# US 9,751,426 B2 · Activation method for an electric machine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,751,426 B2 - Document ID: US9751426B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/874,119 - Filed: 2015-10-02 - Published: 2016-01-28 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2013-04-03 - Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Joerg Reuss; Daniel Findeisen; Michael Habermeier - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751426B2 ## CPC - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - B60L 1/00: Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) - B60L 15/00: Methods, circuits, or devices for controlling the traction-motor speed of electrically-propelled vehicles - B60L 15/025: {using field orientation; Vector control; Direct Torque Control [DTC]} - B60L 50/64: Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles - H02P 6/14: Electronic commutators - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - 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 vehicle is configured with an N-phase electric machine, a first on-board electrical sub-system and a second on-board electrical sub-system. The electric machine includes a rotor and a stator system, wherein the first onboard electrical sub-system includes an inverter and the stator system is linked to the inverter. The electric machine can be operated using an inverter controller on the principle of a field-oriented control system, so that the electric machine is linked to a control unit, wherein the inverter can be controlled by the control unit, and the control unit uses a phased activation method to control the inverter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle having an N-phase electric machine, a first on-board electric sub-system, and a second on-board electric sub-system, wherein the electric machine comprises a rotor and a stator system, the first on-board electric sub-system comprises an inverter, the stator system is linked to the inverter and the electric machine can be operated with an inverter controller according to the principle of a field-oriented regulation, wherein a control unit is linked to the electric machine, the inverter can be controlled by the control unit, and the control unit controls the inverter in the form of a phase shifted activation method, wherein the phase shifted activation method smooths a neutral point current, wherein the neutral point current is smoothed by a leakage induction and by a main inductance of the machine. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the stator system is embodied in a star connection, a neutral point can be connected to the second on-board electric sub-system directly or via a neutral point switch, the inverter controller comprises a current controller and a neutral point controller, the current controller regulates phase currents of the stator system, and the neutral point controller regulates a neutral point current. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises measurement means for measuring a number of at least N−1 phase currents and a neutral point current, and the control unit comprises the inverter controller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises measurement means for measuring a number of at least N-phase currents, and the control unit comprises the inverter controller. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a measurement means for measuring an intermediate circuit current, wherein the measured intermediate circuit current enables at least one indirect determination of an N-phase current of the electric machine on the basis of voltage zero pointers, and the control unit comprises the inverter controller. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a time offset between each individual phase of the electric machine is adjustable. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the phase shifted activation of individual phases of the electric machine takes place through a respective pulse pattern, and the pulse patterns are shifted by an angle of 360°/N, wherein N is a number of individual phases of the electric machine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a measurement means measuring N currents of the electric machine, and the control unit converts the measured N currents via an extended Clarke and Park transform to a field-oriented current vector with a flux-generating component, with a torque-forming component and with a current zero component, wherein a neutral point current amounts to three times the current zero component. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the inverter controller has a flux-generating component as a control variable, the inverter controller has a torque-forming component as a control variable, the inverter controller has a current zero component as a control variable, the inverter controller has a first setpoint current for the flux-generating component as a setpoint variable, the inverter controller has a second setpoint current for the torque-forming component as a setpoint variable, the inverter controller has a neutral point setpoint current as a setpoint variable, the inverter controller outputs a first stator control voltage, the inverter controller outputs a second stator control voltage, and the inverter controller outputs a third stator control voltage. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the N-phase electrical machine is designed as a three-phase electric machine, the inverter comprises six inverter switches, the six inverter switches are arranged in three half bridges for the three phases of the stator system, a first stator control voltage, a second stator control voltage and a third stator control voltage can be converted into phase voltages of the stator system by an extended inverse Clarke and Park transform, and the inverter, via the six inverter switches, switches the phase voltages for each of the three phases in a switch cycle according to the principle of pulse width modulation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of a direct connection or a closed neutral point switch, the electric machine transfers electric power from the second on-board electric sub-system to the first on-board electric sub-system, with a current direction from the second on-board electric sub-system to the first on-board electric sub-system, and acts as an step-up converter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein by stipulating a neutral point setpoint current and an adjustment of a neutral point setpoint voltage, a neutral point current is adjustable, and the electric machine acts as a bidirectional power controller when a neutral point switch is turned off. ### Claim 13 A vehicle having an N-phase electric machine, a first on-board electric sub-system, and a second on-board electric sub-system, wherein the electric machine comprises a rotor and a stator system, the first on-board electric sub-system comprises an inverter, the stator system is linked to the inverter and the electric machine can be operated with an inverter controller according to the principle of a field-oriented regulation, wherein a control unit is linked to the electric machine, the inverter can be controlled by the control unit, the control unit controls the inverter in the form of a phase shifted activation method, the phase shifted activation method can be utilized for an increased adjustment frequency in pulse pattern generation to reduce a switching frequency of the inverter to improve its efficiency or to expand the operating range of a pulse width-modulated control, which is limited by a rotational speed of the machine at a predefined switching frequency, in a direction of a higher rotational speed of the machine, and a neutral point controller supplies a control value for the activation method. ### Claim 14 A vehicle having an N-phase electric machine, a first on-board electric sub-system, and a second on-board electric sub-system, wherein the electric machine comprises a rotor and a stator system, the first on-board electric sub-system comprises an inverter, the stator system is linked to the inverter and the electric machine can be operated with an inverter controller according to the principle of a field-oriented regulation, wherein a control unit is linked to the electric machine, the inverter can be controlled by the control unit, the control unit controls the inverter in the form of a phase shifted activation method, and with a neutral point switch closed, the electric machine transfers electric power from the first on-board electric sub-system to the second on-board electric sub-system in a neutral point current, with a current direction from the neutral point to the second on-board electric sub-system, and acts as a step-down converter.