# US 12,191,696 B2 · Control device, vehicle, control method, and storage medium storing a control program

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

- Number: US 12,191,696 B2
- Document ID: US12191696B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/591,778
- Filed: 2022-02-03
- Published: 2022-09-15
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-09
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Taiki Takemoto; Akira Umemoto; Eiji Kitano; Yuji Omiya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191696B2

## CPC

- H02J 1/084: {for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources}
- H02J 7/96: in response to battery voltage
- H02J 7/342: {The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68)}
- H02J 7/855: {with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery}
- H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV]
- 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

## Abstract

A control device for controlling a first DC-DC converter and a second DC-DC converter that supply power to equipment, the control device comprising a processor configured to fix an output of the first DC-DC converter at a maximum and perform feedback control such that an output of the second DC-DC converter satisfies a predetermined condition in a case in which the output of the first DC-DC converter has reached the maximum.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control device for controlling a first DC-DC converter and a second DC-DC converter that supply power to equipment, the control device comprising:
a processor configured to:
fix an output of the first DC-DC converter at a maximum and perform feedback control such that an output of the second DC-DC converter satisfies a predetermined condition in a case in which the output of the first DC-DC converter has reached the maximum;
in a case in which an instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter is below a maximum value, perform feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter becomes a first target value, and perform control such that an instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a value that is lower by a predetermined value than the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter; and
in a case in which the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter has reached the maximum value, perform control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter remains at the maximum value and perform feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a second target value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The control device of claim 1, wherein, in a case in which the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter is below the maximum value and a specific load has been generated at the equipment, the processor is configured to perform feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter becomes a third target value, and perform feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a value that is lower by a predetermined value than the third target value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The control device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is set to a value that takes account of variation in DC-DC converter output.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The control device of claim 3, wherein the predetermined value is set to a value that further takes account of a minimum voltage difference that needs to be secured.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A vehicle comprising:
the control device of claim 1;
a high voltage battery configured to supply power to each of the first DC-DC converter and the second DC-DC converter; and
an auxiliary equipment battery configured to supply power to the equipment and to receive power supplied from each of the first DC-DC converter and the second DC-DC converter.

### Claim 6

A control method for execution by a computer to control a first DC-DC converter and a second DC-DC converter that supply power to equipment, the control method comprising:
in a case in which an output of the first DC-DC converter has reached a maximum, fixing the output of the first DC-DC converter at the maximum and performing feedback control such that an output of the second DC-DC converter satisfies a predetermined condition;
in a case in which an instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter is below a maximum value, performing feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter becomes a first target value, and performing control such that an instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a value that is lower by a predetermined value than the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter; and
in a case in which the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter has reached the maximum value, performing control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter remains at the maximum value and performing feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a second target value.

### Claim 7

A non-transitory storage medium storing a control program executable by a computer to perform processing to control a first DC-DC converter and a second DC-DC converter that supply power to equipment, the processing comprising:
in a case in which an output of the first DC-DC converter has reached a maximum, fixing the output of the first DC-DC converter at the maximum and performing feedback control such that an output of the second DC-DC converter satisfies a predetermined condition;
in a case in which an instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter is below a maximum value, performing feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter becomes a first target value, and performing control such that an instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a value that is lower by a predetermined value than the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter; and
in a case in which the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter has reached the maximum value, performing control such that the instructed voltage value of the first DC-DC converter remains at the maximum value and performing feedback control such that the instructed voltage value of the second DC-DC converter becomes a second target value.