# US 11,077,809 B2 · Power supply unit for a utility vehicle and method for operating a power supply unit for a utility vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,077,809 B2 - Document ID: US11077809B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/491,451 - Filed: 2018-02-22 - Published: 2020-01-30 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-06 - Assignees: KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH - Applicants: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH - Inventors: Bernhard Miller; Falk Hecker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077809B2 ## CPC - H02J 9/06: with automatic change-over {, e.g. UPS systems} - B60R 16/03: for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} - H02J 7/64: against overvoltage - H02J 7/963: {in response to battery voltage gradient} - H02J 7/14: for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle - H02J 2105/33: exchanging power with road vehicles - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A power supply unit for a utility vehicle, including: an electrical energy store; a generator; an interface to at least one electrical load of the utility vehicle; a power line unit to connect the energy store and the generator to the interface, wherein the power line unit includes a switch for electrically isolating the generator from the interface; and a sensor unit to detect a fault in the electrical energy store and/or in at least one line of the power line unit and/or in the generator and to respond to the detected fault by actuating the switch to isolate the generator from the interface, in particular wherein the electrical energy store remains electrically connected to the interface. Also described are a related method, controller, utility vehicle and computer readable medium. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power supply unit for a utility vehicle, comprising: an electrical energy store; a generator; an interface to at least one electrical load of the utility vehicle; a power line unit to connect the energy store and the generator to the interface, wherein the power line unit includes a switching element for electrically isolating the generator from the interface; and a sensor unit to detect a fault in the electrical energy store and/or in at least one line of the power line unit and/or in the generator and to respond to the detected fault by actuating the switching element to isolate the generator from the interface, wherein the electrical energy store remains electrically connected to the interface; wherein the utility vehicle has two steerable axles, a deflection of which is caused in each case by a steering transmission motor, wherein a steering transmission motor of a first of the steerable axles is supplied with electrical energy by the generator when the switch is open, and a steering transmission motor of the second of the steerable axles is electrically coupled to the electrical energy store. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy store includes an electrochemical energy store and/or a storage battery of the utility vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the generator includes a three-phase generator and/or is coupled or couplable to a driveshaft of a drive motor of the utility vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein a switch has at least one relay and/or a semiconductor switching element as the switching element. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The power supply unit of claim 4, wherein the switch has at least two series-connected switching elements, and wherein the switching elements are actuatable independently of one another. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the power line unit has two power lines isolatable from one another by the switch, and wherein the interface is configured to supply a first of a plurality of loads with current from the electrical energy store and to supply a second load with electrical energy from the generator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is configured to detect a short in the electrical energy store and/or in a line of the power line unit and/or in the generator as a fault. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is configured to detect an overload voltage state of at least one line of the power line unit leading to an overload of the electrical energy store, and wherein the sensor unit is further configured so as, on detecting the overload state, to actuate the switching element such that the generator is isolated from the electrical energy store. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy store includes an electrochemical energy store and/or a storage battery, in the form of a vehicle battery of the utility vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The power supply unit of claim 1, wherein the generator includes a three-phase generator and/or is coupled or couplable to a driveshaft of a drive motor of the utility vehicle, and wherein the generator has a rectifier for supplying DC current to at least one line of the power line unit. ### Claim 11 A utility vehicle, comprising: a power supply unit for a utility vehicle, including: an electrical energy store; a generator; an interface to at least one electrical load of the utility vehicle; a power line unit to connect the energy store and the generator to the interface, wherein the power line unit includes a switching element for electrically isolating the generator from the interface; and a sensor unit to detect a fault in the electrical energy store and/or in at least one line of the power line unit and/or in the generator and to respond to the detected fault by actuating the switching element to isolate the generator from the interface, wherein the electrical energy store remains electrically connected to the interface; wherein at least two loads are coupled to the interface and/or, as one load, a steering transmission motor is coupled to the interface as load, and wherein the utility vehicle has two steerable axles, a deflection of which is caused in each case by a steering transmission motor, wherein a steering transmission motor of a first of the steerable axles is supplied with electrical energy by the generator when the switch is open, and a steering transmission motor of the second of the steerable axles is electrically coupled to the electrical energy store. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The utility vehicle of claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to connect at least two loads to the electrical energy store and the generator by one line each. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The utility vehicle of claim 11, wherein the first steerable axle is mechanically coupled to the second steerable axle, wherein the steerable axles are coupled such that a steering movement of the first axle leads to an identical steering movement of the second axle. ### Claim 14 A method for operating a power supply unit of a utility vehicle, the method comprising: detecting a fault in an electrical energy store, in a generator and/or in at least one line of a power line unit, wherein the power supply unit includes: the electrical energy store; the generator; the interface to at least one electrical load of the utility vehicle; the power line unit to connect the energy store and the generator to the interface, wherein a power line unit includes a switching element for electrically isolating the generator from the interface; and a sensor unit to detect a fault in the electrical energy store and/or in the at least one line of the power line unit and/or in the generator and to respond to the detected fault by actuating the switching element in response to the detected fault to isolate the generator from the interface, wherein the electrical energy store remains electrically connected to the interface; wherein the utility vehicle has two steerable axles, a deflection of which is caused in each case by a steering transmission motor, wherein a steering transmission motor of a first of the steerable axles is supplied with electrical energy by the generator when the switch is open, and a steering transmission motor of the second of the steerable axles is electrically coupled to the electrical energy store. ### Claim 15 A control unit for operating a power supply unit of a utility vehicle, comprising: a controller configured to perform the following: detecting a fault in an electrical energy store, in a generator and/or in at least one line of a power line unit, wherein the power supply unit includes: the electrical energy store; the generator; the interface to at least one electrical load of the utility vehicle; the power line unit to connect the energy store and the generator to the interface, wherein the power line unit includes a switching element for electrically isolating the generator from the interface; and a sensor unit to detect the fault in the electrical energy store and/or in the at least one line of the power line unit and/or in the generator and to respond to the detected fault by actuating the switching element in response to the detected fault to isolate the generator from the interface, wherein the electrical energy store remains electrically connected to the interface; wherein the utility vehicle has two steerable axles, a deflection of which is caused in each case by a steering transmission motor, wherein a steering transmission motor of a first of the steerable axles is supplied with electrical energy by the generator when the switch is open, and a steering transmission motor of the second of the steerable axles is electrically coupled to the electrical energy store. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising: a program code arrangement having program code for operating a power supply unit of a utility vehicle, by performing the following: detecting a fault in an electrical energy store, in a generator and/or in at least one line of a power line unit, wherein the power supply unit includes: the electrical energy store; the generator; the interface to at least one electrical load of the utility vehicle; the power line unit to connect the energy store and the generator to the interface, wherein the power line unit includes a switching element for electrically isolating the generator from the interface; and a sensor unit to detect a fault in the electrical energy store and/or in the at least one line of the power line unit and/or in the generator and to respond to the detected fault by actuating the switching element in response to the detected fault to isolate the generator from the interface, wherein the electrical energy store remains electrically connected to the interface; wherein the utility vehicle has two steerable axles, a deflection of which is caused in each case by a steering transmission motor, wherein a steering transmission motor of a first of the steerable axles is supplied with electrical energy by the generator when the switch is open, and a steering transmission motor of the second of the steerable axles is electrically coupled to the electrical energy store. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the electrical energy store includes an electrochemical energy store and/or a storage battery of the utility vehicle.