# US 12,113,440 B2 · Power supply system

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- Number: US 12,113,440 B2
- Document ID: US12113440B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/961,622
- Filed: 2022-10-07
- Published: 2023-06-29
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2021-12-23
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kazunari Yamamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113440B2

## CPC

- H02M 3/155: using semiconductor devices only
- H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel}
- B60L 50/70: using power supplied by fuel cells (in combination with batteries B60L50/75)
- B60L 50/75: using propulsion power supplied by both fuel cells and batteries
- B60L 58/40: for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
- H01M 8/043: applied during specific periods
- H01M 8/0494: {of fuel cell stacks}
- H01M 8/04955: Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
- H02M 1/0064: {Magnetic structures combining different functions, e.g. storage, filtering or transformation}
- H02M 7/537: using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters
- B60L 2210/10: DC to DC converters
- H01M 16/006: {of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries}
- H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- H02M 1/322: {Means for rapidly discharging a capacitor of the converter for protecting electrical components or for preventing electrical shock}
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- 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)
- 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
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A power supply system includes a power converter and a controller. The power converter includes a positive electrode line, a negative electrode line, first and second switching elements, and a magnetic coupling reactor. The magnetic coupling reactor includes a reactor core, and first and second coils. The second coil is wound around a second outer leg of the reactor core and is magnetically differentially connected to the first coil. The controller is configured to execute a first discharge process and a second discharge process, which is executed after the first discharge process, to discharge electric charge remaining in the fuel cell. The controller is configured to, in the first discharge process, turn on the first switching element in a state where the second switching element is off, and, in the second discharge process, turn on the second switching element in a state where the first switching element is on.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A power supply system comprising:
a power converter; and
a controller, wherein:
the power converter includes
a positive electrode line connected to a positive electrode of a fuel cell,
a negative electrode line connected to a negative electrode of the fuel cell,
a first switching element connected between the positive electrode line and the negative electrode line,
a second switching element connected between the positive electrode line and the negative electrode line in parallel with the first switching element, and
a magnetic coupling reactor including
a reactor core including a first outer leg, a second outer leg, and a pair of yokes annularly coupling the first outer leg and the second outer leg,
a first coil connected between the first switching element and the fuel cell and wound around the first outer leg of the reactor core, and
a second coil connected between the second switching element and the fuel cell and wound around the second outer leg of the reactor core, the second coil being magnetically differentially connected to the first coil; and
the controller is configured to
execute a first discharge process and a second discharge process to discharge electric charge remaining in the fuel cell, the second discharge process being executed after the first discharge process,
in the first discharge process, turn on the first switching element in a state where the second switching element is off, and
in the second discharge process, turn on the second switching element in a state where the first switching element is on.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the power converter further includes a smoothing capacitor provided at an output side of the power converter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein a magnitude of mutual inductance between the first coil and the second coil is less than a magnitude of self-inductance of the first coil.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein a magnitude of mutual inductance between the first coil and the second coil is equal to a magnitude of self-inductance of the first coil.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein:
the controller is configured to turn off the first switching element when a current greater than a first threshold flows through the first switching element; and
the first coil has a self-inductance with which a current flowing through the first switching element is kept less than or equal to the first threshold in the first discharge process.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to start the second discharge process, after a current flowing through the first coil exceeds a predetermined threshold in the first discharge process.

### Claim 7

A power supply system comprising:
a power converter; and
a controller, wherein:
the power converter includes
a positive electrode line connected to a positive electrode of a fuel cell,
a negative electrode line connected to a negative electrode of the fuel cell,
a first switching element connected between the positive electrode line and the negative electrode line,
a second switching element connected between the positive electrode line and the negative electrode line in parallel with the first switching element,
a magnetic coupling reactor including
a reactor core including a first outer leg, a second outer leg, a pair of yokes annularly coupling the first outer leg and the second outer leg, and a middle leg connecting the pair of yokes to each other,
a first coil connected between the first switching element and the fuel cell and wound around the first outer leg of the reactor core,
a second coil connected between the second switching element and the fuel cell and wound around the second outer leg of the reactor core, the second coil being magnetically differentially connected to the first coil, and
a third coil wound around the middle leg of the reactor core and magnetically cumulatively connected to the first coil and the second coil; and
an auxiliary power supply configured to supply current to the third coil and configured to cause the middle leg of the reactor core to magnetically saturate by supplying current to the third coil; and
the controller is configured to
execute a third discharge process and a fourth discharge process to discharge electric charge remaining in the fuel cell, the fourth discharge process being executed after the third discharge process,
in the third discharge process, turn on at least one of the first switching element and the second switching element in a state where the auxiliary power supply is off, and
in the fourth discharge process, turn on both the first switching element and the second switching element and turn on the auxiliary power supply.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to turn on both the first switching element and the second switching element in the third discharge process.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein the power converter further includes a smoothing capacitor provided at an output side of the power converter.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein a magnitude of mutual inductance between the first coil and the second coil is less than a magnitude of self-inductance of the first coil.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein a magnitude of mutual inductance between the first coil and the second coil is equal to a magnitude of self-inductance of the first coil.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein:
the controller is configured to turn off the first switching element when a current greater than a first threshold flows through the first switching element; and
the first coil has a self-inductance with which a current flowing through the first switching element is kept less than or equal to the first threshold in the third discharge process.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to start the fourth discharge process, after a current flowing through the first coil exceeds a predetermined threshold in the third discharge process.