Electric Vehicle with Transient Current Management for DC-DC Converter
First Claim
1. A vehicle comprising:
- a battery coupled to a traction motor and a power converter; and
a controller coupled to the power converter that generates a first duty cycle signal to supply current at a first level for a first time period, and a second duty cycle signal that limits the current to a second level lower than the first level for a second time period upon expiry of the first time period.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electric or hybrid electric vehicle includes a battery coupled to a traction motor and a DC-DC power converter for managing transient current demands of vehicle accessories such as an electrical power assisted steering (EPAS) motor or antilock braking system (ABS) with a controller coupled to the power converter that generates a first duty cycle signal to supply current at a first level for a first time period to accommodate transient current for an EPAS, ABS, or other short duration event, and a second duty cycle signal that limits the current to a second level lower than the first level for a second time period upon expiry of the first time period to manage temperature of the converter. The controller may also generate a duty cycle signal based on measured or estimated transistor temperature of the DC-DC converter to lower the current limit when transistor temperature exceeds a threshold.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A vehicle comprising:
-
a battery coupled to a traction motor and a power converter; and a controller coupled to the power converter that generates a first duty cycle signal to supply current at a first level for a first time period, and a second duty cycle signal that limits the current to a second level lower than the first level for a second time period upon expiry of the first time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method for controlling a vehicle having a battery powered traction motor and a power converter coupled to the battery, comprising:
-
generating a duty cycle control signal for the power converter to supply current at a first level for a first time period; and generating a duty cycle control signal that limits the current to a second level lower than the first level for a second time period upon expiry of the first time period. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method for controlling a vehicle having a battery selectively coupled to a traction motor and a DC-DC converter having an output current limited to a maximum current, comprising:
-
controlling a duty cycle of the DC-DC converter to limit output current to a first level below the maximum current for a first period of time when temperature of the DC-DC converter is below a first threshold and the output current exceeds a second level for a second period of time; controlling the duty cycle of the DC-DC converter to limit output current to a second level lower than the first level when the temperature of the DC-DC converter is between the first threshold and a second threshold higher than the first threshold until the temperature of the DC-DC converter is below a third threshold; and controlling the duty cycle of the DC-DC converter to provide substantially zero output current when the temperature of the DC-DC converter exceeds the second threshold until the temperature of the DC-DC converter is below a fourth threshold. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
Specification