# US 12,603,596 B2 · Power supply circuit in an inverter for driving an electrical machine, method of operating the power supply circuit and safety control device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,603,596 B2 - Document ID: US12603596B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/639,667 - Filed: 2024-04-18 - Published: 2024-10-24 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2023-04-18 - Assignees: SEG Automotive Germany GmbH - Applicants: SEG Automotive Germany GmbH - Inventors: Nima Saadat; Murugaperumal Devaraja - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603596B2 ## CPC - H02P 27/06: using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) - H02J 9/04: in which the distribution system is disconnected from the normal source and connected to a standby source - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract A power supply circuit in an inverter for driving an electrical machine includes a high-voltage branch, a low-voltage branch, a backup supply branch, an operating DC/DC converter, which is connected on the one hand to the high-voltage branch and on the other hand to the low-voltage branch, a backup supply DC/DC converter, which is connected on the one hand to the high-voltage branch and on the other hand to the backup supply branch, an inverter circuit for connecting the electrical machine to the high-voltage branch, and a safety control device which is set up to switch the inverter circuit to a safe state when a shutdown situation is present, wherein the inverter circuit and the safety control device are supplied with energy from the low-voltage branch, wherein the inverter circuit and the safety control device are additionally supplied or can be supplied with energy from the backup supply branch. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power supply circuit (100) in an inverter (1) for driving an electrical machine (500), the power supply circuit (100) having a high-voltage branch (110), a low-voltage branch (120), a backup supply branch (130), an operating DC/DC converter (10), which is connected on the one hand to the high-voltage branch (110) and on the other hand to the low-voltage branch (120), a backup supply DC/DC converter (20), which is connected on the one hand to the high-voltage branch (110) and on the other hand to the backup supply branch (130), an inverter circuit (115) for connecting the electrical machine (500) to the high-voltage branch (110), a safety control device (123) which is set up to switch the inverter circuit (115) to a safe state when a shutdown situation is present, wherein the inverter circuit (115) and the safety control device (123) are supplied with energy from the low-voltage branch (120), wherein the inverter circuit (115) and the safety control device (123) are additionally supplied or can be supplied with energy from the backup supply branch (130). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, wherein a blocking circuit (40a, 40b) is arranged between the low-voltage branch (120) and the backup supply branch (130), which prevents a flow of energy between the low-voltage branch (120) and the backup supply branch (130). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the low-voltage branch (120) comprises a supply branch (120a) for distributing current to components of the inverter (1) and a mains branch (120b) for connection to a low-voltage network, the inverter circuit (115) and the safety control device (123) being supplied with power from the supply branch (120a), the mains branch (120b) being arranged to be connected to a power supply, wherein a second blocking circuit (122a, 122b) is arranged between the supply branch (120a) and the operating DC/DC converter (10), which prevents a flow of energy from the supply branch (120a) into the operating DC/DC converter (10), and/or is arranged between the supply branch (120a) and the mains branch (120b), which prevents a flow of energy from the supply branch (120a) into the mains branch (120b). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the operating DC/DC converter (10) is disconnectable from the low-voltage branch (120) by means of a first safety disconnection circuit (31) and/or is disconnectable from the high-voltage branch (110) by means of a first high-voltage disconnection circuit (F1). ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the inverter circuit (115) comprises a number of high-side semiconductor switches (116a) and a number of low-side semiconductor switches (116b) and at least one gate driver circuit (210; 310) for the high-side and low-side semiconductor switches, wherein the at least one gate driver circuit (210; 310) is powered from the low-voltage branch (120). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one gate driver circuit (210) for the high-side semiconductor switches (116a) can be disconnected from the low-voltage branch (120) by means of a second safety disconnection circuit (32). ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one gate driver circuit (310) for the low-side semiconductor switches (116b) can be disconnected from the low-voltage branch (120) by means of a third safety disconnection circuit (33). ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 5, wherein at least the at least one gate driver circuit (310) for the low-side semiconductor switches (116b) and/or at least the at least one gate driver circuit (210) for the high-side semiconductor switches (116a) is or can be supplied with energy from the backup supply branch (130). ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one gate driver circuit (210; 310) for the semiconductor switches comprises exactly one gate driver circuit (210; 310) for each of the high-side semiconductor switches (116a) and/or low-side semiconductor switches (116b). ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one gate driver circuit (210; 310) for the high-side and low-side semiconductor switches is supplied with power from at least one bias voltage supply circuit (230; 330), wherein the at least one gate driver circuit (210; 310) and/or at least one bias voltage supply circuit (230; 330) is supplied with power from the low-voltage branch (120). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the backup supply DC/DC converter (20) is disconnectable from the backup supply branch (130) by means of a fourth safety disconnection circuit (34) and/or is disconnectable from the high-voltage branch (110) by means of a second high-voltage disconnection circuit (F2). ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 11, wherein the safety control device (123) is adapted to detect the presence of a shutdown situation when at least one of the first, second, third and fourth safety disconnection circuits (31-34) is in a non-conductive state. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the safety control device (123) and/or the inverter circuit (115) comprises at least two power supply circuits (123a, 123b), wherein a first (123a) of the at least two power supply circuits is or can be supplied with power from the low-voltage branch (120) and a second (123b) of the at least two power supply circuits is or can be supplied with power from the backup supply branch (130). ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method of operating the power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, comprising: in the presence of a shutdown situation, bringing the inverter circuit (115) into a safe state. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, comprising: detecting that a shutdown situation is present when at least one of the first, second, third and fourth safety disconnection circuits (31-34) detects a fault and/or when at least one of the first, second, third and fourth safety disconnection circuits (31-34) is in an open state. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, comprising: detecting that a shutdown situation is present when a fault occurs in the operating DC/DC converter (10) and/or the backup supply DC/DC converter (20). ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, comprising: detecting that a shutdown situation is present when the at least one gate driver circuit (210; 310) for the high-side and low-side semiconductor switches detects a fault, in particular in the power supply from the low-voltage branch (120). ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A safety control device (123) that is configured to perform a method of operating the power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1, comprising in the presence of a shutdown situation, bringing the inverter circuit (115) into a safe state. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) An inverter (1) comprising the power supply circuit (100) according to claim 1.