# US 11,695,365 B2 · Method and device for external monitoring of a converter

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,695,365 B2
- Document ID: US11695365B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/967,790
- Filed: 2018-12-28
- Published: 2020-12-17
- Granted: 2023-07-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-02-08
- Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH
- Applicants: Robert Bosch GmbH
- Inventors: Johannes Schild
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11695365B2

## CPC

- H02P 29/02: Providing protection against overload without automatic interruption of supply (protection against faults of stepper motors H02P8/36)
- B60L 3/003: {relating to inverters}
- B60L 3/0061: {relating to electrical machines}
- B60L 3/0084: {relating to control modules}
- B60L 3/04: Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H)
- B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75)
- G01P 3/44: for measuring angular speed (G01P3/56 takes precedence)
- G01R 21/06: by measuring current and voltage (G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence)
- G01R 31/56: Testing of electric apparatus (testing of transformers G01R31/62; testing of connections G01R31/66)
- H02H 7/0844: {Fail safe control, e.g. by comparing control signal and controlled current, isolating motor on commutation error}
- H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
- B60L 2240/427: Voltage
- B60L 2240/429: Current
- B60L 2240/527: Voltage
- B60L 2240/529: Current
- G05B 9/02: electric
- H02J 7/80: including monitoring or indicating arrangements
- H02M 1/0009: {Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter}
- Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
- 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
- G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G})
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H)
- 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)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the external monitoring of a converter (10), the converter (10) being controlled by means of a first electronic control system (12) and the method being implemented by means of a second electronic control system (14) which is independent from the first electronic control system (12). Said method comprises detection (S1) of a current (I) received by the converter (10) and a voltage (U) received by the converter (10) by means of a current/voltage sensor device (16) which is independent from the first electronic control system (12). The invention also relates to a device for monitoring a converter (10), to a computer program product, to a machine-readable storage medium, to a drive train of a motor vehicle, and to a corresponding motor vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for externally monitoring a converter (10), wherein the converter (10) is actuated by first control electronics (12) and the method is carried out by second control electronics (14) separate from the first control electronics, the method having the steps of:
detecting (S1), via a current/voltage sensor device (16) separate from the first control electronics, a current (I) received by the converter (10) and a voltage (U) received by the converter (10);
ascertaining (S2) an actual output power (P1) provided by the converter (10) using the detected current (I) received by the converter (10) and the detected voltage (U) received by the converter (10);
determining (S3) a difference between the ascertained actual output power (P1) provided by the converter (10) and a setpoint output power (P2) of the converter (10); and
actuating (S4), via the first control electronics, the converter (10) if an absolute value of a difference between the actual output power (P1) provided by the converter (10) and the setpoint output power (P2) of the converter (10) exceeds a predetermined limit value,
wherein actuating of the converter (10) includes the specifying of a control requirement for the first control electronics (12),
wherein actuating of the converter (10) includes a switching-off of the converter (10) if the specified control requirement is implemented erroneously and the switching-off of the converter (10) is performed within an error reaction time of the converter (10),
wherein a speed (D) of an electric machine (22) operated by the converter (10) is ascertained by third control electronics (20) including an ESP control unit, a gearbox control unit or a further converter, that are separate from the first control electronics (12), wherein the second control electronics (14) calculates the setpoint output power (P2) of the converter (10) based on the speed (D) of the electric machine (22), and
wherein the current/voltage sensor device (16) is integrated in a traction battery (18) of an electric or hybrid vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the switching-off of the power electronics comprises a switching of an “enable line” (24) of the converter (10) to “low”.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A computer program product configured to carry out the method as claimed in claim 1.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A machine-readable storage medium on which the computer program product as claimed in claim 3 is stored.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a speed (D) of an electric machine (22) operated by the converter (10) is ascertained by third control electronics (20) including an ESP control unit, a gearbox control unit or a further converter (10), that are separate from the first control electronics (12).

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the actual output power (P1) of the converter (10) is determined by using an electrical loss of the converter (10), a mechanical loss of the electric machine (22), a tolerance of an actual output voltage and an actual output current of the converter (10).

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the switching-off of the power electronics comprises a switching of an “enable line” (24) of the converter (10) to “low”.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first control electronics (12) is located within the converter (10).

### Claim 9

An apparatus for monitoring a converter (10), wherein the converter (10) is actuated by first control electronics (12), wherein the apparatus comprises second control electronics (14) configured to use a current/voltage sensor device (16), which is separate from the first control electronics (12), to detect a current (I) received by the converter (10) and a voltage (U) received by the converter (10), to ascertain an actual output power (P1) provided by the converter (10) using the detected current (I) received by the converter (10) and the detected voltage (U) received by the converter (10), to determine a difference between the ascertained actual output power (P1) provided by the converter (10) and a setpoint output power (P2) of the converter (10), and to actuate, by the first control electronics (12), the converter (10) if an absolute value of a difference between the actual output power (P1) provided by the converter (10) and the setpoint output power (P2) of the converter (10) exceeds a predetermined limit value, wherein actuating of the converter (10) includes the specifying of a control requirement for the first control electronics (12), wherein actuating of the converter (10) includes a switching-off of the converter (10) if the specified control requirement is implemented erroneously and the switching-off of the converter (10) is performed within an error reaction time of the converter (10), wherein the apparatus has third control electronics (20) including an ESP control unit, a gearbox control unit or a further converter, that are separate from the first control electronics (12) and configured to ascertain a speed (D) of an electric machine (22) operated by the converter (10), wherein the second control electronics (14) calculates the setpoint output power (P2) of the converter (10) based on the speed (D) of the electric machine (22), and wherein the current/voltage sensor device (16) is integrated in a traction battery (18) of an electric or hybrid vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A drivetrain (100) of a motor vehicle (200) having an apparatus as claimed in claim 9, a converter (10), first control electronics (12) and an electric machine (22) or an energy source.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

A motor vehicle (200) having a drivetrain (100) as claimed in claim 10.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first control electronics (12) is located within the converter (10).