# US 10,245,961 B2 · Inverter-charger combination > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,245,961 B2 - Document ID: US10245961B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/610,094 - Filed: 2017-05-31 - Published: 2017-12-07 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-01 - Applicants: Current Ways, Inc. - Inventors: Bradley A. Landseadel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245961B2 ## CPC - H02J 7/02: for charging batteries from AC mains by converters - B60L 53/22: Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/24: Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging - B60L 58/10: for monitoring or controlling batteries - H02M 1/088: for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices - H02M 7/797: using semiconductor devices only - H02J 2207/20: Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 10/92: Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - 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 - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An inverter-charger combination includes plurality of first and second switching elements, a capacitor, and a dual active bridge, connected in parallel to one another. The first and the second switching elements are connected in series to form switching subassemblies that are disposed in parallel and are connected to an AC source. Each of the first and the second switching elements has a first and a second contactor, and, when the first contactor is open and the second contactor is closed, an electric current flows from a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) in direct current form to a load in AC form through the switching subassemblies to provide power to the load, and when the first contactor is closed and the second contractor is open, an electric current flows from the AC source in AC form to the RESS in DC form through the switching subassemblies to charge the RESS. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inverter-charger combination comprising: a plurality of first and second switching elements each comprising a plurality of switching units disposed in parallel, the plurality of first and second switching elements being adapted to be electrically coupled to a load and to a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS); a capacitor, connected in parallel to the plurality of first and second switching elements; and a dual active bridge, connected in parallel to the plurality of first and second switching elements and the capacitor, the dual active bridge being adapted to be electrically coupled to the RESS, wherein each one of the first switching elements is connected in series with one of the second switching elements to form a first switching subassembly, there being provided at least two first switching subassemblies disposed in parallel, each switching subassembly being electrically connected to an alternating current (AC) source, wherein each of the first and the second switching elements comprises a first and a second contactor, wherein, when the first contactor is open and the second contactor is closed, a first electric current is enabled to flow from the RESS in direct current (DC) form to the load in AC form through the plurality of switching elements to provide power to the load, wherein, when the first contactor is closed and the second contactor is open, a second electric current is enabled to flow from the AC source in the AC form to the RESS in the DC form through the plurality of switching elements to charge the RESS, and wherein at least some of the first and second switching elements are configured to have only one or more of the switching units active during RESS charging and all of the switching units active during power transmission to the load. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inverter-charger combination of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first and second switching elements consists of three first and three second switching elements forming three first switching subassemblies, whereby the inverter-charger combination is adapted for three phase operation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The inverter-charger combination of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of third switching elements, two of the third switching elements being disposed in series to form a second switching subassembly, each of the third switching elements comprising a plurality of switching units disposed in parallel, the second switching subassembly being disposed in parallel with the first switching subassemblies and being electrically connected to the load. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The inverter-charger combination of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first and second switching elements consists of two first and two second switching elements forming two first switching subassemblies, and wherein the plurality of third switching elements consists of two third switching elements forming the second switching subassembly, whereby the inverter-charger combination is adapted for single phase operation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The inverter-charger combination of claim 1, wherein the switching units are selected from a group consisting of insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT's), metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET's), silicon carbide (SiC) transistors, or gallium nitride (GAN) transistors. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The inverter-charger combination of claim 1, wherein the switching units are IGBT's. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The inverter-charger combination of claim 1, wherein the RESS is a battery and the load is a traction motor.