Electronic device for controlling the electric charge of a load electrically supplied by a battery pack and system for moving an electric or hybrid traction vehicle using the device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016152156-A1
Application number	US-201514953906-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device for controlling the electric charge of a load electrically supplied by a battery pack, comprising: a support; a control module integrated in the support; an electric pre-charging circuit of the load controlled by the control module; an electric active discharge circuit of the load controlled by the control module. The electric pre-charging circuit comprises at least one first solid-state switch and is integrated on the support. The electric active discharge circuit comprises at least one second solid-state switch and is integrated on the support. The first solid-state switch and the second solid-state switch can be configured to work either as a switch or as a variable resistor.

First claim

1 . An electronic device for controlling the electric charge of a load electrically supplied by a battery pack, comprising:
a support; a control module integrated in the support; an electric pre-charging circuit of the load, operatively associated to the control module, the control module being configured to control the electric pre-charging circuit, the electric pre-charging circuit comprising at least one first solid-state switch, the electric pre-charging circuit being integrated on the support, an electric active discharge circuit of the load, operatively associated to the control module, the control module being configured to control the electric active discharge circuit, the active discharge circuit comprising at least one second solid-state switch, the electric active discharge circuit being integrated on the support, characterized in that the first solid-state switch and the second solid-state switch are configured to work either as a switch or as a variable resistor.

2 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein the electric pre-charging circuit and the electric active discharge circuit further comprise at least one respective circuit element, adapted to limit the electric current across it, arranged electrically in series with said at least one first switch of the electric pre-charging circuit and said at least one second switch of the electric active discharge circuit, respectively.

3 . An electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one circuit element belongs to the group comprising: one or more resistors electrically arranged in series; one or more inductors electrically arranged in series; an inductor and a resistor mutually electrically arranged in series.

4 . An electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electric pre-charging circuit and the electric active discharge circuit further comprise a corresponding interface module configured to receive an electric driving signal from the control module and to transmit the electric driving signal to the first solid-state switch and the second solid-state switch, said interface module comprising an opto-isolated circuit comprising a photodiode, which is electrically connected to the control module, and a second transistor, which is optically connected to the photodiode to receive an optical signal emitted by the photodiode, which is representative of the electric driving signal.

5 . An electronic device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first solid-state switch and the second solid-state switch comprise a transistor having a driving terminal, a first polarization terminal and a second polarization terminal.

6 . An electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the electric pre-charging circuit and the electric active discharge circuit further comprise a respective polarization network of the driving terminal of the transistor, the polarization network being interposed between the interface module and the driving terminal of the transistor, the polarization network being configured to provide the driving signal to the driving terminal to the transistor.

7 . An electronic device according to any one of the preceding claims 5 and 6 , wherein the electric driving signal is a pulse train electric signal, the transistor being of the MOSFET type, the control module being configured to drive the transistor between the cut-off zone and the saturation zone.

8 . An electronic device according to any one of the preceding claims 5 and 6 , wherein the electric driving signal is a pulse train electric signal, the transistor being of the MOSFET type or of the BJT bipolar type, the control module being configured to drive the transistor in linear zone, the polarization network of the driving terminal of the transistor comprising a pulse train electric signal to obtain a corresponding analog electric signal from said electric driving signal.

9 . An electronic device according to claim 6 , wherein the polarization network comprises a capacitor having a terminal electrically connected to a first polarization terminal of the transistor and a respective terminal electrically connected to the driving terminal of the transistor, the electric driving terminal being a pulse train electric signal, the control module being configured to drive the transistor in linear zone.

10 . An electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the electric pre-charging circuit and the electric active discharge circuit are free from said at least one respective circuit element.

11 . An electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the circuit element corresponds to the channel resistance of the first solid-state switch or second solid-state switch.

12 . A system for moving an electric or hybrid traction vehicle, comprising:
a battery pack, adapted to be operatively connected to a load unit to be electrically supplied by a first electric terminal and a second electric terminal, the battery pack being connected to the first electric terminal by a first electromechanical isolation switch; an electronic device for controlling the electric charge of the load unit to be electrically supplied by the battery pack, the control device being in accordance with claim 1 ; a circuit element adapted to limit the electric current across said at least one first switch of the electric pre-charging circuit and said at least one second switch of the electric active discharge circuit ( 33 ) present in the device.

13 . A system according to claim 12 , wherein a first portion of the circuit element is comprised inside the device and a second portion thereof is outside the device.

14 . A system according to claim 12 , wherein the circuit element is outside the device.

15 . A system according to any one of the preceding claims from 12 to 14 , wherein the circuit element is an inductor, at least one portion of which is obtained by winding a metallic connection about a sustaining element inserted in a support of the electronic control device.

Assignees

• Magneti Marelli Spa

Inventors

• Pritelli Danilo
• Suglia Rosanna
• Aurilio Gianluca
• Ciampolini Franco

Classifications

• H02J7/62

  against overcurrent · CPC title

• B60L50/51

  characterised by AC-motors · CPC title

• B60L58/22

  Balancing the charge of battery modules · CPC title

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title

• B60L3/04

  Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) · CPC title