# US 2014/0153150 A1 · Dynamic current protection in energy distribution systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153150 A1 - Document ID: US20140153150A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/691,563 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Tesla Motors, Inc. - Applicants: Tesla Motors, Inc. - Inventors: Francisco LePort - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153150A1 ## CPC - H02H 3/087: for DC applications - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 3/04: Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) - B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} - B60L 58/14: Preventing excessive discharging - B60L 58/26: by cooling - H02H 3/006: {Calibration or setting of parameters} - B60L 2240/549: Current - B60L 2260/42: by adaptive correction - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H) - 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 - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An electric circuit, including an electric load operable from an operating current; an energy storage system providing the operating current at both a first mode and a second mode with the first mode having a first current in a first range of zero to a first particular current value and with the second mode having a second current in a second range of the first particular current value to a second particular current value; and an active protection coupled to the energy storage system, the active protection dynamically reconfigurable between a first mode and a second mode, the first mode applying a first overcurrent protection rating to the operating current when the operating current is operating in the first mode and the second mode applying a second overcurrent protection rating to the operating current when the operating current is operating in the second mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric circuit, comprising: an electric load operable from an operating current; an energy distribution system providing said operating current at both a first mode and a second mode with said first mode having a first current in a first range of zero to a first particular current value and with said second mode having a second current in a second range of said first particular current value to a second particular current value; and an active protection coupled to said energy distribution system, said active protection dynamically reconfigurable between a first mode and a second mode, said first mode applying a first overcurrent protection rating to said operating current when said operating current is operating in said first mode and said second mode applying a second overcurrent protection rating to said operating current when said operating current is operating in said second mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric circuit of claim 1 wherein said active protection includes a plurality of parallel-connected selective active protection elements with a particular one selective active protection element selectively repeatedly switchable between an active mode and an inactive mode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electric circuit of claim 2 wherein each said selective active protection element includes an overcurrent protection device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electric circuit of claim 3 wherein each said selective active protection element includes a switch in series with said overcurrent protection device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric circuit of claim 1 further comprising a controller reconfiguring said active protection responsive to said mode of said operating current. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electric circuit of claim 5 wherein said active protection is integrated into said energy distribution system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electric circuit of claim 1 wherein said energy distribution system is a mobile energy storage system and wherein said active protection is integrated into said mobile energy storage system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The electric circuit of claim 4 further comprising a controller, coupled to said switches, reconfiguring said active protection responsive to said mode of said operating current. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The electric circuit of claim 8 wherein said active protection is integrated into said energy distribution system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The electric circuit of claim 3 wherein each said overcurrent protection device includes a fuse. ### Claim 11 A method for operating an electric circuit, comprising: a) transferring an operating current from an energy distribution system to a load; and b) applying dynamically a particular one overcurrent protection rating from a plurality of predetermined selectable overcurrent protection ratings to said operating current responsive to a current amplitude of said operating current.