# US 10,118,495 B2 · Vehicle power distribution having relay with integrated voltage converter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,118,495 B2 - Document ID: US10118495B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/957,937 - Filed: 2015-12-03 - Published: 2017-06-08 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-03 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Amin Emrani - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118495B2 ## CPC - B60L 58/15: Preventing overcharging - B60L 1/00: Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) - B60L 58/14: Preventing excessive discharging - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - B60L 2210/12: Buck converters - B60L 2240/547: Voltage - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle power distribution system includes a battery having a nominal voltage, a vehicle electrical load having a supply voltage different than the nominal voltage, and a monolithic solid state relay including integrated circuitry to convert the nominal voltage to the rated voltage and an output configured to selectively energize the vehicle electrical load with the rated voltage in response to a control signal from a vehicle controller applied to an input of the relay. The relay may include a PWM controller to provide a switching signal to a transistor connected to an output filter to step down the nominal voltage of the battery to the rated voltage of the vehicle electrical load. Relay output voltage and current monitoring circuitry may be connected to the PWM controller to provide over current and over voltage protection. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle system, comprising: a battery having a nominal voltage; a load having a rated voltage less than the nominal voltage; a traction battery; a DC/DC converter coupled to the traction battery and the battery; and a relay including circuitry to step-down the nominal voltage to the rated voltage and an output configured to selectively energize the load with the rated voltage in response to a control signal applied to an input of the relay. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the relay comprises a monolithic solid state relay having integrated circuitry to step-down the nominal voltage to the rated voltage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry to step-down the nominal voltage comprises: a transistor; an output filter connected to the transistor; and a controller coupled to the transistor and configured to generate a pulse width modulated switching signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the output filter comprises an L-C filter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a pulse width modulated switching signal having a duty cycle of 0.25. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the battery has a nominal voltage of 48 volts and the load has a rated voltage of 12 volts. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry to step-down the nominal voltage comprises: a transistor having a source, a drain, and a gate; a diode connected between the source and ground; an inductor connected to the source; a capacitor connected between the inductor and ground; and a controller configured to generate a switching signal connected to the gate, the switching signal having a duty cycle based on the nominal voltage and the rated voltage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 further comprising: second and third diodes connected in series with opposite polarity between the drain and the gate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 further comprising: current sense circuitry connected between the load and the controller; and voltage sense circuitry connected across the load and connected to the controller. ### Claim 10 A vehicle power distribution system, comprising: a monolithic solid state relay including integrated circuitry to convert a nominal vehicle battery voltage to a supply voltage of a vehicle electrical load, and to selectively energize the vehicle electrical load in response to a control signal from a vehicle controller applied to an input of the relay, wherein the integrated circuitry comprises: a transistor; a controller connected to the transistor and that generates a switching signal having a predetermined duty cycle based on the nominal vehicle battery voltage and the supply voltage; an output filter including an inductor and a diode connected to the transistor and a capacitor connected to the inductor; and voltage protection diodes connected in series with opposite polarity between a gate and source of the transistor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 further comprising: voltage sense circuitry connected to the controller and configured to monitor a relay output voltage; and current sense circuitry connected to the controller and configured to monitor a relay output current.