Passive high-voltage DC bus discharge circuit for a vehicle
US9018865B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 2012 |
| Grant date | Apr 28, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 18, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T10/72
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A vehicle includes a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), an electric traction motor, a traction power inverter module (TPIM), a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) bus that electrically connects the RESS to the TPIM, a passive discharge circuit connected across the positive and negative rails of the bus, and a microprocessor. The circuit includes a semiconductor switch. The microprocessor provides an output signal at a first voltage level that opens the switch and prevents discharge of the HVDC bus when the microprocessor is operating normally, and at a default second voltage level that closes the switch in the presence of a predetermined vehicle condition to thereby discharge the HVDC bus. An optocoupler may receive the output signal, and a zener diode may be in electrical parallel with an output side of the optocoupler. The switch may be an insulated gate bipolar transistor or a thyristor in different embodiments.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.