# US 12,603,597 B2 · Systems and methods for controlling operation of inverter for electric vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,603,597 B2 - Document ID: US12603597B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/536,497 - Filed: 2023-12-12 - Published: 2025-06-12 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2023-12-12 - Assignees: BorgWarner US Technologies LLC - Applicants: BorgWarner US Technologies LLC - Inventors: Mary T. Hedges; Deepa Susan Rajan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603597B2 ## CPC - H02P 27/08: with pulse width modulation - B60L 15/08: using pulses - H02M 1/38: Means for preventing simultaneous conduction of switches - H02M 1/385: {with means for correcting output voltage deviations introduced by the dead time} - H02M 7/5387: in a bridge configuration - H02M 7/5395: by pulse-width modulation - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - 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 - 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) ## Abstract A system includes: an inverter including a first switch and a second switch; one or more controllers configured to control the inverter by performing operations, the operations including: generating a minimum pulse width value for a first pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal to control the first switch and for a second PWM signal to control the second switch; determining that an on-time pulse to be generated for the first PWM signal will be less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value for a period based on a first deadtime configuration; and in response to the determining: determining a second deadtime configuration for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal for the period; and generating the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal based on the second deadtime configuration, to prevent the on-time pulse that is less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an inverter including a first switch and a second switch; one or more controllers configured to control the inverter by performing operations, the operations including: generating a minimum pulse width value for a first pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal to control the first switch and for a second PWM signal to control the second switch, the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal associated with a commanded PWM signal; determining that an on-time pulse to be generated for the first PWM signal will be less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value for a first period based on a first deadtime configuration; and in response to the determining: determining a second deadtime configuration for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal for the first period, the second deadtime configuration being different from the first deadtime configuration; and generating the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal based on the second deadtime configuration, so that the generated first PWM signal maintains a low state for the first period and prevents the on-time pulse that is less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value, wherein each of the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime configuration includes one or more of: a first deadtime value associated with a rising edge of the commanded PWM signal or a second deadtime value associated with a falling edge of the commanded PWM signal, and wherein the first deadtime value for the first deadtime configuration and the first deadtime value for the second deadtime configuration are different, and the second deadtime value for the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime value for the second deadtime configuration are the same. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first deadtime value or the second deadtime value of the first deadtime configuration is increased by the minimum pulse width value to determine the second deadtime configuration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the operations further including: before a start of a second period for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal: restoring the first deadtime configuration; and applying the first deadtime configuration instead of the second deadtime configuration to the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the operations further including: after a start of a second period for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal: restoring the first deadtime configuration; and applying the first deadtime configuration instead of the second deadtime configuration to the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a gate drive integrated circuit configured to receive the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal and drive one or more operations of the inverter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a motor configured to rotate based on one or more operations of the inverter, wherein the system is provided as a vehicle including the motor. ### Claim 7 A method for controlling a system, the system including an inverter including a first switch and a second switch, the method comprising: performing, by one or more controllers, operations for controlling the inverter, the operations including: generating a minimum pulse width value for a first pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal to control the first switch and for a second PWM signal to control the second switch, the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal associated with a commanded PWM signal; determining that an on-time pulse to be generated for the first PWM signal will be less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value for a first period based on a first deadtime configuration; and in response to the determining: determining a second deadtime configuration for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal for the first period, the second deadtime configuration different from the first deadtime configuration; and generating the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal based on the second deadtime configuration, so that the generated first PWM signal maintains a low state for the first period and prevents the on-time pulse that is less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value, wherein each of the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime configuration includes one or more of: a first deadtime value associated with a rising edge of the commanded PWM signal or a second deadtime value associated with a falling edge of the commanded PWM signal, and wherein the first deadtime value for the first deadtime configuration and the first deadtime value for the second deadtime configuration are the same, and the second deadtime value for the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime value for the second deadtime configuration are different. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the minimum pulse width value ranges from approximately 0% of the first period to approximately 3% of the first period, and each of the first deadtime value and the second deadtime value of the first deadtime configuration is larger than the minimum pulse width value and ranges from approximately 0% of the first period to approximately 4% of the first period. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the first deadtime value or the second deadtime value of the first deadtime configuration is increased by the minimum pulse width value to determine the second deadtime configuration. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, the operations further including: before a start of a second period for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal: restoring the first deadtime configuration; and applying the first deadtime configuration instead of the second deadtime configuration to the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, the operations further including: after a start of a second period for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal: restoring the first deadtime configuration; and applying the first deadtime configuration instead of the second deadtime configuration to the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal. ### Claim 12 A system comprising: one or more controllers configured to perform operations including: generating a minimum pulse width value for a first pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal and for a second PWM signal, the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal associated with a commanded PWM signal for controlling a first switch and a second switch of an inverter; determining that an on-time pulse to be generated for the first PWM signal will be less than the minimum pulse width value for a first period based on a first deadtime configuration; and in response to the determining: determining a second deadtime configuration for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal for the first period, the second deadtime configuration different from the first deadtime configuration; and generating the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal based on the second deadtime configuration, so that the generated first PWM signal maintains a low state for the first period and prevents the on-time pulse that is less than or equal to the minimum pulse width value, wherein each of the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime configuration includes one or more of: a first deadtime value associated with a rising edge of the commanded PWM signal or a second deadtime value associated with a falling edge of the commanded PWM signal, and wherein the determining the second deadtime configuration includes increasing the first deadtime value or the second deadtime value of the first deadtime configuration by the minimum pulse width value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the first deadtime value of the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime configuration is stored in a first register of the one or more controllers, and the second deadtime value of the first deadtime configuration and the second deadtime configuration is stored in a second register of the one or more controllers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, the operations further including: before a start of a second period for the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal: restoring the first deadtime configuration; and applying the first deadtime configuration instead of the second deadtime configuration to the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal.