or a fault detection circuit is provided, whose output signal does not change during a de-excitation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An activation system ( 210 ) for operating an electric machine ( 102 ) including a rotor winding ( 106 ) and a stator winding ( 104 ), including a control circuit device ( 220 , 320 ) that is configured to be connected to the rotor winding ( 106 ) and to activate the rotor winding ( 106 ), the control circuit device ( 220 , 320 ) having a highside switch (T F_H ), a semiconductor component (T F_L ), in particular a lowside switch, and a de-excitation switch (S 1 ),
wherein the highside switch (T F_H ) is situated in such a way that a first terminal (F+) of the rotor winding ( 106 ) is connectable to a positive supply terminal (B+) of the activation system via the highside switch,
wherein the semiconductor component (T F_L ) is situated in such a way that the first terminal (F+) of the rotor winding is connectable to a negative supply terminal (B−) of the activation system via the semiconductor component,
wherein the de-excitation switch (S 1 ) is situated in such a way that a second terminal (F−) of the rotor winding is connectable to the negative supply terminal (B−) of the activation system via the de-excitation switch,
wherein the activation system ( 210 ) is configured in such a way that during normal operation, when the semiconductor component (T F_L ) is conductive and the de-excitation switch (S 1 ) is open for the de-excitation, a de-excitation circuit (K) is formed, via which the rotor winding ( 106 ) is de-excited,
wherein the activation system ( 210 ) is configured to attain a secure state, when at least one fault is present, by disconnecting the rotor winding ( 106 ) from the positive supply terminal (B+), and/or for a connected rotor winding ( 106 ), by de-exciting the rotor winding ( 106 ), wherein
a) the activation system ( 210 ) includes an additional highside switch (Q 1 ) that is connected in series with the highside switch (T F_H ) so that the highside switch (T F_H ) is redundantly designed, and includes an activation circuit ( 243 ) for the additional highside switch, the activation circuit being supplied with energy via at least one other activation circuit or partial activation circuit of the activation system, and/or
b) the activation system ( 210 ) includes a fault detection circuit that is configured to bring about attainment of the secure state by means of an output signal, in particular by de-exciting the rotor winding for a connected rotor winding ( 106 ), wherein the activation system is configured, when the rotor winding ( 106 ) is de-excited via the de-excitation circuit (K), to not change the output signal of the fault detection circuit until the rotor winding is de-excited to a predefined threshold value, preferably completely de-excited, and/or
c) the activation system ( 210 ) is configured, before and/or during a start-up of normal operation, to carry out a diagnosis to check a functionality for attaining the secure state when a fault is present.

2. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one other activation circuit or partial activation circuit includes an activation circuit or partial activation circuit for activating switches of a converter of the electric machine, in particular a phase, and/or at least the highside switch (T F_H , T F_L ) of the control circuit device ( 220 ).

3. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the activation circuit for the additional highside switch is configured to receive the output signal of the fault detection circuit, and to switch the additional highside switch (Q 1 ) based on the output signal.

4. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the activation system is configured, when the rotor winding ( 106 ) is de-excited via the de-excitation circuit (K), to not change the output signal of the fault detection circuit until the rotor winding is de-excited to a predefined threshold value, preferably completely de-excited, by activating a switching mechanism during the de-excitation, in particular by generating a switching signal that ensures that the output signal of the fault detection circuit is not changed.

5. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the diagnosis includes checking a functionality of the additional highside switch (Q 1 ) and/or of the activation circuit for the additional highside switch (Q 1 ).

6. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the diagnosis includes checking a functionality of the highside switch (T F_H ) and/or of the semiconductor component (T F_L ) designed as a lowside switch, and/or of the activation circuit for the highside switch and/or the lowside switch.

7. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the diagnosis includes checking a functionality of the de-excitation switch (S 1 ) and/or of an activation circuit for the de-excitation switch.

8. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the diagnosis includes checking a functionality of the activation system to not change the output signal of the fault detection circuit until the rotor winding is de-excited to a predefined threshold value, preferably completely de-excited.

9. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , including at least one diode (D 21 , D 22 ), in particular a TVS diode or Zener diode, that is connected in parallel to the de-excitation switch (S 1 ) and situated in the de-excitation circuit (K), the diagnosis including checking a functionality of the at least one diode.

10. The activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 including a converter ( 130 ) with multiple half bridges, each having two switches (T U_H , T U_L , T V_H , T V_L , T W_H , T W_L , T X_H , T X_L , T Y_H , T Y_L ), the half bridges each being configured to be connected to one of multiple electrical phases of the stator winding, and the converter ( 130 ) being configured to activate the stator winding ( 104 ), and including one or more activation circuits ( 240 , 242 ) for activating the switches of the converter and at least the highside switch (T F_H , T F_L ) of the control circuit device ( 220 ).

11. An electric machine ( 102 ) including a rotor winding ( 106 ) and stator winding ( 104 ), and including an activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 .

12. A method for operating an electric machine ( 102 ) including a rotor winding ( 106 ) and stator winding ( 104 ), and including an activation system ( 210 ) according to claim 1 , wherein when at least one fault is present during operation, a secure state is attained by disconnecting the rotor winding ( 106 ) from a positive supply terminal (B+) and/or de-exciting the rotor winding ( 106 ).

Assignees

• Seg Automotive Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Saadat Nima
• Devaraja Murugaperumal
• Riecken Christian
• Lohmann Timm
• Haghverdi Kaveh
• Stigler Christian
• Egbert Felix

Classifications

• H02P27/06

  using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02P9/006 Primary

  Means for protecting the generator by using control (control effected upon generator excitation circuit to reduce harmful effects of overloads or transients H02P9/10) · CPC title

• H02P9/08

  Control of generator circuit during starting or stopping of driving means, e.g. for initiating excitation · CPC title

• H02P25/22 Primary

  Multiple windings; Windings for more than three phases · CPC title

• H02H7/085

  against excessive load {(H02H6/00 takes precedence)} · CPC title