Interface Module for Operating an Electrical Consumer with at Least One Exchangeable Energy Storage Device and a Method for Controlling the Electrical Consumer by Means of the Interface Module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024380228-A1
Application number	US-202218687758-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 8, 2022
Priority date	Sep 14, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An interface module is for operating an electrical consumer of a defined voltage class with at least one exchangeable energy storage device that is directly incompatible with the electrical consumer. The defined voltage class of the electrical consumer corresponds to an integer multiple of a battery voltage of the at least one exchangeable energy storage device, and the interface module has a control or regulating unit that monitors at least one operating parameter of the exchangeable energy storage device and controls an electrical load of the electrical consumer as a function of the monitored operating parameter.

First claim

1 . An interface module for operating an electrical consumer of a defined voltage class with at least one exchangeable energy storage device that is directly incompatible with the electrical consumer, comprising:
a control or regulating unit, wherein the defined voltage class of the electrical consumer corresponds to an integer multiple of a battery voltage of the at least one exchangeable energy storage device, and wherein the control or regulating unit is configured (i) to monitor at least one operating parameter of the at least one exchangeable energy storage device, and (ii) to control an electrical load of the electrical consumer as a function of the monitored at least one operating parameter.

2 . The interface module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an interface to the electrical consumer through which the at least one exchangeable energy storage device and the electrical consumer send and/or receive information about the at least one operating parameter.

3 . The interface module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one operating parameter is a voltage, a current, a current integral, a temperature, information about a temperature resistor, and/or information about a coding resistor, or other values for identifying the at least one exchangeable energy storage device.

4 . The interface module according to claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one switching element, wherein the control or regulating unit is configured to use the at least one switching element to temporarily or permanently interrupt an energy supply from the at least one exchangeable energy storage device to the electrical consumer, when the at least one operating parameter exceeds or falls below a limit value stored in a memory of the control or regulating unit and/or deviates from an expected value stored in the memory.

5 . The interface module according to claim 4 , wherein:
the limit value is a minimum or maximum permissible voltage, a minimum or maximum permissible current or a maximum permissible temperature, and the expected value is a resistance value of the temperature resistor or of the coding resistor, or information about an interruption of the connection to the temperature resistor or to the coding resistor.

6 . The interface module according to claim 4 , wherein the control or regulating unit, depending on a state of charge of a load capacitance of the electrical load of the electrical consumer, effects start-up protection of the electrical consumer when energy is supplied again by the at least one switching element after an interruption and/or prevents the interface module from resetting itself.

7 . The interface module according to claim 6 , wherein the control or regulating unit is configured to control the at least one switching element in a clocked manner in order to effect a precharging of the load capacity of the electrical consumer before the electrical consumer is put into operation.

8 . The interface module according to claim 2 , wherein the interface comprises an enable contact and/or wake-up contact configured as an open collector output for sending a wake-up signal to an electronic unit of the electrical consumer.

9 . The interface module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display configured to display a detected fault state and/or an interruption of the power supply to the electrical consumer.

10 . The interface module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an electromechanical interface compatible with an electromechanical interface of the exchangeable energy storage device.

11 . The interface module according to claim 2 , wherein:
the interface module is configured as an exchangeable adapter for the electrical consumer, and the exchangeable adapter comprises a first electromechanical interface compatible with an electromechanical interface of the at least one exchangeable energy storage device and a second electromechanical interface compatible with an electromechanical interface of the electrical consumer, which comprises the interface.

12 . A method for controlling an electrical consumer using an interface module, comprising:
actuating a main switch of the electrical consumer to wake up a control or regulating unit of the interface module; switching on at least one switching element of the interface module for an energy supply from at least one exchangeable energy storage device connected to the electrical consumer to the electrical consumer; and switching on an electrical load of the electrical consumer when if the at least one detected operating parameter fulfills an expected value stored in a memory of a control or regulating unit of the interface module and/or lies within stored limit values,
wherein the electrical consumer is of a defined voltage class,
wherein the at least one exchangeable energy storage device is directly incompatible with the electrical consumer,
wherein the defined voltage class of the electrical consumer corresponds to an integer multiple of a battery voltage of the at least one exchangeable energy storage device, and
wherein the interface module includes a control or regulating unit is configured (i) to monitor the at least one operating parameter of the at least one exchangeable energy storage device, and (ii) to control the electrical load of the electrical consumer as a function of the monitored at least one operating parameter.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the following happens after switching on the at least one switching element:
waking up an electronic unit of the electrical consumer, interrogating the at least one operating parameter detected in the interface module by the electronic unit of the electrical consumer or transmitting the at least one operating parameter detected in the interface module to the electronic unit of the electrical consumer, and switching on the electrical load of the electrical consumer by the electronic unit of the electrical consumer when if the at least one detected operating parameter fulfills an expected value stored in the memory of the control or regulating unit of the interface module and/or lies within stored limit values.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
precharging a load capacitance of the electrical load of the electrical consumer before the switching element is permanently closed.

15 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
interrupting the energy supply from the energy storage device to the electrical consumer by opening the at least one switching element; and/or sending, using the interface module, a switch-off command to the electronic unit of the electrical consumer via an enable contact configured as an open collector output, as soon as the at least one detected operating parameter does not fulfill the expected value stored in the memory of the control or regulating unit of the interface module and/or lies outside the stored limit values.

16 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
opening the at least one switching element for interrupting the energy supply when the discharge current has not fallen to approximately zero for a defined period of time after the electrical consumer has been switched off.

17 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the interface module is still supplied with energy for a follow-up time after the main switch has been released, and before the control or regulating unit of the interface module opens the at least one switching element for interrupting the energy supply to the electrical consumer.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Engelfried Uwe
• Walter Gerhard
• Kuebler Helge

Classifications

• H02J7/977

  of the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/947

  in response to integrated charge or discharge current · CPC title

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/855 Primary

  with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/975

  in response to temperature · CPC title