# US 11,999,259 B2 · Power control method and power control apparatus for a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,999,259 B2 - Document ID: US11999259B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/499,613 - Filed: 2021-10-12 - Published: 2022-06-23 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-22 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Inventors: JungHyeon Bae - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999259B2 ## CPC - B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/15: Preventing overcharging - B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH] - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - B60L 58/25: by controlling the electric load - B60L 58/26: by cooling - B60L 2210/10: DC to DC converters - B60L 2240/545: Temperature - 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 ## Abstract A method for controlling power of a vehicle includes: collecting, by a controller, data on a current consumed by an electrical load of the vehicle and calculating an average current consumption for the electrical load based on the collected data on the current consumed; determining, by the controller, power conversion of a converter to generate a converted current having an amount corresponding to the calculated average current consumption; variably controlling, by the controller, the power conversion of the converter to compensate for a deterioration state of a battery when the deterioration state of the battery provided to supply power to the electrical load occurs; and securing, by the controller, higher power conversion efficiency of the converter by controlling power supply to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling power of a vehicle, the method comprising: collecting, by a controller, data on a current consumed by an electrical load of the vehicle and calculating an average current consumption for the electrical load based on the collected data on the current consumed; determining, by the controller, power conversion of a converter to generate a converted current having an amount corresponding to the calculated average current consumption; variably controlling, by the controller, the power conversion of the converter to compensate for a deterioration state of a battery when the deterioration state of the battery provided to supply power to the electrical load occurs; and securing, by the controller, higher power conversion efficiency of the converter by controlling power supply to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the converter includes a multi-phase direct current-direct current (DC-DC) converter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the variable controlling of the power conversion of the converter includes variably controlling the number of phase activations of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: increasing, by the controller, the number of phase activations of the converter to compensate for the deterioration state of the battery when the deterioration state of the battery occurs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: determining, by the controller, that the deterioration state of the battery occurs when a state of charge (SOC) and a temperature of the battery are respectively within predetermined ranges. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the controlling power supply to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur further comprises: when the electrical load includes a large current consuming load consuming a large current greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, identifying, by the controller, whether the large current consuming load is operating; and blocking, by the controller, power supply to a predetermined convenient load of the large current consuming load when the large current consuming load is in operation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined convenient load is not directly related to driving and safety of the vehicle and is an electrical load predetermined for convenience of occupants. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: identifying, by the controller, whether the current consumption in the electrical load decreases when the large current consuming load is not in operation; and increasing, by the controller, an amount of charge of the battery by the reduced current consumption when the current consumption in the electrical load is reduced. ### Claim 9 A power control apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a converter configured to supply power to an electrical load and a battery; and a controller configured to control power supply to the electrical load and the battery by controlling the converter, collect data on a current consumed by the electrical load of the vehicle, calculate an average current consumption for the electrical load based on the collected data on the current consumed, determine power conversion of the converter to generate a converted current having an amount corresponding to the calculated average current consumption, variably control the power conversion of the converter to compensate for a deterioration state of the battery when the deterioration state of the battery provided to supply power to the electrical load occurs, and secure higher power conversion efficiency of the converter by controlling power supply to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the converter includes a multi-phase direct current-direct current (DC-DC) converter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the variable controlling of the power conversion of the converter includes variably controlling the number of phase activations of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein when the deterioration state of the battery occurs, the controller is configured to increase the number of phase activations of the converter to compensate for the deterioration state of the battery. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the deterioration state of the battery is determined based on a state of charge (SOC) and a temperature of the battery, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the deterioration state of the battery occurs when the SOC and the temperature of the battery are respectively within predetermined ranges. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein for controlling power supply to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur, the controller is configured to, when the electrical load includes a large current consuming load consuming a large current greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, identify whether the large current consuming load is operating and also configured to block power supply to a predetermined convenient load of the large current consuming load when the large current consuming load is in operation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the predetermined convenient load is not directly related to driving and safety of the vehicle and is an electrical load predetermined for convenience of occupants. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to identify whether the current consumption in the electrical load decreases when the large current consuming load is not in operation and also configured to increase the amount of charge of the battery by the reduced current consumption when the current consumption in the electrical load is reduced. ### Claim 17 A method for controlling power of a vehicle, the method comprising: collecting, by a controller, data on a current consumed by an electrical load of the vehicle and calculating an average current consumption for the electrical load based on the collected data on the current consumed; determining, by the controller, power conversion of a multi-phase direct current-direct current (DC-DC) converter to generate a converted current having an amount corresponding to the calculated average current consumption; controlling, by the controller, the number of phase activations of the multi-phase DC-DC converter to increase so as to compensate for a deterioration state of a battery when the deterioration state of the battery provided to supply power to the electrical load occurs; and securing, by the controller, higher power conversion efficiency of the multi-phase DC-DC converter by controlling power supply to be selectively restricted to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur. ### Claim 18 A power control apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a converter configured to supply power to an electrical load and a battery; and a controller configured to control power supply to the electrical load and the battery by controlling the converter, collect data on a current consumed by an electrical load of the vehicle, calculate an average current consumption for the electrical load based on the collected data on the current consumed, determine power conversion of a multi-phase direct current-direct current (DC-DC) converter to generate a converted current having an amount corresponding to the calculated average current consumption, increase the number of phase activations of the multi-phase DC-DC converter to compensate for a deterioration state of the battery when the deterioration state of the battery provided to supply power to the electrical load occurs, and secure higher power conversion efficiency of the multi-phase DC-DC converter by selectively restricting power supply to the electrical load when the deterioration state of the battery does not occur.