Vehicular electrical system sharing primary power with upfit equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12472890-B2
Application number	US-202318119354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2023
Priority date	Mar 9, 2023
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

A motor vehicle electrical distribution system includes an upfitter power supply subsystem with overcurrent protection for tripping (opening) a solid-state relay when current drawn from a main electrical source by the upfitter subsystem impacts other priority electrical loads of the vehicle. Warnings/alerts are generated to inform the user (e.g., driver) of the tripping events, which may include real-time graphing of a recent history of events. In order to restore power to the upfitter subsystem, a voltage supplied by a supplemental battery (i.e., vehicle start-up battery) to the upfitter subsystem is monitored. If the voltage stabilizes then a voltage from the main electrical source is intentionally dropped to the stabilized value and the solid-state relay is re-closed. Then the main voltage is ramped back up to its nominal value. An automatic reset time may be added to delay the reclosing if the solid-state relay has been operated excessively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle comprising:
a primary electrical power source; a start-up battery adapted to be recharged by the primary electrical power source; a power distribution circuit defining a main power bus coupled to the primary electrical power source and configured to selectably couple the main power bus to a plurality of priority loads, wherein the power distribution circuit includes a solid-state relay configured to selectably couple the main power bus to the start-up battery; an upfit subsystem coupled to a junction between the solid-state relay and the start-up battery, wherein the upfit subsystem includes a relay configured to selectably couple power received from the junction to at least one upfit load; sensors for monitoring a first voltage at the junction and a second voltage at the main power bus; a controller coupled to the sensors and configured to control opening and reclosing of the solid-state relay and to adjust the second voltage from the primary electrical power source to match the first voltage and to gradually increase the second voltage to a nominal value; an isolation relay coupled between the junction and the upfit subsystem; and a fuse coupled between the start-up battery and the junction configured to interrupt an output from the start-up battery based on the output current from the battery rising to a predetermined limit;
wherein the sensors further monitor the output current of the start-up battery;
wherein after reclosing the solid-state relay the controller is configured to open the isolation relay based on the output current of the start-up battery exceeding a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold includes a value of current adapted to prevent the output current from the start-up battery from rising to the predetermined limit;
wherein the solid-state relay is configured to open based on an output current from the main power bus to the junction exceeding a tripping threshold; and
wherein the solid-state relay is configured to reclose after (A) the first voltage at the junction stabilizes at or above a predetermined voltage, and (B) the second voltage from the primary electrical power source at the main power bus is adjusted to match the first voltage.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to generate a warning within the vehicle based on the solid-state relay being opened.

3 . The vehicle of claim 2 wherein the warning includes a graphical display of a trajectory of a current flow to the upfit subsystem.

4 . The vehicle of claim 3 wherein the controller is further configured to generate the warning based on the output current from the main power bus to the junction exceeding a warning threshold which represents a predetermined percentage of the tripping threshold.

5 . The vehicle of claim 3 wherein the controller is further configured to store a history of the trajectory of current flow for a plurality of tripping events, and wherein the warning includes of displaying a plurality of the trajectories.

6 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is additionally configured to adjust the second voltage from the primary electrical power source;
wherein the controller is configured to (1) store time-related data for each event based on the solid-state relay opening in response to the output current from the main power bus to the junction exceeded the tripping threshold, and (2) inserting a supplemental wait time before the reclosing of the solid-state relay having a duration according to a number of the stored events during a predetermined prior time interval.

7 . The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit further reclosing of the solid-state relay based on the number of the stored events during the predetermined prior time interval exceeding a threshold number.

8 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to control the opening and reclosing of the solid-state relay and to adjust the second voltage from the primary electrical power source; wherein the upfit subsystem includes a plurality of separately switchable upfit loads; and wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the switchable upfit loads in a prioritized order to avoid the output current from the main power bus to the junction reaching the tripping threshold.

9 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the primary electrical power source includes a DC-DC converter.

10 . A method of controlling power distribution in a vehicle having a plurality of priority loads and an upfit subsystem, wherein the vehicle includes a primary electrical power source, a start-up battery, and a power distribution circuit, wherein the start-up battery is adapted to be recharged by the primary electrical power source, wherein the power distribution circuit defines a main power bus coupled to the primary electrical power source and configured to selectably couple the main power bus to the plurality of priority loads, wherein the power distribution circuit includes a solid-state relay configured to selectably couple the main power bus to the start-up battery, wherein the upfit subsystem is coupled to a junction between the solid-state relay and the start-up battery, wherein the upfit subsystem comprises includes a relay configured to selectably couple power received from the junction to at least one upfit load, wherein the vehicle further includes an isolation relay coupled between the junction and the upfit subsystem and a fuse coupled between the start-up battery and the junction configured to interrupt an output from the start-up battery based on an output current from the start-up battery rising to a predetermined limit, and wherein the vehicle includes sensors for monitoring a first voltage at the junction and a second voltage at the main power bus, the method comprising:
opening the solid-state relay based on an output current from the main power bus to the junction exceeding a tripping threshold; monitoring the first voltage at the junction between the solid-state relay and the start-up battery; and based on the first voltage stabilizing at or above a predetermined voltage (A) adjusting the primary electrical power source to generate the second voltage at the main power bus that matches the first voltage, (B) reclosing the solid-state relay, and (C) gradually increasing the second voltage to a nominal value; and storing time-related data for each event based on the solid-state relay being opened responsive to the output current from the main power bus to the junction exceeding the tripping threshold; and inserting a supplemental wait time before the reclosing of the solid-state relay having a duration according to a number of the stored events during a predetermined prior time interval.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the isolation relay coupled between the junction and the upfit subsystem and the fuse coupled between the start-up battery and the junction configured to interrupt an output from the start-up battery based on an output current from the start-up battery rising to the predetermined limit, wherein the method includes:
monitoring the output current of the start-up battery; and
after reclosing the solid-state relay, opening the isolation relay based on the output current of the start-up battery exceeding a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold includes a value of current adapted to prevent the output current from the start-up battery from rising to the predetermined limit.

12 . The method of claim 10 further comprising:
generating a warning within the vehicle based on the solid-state relay being ope

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Salter Stuart C
• Celinske David
• Deljevic Zeljko
• Ansbacher Todd
• Demarco John Anthony

Classifications

• H02H3/207

  also responsive to under-voltage (window comparators for indication G01R19/165) · CPC title

• H02H3/202

  for DC systems · CPC title

• H01H85/0241

  Structural association of a fuse and another component or apparatus (switches with built-in fuses H01H9/10, spark-gap arresters H01H85/44, transformers and inductances H01F27/402, capacitors H01G2/14, lamps H01K1/66, semiconductors H10W20/493 or H10W42/80) · CPC title

• B60R16/033

  characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) · CPC title

• H02H3/066

  Reconnection being a consequence of eliminating the fault which caused disconnection · CPC title