US 10,479,347 B2 · Vehicle electrical circuit protection

Abstract

A method of protecting the high voltage DC bus of a hybrid vehicle as well as to a hybrid vehicle and controller configured to implement the method. The method involves detecting a plurality of requests to start the vehicle and, in response to at least the first request, precharging and energizing the high voltage DC bus without starting the engine. When one or more further requests are detected the engine is started and the high voltage DC bus is energized if each of the further requests is detected within a respective predetermined time interval from the preceding request. Starting the engine provides an audible feedback to the driver that the vehicle is ready for operation, thereby preventing overheating of the precharging circuit.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of protecting an electrical circuit of a hybrid vehicle having an electrical circuit and an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:

detecting a first request to start the vehicle and, in response thereto, energising the electrical circuit without starting the engine, detecting one or more subsequent requests to start the vehicle and, if each of the one or more subsequent requests to start the vehicle is detected within a respective predetermined time interval from a preceding request, starting the engine in response thereto.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

15/526,608Filed 18 Nov 2015

Priority

GB 142082524 Nov 2014

Published

US 2017/0355364 A114 Dec 2017

Granted

19 Nov 2019

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B60L 3/12
Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy…:…
B60L 3/0046
Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train: relating to electric energy…
B60L 58/10
Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles: for monitoring or…
B60W 10/26
Including control of energy storage means: for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors

Vehicle electrical circuit protection

Life of this patent

Vehicle electrical circuit protection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20