# US 12,184,185 B2 · Systems and methods for bridge mode transition and dynamic soft start for DC-DC converter and battery charger

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- Number: US 12,184,185 B2
- Document ID: US12184185B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/815,290
- Filed: 2022-07-27
- Published: 2024-02-01
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2022-07-27
- Assignees: BorgWarner US Technologies LLC
- Applicants: BorgWarner Luxembourg Automotive Systems S.A.
- Inventors: Abhishek Vijay Danekar; Alexandre M. S. Reis; Sunil Sreedhar; Venkata Jaya Sai Praneeth Ammanamanchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12184185B2

## CPC

- H02J 7/06: using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices
- H02M 3/33576: {having at least one active switching element at the secondary side of an isolation transformer}
- B60L 53/22: Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
- B60L 53/30: Constructional details of charging stations
- H02J 7/02: for charging batteries from AC mains by converters
- H02J 7/80: including monitoring or indicating arrangements
- H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
- H02M 1/36: Means for starting or stopping converters
- H02M 1/4233: {using a bridge converter comprising active switches}
- H02M 3/01: {Resonant DC/DC converters}
- H02M 3/33573: {Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer}
- B60L 2210/10: DC to DC converters
- H02J 2207/20: Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- 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

## Abstract

A system for a direct current (DC)-DC converter includes a transformer, a bridge driver connected to a primary side of the transformer, and a bridge rectifier connected to a secondary side of the transformer, wherein one or more switches in the bridge driver are operable to configure the bridge driver into each of a half-bridge driver configuration and a full-bridge driver configuration, and to transition between the half-bridge driver configuration and the full-bridge driver configuration while the DC-DC converter is outputting power.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for a direct current (DC)-DC converter, the system comprising:
a transformer;
a bridge driver connected to a primary side of the transformer, the bridge driver including one or more switches;
a bridge rectifier connected to a secondary side of the transformer; and
a controller configured to control the operation of the one or more switches based on a sensed voltage of a battery connected to the DC-DC converter and a power demand for the DC-DC converter,
wherein the one or more switches in the bridge driver are operable to configure the bridge driver into each of a half-bridge driver configuration and a full-bridge driver configuration,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the operation of the one or more switches to transition between the half-bridge driver configuration and the full-bridge driver configuration while the DC-DC converter is outputting power,
wherein the controller is further configured to ramp a current loop compensator output frequency lower limit from a maximum to a minimum with a predetermined soft start rate, and
wherein the controller is further configured to maintain a fixed duty cycle for the one or more switches with the predetermined soft start rate, and vary a switching frequency of the one or more switches with the predetermined soft start rate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the power demand is a signal from a vehicle to the DC-DC converter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches include a first bridge driver switch and a second bridge driver switch on a first leg of the bridge driver, and a third bridge driver switch and a fourth bridge driver switch on a second leg of the bridge driver.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to control the operation of the one or more switches to configure the bridge driver into the half-bridge driver configuration by controlling the third bridge driver switch to be open and the fourth bridge driver switch to be closed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the operation of the one or more switches to configure the bridge driver in the half-bridge driver configuration when the sensed voltage of the battery connected to the DC-DC converter is in a low voltage region, to configure the bridge driver in either of the half-bridge driver configuration or the full-bridge driver configuration when the sensed voltage is in a nominal voltage region, and to configure the bridge driver in the full-bridge driver configuration when the sensed voltage is in a full voltage region.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the sensed voltage is in the nominal voltage region, check the power demand of the DC-DC converter, and
when the power demand is less than a minimum transition threshold, operating the bridge driver in the half-bridge driver configuration, and
when the power demand is more than the minimum transition threshold, operating the bridge driver in the full-bridge driver configuration.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to vary the switching frequency of the predetermined soft start rate based on continuously comparing a current reference signal and a measured current.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the DC-DC converter has a voltage operating range from approximately 170V to approximately 850V at a battery interface connected to the bridge rectifier.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) Power Factor Correction (PFC) converter connected to the bridge driver to provide the system as a battery charger.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a battery connected to the DC-DC converter of the battery charger, and
a motor configured to rotate based on power received from the battery,
wherein the system is provided as a vehicle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the battery charger is configured to:
receive input AC power through the PFC converter, convert the AC power to DC power, and provide the DC power to the battery to charge the battery, and
receive DC power from the battery through the DC-DC converter, convert the DC power to AC power, and provide the AC power through the PFC converter as output AC power.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the transformer includes a high-frequency transformer provided in a resonant tank.

### Claim 13

A method for controlling a system including a direct current (DC)-DC converter including a transformer, a bridge driver connected to a primary side of the transformer, the bridge driver including one or more switches, and a bridge rectifier connected to a secondary side of the transformer, the method comprising performing, by a controller, operations including:
controlling the one or more switches in the bridge driver to configure the bridge driver into each of a half-bridge driver configuration and a full-bridge driver configuration based on a sensed voltage of a battery connected to the DC-DC converter and a power demand for the DC-DC converter, and to transition between the half-bridge driver configuration and the full-bridge driver configuration while the DC-DC converter is outputting power,
wherein the operations further include ramping a current loop compensator output frequency lower limit from a maximum to a minimum with a predetermined soft start rate, and
wherein the operations further include maintaining a fixed duty cycle for the one or more switches with the predetermined soft start rate, and varying a switching frequency of the one or more switches with the predetermined soft start rate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the operations further include receiving the sensed voltage of the battery connected to the DC-DC converter, and
wherein the controlling the switching operation includes controlling the operation of the one or more switches to configure the bridge driver in the half-bridge driver configuration when the sensed voltage is in a low voltage region, to configure the bridge driver in either of the half-bridge driver configuration or the full-bridge driver configuration when the sensed voltage is in a nominal voltage region, and to configure the bridge driver in the full-bridge driver configuration when the sensed voltage is in a full voltage region.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the varying the switching frequency of the one or more switches of the predetermined soft start rate is based on continuously comparing of a current reference signal and a measured current.

### Claim 16

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform operations including:
controlling one or more switches in a bridge driver of a DC-DC converter to configure the bridge driver into each of a half-bridge driver configuration and a full-bridge driver configuration based on a sensed voltage of a battery connected to the DC-DC converter and a power demand for the DC-DC converter, and to transition between the half-bridge driver configuration and the full-bridge driver configuration while the DC-DC converter is outputting power,
wherein the operations further include ramping a current loop compensator output frequency lower limit from a maximum to a minimum with a predetermined soft start rate, and
wherein the operations further include maintaining a fixed duty cycle for the one or more switches with the predetermined soft start rate, and varying a switching frequency of the one or more switches with the predetermined soft start rate.