# US 12,191,791 B2 · Method for controlling a drivetrain of an electric vehicle, data processing device, drivetrain and electric vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,191,791 B2 - Document ID: US12191791B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/982,564 - Filed: 2022-11-08 - Published: 2023-05-18 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2021-11-15 - Assignees: Volvo Car Corporation - Applicants: Volvo Car Corporation - Inventors: Michela Diana - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191791B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/11: {DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4} - H02P 27/08: with pulse width modulation - B60L 15/20: for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed - B60L 50/51: characterised by AC-motors - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 53/22: Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/24: Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging - H02P 23/14: Estimation or adaptation of motor parameters, e.g. rotor time constant, flux, speed, current or voltage - B60L 2210/40: DC to AC converters - B60L 2220/54: Windings for different functions - B60L 2240/529: Current - B60L 2240/547: Voltage - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - 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 - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A method for controlling a drivetrain of an electric vehicle during DC-charging of a traction battery. A corresponding charging circuit includes at least partially a traction inverter unit and at least partially an electric machine. The method includes controlling the traction inverter unit such that it operates as a DC-DC converter. Furthermore, a position of a rotor of the electric machine is received and based thereon, a number out of the phases of the electric machine is selected as components of the charging circuit. Additionally, the traction inverter unit is controlled such that the selected number of the phases forms part of the charging circuit. Moreover, a data processing device having means for carrying out the steps of the above method is presented. Additionally, a drivetrain and an electric vehicle are explained. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling a drivetrain of an electric vehicle during DC-charging of a traction battery of the drivetrain via a DC charging interface of the drivetrain, the DC charging interface electrically couplable to a DC charging station outside the electric vehicle, the drivetrain comprising the traction battery, a N-phase traction inverter unit, a N-phase electric machine and a charging circuit, the electric machine being electrically coupled to the traction battery via the traction inverter unit, the charging circuit comprising at least partially the traction inverter unit and at least partially the electric machine, and the DC charging interface being electrically connected to the N-phase traction inverter unit and the N-phase electric machine, the method comprising: controlling the traction inverter unit such that the traction inverter unit operates as a DC-DC converter, receiving a position of a rotor of the electric machine, selecting a number out of the N phases of the electric machine as components of the charging circuit, the selection being dependent on the position of the rotor of the electric machine, and controlling the traction inverter unit such that the selected number out of the N phases of the electric machine forms part of the charging circuit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising controlling the traction inverter unit to operate as an interleaved DC-DC converter, interleaving the selected ones of the N phases. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting out of the available combinations of numbers of the N phases an alternative offering the highest equivalent inductance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, further comprising receiving from a look-up table the equivalent inductance of all available combinations of numbers of the N phases in function of the position of the rotor of the electric machine. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, further comprising representing the equivalent inductances in the look-up table in function of at least one of a current and a duty cycle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting out of the available combinations of numbers of the N phases an alternative offering the lowest electromagnetic losses. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising receiving from a look-up table the electromagnetic losses of all available combinations of numbers of the N phases in function of the position of the rotor of the electric machine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising representing the magnetic losses in the look-up table in function of at least one of a current and a duty cycle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: excluding selection of all N phases as components of the charging circuit if a duty cycle to be performed falls within a predefined duty cycle range, and pre-selecting all N phases as components of the charging circuit if the duty cycle to be performed falls outside the predefined duty cycle range. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, further comprising comparing the electromagnetic losses of all N phases to the electromagnetic losses being produced by the subset of the N phases having the highest electromagnetic losses and by selecting all N phases as components of the charging circuit only if the electromagnetic losses produced by all N phases are lower than the electromagnetic losses produced by the subset of the N phases having the highest electromagnetic losses. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A data processing device for carrying out the steps of the method according to claim 1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The data processing device according to claim 11, comprising a first control interface being connectable to the traction inverter unit such that the traction inverter unit is controllable by the data processing device and a second control interface being connectable to a controller of the electric machine, the second control interface being configured for receiving a position of the rotor of the electric machine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) A drivetrain for an electric vehicle, the drivetrain comprising the data processing device according to claim 11, the traction battery, the N-phase traction inverter unit and the N-phase electric machine, the electric machine being electrically coupled to the traction battery via the traction inverter unit and the data processing device being communicatively connected to at least the traction inverter unit such that the traction inverter unit is controllable by the data processing device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An electric vehicle having the drivetrain according to claim 13, the vehicle (10) comprising at least one wheel being coupled to the drivetrain.