DC-to-DC converter with variable set-point control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550421-B2
Application number	US-201414215133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 17, 2014
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A DC-to-DC converter may be disposed in a vehicle for converting a high voltage from a power source to a low voltage. The DC-to-DC converter may include a primary converter, a secondary converter, and a DC-to-DC module. The DC-to-DC module may control the operation of the secondary converter based on a set-point threshold and a power output of the primary converter, where the set-point threshold may be variably set.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A DC-to-DC converter for a vehicle, the DC-to-DC converter comprising:
a primary converter electrically coupled to a power source of the vehicle, the primary converter converting a first voltage from the power source to a second voltage lower than the first voltage;
a secondary converter electrically coupled to the power source, the secondary converter converting the first voltage from the power source to the second voltage; and
a DC-to-DC module controlling the secondary converter based on a set-point threshold and a power output of the primary converter, wherein the set-point threshold is variably set, and the DC-to-DC module activates the secondary converter when the power output of the primary converter is greater than or equal to the set-point threshold and deactivates the secondary converter when the power output of the primary converter is less than the set-point threshold.

2. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 1 wherein the DC-to-DC module sets the set-point threshold based on a desired set-point threshold transmitted by a device external of the vehicle.

3. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 1 wherein
the DC-to-DC module includes a correlation table, the correlation table associates a plurality of values for an operation parameter of the primary converter with a given set-point threshold, and
the DC-to-DC module adjusts the set-point threshold to the given set-point threshold based on a present value of the operation parameter of the primary converter and the set-point correlation table.

4. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 3 further comprising:
a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the primary converter;
a voltage sensor detecting a voltage amount generated by the primary converter; and
a current sensor detecting a current amount generated by the primary converter, wherein
the operation parameter includes the temperature, the voltage amount, and the current amount, and the DC-to-DC module adjusts the set-point threshold to the given set-point threshold based on a present value of the temperature, the voltage amount, and the current amount.

5. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 1 wherein the power output is measured as an amount of current that is outputted by the primary converter.

6. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 1 wherein the power output is measured as an amount of voltage that is outputted by the primary converter.

7. A DC-to-DC converter electrically coupled to a power source of a vehicle and a plurality of components disposed in the vehicle, the DC-to-DC converter converting a first voltage from the power source to a second voltage less than the first voltage, the DC-to-DC converter comprising:
two converters; and
a DC-to-DC module controlling the two converters based on a set-point threshold, the DC-to-DC module including a correlation table, wherein the correlation table associates a plurality of values of an operation parameter for a first converter with a given set-point threshold, the DC-to-DC module adjusts the set-point threshold to the given set-point threshold based on a present value of the operation parameter of the first converter and the correlation table, and the first converter is one of the two converters.

8. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 7 wherein
the DC-to-DC module monitors a power output of the first converter,
the DC-to-DC module operates the first converter when the power output of the first converter is less than the set-point threshold, and
the DC-to-DC module operates the first converter and a second converter that is the other one of the two converters when the power output of the first converter is greater than or equal to the set-point threshold.

9. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 8 wherein the power output is an amount of current that is outputted by the first converter.

10. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 8 wherein the power output is an amount of voltage that is outputted by the first converter.

11. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 7 wherein the correlation table correlates a plurality of the operation parameters, each having the plurality of values, to the given set-point threshold.

12. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 11 wherein the plurality of the operation parameters include a temperature, a current, and a voltage of the first converter.

13. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 7 further comprising:
a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the first converter;
a voltage sensor detecting a voltage amount generated by the first converter; and
a current sensor detecting a current amount generated by the first converter, wherein
the operation parameter includes the temperature, the voltage amount, and the current amount, and the DC-to-DC module adjusts the set-point threshold to the given set-point threshold based on a present value of the temperature, the voltage amount, and the current amount.

14. The DC-to-DC converter of claim 7 wherein
the DC-to-DC module is in communication with a vehicle control module of the vehicle and receives information from the vehicle control module regarding a power state of the plurality of components receiving power, and
the DC-to-DC module stores the set-point threshold, the present value of the operation parameter, and the information regarding the power state of the plurality of components receiving power in a computer readable medium when the set-point threshold is adjusted.

15. A vehicle system comprising:
a power source outputting a first voltage;
a power distribution board electrically coupled to a plurality of vehicle components and providing a second voltage lower than the first voltage to the plurality of vehicle components;
a DC-to-DC converter electrically coupled to the power source and the power distribution board, the DC-to-DC converter converting the first voltage from the power source to the second voltage and supplying the second voltage to the power distribution board, the DC-to-DC converter including:
a primary converter,
a secondary converter, and
a DC-to-DC module controlling the DC-to-DC converter as a single board converter and a dual board converter based on a set-point threshold, wherein as the single board converter, the primary converter converts the first voltage to the second voltage, and, as the dual board converter, the primary converter and the secondary converter convert the first voltage to the second voltage, and the DC-to-DC module monitors an operation parameter of the primary converter that indicates a performance level of the primary converter; and

a vehicle control module communicably coupled to the DC-to-DC module, wherein the vehicle control module notifies the DC-to-DC module of a power state of the plurality of vehicle components, wherein
the DC-to-DC module stores the power state of the plurality of the vehicle components as performance history in a computer readable medium, and
the DC-to-DC module adjusts the set-point threshold based on present power states of the plurality of vehicle components, a present value of the operation parameter and the performance history.

16. The vehicle system of claim 15 wherein the DC-to-DC module adjusts the set-point threshold to a recorded set-point threshold stored in the performance history when the present power state of the plurality of vehicle components correlates with the power states stored in the performance history.

17. The vehicle system of claim 15 wherein
the DC-to-DC module compares the present value of the operation parameter with a correlation table, the correlation table associates a plurality of values of the operation par

Assignees

• Denso Int America Inc
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Harkins James

Classifications

• Y02T10/7005

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T10/7291

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B60L1/14

  to electric lighting circuits · CPC title

• B60L1/06 Primary

  using only one supply · CPC title

• B60L11/1868

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic