CN112262512A

CN112262512A - System, method and apparatus for power distribution in power mobile applications using a combined circuit breaker and relay

Info

Publication number: CN112262512A
Application number: CN201980038321.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马丁·韦恩·门施; 布兰登·威廉·费希尔; 罗伯特·斯蒂芬·道格拉斯; 奥斯汀·罗伯特·祖尔法斯; 杰夫·霍华德·乌里安; 詹姆斯·大卫; 巴拉斯·苏达; 阿赛士·索尼; 卡斯滕·格尔文; 吉多·福尔马尔; 格尔德·施米茨; 克里斯托夫·鲍施; 尤特·莫利托; 卢茨·弗里德里希森; 卡伊·施罗德; 朱莉娅·奥特; 马德琳·菲利普森; 诺伯特·罗斯纳; 福尔克尔·朗; 约翰尼斯·迈斯纳
Original assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd
Current assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd
Priority date: 2018-04-10
Filing date: 2019-04-10
Publication date: 2021-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-10
Also published as: WO2019197459A2; EP3776779A2; CN112262512B; CN117239674A; WO2019197459A3

Abstract

A mobile application includes a power supply circuit having a power storage device and an electrical load, where the power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically coupled by a power bus. The application includes a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device. The circuit breaker/relay includes a fixed contact and a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact, wherein the movable contact allows power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the fixed contact and prevents power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the fixed contact. The circuit breaker/relay includes an armature coupled to the movable contact and capable of opening or closing the power supply circuit.

Description

System, method and apparatus for power distribution in power mobile applications using a combined circuit breaker and relay

Priority declaration

This application claims priority from the following U.S. provisional patent applications: 2019 serial number entitled "invert using MULTIPLE COSTs code-OPTIMIZED COMPONENTS" filed 22.2.2019 (EATN-2303-P); 2019 serial number entitled "NON-locked, locked MATE COMPATIBLE, interrupted QUICK CONNECT COUPLING" filed on 2/22/2019 (EATN-2302-P); 2019 serial number entitled "DC LINK cap accessories" (EATN-2301-P) filed on day 22/2/2019; 2018 serial number entitled "break/integrity" submitted on 11/10/2018 (EATN-2018-P); 2018 serial number entitled "break/circit" filed on 12.9.2018 (EATN-2016-P); 2018 serial number entitled "appaatus USING multiple POWER CONVERTER IN HYBRID VEHICLES" filed 12.7.2018 (EATN-2014-P); 2018 serial number entitled "COMBINED dust-POLE break MOBILE APPLICATION" filed 6/19/2018 (EATN-2013-P); 2018 serial number entitled "SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS USING a COMBINED simple license APPLICATION" filed on 23.5.2018 (EATN-2012-P); 2018 serial number entitled "SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS USING a COMBINED simple license MOBILE APPLICATION" filed on 11/4/2018 (EATN-2011-P); 2018 serial number entitled "SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS USING a COMBINED BREAKER AND release" filed on 10.4.2018 (EATN-2010-P); 2018 serial number entitled "SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS USING a COMBINED simple license APPLICATION" filed on 10/4/2018 (EATN-2009-P);

This APPLICATION is filed on 8.11.2018 AND filed under the name of "Power dispensing Unit AND Fuel MANAGEMENT FOR Mobile APPLICATION", AND claims priority to this US patent APPLICATION.

U.S. patent application serial No. claims priority from the following U.S. provisional patent applications: 2017 serial number entitled "ACTIVE/PROTECTION OF TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE COMPONENTS" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2001-P); 2017 serial number entitled "FUSE AND control FOR CIRCUIT PROTECTION" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2002-P); and serial number entitled "FUSE LIFE EXTENDER METHOD" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2006-P).

The U.S. patent application serial number also claims priority to the following indian provisional patent applications: 2017 serial number entitled "FUSE CURRENT MEASUREMENT INJECTION SYSTEM" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2003-P-IN); 2017 serial number entitled "NULL OFFSET DETECTION AND DIAGNOSTICS" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2004-P-IN); 2017 serial number entitled "TO mini ingredient incorporated harm" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2005-P-IN); 2017 serial number entitled "primer OF fluid CURRENT measures" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2007-P-IN); and a serial number entitled "UNIQUE CURRENT INJECTION WAVEFORM TO IMPROVE INJECTION MEASUREMENT ACCURACY" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2008-P-IN).

This APPLICATION is filed on 8.11.2018 under the heading of International APPLICATION Serial No. PCT/EP/(EATN-2300-WO) entitled "Power DISTRIBUTION Unit AND Fuel MANAGEMENT FOR Mobile APPLICATION" AND claims priority to this US patent APPLICATION.

PCT/EP/claims priority from the following U.S. provisional patent applications: 2017 serial number entitled "ACTIVE/PROTECTION OF TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE COMPONENTS" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2001-P); 2017 serial number entitled "FUSE AND control FOR CIRCUIT PROTECTION" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2002-P); and serial number entitled "FUSE LIFE EXTENDER METHOD" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2006-P).

PCT/EP/also claims priority to the following Indian provisional patent applications: 2017 serial number entitled "FUSE CURRENT MEASUREMENT INJECTION SYSTEM" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2003-P-IN); 2017 serial number entitled "NULL OFFSET DETECTION AND DIAGNOSTICS" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2004-P-IN); 2017 serial number entitled "TO mini ingredient incorporated harm" filed on 8.11.2017 (EATN-2005-P-IN); 2017 serial number entitled "primer OF fluid CURRENT measures" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2007-P-IN); and a serial number entitled "UNIQUE CURRENT INJECTION WAVEFORM TO IMPROVE INJECTION MEASUREMENT ACCURACY" filed 11, 8, 2017 (EATN-2008-P-IN).

All of the above patent documents are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Technical Field

Without being limited to a particular field of technology, the present disclosure relates to power distribution and circuit protection, and more particularly to power distribution and circuit protection for highly variable load applications.

Background

Power distribution is challenged in many applications. Applications with highly variable loads, such as mobile applications or vehicles, subject fuses in the power channels to rapid fluctuations in power throughput and cause thermal and mechanical stress on the fuses. Some applications may have a high cost for application downtime. Some applications, including mobile applications, suffer from additional drawbacks due to power loss, such as an unexpected loss of mobility of the application, including in inconvenient locations, in traffic, etc. Electrical systems are complex in many applications, with multiple components, and the wiring and environment of the electrical system is variable, causing changes in the electrical system response, noise introduction, changes in the system resonant frequency, and/or changes in the system capacitance and/or inductance, even for nominally identical installations. These complexities present additional challenges to high resolution and/or high precision determination of electrical characteristics of aspects of the system. Additionally, highly variable and/or mobile systems present additional challenges to the diagnosis and determination of aspects of an electrical system, as highly invasive active determinations may be unacceptable for application performance, and/or the system may not provide many opportunities or only short-lived opportunities to make determinations for the electrical system.

Electric mobile applications such as electric vehicles and high performance hybrid vehicles present many challenges to previously known inverter and power electronics systems. Mobile applications include road vehicles, off-highway vehicles, commercial and passenger vehicles and/or off-highway applications including any type of vehicle or mobile device.

For example, many mobile applications such as commercial and passenger vehicles are highly cost sensitive to the initial and ongoing operating costs of the system. In addition, down time for service, maintenance or system failure has a very high cost due to the large size and market competition. Thus, even modest improvements in initial cost, operating cost, and reliability can have a significant impact on the outcome of the system, or make a non-marketable system competitive.

Mobile applications have limited space and weight available for components of the drive system. For example, vehicle size and fuel efficiency issues are driving many applications to reduce the size and weight of vehicles and to accommodate vehicle shapes for aerodynamics, according to the particular application and/or according to user or customer preferences. In addition, mobile applications have a large number of features, and application requirements and customer preferences make additional features almost always value-added if the system can accommodate them while satisfying other constraints. Thus, reducing the size and weight of a given component provides value to an application, whether by a net reduction in application size and weight, or by the ability to accommodate additional features within the same size and weight.

Mobile applications typically have a large number of components, and often many components are provided by third parties and integrated by primary manufacturers or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Accordingly, reducing the size or weight of the components makes it easier to integrate the components, and/or requires reducing the size or weight of the components to accommodate limited space requirements during design stages, upgrades, retrofitting, etc. In addition, the integration of a large number of components and many components from separate component providers introduces complexity into the integration of mobile applications. Further, each component and sub-component and each interface between components can create a point of failure that can lead to maintenance events, undesirable operations, application downtime, and/or task disabling failures. Failures that occur in mobile applications typically occur in locations that are not accessible for service and may require moving a degraded or disabled vehicle to a service location before the failure can be corrected. Accordingly, components with a reduced number of sub-components, which may utilize standardized interfaces, and/or a reduced number of interfaces are desirable for mobile applications. Some mobile applications are produced in very large volumes, even a modest reduction in the number of interfaces or subassemblies can add higher value to the system.

Some mobile applications are produced in smaller volumes and have shorter engineering design times, so reducing the number of interfaces can greatly reduce the design cycle time, providing significant benefits in cases where engineering costs cannot be distributed in large volume products. Some mobile applications are produced as retrofits or upgrades and/or include multiple options in which components may appear on certain models or versions of the mobile application, but may not appear on other models or versions, and/or may be installed on the vehicle at a different location than on other models or versions. For example, mobile applications may have components added post-manufacture as part of customer options to accommodate new regulations, support environmental policies (e.g., corporate environmental policies or environmental policies of a fleet of vehicles), upgrade vehicles, and/or reuse or remanufacture vehicles. Accordingly, the reduced size, weight, and/or number of interfaces of the components make post-manufacturing changes easier, have more options in post-manufacturing changes, and/or provide greater reliability for components that are installed using non-standardized or low volume processes that may not be as elaborate as standardized processes for high volume applications. Additionally, the savings in size and weight in the components of the application may result in additional features being included within the same cost and weight distribution.

Mobile applications typically have large differences in duty cycle even for systems with similar power ratings. Furthermore, mobile applications typically involve systems that are sold or otherwise transferred, where the same system may experience significant changes in duty cycle and operating conditions after the system is delivered for use by a user. Thus, the lack of flexibility in design parameters at first sale limits the available market for the system, while the lack of flexibility in design parameters in use results in increased failure late in the life cycle of the system.

Power distribution is challenged in many applications. There are a number of disadvantages to the systems currently available for providing a transition between a power source and other power sources and loads. Load type, performance characteristics, and overall system layout variability lead to difficult integration issues that reduce the desirability of hybrid utilization for many applications and reduce the available system efficiency because many aspects of the application are not integrated into the hybrid layout. In addition, many applications (such as off-highway applications and certain highway-specific applications with special equipment or duty cycles) are small and economically unreasonably designed and integrated hybrid systems. Systems with multiple varying loads and power devices and subsystems additionally present integration challenges to form multiple power conversion devices distributed around the system and tailored to the specific system. Therefore, it is not economically justifiable to create hybrid systems for such systems using currently known techniques.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU may include a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes a stationary contact electrically coupled to the power bus; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, and wherein the movable contact allows power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contact and prevents power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contact; and an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact; and a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions. In an embodiment, the mobile application may include a standard on/off circuit having at least two states, wherein the standard on/off circuit provides an actuation signal in a first state and blocks the actuation signal in a second state; a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to block an actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value; and wherein the armature is responsive to the actuation signal to electrically couple the movable contact to the fixed contact. The circuit breaker/relay may include an auxiliary closing circuit structured to interpret an auxiliary command and further structured to block an actuation signal of a standard on/off circuit in response to the auxiliary command indicating that the movable contact should not be electrically coupled to the fixed contact. The auxiliary command may include at least one command selected from the group consisting of: emergency shutdown commands, maintenance event indicators, accident indicators, vehicle controller requests, and equipment protection requests. The standard on/off circuit may include one of a keyswitch voltage and a keyswitch indicator. The circuit breaker/relay may include a contact force spring operatively interposed between the armature and the movable contact such that the contact force spring may be at least partially compressed in response to the armature being in the second position, and wherein the contact force spring may be configured such that a lorentz force acting between the fixed contact and the movable contact further compresses the contact force spring in response to a selected current value. The high current value may be lower than the selected current value. The movable contact may include a body extending away from the fixed contact, wherein the body of the movable contact may be disposed within a plurality of separator plates, and wherein the plurality of separator plates may be at least partially disposed within the permanent magnet. The mobile application may include a charging circuit, and wherein the circuit breaker/relay may be further positioned on the charging circuit. The charging circuit may include a fast charging circuit having a current throughput value that is higher than a rated current for operation of the electrical load. The mobile application may include a standard on/off circuit having at least two states, wherein the standard on/off circuit provides an actuation signal in a first state and blocks the actuation signal in a second state; a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to block an actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value; wherein the current response circuit may be further structured to utilize a first threshold current value for high current values in response to the power supply circuit powering the electrical load, and to utilize a second threshold current value for high current values in response to the charging circuit being coupled to the rapid charging device; and wherein the armature is responsive to the actuation signal to electrically couple the movable contact to the fixed contact. The electrical load may include at least one load selected from the group consisting of: a power source load, a regenerative load, a power source output load, an auxiliary device load, and an accessory device load. The mobile application may include a second circuit breaker/relay disposed on the other of the high side or the low side of the power storage device. The power storage device may comprise a rechargeable device. The power storage device may include at least one device selected from the group consisting of: batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells.

In one aspect, a circuit breaker-relay may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power bus for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact; an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; a standard on/off circuit having at least two states, wherein the standard on/off circuit provides an actuation signal in a first state and blocks the actuation signal in a second state; a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to block an actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value; and wherein the armature is responsive to the actuation signal to electrically couple the movable contact to the fixed contact. In an embodiment, a mobile application may include at least two current operating regions. The current response circuit may be further structured to adjust the high current value in response to an active current operating region of the at least two current operating regions.

In one aspect, a method may comprise: detecting a current value comprising a current through a power bus electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay; determining whether the current value exceeds a threshold current value; and in response to the current value exceeding a threshold current value, actuating the armature to open contacts in the circuit breaker/relay to prevent current from passing through the power bus. In an embodiment, the method may include applying a contact force to a movable one of the contacts of the circuit breaker/relay; and opens the contacts in response to a repulsive force generated between the contacts in response to a current passing through the power bus. The method may further include selecting the contact force such that opening the contact occurs at a selected current value of the current. The method may also include actuating the armature to open the contacts in the circuit breaker/relay such that the movable ones of the contacts do not return to the closed position after opening the contacts in response to the repulsion force. Actuating the armature may begin before opening the contacts in response to the repulsion force.

In one aspect, a circuit breaker/relay may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to the power bus; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact; an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to command the armature to the first position in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value. In an embodiment, the circuit breaker/relay may further comprise a contact force spring operatively interposed between the armature and the movable contact such that the contact force spring may be at least partially compressed in response to the armature being in the second position, and wherein the contact force spring may be configured such that a lorentz force acting between the fixed contact and the movable contact further compresses the contact force spring in response to a selected current value. The high current value may be lower than the selected current value. The movable contact may include a body extending away from the fixed contact, wherein the body of the movable contact may be disposed within a plurality of separator plates, and wherein the plurality of separator plates may be at least partially disposed within the permanent magnet. The power bus may be a power bus for mobile applications. A mobile application may include at least two current operating regions.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU may include a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay may include: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; and an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact. In an embodiment, the plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double pole single throw contact arrangement. The armature is operatively coupled to two of the movable contacts. The plurality of movable contacts may be individually controllable. The mobile application may also include a pre-charge circuit coupled in parallel with at least one of the stationary contacts. The precharge circuit may comprise a solid state precharge circuit. The movable contact and the fixed contact may be disposed within a single housing. The mobile application may further include a magnetic actuator coupled to one of the movable contacts, and wherein all of the plurality of movable contacts are responsive to the magnetic actuator. The arc suppression assembly may include a plurality of separator plates and at least one permanent magnet. At least one of the plurality of separation plates may be positioned within arc dispersion proximity of more than one of the movable contacts. The permanent magnet may be positioned within arc guiding proximity of more than one of the movable contacts. The mobile application can also include a current sensor structured to determine a current value in response to a current flowing through at least one of the movable contacts, and a controller structured to interpret the current value and command the at least one of the movable contacts to the first position in response to the current value exceeding a threshold value. At least one of the movable contacts may be physically movable to a first position in response to the lorentz force in response to the current value exceeding a second threshold. The second threshold may be greater than the threshold. The controller may be further structured to adjust the threshold value in response to a desired current value. The controller may be further structured to increase the threshold in response to determining that the charging operation of the battery may be active. The mobile application may also include a bus bar electrically coupling two of the plurality of movable contacts. The bus bar may include a hardware configuration in a region of each of the movable contacts, wherein the hardware configuration provides a physical response force of the movable contact in response to a value of current passing through the power bus. The hardware configuration may include at least one configuration selected from the group consisting of: the region of the bus bar is near the current providing portion of the power bus; and a portion of the bus bar is positioned adjacent to the current-providing portion of the power bus. The mobile application may also include a plurality of current sensors, each of the plurality of current sensors operatively coupled to one of the plurality of movable contacts. A first movable contact of the plurality of movable contacts may be coupled to a first circuit of a power bus, and wherein a second movable contact of the plurality of movable contacts is coupled to a second circuit of the power bus, and wherein the first circuit and the second circuit may be power circuits for separate electrical loads. The PDU may also include a coolant coupling configured to interface with a coolant source of a mobile application, and an active cooling path configured to thermally couple the coolant source with the stationary contact.

In one aspect, a circuit breaker/relay may include: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to an electrical load circuit for mobile applications; a plurality of movable contacts, each selectively electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of stationary contacts; a plurality of armatures, each armature operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts such that each armature in the first position prevents electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact and each armature in the second position allows electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact; and a current response circuit structured to determine a current of each of the electrical load circuits and further structured to provide an armature command to open a corresponding one of the movable contacts in response to the current in the corresponding electrical load circuit indicating a high current value. In an embodiment, the circuit breaker/relay may further include a plurality of biasing members, each biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to bias a corresponding one of the plurality of armatures into one of the first position or the second position. The first high current value of the first one of the electrical load circuits may include a value different from a second high current value of the second one of the electrical load circuits. The circuit breaker/relay may further comprise: a first biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts of the first electrical load circuit; a second biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts of the second electrical load circuit, and wherein the first biasing member may comprise a different biasing force than the second biasing member. The first movable contact of the first electrical load may comprise a different mass value than the second movable contact of the second electrical load.

In one aspect, a method may comprise: determining a first current value in a first electrical load circuit for a mobile application; determining a second current value in a second electrical load circuit for the mobile application; and providing an armature command to open the contactor of the corresponding one of the first or second electrical load circuits in response to one of the first or second current values exceeding the first or second high current values. In an embodiment, the method may further include diffusing an arc of the opened contactor to a plurality of separation plates positioned near the opened contactor. The method may further include determining a first physical current cutoff value for the first electrical load circuit and a second physical current cutoff value for the second electrical load circuit, providing the first high current value as a value lower than the first physical current cutoff value, and providing the second high current value as a value lower than the second physical current cutoff value.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: a housing; a circuit breaker/relay device positioned in a housing, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device is configurable to interrupt a power supply circuit of an electric vehicle system, wherein the housing is disposable on the electric vehicle system; wherein the circuit breaker/relay device may include a physical trip response portion responsive to a first current value in the power supply circuit, and a controlled trip response portion responsive to a second current value in the power supply circuit; and a pre-charge circuit electrically coupled in parallel to the circuit breaker/relay device. In an embodiment, the pre-charge circuit may be positioned within the housing. The first current value may be greater than the second current value. The physical opening response portion may include a first biasing member biasing an armature of the circuit breaker/relay device into an open position of a contactor of the power supply circuit, and a selected difference between a first force of the armature closing the contactor and a second force of the first biasing member opening the contactor. The controlled opening response portion may include a current sensor that provides a value of current through the power supply circuit, and a current response circuit structured to command the armature to open the contactor in response to the value of current exceeding a second value of current. The circuit breaker/relay device may comprise a two pole circuit breaker/relay device. The circuit breaker/relay device may comprise a single pole circuit breaker/relay device. The circuit breaker/relay apparatus may be positioned on one of a high side circuit or a low side circuit of the power supply circuit. The system may also include a high temperature switching device positioned on the other of the high side circuit or the low side circuit. The system may also include a physical open response adjustment circuit structured to determine the first current value adjustment and adjust the physical open response portion in response to the first current value adjustment. The physical trip response adjustment circuit may be further structured to adjust the physical trip response portion by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: adjusting compression of the first biasing member; adjusting the first force; and modulating the second force. The physical disconnect response adjustment circuit may be further structured to adjust the physical disconnect response portion in response to an operating condition of the electric vehicle system. The controlled opening response portion may be further structured to command the armature to open the contactor in response to at least one value selected from the group consisting of: time-current distribution of the power supply circuit; time-current trajectory of the power supply circuit; a time-current area value of the power supply circuit; a rate of change of a value of a current through the power supply circuit; and a difference between the value of the current through the power supply circuit and the second current value.

In one aspect, a method may comprise: determining a current value through a power supply circuit of the electric vehicle system; opening the power supply circuit with a physical response of the circuit breaker/relay device in response to the current value exceeding the first current value; and opening the power supply circuit with a controlled response of an armature of a contactor operatively coupled to the circuit breaker/relay device in response to the current value exceeding the second current value. In an embodiment, the first current value may be greater than the second current value. The method may also include determining a first current value adjustment in response to an operating condition of the electric vehicle system, and adjusting the first current value in response to the first current value adjustment. The method may further include adjusting the physical trip response portion by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: adjusting compression of a first biasing member of a contactor operatively coupled to a circuit breaker/relay device; adjusting a first force of a first biasing member operatively coupled to a contactor of a circuit breaker/relay apparatus; and adjusting a second force of an armature of a contactor operatively coupled to the circuit breaker/relay device. The method may also provide for controlling the response of the armature to open the contactor in response to at least one value selected from the group consisting of: time-current distribution of the power supply circuit; time-current trajectory of the power supply circuit; a time-current area value of the power supply circuit; a rate of change of a value of a current through the power supply circuit; and a difference between the value of the current through the power supply circuit and the second current value.

In one aspect, a circuit breaker/relay may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the fixed contact may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay may further include a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact may include a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay may further include a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact. The bus bar may include a hardware configuration in a region of each of the movable contacts, wherein the hardware configuration provides a physical response force of the movable contact in response to a value of current passing through the power supply circuit. The hardware configuration may include at least one configuration selected from the group consisting of: the region of the bus bar is near a current supply portion of the power supply circuit; and a portion of the bus bar is positioned adjacent to the current providing portion of the power supply circuit. The physical opening response portion may include a contact area between the fixed contact and the movable contact, and a biasing member providing a contact force to the movable contact, wherein the contact area and the contact force may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the current value exceeding a threshold current value. The physical opening response portion may also include a mass value of the movable contact, wherein the contact area, the contact force, and the mass value may be configured to move the movable contact away from the first position at a selected velocity value in response to the current value exceeding a threshold current value. The circuit breaker/relay may further comprise: an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact and capable of moving the movable contact between a first position and a second position; a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the mobile power supply circuit and further structured to provide an armature command to command the movable contact to the first position in response to the current in the mobile power supply circuit exceeding a second current threshold. The second current threshold may be lower than the threshold current value. The selected speed value may be configured to be sufficiently high such that the movable contact does not return to the first position after moving away from the first position. The movable contact is pivotably coupled to the pivot arm.

In one aspect, a method may comprise: operating the movable contact between a first position in contact with the stationary contact and allowing power to flow through the power supply circuit for the mobile application and a second position out of contact with the stationary contact and preventing power from flowing through the power supply circuit for the mobile application; and configuring a physical opening response portion of the circuit breaker/relay including the movable contact and the fixed contact such that the physical opening response portion moves the movable contact to the second position in response to the current value exceeding the threshold current value. Configuring the physical opening response portion may include selecting a biasing force of a biasing member that provides a contact force to the movable contact. Configuring the physical opening response portion may include selecting a contact area between the movable contact and the stationary contact. Configuring the physical opening response portion may include selecting a mass of the movable contact. Configuring the physical disconnect response portion may include selecting a bus bar configuration, wherein the bus bar couples the two movable contacts, and wherein the bus bar configuration may include at least one of: the bus bar region is near a current supply portion of the mobile power supply circuit, or a portion of the bus bar is positioned near the current supply portion of the mobile power supply circuit. The method may also include determining a current in the mobile power supply circuit, and providing an armature command to command the movable contact to the first position in response to the current in the mobile power supply circuit exceeding a second current threshold. The method may also include configuring the physical opening response portion such that the movable contact does not return to the first position after moving away from the first position.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU may include a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to the power bus; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, and wherein the movable contact allows power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contact and prevents power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contact; an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; a circuit breaker/relay electronics comprising a standard on/off circuit having at least two states, wherein the standard on/off circuit provides an actuation signal in a first state and blocks the actuation signal in a second state; a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to block an actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value; and wherein the armature is responsive to the actuation signal to electrically couple the movable contact to the fixed contact. In an embodiment, the circuit breaker/relay may further include an auxiliary close circuit structured to interpret an auxiliary command and further structured to block an actuation signal of a standard on/off circuit in response to the auxiliary command indicating that the movable contact should not be electrically coupled to the stationary contact. The auxiliary command may include at least one command selected from the group consisting of: emergency shutdown commands, maintenance event indicators, accident indicators, vehicle controller requests, and equipment protection requests. The standard on/off circuit may include one of a keyswitch voltage and a keyswitch indicator. The circuit breaker/relay may further include a contact force spring operatively interposed between the armature and the movable contact such that the contact force spring may be at least partially compressed in response to the armature being in the second position, and wherein the contact force spring may be configured such that a lorentz force acting between the fixed contact and the movable contact further compresses the contact force spring in response to a selected current value. The high current value may be lower than the selected current value. The movable contact may include a body extending away from the fixed contact, wherein the body of the movable contact may be disposed within a plurality of separator plates, and wherein the plurality of separator plates may be at least partially disposed within the permanent magnet. The mobile application may also include a charging circuit, and wherein the circuit breaker/relay may be further positioned on the charging circuit. The charging circuit may include a fast charging circuit having a current throughput value that is higher than a rated current for operation of the electrical load. The electrical load may include at least one load selected from the group consisting of: a power source load, a regenerative load, a power source output load, an auxiliary device load, and an accessory device load. The mobile application may further include a second circuit breaker/relay disposed on the other of the high side or the low side of the power storage device. The power storage device may comprise a rechargeable device. The power storage device may include at least one device selected from the group consisting of: batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a power supply circuit; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of a current protection circuit, the first branch comprising a circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configurable to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value; and a second branch of the current protection circuit electrically coupled in parallel with the first branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch including a contactor. In an embodiment, the circuit breaker/relay may comprise a first circuit breaker/relay, and wherein the contactor may comprise a second circuit breaker/relay. The second branch may also include a thermal fuse in series with the contactor.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a power supply circuit; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configurable to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value; and a contactor connected in series with the circuit breaker/relay.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configurable to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to inject a current across the fixed contact; and a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit may include a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injected current. In an embodiment, the voltage determination circuit may further comprise a band pass filter having a bandwidth selected to define the frequency of the injection current. The high pass filter may comprise an analog hardware filter. The high pass filter may comprise a digital filter. The voltage determination circuit may be further structured to determine a contactor impedance value in response to the injection voltage drop; the system may also include a contactor characterization circuit structured to store one of a contactor resistance value and a contactor impedance value, and wherein the contactor characterization circuit may be further structured to update the stored one of the contactor resistance value and the contactor impedance value in response to the contactor impedance value. The contactor characterization circuit may be further structured to update one of the stored contactor resistance value and the contactor impedance value by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: updating the value to a contactor impedance value; filtering the values using the contactor impedance values as filter inputs; rejecting a contactor impedance value for a period of time or for a certain determined number of contactor impedance values; and updating the values by performing a rolling average of the plurality of contactor impedance values over time. The power distribution unit may further comprise a plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices disposed therein, and wherein the current source circuit may be further electrically coupled to the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices and inject current sequentially across each fixed contact of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices; and wherein the voltage determination circuit is further electrically coupleable to each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices and is further structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value for each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices. The current source circuit may be further structured to sequentially inject current across each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices in a selected order of circuit breaker/relay devices. The current source circuit may be further structured to adjust the selected order in response to at least one of: a rate of change of temperature of each of the fixed contacts of the circuit breaker/relay device; an importance value for each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; criticality of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; power source throughput for each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; and one of a fault condition or a contactor health condition of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices. The current source circuit may be further structured to adjust the selected order in response to one of a planned duty cycle and an observed duty cycle of the vehicle. The current source circuit may be further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection frequencies. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power source throughput of the circuit breaker/relay device. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configurable to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to inject a current across the fixed contact; and a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine an injection voltage amount and a contactor impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit may be structured to perform a frequency analysis operation to determine the injection voltage amount. In an embodiment, the voltage determination circuit may be further structured to determine the amount of injection voltage by determining a magnitude of a voltage across the fixed contact at the frequency of interest. The frequency of interest may be determined in response to the frequency of the injection voltage. The current source circuit may be further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection frequencies. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power source throughput of the circuit breaker/relay. The current source circuit may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

In one aspect, a multi-port power converter may include: a housing that may include a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In embodiments, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The plurality of ports may include at least two AC interface ports and at least three DC interface ports. The multi-port power converter may further include a controller, the controller comprising: component library configuration circuitry structured to interpret a port electrical interface description, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of the different electrical characteristics; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. The controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic may include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The multi-port power converter may also include at least one of: wherein the solid state switch is further responsive to a source/load drive characteristic; wherein the gate driver controller is responsive to the source/load drive characteristics; and wherein the requestor component for the gate driver controller is responsive to the source/load drive characteristics. The plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics may be a superset of the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics sufficient to cover the selected class of applications, each application comprising at least one of: a vehicle, an off-highway vehicle, and a set of load types for the vehicle. The multi-port power converter includes a sufficient number of solid state components, solid state switches, and ports such that the multi-port power converter can provide a plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics for any member of a selected class of applications. The plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics may be a superset of the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics sufficient to cover the selected class of applications, each application comprising at least one of: a vehicle, an off-highway vehicle, and a set of load types for the vehicle. The multi-port power converter may further include a first application having a first set of different electrical characteristics in a selected category of applications, wherein a second application in the selected category of applications has a second set of different electrical characteristics, wherein the first multi-port power converter supports the first application, wherein the second multi-port power converter supports the second application, and wherein the first multi-port power converter and the second multi-port power converter have the same ports, solid state components, and solid state switches. The first and second multi-port power converters have different solid state switch states. The plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics may be a superset of the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics sufficient to cover the selected class of applications, each application comprising at least one of: a vehicle, an off-highway vehicle, and a set of load types for the vehicle. The multi-port power converter may further include a first application of the selected class of applications having a first set of different electrical characteristics, wherein a second application of the selected class of applications has a second set of different electrical characteristics, wherein the first multi-port power converter supports the first application, wherein the second multi-port power converter supports the second application, and wherein the first multi-port power converter and the second multi-port power converter have the same ports, solid state components, and solid state switches. The first and second multi-port power converters have different solid state switch states and different component driver configurations.

In one aspect, a power converter having a plurality of ports includes: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller comprising: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic may include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The component library implementation circuit further provides a solid state switch state in response to the source/load drive characteristic; and wherein the gate driver controller for at least one of the solid state components is responsive to the source/load drive characteristics. Each of the solid state components may include at least one of an inverter or a DC/DC converter. The component library configuration circuit may be further structured to interpret the port configuration service request value, and wherein the component library implementation circuit further provides the solid state switch state in response to the port configuration service request value. The component library configuration circuit may be further structured to interpret the port configuration definition values, and wherein the component library implementation circuit is further responsive to the port configuration definition values to provide the solid state switch states.

In one aspect, a method may comprise: interpreting a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of at least one port of a plurality of ports of a power converter for an electric-powered mobile application; and providing a solid state switching state in response to the port electrical interface description, thereby configuring at least one of the AC inverter or the DC/DC converter to provide power to at least one of the plurality of ports according to the port electrical interface description. In an embodiment, the method may further include interpreting the port electrical interface description during runtime operation of the power mobile application. The method may also include interpreting the port electrical interface description from a service tool in communication with a controller of the power converter. The method may also include interpreting the port electrical interface description from a manufacturing tool in communication with a controller of the power converter. Providing the solid state switch state may be performed as a remanufacturing operation of the power converter. Providing the solid state switch state may be performed as an operation selected from the group consisting of: an upgrade operation for a power mobile application, an application change operation for a power mobile application, and a retrofit operation for a power mobile application. The method may further comprise: interpreting a source/load drive characteristic of at least one of the plurality of ports of the power converter, wherein the source/load drive characteristic may include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of the load; and providing a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The method may also include interpreting the source/load drive characteristics during runtime operation of the motorized mobile application. The method may also include interrogating at least one load electrically coupled to at least one port of the power converter, and interpreting the source/load drive characteristics in response to the interrogation. The method may also include interpreting the source/load drive characteristics from a service tool in communication with a controller of the power converter. The method may also include interpreting the source/load drive characteristics from a manufacturing tool in communication with a controller of the power converter. Providing the component driver configuration may be performed as a remanufacturing operation of the power converter. Providing the component driver configuration may be performed as an operation selected from the operations consisting of: an upgrade operation for a power mobile application, an application change operation for a power mobile application, and a retrofit operation for a power mobile application.

In one aspect, a method may include providing a power converter having a plurality of ports; determining an electrical interface description of at least one power source of the electrically powered mobile application and at least one electrical load of the electrically powered mobile application; providing a solid state switching state in response to the electrical interface description, configuring at least one of the AC inverter or the DC/DC converter to provide power to or receive power from at least one of the plurality of ports according to the port electrical interface description; and installing the power converter into the electric mobile application. In an embodiment, the method may further comprise determining which ports of the power converter are to be coupled to the at least one power source and the at least one electrical load, and wherein providing the solid state switch states may comprise configuring electrical characteristics of the determined ports according to the port electrical interface description. The method may further include a plurality of electrical loads, wherein a first one of the electrical loads may comprise an AC load, and wherein a second one of the electrical loads may comprise a DC load. The method may further include a plurality of power sources, wherein a first one of the power sources may include a DC source at a first voltage, and wherein a second one of the power sources may include a DC source at a second voltage. The method may also include determining a source/load drive characteristic of at least one of the electrical loads of the motorized mobile application, and providing a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The component driver configuration may include a gate driver controller of an inverter component coupled to one of the plurality of ports corresponding to at least one of the electrical loads of the motorized mobile application. The method may also include coupling the coolant inlet port and the coolant outlet port to a cooling system of the electric mobile application.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channel; and wherein at least one of the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet of the coolant channel may include a quick connector without a locking element. In embodiments, the quick connector may further include a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector. The coolant channel split body may also include an integrated hose fitting configured to couple with a quick connector. The inverter assembly may also include a hose configured to couple to the integrated hose fitting at a first end and to the quick connector at a second end. The hose may comprise a hose with a baffle.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a plurality of IGBTs, each IGBT of the plurality of IGBTs configured to provide at least one phase of AC power to the electric machine; and an enclosed DC link capacitor operatively disposed between the IGBT and the DC power source, and wherein the enclosed DC link capacitor may include a bus bar, a common mode choke, and a capacitor disposed in a housing of the enclosed DC link capacitor. In an embodiment, the inverter assembly may further include a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and the AC motor connector of the inverter assembly. The AC motor connector may include a plurality of AC blades. Each of the plurality of AC blades may extend through the foam seal, thereby forming an AC motor connector. The enclosed DC link capacitor may be thermally coupled to the integral coolant channel of the inverter assembly. The closed DC link capacitor may protrude from one of the main cover and the opposing back cover.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; and wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channels. In an embodiment, the coolant channel separation body may be friction stir welded to each of the main cover and the coolant channel separation body. The assembly may further include a second coolant channel, wherein the coolant channel may be disposed on the first side of the coolant channel separation body, and wherein the second coolant channel may be disposed on the second side of the coolant channel separation body. The assembly may also include the following: the main cover may be cast, the coolant channel separation body may be forged, and the coolant channel cover may be stamped. The assembly may further comprise: wherein the main cover defines a plurality of coupling screw holes, and wherein the rear cover defines a corresponding plurality of coupling screw holes. The corresponding plurality of coupling threaded holes may also each include an unthreaded guide portion of the hole, and wherein the unthreaded guide portion of the hole may include a first height, wherein the plurality of coupling screws each include a threaded portion having a second height, and wherein the first height may be greater than the second height. The main cap further defines a narrowed portion of each of the plurality of coupling threaded holes, and wherein each of the plurality of coupling screws may further include a thin neck portion, and wherein the threaded portion of each of the plurality of coupling screws has a diameter greater than the thin neck portion. The assembly may also include a cured in place gasket positioned between the main cover and the back cover. The assembly may further comprise wherein the cured in place gasket may be dispensed on the main lid. At least one of the main cover and the back cover may include a flange having a selected height such that the cured in place gasket has a selected compression when the main cover may be coupled to the back cover.

In one aspect, a method may include operating a motor for a motorized mobile application; determining a motor temperature value in response to at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; and a current input value of the motor; interpreting a sensed motor temperature value of the motor; and adjusting an operating parameter of the motor in response to the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value. In an embodiment, the method may further comprise determining a motor effective temperature value using a combination of the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value, and wherein adjusting the operating parameter may be further responsive to the motor effective temperature value. The method may further include determining a first reliability value for the motor temperature value in response to a first operating condition of the motor, determining a second reliability value for the sensed motor temperature value in response to a second operating condition of the motor, and wherein determining the motor effective temperature value may be further responsive to the first reliability value and the second reliability value. The method may also include using the sensed motor temperature value as a motor effective temperature value in response to the second reliability value exceeding a threshold. The sensed motor temperature value of the electric motor may include a sensed temperature from a first component within the electric motor, and the method may further include applying a correction to the sensed motor temperature value to determine a second sensed temperature value including an estimated temperature of a second component within the electric motor, and also using the second sensed temperature value to determine a motor effective temperature value. The method may further include applying a hotspot adjustment correction to the sensed motor temperature value, and also using the adjusted sensed motor temperature value to determine a motor effective temperature value. The method may further include determining the first reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; a defined range value of the model for determining a motor temperature value; and a rate of change of one of the motor temperature value or the effective motor temperature value. The method may further comprise determining the second reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; providing a defined range of values for a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a response time of a temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value; and providing a fault condition of a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value. The method may also include using one or the other of the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value as a motor effective temperature value. The method may also include blending the motor temperature value, the sensed motor temperature value, and a previous value of the motor effective temperature value to determine the motor effective temperature value. The method may further include applying a low pass filter to the motor effective temperature value. Adjusting the operating parameter may include at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: adjusting a rated value of the motor; adjusting a rating of a load for the motorized mobile application; adjusting the active cooling capacity of the motor; and adjusting an operating space of the motor based on the efficiency map of the motor.

In one aspect, an apparatus may comprise: a motor control circuit structured to operate a motor for an electric mobile application; an operating condition circuit structured to interpret a sensed motor temperature value of the motor and further structured to interpret at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; a current input value of the motor; an ambient temperature value; and an active cooling capacity of the motor; a motor temperature determination circuit structured to determine a motor temperature value in response to at least one of: power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; a current input value of the motor; an ambient temperature value; and an active cooling capacity of the motor; and determining a motor effective temperature value in response to the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value; and wherein the motor control circuit may be further structured to adjust at least one operating parameter of the motor in response to the motor effective temperature value. In an embodiment, the motor temperature determination circuit may be further structured to determine a first reliability value for the motor temperature value in response to a first operating condition of the motor; determining a second reliability value of the sensed motor temperature value in response to a second operating condition of the motor; and determining a motor effective temperature value further in response to the first reliability value and the second reliability value. The motor temperature determination circuit may be further structured to use the sensed motor temperature value as the motor effective temperature value in response to the second reliability value exceeding the threshold value. The motor temperature determination circuit may be further structured to apply one of offset component adjustment or hot spot adjustment to the sensed motor temperature value; and determining a motor effective temperature value further in response to the adjusted sensed motor temperature value. The motor temperature determination circuit may be further structured to determine the first reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; a defined range value of the model for determining a motor temperature value; and a rate of change of one of the motor temperature value or the effective motor temperature value. The motor temperature determination circuit may be further structured to determine the second reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; providing a defined range of values for a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a response time of a temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value; and providing a fault condition of a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value. The motor control circuit may be further structured to adjust at least one operating parameter selected from the operating parameters consisting of: a rating of the motor; rating of the load for the electric mobile application; the active cooling capacity of the motor; and an operating space of the motor based on the efficiency map of the motor.

In one aspect, a system may include a motorized mobile application having a motor and an inverter, wherein the inverter may include: a plurality of drive elements for the motor; a controller, the controller comprising: a motor control circuit structured to provide a driver command, and wherein the plurality of drive elements are responsive to the driver command; an operating condition circuit structured to interpret a motor performance request value comprising at least one of a power, speed, or torque request of the motor; a driver efficiency circuit structured to interpret a driver activation value for each of a plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value; and wherein the motor control circuit may be further structured to provide a driver command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements for the motor in response to the driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter. In an embodiment, the motor may comprise a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements comprises six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit provides the driver activation value to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value.

In one aspect, a method may include providing drive commands to a plurality of drive elements electrically coupled to an inverter of a motor for a motorized mobile application; interpreting a motor performance request value including at least one of a power, speed, or torque request of the motor; interpreting a driver activation value for each of a plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value; and providing a drive command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements of the motor in response to the drive activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter. In an embodiment, the method may further include providing a drive command to deactivate three of the total six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below the threshold. The method may further include deactivating a first three drive elements of the total of six drive elements during a first deactivation operation and deactivating a last three drive elements of the total of six drive elements during a second deactivation operation.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller comprising: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; and wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to the plurality of motor commands. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The performance service circuit may be further structured to provide the plurality of electric motor commands to satisfy the application performance request value by at least partially redistributing the load requirements from one of the plurality of electric motors having a fault condition or a failure condition to at least one of the plurality of electric motors having an available performance capability. The performance service circuit may be further structured to derate one of the plurality of electric motors in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition. The system may further include a first data storage library associated with a first electric motor of the plurality of electric motors, a second data storage library associated with a second electric motor of the plurality of electric motors, and wherein the controller may further include a data management circuit structured to command at least partial data redundancy between the first data storage library and the second data storage library. The at least partial data redundancy may comprise at least one data value selected from the group of data values consisting of: fault values, system states, and learned component values. The data management circuitry may be further structured to command at least partial data redundancy in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition related to at least one of: one of the plurality of electric motors, or a local controller operatively coupled to the one of the plurality of electric motors. The performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition and further in response to data from the at least partial data redundancy. The performance service circuit may be further structured to suppress an operator notification of one of a fault condition or a failure condition in response to the performance capabilities of the plurality of electric motors being capable of delivering the application performance request value. The performance service circuit may be further structured to communicate the suppressed operator notification to at least one of a service tool or an external controller, wherein the external controller may be at least intermittently communicatively coupled to the controller. The performance service circuit may be further structured to adjust the application performance request value in response to a performance capability of the plurality of electric motors being unable to deliver the application performance request value.

In one aspect, a method may include interpreting an application performance request value; determining a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and providing the plurality of motor commands to a corresponding motor of a plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding electric load of a plurality of electric loads of the motorized mobile application. In an embodiment, the method may further include determining a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The method may further include providing a plurality of electric motor commands to satisfy the application performance request value by at least partially redistributing the load requirements from one of the plurality of electric motors having a fault condition or failure condition to at least one of the plurality of electric motors having available performance capabilities. The method may also include derating one of the plurality of electric motors in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition. The method may further include commanding at least partial data redundancy between a first data storage bank associated with a first electric motor of the plurality of electric motors and a second data storage bank associated with a second electric motor of the plurality of electric motors. The at least partial data redundancy may comprise at least one data value selected from the group of data values consisting of: fault values, system states, and learned component values. The method may also include commanding at least partial data redundancy in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition related to at least one of: one of the plurality of electric motors, or a local controller operatively coupled to the one of the plurality of electric motors. The method may also include determining a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition and further in response to data from the at least partial data redundancy. One of the fault condition or the failure condition may be associated with a first local controller operatively coupled to one of the plurality of electric motors, and the method may further include controlling the one of the plurality of electric motors with a second local controller communicatively coupled to the one of the plurality of electric motors. The method may further include suppressing an operator notification of one of a fault condition or a failure condition in response to the performance capabilities of the plurality of electric motors being capable of delivering the application performance request value. The method may also include communicating the suppressed operator notification to at least one of a service tool or an external controller, wherein the external controller may be at least intermittently communicatively coupled to the controller of the motorized mobile application. The method may also include adjusting the application performance request value in response to a performance capability of the plurality of electric motors being unable to deliver the application performance request value.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of the current protection circuit, the first branch comprising a high temperature fuse (pyro-fuse); a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch including a thermal fuse; and wherein the first branch and the second branch may be coupled in a parallel arrangement; a controller, the controller may include: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current through the power supply path; and a high temperature fuse activation circuit structured to provide a high temperature fuse activation command in response to the current exceeding a threshold current value; wherein the high temperature fuse is responsive to a high temperature fuse activation command; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a switch activation command in response to the current, wherein the solid state switch is responsive to the switch activation command. In an embodiment, a first resistance through the first branch and a second resistance through the second branch may be configured such that a resulting current through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse may be sufficient to activate the thermal fuse. The system may also include a contactor coupled to the current protection circuit, wherein the contactor in the open position disconnects one of the current protection circuit or the second branch of the current protection circuit.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of the current protection circuit, the first branch including a thermal fuse; a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch comprising a solid state switch, wherein the first branch and the second branch are couplable in a parallel arrangement; and a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a controller, the controller may include: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current through the power supply path; and fuse management circuitry structured to provide a switch activation command in response to the current; wherein the solid state switch is responsive to a switch activation command; a high voltage power supply input coupling comprising a first electrical interface of a high voltage power supply; and a high voltage power supply output coupling comprising a second electrical interface of the power supply load; wherein the current protection circuit electrically couples the high voltage power supply input to the high voltage power supply output, and wherein the current protection circuit is at least partially disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit, the laminate layer comprising an electrically conductive flow path providing two electrically insulating layers. In an embodiment, the system may further include a contactor coupled to the current protection circuit, wherein the contactor in the open position disconnects one of the current protection circuit or the second branch of the current protection circuit. The current protection circuit may include a power bus bar disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly having a power converter with a plurality of ports may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channel; wherein at least one of the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the quick connector may further include a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector. The controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret source/load drive characteristics, wherein the source/load drive characteristics include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of the load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channel; wherein at least one of the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element; a plurality of IGBTs, each IGBT of the plurality of IGBTs configured to provide at least one phase of AC power to the electric machine; and an enclosed DC link capacitor operatively disposed between the IGBT and the DC power source, and wherein the enclosed DC link capacitor includes a bus bar, a common mode choke, and a capacitor disposed in a housing of the enclosed DC link capacitor. In an embodiment, the quick connector may further include a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector. The inverter assembly may also include a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and the AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a motor and an inverter, wherein the inverter includes a plurality of drive elements for the motor; a controller, the controller may include: a motor control circuit structured to provide a driver command, and wherein the plurality of drive elements are responsive to the driver command; an operating condition circuit structured to interpret a motor performance request value comprising at least one of a power, speed, or torque request of the motor; a driver efficiency circuit structured to interpret a driver activation value for each of a plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value; wherein the motor control circuit may be further structured to provide a driver command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements for the motor in response to the driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter; and a circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to the power supply circuit; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the motor may comprise a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements comprises six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit provides the driver activation value to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value. The fixed contact may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact includes a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller may include: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; and wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to a plurality of motor commands; a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller may include: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to a plurality of motor commands; a housing; a circuit breaker/relay device positioned in the housing, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device is configurable to interrupt a power supply circuit of an electric vehicle system, wherein the housing is disposable on the electric vehicle system; wherein the circuit breaker/relay device includes a physical trip response portion responsive to a first current value in the power supply circuit, and a controlled trip response portion responsive to a second current value in the power supply circuit; and a pre-charge circuit electrically coupled in parallel to the circuit breaker/relay device. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The first current value may be greater than the second current value.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller may include: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to a plurality of motor commands; and a multi-port power converter, which may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller may include: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to a plurality of motor commands; a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to an electrical load circuit for mobile applications; a plurality of movable contacts, each selectively electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of stationary contacts; a plurality of armatures, each armature operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts such that each armature in the first position prevents electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact and each armature in the second position allows electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact; and a current response circuit structured to determine a current of each of the electrical load circuits and further structured to provide an armature command to open a corresponding one of the movable contacts in response to the current in the corresponding electrical load circuit indicating a high current value. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The system may also include a plurality of biasing members, each biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to bias a corresponding one of the plurality of armatures into one of the first position or the second position.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller may include: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to a plurality of motor commands; a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads; a controller, the controller may include: an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value; a performance service circuit structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to the motor capability description and the application performance request value; and a motor control circuit structured to provide a plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to a plurality of motor commands; a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the performance service circuit may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors. The fixed contact may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact includes a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channel; wherein at least one of the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element; and a multi-port power converter, which may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The quick connector may also include a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a plurality of IGBTs, each IGBT of the plurality of IGBTs configured to provide at least one phase of AC power to the electric machine; a closed DC link capacitor operatively disposed between the IGBT and the DC power source, and wherein the closed DC link capacitor includes a bus bar, a common mode choke, and a capacitor disposed in a housing of the closed DC link capacitor; and a multi-port power converter, which may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The inverter assembly may also include a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and the AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; and an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and a multi-port power converter, which may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

In one aspect, a multi-port power converter may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between a plurality of solid state components and a plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic.

In one aspect, a multi-port power converter may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports; and a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The fixed contacts may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact includes a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; and an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, wherein the power converter determines an electrical interface description for at least one power source for the electric mobile application and at least one electrical load for the electric mobile application, and provides solid state switching states in response to the electrical interface description, thereby configuring at least one of the AC inverter or the DC/DC converter to provide power to or receive power from at least one of the plurality of ports according to the port electrical interface description, and installing the power converter into the electric mobile application. In an embodiment, the mobile application may further comprise determining which ports of the power converter may be coupled to the at least one power source and the at least one electrical load, and wherein providing the solid state switch states comprises configuring electrical characteristics of the determined ports according to the port electrical interface description. The plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: a housing; a circuit breaker/relay device positioned in the housing, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device is configurable to interrupt a power supply circuit of an electric vehicle system, wherein the housing is disposable on the electric vehicle system; wherein the circuit breaker/relay device includes a physical trip response portion responsive to a first current value in the power supply circuit, and a controlled trip response portion responsive to a second current value in the power supply circuit; a pre-charge circuit electrically coupled in parallel to the circuit breaker/relay device; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, wherein the power converter determines an electrical interface description for at least one power source for the electric mobile application and at least one electrical load for the electric mobile application, and provides solid state switching states in response to the electrical interface description, thereby configuring at least one of the AC inverter or the DC/DC converter to provide power to or receive power from at least one of the plurality of ports according to the port electrical interface description, and installing the power converter into the electric mobile application. In an embodiment, the system may further comprise determining which ports of the power converter may be coupled to the at least one power source and the at least one electrical load, and wherein providing the solid state switch states comprises configuring electrical characteristics of the determined ports according to the port electrical interface description. The first current value may be greater than the second current value.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channel; wherein at least one of the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The quick connector may also include a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

In one aspect, a power converter having a plurality of ports may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state; and a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret source/load drive characteristics, wherein the source/load drive characteristics include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of the load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The fixed contact may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact includes a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; and an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a coolant channel disposed between the coolant channel cover and the coolant channel separation body; wherein the power electronics of the inverter assembly may be thermally coupled to the coolant channel; and wherein at least one of the coolant inlet or the coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The quick connector may also include a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a fuse thermal model circuit structured to determine a fuse temperature value for the thermal fuse and to determine a fuse condition value in response to the fuse temperature value; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The system may further comprise: a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current; and wherein the fuse thermal model circuit may be structured to determine the fuse temperature value of the thermal fuse further responsive to at least one of the injection voltage quantity and the thermal fuse impedance value.

In one aspect, a power converter having a plurality of ports may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state; and a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to an electrical load circuit for mobile applications; a plurality of movable contacts, each selectively electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of stationary contacts; a plurality of armatures, each armature operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts such that each armature in the first position prevents electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact and each armature in the second position allows electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact; and a current response circuit structured to determine a current of each of the electrical load circuits and further structured to provide an armature command to open a corresponding one of the movable contacts in response to the current in the corresponding electrical load circuit indicating a high current value. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The power converter may also include a plurality of biasing members, each biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to bias a corresponding one of the plurality of armatures into one of the first position or the second position.

In one aspect, an integrated inverter assembly may include: a main cover and an opposing rear cover; a plurality of IGBTs, each IGBT of the plurality of IGBTs configured to provide at least one phase of AC power to the electric machine; a closed DC link capacitor operatively disposed between the IGBT and the DC power source, and wherein the closed DC link capacitor includes a bus bar, a common mode choke, and a capacitor disposed in a housing of the closed DC link capacitor; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include:

a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The inverter assembly may also include a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and the AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and wherein the power supply path of the vehicle may be provided by a current protection circuit comprising a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse, wherein the mobile application: determining a current through a power supply path; opening the contactor in response to the current exceeding a threshold; confirming that the vehicle operating condition permits reconnection of the contactor; and commands the contactors to close in response to vehicle operating conditions. In an embodiment, confirming the vehicle operating condition may comprise at least one vehicle operating condition selected from the group consisting of: an emergency vehicle operating condition; user override vehicle operating conditions; a maintenance event vehicle operating condition; and a reconnect command transmitted over the vehicle network. The plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configurable to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to inject a current across the fixed contact; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injected current; and a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the fixed contact may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact includes a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact. The voltage determination circuit may also include a band-pass filter having a bandwidth selected to define the frequency of the injection current.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: an electric mobile application having a motor and an inverter, wherein the inverter includes a plurality of drive elements for the motor; a controller, the controller may include: a motor control circuit structured to provide a driver command, and wherein the plurality of drive elements are responsive to the driver command; an operating condition circuit structured to interpret a motor performance request value comprising at least one of a power, speed, or torque request of the motor; a driver efficiency circuit structured to interpret a driver activation value for each of a plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value; wherein the motor control circuit may be further structured to provide a driver command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements for the motor in response to the driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter; and a circuit breaker/relay, which may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. In an embodiment, the fixed contact may include a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact includes a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further includes a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact. The motor may include a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements includes six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit provides a driver activation value to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter may include: a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configurable to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller may include: a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of a plurality of ports; and component library implementation circuitry structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state. In an embodiment, the controller may further include: a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret source/load drive characteristics, wherein the source/load drive characteristics include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of the load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic. The plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

In one aspect, a mobile application may comprise: a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically couplable via a power bus; a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the circuit breaker/relay includes: a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus; a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupleable to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts; an armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and a corresponding one of the stationary contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the stationary contacts; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first or second positions; an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and a multi-port power converter, which may include: a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports. In an embodiment, the plurality of different electrical characteristics may be selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics. The plurality of movable contacts may be coupled in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

Power distribution is challenged in many applications. Systems currently available for controlling power distribution, such as on/off control of power and circuit paths, circuit and device protection (e.g., against overcurrent conditions), utilize combined contactors and fuses.

Currently known contactors suffer from a number of disadvantages, including arc-induced wear and degradation during opening and closing events at high power, and degradation during high current operation.

There are also a number of disadvantages with the fuse components known today. Fuses present difficulties in providing a consistent and reliable disconnect profile because the fuse is ultimately activated from temperature rather than current, and the temperature history, aging profile, wear and degradation of the fuse, and dynamics of current throughput through the fuse may all affect the actual current at which fuse activation (e.g., opening a circuit) occurs. In addition, fuses experience degradation and premature aging under high current loads, and thus designing a durable and consistent fuse presents difficulties for systems with high turndown ratios in the operating current range and for systems with highly variable current loads during operation. Additionally, fuse activation is an unrecoverable event that results in a period of downtime and/or system maintenance or repair after fuse activation before the system is again operational.

Additionally, there are a number of disadvantages associated with currently known modular fuse-contactor systems. Because the contactors are required to remain engaged throughout the rated operation of the system, and because even an ideal fuse should not be activated during the rated operation of the system, there must be an operating gap between the rated operation of the system and the current protection level of the fuse. Fuse contactor designs therefore require fuses to be slightly smaller in size, thus risking activation of the fuse within the upper range of otherwise normal rated operation, or the fuses must be slightly larger, thus risking exposure of components in the system to current levels above the rated current level. In addition, the size of the fuse may be slightly smaller to protect the contactor failure mode in which the accumulation of arcs in the contactor dynamically delays the current in the circuit, resulting in delayed or even no activation of the fuse, thus resulting in an increased risk of damage to the contactors or components in the system. The previously described difficulties in adjusting the fuse activation distribution result in increased design, operating, and/or capital costs, or reduced system capacity. For example, currently known designs may be overly conservative, such as with components capable of withstanding currents significantly above the rated current value, or with true system performance capable of withstanding currents significantly below the rated current value during at least some operating conditions. Additionally or alternatively, the risk of component failure may be acceptable, driving higher operating costs and/or lower system reliability, or fuse and/or contactor maintenance schedules may be more frequent, increasing operating costs and reducing overall system uptime. Additionally or alternatively, additional power sources, power storage devices, and the like may be provided to enhance the operational capabilities of the system to meet desired performance characteristics.

Applications with highly variable loads, highly dynamic load distributions, and/or high turndown ratios over the operating current range exacerbate all of the challenges of combined fuse-contactor systems. For example, mobile applications such as vehicles or mobile devices often have a high degree of variability and low predictability of load distribution during operation. Some types of systems have different classes of loads that drive different duty cycles and load profiles, such as mobile applications that also operate additional equipment (e.g., pumps, PTO equipment, communication equipment, etc.) during mobile operation or while stationary. Additionally, the load profile may vary significantly depending on load direction or operation, e.g., it may be desirable to charge much faster than discharge, e.g., where charging is associated with useful operation of the system and discharging is associated with downtime of the system. In other examples, the dynamic power load on the system may be significantly different from regenerative recovery of power from the load, and/or certain energy recovery operations may have very little current associated therewith (e.g., solar energy, waste heat recovery, etc.). The highly variable (including in terms of load values and load types) and/or highly dynamic systems known today further increase the design and/or operating costs of the system by conservatively designing, redundantly and/or repeating the system to manage variability, reduce system capacity and/or accept operational risk.

Mobile applications present further challenges to previously known combined fuse-contactor systems. For example, many mobile applications such as commercial and passenger vehicles are cost sensitive to the initial and ongoing operating costs of the system. In addition, down time for service, maintenance or system failure has a very high cost due to the large size and market competition. Thus, even modest improvements in initial cost, operating cost, and reliability can have a significant impact on the outcome of the system, or make a non-marketable system competitive. Mobile applications typically have large differences in duty cycle even for systems with similar power ratings. Furthermore, mobile applications typically involve systems that are sold or otherwise transferred, where the same system may experience significant changes in duty cycle and operating conditions after the system is delivered for use by a user. Thus, the lack of flexibility in design parameters at first sale limits the available market for the system, while the lack of flexibility in design parameters in use results in increased failure late in the life cycle of the system. An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of the current protection circuit, the first branch comprising a high temperature fuse; a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch including a thermal fuse; and wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement; a controller, the controller comprising: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path; and a high temperature fuse activation circuit structured to provide a high temperature fuse activation command in response to the current exceeding a threshold current value; and wherein the high temperature fuse is responsive to a high temperature fuse activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example system includes wherein the first resistance of the entire first branch and the second resistance of the entire second branch are configured such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is sufficient to activate the thermal fuse. One example includes a resistor coupled with the thermal fuse in a series arrangement such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is below a second threshold current value. An exemplary system includes a contactor coupled in a series arrangement with a thermal fuse, the controller further including a contactor activation circuit structured to provide a contactor open command in response to at least one of a high temperature fuse activation command or a current exceeding a threshold current value; and/or a resistor coupled in a series arrangement with the thermal fuse such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is below a second threshold current value. One example includes a resistor coupled with the high temperature fuse in a series arrangement such that a resulting current flowing through the first branch after activation of the thermal fuse is below a second threshold current value; and/or a second thermal fuse coupled in a series arrangement with the high temperature fuse such that a resulting current flowing through the first branch after activation of the thermal fuse is sufficient to activate the second thermal fuse.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current flow through an operation having a parallel arrangement of current protection circuits, wherein a high temperature fuse is located on a first branch of the current protection circuit and a thermal fuse is located on a second branch of the current protection circuit; and providing a high temperature fuse activation command in response to the current exceeding the threshold current value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes configuring a first resistance of the entire first branch and a second resistance of the entire second branch such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is sufficient to activate operation of the thermal fuse. The example program includes an operation to configure the second resistance of the entire second branch such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is below a second threshold current value. An example program includes operation of a contactor coupled in a series arrangement with a thermal fuse, the program further including providing a contactor open command in response to at least one of providing a high temperature fuse activation command or a current exceeding a threshold current value; and/or configuring the second resistance of the entire second branch such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is below a second threshold current value. The example program also includes a resistor coupled with the high temperature fuse in a series arrangement such that a resulting current flowing through the first branch after activation of the thermal fuse is below a second threshold current value; and/or further comprising a second thermal fuse coupled in a series arrangement with the high temperature fuse such that a resulting current flowing through the first branch after activation of the thermal fuse is sufficient to activate the second thermal fuse.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of a current protection circuit, the first branch including a thermal fuse; a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch comprising a contactor; and wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement; a controller, the controller comprising: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to a current; and wherein the contactor is responsive to a contactor activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the contactor opens during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is greater than a thermal wear current of the thermal fuse; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is below the current protection value of the power supply path. An exemplary system includes wherein the contactor is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor opening command in response to determining that the current is above a current protection value of the power supply path. An exemplary system includes wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in response to the current by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current flow through an operation having a parallel arrangement of current protection circuits, wherein a thermal fuse is located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a contactor is located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and an operation of providing a contactor activation command in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary procedure also includes an operation to close the contactor in response to the current. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to determine that the current is below a current protection value of the power supply path prior to closing the contactor. An exemplary program includes at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to open the contactor in response to a current; an operation of determining that the current is higher than a current protection value of the power supply path before opening the contactor; an operation to open the contactor comprising performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of a current protection circuit, the first branch including a thermal fuse; a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch comprising a solid state switch; and wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement; a controller, the controller comprising: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a switch activation command in response to a current; and wherein the solid state switches are responsive to a switch activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example system includes a contactor coupled to a current protection circuit, wherein the contactor is in an open position to disconnect one of the current protection circuit or a second branch of the current protection circuit.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current flow through an operation having a parallel arrangement of current protection circuits, wherein a thermal fuse is located on a first branch of the current protection circuit and a solid state switch is located on a second branch of the current protection circuit; and an operation of providing a switch activation command in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes closing the solid state switch in response to the current; and/or determining that the current is below the current protection value of the power supply path prior to closing the solid state switch. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to close the solid state switch, including performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. An exemplary procedure includes opening a solid state switch in response to a current; and/or determining that the current is above a current protection value of the power supply path before opening the solid state switch. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to open the solid state switch, including performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. An example procedure includes an operation to open the contactor after opening the solid state switch, wherein opening the contactor disconnects one of the current protection circuit or the second branch of the current protection circuit.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of a current protection circuit, the first branch including a first thermal fuse; a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch including a second thermal fuse and a contactor; and wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement; a controller, the controller comprising: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to a current; and wherein the contactor is responsive to a contactor activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor opens during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is above the thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is below the current protection value of the power supply path. The exemplary system includes a vehicle operating condition circuit structured to determine an operating mode of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the operating mode; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to an operating mode comprising at least one operating mode selected from the operating modes consisting of: a charging mode; a high performance mode; a high power demand mode; an emergency operation mode; and a limp home mode. An exemplary system includes wherein the contactor is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor opening command in response to determining that the current is above a current protection value of the power supply path; wherein the contactor is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to the operating mode; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to an operating mode, the operating mode including at least one of a power saving mode or a maintenance mode.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current through an operation having a current protection circuit arranged in parallel, wherein a first thermal fuse is located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a second thermal fuse and a contactor are located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and an operation of providing a contactor activation command in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes closing the contactor in response to the current being higher than a thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse; and/or further closing the contactor in response to the current being below a current protection value of the power supply path. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to determine an operating mode of the vehicle and further to provide a contactor activation command in response to the operating mode. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to an operation mode including at least one operation mode selected from the group of operation modes consisting of: a charging mode; a high performance mode; a high power demand mode; an emergency operation mode; and a limp home mode. An example program includes providing a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to determining that the current is above a current protection value of the power supply path; and/or providing operation of the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to an operating mode, the operating mode including at least one of an energy savings mode or a maintenance mode.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a first branch of a current protection circuit, the first branch including a first thermal fuse and a first contactor; a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch including a second thermal fuse and a second contactor; and wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement; a controller, the controller comprising: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands in response to a current; and wherein the first contactor and the second contactor are responsive to the plurality of contactor activation commands to provide the selected configuration of the current protection circuit.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the current protection circuit further comprises: at least one additional branch, wherein each additional branch comprises an additional thermal fuse and an additional contactor; and wherein each additional contactor is further responsive to the plurality of contactor activation commands to provide the selected configuration of the current protection circuit. An exemplary system includes a vehicle operating condition circuit structured to determine an operating mode of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands in response to the operating mode; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to determine an active current rating of the power supply path responsive to the mode of operation, and to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands responsive to the active current rating. The exemplary system includes wherein the first leg of the current protection circuit further comprises an additional first contactor arranged in parallel with the first thermal fuse, wherein the current detection circuit is further structured to determine a first leg current, wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands further in response to the first leg current, and wherein the additional first contactor is responsive to the plurality of contactor activation commands; wherein the additional first contactor is opened during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands including an additional first contactor close command in response to determining that the first branch current is higher than the thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse: wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide an additional first contactor close command in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is lower than a first branch current protection value, or the current is lower than a power supply path current protection value; and/or wherein the additional first contactor is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands including an additional first contactor opening command in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is higher than the first branch current protection value, or the current is higher than the power supply path current protection value.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current flow through an operation having a parallel arrangement of a current protection circuit, wherein a first thermal fuse and a first contactor are located on a first branch of the current protection circuit, and a second thermal fuse and a second contactor are located on a second branch of the current protection circuit; and providing operation of the selected configuration of the current protection circuit in response to current flowing through the power supply path of the vehicle, wherein providing the selected configuration includes providing a contactor activation command to each of the first contactor and the second contactor.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program includes operations further comprising at least one additional branch of the current protection circuit, each additional branch of the current protection circuit having an additional thermal fuse and an additional contactor, and wherein providing the selected configuration of the current protection circuit includes providing a contactor activation command to each additional contactor. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to determine an operating mode of the vehicle and to provide a selected configuration further in response to the operating mode; and/or an operation to determine an active current rating of the power supply path in response to the mode of operation, and wherein the selected configuration of the provision current protection circuit is further responsive to the active current rating. An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining an active current rating of the power supply path, and wherein the selected configuration of the provision current protection circuit is further responsive to the active current rating. An exemplary procedure includes an operation in which the first branch of the current protection circuit further includes an additional first contactor arranged in parallel with the first thermal fuse, the method further including: determining a first branch current, and wherein providing the selected configuration further comprises providing a contactor activation command to an additional first contactor; an operation of closing the additional first contactor in response to determining that the first branch current is higher than a thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse; an operation to close the additional first contactor further in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is lower than a first branch current protection value, or the current is lower than a power supply path current protection value; and/or opening operation of the additional first contactor in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is higher than the first branch current protection value, or the current is higher than the power supply path current protection value.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a fuse; a controller, the controller comprising: a fuse state circuit structured to determine a fuse event value; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a fuse event response based on the fuse event value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example system includes a fuse life description circuit structured to determine a fuse life remaining value, wherein the fuse event value includes an indication that the fuse life remaining value is below a threshold value, and wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide a fuse event response further based on the fuse life remaining value; wherein providing the fuse event response comprises providing at least one of a fault code or a notification of the fuse event value; wherein providing the fuse event response comprises adjusting a maximum power rating of the power supply path; wherein providing the fuse event response comprises adjusting a maximum power slew rate of the power supply path; and/or wherein providing a fuse event response comprises adjusting a configuration of the current protection circuit. An exemplary system includes wherein the current protection circuit further includes a contactor coupled to the fuse in a parallel arrangement; wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the fuse event value; and wherein the contactor is responsive to a contactor activation command. An example system includes wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to the fuse event value comprising one of a thermal wear event or an impending thermal wear event of the fuse. An example system includes wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to adjust a current threshold of the contactor activation command in response to the fuse life remaining value; and/or wherein providing the fuse event response comprises adjusting the cooling system interface so that the cooling system is at least selectively thermally coupled to the fuse in response to the fuse life remaining value.

An exemplary program includes an operation of determining a fuse event value of a fuse provided in a current protection circuit provided in a power supply path of a vehicle; and an operation to provide a fuse event response based on the fuse event value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes operations to determine a fuse life remaining value, wherein the fuse event value includes an indication that the fuse life remaining value is below a threshold value, and provide a fuse event response further based on the fuse life remaining value; the operation of providing a fuse event response includes providing at least one of a fault code or a notification of a fuse event value; the operation of providing a fuse event response comprises adjusting a maximum power rating of the power supply path; the operation of providing a fuse event response comprises adjusting a maximum power slew rate of the power supply path; the operation of providing a fuse event response includes adjusting a configuration of the current protection circuit. An exemplary procedure includes operations in which the current protection circuit further includes a contactor coupled to the fuse in a parallel arrangement; wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the fuse event value; and wherein the contactor is responsive to a contactor activation command; wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to the fuse event value comprising one of a thermal wear event or an impending thermal wear event of the fuse; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to adjust the current threshold of the contactor activation command in response to the fuse life remaining value. An example program includes operations to provide a fuse event response, the operations including adjusting a cooling system interface in response to a fuse life remaining value such that the cooling system is at least selectively thermally coupled to the fuse. The example program includes an operation to provide a fuse event response, the operation including at least one of a fault code or a notification to provide a fuse event value. The example program includes operations to determine an accumulated fuse event description in response to a fuse event response and store the accumulated fuse event description. An example program includes operations to provide a cumulative fuse event description, wherein providing the cumulative fuse event description includes at least one of: providing at least one of a fault code or a notification of an accumulated fuse event description; and providing the accumulated fuse event description in response to at least one of a maintenance event or a request for the accumulated fuse event description.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a power supply path and at least one auxiliary power supply path; a power distribution unit having a power current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a fuse; and an auxiliary current protection circuit disposed in each of the at least one auxiliary power supply path, each auxiliary current protection circuit including an auxiliary fuse; a controller, the controller comprising: a current determination circuit structured to interpret a power current value corresponding to the power supply path and an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary power supply path.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example system includes a power current sensor electrically coupled to a power supply path, wherein the power current sensor is configured to provide a power current value. An example system includes at least one auxiliary current sensor, each auxiliary current sensor electrically coupled to one of the at least one auxiliary power supply path, each auxiliary current sensor configured to provide a corresponding auxiliary current value. An exemplary system includes wherein the controller further includes a vehicle interface circuit structured to provide a value of the powering current to the vehicle network; wherein the vehicle interface circuit is further structured to provide an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary power supply path to the vehicle network; and/or further comprising a battery management controller configured to receive the value of the power current from the vehicle network.

An exemplary procedure includes providing operation of a power distribution unit having a power current protection circuit and at least one auxiliary current protection circuit; an operation of supplying power to a vehicle power supply path through a power current protection circuit; an operation of powering at least one auxiliary load by a corresponding one of the at least one auxiliary current protection circuit; an operation of determining a power current value corresponding to a power supply path; and an operation of determining an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary current protection circuit.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary program further includes an operation to provide a value of the power current to the vehicle network; and/or receiving the value of the power current with a battery management controller.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a thermal fuse; a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; and a controller, the controller comprising: a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path; and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to a current; and wherein the contactor is responsive to a contactor activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example system includes wherein the thermal fuse includes a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path. An example system includes wherein the thermal fuse includes a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power supply throughput of the power supply path. An exemplary system includes wherein the contactor includes a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path. An exemplary system includes wherein the contactor includes a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power supply throughput of the power supply path. An exemplary system includes wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to the current indicating the power supply path protection event; and/or wherein the current detection circuit is further structured to determine the power supply path protection event by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of supplying power to a power supply path of a vehicle through a current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path; and selectively opening the contactor in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example method also includes providing operation of the thermal fuse with a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path. An example procedure includes providing operation of a thermal fuse having a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power supply throughput of a power supply path. An exemplary procedure includes providing operation of a contactor having a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path. An exemplary procedure includes providing operation of a contactor having a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power supply throughput of a power supply path. The exemplary procedure includes the operation of opening the contactor further in response to at least one of: the rate of change of current; comparing the current to a threshold; one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and an expected or predicted value for any of the foregoing aspects.

An exemplary procedure includes an operation of supplying power to a power supply path of a vehicle through a current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; an operation of determining a current flowing through a power supply path; an operation of opening the contactor in response to the current exceeding a threshold; confirming that the vehicle operating condition permits operation of reconnection of the contactor; and commanding operation of the contactor to close in response to the vehicle operating condition.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary program further includes an operation to confirm that the vehicle operating condition includes at least one vehicle operating condition selected from the group consisting of: an emergency vehicle operating condition; user override vehicle operating conditions; a maintenance event vehicle operating condition; and a reconnect command transmitted over the vehicle network. An exemplary procedure includes monitoring the power supply path during a commanded contactor closing and reopening operation of the contactor in response to the monitoring. An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining a cumulative contactor opening event description in response to opening the contactor; preventing operation of the commanded contactor from closing in response to the cumulative contactor opening event description exceeding the threshold; and/or adjusting the operation of accumulating contactor opening event descriptions in response to current during opening of the contactor. An example procedure includes diagnosing operation of the welding contactor in response to one of current during opening of the contactor and monitoring of the power supply path during commanded contactor closing. An example procedure includes diagnosing operation of the welding contactor in response to monitoring of at least one of a contactor actuator position, a contactor actuator response, or a power supply path during opening of the contactor; and/or operation to prevent commanded contactor closing in response to a diagnosed welding contactor.

An exemplary apparatus includes a power supply current protection circuit structured to: determining a current flowing through a power supply path of the vehicle; and opening a contactor provided in a current protection circuit in response to the current exceeding a threshold, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a vehicle re-powering circuit structured to: confirming that the vehicle operating condition permits reconnection of the contactor; and closing the contactor in response to a vehicle operating condition.

Certain other aspects of the exemplary devices are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example apparatus includes wherein the vehicle re-energizing circuit is further structured to confirm the vehicle operating condition by confirming at least one vehicle operating condition selected from a condition consisting of: an emergency vehicle operating condition; user override vehicle operating conditions; a maintenance event vehicle operating condition; and a reconnect command transmitted over the vehicle network. Exemplary apparatus includes wherein the power supply current protection circuit is further structured to monitor the power supply path during closing of the contactor, and wherein the vehicle re-energizing circuit is further structured to re-open the contactor in response to the monitoring. An example apparatus includes a contactor status circuit structured to determine a cumulative contactor opening event description in response to opening a contactor; wherein the vehicle re-energizing circuit is further structured to prevent closing the contactor in response to the cumulative contactor opening event description exceeding a threshold; and/or wherein the contactor status circuit is further structured to adjust the cumulative contactor opening event description in response to current during opening of the contactor. An example apparatus includes a contactor status circuit structured to diagnose a welding contactor in response to one of the following during a commanded contactor closing: current during opening of the contactor; and monitoring the power supply path by the power supply current protection circuit. An example apparatus includes a contactor status circuit structured to diagnose a welding contactor in response to monitoring of at least one of: monitoring of contactor actuator position by the vehicle re-energizing circuit; monitoring of the response of the vehicle recharging circuit to the contactor actuator; monitoring a power supply path by the power supply current protection circuit; and/or wherein the contactor status circuit is further structured to prevent closing of the contactor in response to the diagnosed welding contactor.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit, the power distribution unit comprising: a current protection circuit disposed in the power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a high voltage power supply input coupler comprising a first electrical interface for a high voltage power supply; a high voltage power supply output coupler comprising a second electrical interface of the power supply load; and wherein the current protection circuit electrically couples the high voltage power supply input to the high voltage power supply output, and wherein the current protection circuit is at least partially disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit, the laminate layer including an electrically conductive flow path providing two electrically insulating layers.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the current protection circuit includes a power bus disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit. An exemplary system includes wherein the vehicle further includes an auxiliary power path; wherein the power distribution unit further comprises: an auxiliary current protection circuit disposed in the auxiliary power supply path, the auxiliary current protection circuit including a second thermal fuse; an auxiliary voltage supply input-coupler comprising a first auxiliary electrical interface of a low voltage supply; an auxiliary voltage supply output coupler comprising a second auxiliary electrical interface of an auxiliary load; and wherein the auxiliary current protection circuit electrically couples the auxiliary voltage supply input to the auxiliary voltage supply output, and wherein the auxiliary current protection circuit is at least partially disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit. An exemplary system includes wherein the laminate layers of the power distribution unit further comprise at least one thermally conductive flow path disposed between two thermally insulating layers; wherein the at least one thermally conductive flow path is configured to provide a thermal coupler between the heat sink and a heat source, wherein the heat source comprises at least one of a contactor, a thermal fuse, and a second thermal fuse; wherein the heat sink comprises at least one of a thermal coupler to the active cooling source and a housing of the power distribution unit; and/or further comprising a heat pipe disposed between the at least one thermally conductive flow path and the heat source.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse; and a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes the following: wherein the power supply path comprises a direct current power supply path; wherein the current source circuit comprises at least one of an alternating current source and a time-varying current source, further comprising a hardware filter electrically coupled to the thermal fuse, the hardware filter configured in response to an injection frequency of the current source circuit; wherein the hardware filter comprises a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency determined in response to an injection frequency of the current source circuit; wherein the hardware filter comprises a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency determined in response to at least one of an injection frequency of the current source circuit or a load change value of the power supply path; wherein the hardware filter comprises a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency determined in response to at least one of an injection frequency of the current source circuit or a load change value of the power supply path; wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine an injection voltage drop of the thermal fuse in response to an output of the high pass filter; wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine a thermal fuse impedance value in response to the injection voltage drop; and/or wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine a load voltage drop of the thermal fuse responsive to the output of the low pass filter, the system further comprising a load current circuit structured to determine a load current flowing through the fuse responsive to the thermal fuse impedance value and further responsive to the load voltage drop.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the voltage determination circuit further includes a band pass filter having a bandwidth selected to define a frequency of the injection current. Exemplary systems include wherein the high pass filter comprises an analog hardware filter, and wherein the band pass filter comprises a digital filter. Exemplary systems include wherein the high pass filter and the band pass filter comprise digital filters; wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine a thermal fuse impedance value in response to the injection voltage drop; and/or further comprising fuse characterization circuitry structured to store one of a fuse resistance value and a fuse impedance value, and wherein the fuse characterization circuitry is further structured to update the stored one of the fuse resistance value and the fuse impedance value in response to the thermal fuse impedance value. An example system includes wherein the fuse characterization circuit is further structured to update the stored one of the fuse resistance value and the fuse impedance value by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: updating the value to a thermal fuse impedance value; filtering the value using the thermal fuse impedance value as a filter input; rejecting an adiabatic fuse impedance value for a period of time or for a determined number of thermal fuse impedance values; and updating the values by performing a rolling average of the plurality of thermal impedance values over time. An exemplary system includes wherein the power distribution unit further includes a plurality of thermal fuses disposed therein, and wherein the current source circuit is further electrically coupled to the plurality of thermal fuses and sequentially injects current across each of the plurality of thermal fuses; and wherein the voltage determination circuit is further electrically coupled to each of the plurality of thermal fuses and is further structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage, a thermal fuse impedance value, for each of the plurality of thermal fuses; wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sequentially inject current across each of the plurality of thermal fuses in a selected order of the fuses; wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to at least one of: a rate of change of temperature of each of the fuses; an importance value for each of the fuses; criticality of each of the fuses; a power supply throughput of each of the fuses; and one of a fault condition or fuse health condition of each of the fuses; and/or wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to one of a planned duty cycle and an observed duty cycle of the vehicle. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies; wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at a plurality of injection frequencies. An example system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. An example system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power supply throughput of the thermal fuse. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

An exemplary program includes operations to determine a zero offset voltage of a fuse current measurement system, including operations to determine that a fuse load of a fuse electrically disposed between a power source and an electrical load does not require current; an operation of determining a zero offset voltage in response to a fuse load not requiring current; and an operation of storing the zero offset voltage.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes an operation to update the stored zero offset voltage in response to the determined zero offset voltage. An example program includes diagnosing operation of a component in response to a zero offset voltage; and/or operations to determine which of a plurality of components contributes to the zero offset voltage. The exemplary procedure includes determining that the fuse load does not require current including at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: an operation of determining that a key-off event has occurred in a vehicle including a fuse, a power source, and an electrical load; an operation of determining that a key-on event has occurred in the vehicle; and determining a vehicle power down operation; and an operation of determining that the vehicle is in an accessory condition, wherein the vehicle in the accessory condition is not powered through the fuse.

An example apparatus to determine an offset voltage to adjust a fuse current determination includes a fuse load circuit structured to determine that a fuse load does not require current, and further determine that a contactor associated with a fuse is open; an offset voltage determination circuit structured to determine an offset voltage corresponding to at least one component in a fuse circuit associated with a fuse in response to determining that the fuse load does not require current; and an offset data management circuit structured to store an offset voltage and to pass the current to calculate the offset voltage for use by the controller to determine the current flowing through the fuse.

Exemplary procedures include operations to provide a digital filter for a fuse circuit in a power distribution unit, including operations to inject an alternating current across a fuse electrically disposed between a power source and an electrical load; an operation of determining a basic power flowing through the fuse by performing a low pass filter operation on one of a measured current value and a measured voltage value of the fuse; and an operation of determining the injection current value by performing a high-pass filter operation on one of the measured current value and the measured voltage value of the fuse.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example method also includes adjusting a parameter of at least one of the low pass filter and the high pass filter in response to a duty cycle of one of the power and the current flowing through the fuse. An exemplary procedure includes the operation of injecting an alternating current through a series of injection frequency sweeps. An exemplary procedure includes the operation of injecting an alternating current across the fuse at a plurality of injection frequencies. An exemplary procedure includes an operation in which the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the fuse at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. An example program includes operations in which the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power supply throughput of the fuse.

An exemplary procedure includes operations to calibrate a fuse resistance determination algorithm, including: an operation of storing a plurality of calibration sets corresponding to a plurality of duty cycle values, the duty cycle comprising an electrical throughput value corresponding to a fuse electrically disposed between an electrical power source and an electrical load; wherein the calibration set includes current source injection settings of a current injection device operatively coupled to the fuse; an operation of determining a duty cycle of a system including a fuse, a power source, and an electrical load; operation of determining injection settings of the current injection device in response to the plurality of calibration sets and the determined duty cycles; and operating the current injection device in response to the determined injection setting.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes operations wherein the calibration set further includes filter settings of at least one digital filter, wherein the method further includes determining fuse resistance with the at least one digital filter.

The exemplary procedure includes an operation on 1. A method of providing a unique current waveform to improve fuse resistance measurement of a power distribution unit, comprising: confirming opening of a contactor electrically positioned in a fuse circuit, wherein the fuse circuit includes a fuse electrically disposed between a power source and an electrical load; determining a zero voltage offset value for the fuse circuit; conducting a plurality of current injection sequences across the fuse, each of the current injection sequences comprising a selected current amplitude, current frequency, and current waveform value; a fuse resistance value is determined in response to the current injection sequence and the zero voltage offset value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes an operation to adjust a filter characteristic of the digital filter in response to each of the plurality of current injection sequences and measure one of a fuse circuit voltage and a fuse circuit current with the adjusted filter characteristic using the digital filter during a corresponding one of the plurality of current injection sequences.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine an injection voltage amount and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit is structured to perform a frequency analysis operation to determine the injection voltage amount.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine the amount of injection voltage by determining a magnitude of a voltage across the fuse at a frequency of interest; and/or wherein the frequency of interest is determined in response to the frequency of the injection voltage. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at a plurality of injection frequencies. An example system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. An example system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power supply throughput of the thermal fuse. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine that a load power source throughput of the power source path is low and to inject a current across the thermal fuse in response to the load power source throughput of the power source path being low; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to determine that a load power source throughput of the power source path is low in response to the vehicle being in a shutdown state. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to determine that a load power source throughput of the power source path is low in response to the vehicle being in the key-off state. An exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit is further structured to determine that a load power source throughput of the power source path is low in response to a power torque demand of the vehicle being zero. An exemplary system includes wherein the power distribution unit further includes a plurality of fuses, and wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across each of the plurality of fuses in a selected sequence; and/or wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across a first one of the plurality of fuses at a first shutdown event of the vehicle and to inject current across a second one of the plurality of fuses at a second shutdown event of the vehicle.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current; and a fuse state circuit structured to determine a fuse condition value in response to at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An example system includes wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to provide the fuse condition value by providing at least one of a fault code or a notification of the fuse condition value; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to adjust a maximum power rating of the power supply path in response to the fuse condition value; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to adjust a maximum power slew rate of the power supply path in response to the fuse condition value; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to adjust a configuration of the current protection circuit in response to the fuse condition value; wherein the power distribution unit further comprises an active cooling interface, and wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to adjust the active cooling interface in response to the fuse condition value; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to clear at least one of a fault code or a notification of the fuse condition value in response to the fuse condition value indicating that the fuse condition has improved; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to clear at least one of a fault code or a notification of a fuse condition value in response to a service event of the fuse; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to determine a fuse life remaining value in response to the fuse condition value; wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to determine the fuse life remaining value further in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle; and/or wherein the fuse state circuit is further structured to determine the fuse life remaining value further in response to one of a regulated maximum power rating of the power supply path or a regulated maximum power slew rate of the power supply path.

An exemplary system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a fuse thermal model circuit structured to determine a fuse temperature value for the thermal fuse and to determine a fuse condition value in response to the fuse temperature value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse; a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current; and wherein the fuse thermal model circuit is structured to determine the fuse temperature value of the thermal fuse further responsive to at least one of the injection voltage quantity and the thermal fuse impedance value. An example system includes wherein the fuse thermal model circuit is further structured to determine the fuse condition value by counting a number of thermal fuse temperature excursion events; and/or wherein the thermal fuse temperature excursion events each comprise a temperature rise threshold within a time threshold. An exemplary system includes wherein the fuse thermal model circuit is further structured to determine the fuse condition value by integrating the fuse temperature value; and/or wherein the fuse thermal model circuit is further structured to determine the fuse condition value by integrating fuse temperature values above a temperature threshold.

Drawings

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 shows an embodiment system schematically depicting a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) operatively positioned between a power source and a load.

Fig. 2 depicts a more detailed embodiment system, schematically depicting a PDU.

FIG. 3 depicts a non-limiting exemplary response curve of a fuse.

FIG. 4 depicts a non-limiting exemplary system of a mobile application, such as a vehicle.

Fig. 5 depicts a non-limiting exemplary system that includes PDUs.

Fig. 6 depicts an embodiment apparatus that includes all or part of a PDU.

FIG. 7 shows a non-limiting example of interaction between a primary fuse and a laminate layer.

FIG. 8 shows closer details of a non-limiting example of interaction between a primary fuse and a laminate layer.

Fig. 9 depicts a detailed view of an embodiment of a side cross-section of a laminate layer.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of a non-limiting exemplary device.

FIG. 11 shows an alternative side view of a non-limiting exemplary device.

FIG. 12 depicts an embodiment configuration showing a primary fuse coupled to a lamination layer on the bottom side of the primary fuse.

Figure 13 depicts an embodiment configuration showing a primary fuse coupled to a lamination layer with thermal fins on the bottom side of the primary fuse.

Figure 14 depicts an embodiment configuration showing a primary fuse coupled to a laminate layer on the bottom side of the primary fuse with features for enhancing heat flow.

Fig. 15 depicts an alternative embodiment configuration showing a primary fuse coupled to a laminate layer on the bottom side of the primary fuse having features for heat flow.

Fig. 16 depicts an alternative embodiment configuration showing a primary fuse coupled to a laminate layer on the bottom side of the primary fuse having features for heat flow.

Fig. 17 depicts an alternative embodiment configuration showing a primary fuse coupled to a laminate layer on the bottom side of the primary fuse having features for heat flow.

Fig. 18 illustrates a non-limiting exemplary system that includes a PDU positioned within a battery pack housing or casing.

FIG. 19 illustrates a non-limiting example system that includes a PDU in a coolant circuit of a heat transfer system.

FIG. 20 illustrates a non-limiting exemplary apparatus for providing additional protection against fuse nuisance faults (nuisance faults) and system failures.

FIG. 21 depicts example data for an embodiment implementing a system response value.

FIG. 22 depicts a non-limiting example apparatus for measuring current through a fuse using active current injection.

FIG. 23 depicts a non-limiting example apparatus to determine a zero offset voltage and/or diagnose system components.

FIG. 24 depicts a non-limiting example apparatus that provides digital filtering of current measurements flowing through a fuse circuit.

FIG. 25 depicts a non-limiting exemplary fuse circuit that may be present on a PDU.

Figure 26 depicts an embodiment of a fuse circuit having a contactor.

FIG. 27 depicts an embodiment fuse circuit including a plurality of fuses.

FIG. 28 depicts a fuse circuit having a fuse in parallel with a contactor.

FIG. 29 depicts illustrative data showing fuse response to a driving cycle of a vehicle.

FIG. 30 depicts a non-limiting exemplary system that includes a power source and a load, and a fuse electrically disposed between the load and the power source.

FIG. 31 depicts a non-limiting example apparatus to determine an offset voltage to adjust a fuse current determination.

FIG. 32 depicts a non-limiting example apparatus depicted to provide a unique current waveform to improve fuse resistance measurement of a PDU.

FIG. 33 depicts a non-limiting exemplary procedure for providing a unique current waveform to improve fuse resistance measurement of a PDU.

FIG. 34 depicts a non-limiting exemplary procedure for performing multiple injection sequences.

Fig. 35 depicts illustrative injection characteristics of an exemplary test.

FIG. 36 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 37 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure utilizing a parallel thermal fuse and a high temperature fuse.

FIG. 38 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 39 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for operating thermal fuse bypass.

FIG. 40 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 41 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for operating thermal fuse bypass.

FIG. 42 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

Fig. 43 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for operating a parallel thermal fuse.

FIG. 44 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

Fig. 45 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for selectively configuring a current protection circuit.

FIG. 46 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 47 depicts a schematic flow chart diagram of a routine for determining and responding to fuse event values.

FIG. 48 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 49 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for determining current through a plurality of fuses.

FIG. 50 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

Fig. 51 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for operating a thermal fuse in series with a contactor.

Fig. 52 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for reconnecting a contactor.

FIG. 53 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 54 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 55 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

FIG. 56 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for determining the zero offset voltage.

FIG. 57 depicts a schematic of an apparatus for determining an offset voltage.

Fig. 58 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for determining an injection current value.

FIG. 59 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for calibrating a fuse resistance algorithm.

FIG. 60 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for determining fuse resistance using a unique current waveform.

Fig. 61 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a current protection circuit.

FIG. 62 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a current protection circuit.

FIG. 63 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a current protection circuit.

FIG. 64 depicts a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a PDU.

Fig. 65 depicts a schematic of a circuit breaker-relay and a pre-charge relay.

Fig. 66 depicts a schematic of the circuit breaker-relay and suppression.

FIG. 67 depicts a schematic diagram of a power bus protection configuration.

Fig. 68 depicts implementation details of the circuit breaker-relay component.

Fig. 69 depicts implementation details of the circuit breaker-relay component.

Fig. 69A depicts implementation details of a circuit breaker-relay component.

Fig. 70 depicts a current graph of contactor-fuse and breaker-relay.

Fig. 71 depicts a flow diagram of an embodiment of current protection.

Fig. 72 depicts a flow diagram of an embodiment of current protection.

Fig. 73 depicts a flow diagram of an embodiment of current protection.

Fig. 74 depicts a flow diagram of an embodiment of current protection.

Fig. 75 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and an inverter.

Fig. 76 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and an inverter.

Fig. 77 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load.

Fig. 78 depicts a schematic of a power protection configuration.

Fig. 79 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load.

Fig. 80 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load.

Fig. 81 depicts a schematic diagram of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load, in which a current path is depicted.

Fig. 82 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load, in which a current path is depicted.

Fig. 83 depicts a schematic of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load, in which a current path is depicted.

Fig. 84 depicts a schematic diagram of a power supply protection configuration between a battery and a load, in which a current path is depicted.

Fig. 85 depicts implementation details of the circuit breaker-relay component.

Fig. 86 depicts a schematic of a power bus protection configuration.

Fig. 87 depicts details of an embodiment of contacts in a circuit breaker-relay component.

Fig. 88 depicts implementation details of the circuit breaker-relay component.

Fig. 89 depicts a schematic diagram of a power protection configuration with a controller.

Fig. 90 depicts a schematic diagram of an adaptive system using a multi-port power converter.

FIG. 91 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

FIG. 92 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller with a multi-port power converter.

Fig. 93 depicts an embodiment functional diagram of a circuit breaker-relay.

Fig. 94 depicts a schematic of an embodiment of a circuit breaker-relay.

Fig. 95 depicts an embodiment schematic of a circuit breaker-relay configuration showing specific voltage, amperage, and time-based values.

Fig. 96 depicts an embodiment schematic of circuit breaker-relay operation.

Fig. 97 depicts an embodiment breaker-relay device with a pre-charge circuit.

Fig. 98 depicts an embodiment circuit breaker-relay device with a pre-charge circuit.

Fig. 99 depicts an embodiment circuit breaker-relay device with a pre-charge circuit.

Figure 100 depicts an embodiment circuit breaker-relay apparatus with a pre-charge circuit.

Figure 101 depicts a schematic of an embodiment of a single pole circuit breaker/relay device.

Figure 102 depicts details of an embodiment two pole circuit breaker/relay apparatus.

Figure 103 depicts details of an embodiment two pole circuit breaker/relay apparatus.

Figure 104 depicts details of an embodiment two pole circuit breaker/relay apparatus.

Fig. 105 depicts details of an embodiment two pole circuit breaker/relay apparatus depicting current connection components.

Fig. 106 depicts a schematic diagram of a circuit breaker/relay device.

Fig. 107 depicts a schematic diagram of a multi-port converter with solid state switches.

Fig. 108 depicts a schematic with a multi-port converter.

Fig. 109A and 109B depict an integrated inverter assembly.

Fig. 110 depicts an integrated inverter assembly with a battery connector and a vehicle connector.

Fig. 111 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly.

Fig. 112 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly.

Fig. 113 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with coolant channels.

Fig. 114 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with coolant channels.

Fig. 115 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with coolant channels.

Fig. 116 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with coolant channels.

Fig. 117 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs).

Fig. 118 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly.

Fig. 119 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly, with a perspective view depicting a gate driver PCB and a DC link capacitor.

Fig. 120 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with AC bus bars and motor temperature/position sensors.

Fig. 121 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with a cured in place gasket.

Fig. 122 depicts a view of the integrated inverter assembly with one corner of the main cover in close-up.

Fig. 123 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly, with IGBTs exemplarily illustrated.

Fig. 124-127 depict views of an exemplary embodiment of a main cover portion of an integrated inverter assembly.

FIG. 128 depicts an exemplary embodiment of upper and lower cooling channels.

Fig. 129 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a coupling mechanism.

Fig. 130 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a coupling mechanism.

Fig. 131 depicts a view of the integrated inverter assembly showing the coolant channel cover.

Fig. 132 depicts a DC link capacitor in the prior art.

Fig. 133 depicts an embodiment DC link capacitor.

Fig. 134 depicts an embodiment closed DC link capacitor.

Fig. 135 depicts a view of an integrated inverter assembly with AC bus bars and motor temperature/position sensors.

Fig. 136 depicts a prior art quick connector.

Fig. 137 depicts a prior art quick connector.

Fig. 138 depicts an embodiment fluid connector.

Fig. 139 depicts an embodiment fluid connector.

Fig. 140 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

Fig. 141 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure of turning off the power supply circuit.

FIG. 142 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for turning off the power supply circuit.

Fig. 143 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

Fig. 144 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for turning off the power supply circuit.

Fig. 145 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for turning off the power supply circuit.

Fig. 146 depicts an embodiment of a system with a circuit breaker/relay.

Fig. 147 depicts an embodiment of a system with a circuit breaker/relay.

Fig. 148 depicts an embodiment of a system with a circuit breaker/relay.

Fig. 149 depicts an embodiment of a system with a circuit breaker/relay.

Fig. 150 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

FIG. 151 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

Fig. 152 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure for configuring a power converter.

Fig. 153 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a procedure of the integrated power converter.

Fig. 154 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for regulating the operation of a motor.

Fig. 155 depicts a schematic flow diagram of a routine for regulating operation of a motor.

Fig. 156 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

Fig. 157 depicts a schematic of a controller.

Fig. 158 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for regulating the operation of the inverter.

Fig. 159 depicts an embodiment of a system having multiple motors.

Fig. 160 depicts a schematic diagram of a controller.

Fig. 161 depicts a schematic flow chart of a procedure for operating a plurality of motors.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, an exemplary system 100 is schematically depicted that includes a Power Distribution Unit (PDU)102 operatively positioned between a power source 104 and a load 106. The power source 104 may be of any type, including at least a battery, a generator, and/or a capacitor. The power source 104 may include multiple power sources or power lines, which may be distributed according to power type (e.g., battery input separate from generator input) and/or may be distributed according to the equipment being powered (e.g., auxiliary and/or accessory power sources separate from a main load power source such as a power source, and/or shunts within accessories, shunts within a power source, etc.). The load 106 may be of any type, including one or more power loads (e.g., to individual drive wheel motors, to global power drive motors, etc.), one or more accessories (e.g., onboard accessories such as a steering gear, fan, lights, cab power, etc.). In certain embodiments, PDU 102 facilitates integration of the electrical system of the application (including system 100), such as by grouping all power distribution into a single box, a single area, and/or a single set of logically integrated components using unified input and output channels. In certain embodiments, PDU 102 provides protection of an electrical system, including blowing and/or connecting or disconnecting (manually and/or automatically) the electrical system or individual aspects of the electrical system. In certain embodiments, one or more power sources 104 may be a high voltage (e.g., a power source, which may be 96V, 230V-360V, 240V, 480V, or any other value) or a low voltage (e.g., 12V, 24V, 42V, or any other value). In certain embodiments, one or more of the power sources 104 may be a Direct Current (DC) power source or an Alternating Current (AC) power source, including a multi-phase (e.g., three-phase) AC power source. In some embodiments, PDU 102 is a pass-through device that supplies power to load 106 substantially as configured by power supply 104 (e.g., as affected only by sensing and other operations of PDU 102 that are not provided for power supply configuration). In some embodiments, PDU 102 may include power electronics that, for example, rectify, regulate voltage, clean up noisy power, etc., to provide selected power characteristics to load 106.

Referring to fig. 2, a more detailed view of an exemplary PDU 102 is schematically depicted. The example PDU 102 includes a primary power source 202 (e.g., high voltage, primary load power source, etc.) that may be provided by one or more power sources 104 and a secondary power source 204 (e.g., secondary, auxiliary, low voltage, etc.) that may be provided by one or more power sources 104. The example PDU 102 depicts a single primary power source 202 and a single secondary power source 204, but a given application may include one or more primary power sources 202, and may include separate secondary power sources 204 and/or omit secondary power sources 204.

The exemplary PDU 102 also includes a coolant inlet 206 and a coolant outlet 204. Providing coolant to PDU 102 is optional and may not be included in certain embodiments. The coolant may be of any type depending on availability in the application, including, for example, available on-board coolant (e.g., engine coolant, transmission coolant, coolant flow associated with auxiliary or other power components, such as the power supply 104, etc.), and/or may be a coolant dedicated to the PDU 102. Where present, the amount of cooling provided by the coolant can be variable, such as by varying the amount of coolant flowing through the coolant loop through PDU 102, such as by operating hardware (e.g., a valve or flow restriction) within PDU 102 to provide a request for coolant flow rate to another device in the system, and so forth.

The exemplary PDU 102 also includes a primary power outlet 210 and a secondary power outlet 212. As previously described, the PDU 102 may include a plurality of primary power outlets 210, and/or divided, multiple, multiplexed, and/or omitted secondary power outlets 212. The exemplary PDU 102 is a pass-through power device in which the power outlets 210,212 have substantially the same electrical characteristics of the corresponding power inlets 202,204, except for effects on the power due to sensing and/or active diagnostics. However, PDU 102 may include power electronics (solid state or otherwise) that configure the power supply in any desired manner.

The exemplary PDU 102 also includes a controller 214 configured to functionally execute certain operations of the PDU 102. Controller 214 includes and/or is communicatively coupled to one or more sensors and/or actuators in PDU 102, for example, to determine current values, voltage values, and/or temperatures of any power sources or inputs, fuses, connectors, or other devices in PDU 102. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 214 is communicatively coupled to the system 100 including the PDU 102, including, for example, a vehicle controller, an engine controller, a transmission controller, an application controller, and/or a network device or server (e.g., a fleet computer, a cloud server, etc.). The controller 214 may be coupled to an application network (e.g., CAN, data link, private or public network, etc.), an external network, and/or another device (e.g., an operator's portable device, a vehicle's cab computer, etc.). For ease of illustration, the controller 214 is schematically depicted as a single, stand-alone device. It should be appreciated that the controller 214 and/or aspects of the controller 214 may be distributed across multiple hardware devices, included within another hardware device (e.g., a controller of a power source, load, vehicle, application, etc.), and/or configured as a hardware device, logic circuitry, etc. to perform one or more operations of the controller 214. PDU 102 is schematically depicted as a device within a single housing, but may be located within a single housing and/or distributed in two or more places within an application. In some embodiments, the inclusion of PDU 102 within a single housing provides certain advantages of integration, reduced footprint, and/or simplified interface. Additionally or alternatively, it is contemplated herein that PDU 102 is included in more than one location in one application, and/or it is contemplated herein that more than one PDU 102 is included within one application.

The exemplary PDU 102 includes a primary contactor 216 that selectively controls the primary power throughput of the PDU 102. In this example, the main contactor 216 is communicatively coupled to and controlled by the controller 214. The main contactor 216 may additionally be manually controllable, and/or other main contactors 216 may be on the same line of the main power supply and manually controllable. Exemplary main contactors 216 include solenoid (or other coil-based) contactors such that energizing a solenoid provides a connected main power source (e.g., normally open, or disconnecting a power source when not energized) and/or energizing a solenoid provides a disconnected main power source (e.g., normally closed, or connecting a power source when not energized). The characteristics of the system 100, including design choices regarding whether the power supply should be active in the event of a power failure at the controller 214, maintenance plans, regulations and/or policies implemented, consequences of a loss of power to the system 100, voltage typically delivered on the main power supply, availability of a positive manual disconnect option, etc., may inform or decide the decision of whether the main contactor 216 is normally open or normally closed. In certain embodiments, the main contactor 216 may be a solid state device, such as a solid state relay. Where there is more than one main contactor 216, the various contactors may include the same or different hardware (e.g., one being a solenoid and one being a solid state relay), and/or may include the same or different logic for implementing normally open or normally closed. The main contactor 216 may additionally be controllable by a device external to the PDU 102 (e.g., a key switch lock, another controller in the system 100 having authority to control the main contactor 216, etc.), and/or the controller 214 may be responsive to an external command to open or close the main contactor 216, and/or an additional contactor embedded in the main power supply may be responsive to a device external to the PDU 102.

The exemplary PDU 102 includes an auxiliary contactor 218 that selectively controls the auxiliary power throughput of the PDU 102. In this example, the auxiliary contactor 218 is communicatively coupled to and controlled by the controller 214. The auxiliary contactor 218 may additionally be manually controllable, and/or other auxiliary contactors 218 may be on the same line of the auxiliary power supply and manually controllable. Exemplary auxiliary contactors 218 include solenoid (or other coil-based) contactors such that energizing the solenoid provides a connected auxiliary power source (e.g., normally open, or disconnecting the power source when not energized) and/or energizing the solenoid provides a disconnected auxiliary power source (e.g., normally closed, or connecting the power source when not energized). The characteristics of the system 100, including design choices regarding whether the power supply should be active in the event of a power failure at the controller 214, maintenance plans, regulations and/or policies implemented, consequences of a power loss to the system 100, voltage typically delivered on one or more auxiliary power supplies, availability of a positive manual disconnect option, etc., may inform or decide the decision of whether the auxiliary contactor 218 is normally open or normally closed. In certain embodiments, the auxiliary contactor 218 may be a solid state device, such as a solid state relay. The auxiliary contactor 218 can additionally be controllable by a device external to the PDU 102 (e.g., a key switch lock, another controller in the system 100 having authority to control the auxiliary contactor 218, etc.), and/or the controller 214 can be responsive to an external command to open or close the auxiliary contactor 218, and/or an additional contactor embedded in the auxiliary power supply can be responsive to a device external to the PDU 102. In certain embodiments, an auxiliary contactor 218 may be provided for each auxiliary line, a subset of auxiliary lines (e.g., four auxiliary power inputs, and 2, 3, or 4 auxiliary contactors 218), and so on.

The exemplary PDU 102 includes a current source 220, which may be an alternating current source and/or may be provided as solid-state electronics on the controller 214. The current source 220 can provide a selected current injection, for example in the form of an AC current, a DC current, and/or a controllable current over time, across the main fuse 222 to the main power source. For example, PDU 102 can include sensors, such as voltage and/or current sensors on the primary power source, and current source 220 provides an electrical connection to the power source (which can be an external power source and/or pulled through the controller) in a manner configured to inject a desired current into the primary power source. The current source 220 may include feedback to ensure that the desired current is injected, for example, to respond to system noise, variability, and aging, and/or a nominal electrical connection may be applied to inject the current, and the controller 214 determines the sensor input to determine what current is actually injected on the primary power source. The example PDU 102 depicts a current source 220 associated with a master fuse 222, but the PDU 102 may also include one or more current sources 220 associated with any one or more of the fuses 222,224 in the PDU 102, including individual, groups of sub-fuses, or across all fuses at once (subject to power source compatibility on the fuses, e.g., simultaneous injection of current across electrically coupled fuses should generally be avoided). It can be seen that including the additional current source 220 may provide greater resolution in injecting current across individual fuses and managing the change in fuses over time, while including fewer current sources 220 may reduce system cost and complexity. In certain embodiments, the current source 220 is configured to selectively inject current across each fuse in the PDU 102 and/or across each fuse of interest in sequence or schedule and/or at the request of the controller 214.

The exemplary PDU 102 includes a primary fuse 222 and a secondary fuse 224. One or more main fuses 222 are associated with the primary power source and an auxiliary fuse 224 is associated with the auxiliary power source. In certain embodiments, the fuse is a thermal fuse, such as a resistive device that exhibits heating and is intended to fail beyond a given current distribution in an associated power transmission line. Referring to FIG. 3, a typical and non-limiting exemplary response curve of a fuse is depicted. Curve 302 represents an application damage curve that depicts a current-time space within which, if exceeded, some aspect of the application may be damaged. For example, in the exemplary application damage curve 302, if more than 10 times the rated current lasts about 50 milliseconds, damage to some aspect of the application may occur. It should be understood that an application may contain many components, and that these components may differ in the application damage curve 302. Additionally, each fuse 222,224 may be associated with a different component having a different damage curve than the other components. Curve 304 represents a control space where, in certain embodiments, the controller 114 provides control protection to prevent the system from reaching the application damage curve 302 in the event of a fuse failure or non-nominal operation. The application damage curve 302 may be a specified value, such as a system requirement that must be met, where the overshoot of the application damage curve 302 does not meet the system requirement, but actual damage to the component may occur at some other value in the current-time space. Curve 306 represents the fuse melt line of the exemplary fuse. At the location of the fuse melt line 306, the fuse temperature exceeds the fuse design temperature, and the fuse melts. However, the fuse continues to conduct for a period of time after the melting begins, as depicted by fuse-on line 308 (e.g., due to conduction of melted material, arcing, etc., before the connection is interrupted). When the time-current space reaches the fuse-on line 308, the fuse is no longer conducting on the power line and the line is disconnected. It should be understood that the exact timing of fuse melting and fuse disconnection will be affected by the particular system dynamics, inter-fuse variability, fuse aging (e.g., induced mechanical or thermal degradation, compositional changes, oxidation, etc.), the exact nature of the current experienced (e.g., rise time of the current), and other real world variables. However, even with a nominal fuse as depicted in FIG. 3, it can be seen that for very high currents, the nominal fuse pass-through line 308 and even the fuse melt line 306 may span the application damage curve 302, for example because some dynamics of the fuse disconnect operation are less responsive (in the time domain) or non-responsive to the current applied at very high current values.

The example PDU 102 also includes a conductive layer 226 associated with the secondary power source and a conductive layer 228 associated with the primary power source. The conductive layers 226,228 include power line and fuse power couplers. In certain embodiments, the conductive layers 226,228 are simply wires or other conductive couplers between the fuses and the power supply connection to the PDU 102. Additionally or alternatively, the conductive layers 226,228 can include flat or laminated portions (e.g., with stamped or formed conductive layers) to provide power connections within the PDU 102, and/or portions of the conductive layers 226,228 can include flat or laminated portions. Without being limited to any other disclosure provided herein, utilization of a flat or laminated portion provides manufacturing flexibility of the conductive layer 226,228, mounting flexibility and/or reduced mounting footprint of the conductive layer 226,228, and/or provides a greater contact area between the conductive layer 226,228 and portions of the PDU 102 (e.g., fuses, controllers, contactors, or other devices within the PDU 102), where thermal and/or electrical contact between the conductive layer 226,228 and other devices is desired. The example conductive layers 226,228 are depicted as being associated with fuses, although the conductive layers 226,228 may additionally or alternatively be associated with the controller 214 within the PDU 102 (e.g., a power coupler, communication within or outside the PDU 102, a coupler to an actuator, a coupler to a sensor, and/or a thermal coupler), the contactors 216,218, and/or any other device.

Referring to fig. 4, an exemplary system 400 is a mobile application, such as a vehicle. The exemplary system 400 includes a high voltage battery 104 electrically coupled to a high voltage load 106 through a PDU 102. In the exemplary system 400, an auxiliary prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine 402 (with associated conversion electronics, such as a generator, motor generator, and/or inverter) is additionally coupled to the PDU 102. It should be understood that the high voltage battery 104 and/or the auxiliary prime mover 402 may act as a source of power or a load during certain operating conditions of the system 400, and further that the high voltage load 106 (e.g., an electric motor or a motor-generator coupled to the wheels) may act as a load or a source of power during certain operating conditions. The description herein of the load 106 and the power source 104 is non-limiting and references are made only to nominal operation, ordinary operation, and/or operating conditions chosen for conceptual description, even if the load 106 and/or the power source 104 often, commonly, or always operate in a mode other than the named. For example, the high voltage battery 104 may operate as a power source during power operations to harvest net energy from the battery, and/or as a load during charging operations, power operations to charge the battery with wheels or auxiliary prime movers, and so forth.

The exemplary system 400 also includes a powertrain controller 404 that controls operation of the powertrain system, which may be associated with another component in the system 400 and/or be part of another controller in the system (e.g., a vehicle controller, a battery controller, a motor or motor-generator controller, and/or an engine controller). The exemplary system 400 also includes a charger 406 coupled to the high voltage battery 404 through the PDU 102 and a low voltage load ("12V auto load" in the example of fig. 4) representing auxiliary and accessory loads in the system 400. Those skilled in the art will recognize system 400 as a series hybrid system that includes a vehicle, for example, where an auxiliary power source (e.g., an internal combustion engine) interacts only with the electrical system to recharge the battery and/or provide additional real-time power during operation, but does not mechanically interact with the drive wheels. Additionally or alternatively, the system may include a parallel hybrid system, wherein the auxiliary power source may interact mechanically with the drive wheels, and/or interact with the electrical system (with either or both). Additionally or alternatively, the system may be a purely electrical system in which there is no auxiliary power source, and/or in which there is an auxiliary power source, but the auxiliary power source does not interact with a high voltage/power supply system (e.g., an alternative power supply unit that drives accessories, a refrigeration system, etc., whose power may be transmitted through PDU 102, but separate from the power supply electrical system). In certain embodiments, a powered system such as a vehicle experiences high transient load cycles, for example, during acceleration, deceleration, stop-and-go traffic, emergency operation, etc., and thus power management in such a system is complex and certain devices such as fuses may be susceptible to high transient load cycles. Additionally or alternatively, loss of operation of the vehicle may result in cost of system downtime, lost or untimely delivery of cargo, and/or significant operational risk due to failure (e.g., operator and/or vehicle detention, loss of operation in traffic, loss of operation on a motorway, etc.). In certain embodiments, other systems that may be hybrid and/or electric only, are additionally or alternatively subject to highly variable duty cycles and/or particular vulnerabilities to operational disruptions, such as, but not limited to, pumping operations, process operations of larger processes (e.g., chemical, refining, drilling, etc.), power generation operations, mining operations, and the like. System failures of these operations and others may involve external effects such as losses associated with process failures that exceed the downtime of a particular system, and/or the downtime of such systems may result in significant costs.

Referring to fig. 5, an exemplary system is depicted as including PDU 102. The exemplary PDU 102 has a plurality of auxiliary power connections (e.g., charging, power steering, vehicle accessories, and load loops for current sensing in this example) and a main power/tractive effort power connection. The exemplary system 500 includes two high voltage contactors, one each at the high and low ends of the battery, where in this example the two high voltage contactors are controllable by a system control board, but may additionally or alternatively be manual (e.g., switches accessible by an operator). The system control board may additionally control a main breaker that can disconnect all power supplies passing through the PDU 102. The system 500 also depicts a power fuse bypass 502 that may be controlled by the system control board and that supports certain operations of the present disclosure as described throughout. The system 500 depicts the power fuse bypass 502, but may additionally or alternatively include one or more of the auxiliary fuses, any subset of the auxiliary fuses, and/or an auxiliary bypass of all the auxiliary fuses together. The exemplary system 500 includes optional coolant supply and return couplers. The battery coupling in system 500 depicts a 230V to 400V battery coupling, but the high voltage coupling may be any value. The system control board is depicted as communicatively coupled to a 12V CAN network, but the communicative coupling of the system control board to surrounding applications or systems may be any network, multiple networks (e.g., vehicle, engine, power system, private, public, OBD, etc.), and/or may be or include a wireless network connection as understood in the art.

Referring to fig. 6, an exemplary apparatus 1300 is depicted that can include all or part of a PDU 102. Any description herein referencing interaction between the main fuse 222 and the laminate layers 226/228 additionally or alternatively contemplates interaction between any fuse and/or connector in the apparatus 1300 and/or any other component of the PDU 102 as throughout this disclosure. The example apparatus 1300 includes contactors 216/218, which may be high voltage contactors and/or may be associated with various ones of the fuses 222,224 in the apparatus 1300. The device 1300 includes lamination layers 226/228, which may include conductive layers for certain aspects of the conductive circuitry in the device 1300. The laminate layers 226/228 may additionally or alternatively provide rigidity and/or structural support for various components in the device 1300. The lamination layer 226/228 may be configured to interact with any component in a manner desired to support the functionality (including structural functionality, thermal transfer functionality, and/or electrical conductivity functionality) of the lamination layer 226/228. The exemplary lamination layer 226/228 interacts with all of the contacts and fuses in the apparatus 1300, but the lamination layer 226/228 may be readily configured to interact with selected ones of the contacts and/or fuses and/or with other components in the apparatus, for example, in a manner similar to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design. The example device 1300 is positioned on an L-shaped bracket, which may be a final configuration and/or may be a test configuration. In certain embodiments, the apparatus 1300 is enclosed in a dedicated housing, and/or in a housing (such as a battery housing) of another device in the system 100. In certain embodiments, the apparatus 1300 includes a removable outer housing portion (e.g., top, cover, etc.) for service and/or maintenance access to components of the apparatus. The example apparatus 1300 includes a connector 1302, for example, to provide power, data link access, a connection to the power source 104, a connection to the load 106, a connection to a sensor (not shown), and/or any other type of connection to the system 100 or other component.

Referring to fig. 7, an alternative view of the apparatus 1300 is depicted. The apparatus 1300 depicted in FIG. 7 shows the physical interaction between the main fuse 222 and the laminate layers 226/228 for an exemplary embodiment. Referring to fig. 8, a closer detailed view of the interaction between the main fuse 222 and the laminate layers 226/228 is depicted for an exemplary embodiment. In the example of FIG. 8, it can be seen that the main fuse 222 includes a relatively large thermal contact area with the lamination layer 226/228 on the bottom side of the fuse, and a relatively small thermal contact area with the lamination layer 226/228 on the mounting side (e.g., by a mounting component). The thermal contact area between the main fuse 222 and the laminate layer 226/228 is optional, and in certain embodiments, the mounting or open side of the main fuse 222 includes a larger thermal contact area, and/or the bottom side includes a large thermal contact area or is not in significant thermal contact with the laminate layer 226/228.

Referring to FIG. 9, a detailed view of a side cross-section of the laminate 226/228 is depicted. The laminate layers 226/228 in this example include an outer structural layer 1402 and an opposing outer structural layer (not numbered) with a gap space 1404 between the outer structural layers. In certain embodiments, a conductive flow path and/or a thermal flow path is provided in the interstitial spaces 1404 between the structural layers. It should be appreciated that the use of two outer structural layers 1402 provides certain mechanical advantages, including increased durability to impacts and light impacts, denting of the layers, and bending or flexing of the PDU 102. Additionally or alternatively, the use of two outer structural layers 1402 provides improved mechanical moments for certain types of stresses. Thus, in some embodiments, the gap space 1404 is empty (e.g., it forms a gap) and/or negligible (e.g., the outer layers are sandwiched directly together in at least some portions of the PDU 102), although an improved design is still achieved. In certain embodiments, the interstitial spaces 1404 include thermally conductive members (e.g., high thermal conductivity paths at selected locations), electrically conductive members (e.g., high electrical conductivity paths at selected locations), active and/or convective thermal paths (e.g., coolant or other convective thermal material flowing through selected paths in the interstitial spaces 1404), insulating materials (e.g., to direct electrical current or heat flow, and/or to electrically and/or thermally separate components or layers), and/or dielectric materials (e.g., to improve electrical isolation of components and/or layers).

Referring to fig. 10, a top view of an exemplary apparatus 1300 is depicted. The laminate layers 226/228 are distributed throughout the device 1300 to provide optional support, thermal and/or electrical conductivity paths to any desired components in the device. Referring to FIG. 11, a side detail view of the interaction space 1408 between the laminate layer 226/228 and the main fuse 222 is depicted. The interaction space includes a thermally conductive path between the mounting points on the main fuse 222 and the lamination layers 226/228. In addition, there is a gap space 1404 between the layers (in this example, along the bottom and sides of the main fuse 222). Thus, desired thermal transfer and/or electrical communication between the main fuse 222 and the gap layer 226/228 (and thus any other selected components in the apparatus 1300) may be provided, if desired. In certain embodiments, greater thermal and/or electrical coupling between the main fuse 222 and the lamination layers 226/228 is provided, for example, by extending the lamination layers 226/228 along the housing of the main fuse 222 rather than being offset from the housing, and/or by providing a thermally conductive connection between the main fuse 222 and the lamination layers 226/228 (e.g., thermal grease, silicone, and/or contacts utilizing any other thermal coupling material such as metal or other conductor).

Referring to FIG. 12, a primary fuse 222 is depicted that is coupled to a lamination layer 226/228 on the bottom side of the primary fuse 222. The example of fig. 12 depicts a thermally conductive layer 1406, such as a thermal paste, silicone pad, mounting metal material, and/or any other thermally conductive layer understood in the art, disposed between the main fuse 222 and the laminate layer 226/228. In the example of fig. 12, the increased effective thermal contact area provides greater heat transfer away from the main fuse 222 as the main fuse 222 becomes hotter than the

laminate layers

226, 228. Additionally, heat can be directed away by including thermally conductive materials in the interstitial spaces 1404 (e.g., with reference to fig. 14), including, for example, utilizing conductive pathways to direct heat to selected portions of the PDU housing, actively cooling the exchange system, heating fins, and the like. In the example of fig. 12, the support layer 226/228 coupled with the fuse 222 in fig. 12 may additionally or alternatively include only a single layer (e.g., not a laminated layer, and/or the layers 226,228 lack the gap spaces 1404), the housing of the PDU 102, and/or another component in the system 100 (such as a battery pack housing). In certain embodiments, thermal conductivity is enhanced in fig. 12 by the lamination layer 226/228, for example by including highly conductive channels in the interstitial spaces 1404, which may be improved by the structural support, routing availability, and/or environmental isolation provided by the lamination layer 226/228. Referring to fig. 13, in addition to the features depicted in fig. 12, fins 1502 for improved heat transfer and/or structural rigidity are depicted on the laminate layer 226/228 (which may be a laminate layer, a single layer, a housing wall, etc.). In certain embodiments, the fins are oriented such that fluid passes through the fins in a direction to enhance heat transfer (e.g., oriented to improve effective flow area and/or turbulence generation in the fluid stream, maximize effective area in the gas stream, and/or allow natural convection of the fluid (such as gas lift) to cause high effective flow area of the fins 1502). In certain embodiments, such as where the support layers 226,228 (and/or layer 226) are part of a housing, battery housing, or other device, the fins 1502 may instead be present in ambient air, a forced air flow region, or a region to be contacted by any selected fluid to facilitate heat transfer to the fluid.

Convective heat transfer as utilized herein includes any heat transfer path wherein convective heat transfer constitutes at least a part of the overall heat transfer mechanism. For example, where a portion of the heat transfer is conduction (e.g., through walls, thermal grease, etc.) into a flowing fluid (where generally convective heat transfer predominates), then the heat transfer mechanism is and/or includes a convective portion. In certain embodiments, heat transfer utilizing an active or passive flowing fluid includes convective heat transfer as utilized herein. The heat transfer may be dominated by conduction under certain operating conditions, by convection under certain operating conditions, and/or include a mixture of contributions from conductive and convective heat transfer under certain operating conditions.

Referring to fig. 14, in addition to the features depicted in fig. 12, a fluid flow 1602 is provided that flows through the interstitial spaces 1404, which in certain embodiments enhances heat flow from the main fuse 222 to the laminate layer 226/228. The fluid flow 1602 may be a coolant (e.g., vehicle, engine, battery pack, and/or transmission coolant, or other coolant sources available in the system), and/or may be a dedicated coolant, such as a closed system of the PDU 102 and/or the power supply 104. In certain embodiments, the fluid flow 1602 includes a gas (e.g., air, compressed air, etc.). In certain embodiments, the coolant flow may be active (e.g., from a pressurized source, through a valve, and/or pumped) or passive (e.g., configured to occur during normal operation without further control or input).

Referring to fig. 15, the main fuse 222 is depicted with enhanced thermal communication with laminate layers 226,228 (which may be laminated, single layer, housing, etc.). In this example, enhanced thermal conductivity is provided by the thermal coupling layer 1406, but may alternatively or additionally include positioning the layers 226,228 proximate the main fuse 222 and/or providing another high conductivity path (e.g., metal, etc.) to selected locations of the layers 226,228 and/or the thermal coupling layer 1406. The embodiment of figure 15 provides additional heat transfer capability of the main fuse 222 similar to that depicted in figure 12, and the embodiments of figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 may be combined in whole or in part.

Referring to fig. 16, a highly conductive thermal path 1702 is depicted that moves heat out of the laminate layer 226/228. The high conductivity thermal path 1702 may be combined with any other embodiments described throughout this disclosure to control heat flow in a desired manner. In certain embodiments, the high conductivity thermal path 1702 is thermally coupled at 1706 to another portion of the laminate layers 226,228, to the housing, to a single layer, or to any other desired component in the PDU 102 or within the thermal communication of the PDU 102. The portion of fig. 16 receiving the transferred heat may additionally or alternatively be coupled to an active or passive heat transfer member, including fins or other heat transfer enhancing aspects, and/or may be thermally coupled to a convective heat transfer member or fluid.

Referring to FIG. 17, the fluid flow 1602 moves away from the portion of the laminate layer 226/228 in direct thermal contact with the primary fuse 222. This example includes the fluid flow 1602 beneath the main fuse 222 and the main fuse 222 is thermally coupled to the lamination layer 226/228 on the side of the fuse, but the fluid flow 1602 may be located on either or both sides of the main fuse 222 and the main fuse 222 is thermally coupled to the other side and/or bottom of the main fuse 222, as well as combinations of any of the foregoing. The descriptions of fig. 12-17 are described in the context of the master fuse 222, but embodiments herein are applicable to any one or more selected components of the PDU 102, including, but not limited to, any fuses, connectors, and/or controllers positioned within the PDU 102.

Referring to fig. 18, an exemplary system includes PDU 102 positioned within a battery pack housing or casing, wherein a battery cell (e.g., power source 104) is thermally coupled to a heating/cooling system 1802 present in the system. Additionally or alternatively, PDU 102 can be thermally coupled to battery cell 104, e.g., using conductive pathways, at a housing interface, etc., and/or PDU 102 can be thermally isolated from battery cell 104 and/or in nominal thermal communication with battery cell 104 only (e.g., an arrangement in which some heat transfer therebetween is expected, but no intentionally designed elements for increasing heat transfer between PDU 102 and battery cell 104). Referring to fig. 19, an exemplary system includes PDU 102 in a coolant loop of a heat transfer system 1802, e.g., where a thermal coupling aspect is provided to transfer heat from PDU 102 to the coolant loop, and/or the coolant loop includes a flow branch in thermal contact with PDU 102. The example in fig. 19 depicts a series coolant arrangement between battery cells 104 and PDU 102, although any arrangement is contemplated herein, including at least a parallel arrangement, a series arrangement that first contacts PDU 102, and/or a hybrid arrangement (e.g., contacting a portion of one of battery cells 104 and PDU 102 first, then contacting all or a portion of the other, etc.).

The exemplary procedure includes an operation to provide active and/or passive cooling to temperature sensitive components on PDU 102. The example program also includes cooling the temperature sensitive component sufficiently to extend the life of the component to a design service life, a predetermined maintenance interval, the life of the PDU 102 and/or the battery pack and/or the predetermined maintenance interval, and/or reducing the temperature of the fuse to avoid thermal/mechanical damage to the fuse, a "nuisance failure" of the fuse (e.g., a fuse failure that does not occur as a result of the design protection mechanism of the fuse, such as an over-current operation).

In certain embodiments, fuse design introduces complexity to the system, for example it may be desirable for a fuse to have a fuse threshold value that is between about 135% and 300% of the system overcurrent threshold. However, fuses on the smaller end of the scale may fail over the life of the system due to thermal and/or mechanical fatigue, resulting in "nuisance failures" or fuse failures that are not due to the protective function of the fuse. Such failures result in high costs, downtime, a perception of degradation of the product embodying the system, potentially dangerous situations or holdups due to power loss, and the like. Designing larger fuses to avoid nuisance failures may introduce an increased risk of overcurrent events to external systems and/or significant costs required to upgrade the rest of the power supply system. In addition, designing a system that is suitable for multiple maximum power availabilities (e.g., one power supply system suitable for two different power ratings) requires changing or designing the fuse plan to accommodate multiple systems. In certain implementations, the same hardware may be used for different power ratings, and/or changed after the system is in operation, providing off-nominal fuse specifications for at least one of the multiple power ratings.

Referring to FIG. 20, an exemplary apparatus 1900 for providing additional protection against fuse nuisance faults and system failures is described. The example apparatus 1900, for example, implemented on the controller 214, includes a current event determination circuit 1902 that determines that a current event 1904 is valid or predicted to occur, where the current event includes a component experiencing (or about to experience) a wear event, such as a current value that will cause thermal and/or mechanical stress on the component but may not cause immediate failure or observable damage. Exemplary components include fuses, but may be any other component in the system, including battery cells, switches or connectors, motors, and the like. Another example current event includes a system failure value, such as a current value that would be likely or expected to cause a system failure (e.g., a cable failure, a connector failure, etc.).

The apparatus 1900 also includes a response determination circuit 1906 that determines a system response value 1910 to the current event 1904. Exemplary and non-limiting responses include notifying an operator to reduce power, reducing power, notifying a system controller that a current event 1904 is present or imminent, opening a contactor on a circuit associated with the event, delaying circuit protection, monitoring the event and the cause of response delay and response at a later time, and/or scheduling responses according to operating conditions in the system. The apparatus 1900 also includes response implementation circuitry 1908, wherein the response implementation circuitry 1908 determines communication and/or actuator responses from the system response values 1910 and provides network communications 1912 and/or actuator commands 1914 to implement the system response values 1910. Exemplary and non-limiting actuator responses include operating a contactor, operating an active coolant actuator to modulate thermal conduction away from a fuse, and the like.

Referring to fig. 21, illustrative data 2000 for implementing a system response value 1910 is depicted. Illustrative data 2000 includes a threshold 2002, such as a current, a temperature, an index parameter, or other value at which component wear and/or system failure is expected to occur, and which current event determination circuit 1902 uses as a threshold, at least under certain operating conditions at some point in time of the system. It should be appreciated that the current event determination circuit 1902 may utilize multiple thresholds and/or dynamic thresholds, as described throughout this disclosure. Curve 2004 represents nominal system performance, such as current, temperature, index parameters, etc. that would be experienced by the system in the absence of operation of device 1900. In this example, the response determination circuit 1906 determines that the threshold 2002 is to be crossed, and considers the contactor disconnect time 2008 (and/or the active coolant loop response time) to command the contactors in time and/or increase heat conduction away from the fuse to avoid crossing the threshold 2002. Illustrative data 2000 depicts a resulting system response curve 2006 in which the resulting system performance is kept below a threshold 2002. The system may experience an alternate response trajectory (e.g., depending on the dynamics of the system, the time the contactor remains open, etc., the resulting system response curve 2006 may be well below the threshold 2002). However, additionally or alternatively, the response determination circuit 1906 may allow the threshold 2002 to be crossed, e.g., according to any operation or determination described throughout this disclosure. In certain embodiments, the response determination circuit 1906 allows the threshold 2002 to be crossed, but produces a lower peak in response and/or a lower area under the response curve above the threshold 2002 than would occur without operation of the response determination circuit 1906.

An exemplary procedure, which may be performed by an apparatus such as apparatus 1900, includes operations to determine that a current event (or other responsive event) exceeds or is predicted to exceed a wear threshold and/or to determine that a current event exceeds or is predicted to exceed a system failure value. In response to determining that the current event exceeds or is predicted to exceed any value, the routine includes operations to perform mitigation actions. The components used for the wear threshold may be fuses (e.g., fuses experience or are expected to experience high usage current events that would cause mechanical stress, thermal stress, or fuse life), components in the system (e.g., contactors, cables, switches, battery cells, etc.), and/or nominally determined defined thresholds (e.g., calibration of values expected to be relevant to possible component damage and not necessarily tied to a particular component). In certain embodiments, the wear threshold and/or system failure value should compensate for the aging or wear state of the system or components in the system (e.g., decrease the threshold and/or increase the response as the system ages).

Non-limiting mitigation actions (which may be system response values 1910) include, but are not limited to: 1) disconnecting the circuit having the worn component (e.g., the fuse, the system component, and/or the particular power line experiencing the event); 2) notifying an operator to reduce power requirements; 3) notifying a vehicle or powertrain controller of the current event; 4) regulating or limiting the power available to the operator; 5) delaying circuit protection (disconnection and/or power reduction) in response to conditions (e.g., in traffic, vehicle motion, application type, operator notification of a need to continue operation, etc.), including allowing components in the system to experience potential wear and/or failure events; 6) if the event persists and if subsequent conditions permit, continuing to monitor the circuit and disconnect the circuit (or reduce power, etc.); 7) scheduling responses according to the operating mode of the system (e.g., sports, energy savings, emergency, fleet operator (and/or policy), owner/operator (and/or policy), geographic policy, and/or regulatory policy); and/or 8) bypass worn components (e.g., cause current to bypass the fuse in response).

In certain embodiments, the operation of determining that the current event exceeds the wear threshold and/or the system failure value is based on a calculation such as: 1) determining that a current flowing through the circuit exceeds a threshold (e.g., an amperage); 2) determining that a rate of change of a current flowing through the circuit exceeds a threshold (e.g., an ampere/second value); and/or 3) determining that the indicator parameter exceeds the threshold (e.g., the indicator comprises accumulated ampere-seconds; ampere/sec-sec; a count indicator of cycles above one threshold or more; a count indicator weighted by the instantaneous current value; integrated current, heat transfer and/or power values; and/or count down or reset these values based on current operating conditions).

In certain embodiments, determining that the current event exceeds the wear threshold and/or the system failure value comprises or is adjusted based on one or more of: 1) a jump curve (e.g., a power-time or current-time trajectory, and/or an operating curve on a data set or table, such as represented in fig. 3); 2) a fuse temperature model comprising first or second derivatives of temperature, and one or more temperature thresholds for scheduling and/or asymptotic response; 3) measured battery voltage (e.g., current values may be higher as battery voltage decreases, and/or dynamic response of current may change, causing changes in wear thresholds, system failures, and/or current event determinations); 4) first derivatives of current, temperature, power demand and/or index parameters; 5) second derivatives of current, temperature, power demand and/or index parameters; 6) information from the battery management system (e.g., voltage, current, state of charge, state of health, rate of change of any of these values, which may affect the current value, the expected current value, and/or the dynamic response of the current value, causing changes in wear thresholds, system failures, and/or current event determinations); 7) determining and monitoring contactor disconnect times, and taking into account contactor disconnect times when determining responses to current events; 8) using auxiliary system information and adjusting responses (e.g., predicted imminent changes in power requirements from operation, auxiliary restraint system activation/deployment-opening contactors (switching off power); collision avoidance system activation-keeping the contactor closed for maximum system control; and/or anti-lock braking system and/or traction control system activation-holding contactors closed to achieve maximum system control). In certain embodiments, the degree of activation may also be considered, and/or system status may be communicated to the PDU, e.g., the system may report critical operations that require the power supply to remain as long as possible, or shutdown operations that require the power supply to be shut off as soon as possible, etc.

Referring to fig. 22, an exemplary apparatus 600 for measuring current through a fuse using active current injection is schematically depicted. The apparatus 600 includes a controller 214 having a plurality of circuits configured to functionally execute the operations of the controller 214. The controller 214 includes an injection control circuit 602 that provides an injection command 604, wherein the current source 220 is responsive to the injection command 604. The controller 214 also includes injection configuration circuitry 606 that selects frequency, amplitude, and/or waveform characteristics (injection characteristics 608) for the injection commands 604. The controller 214 also includes a duty cycle description circuit 610 that determines a duty cycle 612 of a system that includes the controller 214, where the duty cycle includes a description of the current and voltage seen by the fuse. In certain embodiments, the duty cycle description circuit 612 further updates the duty cycle 612, for example, by observing the duty cycle over time, over a certain number of jumps, over a certain number of operating hours, and/or over a certain number of miles driven. In certain embodiments, the duty cycle description circuit 612 provides the duty cycles in the form of an aggregate duty cycle (such as a filtered duty cycle, an average duty cycle, a weighted average duty cycle, a binned ordered duty cycle with quantitative descriptions of the number of regions of operation, etc.) and selects or blends one calibration from a plurality of calibrations 614, each calibration corresponding to a defined duty cycle.

An exemplary procedure for determining fuse current throughput is described below. In certain embodiments, one or more aspects of the procedure may be performed by the apparatus 600. The program includes operations of injecting a current having a selected frequency, amplitude, and/or waveform characteristic into the circuit through the fuse, and estimating the fuse resistance (including dynamic resistance and/or impedance) in response to the measured injected AC voltage and injected current. In certain embodiments, the selected frequency, amplitude, and/or waveform characteristics are selected to provide an acceptable, improved, or optimized measure of fuse resistance. For example, the primary supply current flowing through the fuse to support the operation of the application has a particular magnitude and frequency characteristic (where frequency includes the supply frequency (if AC) and long-term variability of magnitude (if AC or DC)). The injected current may have a frequency and/or amplitude selected to allow acceptable detection of fuse resistance according to basic supply current characteristics, and also selected to avoid interfering with the operation of the application. For example, if the base supply current is high, a higher magnitude of the injection current may be indicated, both to support measurement of the injection AC voltage and because the base supply current will allow a higher injection current without interfering with the operation of the system. In another example, the frequency may be selected to be faster than the current variability due to operation, not affect the resonant frequency or resonant frequencies of components in the system, or the like.

An example procedure includes storing a plurality of calibration values corresponding to various duty cycles of the system (e.g., current-voltage trajectories experienced by the system, binned time windows of current-voltage values, etc.), determining a duty cycle of the system, and selecting a calibration value from the calibration values in response to the determined duty cycle. The calibration value corresponds to a current injection setting of the current injection source and/or a filtered value of the digital filter to measure the fuse voltage and/or fuse current value. In certain embodiments, the duty cycle may be tracked during operation and may be updated in real time or at shutdown. In certain embodiments, an aggregate duty cycle description is stored, which is updated from observed data. Exemplary aggregate duty cycles include a moving average of observed duty cycles (e.g., duty cycles defined as transitions, power-on-power-off cycles, operating time periods, and/or distance traveled), a filtered average of duty cycles (e.g., utilizing selected filter constants to provide a desired response to changes, such as responding within one transition, five transitions, 30 transitions, one day, one week, one month, etc.). In certain embodiments, the duty cycle updates are made with a weighted average (e.g., longer transitions, higher confidence determinations, and/or operator selections or inputs may be weighted more heavily in determining the duty cycle).

The response indicates a period until the system is functioning substantially based on the varying duty cycle information, e.g., where calibration a is used for the first duty cycle and calibration B is used for the varying duty cycle, the system may be deemed to have responded to the variation when 60% of calibration B is utilized, 90% of calibration B is utilized, 96% of calibration B is utilized, and/or when the system has switched to calibration B. The utilization of multiple calibrations may be continuous or discrete, and certain aspects of these calibrations may be continuous or discrete individually. For example, where calibration a is selected, a particular amplitude (or trace of amplitudes), frequency (or trace of frequencies), and/or waveform (or number of waveforms) may be utilized, and where calibration B is selected, a different set of amplitudes, frequencies, and/or waveforms may be utilized. Where the duty cycle is positioned between a and B, and/or where the duty cycle response moves between a and B, the system may utilize a mix of a and B duty cycles and/or switch between a and B duty cycles. In another example, switching between the a and B duty cycles may occur in a mixed manner, e.g., where the current response is at 80% of B, then calibration B may be utilized 80% of the time and calibration a may be utilized 20% of the time. In certain embodiments, the calibration may be switched abruptly at a certain threshold (e.g., at 70% response towards a new calibration), which may include hysteresis (e.g., switch to calibration B at 80% of the distance between calibrations a and B, but only switch back at 40% of the distance between calibrations a and B). In certain embodiments, certain aspects (e.g., amplitude) may be continuously moved between calibrations, with other aspects (e.g., waveform) utilizing only one calibration or the other. In certain embodiments, the calibration response may be adjusted using an indicator of quality feedback (e.g., where the indicated fuse resistance appears to be determined with greater certainty during the move toward calibration B, the system moves the response more quickly toward calibration B than other calibrations, which may include using more calibration B than indicated by the current aggregate duty cycle and/or adjusting the aggregate duty cycle to reflect greater confidence that the duty cycle will be maintained).

Exemplary amplitude selections include a peak amplitude of the injected current, an adjustment from a baseline (e.g., an increase rate higher than a decrease rate, or vice versa), and/or a shape generated by the amplitude (e.g., which may be supplemented or incorporated within the waveform selection). Additionally or alternatively, the amplitude of a given calibration may be adjusted throughout a particular current injection event, for example to provide observations at multiple amplitudes within a current injection event. Exemplary frequency selection includes adjusting the frequency of the cycle of the current injection event, and may also include testing at a plurality of discrete frequencies, sweeping the frequency through one or more selected ranges, and combinations of these. Example waveform selections include waveform selections that elicit a desired response, enable greater robustness to system noise (e.g., variability of base current, inductance, and/or capacitance of components in the system, etc.), enhance the ability of current injection detection to isolate the injected current from the load current, and/or may include utilizing multiple waveforms in a given calibration to provide multiple different tests. In certain embodiments, where multiple amplitudes, frequencies, and/or waveforms are utilized, the injected AC voltage (and corresponding fuse resistance) may be determined by averaging measured parameters, by using a higher confidence measurement, and/or by eliminating anomalous measurements from the injected AC voltage determination.

In accordance with the present description, operations are described that provide a high confidence determination of fuse resistance values in PDU 102. In certain embodiments, a high confidence determination of fuse resistance may be utilized to determine fuse conditions, provide a high accuracy or high precision determination of current flowing through the fuse and power consumption of system 100, and/or perform system diagnostics, fault management, circuit management, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 23, an example apparatus 700 for determining a zero offset voltage and/or diagnosing system components is schematically depicted. The example apparatus 700 includes a controller 214 having a fuse load circuit 702 that determines that a fuse load 704 does not require current. The example apparatus 700 also includes a zero offset voltage determination circuit 706 that determines a zero offset voltage 708 in response to the fuse load 704 indicating that no current is required. The example apparatus 700 also includes a component diagnostic circuit 710 that determines whether the component is degraded, failed, and/or in a faulty or non-nominal condition in response to the zero offset voltage 708, and determines fault information 716 (e.g., a fault counter, a fault value, and/or component-specific information) in response to determining whether the component is degraded, failed, and/or in a faulty or non-nominal condition. Operation of the component diagnostic circuit 710 includes comparing the zero offset nominal voltage 708 to a zero offset voltage threshold 712 and/or performing operations to determine which component caused the non-nominal zero offset voltage 708. The example apparatus 700 also includes a zero offset data management circuit 714 that stores the zero offset voltage 708, and/or any diagnostic or fault information 706, such as a fault counter, a fault value, and/or an indication of which component caused the non-nominal zero offset voltage 708. In some implementations, the example zero offset data management circuit 714 stores the independent contribution of the zero offset voltage 708 separately, with the contribution of certain components to the zero offset voltage 708 being determined separately. In certain embodiments, the use of the zero offset voltage 708 improves the accuracy of determining the fuse resistance from the injected current.

An exemplary procedure for determining the zero offset voltage of the fuse current measurement system is described below. The exemplary program may be executed by a system component, such as the apparatus 700. The zero offset voltage occurs in the controller 214 due to independent offsets of the operational amplifiers and other solid state components in the controller 214, as well as due to part-to-part variations, temperature drift, and degradation of one or more components in the system over time. The presence of the zero offset voltage limits the accuracy with which current measurements flowing through the fuse can be obtained, and thus may limit the types of controls and diagnostics that may be performed in the system.

The exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining that the fuse load does not require current. Exemplary operations to determine that the fuse load does not require current include a recent turn-on or turn-off event of the vehicle (e.g., vehicle started, powered down, in an attached location, and/or not yet engaging power to a fuse of interest), an observation of a fuse circuit, and/or an observation of a state provided by another controller in the system (e.g., a power system controller explicitly indicating no power, indicating a state inconsistent with power, etc.). Exemplary operations determine that the fuse does not require current during a turn-off event and/or for a period of time after a turn-on event.

The example program also includes an operation to determine a zero offset voltage in response to determining that the fuse load does not require current, and an operation to store the zero offset voltage. In some implementations, the stored zero offset voltage is stored in non-volatile memory, e.g., for subsequent operation of the system. In certain implementations, the zero offset voltage is stored in volatile memory and used for current cycle of operation. The stored zero offset voltage may be replaced when a new value is determined for the zero offset voltage, and/or updated in a scheduled manner (e.g., by averaging or filtering in the updated value, by maintaining the new value for subsequent validation prior to application, etc.).

The example program also includes diagnosing components of the system in response to the zero offset voltage. For example, as the zero offset voltage increases over time, degradation of the controller 214 may be indicated, and a fault (visible or available service) may be provided to indicate that the controller 214 is operating non-nominally or is failing. Additionally or alternatively, the contactor (e.g., the main contactor 216) may be diagnosed in response to the zero offset voltage. In certain embodiments, further operations may be utilized to confirm which component of the system is degraded or failed, such as engaging another contactor on the same line as the diagnosed contactor. In certain embodiments, the controller 214 may power down one or more components within the controller 214 to confirm that these controller 214 components are causing the offset voltage. In certain embodiments, the routine includes determining the independent contribution of the components to the offset voltage, such as by separating the controller 214 contribution from the contactor contribution. In response to the offset voltage being above the threshold and/or identifying which component of the system caused the off-nominal offset voltage, the controller 214 may increment a fault value, set a fault value, and/or set a service or diagnostic value. In some embodiments, the zero offset voltage and/or any fault values may be provided to the system, provided to the network and/or transmitted to another controller on the network.

In accordance with the present description, operations are described to provide a nominal offset voltage for high confidence determination of fuse current and fuse resistance values in PDU 102. In certain embodiments, a high confidence determination of fuse resistance may be utilized to determine fuse conditions, provide a high accuracy or high precision determination of current flowing through the fuse and power consumption of system 100, and/or perform system diagnostics, fault management, circuit management, and the like.

Referring to fig. 24, an exemplary apparatus 800 for providing digital filtering of current measurements flowing through a fuse circuit is schematically depicted. In certain embodiments, in the case of current injection through the fuse, the measurements of the primary supply current and the injected AC current through the fuse are decoupled using a low pass filter (pulling the primary supply signal) and a high pass filter (pulling the injected current signal). Previously known systems utilize an analog filter system constructed, for example, from capacitors, resistors and/or inductive devices, and provide selected filtering of the signals, thereby providing separate primary power supply signals and injection current signals. However, analog filter systems suffer from a number of disadvantages. First, the simulation system is not configurable, is configurable only for a discrete number of pre-consideration options, and/or is expensive to implement. Thus, a wide range of fundamental power supply signals and injected AC current signals are generally not available for high accuracy determination of fuse current with analog filter systems. In addition, analog filter systems have phase variances between the low pass filter and the high pass filter and/or between the filtered output and the injected current signal. Therefore, less accurate post-processing and/or acceptance of the signal is required and the accuracy of the measured current is reduced even if post-processing is taken. Furthermore, if some component of the system has a fundamental frequency or harmonic that interferes with the filter, the analog filter is unable to respond and does not provide a reliable measurement. Since the frequency dynamics of the system may change over time, for example due to component degradation, being repaired or replaced, and/or due to environmental or duty cycle drive changes, even careful system design cannot fully address the inability of analog filters to handle interference from frequency dynamics in the system. The example apparatus 800 includes a high-pass digital filter circuit 802 that determines an injection current value 804 of the fuse circuit by providing a high-pass filter operation on a measured fuse current 814 and a low-pass digital filter circuit 806 that determines a base supply current value 808 of the fuse circuit by providing a low-pass filter operation on the measured fuse current. The example apparatus 800 also includes a filter adjustment circuit 812 that interprets the duty cycle 612 and/or the injection characteristic 608 and adjusts the filtering and/or injection characteristic 608 of the high pass digital filter circuit 802, for example, by providing filter adjustments 816, such as providing different cut-off frequencies to ensure the signals are separated, raising or lowering the cut-off frequencies to ensure descriptive energy portions of the signals are captured, and/or manipulating the filter to avoid frequencies or harmonics in the system. While the exemplary embodiment of fig. 24 utilizes digital filters, in certain embodiments, the available controller processing resources and/or the time response of the digital filtering may cause certain systems to utilize analog filters and/or a combination of analog and digital filters.

The exemplary procedure includes the operation of providing a digital filter in PDU 102 to determine the base power and injection current values from the measured values of current flowing through the fuses. The example program also includes an operation to determine the base power by performing a low pass filter operation on the measured current values and to determine the injection current values by performing a high pass filter operation on the measured current values. The example program also includes operations to adjust parameters of the low pass filter and/or the high pass filter in response to a duty cycle of a system including PDU 102 (including, for example, power, voltage, and/or current values through the fuses) and/or in response to injection characteristics of an injection current flowing through the fuses. Exemplary procedures include adjusting these parameters to improve separation of the base power and/or injection current values, to improve accuracy in determining the amount of injection current, to adapt to frequencies and/or harmonics of components in the system in electrical communication with the fuse, and/or to respond to system or ambient noise affecting one or both of the high pass filter and the low pass filter.

According to the present description, there is provided an operation of implementing a digital filter for deconvolving a voltage characteristic and a current measurement value through a fuse. Digital filtering allows the system to provide a high confidence determination of fuse current and fuse resistance values in PDU 102. In certain embodiments, a high confidence determination of fuse resistance may be utilized to determine fuse conditions, provide a high accuracy or high precision determination of current flowing through the fuse and power consumption of system 100, and/or perform system diagnostics, fault management, circuit management, and the like.

Fuses for high transient load applications and/or high duty cycle variability applications, such as but not limited to electrical systems for mobile applications and vehicles, face many challenges. Load variations can vary widely in all operations, including high positive current operation and high negative current operation (e.g., acceleration and regenerative braking cycles in stop-and-go traffic; high load operation with significant regeneration up the hill then down the other side, etc.) that are typically experienced simultaneously for short periods of time. Additionally, current transients and commutation can produce significant inrush currents seen by the fuse. The fuse is designed to fail at a protection current value intended to correspond to a fuse temperature value. Since they are designed to fail at values relatively close to the maximum current demand, they are both electrically and physically one of the most delicate physical components in the system. The subcritical current values and current transient values may subject the fuse to thermal and mechanical stresses caused by both the temperature and temperature transients experienced. Fuses that are subjected to significant subcritical cycling can fail either: even failure currents that have not exceeded the design melt or break due to mechanical stress. Mobile applications as discussed throughout this disclosure are subject to particularly high costs and risks when mission critical components such as fuses fail (e.g., vehicles typically do not have a power source available when a main power fuse fails). In addition, mobile applications are subject to high transient loads through the power supply system.

Referring to fig. 25, an exemplary fuse circuit 2100 is depicted, which may be present on PDU 102. The example fuse circuit 2100 may be associated with a primary fuse, a secondary fuse, and/or a fuse set or subset of fuse sets. The fuse circuit 2100 includes a contactor (C1) in parallel with a fuse (F1). During normal operation, the contactors are opened and current in the fuse circuit 2100 flows through the fuse. In certain embodiments, the contactor may include a physical component (e.g., a solenoid and/or coil based switch or relay) and/or the contactor may be a solid state relay. In certain embodiments, the contactor may be normally open (e.g., applied power closes the contactor) or normally closed (e.g., applied power opens the contactor). The example fuse circuit 2100 allows the contactor to selectively bypass the fuse circuit, for example, according to the operation of the apparatus 1900 (see fig. 20 and corresponding disclosure).

Referring to fig. 26, another embodiment of a fuse circuit 2200 is disclosed in which a contact (C1) is connected in series with a second fuse (F2), and the C1-F2 branch is connected in parallel with the first fuse F1. Fuse circuit 2200 provides additional flexibility and a number of additional features for the operation of apparatus 1900. For example, normal operation may be performed when the contactor is closed, thereby shunting current between F1 and F2 (in the ratio of the resistances of the two fuses). One example includes fuse F2 having a low current threshold that is set such that the shunted current will cause fuse F2 to fail when the system design current is exceeded by the designed amount (e.g., between 135% and 300% of the system design current, although any value is contemplated herein). Fuse F1 may be set to an extremely high value, allowing the contactor to open to briefly increase the blowing capacity of the circuit but still be blown. Additionally or alternatively, fuse F2 may be a relatively inexpensive and/or readily available fuse, and since at lower current thresholds, F2 is likely to suffer greater mechanical and thermal fatigue and act as a failure point for fuse circuit 2200, which may greatly extend the life of fuse F1, which may be more expensive and/or less readily available. Additionally or alternatively, normal operation may be performed with the contactor open, with fuse F1 defining the ordinary blowing of the circuit. When a high transient or other current event occurs, the contactor is closed and branch C1-F2 shares the current load, thereby keeping fuse F1 within normal or lower wear operating conditions. In certain embodiments, fuses F1 and F2 may be similarly sized, for example, to allow fuse F2 to operate as a spare fuse and to maintain similar failure conditions for F1 and F2. Alternatively, fuse F2 may be smaller than fuse F1, allowing for the described alternative operation, intermittently using the C1-F2 circuit to consume some current to protect fuse F1, and/or to provide backup blowing for F1, which may be at a reduced power limit of the system (e.g., as a derated mode of operation and/or a limp-home mode of operation) if fuse F2 is smaller. Alternatively, fuse F2 may be larger than fuse F1, for example, to allow fuse F2 to manage extremely high transient current conditions under which operation is expected to continue. The utilization of fuse circuit 2200 allows a high degree of control of the fuse system to protect the power supply system during nominal operation and still provide a high degree of capability during failure modes, for non-nominal operation and/or during transient operation. In certain embodiments, a resistor may be provided on the branch C1-F2, for example to control the current sharing load between F1 and F2 when contactor C1 is closed.

Referring to FIG. 27, fuse circuit 2300 includes a plurality of fuses F1, F2, F3, F4, each in series with a corresponding contactor, depicted in parallel. The exemplary fuse circuit 2300 is for an auxiliary fuse, but the fuse circuit 2300 may be any fuse, including a main fuse. The example fuse circuit 2300 allows fuses to be removed from operation (e.g., in the event that one of the fuses experiences a transient event), or allows fuses to be added (such as when a high transient event occurs to share current load). In certain embodiments, one or more of the fuses in fuse circuit 2300 is free of an associated contactor, and is the principal load fuse of fuse circuit 2300. The relative size of the fuses in the fuse circuit 2300 may be in accordance with any selected value, and will depend on the use of the fuse circuit 2300 (e.g., to provide a limp home feature, to provide additional capacity, to serve as a spare, and/or to allow the cutting of individual fuses in the system). Additionally or alternatively, any one or more of these fuses in fuse circuit 2300 may be positioned in series with a resistor, for example, to control current load balancing. In certain embodiments, fuses F1, F2, F3, F4 are not connected in parallel, and/or one or more of these fuses are not connected in parallel. Thus, opening of the contactor for such fuses does not shunt current to the other of the fuses. Exemplary embodiments include contactors for fuses that individually allow certain system capabilities to be disabled (e.g., due to a failure, high transient, etc.) without disabling all system capabilities (e.g., fuses support that the braking system may remain active even under high transient events, while auxiliary fuses for non-critical systems may be cut off to protect the fuses and/or systems).

Referring to FIG. 28, a fuse circuit 2400 is depicted, which is similar to fuse circuit 2300 except that each fuse has contacts in parallel, thereby allowing shorting of a particular fuse while keeping current flowing on the path of the fuse. In certain embodiments, the parallel path for each fuse may include additional fuses and/or resistors such that when the fuses are connected in parallel, the load across each fuse circuit remains at least partially balanced. The embodiments of fig. 25-28 may be referenced as current protection circuits, and embodiments such as those depicted and/or described with respect to fig. 25-28 allow for alternative configurations of current protection circuits. Selectable configurations of the current protection circuit may include run-time operation (e.g., reconfiguring the current protection circuit in response to an event or operating condition) and/or design-time operation (e.g., allowing the same hardware device to support multiple power ratings, electrical connection configurations, and/or maintenance events or upgrade changes).

Referring to FIG. 29, illustrative data 2500 is depicted showing fuse response to a driving cycle of a vehicle. In this example, fuse current (e.g., the curve under the dashed lines for 12 and 25 units of time) and fuse temperature (e.g., the curve on the solid lines for 12 and 25 units of time) are depicted. It should be understood that another parameter describing fuse performance and/or limits may be utilized, including at least any of the values described in the section with reference to FIG. 21. The operation of the driving cycle exhibits high transients, where in this example the fuse temperature is expected to exceed a "fuse temperature avoidance limit," e.g., a temperature or temperature transient where the fuse experiences mechanical stress. Apparatus 1900 may consider multiple thresholds for a fuse, such as a light wear threshold, a heavy wear threshold, and a potential failure threshold, which may be set to different values for a fuse performance indicator (e.g., temperature) to be utilized. In certain embodiments, more than one type of threshold may be utilized, such as a threshold or set of thresholds for temperature, a second threshold or set of thresholds for temperature change over time (e.g., dT/dT), and so forth. In this example, the apparatus 1900 may take mitigating action at the transient point, such as momentarily bypassing the corresponding fuse to avoid the transient and/or control the transient rate experienced by the fuse.

Referring to fig. 30, the example system 2600 includes the power source 104 and the load 106, and the fuse (F1) is electrically disposed between the load 106 and the power source 104. The operator provides a power demand (accelerator pedal input) and the apparatus 1900 determines that the load demand will exceed the fuse's threshold (e.g., based on a current demand above a temperature limit or some other determination), but may further determine that the transient event will not otherwise exceed the system operating condition limit. In this example, the device 1900 commands the contactor (C3) to close for a period of time before or during the transient to protect the fuse. System 2600 depicts high-side (C1) and low-side (C3) high-voltage contactors (e.g., 216, 218 from system 100) that are different from fuse bypass contactor C3.

Referring to fig. 21, illustrative data 2000 for implementing a system response value 1910 is depicted. Illustrative data 2000 includes a threshold 2002, such as a current, temperature, index parameter, or other value at which fuse wear and/or failure is expected to occur, and which current event determination circuit 1902 uses as a threshold, at least under certain operating conditions at some point in time of the system. It should be appreciated that the current event determination circuit 1902 may utilize multiple thresholds and/or dynamic thresholds, as described throughout this disclosure. Curve 2004 represents nominal system performance, such as current, temperature, index parameters, etc. that would be experienced by the fuse in the absence of operation of device 1900. In this example, the response determination circuit 1906 determines that the threshold 2002 is to be crossed, and considers the contactor connection/disconnection time 2008 (e.g., to bypass the fuse, engage the second fuse branch, and/or block the more vulnerable fuse branch) to command the contactor to connect or disconnect in time to avoid crossing the threshold 2002. Additionally or alternatively, the response determination circuit 1906 may still allow the threshold 2002 to be crossed, for example, according to any operation or determination described throughout this disclosure, such as when a more critical system parameter requires the fuse to remain connected and allow the fuse to experience a wear and/or failure event.

In certain embodiments, the operation of determining that the current event exceeds the wear threshold and/or the fuse failure value is based on a calculation such as: 1) determining that a current flowing through the fuse exceeds a threshold (e.g., an amperage); 2) determining that a rate of change of a current flowing through the fuse exceeds a threshold (e.g., an ampere/second value); 3) determining that an indicator parameter exceeds a threshold (e.g., the indicator comprises accumulated ampere-seconds; ampere/sec-sec; a count indicator of cycles above one threshold or more; a count indicator weighted by the instantaneous current value; integrated current, heat transfer and/or power values; and/or count down or reset these values based on current operating conditions).

In certain embodiments, determining that the current event exceeds the wear threshold and/or the fuse failure value comprises or is adjusted based on one or more of: 1) a trip curve (e.g., a power-time or current-time trajectory, and/or an operating curve on a data set or table, such as represented in fig. 3); 2) a fuse temperature model comprising first or second derivatives of temperature, and one or more temperature thresholds for scheduling and/or asymptotic response; 3) measured battery voltage (e.g., current values may be higher as battery voltage decreases, and/or dynamic response of current may change, causing changes in wear thresholds, system failures, and/or current event determinations); 4) first derivatives of current, temperature, power demand and/or index parameters; 5) second derivatives of current, temperature, power demand and/or index parameters; 6) information from the battery management system (e.g., voltage, current, state of charge, state of health, rate of change of any of these values, which may affect the current value, the expected current value, and/or the dynamic response of the current value, causing changes in wear thresholds, fuse failures, and/or current event determinations); 7) determining and monitoring contactor connection or disconnection times, and taking into account the contactor connection or disconnection times when determining a response to a current event; 8) using auxiliary system information and adjusting response (e.g., collision avoidance system activation-allowing fuse failure, and/or bypassing fuses to allow potential damage to the system, maintaining power flow; the antilock braking system and/or traction control system activates-maintains power flow for maximum system control (degree of activation may also be considered, and/or system status is communicated to the PDU, e.g., the system may report critical operations requiring the power source to remain as long as possible or shut down operations requiring the power source to be shut off as quickly as possible, etc.).

Referring to fig. 20, an example apparatus 1900 that reduces or prevents fuse damage and/or fuse failure is depicted. The example apparatus 1900 includes a current event determination circuit 1902 that may determine that a current event 1904 indicates that a fuse threshold (wear, failure, fatigue, or other threshold) is exceeded or is expected to be exceeded. The current event 1904 may be, for example, the current, temperature, or any other parameter described with respect to fig. 21, 29, and 30. The example apparatus 1900 also includes a response determination circuit 1906 that determines a system response value 1910, such as opening or closing one or more contactors in a fuse circuit (e.g., 2100,2200,2300,2400 or any other fuse circuit or current protection circuit). The apparatus 1900 also includes response implementation circuitry 1908 that provides network communications 1912 and/or actuator commands 1914 in response to the system response values 1910. For example, the system response value 1910 may determine to close one or more contactors, and the actuator command 1914 provides a command to a selected contactor in response to the actuator command 1914.

In certain embodiments, the operation of bypassing and/or engaging one or more fuses is performed in coordination with vehicle battery management system and/or accelerator pedal input (or other load demand indicator), such as timing inrush currents to be experienced at the fuses, providing an indication to the battery management system or other vehicle power system that a brief unblown operation is imminent and/or that a higher fuse limit will apply briefly. In certain embodiments, during no-blow operation and/or higher fuse limit operation, the apparatus 1900 may operate the virtual fuse, for example, if the current experienced is higher than the predicted value (e.g., it is predicted that the fuse wear limit will be exceeded but less than the system failure limit, although in practice it appears that the system failure limit will also be exceeded), the apparatus 1900 may operate to open the main high voltage contactor, re-engage the fuse, or make another system adjustment to protect the system in the absence of a commonly available blow operation.

Referring to fig. 31, an example apparatus 900 to determine an offset voltage to adjust a fuse current determination is schematically depicted. The example apparatus 900 includes a controller 214 having a fuse load circuit 702 that determines that a fuse load 704 does not require current and further determines that a contactor associated with the fuse is open. The example apparatus 900 also includes an offset voltage determination circuit 906 that determines an offset voltage of a component in the fuse circuit observed during the portion of the operating cycle where current is not needed. In certain embodiments, the contactor remains open while the pre-charge capacitor is still charging after the turn-on cycle, whereupon the fuse load circuit 702 determines that the fuse load 704 does not require current. In certain embodiments, the contactor is open during operation of the system and the example fuse load circuit 702 determines that the fuse load 704 does not require current, including possibly waiting for the observed voltage to stabilize before determining that the fuse load 704 does not require current.

The example apparatus 900 also includes an offset data management circuit 914 that stores the offset voltage 906 and communicates the current calculation offset voltage 904 for use in the system to determine current flow through one or more fuses in the system. The current calculation offset voltage 904 may be an offset voltage 906 of the applicable component and/or may be a process or condition value determined by the offset voltage 906.

An exemplary procedure for determining the offset voltage of the fuse current measurement system is described below. The exemplary procedure may be performed by a system component, such as the apparatus 900. Offset voltages occur in the controller 214 due to independent offsets of the operational amplifiers and other solid state components in the controller 214, as well as due to part-to-part variations, temperature drift, and degradation of one or more components in the system over time. The presence of the offset voltage limits the accuracy with which current measurements flowing through the fuse can be obtained, and thus may limit the types of controls and diagnostics that may be performed in the system.

The example program also includes an operation to determine an offset voltage in response to determining that the fuse load does not require current, and an operation to store the offset voltage. In some embodiments, the stored offset voltage is stored in non-volatile memory, e.g., for subsequent operation of the system. In certain embodiments, the offset voltage is stored in volatile memory and used for current cycle of operation. The stored offset voltage may be replaced when a new value is determined for the offset voltage, and/or updated in a scheduled manner (e.g., by averaging or filtering in the updated value, by maintaining the new value for subsequent validation prior to application, etc.).

According to the present specification, operations are described to provide an offset voltage for components in a fuse circuit, for a high confidence determination of fuse current and fuse resistance values in PDU 102. In certain embodiments, a high confidence determination of fuse resistance may be utilized to determine fuse conditions, provide a high accuracy or high precision determination of current flowing through the fuse and power consumption of system 100, and/or perform system diagnostics, fault management, circuit management, and the like.

Referring to fig. 32, an exemplary apparatus 1000 that provides a unique current waveform to improve fuse resistance measurement of PDU 102 is schematically depicted. The example apparatus 1000 includes a fuse load circuit 702 that determines that a fuse load 704 does not require current and further determines that a contactor associated with a fuse is open. The example apparatus 1000 also includes an injection configuration circuit 606 that determines injection characteristics 608, including frequency, amplitude, and waveform characteristics of a test injection current flowing through one or more fuses to be tested. The example apparatus 1000 also includes an injection control circuit 602 that injects current through the fuse according to the injection characteristic 608 and a fuse characterization circuit 1002 that determines one or more fuse resistances 1004 in response to values 1006 measured during the test. The example injection control circuit 602 waits for the determination of the voltage offset value while the fuse load 704 is still zero, and the fuse characterization circuit 1002 further utilizes the voltage offset value to determine one or more fuse resistances 1004 of the fuses. In certain embodiments, injection configuration circuitry 606 determines injection characteristics 608 in response to characteristics of the system (e.g., the inherent capacitance and/or inductance of the system, the specifications of the fuses, the current range of the system during operation, and/or the resistance range and/or desired accuracy to support the operation determination using the fuse resistance values). In certain embodiments, high accuracy in fuse resistance supports high accuracy in diagnostics, fuse protection control, and/or battery state of charge determination.

In certain embodiments, the fuse characterization circuit 1002 determines one or more fuse resistances 1004 for a given response based on a plurality of current injection events, each of which may have a different one or more of amplitude, frequency, and/or waveform. Additionally or alternatively, frequency sweep, amplitude sweep, and/or waveform shape management may be manipulated between injection events and/or within a given injection event. The fuse characterization circuit 1002 determines the fuse resistance 1004 by determining, for example, an average resistance value determined during testing. In certain embodiments, fuse characterization circuit 1002 utilizes only a portion of each test window, e.g., to allow circuit settling time after injection characteristic 608 switches, to allow injection providing circuitry (e.g., solid state operational amplifiers, PWMs, relays, etc., configured to provide a selected current through the fuse circuit) to settle after injection characteristic 608 switches, to utilize a selected amount of data from each test (e.g., for weighting purposes), etc. In certain embodiments, fuse characterization circuit 1002 may exclude anomalous data (e.g., two of these tests match, but the third test provides a significantly different value) and/or data that appears to indicate a rapid change (which may not appear to be valid data). In certain embodiments, filtering, moving averages, rolling buffers, counters of delay in switching values (e.g., to confirm that new values appear to change in reality), etc. are applied to the fuse resistance 1004 by the fuse characterization circuit 1002 to smooth out the changing values of the fuse resistance 1004 over time and/or to confirm that new information may be repeated. In certain embodiments, each cycle or set of cycles of a given injection waveform may be considered a separate data point for resistance determination. In certain embodiments, the resistance contribution for a given period may also be weighted (e.g., higher amplitude and/or lower frequency provides lower design area under the current-time curve (see, e.g., fig. 35), which may provide a higher amount of resistance-related information relative to lower amplitude and/or higher frequency periods of the same waveform), such as where the amplitude is swept for a given waveform, and/or where the frequency is swept for a given waveform. Additionally or alternatively, the measurement confidence may depend on the frequency and/or amplitude of the current injection, so the resistance determinations for these injection events may be weighted accordingly (e.g., the lower the confidence, the lower the weight, and the higher the confidence, the higher the weight). Additionally or alternatively, compliance of the current injection source may depend on the frequency, amplitude, and/or waveform of the current injection, so the resistance determinations of these injection events may be weighted accordingly, and/or adjusted by feedback on the injector outlet as to what frequency, amplitude, and/or waveform is actually provided relative to what is commanded.

In certain embodiments, the resistance determination made by the fuse characterization circuit 1002 (including how the resistance is determined by a given test and indicating an average) depends on the waveform and other parameters. For example, if a sine wave waveform is utilized, the resistance may be determined by the area under the voltage and current curves, by the root mean square determination (of the current and/or voltage), and/or by the high resolution time slices within the voltage determination utilizing the injection current characterization. Other waveforms will utilize similar techniques to determine resistance. If the circuit exhibits significant impedance (e.g., from potential capacitance and/or inductance, and/or from components in communication with the circuit that exhibit impedance), the impedance may be calculated by varying the frequency and determining the collective impedance effect between these tests. The availability of multiple tests with varying amplitude, waveform and/or frequency values ensures that high accuracy can be determined even for circuits that have complex effects or exhibit variations due to aging, degradation or component repair or replacement. Furthermore, adjusting the frequency of all tests and/or sweeping the frequency for a given amplitude or waveform may help decouple the phase-shifting aspects of the impedance (e.g., capacitive versus inductive effects) to more confidently determine the resistance of the fuse. Typically for a fuse circuit with a tightly coupled current source, the impedance will be extremely small. The desired accuracy of the resistance measurement (which may depend on the diagnostics, battery state of charge algorithms, and/or fuse protection algorithms used on the system) may also affect whether the impedance must be considered, and thus the choice of injection characteristics 608 utilized.

It can be seen that the use of multiple injection characteristics 608 during testing decouples the system characteristics from the resistance determination using comparisons between these tests, provides a range of system excitation parameters to ensure that the system characteristics do not dominate a single test, and generally increases the amount of information available for testing to establish statistical confidence in the determined resistance values. In addition, manipulation of the injection characteristics 608 allows for better averaging, for example, to formulate waveforms with a high degree of confidence that the resistance calculation is correct (such as with frequency values that avoid resonance or resonant frequencies in the system), provide a large area under the current-time (or voltage-time) curve, and/or provide a system that is stable during the test to ensure the measurements are correct.

Additionally or alternatively, the fuse characterization circuit 1002 dynamically adjusts the digital filter values prior to the test, between changes in the injection characteristics 608 of the test, and/or during the test (e.g., where frequency sweeps, amplitude sweeps, and/or waveform changes are utilized during a given injection event). In certain embodiments, the measurement of the voltage by the filter circuit utilizes a high pass filter to determine the injection voltage (and/or current), and the filter characteristics can be manipulated in real time to provide an appropriate filter, such as a cutoff frequency. Measuring with a digital filter may also eliminate phase lag between different filter types (such as a low pass filter and a high pass filter) (e.g., where the low pass filter determines the base supply current during operation, and/or confirms that the base supply current remains zero or negligible during testing).

Referring to fig. 35, an illustrative injection characteristic 608 for an exemplary test is depicted. The injection characteristic 608 includes a first injection portion having an amplitude of 10 current units (e.g., amps, although any current unit is contemplated herein), a sinusoidal waveform, and a period of approximately 150 time units (e.g., execution cycles of the controller 214, milliseconds, seconds, or any other parameter). The units and values depicted in fig. 35 are non-limiting examples and are used to illustrate the sequential variation of the applicable implant characteristic 608. Injection characteristic 608 includes a second injection portion having an amplitude of 15 current units, a sawtooth waveform, and a period of approximately 250 time units. Injection profile 608 also includes a third injection portion having an amplitude of 5 current units, a nearly square waveform (depicting a slightly trapezoidal waveform), and a period of approximately 80 time units. The embodiment depicted in fig. 35 is non-limiting and other features may be added to the test, including more or less than three different waveforms, gaps between waveforms, and adjustments within waveforms (including sweeping, stepping or otherwise adjusting frequency or amplitude, and/or adjusting the waveform itself). The example of fig. 35 shows a trace reversal between the first injection characteristic and the second injection characteristic (e.g., a decreasing sine wave to an increasing sawtooth wave) and a trace continuation between the second injection characteristic and the third injection characteristic (e.g., a decreasing sawtooth wave to an increasing square wave), although any possibility is contemplated herein, including a step change in current, etc.

Referring to fig. 33, an exemplary procedure 1100 for providing a unique current waveform to improve fuse resistance measurement of PDU 102 is schematically depicted. The routine 1100 includes an operation 1102 of confirming that the contactor is open (and/or confirming that the fuse load is zero or expected to be zero), and an operation 1104 of performing a zero voltage offset determination (e.g., to determine an offset voltage in the operational amplifier and other components of the controller 214 and/or the system 100 electrically coupled to the fuse circuit). The example operation 1102 begins when the contactor is open during a turn-on or system start event, although any operating condition that meets the criteria of the operation 1102 may be utilized. The routine 1100 also includes an operation 1106 that performs a plurality of injection sequences (e.g., three sequences each having a different frequency, amplitude, and waveform). Operation 1106 may include more than three sequences, and one or more of these sequences may share a frequency, amplitude, and/or waveform. Operation 1106 may be configured to perform as many sequences as necessary, and may be performed in multiple tests (e.g., where a test is interrupted by operation of the system or exceeds a desired time, the test may continue on a subsequent sequence initiated by operation 1102). The program 1100 also includes an operation 1108 of determining a fuse resistance value of one or more of the fuses in the system. Program 1100 may operate on individual fuses in the system that the hardware is configured to support (including across subsets of fuses, etc.) for the program.

Referring to fig. 34, an exemplary procedure 1106 for performing multiple injection sequences is depicted. The example routine 1106 includes an operation 1202 of adjusting injection characteristics of a current injection source associated with one or more fuses to be tested, and an operation 1204 of adjusting filter characteristics of one or more digital filters associated with measuring voltage and/or current values across a filter circuit. The routine 1106 also includes an operation 1206 to perform an injection sequence in response to the injection characteristic, and an operation 1208 to perform filtering (e.g., to measure current and/or voltage on the fuse circuit in response to the injection event). The routine 1106 also includes an operation 1210 that determines whether the current injection sequence is complete, returning to continue injecting events at operation 1206 until the sequence is complete ("yes" determination at operation 1210). For example, referring to FIG. 35, at time step 200, operation 1210 will determine "No" because the sine wave portion of the test is still being performed. If operation 1210 determines "yes" (e.g., in FIG. 35, where the sine wave portion is converted to a sawtooth portion), then routine 1106 includes an operation 1212 of determining whether another injection sequence is needed, and in response to operation 1212 determining "yes" (e.g., in FIG. 9, where the sine wave portion is complete and the sawtooth portion is started), operation 1202 is returned to adjust the injection sequence. In response to the determination of "no" at operation 1212 (e.g., where the square wave portion is complete and no additional sequence is scheduled in the test), the routine 1106 completes, e.g., returns to operation 1108 to determine the fuse resistance value from the test.

In accordance with the present description, operations are described that provide varying waveforms for current injection, thereby enhancing determination of fuse resistance values in PDU 102. In certain embodiments, a high confidence determination of fuse resistance may be utilized to determine fuse conditions, provide a high accuracy or high precision determination of current flowing through the fuse and power consumption of system 100, and/or perform system diagnostics, fault management, circuit management, and the like.

Referring to fig. 36, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 3602 having a power supply path 3604; and a power distribution unit 3606 having a current protection circuit 3608 disposed in the power supply path 3604. The example current protection circuit 3608 includes a first branch 3610 of the current protection circuit 3608 that includes a high temperature fuse 3620 (e.g., a controllably active fuse that may be commanded to activate and open the first branch of the current protection circuit; a second branch 3612 of the current protection circuit 3608 that includes a thermal fuse 3622; and wherein the first branch 3610 and the second branch 3612 are coupled in a parallel arrangement (e.g., in a manner similar to the description of any of fig. 26-28.) an example system includes a controller 3614 having a current detection circuit 3616 and a high temperature fuse activation circuit 3618, the current detection circuit structured to determine current flowing through the power supply path 3614 and the high temperature fuse activation circuit structured to provide a high temperature fuse activation command in response to the current exceeding a threshold current value, the high temperature fuse 3620 activates the fuse in response to the high temperature fuse activation command, for example to activate and deactivate the second branch 3612 upon receipt of a command. Upon activation of the high temperature fuse 3620, the second branch 3612 opens, providing normal fusing operation on the first branch 3610 (e.g., thermal failure of the thermal fuse 3622 thereby opening the power supply path 3604) and/or direct opening of the power supply path 3604 when the contactor 3626 in series with the thermal fuse 3622 has opened.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein a first resistance of the entire first branch 3620 and a second resistance of the entire second branch 3612 are configured such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch 3612 after activation of the high temperature fuse 3620 is sufficient to activate the thermal fuse 3622. For example, a high current event may be experienced such that the thermal fuse 3622 is activated if the second branch 3622 does not consume a portion of the high current event. In this example, the opening of the second branch 3612 will increase the current in the first branch 3620 and activate the thermal fuse 3622. One example includes a resistor 3624 coupled in a series arrangement with a thermal fuse 3622 such that a resulting current flowing through the second branch 3612 after activation of the high temperature fuse 3620 is below a second threshold current value. For example, a smaller gauge thermal fuse 3622 may be utilized in the system, and the operating current flowing through the second branch 3612 is reduced by a resistor 3624. When the high temperature fuse 3620 opens, the current flowing through the second branch 3612 increases but is still reduced by the resistor 3624 to prevent high current transients in the power supply path 3604 and also allows sufficient current to flow through the second branch 3612 to activate the thermal fuse 3622.

The exemplary system includes a contactor 3626 coupled in a series arrangement with a thermal fuse 3622, the controller further including a contactor activation circuit 3628 structured to provide a contactor open command in response to at least one of a high temperature fuse activation command or a current exceeding a threshold current value. In certain embodiments, a contactor 3626 coupled in a series arrangement with a thermal fuse 3622 allows control of the current flowing through the second branch 3612, including opening the second branch 3612 to disconnect the power supply path 3604, coupled with activation of the high temperature fuse 3620. A resistor 3624 may additionally be used with the contactor 3626 to reduce current through the second branch 3612, for example, when the high temperature fuse 3620 is active (e.g., where the contactor 3626 dynamics may be slower than the high temperature fuse 3620 dynamics). One example includes a resistor 3624 coupled in a series arrangement with the high temperature fuse 3620 such that a resulting current through the first branch 3610 after activation of the thermal fuse 3622 is below a second threshold current value, for example to reduce the current through the power supply path 3604 if the thermal fuse 3622 is activated while the high temperature fuse 3620 is not activated (e.g., unmeasured current spikes and/or current spikes that occur after the controller has failed and cannot command the high temperature fuse 3620 to open). The exemplary system includes a second thermal fuse (not shown) coupled in a series arrangement with the high temperature fuse 3620 such that a resulting current flowing through the first branch 3610 after activation of the thermal fuse 3622 is sufficient to activate the second thermal fuse. For example, the use of the second thermal fuse allows all branches of the power supply path 3604 to have fuses that have a physical response, thereby avoiding failure due to the inability to detect current in the system or command activation of the high temperature fuse 3620. In this example, the thermal fuse 3622 and the second thermal fuse may be sized to avoid thermal wear during normal operation, but large enough that either thermal fuse 3622 will tend to protect the system when the other branch (first branch 3610 or second branch 3612) is disconnected during a high current event. It can be seen that the embodiment of the system depicted in fig. 36 not only provides high controllability of the high temperature fuse 3620 disconnecting the power supply, but also provides robust protection of the thermal fuse, which will physically respond to high current values, regardless of failures in current sensing or controller operation (which may occur during system failures, vehicle accidents, etc.). Additionally, the utilization of the two branches 3610,3612 (including the potential management of current flowing therethrough using one or more resistors 3624 and/or one or more contactors 3626) allows for the utilization of fuses that may be sized to avoid thermal wear and/or nuisance failures over the life of the vehicle while still providing a reliable power disconnect for high current events.

Referring to fig. 37, an exemplary routine includes an operation 3702 of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of the vehicle; directing current flow through operation 3704 having a parallel arrangement of current protection circuits with a high temperature fuse located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a thermal fuse located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and an operation 3706 of providing a high temperature fuse activation command in response to the current exceeding the threshold current value.

Referring to fig. 38, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 3802 having a power supply path 3804; a power distribution unit 3806 having a current protection circuit 3808 disposed in the power supply path 3804, wherein the current protection circuit includes a first branch 3810 having a thermal fuse 3820 and a second branch 3812 having a contactor 3822. The first branch 3810 and the second branch 3812 are coupled in a parallel arrangement. The system includes a controller 3614 having a current sense circuit 3816 structured to determine the current flowing through the power supply path 3804; and fuse management circuitry 3818 structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the current. Contactor 3822 responds to the contactor activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor 3822 is open during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is above the thermal wear current of the thermal fuse 3820; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is below the current protection value of the power supply path 3804. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor 3822 is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit is structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to determining that the current is above the current protection value of the power supply path 3804. An exemplary system includes wherein the fuse management circuit is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in response to the current by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. It can be seen that the embodiment of the system depicted in fig. 38 allows for the utilization of an oversized fuse 3820 that will experience reduced wear and extended life while still allowing for circuit protection for moderate overcurrents (e.g., utilizing contactors) and fuse protection for high overcurrent values. It can be seen that the embodiment of the system depicted in fig. 38 allows for the utilization of a nominal or smaller size fuse 3820 that can easily open the circuit at moderate over current values, but experiences reduced wear and extended life (e.g., current sharing through the contactor branches).

Referring to fig. 39, an exemplary procedure includes operation 3902 of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current to flow through operation 3904 having a current protection circuit arranged in parallel, wherein a thermal fuse is located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a contactor is located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and operation 3906 of providing a contactor activation command in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary procedure also includes an operation to close the contactor in response to the current. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to determine that the current is below a current protection value of the power supply path prior to closing the contactor. An exemplary program includes at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to open the contactor in response to a current; an operation of determining that the current is higher than a current protection value of the power supply path before opening the contactor; and/or opening the contactor, including performing any one or more of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects.

Referring to fig. 40, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 4002 having a power supply path 4004; a power supply distribution unit 4006 having a current protection circuit 4008 provided in a power supply path 4004, wherein the current protection circuit includes a first branch 4010 of the current protection circuit 4008, which includes a thermal fuse 4020, and a second branch 4012 of the current protection circuit 4008, which includes a solid-state switch 4022. The first branch 4010 and the second branch 4012 are coupled in a parallel arrangement. The exemplary system includes a controller 4014 that includes a current detection circuit 4016 structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path 4004 and a fuse management circuit 4018 structured to provide a switch activation command in response to the current. The solid-state switch 4022 responds to a switch activation command. In certain embodiments, the system includes a contactor 4024 coupled to the current protection circuit 4008, wherein the contactor 4024 is in an open position to disconnect the current protection circuit 4008 (e.g., the contactor 4024 is in series with both

legs

4010,4012, and/or the contactor 4024 is in series with the solid state switch 4022 on the second leg 4012). Any contactor described throughout this disclosure may, in certain embodiments, be a solid state switch in place of or in series with a conventional contactor device. Solid state switches are known to have fast response and are robust to opening during high current events. However, solid state switches also experience small leakage currents, which may be acceptable in some embodiments, or unacceptable in other embodiments. In certain embodiments, the use of a conventional contactor in combination with a solid state switch allows for both fast response time and survivability of the solid state switch, as well as forced zero current of the conventional contactor. In certain embodiments, the solid state switch is used to open the circuit first, and then the conventional contactor opens the circuit again, thereby avoiding the situation where the conventional contactor opens under high current conditions.

Referring to fig. 41, an exemplary routine includes an operation 4102 of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of a vehicle; directing current flow through an operation 4104 having a parallel arrangement of current protection circuits, wherein a thermal fuse is located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a solid state switch is located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and an operation 4106 of providing a switch activation command in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes closing the solid state switch in response to the current; and/or determining that the current is below the current protection value of the power supply path prior to closing the solid state switch. For example, the current value or transient may be high enough to cause degradation of the thermal fuse, but below a threshold that requires a system protection response from the thermal fuse. In certain embodiments, closing the solid state switch reduces the current and/or transients flowing through the thermal fuse, thereby reducing wear and/or nuisance failure of the thermal fuse. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to close a solid state switch, which includes performing at least one operation such as: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. An exemplary procedure includes opening a solid state switch in response to a current; and/or determining that the current is above a current protection value of the power supply path before opening the solid state switch. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to open the solid state switch, including performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and responding to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects. An example procedure includes an operation to open the contactor after opening the solid state switch, wherein opening the contactor disconnects one of the current protection circuit or the second branch of the current protection circuit.

Referring to FIG. 42, an exemplary system includes a vehicle having a power supply path 4204; a power distribution unit 4206 having a current protection circuit 4208 disposed in a power supply path 4204, wherein the current protection circuit includes a first branch 4220 of the current protection circuit 4208 including a first thermal fuse 4220, a second branch 4212 of the current protection circuit 4208 including a second thermal fuse 4222 and a contactor 4224, and wherein the first branch 4220 and the second branch 4212 are coupled in a parallel arrangement. An exemplary system includes a controller comprising: a current detection circuit 4216 structured to determine a current flowing through power supply path 4204; and fuse management circuitry 4218 structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the current. The contactor 4224 responds to a contactor activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor 4224 is open during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4218 is structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is above the thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse 4220. The exemplary system includes fuse management circuit 4218, which is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to determining that the current is below the current protection value of power supply path 4204. The exemplary system includes a vehicle operating condition circuit 4226 structured to determine an operating mode of the vehicle (e.g., moving, stopping, high performance, high energy savings, charging, fast charging, etc.), and wherein the fuse management circuit 4218 is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the operating mode. The exemplary system includes a fuse management circuit 4218 further structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to an operating mode including at least one operating mode selected from the operating modes consisting of: a charging mode; a fast charge mode; a high performance mode; a high power demand mode; an emergency operation mode; and/or a limp home mode. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor 4224 is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4218 is structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to determining that the current is above the current protection value of the power supply path 4204. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactors are closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4218 is structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to an operating mode; and/or wherein the fuse management circuit 4218 is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to an operating mode comprising at least one of a power saving mode or a maintenance mode. For example, a reduced maximum power throughput through power supply path 4204 may be enforced during certain operating conditions, such as during a power savings mode or during a maintenance event, where opening of contactor 4224 is used to provide configured fuse protection for the reduced maximum power throughput.

Referring to fig. 43, an exemplary routine includes an operation 4302 of determining a current flowing through a power supply path of the vehicle; directing current to flow through an operation 4304 having a current protection circuit arranged in parallel, wherein a first thermal fuse is located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a second thermal fuse and a contactor are located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and an operation 4306 of providing a contactor activation command in response to the current.

Referring to fig. 44, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 4402 having a power supply path 4404; a power distribution unit 4406 having a current protection circuit 4408 provided in the power supply path 4404, wherein the current protection circuit includes: a first branch 4410 of the current protection circuit 4408, which includes a first thermal fuse 4420 and a first contactor 4424; a second branch 4412 of the current protection circuit 4408, which includes a second thermal fuse 4422 and a second contactor 4426; and wherein the first and second branches 4410 and 4412 are coupled in a parallel arrangement. The exemplary system includes a controller 4414 including a current detection circuit 4416 structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path 4404; and fuse management circuit 4418 structured to provide a plurality of contactor activation commands in response to current flow. The first contactor 4424 and the second contactor 4426 respond to the contactor activation command to provide the selected configuration of the current protection circuit 4408.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the current protection circuit further comprises: one or more additional branches 4413, wherein each additional branch 4413 comprises an additional thermal fuse 4423 and an additional contact 4428; and wherein each additional contactor 4428 is further responsive to a contactor activation command to provide a selected configuration of the current protection circuit 4408. The exemplary system includes a vehicle operating condition circuit 4430 structured to determine an operating mode of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4418 is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the operating mode. The example fuse management circuit 4418 is further structured to determine an active current rating of the power supply path 4404 in response to the mode of operation, and to provide a contactor activation command in response to the active current rating. The example system includes wherein the first leg 4410 of the current protection circuit 4408 further comprises an additional first contactor 4427 arranged in parallel with the first thermal fuse 4420, wherein the current detection circuit 4416 is further structured to determine a first leg current, wherein the fuse management circuit 4418 is further structured to provide a contactor activation command further in response to the first leg current, and wherein the additional first contactor 4427 is responsive to the contactor activation command. The example system includes an additional first contactor 4427 that opens during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4418 is structured to provide a contactor activation command including an additional first contactor close command in response to determining that the first branch current is higher than the thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse 4420. The exemplary system includes a fuse management circuit 4418 structured to provide an additional first contactor close command in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is lower than the first branch current protection value, or the current is lower than the power supply path current protection value. The exemplary system includes wherein the additional first contactor 4427 is closed during nominal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4418 is structured to provide a contactor activation command including an additional first contactor open command in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is higher than the first branch current protection value, or the current is higher than the power supply path current protection value. The exemplary system may also include additional contactors 4428 positioned on any one or more of the

branches

4410,4412,4413. Any one or more of the

contactors

4424,4426,4428 can be configured in series and/or in parallel with the associated

thermal fuse

4420,4422,4423 on the associated branch.

Referring to FIG. 45, an exemplary routine includes operations 4502 for determining current flow through a power supply path of a vehicle; an operation 4504 of directing current flow through a current protection circuit having a parallel arrangement in which a first thermal fuse and a first contactor are located on a first leg of the current protection circuit and a second thermal fuse and a second contactor are located on a second leg of the current protection circuit; and an operation 4506 of providing a selected configuration of the current protection circuit in response to current flowing through the power supply path of the vehicle, wherein providing the selected configuration includes providing a contactor activation command to each of the first contactor and the second contactor.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program includes operations further comprising at least one additional branch of the current protection circuit, each additional branch of the current protection circuit having an additional thermal fuse and an additional contactor, and wherein providing the selected configuration of the current protection circuit includes providing a contactor activation command to each additional contactor. An exemplary procedure includes an operation to determine an operating mode of the vehicle and to provide a selected configuration further in response to the operating mode; and/or an operation to determine an active current rating of the power supply path in response to the mode of operation, and wherein the selected configuration of the provision current protection circuit is further responsive to the active current rating. An exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining an active current rating of the power supply path, and wherein the selected configuration of the provision current protection circuit is further responsive to the active current rating. An exemplary procedure includes an operation in which the first branch of the current protection circuit further includes an additional first contactor arranged in parallel with the first thermal fuse, the procedure further including: determining a first branch current, and wherein providing the selected configuration further comprises providing a contactor activation command to an additional first contactor; an operation of closing the additional first contactor in response to determining that the first branch current is higher than a thermal wear current of the first thermal fuse; an operation to close the additional first contactor further in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is lower than a first branch current protection value, or the current is lower than a power supply path current protection value; and/or opening operation of the additional first contactor in response to determining at least one of: the first branch current is higher than the first branch current protection value, or the current is higher than the power supply path current protection value.

Referring to fig. 46, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 4602 having a power supply path 4604; a power supply distribution unit 4606 having a current protection circuit 4608 disposed in the power supply path 4604, wherein the current protection circuit 4608 includes a fuse 4610. The exemplary system also includes a controller 4614 including fuse state circuitry 4616 structured to determine a fuse event value; and fuse management circuitry 4618 structured to provide a fuse event response based on the fuse event value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example system includes a fuse life description circuit 4619 structured to determine a fuse life remaining value, wherein the fuse event value includes an indication that the fuse life remaining value is below a threshold value, and wherein the fuse management circuit 4618 is further structured to provide a fuse event response further based on the fuse life remaining value. Exemplary and non-limiting operations to provide fuse events include providing a fault code and/or notification of a fuse event value, for example, to a data link, to another controller in the system, as a service notification, to a fleet owner (e.g., a maintenance manager), stored as a fault code for service review, and/or stored as a notification issued to an operator, mobile device, service report, etc. Exemplary and non-limiting operations to provide a fuse event response include: adjusting a maximum power rating of the power supply path; adjusting a maximum power conversion rate of the power supply path; and/or adjusting the configuration of the current protection circuit. The exemplary system includes wherein the current protection circuit 4606 also includes a contactor 4612 coupled to the fuse 4610 in a parallel arrangement; and/or wherein fuse management circuit 4618 is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to a fuse event value. In this example, the contactor 4612 is responsive to a contactor activation command. The example system includes wherein the fuse management circuit 4618 is further structured to provide the contactor activation command in the form of a contactor close command in response to the fuse event value being one of a thermal wear event or an impending thermal wear event of the fuse 4610. The example system includes wherein the fuse management circuit 4618 is further structured to adjust a current threshold of the contactor activation command in response to the fuse life remaining value (e.g., open the contactor at a lower or higher threshold as the fuse ages). The example system includes a cooling system 4620, at least selectively thermally coupled to the fuse, and a cooling system interface 4622 (e.g., a hardware interface such as a flow coupler, a valve, etc., and/or a communication interface such as a network command, an electrical coupler, etc.); and/or wherein providing a fuse event response comprises adjusting cooling system interface 4622 of cooling system 4620 in response to a fuse life remaining value (e.g., increasing an active cooling capability of the fuse as the fuse ages).

Referring to FIG. 47, an exemplary procedure includes an operation 4702 of determining a fuse event value of a fuse disposed in a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path of a vehicle; and an operation 4704 of providing a fuse event response based on the fuse event value.

Referring to FIG. 48, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 4802 having a motive power path 4804 and at least one auxiliary power path 4805; a power distribution unit 4806 having a power current protection circuit 4808 provided in a power path 4804, the power current protection circuit including a fuse; and auxiliary current protection circuits 4810 disposed in each of the at least one auxiliary power supply path 4805, each auxiliary current protection circuit 4810 including an auxiliary fuse (not shown). The system includes a controller 4814 comprising: a current determination circuit 4816 structured to interpret a power current value corresponding to the power supply path and an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary power supply path.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes a power current sensor 4824 electrically coupled to a power supply path 4804, wherein the power current sensor 4824 is configured to provide a power current value. The exemplary system includes at least one auxiliary current sensor 4826, each electrically coupled to one of the at least one auxiliary power supply path, each auxiliary current sensor 4826 configured to provide a corresponding auxiliary current value. The exemplary system includes where the controller 4814 further includes a vehicle interface circuit 4828 structured to provide powering current values to a vehicle network (not shown); wherein the vehicle interface circuit 4828 is further structured to provide an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary power path 4805 to the vehicle network; and/or further includes a battery management controller (not shown) configured to receive the value of the powering current from the vehicle network. In certain embodiments, one or more of the power current value and/or the one or more auxiliary current values are provided by a fuse current model, for example determined from a load voltage drop across the fuse and/or a fuse resistance (and/or a fuse dynamic resistance or fuse impedance) value determined by an injection current operation across the fuse. Utilization of the fuse current model may provide higher accuracy of current determination (e.g., relative to moderately or inexpensively capable current sensors) and/or faster response times than sensors. In certain embodiments, the current sensor may be combined with the utilization of a fuse current model, for example, to favor one or the other of the sensor or model depending on the operating conditions and the expected accuracy of the sensor or model derived for the operating conditions.

Referring to fig. 49, an exemplary procedure includes an operation 4902 of providing a power distribution unit having a power current protection circuit and at least one auxiliary current protection circuit; operation 4904 of powering a vehicle power supply path through a power current protection circuit; an operation 4906 of powering the at least one auxiliary load by a corresponding one of the at least one auxiliary current protection circuit; an operation 4908 of determining a power current value corresponding to the power supply path; and an operation 4910 of determining an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary current protection circuit.

Referring to fig. 50, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 5002 having a power supply path 5004; a power distribution unit 5006 having a current protection circuit 5008 disposed in the power supply path 5004, wherein the current protection circuit includes: a thermal fuse 5020; and a contactor 5022 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 5020. The system also includes a controller 5014 that includes a current detection circuit 5016 structured to determine a current flowing through the power supply path 5004; and fuse management circuitry 5018 structured to provide a contactor activation command in response to the current; and wherein the contactor 5022 is responsive to the contactor activation command.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. Exemplary systems include wherein the thermal fuse 5020 comprises a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path 5004 (e.g., wherein the fuse is sized to avoid wear or degradation until the maximum power throughput is reached, wherein the fuse is sized to accommodate a higher power rating and/or a fast charge power throughput, etc.). Exemplary systems include wherein the thermal fuse 5020 comprises a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power throughput of the power supply path 5004. The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor 5020 comprises a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path 5004. In certain embodiments, the current corresponding to the maximum power source throughput of the power supply path 5004 may correspond to the current at the nominal voltage, and/or the current at the degraded and/or failure mode voltage (e.g., as the battery pack ages, and/or with one or more battery cells deactivated). The exemplary system includes wherein the contactor 5022 comprises a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power throughput of the power supply path 5004. The exemplary system includes wherein the fuse management circuit 5018 is further structured to provide a contactor activation command in the form of a contactor open command in response to the current indicating power supply path protection event. The example current detection circuit 5016 determines a power supply path protection event by performing at least one operation such as: responsive to a rate of change of the current; responsive to a comparison of the current to a threshold; responsive to one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and/or in response to one of the expected or predicted values of any of the foregoing aspects.

Referring to fig. 51, an exemplary procedure includes an operation 5102 of powering a power supply path of a vehicle through a current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; and an operation 5104 of determining a current flowing through the power supply path; and selectively opening the contactor in response to the current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example method also includes providing operation of the thermal fuse with a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path. An example procedure includes providing operation of a thermal fuse having a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power supply throughput of a power supply path. An exemplary procedure includes providing operation of a contactor having a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a maximum power throughput of the power supply path. An exemplary procedure includes providing operation of a contactor having a current rating that is higher than a current corresponding to a fast charging power supply throughput of a power supply path. The exemplary procedure includes the operation of opening the contactor further in response to at least one of: the rate of change of current; comparing the current to a threshold; one of an integrated value or an accumulated value of the current; and/or an expected or predicted value of any of the foregoing aspects.

Referring to fig. 52, an exemplary procedure includes an operation 5202 of powering a power supply path of a vehicle through a current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; an operation 5204 of determining a current flowing through the power supply path; an operation 5206 of opening the contactor in response to the current exceeding a threshold; an operation 5208 of confirming that the vehicle operating condition allows reconnection of the contactor; and an operation 5210 of commanding the contactors to close in response to the vehicle operating conditions. Previously known fuse systems, including systems having controllable high temperature fuses, are not able to recover system power after an overcurrent event because the fuses have opened the circuit and are unable to recover. Certain exemplary embodiments throughout this disclosure provide systems that can open a circuit without activating a fuse under certain conditions. Thus, in certain embodiments, power may be restored after a high current event, providing additional capability. However, in certain embodiments, it may not be desirable to restore power to the system, for example, in the event that emergency personnel and/or maintenance personnel are accessing the system after an over-current event. In some embodiments, the controller is configured to perform certain checks, including checking current operating conditions and permissions, before attempting to restore power. Additionally or alternatively, the controller is configured to determine whether a condition still exists that causes an overcurrent event during and/or shortly after an attempt to restore power. Additionally or alternatively, the controller is configured to determine whether the contactor or another electrical device has been damaged during an overcurrent event or during a disconnection process performed to prevent the overcurrent event.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary procedure further includes operations to confirm vehicle operating conditions, and in certain embodiments, further includes determining at least one vehicle operating condition such as: an emergency vehicle operating condition; user override vehicle operating conditions; a maintenance event vehicle operating condition; and a reconnect command transmitted over the vehicle network. In certain embodiments, an emergency vehicle operating condition may indicate a desire to reconnect, for example, where continued operation of the vehicle is more important than damage to the electrical system of the vehicle. In certain embodiments, an emergency vehicle operating condition may indicate that reconnection is not desired, for example, where the vehicle has experienced an accident and it is desired to protect vehicle occupants and/or emergency response personnel through disconnection of the power supply. In certain embodiments, the service event vehicle operating condition indicates a reconnection is desired, for example, where a service operator requests a vehicle to be re-powered. In certain embodiments, the service event vehicle operating condition indicates that reconnection is not desired, such as when a service person is servicing, maintaining, or repairing the vehicle.

An exemplary procedure includes monitoring the power supply path during commanded contactor closure and reopening operation of the contactor in response to the monitoring (e.g., where post-closure current and/or current transients indicate that conditions causing overcurrent may still be active). Example procedures include operations to determine an accumulated contactor opening event description in response to opening the contactor, and/or operations to prevent commanded contactor closing in response to the accumulated contactor opening event description exceeding a threshold. For example, the cumulative contactor opening events may be determined by a number of contactor opening events under the load and/or by the severity of these events. In the event of multiple opening events under load and/or in the event of one or more severe opening events, reconnection of the contactor may be undesirable to avoid the risk of further damage to the contactor, overheating, and/or sticking or welding of the damaged contactor (which may prevent subsequent reopening of the contactor). An exemplary routine includes operations to adjust the cumulative contactor opening event description in response to current during opening of the contactor. An example procedure includes diagnosing operation of the welding contactor in response to one of current during opening of the contactor and/or monitoring of the power supply path during commanded contactor closing. An example procedure includes diagnosing operation of a welding contactor in response to monitoring of at least one of contactor actuator position (e.g., failure of an actuator to respond as expected upon receipt of a command) during opening of the contactor, contactor actuator response, and/or a power supply path. The example program also includes an operation to prevent the commanded contactor from closing in response to the diagnosed welding contactor.

Referring to fig. 53, the exemplary apparatus includes a power supply current protection circuit 5308 structured to: determining a current flowing through the power supply path 5304 of the vehicle; and opening a contactor 5322 provided in the current protection circuit 5308 in response to the current exceeding the threshold, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse 5320 and a contactor 5322 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 5320. The apparatus also includes a vehicle re-powering circuit 5316 structured to: confirming that the vehicle operating condition permits reconnection of the contactor; and closing the contactor 5322 in response to a vehicle operating condition.

Certain other aspects of the exemplary devices are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary apparatus includes wherein the vehicle re-powering circuit 5316 is further structured to confirm the vehicle operating condition by confirming at least one vehicle operating condition such as: an emergency vehicle operating condition; user override vehicle operating conditions; a maintenance event vehicle operating condition; and a reconnect command transmitted over the vehicle network (not shown). For example, the system can include an operator override interface (e.g., a button, a sequence of control inputs, etc.) that provides an operator input to request continued power supply operation if the power supply current protection circuit 5308 has opened the contactor 5322 to protect the power supply system. In certain embodiments, operator access to the override is used by the vehicle re-power circuit 5316 to command a reconnection of the contactor. In certain embodiments, reconnecting with operator input includes only allowing reconnection for certain applications (e.g., emergency or military vehicles), and/or only allowing reconnection for a period of time (e.g., 10 or 30 seconds), and/or only allowing reconnection when electrical conditions after reconnection do not indicate the occurrence of another overcurrent event. In certain embodiments, the vehicle re-power circuit 5316 additionally or alternatively can de-rate the maximum power, de-rate the maximum power conversion rate, provide a notification or warning to an operator during a re-connection operation, and/or provide a notification or warning to an operator when a re-connection time period is about to expire (e.g., a first light or light sequence during a re-connection operation, and a different light or light sequence when a re-connection time period is about to expire).

The example apparatus includes wherein the power supply current protection circuit 5308 is further structured to monitor the power supply path during closing of the contactor, and wherein the vehicle re-supply circuit 5316 is further structured to re-open the contactor in response to the monitoring. The example apparatus includes a contactor status circuit 5318 structured to determine a cumulative contactor opening event description in response to opening the contactor 5322; wherein the vehicle re-energizing circuit 5316 is further structured to prevent closing the contactor 5322 in response to the cumulative contactor opening event description exceeding a threshold; and/or wherein the contactor status circuit 5318 is further structured to adjust the cumulative contactor opening event description in response to current during opening of the contactor. The example apparatus includes a contactor status circuit 5318 structured to diagnose the welding contactor in response to one of the following during a commanded contactor closing: current during opening of the contactor 5322, and/or monitoring of the power supply path by the power supply current protection circuit 5308. The example apparatus includes a contactor status circuit 5318 structured to diagnose a welding contactor in response to monitoring of at least one of: monitoring of the contactor actuator position by the vehicle re-powering circuit 5316; monitoring of the vehicle re-powering circuit 5316 response to the contactor actuator; and monitoring of the power supply path by the power supply current protection circuit 5308; and/or wherein the contactor status circuit 5318 is further structured to prevent closing of the contactor in response to the diagnosed welding contactor.

An exemplary system (e.g., with reference to fig. 1 and 2) includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit, the power distribution unit comprising: a current protection circuit disposed in the power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse; a high voltage power supply input coupler comprising a first electrical interface for a high voltage power supply; a high voltage power supply output coupler comprising a second electrical interface of the power supply load; and wherein the current protection circuit electrically couples the high voltage power supply input to the high voltage power supply output, and wherein the current protection circuit is at least partially disposed in a laminate layer (e.g., see fig. 12-17) of the power distribution unit, wherein the laminate layer comprises an electrically conductive flow path disposed between two electrically insulating layers.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the current protection circuit includes a power bus disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit. An exemplary system includes wherein the vehicle further includes an auxiliary power path; wherein the power distribution unit further comprises: an auxiliary current protection circuit disposed in the auxiliary power supply path, the auxiliary current protection circuit including a second thermal fuse; an auxiliary voltage supply input-coupler comprising a first auxiliary electrical interface of a low voltage supply; an auxiliary voltage supply output coupler comprising a second auxiliary electrical interface of an auxiliary load; and wherein the auxiliary current protection circuit electrically couples the auxiliary voltage supply input to the auxiliary voltage supply output, and wherein the auxiliary current protection circuit is at least partially disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit. An exemplary system includes wherein the laminate layers of the power distribution unit further comprise at least one thermally conductive flow path disposed between two thermally insulating layers; wherein the at least one thermally conductive flow path is configured to provide a thermal coupler between a heat sink (e.g., a cooling system, an enclosure or other system aspect having a high thermal mass, and/or ambient air) and a heat source, wherein the heat source comprises at least one of a contactor, a thermal fuse, and a second thermal fuse; wherein the heat sink comprises at least one of a thermal coupler to the active cooling source and a housing of the power distribution unit; and/or further comprising a heat pipe disposed between the at least one thermally conductive flow path and the heat source.

Referring to fig. 55, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 5502 having a powered power supply path 5504; a power distribution unit 5506 including a current protection circuit 5508 disposed in the power supply path 5504, the current protection circuit 5508 including a thermal fuse 5520 and a contactor 5522 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 5520; a current source circuit 5516 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 5520 and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse 5520 (e.g., using an operational amplifier to drive a current source); and a voltage determination circuit 5518 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 5520 and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. An exemplary system includes wherein the power supply path 5504 includes a direct current power supply path (e.g., a power supply path); wherein the current source circuit 5516 includes at least one of an alternating current source and a time-varying current source, and further includes a hardware filter 5524 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 5520. In this example, hardware filter 5524 is configured in response to the injection frequency of current source circuit 5516; where hardware filter 5524 includes a high pass filter 5526 having a cutoff frequency determined in response to the injection frequency of current source circuit 5516 (e.g., to remove voltage fluctuations significantly below the injection AC frequency). The exemplary system includes a hardware filter 5524 having a low pass filter 5528 with a cutoff frequency determined in response to at least one of an injection frequency of the current source circuit (e.g., to remove voltage fluctuations caused by current injection) or a load change value of the power supply path 5504 (e.g., to remove transient fluctuations caused by load changes). In certain embodiments, the high pass filtered voltage is analyzed separately from the low pass filtered voltage, e.g., where the fundamental voltage signal is analyzed with an applied low pass filter and an applied high pass filter, respectively, thereby allowing separate determination of the response voltage of the injected current and the fundamental voltage due to the current load. In certain embodiments, the voltage determination circuit 5518 is further structured to determine an injection voltage drop of the thermal fuse in response to an output of the high pass filter; and/or wherein the voltage determination circuit 5518 is further structured to determine a thermal fuse impedance value in response to an injection voltage drop. In certain embodiments, the voltage determination circuit 5518 is further structured to determine a load voltage drop of the thermal fuse 5520 in response to an output of the low pass filter, and/or wherein the system further comprises a load current circuit 5519 structured to determine a load current flowing through the fuse in response to a thermal fuse impedance value (e.g., determined by a response voltage of the injected current) and further in response to the load voltage drop from the low pass filter.

Referring to fig. 54, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 5402 having a power supply path 5404; a power distribution unit 5406 including a current protection circuit 5408 provided in the power supply path 5404, the current protection circuit 5408 including a thermal fuse 5420 and a contactor 5422 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 5420; the exemplary system also includes a current source circuit 5416 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 5420 and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse 5420; and a voltage determination circuit 5518 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 5420 and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit 5518 includes a high pass filter (e.g., an analog filter 5428 depicted as being in the band pass filter 5426, but may additionally or alternatively include a high pass filter) having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein the voltage determination circuit 5518 further includes a band pass filter 5426 having a bandwidth selected to define a frequency of the injection current. For example, where the frequency of the injection current is 200Hz, the band-pass filter 5426 may be configured with a cutoff frequency of 190Hz to 210Hz, 195Hz to 205Hz, 199Hz to 201Hz, within 5% deviation from the injection frequency, and/or within 1% deviation from the injection frequency. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the disclosure herein, may determine the appropriate injection frequency and/or range of injection frequencies to utilize, as well as the values of the high pass filter and/or band pass filter determined to provide the appropriate conditional voltage response to the injection current. Some considerations for selecting the injection frequency and band pass filter range include, but are not limited to, the frequency components (including fundamental frequencies and harmonics) in electrical communication with the power supply system, the noise environment of the system, the desired accuracy of the thermal fuse impedance value determination, the dynamic response and capabilities of the current injectors, the dynamic response and attenuation capabilities of the filters, the time available for determining the injection event, the number of fuses to be checked coupled with one or more of the current injectors, the desired time response for determining fuse impedance value changes, and/or the amount of statistical and/or frequency component post-analysis processing available on the controller 5414.

Exemplary systems include wherein the high pass filter comprises an analog hardware filter 5428 and wherein the band pass filter 5426 comprises a digital filter 5430. For example, the analog hardware filter 5428 may perform a high pass filtering function, and the downstream digital filter 5430 may perform a digital or analytical bandpass filtering function on the high pass filtered input. The exemplary system includes 5430 where the high pass filter and the band pass filter are both digital filters. The example voltage determination circuit 5518 is further structured to determine a thermal fuse impedance value in response to an injected voltage drop from the high pass and band pass filtered inputs. The example system includes a fuse characterization circuit 5418 that stores a fuse resistance value and/or a fuse impedance value, and/or the fuse characterization circuit 5418 further updates the stored one of the fuse resistance value and the fuse impedance value in response to the thermal fuse impedance value. The example system includes wherein the fuse characterization circuit 5418 further updates the stored one of the fuse resistance value and the fuse impedance value by performing at least one operation such as: updating a value to the thermal fuse impedance value (e.g., instantaneously or periodically replacing the stored value with the determined value); filtering the value using the thermal fuse impedance value as a filter input (e.g., continuously moving toward the determined value, such as with a selected time constant); rejecting the thermal fuse impedance value for a period of time or for a certain determined amount of thermal fuse impedance value (e.g., where a low confidence value and/or an outlier is determined, skimming or ignoring the value for a period of time or for a selected determined amount, and/or subsequently confirming the value where it appears stable over time); and/or updating the values by performing a rolling average of multiple thermal impedance values over time (e.g., utilizing a rolling buffer or other memory construct to replace older determinations with updated determinations). The exemplary system includes wherein the power distribution unit 5406 further includes a plurality of thermal fuses 5420 disposed therein, and wherein the current source circuit 5416 is further electrically coupled to the plurality of thermal fuses (which may be a single current source selectively coupled to the various fuses, and/or separate current sources controllable by the current source circuit 5416). The example current source circuit 5416 is further configured to sequentially inject current across each of the plurality of thermal fuses (e.g., to check the thermal fuse impedance value and/or resistance of each of the fuses in a selected sequence). The example voltage determination circuit 5518 is further electrically coupled to each of the plurality of thermal fuses and is further structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage, a thermal fuse impedance value, and a like for each of the plurality of thermal fuses. The example current source circuit 5416 is further configured to sequentially inject current across each of the plurality of thermal fuses in a selected order of fuses (e.g., the fuses do not have to be checked in any particular order, and do not have to be checked at the same frequency or the same number of times). The exemplary current source circuit 5416 is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to at least one of: a rate of change of temperature of each of the fuses (e.g., fuses that change temperature more quickly may be checked more frequently); an importance value for each of the fuses (e.g., the power supply fuse may be checked more frequently than a non-critical auxiliary fuse); criticality of each of the fuses (e.g., task disabled fuses may be checked more frequently than another fuse); a power throughput of each of the fuses (e.g., similar to a rate of change of temperature, and/or indicating a likelihood of increased wear or aging of the fuses); and/or one of a fault condition or fuse health condition for each of the fuses (e.g., fuses with suspected or active faults and/or worn or aged fuses may be checked more frequently to track the progress of the fuses, confirm or clear diagnostics, and/or more quickly detect or counter failures). The example current source circuit 5416 is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to one of a planned duty cycle and an observed duty cycle of the vehicle (e.g., to adjust the fuse check order and/or frequency based on the planned duty cycle of the vehicle or power supply circuit and/or based on the observed duty cycle of the vehicle or power supply circuit, allowing for adaptation to various applications and/or observed runtime variations). The example system includes where the current source circuit 5416 is further structured to inject current through a series of injection frequency sweeps (e.g., ensuring robustness to system noise, informing a multi-frequency impedance model of fuses, and/or passively or actively avoiding injection noise on power supply circuits including fuses). The example current source circuit 5416 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at multiple injection frequencies (e.g., similar to sweeping, but using a selected number of discrete frequencies, which achieves some of the benefits of sweeping with more convenient filtering and processing, and includes updating the selected injection frequency based on systematic changes, such as load, observed noise, and/or observations of the selected frequency in characterizing the fuse). The exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit 5416 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. The injection voltage magnitude may be coupled with the injection current magnitude. Regardless of where injection amplitude is described in this disclosure, it should be understood that the injection amplitude may be a current injection amplitude and/or a voltage injection amplitude, and that in certain operating conditions, these amplitudes may be combined (e.g., selecting a voltage amplitude until a current limit in the current source is reached, selecting a current amplitude until a voltage limit in the current source is reached, and/or following an amplitude trajectory that may include a combination of voltage and/or current). The example system includes where the current source circuit 5416 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power supply throughput of the thermal fuse (e.g., inject a greater magnitude at high loads to facilitate signal-to-noise ratios, and/or inject a lower magnitude at high loads to reduce loading on the fuse). The exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit 5416 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 56, an example routine includes an operation 5602 of determining a zero offset voltage of the fuse current measurement system, including an operation 5604 of determining that no current is required by a fuse load of a fuse electrically disposed between the power source and the electrical load; and operations 5604 including determining a zero offset voltage in response to the fuse load not requiring current; and an operation 5606 of storing the zero offset voltage.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes an operation to update the stored zero offset voltage in response to the determined zero offset voltage. An exemplary procedure includes diagnosing operation of a component in response to a zero offset voltage, for example, where a high zero offset voltage indicates that a component in the system may not operate properly. An example program includes operations to determine which of a plurality of components contributes to a zero offset voltage (e.g., by performing a zero offset voltage determination with a selected component coupled or decoupled from a circuit having a fuse to be checked). The exemplary procedure includes an operation of determining that the fuse load does not require current by performing at least one operation such as: determining that a vehicle comprising a fuse, a power source, and an electrical load has experienced a disconnect event; determining that a key-on event has occurred for the vehicle; determining that the vehicle is powered down; and determining that the vehicle is in an accessory condition, wherein the vehicle in the accessory condition is not powered through the fuse (e.g., a key switch accessory position of an application, wherein the power supply fuse is not energized in the accessory position).

Referring to fig. 57, an example apparatus to determine an offset voltage to adjust a fuse current determination includes a controller 5702 having a fuse load circuit 5708 structured to determine that a fuse load does not require current and further determine that a contactor associated with a fuse is open; an offset voltage determination circuit 5722 structured to determine an offset voltage corresponding to at least one component in a fuse circuit associated with a fuse in response to determining that the fuse load does not require current; and an offset data management circuit 5724 structured to store an offset voltage and to pass the current to calculate the offset voltage for use by the controller to determine the current flowing through the fuse.

Referring to fig. 58, an exemplary procedure includes an operation 5802 of providing a digital filter for a fuse circuit in a power distribution unit, including an operation 5804 of injecting an alternating current across a fuse, wherein the fuse is electrically disposed between a power source and an electrical load; an operation 5806 of determining a base power flowing through the fuse by performing a low pass filter operation on one of the measured current value and the measured voltage value of the fuse; and an operation 5808 of determining an injection current value by performing a high pass filter operation on one of the measured current value and the measured voltage value of the fuse.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example method also includes adjusting a parameter of at least one of the low pass filter and the high pass filter in response to a duty cycle of one of the power and the current flowing through the fuse. An exemplary procedure includes the operation of injecting an alternating current through a series of injection frequency sweeps. An exemplary procedure includes the operation of injecting an alternating current across the fuse at a plurality of injection frequencies. An exemplary procedure includes an operation in which the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the fuse at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. An example program includes operations in which the current source circuit is further structured to inject current across the fuse at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power supply throughput of the fuse. In certain embodiments, the low pass filter and/or the high pass filter are digital filters, and wherein adjusting the parameters of the digital filters comprises adjusting the values of one or more of the digital filters. An exemplary procedure includes further processing the measured voltage values with a digital band pass filter after performing the high pass filtering and determining fuse resistance, fuse dynamic resistance, and/or fuse impedance values based on the high pass filtered and then band pass filtered measured voltage values.

Referring to FIG. 59, the exemplary routine includes operations 5902 of calibrating the fuse resistance determination algorithm, including: an operation 5904 of storing a plurality of calibration sets corresponding to a plurality of duty cycle values, the duty cycles comprising electrical throughput values corresponding to fuses electrically disposed between the electrical power source and the electrical load. An example calibration set includes current source injection settings of a current injection device operatively coupled with the fuses, including injection frequency, injection duty cycle (e.g., on-time per cycle), injection waveform shape, fuse sequence operation (e.g., checking order and frequency of each fuse), injection amplitude, and/or injection runtime (e.g., seconds or milliseconds per injection sequence per fuse, such as 130 milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, 1 second, etc.). The exemplary procedure includes an operation 5908 of determining a duty cycle of a system including a fuse, a power source, and an electrical load; an operation 5910 of determining injection settings of the current injection device in response to the plurality of calibration sets and the determined duty cycles (e.g., using the indicated calibration sets according to the determined duty cycles, and/or interpolating between the calibration sets); and an operation 5912 of operating the current injection apparatus in response to the determined injection setting.

The example program also includes operations wherein the calibration set further includes filter settings of at least one digital filter, wherein the method further includes determining fuse resistance with the at least one digital filter.

Referring to fig. 60, an exemplary procedure includes an operation 6002 to provide a unique current waveform to improve fuse resistance measurement of a power distribution cell. In certain embodiments, the procedure includes an operation 6004 of confirming opening of a contactor electrically positioned in a fuse circuit, wherein the fuse circuit includes a fuse electrically disposed between a power source and an electrical load, and/or an operation 6006 of determining a zero voltage offset value for the fuse circuit. The example program includes an operation 6006 of conducting a plurality of current injection sequences across the fuse, where each of the current injection sequences includes a selected current amplitude, current frequency, and current waveform value. The example program also includes an operation 6010 of determining a fuse resistance value in response to the current injection sequence and/or the zero voltage offset value.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary processes are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example program also includes an operation to adjust a filter characteristic of the digital filter in response to each of the plurality of current injection sequences and measure one of a fuse circuit voltage or a fuse circuit current with the adjusted filter characteristic using the digital filter during the corresponding current injection sequence.

Referring to FIG. 61, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 6102 having a power supply path 6104; a power distribution unit comprising a current protection circuit 6108 disposed in the power supply path 6104, wherein the current protection circuit 6108 comprises a thermal fuse 6120 and a contactor 6122 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 6120. The exemplary system includes a controller 6114 having a current source circuit 6116 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6120 and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse 6120; and a voltage determination circuit 6118 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6120 and structured to determine an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value. The example voltage determination circuit 6118 is structured to perform a frequency analysis operation to determine the amount of injection voltage. Exemplary and non-limiting frequency analysis operations include applying analog and/or digital filters to remove frequency components of the fuse voltage that are not of interest and/or are not related to the injection frequency. Exemplary and non-limiting frequency analysis operations include utilizing at least one frequency analysis technique selected from techniques such as: fourier transform, fast fourier transform, laplace transform, Z-transform and/or wavelet analysis. In certain embodiments, a frequency analysis operation is performed on the filtered and/or unfiltered measured values of the thermal fuse voltage.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein the voltage determination circuit 6118 is further structured to determine the amount of injection voltage by determining the magnitude of the voltage across the fuse at the frequency of interest; and/or wherein the frequency of interest is determined in response to the frequency of the injection voltage. An exemplary system includes where current source circuit 6116 is further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies. The exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit 6116 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse 6120 at a plurality of injection frequencies. The exemplary system includes where the current source circuit 6116 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse 6120 at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. The exemplary system includes where the current source circuit 6116 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse 6120 at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to the power supply throughput of the thermal fuse 6120. The exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit 6116 is further structured to inject current across the thermal fuse 6120 at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to the duty cycle of the vehicle 6102.

Referring to FIG. 62, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 6202 having a power supply path 6204; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit 6208 provided in a power supply path 6204, the current protection circuit 6208 including a thermal fuse 6220 and a contactor 6222 arranged in series with the thermal fuse. The exemplary system also includes a controller 6214 having a current source circuit 6216 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine that the load supply throughput of the power supply path 6204 is low and to inject a current across the thermal fuse 6220 in response to the load supply throughput of the power supply path 6204 being low. The controller 6214 further includes a voltage determination circuit 6218 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6220 and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, and wherein the voltage determination circuit 6218 includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit 6216 is further structured to determine that the load power source throughput of the power source path 6204 is low in response to the vehicle being in a shutdown state. The exemplary system includes wherein the current source circuit 6216 is further structured to determine that the load power source throughput of the power source path 6204 is low in response to the vehicle being in a key-off state. The exemplary system includes wherein current source circuit 6216 is further structured to determine that the load power source throughput of power source path 6204 is low in response to the power torque request of the vehicle being zero. Exemplary systems include wherein the power distribution unit further comprises a plurality of fuses, and wherein the current source circuit 6216 is further structured to inject current across each of the fuses in a selected sequence; and/or wherein the current source circuit 6216 is further structured to inject current across a first one of the plurality of fuses at a first shutdown event of the vehicle and to inject current across a second one of the plurality of fuses at a second shutdown event of the vehicle (e.g., to limit operation of the controller 6214 during a shutdown event (which may have a finite duration), the example current source circuit 6216 only checks one or a subset of the fuses during a given shutdown event, only checks all fuses within the plurality of shutdown events).

Referring to FIG. 62, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 6202 having a power supply path 6204; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit 6308 disposed in a power supply path 6204, wherein the current protection circuit 6208 includes a thermal fuse 6220 and a contactor 6222 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 6220. The exemplary system also includes a controller 6214 having a current source circuit 6218 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6220 and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse 6220; and a voltage determination circuit 6218 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6220 and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value. The example voltage determination circuit 6218 includes a high-pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected in response to the frequency of the injected current. The example controller 6214 also includes a fuse state circuit 6219 structured to determine a fuse condition value in response to at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value. For example, a correlation between fuse resistances (and/or dynamic resistances or impedances) may be established for a particular fuse or fuse type, and the example fuse state circuit 6219 determines a fuse condition value in response to an observed fuse resistance or other relevant parameter. In certain embodiments, the fuse state circuit 6219 may additionally include other information such as power supply throughput accumulated by the fuse, power transient events and/or accumulated power surge events accumulated by the fuse, temperature events and/or temperature transients accumulated by the fuse, and/or operational life parameters such as number of operational hours, number of operational miles, number of live operational hours, and the like.

Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The example system includes wherein the fuse state circuitry 6219 is further structured to provide the fuse condition value by providing at least one of a fault code or a notification of the fuse condition value (e.g., storing the parameter, communicating the fault parameter to a data link, and/or providing the fault parameter to a service tool). The example fuse state circuit 6219 further regulates a maximum power rating of the power supply path 6204, a maximum power slew rate of the power supply path; and/or adjusting the configuration of the current protection circuit in response to the fuse condition value (e.g., sharing the load among parallel fuses, bypassing fuses at a lower threshold of power or power transients, etc.). The example power distribution unit also includes an active cooling interface 6224, and wherein the fuse state circuit 6219 further adjusts the active cooling interface 6224 in response to the fuse condition value (e.g., to provide additional cooling for progressively aging fuses, and/or to lower a threshold for an active cooling increase request for progressively aging fuses). The example fuse state circuit 6219 is further structured to clear at least one of a fault code or a notification of a fuse condition value in response to the fuse condition value indicating that the fuse condition has improved (e.g., where a previous indication from the fuse condition value has indicated degradation but a continued observation indicates that there is no degradation of the fuse; after an operator or service technician has reset, such as an indication that the fuse has been checked or altered). The example fuse state circuit 6219 is further structured to clear at least one of a fault code or a notification of a fuse condition value in response to a service event of the fuse (e.g., by a service tool, a planned input sequence, etc.); wherein the fuse state circuit 6219 is further structured to determine a fuse life remaining value in response to the fuse condition value (e.g., by correlation of the fuse condition value to the fuse life remaining value, and/or triggering an end-of-life condition or warning using a cutoff or threshold value for the fuse condition value; e.g., particular values of the fuse condition value may be determined to indicate that the fuse is at 90% of a planned life, 500 operating hours remaining, etc.); wherein the fuse state circuit 6219 is further structured to determine a fuse life remaining value further in response to the duty cycle of the vehicle (e.g., in certain embodiments, a heavier vehicle duty cycle will more quickly exhaust the remaining fuse life, which may be considered in determining the fuse life remaining value, and may depend on units of fuse remaining life (such as hours of operation or calendar days), and/or on the type of notification issued to a service technician, operator, etc., e.g., service lights, a fixed amount of time remaining, etc.); and/or wherein the fuse state circuit 6219 is further structured to determine the fuse life remaining value further in response to one of: the regulated maximum power rating of the power supply path, the regulated maximum power slew rate of the power supply path, and/or the regulated configuration of the current protection circuit (e.g., where the fuse state circuit 6219 has regulated system parameters such as power supply throughput, fuse load and/or bypass configuration or thresholds, and/or cooling strategies, the fuse state circuit 6219 may account for the estimated life extension of the fuse due to implementation of these or any other mitigation strategies).

Referring to FIG. 63, an exemplary system includes a vehicle 6302 having a power source path 6304; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit 6308 provided in the power supply path 6304, wherein the current protection circuit further includes a thermal fuse 6320 and a contactor 6322 arranged in series with the thermal fuse 6320. The example system also includes a controller 6314 having a fuse thermal model circuit 6316 structured to determine a fuse temperature value for the thermal fuse 6320 and to determine a fuse condition value in response to the fuse temperature value. The exemplary system includes a current source circuit 6318 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6320 and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse 6320; a voltage determination circuit 6319 electrically coupled to the thermal fuse 6320 and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, and wherein the voltage determination circuit 6319 comprises a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current. The example fuse thermal model circuit 6316 also determines a fuse temperature value for the thermal fuse further in response to at least one of the injection voltage amount and the thermal fuse impedance value. The example system includes wherein the fuse thermal model circuit 6316 is further structured to determine the fuse condition value by counting a number of thermal fuse temperature excursion events. Exemplary thermal fuse temperature excursion events include: a temperature rise threshold within a time threshold, a thermal fuse temperature exceeding a threshold, and/or more than one threshold of these events (e.g., consider a more severe event as more than one temperature excursion event). An example system includes the fuse thermal model circuit further to determine the fuse condition value by integrating a fuse temperature value, integrating a temperature-based indicator (e.g., based on temperature and/or rate of change of temperature), and/or integrating a fuse temperature value for temperatures above a temperature threshold.

Referring to fig. 64, an exemplary previously known system having a contactor and fuse combination is depicted. For purposes of illustration, the exemplary system is provided as part of a Power Distribution Unit (PDU)6402 for an electric vehicle or portion of an electric vehicle. The system includes an electrical storage device (e.g., a battery) and an electric machine that powers the vehicle. The electrical storage (or power storage) device may be of any type, including batteries, fuel cells, and/or capacitors (e.g., ultracapacitors or ultracapacitors), as well as combinations of these types (e.g., capacitors included in the circuit to assist in peak power generation or transient operation management). In certain embodiments, the electrical storage device is rechargeable (e.g., any rechargeable battery technology such as lithium ion, nickel metal hydride, or nickel cadmium) or recoverable (e.g., a chemical-based fuel cell with reversible chemistry to recover charge generation capability). In this exemplary system, the battery operates as a DC device and the electric machine operates as an AC device with an inverter positioned therebetween to regulate power to the electric machine. The exemplary system includes a filter capacitor 6404 that provides regulation for the main power supply circuit. The exemplary system includes a low side contactor and a high side contactor. The high side contacts are in series with a fuse 6410 that provides overcurrent protection for the circuit. The exemplary system also includes a precharge circuit, depicted as precharge relay 6408 and precharge resistor 6406. In certain embodiments, pre-charge relay 6408 engages before the high-side contacts engage, allowing the capacitive elements of the entire circuit to be energized through pre-charge resistor 6406, thereby limiting inrush current or other charging artifacts at system start-up. It can be seen that overcurrent protection is provided by the system through fuse 6410, and the characteristics of fuse 6410 set the overcurrent protection for the power supply circuit through the PDU. In addition, the contactors are exposed to connection and disconnection events, including arcing, heating, and other wear.

Referring to fig. 65, an exemplary PDU6402 of the present disclosure is schematically depicted. Exemplary PDU6402 may be used in a system such as the system depicted in fig. 64. The exemplary PDU of fig. 65 includes circuit breaker/relay 6502 components on the high side. The exemplary arrangement of fig. 65 is non-limiting, and any arrangement of circuit breaker/relay 6502 that provides designed overcurrent protection for the system using any of the principles described throughout this disclosure is contemplated herein. The exemplary PDU6402 of fig. 65 omits the fuse in series with the contactor and over-current protection is performed with the breaker/relay 6502. Any circuit breaker/relay 6502 as described throughout this disclosure may be used in a system such as that depicted in fig. 65. PDU6402 of fig. 65 additionally utilizes a pre-charge relay 6408 and a pre-charge resistor 6406 similar to those depicted in fig. 64. In the example of fig. 65, the circuit breaker/relay 6502 is connected in parallel with the pre-charge circuit, and the relay portion of the circuit breaker/relay 6502 may be engaged after the system has been charged by the pre-charge circuit. As described throughout this document, the circuit breaker/relay 6502 provides continuous and selectable overcurrent protection while providing full rated operation throughout the designed operating current range of the system. In previously known systems, the contactor/fuse arrangement necessarily provides a gap within the operating range, either pushing fuse activation at least partially down into the operating current range or moving fuse activation away from the rated range, and providing an overcurrent protection gap above the rated current of the system. Additionally, as described throughout this disclosure, the circuit breaker/relay 6502 may provide a variety of current protection mechanisms, selectable current protection based on operating conditions, and reduce wear of the contact elements of the circuit breaker/relay relative to previously known contactors. Thus, a system such as that depicted in fig. 65 may provide reliable, responsive, and recoverable overcurrent protection relative to previously known systems.

Referring to fig. 66, an exemplary PDU6402 is schematically depicted. Exemplary PDU6402 may be used in a system such as that depicted in fig. 1, and have features that may be additional or alternative to those described with respect to fig. 65. The example of fig. 66 depicts an external input to the circuit breaker/relay 6502 (in this example, a keyswitch input 6504 is schematically depicted for suppression). The circuit breaker/relay 6502 responds to external signals in a configurable manner. For example, a keyswitch-on operation may be used to energize the circuit breaker/relay 6502 directly (e.g., hard-wired the keyswitch circuit through a coil of the circuit breaker/relay) or indirectly (e.g., receive a network value indicative of the keyswitch position, receive a voltage signal indicative of the keyswitch position, etc.), thereby charging the power supply circuit. In another example, a keyswitch off operation may be used to de-energize the circuit breaker/relay 6502, thereby removing power from the power supply circuit. The external signal may be of any type or types, including an external command generated from any part of the system, a calculated value indicating whether power should be supplied or shut off (e.g., a service event, a maintenance event, an accident indication, an emergency shutdown command, a vehicle controller request, a device protection request for some device on the vehicle, a calculation that a temperature, voltage or current value has exceeded a threshold, etc.). The external signal may be supplied as a hardwired signal (e.g., an electrical connection having a voltage representative of a signal value) and/or as a communication (e.g., a data link or network communication), which may be a wired or wireless communication, and may be generated by a controller (e.g., a vehicle controller, a power management controller, etc.) on PDU6402 or external to PDU 6402. For ease of illustration, the example of fig. 66 does not depict a precharge circuit, but embodiments such as those shown in fig. 65 or fig. 66 may have a precharge circuit or omit a precharge circuit, depending on the characteristics of the system, design goals and requirements of the system, and so forth.

Referring to fig. 67, an exemplary schematic block diagram of a circuit breaker/relay is depicted. The example circuit breaker/relay of fig. 67 includes a power bus 6702 (e.g., high voltage, power supply, load supply, etc.) that operates high voltage throughput and is connected or disconnected by schematically depicted contacts. The voltage, which is the "high voltage" on the power bus, may be any value and depends on the load being driven and other selected parameters of the system. In certain embodiments, the high voltage is any voltage above 42V, above 72V, above 110V, above 220V, above 300V, and/or above 360V. The voltage ranges of the power source load and the auxiliary load (e.g., PTO equipment, pump, etc.) may be different and may be higher or lower than these ranges. In this example, a standard on/off 6504 or control voltage is depicted on the left (depicted as 12V, but any value may be utilized such as 6V, 12V, 24V, 42V). The standard voltage 6504 is depicted for purposes of illustration, but may additionally or alternatively be a data link or network input in communication with the controller of the circuit breaker/relay (e.g., where the circuit breaker/relay has independent authority to control the power source). In certain embodiments, the standard voltage 6504 will be the same voltage as that experienced at the key switch by the vehicle controller, by an auxiliary (e.g., unpowered or non-load) component in the system, or the like. In some embodiments, the standard voltage 6504 will be the keyswitch 6504 signal. The standard voltage 6504 may be configured to be received through the input control isolator 6710.

Further, in the example of fig. 67, an auxiliary shutdown isolator 6708 is depicted that provides an input for auxiliary control of the circuit breaker/relay. In certain embodiments, the auxiliary shutdown isolator 6708 is coupled to an electrical input 6704 (such as an optional input at standard voltage), an output from a controller (e.g., the controller provides power as an output at a selected voltage to the auxiliary shutdown isolator). In certain embodiments, the auxiliary gate isolator 6708 can utilize a data link or network input. In certain embodiments, for example, where the circuit breaker/relay has an internal controller, the standard on/off 6504 and the auxiliary switch isolator input 6704 may be the same physical input, for example, where a data link input, a network input, and/or a controllable electrical signal (e.g., a controlled voltage value) provides information to the circuit breaker/relay to determine the current requested state of the circuit breaker/relay. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay is a hardware-only device that accepts a first voltage value at a standard on/off position, accepts a second voltage value at an auxiliary off position, and responds by the hardware configuration of the circuit breaker/relay to perform a selected operation.

In the example of fig. 67, the standard on/off input 6504 and the auxiliary off input 6704 include circuit protection components (e.g., isolator 6708,6710), such as surge protection and polarity protection. The exemplary circuit breaker/relay includes a logic circuit that energizes the relay (closing contacts on the power bus) when the standard on/off input 6504 is high and de-energizes the relay (opening contacts on the power bus) when the standard on/off input 6504 is low or the auxiliary off input 6704 is low. In the example of fig. 67, the logic circuit is schematically depicted and may be implemented as a hardware element in a circuit breaker/relay. Additionally or alternatively, a controller in the circuit breaker/relay may interpret input voltages, data link signals, and/or network communications to implement logic and determine whether to open or close the relay. The logic in the present system is depicted as a "normally open" relay that utilizes power to close (contact), but the circuit breaker/relay may be configured as a "normally closed", latch, or any other logic configuration. Additionally or alternatively, the standard on/off input 6504 and/or the auxiliary off input 6704 may utilize a logic high or logic low to enable operation of the circuit breaker/relay.

The example circuit breaker/relay of fig. 67 additionally depicts a current sensing device 6706 ("current sensing"), which may be a current sensor on the bus, a current value calculated based on other system parameters, a current value communicated to the circuit breaker/relay and/or a controller operatively coupled to the circuit breaker/relay, or any other device, mechanism, or method of determining a current value on the bus. In the example of fig. 67, a current sensing device 6706 is coupled to the "trigger level off' portion of the logic circuit and operates to de-energize the relay when a high current value is sensed. The sensed high current value may be a single threshold (e.g., determined by hardware in the logic circuit) and/or an optional threshold (e.g., determined by the controller based on operating conditions or other values in the system). It can be seen that a function of sensed current values (such as rate of change, cumulative current value exceeding a threshold, etc.) can additionally or alternatively be used for a single sensed current value, either by hardware or with a controller. It can be seen that a circuit breaker/relay such as that depicted in fig. 67 can controllably open the function of the power bus circuit at a selected threshold current value and/or function thereof, allowing continuous operation throughout the rated current range of the system. In addition, circuit breakers/relays such as depicted in fig. 67 provide a controllable disconnection of the power bus for any selected parameter that may not be related to current, such as emergency shutdown operations, requests from elsewhere in the system (e.g., a vehicle controller), service or maintenance operations, or any other selected reason. Certain embodiments throughout the present disclosure provide additional features of the circuit breaker/relay, any one or more of which may be included in embodiments such as that depicted in fig. 67.

Referring to fig. 68, an exemplary circuit breaker/relay is schematically depicted in cross-section. The example circuit breaker/relay generally includes a switch portion 6820 (upper half or "breaker") and an actuation portion 6822 (lower half or "relay"). For purposes of illustration, some exemplary components of a circuit breaker/relay are depicted and described. The exemplary circuit breaker/relay includes a coil 6816 and a magnetic core 6818 in the relay portion. In this example, energizing the coil 6816 actuates the relay, thereby pulling the armature 6814 down to the magnetic core 6818. Armature 6814 couples to movable contact 6810 in the upper portion and thereby moves into contact with stationary contact 6812, completing the circuit and allowing current to pass through the power bus. In the example of fig. 68, the movable contact 6810 is pressed into the fixed contact 6812 by a contact force that is the biasing spring 6804 of the optional biasing force in the example of fig. 68. Even if the armature 6814 is in the engaged (lower) position, the movable contact 6810 can be lifted from the fixed contact 6812 with a sufficient force, thereby compressing the contact force spring 6804. The example of fig. 68 depicts armature 6814 in a disengaged (upper) position, wherein movable contact 6810 is open or out of contact with stationary contact 6812.

The breaker portion 6820 of the breaker/relay comprises a plurality of separating plates 6806 near the main body of the main contacts, and a permanent magnet system 6802 surrounding the separating plates 6806 and/or the arc path between the contact gap and the separating plates 6806. During engagement or disengagement of the movable contact 6810 upon power-up of the power bus, the main body of the main contact mates with the separator plate 6806 in the presence of the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet system 6802 to dissipate and distribute the resulting arc, thereby greatly reducing wear, degradation, and damage to the contacts. The combined aspects of the breaker portion have been shown to greatly extend the life of the contacts and switching chambers (e.g., due to lower arc thermal loads over the life of the breaker/relay).

The current through the power bus generates a repulsive force, or lorentz force, between the contacts. The lorentz force is a complex function of the contact area of the contacts and the value of the current through the power bus. When the current is very high, the lorentz force between the contacts compresses the contact force spring 6804 sufficiently to force the movable contact 6810 to lift off the fixed contact 6812 and cause the relay to temporarily open. It has been found that the contact force spring 6804 can be easily adjusted to provide physical disconnection of the contacts at a selectable value. Additionally or alternatively, the contact area between the contact and other geometric aspects of the contact may be manipulated to select or adjust the physical disconnect current. However, in certain embodiments, selection of the contact force spring 6804 may directly adjust the physical disconnect current. In certain embodiments, selecting the contact force spring 6804 comprises changing the spring to change the physical disconnect current. Additionally or alternatively, the contact force spring 6804 can be adjusted in situ (e.g., axially compressing or releasing the spring) to adjust the physical disconnect current.

In certain embodiments, after a physical disconnect event (e.g., when armature 6814 is in the lower or contact position, movable contact 6810 is forced away from fixed contact 6812, compressing contact force spring 6812), the current through the power bus drops rapidly and the lorentz force decreases, causing movable contact 6810 to be pushed back into the engaged position by contact force spring 6804. In certain embodiments, the current sensor 6706 will detect a high current event, triggering the coil 6816 to de-energize and move the armature 6814 back up to the disengaged position. Thus, when movable contact 6810 returns to the engaged position, armature 6814 has moved it away so that movable contact 6810 does not contact stationary contact 6812 after the physical disconnect event. In certain embodiments, the threshold detected by current sensor 6706 to disengage armature 6814 is below the physical disconnect current, thereby giving armature 6814 a "head start" and reducing the likelihood of movable contact 6810 re-contacting stationary contact 6812. In many systems, during very high current events, the re-contact between movable contact 6810 and stationary contact 6812 can cause severe damage to the circuit breaker/relay and/or the contacts' welds.

Referring to fig. 69, an exemplary circuit breaker/relay is depicted showing the relative movement of the armature and the movable contact. In this example, the armature at the top forces the movable contact away from the fixed contact, thereby disconnecting the power bus. An armature at the bottom pulls the moving contact down to engage the stationary contact, thereby connecting the power bus. The motion arrow 6904 in fig. 69 indexes the movement of the armature that will occur as the armature moves from the open state to the closed state after the coil is energized. Any reference to "up" or "down" throughout this disclosure is for clarity of description, and does not refer to the actual vertical relationship of any components of the circuit breaker/relay. The circuit breaker/relay may be positioned such that movement of the armature is along any axis, including top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, horizontal orientation, and/or any other orientation. In certain embodiments, the armature is returned to the up or disengaged position with a passive element such as a biasing spring or a reverse spring (e.g., positioned between the armature and the permanent magnet, and/or in the housing of one or more of these), resulting in a "normal open" logic operation of the circuit breaker/relay. The biasing spring or counter spring is not present in the schematic cross-sectional view of fig. 69. As described throughout this disclosure, the circuit breaker/relay may be normally open, normally closed, latched, or in any other logical configuration with appropriate adjustments made to the hardware and/or control elements to provide such a configuration.

Referring to fig. 69A, an example circuit breaker/relay is depicted in a closed position. The armature in the example of figure 69A has moved downward and the movable contact 6810 has additionally moved downward with the armature 6814 into an engaged position with the fixed contact, closing the circuit and allowing power to pass through the power bus. Contact force spring 6804, in the position depicted in FIG. 69A, is compressed, providing a contact force against the stationary contact to movable contact 6810. It can be seen that the movable contact is provided with a moving space in which a force sufficient to overcome the contact force 6804 spring can lift the movable contact 6810 off the stationary contact, opening the circuit and preventing power from passing through the power bus.

Referring to fig. 70, an operational diagram of a previously known contactor-fuse system and circuit breaker/relay system consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically depicted. In the example of fig. 70, an operating current bar is depicted on the left having two general operating scenarios, namely operation within the rated current value (e.g., within design current limits of the system, such as regions 7004, 7006) and operation above the rated current value (e.g., region 7008). Additionally, in the example of fig. 70, operation within the rated current is subdivided into a lower region 7004 and an upper region 7006. In the example of fig. 70, the lower region 7004 and the upper region 7006 are illustrative examples for delineating operating modes within the rated current region, e.g., the lower region 7004 may be associated with lower power operation such as operation of an accessory, and the upper region 7006 may be associated with higher power operation such as providing motive power or pumping power. The regions 7004, 7006 provide conceptual differences between operating conditions, and the actual operations occurring within the lower region 7004 and the upper region 7006 are not important to the description of fig. 70. For example, the upper region 7006 of one illustrative system may be for moving the vehicle (e.g., where the lower region 7004 is another function, such as power to communications or accessories), where the lower region 7004 of another illustrative system may be power for moving the vehicle (e.g., where the upper region 7006 is another function, such as charging or high performance power).

In the example of fig. 70, the operating region of the contactor-fuse system is depicted in the middle. The contactor provides full operation up to rated power. Design choices may allow the contactor to provide slightly above rated power operation (e.g., where system risks are accepted to provide higher capacity) or slightly below rated power operation (e.g., where system performance is compromised to protect system components). The contactor-fuse system also includes an operating region for the fuse in which the fuse is activated at a selected current value. It can be seen that an operating gap 7002 occurs in which the fuse is not activated due to low current values, but the contactor does not support operation in the region of the gap 7002. The gap 7002 can only be closed by overlapping operation of the contacts and/or fuses, which necessarily compromises system risk status or performance. If the fuse region extends lower, rated operation at certain duty cycles may trigger fuse events and task losses. Additionally, when the contactor and fuse experience wear or degradation, the operating area for the contactor-fuse system will move, resulting in inconsistent system performance, protection loss, and/or unnecessary fuse events. In addition, the failure mode of the fuse results in prolonged exposure of the system to high currents due to fuse melting time and extended arcing time by activating the fuse. Finally, operation of the contactor at the upper limit of the contactor operation area results in undesirable heating and degradation of the contactor.

In the example of fig. 70, the operating region of a circuit breaker/relay consistent with certain embodiments of the present disclosure is depicted. The circuit breaker/relay provides a smooth and selectable function throughout the operating current bar. The circuit breaker/relay provides a high performance contact that does not operate near the upper region of its current capacity, thereby reducing heating and degradation due to high operation (within the rated range) such as in the upper region 7006. In addition, the current sensor and associated disconnect operation allows for selective disconnection when operating above the rated current of the system. Further, a physical disconnect current is available (e.g., see fig. 68 and associated disclosure), which causes the power bus to disconnect immediately at very high current values. In certain embodiments, the arc dissipation feature of the circuit breaker/relay additionally provides for a faster and less disruptive disconnect event than experienced by previously known contactor-fuse arrangements. In addition, the circuit breaker/relay provides a recoverable disconnect operation in which only commands to the circuit breaker/relay will again provide a connection without a maintenance event. Thus, if a system failure causing a high current event is resolved or consistent with a restart, the system can resume operation of the circuit breaker/relay as soon as necessary without the need to diagnose a fuse event or replace the fuse.

Referring to fig. 71, an exemplary process 7100 for disconnecting a power bus is depicted. Exemplary process 7100 includes an operation 7102 of detecting a current value, for example, using a current sensor (see fig. 68). Process 7100 also includes an operation 7104 of determining whether an over current event is detected. For example, the detected current value, a function thereof, or a calculated parameter determined in response to the current value may be compared to a threshold value to determine whether an overcurrent event is detected. The example process 7100 also includes an operation 7106 to command the contacts to open, for example, by de-energizing the coil to move the armature to a position to open the contacts. The overcurrent threshold may be any value and may be modified in real time and/or according to operating conditions. The value of the overcurrent threshold depends on the application and the components in the system. Exemplary and non-limiting overcurrent values include 100A, 200A, 400A, 1kA (1,000 amps), 1.5kA, 3kA, and 6 kA.

Referring to fig. 72, an exemplary process 7200 of performing a physical disconnect is depicted. Exemplary process 7200 includes an operation 7202 of accepting current throughput, e.g., as current through a coupling contact in a power bus. Exemplary process 7200 also includes an operation 7204 of determining whether a resulting current force (e.g., a lorentz force between the movable contact and the stationary contact) exceeds a contact force (e.g., as provided by a contact force spring). Exemplary process 7200 also includes an operation 7206 of opening the contacts by physical response (e.g., as a lorentz force overcoming the contact force spring and moving the movable contact away from the fixed contact). The physical disconnect current may be any value and depends on the application and components in the system. Exemplary and non-limiting physical disconnect currents include 400A, 1kA, 2kA, 4.5kA, 9kA, and 20 kA.

Referring to fig. 73, an exemplary process 7300 is depicted for opening contacts in response to an overcurrent event and/or in response to any other selected parameter. Exemplary procedure 7300 includes an operation 7302 to turn on the system, e.g., via a key switch or other circuitry and/or via identification of a key switch on condition. Process 7300 also includes an operation 7304 of determining whether a contact enabling condition is met, e.g., immediately after key switch turn on, after a selected time period, after determining that a system precharge event is complete, and/or according to any other selected condition. In certain embodiments, where operation 7304 determines that the contact enabling condition is not satisfied, process 7300 retains operation 7304 until the contact enabling condition is satisfied. Any other response to operation 7304 determining that the contact enabling condition is not satisfied is contemplated herein, including requesting permission to enable the contact condition, setting a fault code, and the like. In response to operation 7304 determining that the contact condition is satisfied, process 7300 further includes an operation 7306 of closing the contact (e.g., energizing the coil to move the armature), and an operation 7202 of accepting current throughput. Exemplary process 7300 also includes an operation 7200 of performing a physical disconnection if the accepted current is sufficiently high, and proceeding to an operation 7102 of detecting a value of current through the power bus. Process 7300 also includes an operation 7104 of determining whether an overcurrent event is detected (in some embodiments, operation 7104 may be set to a lower current value than the physical disconnect current tested at operation 7200). In response to operation 7104 determining that an over-current event is detected, process 7300 includes an operation 7312 that commands the contacts to open. In response to operation 7104 determining that an over-current event is not detected, process 7300 includes an operation 7308 of detecting an auxiliary command (e.g., an auxiliary off input), and an operation 7310 of determining whether there is an auxiliary command (e.g., a logic high, a logic low, a specified value, a lack of a specified value, etc.) to open the contacts. In response to operation 7310 determining that there is a secondary command to open the contacts, process 7300 includes operation 7312 commanding the contacts to open. In response to operation 7310 determining that there is no secondary command to open the contacts (e.g., branch "continue operation" in the example of fig. 73), the process returns to operation 7306.

Referring to fig. 74, an exemplary process 7400 for restoring operation of a circuit breaker/relay after a contact opening event is depicted. The exemplary process 7400 includes an operation 7300 of opening contacts of a circuit breaker/relay, such as an operation of opening contacts due to a physical disconnect, over-current detection, and/or an auxiliary off command. Process 7400 also includes an operation 7402 of determining if a contact reset condition exists. Exemplary and non-limiting operations 7402 include determining that a contact enabling condition is satisfied, determining that a fault code value has been reset, determining that a system controller is requesting a contact reset, and/or any other contact reset condition. Process 7400 also includes an operation 7404 of closing the contacts, for example by providing power to the coil to move the armature.

Referring to fig. 75, an exemplary previously known mobile power supply circuit is depicted. The exemplary mobile power supply circuit is similar to the mobile power supply circuit depicted in fig. 64. The example of fig. 75 includes a junction box housing a pre-charge circuit, a high-side relay, and a low-side relay. In certain embodiments, the pre-charge circuit and the high-side relay are disposed in a housing within the junction box. In the example of fig. 75, a fuse 6410 provides overcurrent protection on the high side, and is housed together with a main relay and a precharge resistor 6406 within a PDU housing 7500.

Referring to fig. 76, an exemplary mobile power supply circuit includes a circuit breaker/relay 6502 provided in a high side circuit and a second circuit breaker/relay 6502 positioned in a low side circuit. In certain embodiments, each circuit breaker/relay 6502 provides continuous overcurrent control throughout the operating region of a mobile application, as described throughout this disclosure. Additionally, it can be seen that the low-side breaker/relay 6502 provides overcurrent protection under all operating conditions (including during a precharge operation that can bypass the high-side breaker/relay 6502 so that the mobile power supply circuit can be precharged through the precharge resistor 6406). In certain embodiments, both the high-side breaker/relay 6502 and the low-side breaker/relay 6502 provide additional benefits, such as fast arc dispersion, low wear during connection and disconnection events, and improved heat generation characteristics during high current (but within rated range) operation of the mobile circuit.

Referring to fig. 77, an exemplary power distribution arrangement for a mobile application is depicted. The embodiment of fig. 77 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 76, with a high side breaker/relay 6502 and a low side breaker/relay 6502. Four operational scenarios of the embodiment of fig. 77 are described herein, including a pre-charge operation (e.g., upon power-up of a system for mobile applications), a power supply operation for a load (e.g., to provide power or auxiliary power to a mobile application), a regeneration operation (e.g., to recover power from a power or auxiliary load), and a charging operation (e.g., connection of a dedicated charger to the system). In the example of fig. 77, the low side circuit breaker/relay 6502 has an associated current sensor 6706. In the example of fig. 77, the low side breaker/relay 6502 is in the loop during all operations and may provide current protection for any operating condition. To save cost, the current sensor of the high side breaker/relay 6502 may be omitted. In certain embodiments, to protect the circuit breaker/relay contacts 6502, a local current sensor for each circuit breaker/relay 6502 may be included to provide operation of the protection contacts in the event of a physical current disconnect (e.g., see fig. 70). It can be seen that additional contactors and/or circuit breakers/relays may be provided in addition to those shown, for example to isolate the charging circuit, route power through selected ones of the power and/or auxiliary loads, and/or prevent power from flowing through an inverter (not shown) during charging operations. Additionally or alternatively, certain components depicted in fig. 77 may not be present in certain embodiments. For example, a low side contactor on the charging circuit may not be present, and any one or more of the power load (traction motor drive) or auxiliary loads may not be present. During precharge operations, precharge contactor 7702 may be closed when high-side breaker/relay 6502 is open, with low-side breaker/relay 6502 providing current protection during precharge operations (in addition to or as an alternative to the precharge fuses). During a charging operation, the low side breaker/relay 6502 provides current protection, while the high side breaker/relay 6502 is bypassed by the charging circuit.

Referring to FIG. 78, an exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted. The embodiment of fig. 78 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 77, except that the high side breaker/relay 6502 is in the loop during all operations and the low side breaker/relay 6502 is not in the loop during the charging operation. In the example of fig. 78, the high-side circuit breaker/relay 6502 may include current sensing associated therewith to provide protection for the contacts during physical current disconnection. In certain embodiments, depending on the circuit dynamics of the mobile application, the current sensor 6706 depicted on the low side may be sufficient to provide protection for the contacts of the high-side circuit breaker/relay 6502 without the need for a dedicated current sensor for the high-side circuit breaker/relay 6502. During the precharge operation of the embodiment of fig. 78, current protection is not present, or is provided by the precharge fuses. During the charging operation of the embodiment of fig. 78, current protection is provided by the high-side circuit breaker/relay 6502.

Referring to FIG. 79, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted. The embodiment of fig. 79 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 77, except that the high side breaker/relay 6502 is replaced with a standard contactor. In the example of fig. 79, the low side circuit breaker/relay 6502 provides current protection during all operating conditions, and the system otherwise uses conventional components. In some embodiments, improved current protection capability is desired, but contactor wear may not be as important, and the tradeoff of having inexpensive contactors at other locations in the mobile power supply circuit away from the low side breaker/relay 6502 may be an acceptable solution. Additionally, the presence of the low side breaker/relay 6502 in the circuit may reduce wear on conventional contactors in the mobile power circuit through the timing of the connections for all operating conditions, such that when the system is charged, the low side breaker/relay 6502 reduces the number of connection and disconnection events on the other contactors.

Referring to FIG. 80, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted. The embodiment of fig. 80 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 78, except that the low side circuit breaker/relay is replaced with a contactor and the low side charging circuit is directed through the low side contactor. In some implementations, the low side charging circuit may bypass the low side contactor, similar to the implementation of fig. 78. As can be seen in fig. 80, when the high-side breaker/relay 6502 is bypassed, there is a circuit path through the precharge circuit that lacks short circuit protection during precharge operation, unless protection is provided by the precharge fuse. In certain embodiments, a fuse (not shown) in the precharge circuit may be provided to provide short circuit protection during precharge operating conditions, and/or unprotected precharge operations may be an acceptable risk. In any of the embodiments depicted throughout this disclosure, a fuse may be included, possibly in series with the circuit breaker/relay 6502, depending on the benefits sought by the circuit breaker/relay 6502 for a particular embodiment. In certain embodiments, the included fuses with the circuit breaker/relay 6502 may be configured to activate at very high current values expected to be higher than the physical disconnect current of the circuit breaker/relay 6502, for example as redundant protection of the circuit, and/or to provide long-life fuses expected to last for a selected period of time (such as the useful life of an electric mobile application).

Referring to fig. 81, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted consistent with the embodiment depicted in fig. 77. The power flow during the precharge operation is schematically depicted in fig. 81, where the arrows show the power flow paths. The operations described with respect to fig. 81 may be understood in the context of any of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. During a precharge operation, precharge contactor 7702 is closed and low side breaker/relay 6502 is closed, providing power through the moving circuit and through precharge resistor 6406. The pre-charge operation allows the capacitive elements of the mobile circuit to be charged before the high-side breaker/relay 6502 closes. During the precharge operation in the embodiment of fig. 81, the low side breaker/relay 6502 provides overcurrent protection of the circuit. After the precharge operation is complete, which may be determined in an open loop (e.g., using a timer) manner or in a closed loop (e.g., detecting a voltage drop across the battery terminals, or detecting a current through the circuit), the high-side breaker/relay 6502 is closed and the precharge contactor 7702 may be opened.

Referring to fig. 82, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted consistent with the embodiment depicted in fig. 77. Power flow during load powering is depicted in fig. 82, with arrows showing flow paths. The operations described with respect to fig. 82 may be understood in the context of any of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. During load powering operation, in this example, pre-charge contactor 7702 is open and power flows through high-side breaker/relay 6502 and low-side breaker/relay 6502. The embodiment of fig. 82 depicts traction motor loads being powered, but one or more auxiliary loads may additionally or alternatively be powered in a similar manner. During load powering operation, both the high side breaker/relay 6502 and the low side breaker/relay 6502 provide overcurrent protection. In certain embodiments, the high-side breaker/relay 6502 and the low-side breaker/relay 6502 may have the same or different current ratings. For example, where one of the high-side breaker/relay 6502 or the low-side breaker/relay 6502 is easier to repair or less expensive, that one of the breaker/relay 6502 may have a lower total current rating to provide a system in which a predictable one of the breaker/relay 6502 fails first. Additionally or alternatively, certain operations on the system may have higher current ratings (e.g., charging operations where the charging circuit is routed through only one of the circuit breakers/relays 6502 (e.g., the low side circuit breaker/relay in the embodiment of fig. 82)), so one of the circuit breakers/relays 6502 may have a higher current rating than the other. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay 6502 current rating may be reflected in the contact material of the movable and fixed contacts, as the contact surface area of the movable and fixed contacts, as a threshold setting for controlled operation in response to detected current, as the number or arrangement of separator plates, as separator plate material and geometry, as the magnet strength and geometry of the permanent magnet system around the separator plate, as the contact force of the contact force spring, and/or as circuit breaker/relay design elements (e.g., contact surface area and contact spring force) that determine the physical disconnect current due to the lorentz force on the contacts.

Referring to fig. 83, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted consistent with the embodiment depicted in fig. 77. Power flow during regeneration operation is depicted in fig. 83, with arrows showing flow paths. Regenerative operation from a powered load (e.g., as may be experienced during regenerative braking) is depicted, but any regenerative operation from any load in the system is contemplated herein. During regenerative operation, high side breaker/relay 6502 and low side breaker/relay 6502 are closed and precharge contactor 7702 may be opened. Thus, both the high-side breaker/relay 6502 and the low-side breaker/relay 6502 provide overcurrent protection during regenerative operation of the system.

Referring to fig. 84, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is depicted consistent with the embodiment depicted in fig. 77. Power flow during the charging operation is depicted in fig. 84, with arrows showing flow paths. Charging may be performed with an external charging device and may include a high current fast charging operation that may provide higher current operation than current operation associated with the rated power of the load. In the operation depicted in fig. 84, the low side breaker/relay 6502 is closed and the contactors in the charging circuit are closed, providing a power flow path as depicted. In certain embodiments, the high-side circuit breaker/relay 6502 and the pre-charge relay 7702 may be opened, for example, to isolate an inverter (not shown) from the circuit during a charging operation. In certain embodiments, the high-side circuit breaker/relay 6502 may be closed, for example, in cases where isolation of the inverter is not required during charging operations, and/or in cases where fast operation without a pre-charge cycle may be required after charging. During charging operations, in the example of fig. 84, the low side circuit breaker/relay 6502 provides overcurrent protection.

Referring to fig. 85, another schematic cross-sectional view of the circuit breaker/relay is depicted. In the example of fig. 85, circuit opening and connection components are depicted on the breaker side 6820 and contactor operation components are depicted on the relay side 6822. The depicted circuit breaker/relay is an example, and a single pole, single throw circuit breaker/relay is depicted. Additionally or alternatively, the circuit breaker/relay may be dual-pole (e.g., operating two different circuits, i.e., parallel paths for one of the circuits to provide additional current capability, and/or one pole providing high-side coupling and the other pole providing low-side coupling). In certain embodiments, a circuit breaker/relay with more than one pole may control the poles independently, or they may operate together with the same armature. In certain embodiments, both knives have arc diffusion protection provided by the same separator plate or by separate sets of separator plates. In certain embodiments, both knives have arc diffusion protection provided by the same permanent magnet system or by separate permanent magnet systems.

Referring to fig. 86, another example of a schematic logic diagram of a circuit breaker/relay is depicted. The example of fig. 86 includes an emergency or auxiliary input 8602 handled by an input spacer 8604. The emergency or auxiliary input 8602 may replace or supplement any other auxiliary input and provide the ability for a particular application to control the operation of the circuit breaker/relay to make a selected response to any desired aspect of the system (including but not limited to allowing disconnect assurances during service, during emergency conditions, and/or according to any desired control logic).

Referring to fig. 87, a detailed cross-sectional view of the contact portion of an exemplary circuit breaker/relay is depicted. The contact portion of fig. 87 includes an exemplary configuration of the contact surfaces of movable contact 6810 and fixed contact 6812. The configuration of the contacts is part of the system that facilitates the physical opening force of the contacts and may be configured with any shape or area to provide the desired response to high currents occurring in the associated circuit.

Referring to fig. 88, for illustration, an example circuit breaker/relay is depicted with portions of the housing removed. An exemplary circuit breaker/relay includes two movable contacts that engage two fixed contacts. In the example of fig. 88, the movable contacts are coupled and operated by the same armature 6814, with contact force provided by contact spring 6804. In the example of fig. 88, the contacts are electrically coupled through bus bars 8802. In this example, the bus bar 8802 transitions directly between the contacts and is not significantly exposed to the current carrying portion of the bus bar including the stationary contacts. In certain embodiments, the bus bars 8802 can include traces that expose a portion of the bus bars 8802 to the vicinity of the current carrying members of the fixed contacts to facilitate the lorentz force to provide physical disconnection of the circuit breaker/relay. In certain embodiments, the region of the bus bar 8802 exposed to the fixed contact current carrying portion and the region of the bus bar 8802 near the fixed contact current carrying portion are both design elements that allow the lorentz force response to be configured.

Referring to fig. 89, an exemplary power management arrangement for mobile applications is depicted. The example of fig. 89 includes a circuit breaker/relay 6502 disposed on the high side of the power circuit, and a pre-charge contactor, resistor, and fuse coupled in parallel to the high side circuit breaker/relay 6502. In the example of fig. 89, the circuit breaker/relay 6502 is a two pole circuit breaker/relay 6502, for example to provide additional current capability through contacts of the power circuit. In the example of fig. 89, a controller 8902 is depicted that performs the control functions of the circuit breaker/relay 6502 and the power management arrangement. For example, the controller 8902 receives a keyswitch input, performs a precharge operation, operates the closing of the circuit breaker/relay, and responds to a high current event by opening the contacts of the circuit breaker/relay. In another example, the controller 8902 performs a shutdown operation of the power management arrangement, such as opening a circuit breaker/relay after a key switch is turned off or in response to an auxiliary, emergency, or other input requesting disconnection of power.

With further reference to fig. 89, exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is schematically depicted, which may be used in whole or in part with any other system or aspect of the present disclosure. The exemplary power distribution management system includes a two-pole circuit breaker/relay, the example of fig. 89 includes a two-pole circuit breaker/relay (e.g., using one set of contacts per pole) with a single magnetic drive (e.g., a magnetic actuator). In certain embodiments, the two contacts are mechanically connected such that they open or close together (e.g., operate as a double pole single throw contactor). In certain embodiments, contactors may share one or more arc suppression aspects (e.g., separator plates and/or permanent magnets) and/or may have separate arc suppression aspects. In certain embodiments, the arc suppression aspect may be partially common (e.g., some separation plates are near two contacts) and/or partially separate (e.g., some separation plates are only near one or the other of the contacts). In certain embodiments, various features of the contactor may be shared, and other features of the contactor may be provided separately, such as control commands or actuation (e.g., a double pole double throw arrangement), arc suppression aspects, and/or a housing. The example of fig. 89 additionally depicts a separate contactor (e.g., the lower left portion of the three (3) depicted contacts) that is individually controllable to provide contact management for the pre-charge circuit of the power distribution management system. In certain embodiments, the pre-charge contactor may be integrated with the dual-pole contacts, e.g., integrated within the same housing as the dual-pole contacts and/or integrated with a pre-charge coupling provided as one of the dual-pole contacts. The example of fig. 89 depicts a fuse on the precharge circuit and an additional global fuse on the low side of the battery. The presence of the depicted fuses is optional and non-limiting, and the fuses may be present elsewhere, omitted, and/or replaced (e.g., with a circuit breaker/relay as described throughout this disclosure, and/or with a blade on a two-blade or multi-blade circuit breaker/relay). In certain embodiments, the pre-charge circuit may be included within a power distribution unit separate from and/or including the circuit breaker/relay, as a solid state pre-charge circuit, and/or as a mechanical/power circuit located elsewhere in the system and/or within the circuit breaker/relay housing.

The electrical arrangement of the knives in fig. 89 is a schematic example and is not limited to the arrangement of the system of a particular embodiment. In certain embodiments, each blade of a two-blade circuit breaker/relay (and/or each blade or subset of blades in a multi-blade circuit breaker/relay) may provide selectable electrical coupling for the same circuit, separate circuits, and/or selected circuits (e.g., using a controllable switch or connector (not depicted) elsewhere in the system). In certain embodiments, the power distribution management system further comprises a high resolution current sensor and/or a current sensing on more than one blade of a two-blade or multi-blade circuit breaker/relay. In certain embodiments, the controller is communicatively coupled to one or more high-resolution current sensors and utilizes the one or more high-resolution current sensors to perform any of the operations described throughout this disclosure (e.g., to command one or more of the contacts to an open position to avoid re-contact after opening, and/or to communicate information determined from the current sensors (e.g., current or other information derived therefrom) to another controller in the system, such as a vehicle controller). In certain embodiments, each contactor of a two-pole or multi-pole circuit breaker/relay includes an arrangement configured to open the contacts with a lorentz force response due to high current flow through the circuit of the contactor, as described throughout this disclosure. In certain embodiments, one contact has an arrangement that opens with a lorentz force response, while the other contact opens due to a mechanical connection with the responding contact. In certain embodiments, each contact has an arrangement that opens with a lorentz force response, e.g., to provide circuit protection redundancy. In certain embodiments, each contact has an arrangement that opens with a lorentz force response, wherein each contact has a separately configured threshold for the opening response, and/or wherein each contact is separately controllable (e.g., with a separate magnetic actuator or other controlled actuator).

Referring to FIG. 90, a schematic diagram of an adaptive system using a multi-port power converter for a hybrid vehicle is depicted. Use of the terms "multi-port," "X-port," and/or "X-in-1-port" indicates that the power converter includes one or more ports that can service different power loads and/or power supplies having one or more varying electrical characteristics. The configurable power converter may have one or more fixed ports, one or more configurable ports, or a combination of these ports. An exemplary system 9000 comprises a multi-port power converter 9008 having a plurality of ports structured to connect to a power source and/or an electrical load. The multi-port power converter 9008 in the example of fig. 90 is coupled to four electrical loads/sources 9006(9006a-9006d), but may be connected to any number of loads and/or sources as described throughout this disclosure. In this example, each load/source 9006a-9006d has different electrical characteristics, such as current type (e.g., AC, DC), frequency components (phase and/or frequency), and/or voltage. In certain embodiments, the load/source 9006 may have additional electrical characteristics or requirements, e.g., the load as a motor may have a rise time and/or response time requirement. The example multi-port power converter 9008 is capable of configuring electrical characteristics to a multi-port connection without changing the hardware of the multi-port power converter 108, and is also capable of supporting configuration changes of the multi-port power converter 108 at various selectable manufacturing, application selection, and/or use operational stages as described throughout this disclosure.

The exemplary system 9000 includes a converter/inverter bank 9004. The converter/inverter bank 9004 comprises a plurality of solid state components that can be converted to various configurations of DC/DC conversion interfaces and/or DC/AC conversion interfaces to selected ones of the ports on the multiport power converter 9008. An exemplary configuration includes a plurality of half-bridge components having connectivity selected by a plurality of solid state switches in a converter/inverter bank 9004. Thus, each of the ports on the multi-port power converter 9008 can be configured for a selected DC/DC and/or DC/AC interface depending on the electrical load/power supply 9006 in the application. In certain embodiments, the half-bridge components comprise silicon carbide (SiC) half-bridges. In certain embodiments, the SiC half bridge may be operated at very high switching frequencies and high efficiency with low electrical losses in the converter/inverter components.

The selection of components in the converter/inverter bank 9004 may be made according to the number of different load types to be supported. Thus, one skilled in the art can design a particular converter/inverter bank 9004 to support a wide variety of contemplated applications, each of which may be supported by merely manipulating the solid state switches and drive controls for the components of the converter/inverter bank 9004 without changing the hardware of the multi-port power converter 9008. For example, if a given class of off Highway vehicles can be supported by 4 different DC voltage interactions (e.g., high voltage battery, 12-V circuit, 24-V circuit, and 48-V circuit) and 2 different AC voltage interactions (including possibly driving the load and accepting regenerative inputs) for the load and power supply, then packaging a library of configurable components and a sufficient number of ports for the converter/inverter bank 9004 will support the entire class of off Highway vehicles without changing the hardware of the multiport power converter 9008. Thus, a given application may be supported at selected points in the manufacturing cycle, by calibration in the controller 9002 at design time of the multi-port power converter 9008 (e.g., prior to integration with the OEM), assembly of the vehicle and/or the vehicle's driveline by the OEM, and/or assembly of the final vehicle for a particular application by the body builder. The controller 9002 can be accessed by using a manufacturing tool, a service tool, or the like to configure the component library 9004 in the multi-port power converter 9008 and/or to define drive controls for the components in the component library 9004 to meet the electrical characteristics of the load/source 9006 in the application.

In certain embodiments, DC/DC conversion may be supported by a half bridge with 4 MOSFET switches and AC/DC conversion may be supported by a half bridge with 6 MOSFET switches. In certain embodiments, the half-bridges may be modular and may be combined as needed to support a particular electrical input, output, or interface. Additionally or alternatively, H-bridge circuits supporting three-phase output, or other components may be included in the component library 9004, depending on the requirements of the application class to be supported by the particular multi-port power converter 9008.

The use of the multi-port power converter 9008 provides a number of benefits and features that allow the system 9000 to be integrated with a wide variety of applications without requiring hardware changes. For example, the multi-port power converter 9008 allows for centralized processing of power management on a given application, rather than having multiple converters and/or inverters distributed throughout the vehicle or application. Thus, the cooling requirements may be reduced, especially in terms of the number of interfaces and connections used to provide cooling. In addition, electrical connections for power conversion throughout a vehicle or application may be standardized and the number of connections reduced. Each connection drives a potential point of failure or environmental intrusion and requires specification, testing, and other integration requirements. The use of the multiport power converter 9008 greatly simplifies integration and allows for electrification and hybrid power for many applications that do not employ electrification and/or hybrid power in previously known systems, such as off-highway applications with various load types. Furthermore, the ability of the multi-port power converter 108 to configure port outputs and inputs allows a wider variety of loads on a particular system to be easily integrated into an electrification and/or hybrid scheme, thereby increasing the overall efficiency gains that can be achieved for an application, and enabling electrification and hybrid use cases that would otherwise be prohibitive to appropriate design and integration challenges (commercially unreasonable for complex design and/or low volume applications). The ability to configure the multi-port power converter 108 without changing hardware, interfaces, and selected points in the manufacturing cycle additionally supports the provision of power on and/or hybrid power for many applications where design control and integration responsibilities may vary throughout the industry. Further, the multi-port power converter 9008 is configurable after initial use by an end user, for example to allow for changes to power ratings or other system changes of the vehicle or application (which may be remotely implemented via updates of the controller 9002), changes to electrical components on the vehicle or application that may be implemented by a customer, and/or changes to electrical components made during a service tool, remanufacture, or other post-use event.

Referring to fig. 91, an exemplary controller 9002 is depicted having a plurality of circuits structured to functionally execute certain operations and aspects of the controller 9002. The controller 9002 is depicted as a single device positioned on the multi-port power converter 108, but the controller 9002 may be a distributed device with portions positioned on a vehicle controller, in a manufacturing or service tool, on a server (e.g., a cloud-based or internet-accessible server), or a combination of these. In certain embodiments, aspects of the controller 9002 may be implemented as computer readable instructions stored on a memory, logic circuits or other hardware devices structured to perform certain operations of the controller 9002, and/or sensors, data communications, electrical interfaces, or other aspects not depicted. The example controller 9002 includes a component library configuration circuit 9102 structured to interpret a port electrical interface description 9104. The example of fig. 91 depicts the port electrical interface description 9104 communicated to the component library configuration circuit 9102, but the port electrical interface description 9104 may additionally or alternatively be stored on the controller 9002 or in a memory in communication with the controller 9002. The example controller 9002 further includes a component library implementation circuit 9106 that provides solid state switch states 9108 in response to the port electrical interface descriptions 9104, where the component library 9004 is responsive to the solid state switch states 9108, thereby providing connections between components on the component library and ports on the multi-port power converter 9008 to provide the required electrical interfaces, including varied DC voltage inputs/outputs and/or varied AC voltage inputs/outputs.

The example controller 9002 further includes a load/source drive description circuit 9110 structured to interpret source/load drive characteristics 9112. The source/load drive characteristics 9112 are depicted as being communicated to the controller 9002, but may additionally or alternatively be stored on the controller 9002 or in a memory in communication with the controller 9002. Source/load drive characteristics 9112 provide any characteristic for driving a particular load, such as a desired phase, frequency, rise time parameter, and/or may include qualitative functionality, such as emergency shutdown commands that need to be supported, etc. The example controller 9002 further includes a load/source drive implementation circuit 9114 that provides a component driver configuration 9116. The component driver configuration 9116 can be, for example, the actual gate driver controls used to drive the components of the component library 9004. In certain embodiments, components of the component library 9004, such as SiC solid state inverter/converter components, are provided with gate drive controls from the manufacturer. In some embodiments, the component driver configuration 9116 provides interface commands and requests that are passed to the manufacturer gate driver control to make appropriate requests for driving the component such that the source/load drive characteristics 9112 are satisfied. The actual arrangement and location of the gate driver controls is not limited, and any arrangement is contemplated herein and may be suitable for a particular system. As can be seen, the example controller 9002 of fig. 91 provides for rapid configuration of electrical characteristics at the ports of the multi-port power converter 9008, including motor-independent configured drive controls (e.g., capable of scaling within a range of motor capabilities and meeting the mechanical requirements of the motor), without requiring hardware changes to the multi-port power converter 9008.

Referring to fig. 151, the example component library configuration circuitry 9102 may be further structured to interpret port configuration service request values (e.g., port configuration requests 15102), and wherein the component library implementation circuitry 9106 also provides solid state switch states 9108 in response to the port configuration service request values 15102. The component library configuration circuitry 9102 may be further structured to interpret the port configuration definition values 15104, and wherein the component library implementation circuitry 9106 also provides solid state switch states in response to the port configuration definition values 15104. Thus, the controller 9002 of the system can respond to configuration requests and/or configuration definitions such as the following events: service, integration, manufacturing, remanufacturing, upgrading, retrofitting and/or changes to system applications.

Referring to fig. 92, an exemplary system 9200 including a multi-port power converter 9008 is depicted. The exemplary system 9200 can be a practically contemplated system, such as a serial hybrid vehicle with multiple DC loads, a traction motor, an internal combustion engine with a motor/generator interface to a multi-port power converter 9008, and a high voltage battery. In certain embodiments, system 9200 can be a representative system for a class of applications, e.g., including a sufficient number of interfaces and loads such that if exemplary system 9200 can be sufficiently supported, multi-port power converter 9008 supporting the system will be able to support an entire class of applications without hardware changes. In certain embodiments, the multi-port power converter 9008 may be designed in more than one version, e.g., to support a similar number of electrical interfaces and a similar number of interface types, but with different components such as to support a high voltage level in one version and a lower voltage level in another version. It can be seen that the exemplary system 9200 will still function as an actual system to be built that can be replicated with few hardware changes to support a similar class of applications, or as a representative system in which a limited number of selected hardware changes in the multi-port power converter 9008 can support a large class of applications.

The exemplary system 9200 includes an internal combustion engine 9202. The internal combustion engine 9202 represents any prime mover or power source and may additionally or alternatively include a mains power connector, a fuel cell or other device. In certain embodiments, the internal combustion engine 9202 provides power to the multi-port power converter 9008 during certain operating conditions, and may accept power from the multi-port power converter 9008 during other operating conditions. The exemplary system 9200 also includes a motor/generator 9204 that electrically interfaces the internal combustion engine 9202 with the multiport power converter 9008 and is typically (but may not be) an AC device with a relatively high power rating (e.g., 80hp in this example). If desired, the motor/generator 9204 can transmit power in either direction, i.e., accept power from the internal combustion engine 9202 and/or return power to the internal combustion engine 9202, for the application or class of application in question. This example depicts a multi-port power converter 9008 with a 3-wire interface to the motor/generator 9204, but any interface may be supported.

The exemplary system 9200 also includes a traction motor 9206, which may be an AC motor and/or a motor/generator, and is depicted as having a 3-wire interface to a multiport power converter 9008. In the example of fig. 92, the traction motor 9206 drives the transmission 9208, but the traction motor 9206 can drive any traction device, such as powering a vehicle or other device. Transmission 9208 conceptually represents any of the primary power components of system 9200, and additionally or alternatively may be a pump or other high power requiring device in the system. Additionally, the transmission 9208 may not be present and the traction motor 9206 may interface directly with the main power components. The example of fig. 92 is a "serial hybrid" example, where the prime mover 9202 and the primary load 9208 are electrically decoupled, but a given system 9200 (whether an actual design system or a representative system for designing appropriate functionality for the multi-port power converter 9008) may be a "parallel hybrid" (e.g., where the prime mover 9202 is capable of directly, at least intermittently, fully or partially driving the primary load 9208), an all-electric system (e.g., where the prime mover 9202 is not present, and/or is used only as a backup power source), and/or any other arrangement (e.g., where shaft power from some other source is provided in addition to or at the location of the prime mover 9202 depicted in fig. 92). In certain embodiments, an arrangement of a serial hybrid arrangement such as that of fig. 92 is contemplated for a system or a representative system, because the serial hybrid arrangement provides the multi-port power converter 9008 with many interface requirements that are sufficient to also support other systems (e.g., serial hybrid or fully electric), so the multi-port power converter 9008, which is capable of supporting a serial hybrid arrangement, is capable of supporting a broad class of systems, vehicles, and applications without requiring hardware changes to the multi-port power converter 9008.

The exemplary system 9200 of fig. 92 also depicts a plurality of DC loads and sources. In the example of fig. 92, a high voltage DC interface (650V in this example) is coupled to a high voltage battery 9212 and a main pump motor 9210 (e.g., to support a hydraulic pump for an off-highway vehicle having a large hydraulic system). The main pump motor 9210 and the high voltage battery 9212 are depicted as being coupled to the same 650V circuit, but the large DC load (e.g., the main pump motor 9210) and the high voltage battery 9212 need not be at the same voltage on a particular system. In the example of fig. 92, the main pump motor 9210 is also rated at 80hp, which in this example allows the motor/generator 9204 to fully support either the traction load or the main pump load, which may be a contemplated arrangement for a particular system or a contemplated system supporting a class of applications. However, in certain embodiments, the primary DC loads and/or traction loads may be different, and the motor/generator 9204 may support only the highest of the available loads, while supporting all of the available loads, and/or support some other load value (e.g., an expected average load over an application's operating period, a load value expected to depend on the net battery 9212 being discharged during some operating periods, etc.). In certain embodiments, the motor/generator 9204 may not be present, or may have a load capability independent of the DC and/or traction load on the application.

In the example of fig. 92, a 12V DC interface 9214 is depicted, which in the example of fig. 92 drives an actuator to operate a load 9216 using hydraulic pressure from a main pump motor 9210. In this example, a 12V DC interface 9214 is coupled to the load 9216, allowing for actuation and regenerative recovery from the load 9216. The directional operation of power on the 12V DC interface 9214 drives the configuration of components in the multi-port power converter 9008 to allow for powering of the 12V DC interface 9214 and recovery of energy from the 12V DC interface 9214, and may be used for any 12V DC operation (e.g., vehicle accessories, low power devices, etc.). In certain embodiments, the power recovered on the 12V DC interface 9214 may be returned to the high voltage battery 9212, provided to a low voltage battery interface (not shown), and/or used for other loads in the system.

In the example of fig. 92, a 48V DC interface 9218 is depicted, which in the example of fig. 92 drives an actuator to operate the second load 9220 using hydraulic pressure from the main pump motor 9210. In this example, the 48V DC interface 9218 is coupled to the load 9220, allowing for actuation and regenerative recovery from the load 9220. The directional operation of power on the 48V DC interface 9218 drives the configuration of components in the multiport power converter 9008 to allow for powering of the 48V DC interface 9218 and recovery of energy from the 48V DC interface 9218, and may be used for any 48V DC operation (e.g., vehicle accessories, refrigeration, PTO equipment, etc.). In certain embodiments, the power recovered on the 48V DC interface 9218 may be returned to the high voltage battery 9212, provided to a low voltage battery interface (not shown), and/or used for other loads in the system.

It can be seen that a system 9200 such as depicted in fig. 92 can readily provide integration and support for a large number of applications with minimal changes to the design of the interface to the multi-port power converter 9008 and no changes to the hardware or selected versions of a small number of hardware versions from the multi-port power converter 9008. Certain application differences may be supported without changes, for example the type of load on the 12V interface 9214 may be changed without any hardware or even calibration changes in the controller 9002. Some application differences may be supported in the case where only calibration changes are made in the controller 9002, such as switching the 12V interface 9214 to a 24V interface (or some other value). Certain application differences may be supported with only minor hardware version changes, for example switching high voltage DC from 650V to 900V may only require a different version of the multi-port power converter 9008 with more capable SiC components that can interact with the higher voltage. It can also be seen that many application changes may be accommodated at selected points in the manufacturing cycle, including at design time of the multi-port power converter 9008, at an OEM stage (e.g., integrating the multi-port power converter 9008 with a selected drive train), at a body manufacturing stage (e.g., integrating a particular vehicle or a particular load with the multi-port power converter 9008), and/or after an application has been in use (e.g., changing or upgrading an electric system of a vehicle, changing a power rating, performing remanufacturing or upgrading of an application, and/or changing a basic usage scenario or duty cycle of a system, vehicle, or application). Additionally or alternatively, versions of the multi-port power converter 9008 may be configured for different applications that are electrically similar (e.g., requiring the same or similar number of different voltages, electrical types, and power ratings) but have different certifications or regulations applicable (where the configuration of the multi-port power converter 9008 is otherwise similar, but the components, diagnostics, or other aspects of the multi-port power converter 9008 are configured for different certifications, regulations, or other requirements for each type of application in each version). For example, electrically similar on-highway and off-highway applications may have different requirements for certification and/or different regulatory requirements for components on the multi-port power converter 9008.

Referring to fig. 107, an exemplary X-port converter 9008 is depicted, which is similar to the embodiment depicted in fig. 92. In the example of fig. 107, the X-port converter 9008 further comprises a fuse/contactor 10702 that may be disposed on a circuit to be used for a power connection and/or may be configured to be coupled into a selected circuit through a solid state switch. The example X-port converter 9008 also includes a set of solid state switches 10706 positioned between the

power electronics

9222, 9224 and coupled ports on the housing of the X-port converter 10706, allowing the configured power electronics, fuses, and/or contactors to be directed into the circuitry associated with any selected port. The example X-port converter 9008 also includes a controller 10704 that can interrogate the power supply and load in response to commands to configure the converter to determine its electrical characteristics and/or to determine power exchange parameters (e.g., received regenerative load, etc.) and to increase the operating efficiency of the converter to support the load and the source. Referring to fig. 108, an exemplary X-port converter 9008 is depicted, which is similar to the embodiment depicted in fig. 107. In the example of fig. 108, port set 10806 may not include a solid state switch set. In the example of fig. 108, the ports of the converter 9008 have configurable electrical characteristics, but may have less flexibility than the example of fig. 107. For example, the given port may be a dedicated AC port in the example of fig. 108 with configurable voltage, frequency, and phase ratings, where the given port may switch between AC and DC in the example of fig. 107. The example converter 9008 of fig. 108 additionally includes coolant ports (e.g., a coolant inlet coupling and a coolant outlet coupling) for coupling to a coolant source 10802 (e.g., a main cooling system for electric mobile applications). In this example, the coolant coupling 10804 provides a consistent cooling interface for all power electronics. The coolant coupling 10804 can be present in any embodiment of the converter 9008.

It can be seen that the system described herein provides high machine level efficiency for systems, vehicles and applications at a lower cost than previously known systems. Additionally, the ease and selectivity of the integration of the systems herein enables the use of hybrid, all-electric, and/or regenerative systems for applications that were previously unavailable due to integration difficulties and/or low capacity of such applications (which prohibits the development of hybrid, all-electric, and/or regenerative systems for such applications). The system described herein is scalable to different power ratings and voltage levels on both the DC and AC portions of the system. Additionally, energy recovery systems for various loads (such as for hydraulic loads, power loads, PTO loads, pneumatic loads, and/or any other type of load capable of interacting with any type of electrical system) may be readily supported, including as a class of applications that are supported without requiring hardware changes to the multi-port power converter 9008. Additionally, the system herein is independent of the motor and/or motor/generator requirements of a particular application, and may support any type of electrical interface without requiring hardware changes and/or with only minimal calibration changes in the controller 9002 at selected points in the manufacturing cycle, and including post-use changes, such as for upgrade, remanufacture, repair, and/or maintenance. The system herein provides ready interface and integration with a prime mover or power source, a traction drive, and a system load. Load support and energy recovery are easily supported on any interface of the multi-port power converter 9008. Various previously known applications do not utilize hybrid and/or electrification as integration, certification, and/or differing load numbers on those systems prohibit the rational integration of hybrid and/or electrification actuation and energy recovery of various loads, such as pumps, cranes, heavy work vehicles, wheel loaders, aerial work vehicles, and tractors. The system herein can be conveniently designed and integrated with any such application, including supporting application classes with configurable multi-port power converters 9008 that can adapt to the application class without hardware changes and/or with a small number of selected hardware versions. The use of SiC components in multiport power converter 9008 may provide a 5-10% improvement in power conversion efficiency in electrical conversion, and for applications in which previously known systems were unable to employ hybrid and/or electrification of loads and energy recovery, the increase in energy recovery and prime mover optimization (e.g., operating the prime mover in an efficient operating region for a greater percentage of the time during operation) may yield an overall machine level efficiency gain of > 50%. The system herein enables off-the-shelf adoption of hybrid and electrified loads for applications where previously known systems were not feasible for integration, and enables design choices for the multi-port power converter 9008 to be incorporated into the manufacturing and supply chain to further enhance ease of integration and enable adoption for applications where previously known systems were not feasible.

Referring to fig. 93, an exemplary circuit breaker/relay 9302 is schematically depicted in context 9300. The exemplary context 9300 includes a regulatory interface 9304, e.g., including legal or industry regulations, policies, or other executable framework for which the circuit breaker/relay 9302 is responsible for maintaining certain performance characteristics thereof. The example supervisory interface 9304 can be physically manifested during runtime operation of an application having the circuit breaker/relay 9302 thereon, e.g., as network communications, calibration values for responses, selection of dimensions of components of the circuit breaker/relay 9302, etc., and/or the supervisory interface 9304 can represent one or more design-time considerations made during selection, installation, repair, maintenance, and/or replacement of the circuit breaker/relay 9302 that are not physically manifested during runtime operation of an application having the circuit breaker/relay 9302 thereon.

The example context 9300 also includes a command and/or control interface 9306, which can include signals, voltages, electrical couplings, and/or network couplings through which command functions (e.g., connector open or close commands) are received by the circuit breaker/relay 9302. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay 9302 includes only electromechanical components, such as where the circuit breaker/relay 9302 does not include a microprocessor, controller, printed circuit board, or other "smart" feature. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay 9302 includes some functional controllers located locally on the circuit breaker/relay 9302, as well as other functional controllers located elsewhere on the application on which the circuit breaker/relay 9302 resides (e.g., on a battery management system controller, a vehicle controller, a power electronics controller, and/or having aspects distributed across one or more controllers). In certain embodiments, certain command or control aspects are provided as physical or electrical commands, while other command or control aspects are provided as communication elements (e.g., data link or network commands) and/or as intelligent aspects of the circuit breaker/relay 9302 determined according to programmed logic in response to parameters detected or otherwise determined during runtime operation.

The exemplary context 9300 also includes an environmental interface 9308 such as vibration, temperature events, shocks, and other environmental parameters experienced by the circuit breaker/relay 9302. Aspects of the environmental interface 9308 can be physically manifested in the circuit breaker/relay 9302, for example, by material design choices, size and location of components, connector choices, active or passive cooling choices, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the planned or experienced duty cycle, power throughput, etc. may be part of the environment interface 9308 of the circuit breaker/relay 9302.

The exemplary context 9300 also includes a high voltage interface 9310, such as a high voltage battery, a system load, a charger, etc., coupled to the system. In certain embodiments, the high voltage interface 9310 is physically manifested on the circuit breaker/relay 9302, for example, in voltage ratings, size of components, ratings of the current sensor (if present), material selection, and the like. Any of the example features of the circuit breaker/relay described throughout this disclosure may be included for example circuit breaker/relay 9302 herein, including but not limited to arc extinguishing features, contactor design elements, connector contact force influencing aspects, and the like. Any aspect of the context 9300 can be included or omitted, and the aspects of the context 9300 are not limited to the contemplated context 9300 of a particular circuit breaker/relay 9302. Additionally, it should be understood that the organization of the context 9300 aspects is an example for clarity of description, but in certain embodiments,

particular aspects

9304, 9306, 9308, 9310 may be omitted, separated, and/or present on

other aspects

9304, 9306, 9308, 9310. For example, voltage limits, response time limits, etc. may be understood to originate from the supervisory interface 9304 in one embodiment, from the command/control interface 9306 in another embodiment, and from both

interfaces

9304, 9306 in yet another embodiment.

Referring to fig. 94, an exemplary circuit breaker/relay architecture 9400 is depicted. The example circuit breaker/relay 9302 includes all electronic control functions located remotely from the circuit breaker/relay 9302, with only electromechanical hardware remaining on the circuit breaker/relay 9302. The example circuit breaker/relay 9302 includes a contactor 9402 (e.g., a normally open or normally closed high voltage contactor) movably operated by a coil 9404, and wherein power to the coil 9404 provides an opening or closing force to the contactor 9402. In certain embodiments, the contactor 9402 is normally open, and power to the coil 9404 closes the contactor 9402. The exemplary architecture 9400 also includes a high-voltage circuit 9406 switched by a contactor 9402 and a pair of input signals (e.g., an a input 9408 and a B input 9410), although any number and type of input signals are contemplated herein. An exemplary system is depicted in fig. 96, which shows an exemplary operation of the electronics to control an exemplary circuit breaker/relay 9302 (magnetic drive 2302 in the depiction of fig. 96). The exemplary architecture 9400 also includes an external controller 9412, such as a battery management controller, vehicle controller, or other controller resident on an application, the external controller 9412 including an electronics portion and a management portion. For the exemplary architecture 9400, the electronics portion schematically depicts a controller configured to manage direct opening and closing control of the circuit breaker/relay 9302 and communicate diagnostic information about the circuit breaker/relay 9302. The management portion schematically depicts supplying external commands to the circuit breaker/relay 9302, such as to command the circuit breaker/relay 9302 to open or close, implement an over-current shutdown, and/or implement an auxiliary or safety shutdown (e.g., a crash signal, a maintenance event signal, etc.). The electronics and management portion are depicted in an arrangement for clarity of description, but it should be understood that aspects of the electronics and management portion may be distributed throughout the system, and/or portions of the electronics may be located on the circuit breaker/relay 9302.

Referring to fig. 95, an example system 9500 is depicted showing particular voltage, amperage, and time-based values of the example system. Exemplary system 9500 includes a make signal having certain electrical characteristics and a hold signal having certain electrical characteristics, as non-limiting examples. Exemplary system 9500 is consistent with certain embodiments of architecture 9400 depicted in fig. 94. An exemplary circuit breaker/relay consistent with certain embodiments of the system of fig. 95 responds to an 8.2V turn-on voltage, a 1.5V hold-up voltage, and includes a 3 ohm resistance in the actuation coil.

Referring to fig. 96, the operation of an exemplary electronics portion, such as architecture 9400 depicted in fig. 94, is shown for illustrative purposes. It should be understood that components of a system such as in fig. 96 may be implemented in hardware, software, logic circuitry, and/or may be combined or distributed around the system. An exemplary electronic device includes a turn-on response, in which a 12V control voltage is applied to the module. The actual drive coil of the circuit breaker/relay can be switched to the control voltage via the power-down circuit and the driver. The on driver 9702 is controlled at about 65% of the minimum nominal voltage of 100ms (e.g., nominal < 70% or 8.2V). The timing, voltage, and switching logic of the turn-on operation are non-limiting examples. During a switch-on operation, the drive coil is energized with an induced current so that the driver can be switched on.

An exemplary electronic device includes a regulation response. An exemplary regulation response includes linearly regulating the voltage during the turn-on process, for example, using a control circuit (regulator) and linkage for the duration of the turn-on process (e.g., 100ms) to apply a selected actuation voltage to the drive coil.

An exemplary electronic device includes a hold response. An exemplary hold response includes disabling the driver after the on period and providing a hold signal (e.g., 1.5V) to the drive coil that is continuously held on and/or continuously held on with diagnostic interrupts (e.g., see exemplary voltage graph 9708).

In some implementations, the power down transistors are checked at selected intervals (e.g., depending on fault tolerance time intervals, regulatory or policy intervals, and/or intervals of interest). If the power-down transistor is defective (e.g., if it is permanently conductive), the circuit breaker/relay will rely on breaking the 1.5V power supply to power down the magnetic drive. While the system may still be shut down, defective operation of the power-off relay may be slower than expected and/or too slow for the circuit breaker/relay to be compliant. In certain embodiments, frequent blanking pulses (or diagnostic interruptions) form a peak in the cutoff voltage at the coil connection (the free-wheeling level, which in this exemplary system is about 180V). The power-down transistor can be diagnosed as defective if the voltage peak remains off. In certain embodiments, the blanking pulse is kept short, thereby keeping the energy in the freewheel circuit low, thereby reducing wasted energy and heat, and also keeping the energy low to reduce noise emissions. In some embodiments, a 100 microsecond quench pulse is sufficient. In some embodiments, faster or slower blanking pulses may be utilized. In certain embodiments, diagnostics on the outage relay and/or system response (e.g., more conservative shut-down to account for slower response) may be used in the electronics, management, or elsewhere in the system.

Exemplary electronics include turn-off and/or power-off responses. In this example, the shutdown 1.5V holding voltage deactivates the power down circuit above a trigger voltage of about 4.5V (nominally < 50% >, Urated 6V).

Certain additional exemplary embodiments of systems in which circuit breaker/relay devices are incorporated are set forth below. Any one or more aspects of the following systems may be included within any other system or portion of a system described throughout this disclosure. Any one or more aspects of the following systems may be used to perform any process, operation, or method herein.

Referring to fig. 97, an exemplary system 9702 includes a circuit breaker/relay device having a pre-charge circuit, a current sensor, and a high temperature switching device positioned within a single housing. Referring to fig. 98, for ease of illustration, system 9207 is depicted with a transparent housing. The exemplary system 9702 includes a circuit breaker/relay 6502, a current sensor 6706, a pre-charge fuse 6406, and a pre-charge contactor 6408 positioned within the housing and arranged to electrically interface with a power circuit, such as a mobile power circuit for mobile power applications.

In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay device comprises any combined short circuit and contact device, for example, as described throughout this disclosure. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay device includes a single contact (e.g., as compared to a dual contact embodiment). In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay device includes two contacts that operate with a single actuator. In certain embodiments, the system includes a fuse, which in the embodiment of fig. 98 is depicted as a high temperature switch 9802 (or high temperature fuse), such as a high temperature technology activated fuse (e.g., a fuse that is separated at a selected time by operating a small explosive device to open a circuit). In certain embodiments, the high temperature switch operates on a circuit in series with one branch of the circuit controlled by the circuit breaker/relay device 6502, for example to provide high temperature switch protection for either the high side or the low side of the circuit. For convenience of explanation, the precharge circuit wiring is not depicted. The pre-charge circuit may be wired in parallel with the contactors of the breaker/relay 6502 and/or in parallel with the high temperature switch 9802. Referring to fig. 99, a top schematic view of a system 9702 is depicted, showing an illustrative arrangement of components in the system. The exemplary system 9702 includes high voltage connections 9902, such as low and high side connections to a power source (e.g., a high voltage battery) and low and high side connections to a load (e.g., a powered motor). Referring to figure 100, a side schematic view of the system is depicted from the end with the high temperature switch 9802 and the pre-charge fuse 6406.

In certain embodiments, the system 6702 (e.g., "circuit breaker/relay PDU") has a mass of no more than 5kg and/or no more than 1.5 kg. In certain embodiments, the size of the circuit breaker/relay PDU is less than one or more of the following: 600mm long, 140mm wide and/or 110mm high. In certain embodiments, the size of the circuit breaker/relay PDU is less than one or more of the following: 160mm long, 135mm wide and/or 105mm high. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay PDU can support operation at continuous currents of 300A or greater. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay PDU is capable of interrupting 1100A and/or exceeding 400V without assistance. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay PDU is capable of interrupting 8,000A and/or over 400V. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay PDU can passively interrupt a short circuit condition (e.g., no external control signals or communications are required) and/or can also actively interrupt other operating conditions (e.g., an active trigger command for any reason). In some embodiments, the high temperature switch 9802 is located on the negative leg of the overall circuit, but the high temperature switch may be located anywhere desired. In certain embodiments, a high temperature switch is actively controlled with a trigger to command an interrupt. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay, the high temperature switch 9802, and/or both may be actively commanded to interrupt the circuit. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker/relay PDU can support dual amp ratings, such as 90A and 1000A (non-limiting examples).

Referring to fig. 101, an exemplary system 10100 includes a power circuit protection arrangement for a high voltage load, such as a power supply circuit for mobile applications. The exemplary system 10100 includes a circuit breaker/relay PDU 10102, wherein the circuit breaker/relay 10106 is disposed in the high side of the power supply circuit. The exemplary system 10100 includes a pre-charge circuit 10104, including pre-charge resistors and pre-charge contactors, positioned within the housing of the circuit breaker/relay PDU 10102. The exemplary system also includes a current sensor 6706 and a high temperature switch 9802 positioned within the housing of the circuit breaker/relay PDU 10102. The system includes a circuit breaker/relay PDU 10102 interfacing with a high voltage battery 10110 on a first side and interfacing with a high voltage load 10108 on a second side.

Referring to fig. 102, an oblique view of a system 10200 having a two-pole circuit breaker/relay 10302 is depicted with a coupled current sensor 6706 connected thereto. An exemplary current sensor 6706 is shown having a connector 10202 for communicatively coupling to a controller. Referring to fig. 103, a top view of the system 10200 having a partially transparent top side of a housing of the system 10200 is depicted. Exemplary locations of the precharge fuse 6406 and precharge connector 6408 are shown, and coupling locations of the high voltage battery (HV battery + and-) and the high voltage load (HV load + and-) are shown. Referring to fig. 104, a system 10200 consistent with the system of fig. 103 is depicted in which the top side of the housing of the system is normally positioned. Referring to fig. 105, an example circuit breaker/relay PDU is depicted showing high voltage

bus bar couplings

10502, 10504, 10506, 10508 to the circuit breaker/relay PDU. In the example of fig. 105, connection 10508 is the battery low side, connection 10506 is the battery high side, connection 10502 is the high voltage load high side, and connection 10504 is the high voltage low side. However, any arrangement of high voltage power supply and load connections is contemplated herein.

Referring to fig. 106, an exemplary system 10600 includes a power circuit protection arrangement for a high voltage load, such as a power circuit for mobile applications. The exemplary system 10600 includes a two pole circuit breaker/relay PDU 10602, where the circuit breaker/relay 10606 includes a first pole disposed on a high side of the power supply circuit and a second pole disposed on a low side of the power supply circuit. The exemplary system 10600 includes a pre-charge circuit 10104, including a pre-charge resistor and a pre-charge contactor, positioned within the housing of the circuit breaker/relay PDU 10602. The exemplary system also includes a current sensor 6706. The exemplary system 10600 does not include a fuse or high temperature switch, but in certain embodiments a fuse or high temperature switch may be present. The system includes a circuit breaker/relay PDU 10602 that interfaces with a high voltage battery 10110 on a first side and a high voltage load 10108 on a second side.

An exemplary dual pole circuit breaker/relay device includes individual circuit breaker/relay contactors responsive to active and passive interruption operation, with arc suppression and/or one or more poles with current sensors. In certain embodiments, each blade is disposed in a high-side or low-side circuit of the system. In certain embodiments, one or more blades include an integrated pre-charge circuit in parallel therewith.

It can be seen that the exemplary single pole and double pole circuit breaker/relay devices provide a high capacity interrupt system, as well as a system with a high degree of flexibility in capacity. In addition, the system has resettable interrupts (with circuit breakers/relays), and the integration as depicted significantly reduces the footprint of previously known systems.

Exemplary embodiments include a high voltage electric vehicle battery power distribution system architecture including a circuit breaker/relay with a pre-charge circuit integrated in the same housing. These two elements distribute power from one side of the battery. In addition to these two elements, the housing also contains a current sensor and a high temperature disconnect connection (e.g., a high temperature switch) in series with each other on opposite sides of the battery.

High voltage batteries in mobile applications contain a large amount of energy, making it desirable to protect the rest of the vehicle and the operator in case of overload, short circuits or emergency situations. Previously known systems include a contactor and fuse on the high side of the battery, a pre-charge circuit in parallel with the high side contactor, and a contactor and current sensor on the low side of the battery. Certain exemplary systems of the present disclosure have at least one or more of the following benefits over previously known systems: increasing efficiency (e.g., power transfer, losses, reduced cooling requirements) by reducing the number of contactor poles from two to one; active and passive protection is provided in the event of an overcurrent, short circuit or emergency, since the circuit breaker/relay or high temperature can be actively triggered; additional trip protection in the event of an overload or short circuit, such as physical trip operation that does not rely on active and properly operating controllers; size and weight advantages because the common housing and modular components occupy less area; and so on.

Referring to fig. 109A, a top view of an exemplary embodiment of an integrated inverter assembly 10900 is schematically depicted, and a side view (right) thereof is schematically depicted in fig. 109B. The examples of fig. 109A, 109B include a high voltage DC battery coupling 10902 and a vehicle (or mobile application) coupling 10904. Vehicle couplings 10904 provide data communication, key switch status, sensor communication, and/or any other desired coupling aspect. Referring to fig. 109A, 109B, a battery connector 10902 and a vehicle connector 10904 are provided, which may be any type of connector known in the art and selected for a particular application. Exemplary battery connectors 10902 include Rosenberger HPK series connectors, but any battery connector may be used. Exemplary vehicle connectors 10904 include Yazaki connector part number 7282885330, although any vehicle connector may be used. In the examples of fig. 109A, 109B, a main cover is visible, which may be located on a vertically upward portion of the integrated inverter assembly 10900 mounted on a vehicle or mobile application, although other orientations of the integrated inverter assembly 10900 are contemplated in certain embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example of fig. 109A, 109B, a harness 10906 is depicted that provides a connection for a motor temperature and/or position sensor. The harness 10906 can be shielded as determined by the particular EMI environment, sensor characteristics, and/or communication mechanisms between the sensor and the integrated inverter assembly 10900. In the side view of fig. 109B, the base (or back cover) can be seen.

Referring to fig. 110, an underside view of a main cover of the integrated inverter assembly 10900 is schematically depicted with certain aspects removed for clarity of description. The integrated inverter assembly 10900 includes coolant inlet and outlet connections 11002, which may be blind connections and/or may be sized to accommodate SAEJ2044 quick connect couplings. The coolant connection provides a flow of coolant through one or more coolant channels, as described in the present disclosure. In the example of fig. 110, a cured in place gasket is used to couple the main cover to the back cover.

Referring to fig. 111, an underside view of a main cover of the integrated inverter assembly 10900 is schematically depicted, with certain aspects of an electronics package including the integrated inverter assembly 10900 included for reference. Referring to fig. 112, a motor connection 11202 is configured for a 3-phase high voltage motor connection, such as a blade configured to interface with the motor connector 10906 of fig. 111. The example of fig. 112 depicts a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) in which the gate driver of the inverter is mounted, and a current sensor corresponding to each phase of the gate driver. The example of fig. 112 depicts a second PCB (partially obscured by the DC link capacitor 11206) for controlling an inverter (including interfacing with the vehicle, power control operations, diagnostics, etc.). The DC link capacitor 11206 provides coupling between a DC high voltage system (e.g., a battery) and the gate driver. In certain embodiments, the DC link capacitor 11206 may include certain power regulation aspects, such as capacitors, bus bars, and/or chokes. Referring to fig. 113, an embodiment with coolant channels 11304 is depicted, wherein the connectors 11306 are for an inverter drive of an inverter assembly 10900.

Referring to fig. 113, a top surface 11402 of a coolant channel (an upper coolant channel in the example of fig. 113) is depicted. The gate driver (e.g., IGBT) is mounted in thermal contact with the coolant channel such that coolant flowing through the coolant channel is in thermal communication with the inverter power electronics.

Referring to fig. 114, the underside of the main cover (relative to fig. 113) is depicted to show aspects of coolant channels 11402, with the lower coolant channels depicted in fig. 114. The coolant channels include heat transfer features (pins in the example of fig. 114) to provide a desired heat transfer environment between the coolant flowing in the channels and the cooled components of the integrated inverter assembly 10900. Two of the holes defined in the lower coolant passage of fig. 114 provide inlet and outlet communication of coolant into the inverter. Two of the holes defined in the lower coolant channels of fig. 114 provide fluid communication between the upper and lower coolant channels. Referring to FIG. 115, an exemplary relationship between the upper coolant passage 11506 and the lower coolant passage 11504 is depicted. In the example of fig. 115, each of the coolant channels includes a heat transfer feature, such as a pin. The utilization of two parallel coolant channels provides increased heat transfer capacity and makes it easier to communicate with all cooling components within a compact integrated package. The coolant channels are described as "upper" and "lower" for convenience and clarity of description to identify individual channels. The actual vertical positioning of the channel may vary depending on the specific design of the integrated inverter assembly and the orientation of the integrated inverter assembly at the time of installation. Fig. 115 additionally depicts an external coolant coupling port 11204, which in the example of fig. 115 has a baffled rod 11502.

Referring to fig. 116, an example of an assembly for coupling the coolant channel with the main cover is depicted. In this example, a coolant channel separation body 11604 (with a lower coolant channel on the lower side and an upper coolant channel on the upper side) is assembled with a lower coolant channel cover 13102 (e.g., the portion of the coolant channel visible in fig. 109A) and a main cover body. In certain embodiments, the assembly of fig. 116 is formed using Friction Stir Welding (FSW), which is a low cost process that provides a sealed seam that forms the coolant channels. Other assembly techniques are contemplated herein. Each component of the assembly may be formed by any known technique. The coolant channel separator body is desirably thermally conductive and may be formed of, for example, aluminum. In certain embodiments, the coolant channel separation body is forged, but it may be cast, machined, or formed by any other technique. In certain embodiments, the lower coolant channel cover is stamped. In certain embodiments, the main cap body is cast. Referring to fig. 131, an exemplary embodiment is depicted in which the lower coolant channel cover is depicted in place, integrated with the main cover and coolant channel separation body.

Referring to fig. 117, the underside of the main cover is depicted with an insulated gate bipolar transistor 11702(IGBT) mounted therein. The IGBTs 11702 are thermally coupled (e.g., using thermal adhesive) to the surface of the upper cooling channel, and thus have high heat transfer capability to the coolant to support high power density installations.

Referring to fig. 118A, the size and weight of an exemplary integrated inverter assembly 10900 is shown, wherein the width 11806 is about 118mm, and wherein the length 11804 is about 277 mm. Referring to fig. 118B, the exemplary embodiment includes a depth 11802 of about 87 mm. The total mass of the exemplary inverter assembly 10900 is less than about 5 kg. The example of fig. 118A is based on various aspects of the present disclosure and is believed to describe one example of an achievable size with sufficient power capacity for automotive passenger car applications.

Referring to fig. 119, a perspective view depicting the gate driver PCB 11902 and the DC link capacitor 11206 is shown. Referring to fig. 120, a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment depicts an AC bus bar 11202, a motor temperature/position sensor 10906. The AC connection utilizes two foam seals 12002 and an alternative captive nut 13502 (see also fig. 35). Referring to fig. 121, a bottom view of the main cover is depicted. In the example of fig. 121, a Cure In Place Gasket (CIPG)12102 is dispensed and cured on the cap and can be reused after a service event if the gasket is not damaged during the service event.

Referring to fig. 122, a close-up of one corner of an exemplary main cover is depicted. In the example of fig. 122, a flange 12204 is provided that provides controlled compression of the CIPG 12102 by selecting the flange height and CIPG dispensing (the height difference 12202 provides selectable compression), thus providing convenience and reliability in proper installation and sealing of the main cover. Referring to fig. 123, certain aspects of an exemplary installation of an IGBT are depicted in which a thermal paste 12302 provides thermal coupling for the IGBT and PCB, and in which an in situ formed gasket 12304 provides a reliable seal for coolant flow between cooling channels. Fig. 124-127 depict various views of an exemplary embodiment of a main cover portion, wherein the mounting components of the integrated inverter assembly 12400 are consistent with aspects of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 125, the lower cooling channel 11504 and side cut-away view of the IGBT 11702 provides an illustrative heat transfer environment for the IGBT 11702 of the integrated inverter assembly. Referring to fig. 128, the exemplary embodiment depicts upper 11506 and lower 11504 cooling channels, wherein an exemplary location of a temperature sensor 12802 (a thermistor in this example) may be used, for example, to control active cooling and/or monitor power electronics.

An exemplary IGBT consistent with certain embodiments of the present disclosure is a double-side-cooled half-bridge power module capable of 750V, 800A operation, and an operating temperature capability for continuous operation of 175 ℃. Certain commercially available FS4 IGBTs using a half-bridge configuration exhibit low losses at light loads and, in certain embodiments, are advantageous for applications that tend to have low duty cycles, such as passenger car applications.

Referring to fig. 129, an exemplary coupling mechanism of the main cover and the rear cover is depicted. The example coupling mechanism includes a threaded region 12908 in the main cover to retain the coupling screw 12906 when disengaged, and wherein the height 12902 of the unthreaded portion in the motor casting (back cover) is greater than the threaded engagement portion 12904 of the screw 12906. Thus, the screw may back up into the threaded region 12908 in the main cover and ensure that the threads remain disengaged from the motor casting. Referring to fig. 130, an exemplary coupling mechanism includes a reduced diameter portion 13004 for coupling a portion of a screw, thereby providing a convenient captive screw mechanism. In the example of fig. 130, the screw main threads 13006 are disengaged from the motor casting and the second threaded portion 13002 of the screw engages the threaded region 12908 of the main cover. Referring to FIG. 131, a side cutaway view is depicted

Referring to fig. 132, a previously known DC link capacitor is depicted. The DC link capacitor includes a bus bar, a common mode choke, and a capacitor (Y-cap) as external components of the DC link capacitor. The bus bars are laminated bus bars to provide isolation of the three AC phases and require that the bus bars outside the DC link capacitor case be as long as the case, with the full thickness along the length of the case.

Referring to fig. 133, an exemplary DC link capacitor 11206 is depicted with the bus bars, common mode choke, and Y-cap included in the housing of the DC link capacitor 11206. The bus bars, chokes and Y caps are enclosed within the DC link capacitor, providing a compact design and enhanced mechanical integrity. In certain embodiments, the exemplary DC link capacitor 11206 in fig. 133 may be used in an integrated inverter assembly 10900 consistent with any other aspect of the disclosure. The DC link capacitor 11206 also includes an IGBT interface 13302 that provides power to each of the IGBTs, and a DC interface 13304 that provides an interface to a DC power source (such as to a battery). Referring to fig. 134, the exemplary embodiment depicts a closed DC link capacitor 11206 coupled to three phases of an AC motor connector by IGBTs 11702. In the example of fig. 134, the connections are welded, providing reduced assembly complexity and reduced contact resistance. In certain embodiments, utilization of the integrated inverter assembly 10900 (which has a fixed, smaller footprint and has limited external interface to the rest of the vehicle and/or electric drive system) enables one or both of the enclosed DC link capacitor 11209 and the welded connections, for example by providing consistent geometric positioning, allowing components to be assembled using closing and welding without having to arrange or assemble the DC link capacitor, bus bars, common mode choke, positioning of the Y-cap, and/or spatial arrangement of the IGBT and AC connector blades. Referring to fig. 135, another view of the embodiment depicted in fig. 126, where fig. 135 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of fig. 126 and may be used to reference the positioning of the DC link capacitor assembly within an exemplary integrated inverter assembly 10900.

Referring to fig. 136, a previously known quick connector conforming to the SAEJ2044 quick connect coupling standard is depicted. The quick connector of fig. 136 includes a lock 13608 with a retaining spring and two internal O-rings 13602 for sealing the fluid coupling. A spacer is disposed between the two inner O-rings. The quick connector of fig. 136 is configured to receive a fluid coupling, such as an end piece having an end form (13702) such as that depicted in fig. 26. The quick connector of fig. 136 includes a rib ("fir") 13606 on the outside diameter of the pipe connection with an outer O-ring 13604 on the pipe side for sealing.

Referring to fig. 138, a first embodiment of a fluid connector of the present disclosure is depicted. The fluid connector of fig. 138 does not include a locking element, but is configured to receive an end piece having the form of a standard SAEJ2044 end. The example fluid connection includes two internal O-rings 13804 and a spacer 13806 therebetween. The connector also includes a shaped receiving portion 13802 and does not include a lock. The connector also includes an outer O-ring 13808. In certain embodiments, the fluid connections within the integrated inverter assembly 10900 are closely spaced and difficult to access (or inaccessible) to portions of the quick connector to manipulate the lock and thereby operate the quick connector. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the integrated inverter assembly 10900 provides a fixed geometry of the fluid coupling location that is at least partially inside the housing of the integrated inverter assembly 10900, thereby providing a secure fluid connection without a lock. Thus, it can be seen that a quick connector embodiment such as that depicted in fig. 138 improves and/or implements certain aspects of the integrated inverter assembly 10900.

Referring to fig. 139, a second embodiment of a fluid connector of the present disclosure is depicted. The fluid connector of fig. 139 does not include a locking element, but is configured to receive an end piece having the form of a standard SAEJ2044 end. In addition, it can be seen that the fluid connector of the example in fig. 139 omits the right-side extension, thereby utilizing the housing of the fluid connector to form the rib 13902 and support the seal. The fluid connector of the example in fig. 139 also includes an O-ring 13808 on the outer body. Referring again to fig. 115, it can be seen that the fluid connector for the coolant outlet depicted in fig. 115 is consistent with the quick connector embodiment of fig. 139. It can also be seen that the quick connector depicted in fig. 139 greatly reduces the vertical footprint of the fluid connection, allowing the footprint of the integrated inverter assembly to be more compact. The embodiment of fig. 115 additionally depicts a hose coupled to the quick connector that provides compliance in both the horizontal and vertical planes (using a hose with baffles 11502), further enhancing the ease of installation of the coolant connection. It can also be seen that the coolant channel separation body 11604 (see, e.g., fig. 116) includes an integrated hose fitting configured to couple with a quick connector, thereby further reducing the footprint and assembly complexity of the integrated inverter assembly 10900. A given implementation of the integrated inverter assembly 10900 may utilize one or both of the quick connector implementations of fig. 138 and 139, or neither.

An exemplary circuit breaker/relay may include: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power bus for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact; an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in the first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in the second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact. The example circuit breaker/relay also includes a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of a first position or a second position, a standard on/off circuit having at least two states, wherein the standard on/off circuit provides the actuation signal in the first state and prevents the actuation signal in the second state. Referring to fig. 40, an exemplary current response circuit 14002 is depicted that can be used with any system or to perform any of the operations described throughout this disclosure. The example current response circuit 14002 determines a current in the power bus 14004 and further blocks the actuation signal 14006 of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus 14006 indicating a high current value 14003. The actuation signal may be provided as an armature position command 14008, where the armature is responsive to the actuation signal to electrically couple the movable contact to the fixed contact. In an embodiment, a mobile application may include at least two current operating regions. The current response circuit 14002 can be further structured to adjust the high current value 14003 in response to an active one of the at least two current operational regions.

Referring to fig. 141, an exemplary process 14100 for opening contacts is schematically depicted. The operations of process 14100 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. In one aspect, process 14100 includes an operation 14102 of selecting a contact force of the circuit breaker/relay such that the contacts are opened at a selected current value of the current through the contacts. The process 14100 also includes an operation 14104 of applying a contact force to the movable contacts of the circuit breaker/relay, and an operation 14106 of determining a value of current through the contacts. The process 14100 also includes an operation 14108 of determining whether the current value exceeds a threshold value, and an operation 14110 of commanding an armature or actuator to open the contacts in response to the current value exceeding the threshold value. The example process 14100 also includes an operation 14112 to open the contacts in response to a repulsion force on the contacts (e.g., as a physical response of the movable contacts at a selected current value). In certain embodiments, operation 14110 may begin before operation 14112. In certain embodiments, operation 14110 is performed such that the movable contact does not return to the closed position after operation 14112 opens the contact (e.g., thereby mitigating a return force of the movable contact that could otherwise drive the contact back to the closed position after physical opening operation 14112).

Referring to fig. 142, an exemplary process 14200 for opening a contact is schematically depicted. The operations of process 14200 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. The example process 14200 includes an operation 14202 of determining a first threshold (for current in the electrical load circuit) in response to a first physical current opening value (e.g., based on an opening characteristic of the contactor), an operation 14204 of determining a second threshold in response to a second physical current opening value, an operation 14206 of determining a first current value in the first electrical load circuit, and an operation 14208 of determining a second current value in the second electrical load circuit. Process 14200 also includes an operation 14210 of determining whether the first current value exceeds a first threshold value and/or whether the second current value exceeds a second threshold value. The example process 14200 includes an operation 14214 of commanding opening of an armature (or actuator) of the first contactor if the first threshold is exceeded, and an operation 14212 of diffusing an arc from the first contact (e.g., using a separator plate and/or a magnet). The example process 14200 includes an operation 14216 of commanding an armature of the second contactor to open if a second threshold is exceeded, and an operation 14218 of dissipating an arc of the second contactor. In certain embodiments, determining the first threshold or the second threshold includes providing a component configured to provide a selected value of the first threshold or the second threshold (e.g., a selected contact area, a contact force value, and/or a bus bar configuration). In certain embodiments, process 14200 is utilized with respect to a system having more than one contactor, where each contactor is individually controllable.

In one aspect, a system may comprise: a housing; a circuit breaker/relay device positioned in the housing, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device is configurable to interrupt a power supply circuit of an electric vehicle system, wherein the housing is disposable on the electric vehicle system; wherein the circuit breaker/relay device may include a physical trip response portion responsive to a first current value in the power supply circuit, and a controlled trip response portion responsive to a second current value in the power supply circuit; and a pre-charge circuit electrically coupled in parallel to the circuit breaker/relay device. In an embodiment, the pre-charge circuit may be positioned within the housing. The first current value may be greater than the second current value. The physical opening response portion may include a first biasing member biasing an armature of the circuit breaker/relay device into an open position of a contactor of the power supply circuit, and a selected difference between a first force of the armature closing the contactor and a second force of the first biasing member opening the contactor. The controlled opening response portion may include a current sensor that provides a value of current through the power supply circuit, and a current response circuit 14304 (referring to fig. 143) structured to command the armature to open the contactor in response to the current value 14314 exceeding the second current value 14316. The circuit breaker/relay device may comprise a two pole circuit breaker/relay device. The circuit breaker/relay device may comprise a single pole circuit breaker/relay device. The circuit breaker/relay apparatus may be positioned on one of a high side circuit or a low side circuit of the power supply circuit. The system may also include a high temperature switching device positioned on the other of the high side circuit or the low side circuit.

Referring to fig. 43, the exemplary system includes a physical opening response adjustment circuit 14302 that determines a first current value adjustment 14312 and adjusts the physical opening response portion in response to the first current value adjustment 14312. The physical disconnect response adjustment circuit 14302 may be further structured to adjust the physical disconnect response portion by providing an adjustment enforcement command 14310, which may include adjusting the compression of the first biasing member; adjusting a first force (e.g., a force exerted by an armature); and/or to adjust a second force (e.g., the force of a compression spring). The physical disconnect response adjustment circuit 14302 may be further structured to adjust the physical disconnect response portion in response to an operating condition 14308 of the electric vehicle system. Exemplary and non-limiting operating conditions 14302 include a time-current profile of the power supply circuit; time-current trajectory of the power supply circuit; a time-current area value of the power supply circuit; a rate of change of a current value through the power supply circuit; and/or a difference between the value of the current through the power supply circuit and the second current value.

Referring to fig. 144, an exemplary process 14400 for opening contacts is schematically depicted. The operations of process 14400 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. The exemplary process 14400 includes an operation 14402 of determining a physical opening response adjustment of the contactor, such as where an operating condition of the electric mobile application indicates that current through the load circuit should be allowed to increase or decrease, including during high performance operation, charging operation, and/or emergency operation. The exemplary process 14400 also includes an operation 14404 of adjusting a physical opening response value of the contactor, and an operation 14406 of determining a current in a load circuit (e.g., a power supply circuit) of the electric mobile application. The example process 14400 also includes an operation 14408 of determining whether a value of current in the load circuit exceeds a controlled opening threshold, and an operation 14410 of commanding an armature (or actuator) of the contactor to an open position in response to the current exceeding the controlled opening threshold. In certain embodiments, the controlled disconnect threshold is different from and may be lower than the physical disconnect threshold. The example process 14400 also includes an operation 14412 of determining whether the current value exceeds a physical opening threshold, and an operation 14414 of opening the contacts in response to a repulsion force in the contactor in response to the determination 14412 indicating a "yes" value. In certain embodiments, determining whether a physical opening current value is exceeded as described throughout this disclosure includes configuring a contactor (e.g., within a circuit breaker/relay) to open at a selected current value to expose the contactor to a load current, wherein the contacts are responsive to the load current according to a configuration formed in response to the selected current value. The order of the

determinations

14408, 14412 may be reversed, and/or one or more of the

determinations

14408, 14412 may be omitted. Operation 14402 of determining a physical disconnect response adjustment may be performed during runtime operation or design-time operation of the system, and similarly operation 14404 of adjusting a physical disconnect response may be performed during runtime operation or design-time operation.

Referring to fig. 145, an exemplary process 14500 for opening a contact is schematically depicted. The operations of process 14500 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. The example process 14500 includes an operation 14502 of configuring a physically responsive open portion of a circuit breaker/relay of the mobile power supply circuit to provide for opening of a contactor of the circuit breaker/relay based on a physical open response threshold current. Exemplary and non-limiting operations 14502 include an operation 14502a of selecting a mass (e.g., a mass of a moving portion of the movable contact), a lorentz force area (e.g., a contact area, a bus bar area in a contact region, etc.), and/or selecting a contact force (e.g., adjusting a strength or number of engaged biasing members, and/or changing an amount of compression on the biasing members, and/or changing a moving position of an actuator of the movable contact). In certain embodiments, configuring the physical disconnect response portion may include selecting a bus bar configuration, wherein the bus bar couples the two movable contacts, and wherein the bus bar configuration may include at least one of: the bus bar region is near a current supply portion of the mobile power supply circuit, or a portion of the bus bar is positioned near the current supply portion of the mobile power supply circuit. The example process 14500 also includes an operation 14504 of operating movable contacts of the circuit breaker/relay between an open position and/or a closed position (e.g., to a closed position to allow power flow through the contactor, and to an open position to prevent power flow through the contactor). The example process 14500 also includes an operation 14506 of determining a value of current in the mobile power supply circuit, and an operation 14508 of commanding the movable contact to an open position based on a current threshold that is separate from the physical open current threshold. In certain embodiments, the split current threshold utilized in operation 14508 is a current threshold lower than the configured physical disconnect response threshold current.

In one aspect, referring to fig. 146, a system may comprise: a vehicle having a power supply circuit 14600 (or power supply path) between a power supply 14601 and a load 14608; and a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit provided in the power supply circuit 14600. An exemplary current protection circuit includes a circuit breaker/relay 14602 including: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact, and wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. The exemplary current protection circuit 14600 includes a contactor 14604 connected in parallel with a circuit breaker/relay 14602; a pair of circuit breakers/relays 14602, 14702 in parallel (e.g., see fig. 147) and/or a double pole circuit breaker/relay 14602 providing two parallel electrical paths; and/or a circuit breaker/relay 14602 (e.g., see fig. 148) connected in parallel with the contactor 14604 and the fuse 14802. In certain embodiments, the current protection circuit 14600 includes a contactor in series with a circuit breaker/relay.

In one aspect, referring to fig. 146, a system may comprise: a vehicle having a power supply circuit 14600 (or power supply path) between a power supply 14601 and a load 14608; and a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit provided in the power supply circuit 14600. An exemplary current protection circuit includes a circuit breaker/relay 14602 including: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact, and wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening response portion that responds to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening response portion may be configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value. The exemplary current protection circuit 14600 includes a contactor 14604 connected in parallel with a circuit breaker/relay 14602; a pair of circuit breakers/relays 14602, 14702 in parallel (e.g., see fig. 147) and/or a double pole circuit breaker/relay 14602 providing two parallel electrical paths; and/or a circuit breaker/relay 14602 (e.g., see fig. 148) connected in parallel with the contactor 14604 and the fuse 14802. In certain embodiments, the current protection circuit 14600 includes a contactor 14604 (e.g., see fig. 149) in series with the circuit breaker/relay 14902. The use of a breaker/relay in series with the contactor allows the breaker/relay to open the circuit, thereby allowing the contactor to open when the circuit is not powered. The use of a breaker/relay in parallel with the contactor allows the contactor to open when the circuit is powered and allows the breaker/relay to open the circuit.

The power distribution unit may further include a plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices disposed therein, and wherein the current source circuit 15002 may be further electrically coupled to the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices and inject current sequentially across each fixed contact of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices; and wherein the voltage determination circuit 15006 may be further electrically coupled to each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices and further structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value for each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices (e.g., voltage drop determination 15008). The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to sequentially inject current across each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices in a selected order of circuit breaker/relay devices. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to adjust the selected order in response to one or more operating conditions 15016 or stored attributes 15018, such as: a rate of change of temperature of each of the fixed contacts of the circuit breaker/relay device; an importance value for each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; criticality of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; power source throughput for each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; and/or a fault condition or contactor health condition of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to adjust the selected order in response to operating conditions 15016, such as a planned duty cycle and/or an observed duty cycle of the vehicle. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at multiple injection frequencies. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to an operating condition 15106, such as a power supply throughput of a circuit breaker/relay device. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

In one aspect, a system includes a vehicle having a motive power path; a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising: a circuit breaker/relay comprising: a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of the current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configurable to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of the current exceeding a threshold current value; a current source circuit 15002 electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to inject a current across the fixed contacts (inject command 15004); and a voltage determination circuit 15006 electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine the injection voltage amount and the contactor impedance value (voltage drop determination 15008), wherein the voltage determination circuit 15006 may be structured to perform a frequency analysis operation to determine the injection voltage amount. In an embodiment, the voltage determination circuit 15006 may be further structured to determine the amount of injection voltage by determining the magnitude of the voltage across the fixed contact at the frequency of interest. The frequency of interest may be determined in response to the frequency of the injection voltage. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to sweep the injection current through a series of injection frequencies. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at multiple injection frequencies. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to the power supply throughput of the circuit breaker/relay. The current source circuit 15002 may be further structured to inject current across the fixed contacts at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

Referring to fig. 152, an exemplary process 15200 for configuring an X-in-1 power converter is schematically depicted. The operations of process 15200 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. In certain embodiments, process 152 may be used with any system having configurable power electronics, a multi-port power converter, an "X" port power converter, and/or an X-in-1 port power converter. Use of the terms "multi-port," "X-port," and/or "X-in-1-port" indicates that the power converter includes one or more ports that can service different power loads and/or power supplies having one or more varying electrical characteristics. The configurable power converter may have one or more fixed ports, one or more configurable ports, or a combination of these ports.

The example process 15200 includes operations to interpret a port electrical interface description (or specification), where the port electrical interface description includes a description (or specification) of electrical characteristics of at least one port of a plurality of ports of a power converter for an electrical mobile application. The example process 15200 further includes an operation 15204 of providing a solid state switch state in response to the port electrical interface description, configuring at least one of the AC inverter or the DC/DC converter to provide power to at least one port of the plurality of ports according to the port electrical interface description. In certain implementations, operation 15204 provides solid state switching states to configure at least one of the rectifier or the DC/DC converter to interface with a power source (e.g., a battery, a capacitor, a regenerative state of a load, etc.) and/or to configure the port to accept power under certain operating conditions and provide power under other operating conditions. Without limitation, the configurable electrical characteristics include voltage levels, frequency values, phase values (including number and arrangement of phases), and/or tolerances of one or more of these.

The example process 15200 also includes an operation 15206 of interpreting source/load drive characteristics (e.g., frequency, phase, or other characteristics of the electric motor, motor/generator, or other device), and an operation 15208 of providing a component driver configuration (e.g., a gate driver of an insulated gate bipolar transistor) in response to the source/load drive characteristics. In certain embodiments, one or more aspects of process 15200 may be performed at various periods in the lifecycle of a power converter and/or a motorized mobile application having a power converter, such as: at design time (e.g., specifying settings for the power converter), at installation time (e.g., configuring settings for the power converter in accordance with specifications and/or needs of a particular installation), as a service operation (e.g., adjusting the configuration as part of a test to correct for failed or malfunctioning components, and/or as a diagnostic operation), as a remanufacturing operation (e.g., testing and/or confirming operation of the power converter, configuring the power converter to a standard or planned state for installation, etc.), as an upgrading operation (e.g., providing upgraded capability for electric mobile applications (such as greater power ratings), changing voltage and/or current ratings across ports, adding power inputs or outputs, changing one of power inputs or outputs, and/or adding phases or other capabilities to interface with a load or power source), at manufacturing time (e.g., to configure settings of the power converter according to specifications and/or needs of a particular installation, to test and/or confirm operation of the power converter, to configure the power converter to a standard or planned state for installation, etc.), and/or as an application changes operation (e.g., to convert the motorized mobile platform to a different service operation, duty cycle, and/or to add or remove one or more loads or power supplies).

Referring to fig. 153, an exemplary process 15300 for integrating a power converter into a power mobile application is depicted. The operations of process 15300 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. The example process 15300 includes an operation 15302 of providing a power converter having a plurality of ports for connecting to an electrical load and/or power source, an operation 15304 of determining an electrical interface description for the electric mobile application, and an operation 15306 of providing a solid state switch state in response to the electrical interface description. The example process 15300 also includes an operation 15308 of installing the power converter in the electric mobile application, and an operation 15310 of coupling a coolant port of the power converter to a cooling system of the electric mobile application. As can be seen, process 15300 provides for fast and low cost integration with many motorized mobile applications, including integrated design and engineering and simplified installation operations. The example process 15300 provides the ability to satisfy multiple applications with a single power converter device and/or with a small number of power converter devices having similar (or identical) footprints and interface locations. The process 15300 also includes the ability to provide a simple cooling interface for power electronics for electric mobile applications without having many cooling connections and cooling fluid routing challenges to provide cooling for multiple power electronics distributed around the electric mobile application.

Referring to fig. 154, an exemplary process 15400 for adjusting motor operation in response to motor temperature is schematically depicted. The operations of process 15400 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. Exemplary process 15400 includes an operation 15402 of operating a motor for a motorized mobile application, and an operation 15404 of determining a motor temperature value (e.g., a modeled motor temperature, an inferred motor temperature, and/or a motor temperature determined from a virtual sensor). Exemplary operations 15404 of determining the motor temperature include, but are not limited to, determining and considering parameters such as power supply throughput of the motor, determining voltage and/or current input values for the motor, adjusting motor temperature values based on ambient temperature values, determining motor efficiency values under current operating conditions (e.g., to separate useful operating energy from potentially exothermic energy throughput), and/or utilizing rates of change of these.

Exemplary process 15400 also includes an operation 15406 of determining a sensed temperature value for the motor. Exemplary operations 15406 of determining the sensed motor temperature include, but are not limited to: determining a temperature from a sensor positioned to provide a signal indicative of a temperature of the motor; determining a temperature from a sensor positioned to provide a temperature associated with the motor (e.g., having a known offset from the motor temperature, and/or from which the motor temperature may be derived); and/or determining the temperature from a sensor positioned to provide a temperature from which a temperature of interest of the motor is determined. For example, operation 15406 includes applying the hotspot adjustment correction to the sensed motor temperature (e.g., where the temperature of interest is the hottest location in the motor, which may not be reflected in the sensor's bulk temperature reading). In certain embodiments, the hotspot adjustment correction can be calibrated to an offset from the detected temperature (which can be scheduled, e.g., as a function of the detected temperature), and/or to an offset from a calibrated relationship between the detected temperature and the hotspot temperature. In certain embodiments, the hotspot adjustment correction can also include dynamic information related to the sensed temperature, such as a rate of change of the sensed temperature or power by the motor, and/or an integration-based parameter of the sensed temperature or power by the motor (e.g., an accumulator, a time value relative to a threshold, etc.).

Exemplary process 15400 also includes an operation 15408 of adjusting an operating parameter of the motor in response to the temperature value (e.g., the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value). Exemplary and non-limiting operations 15408 include: adjusting a rating of the motor (e.g., derating the motor, allowing a greater power output of the motor, adjusting a voltage parameter of the motor to reduce heat generation, etc.); adjusting a rating of a load of the electric mobile application (e.g., limiting requested power and/or torque based on temperature-induced limits of the motor); adjusting an amount of active cooling of the motor (e.g., performing active cooling and/or changing a flow rate of active cooling to the motor); and/or adjust an operating space of the motor based on the efficiency profile of the motor (e.g., move the motor to a more efficient operating point to reduce heat generation, thereby allowing the motor to operate at a less efficient operating point, e.g., to allow for system level optimization or efficiency routines, etc.).

Referring to fig. 155, an exemplary process 15500 for determining reliability values for sensed motor temperature values and/or modeled/estimated motor temperature values is schematically depicted. Process 15500 includes an operation 15502 of determining a first reliability value (e.g., a modeled, estimated, or virtual motor temperature value) for the motor temperature value in response to a first operating condition of the motor. For example, the model or estimator may have a valid range, be based on a known relationship of operating condition regions to uncertainty, and/or be dependent on other sensors or determined values having a fault or failure condition. Exemplary process 15500 also includes an operation 15504 of determining a second reliability of the sensed motor temperature value. For example, sensing a motor temperature value may have a fault condition or failure condition of an associated sensor, the sensor may have a time constant that varies slower than a currently observed temperature, and/or the sensor may be saturated, have a low resolution, and/or have reduced accuracy under certain temperature or other operating conditions. Exemplary and non-limiting operating conditions for determining the first reliability value include: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; a defined range value of the model for determining a motor temperature value; and/or a rate of change of one of the motor temperature value or the effective motor temperature value. Exemplary and non-limiting operating conditions for determining the second reliability value include: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; providing a defined range of values for a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a defined temperature-accuracy relationship for a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a response time of a temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value; and providing a fault condition of a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value.

The example process 15500 also includes an operation 15506 of determining an effective motor temperature value in response to the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value, and in certain embodiments, the operation 15506 also determines an effective motor temperature in response to the first reliability value and the second reliability value. Exemplary operation 15506 includes selecting one or the other of the motor temperature value or the sensed motor temperature value as the effective motor temperature value based on the first reliability value and the second reliability value; and/or utilize one or the other of the motor temperature value or the sensed motor temperature value as a target for the effective motor temperature value based on the first reliability value and the second reliability value (e.g., where the effective motor temperature value is a filtered value moving toward the target). In certain embodiments, the effective motor temperature value or the target for the effective motor temperature value uses a mixture of motor temperature values and/or sensed motor temperature values (e.g., a weighted average as a function of reliability values). In certain implementations, such as where one or the other of the motor temperature value or the sensed motor temperature value is utilized to drive the effective motor temperature value, operation 15506 may also include hysteresis or other processing (e.g., filtering, averaging, rate limiting, etc.), such as to avoid effective motor temperature value jitter. In certain embodiments, process 15500 is utilized in conjunction with process 15400, e.g., using the effective motor temperature value as an input to operation 15408 and adjusting an operating parameter of the motor in response to the effective motor temperature value.

The term "motor temperature value" or "temperature of the motor" is to be understood in a broad sense. The motor temperature value may be any temperature value of interest associated with the motor, such as the motor, a component of the motor that is most susceptible to failure in response to a temperature excursion, a hottest location within a component of the motor that is most susceptible to affecting some other component of the system in response to a temperature excursion, and/or a temperature associated with the motor and associated with efficient power conversion by the motor. Exemplary and non-limiting motor temperature values include, but are not limited to: a winding temperature of the motor, a bus bar temperature of a bus bar providing power to the motor, a connector temperature associated with the motor, and/or a hot spot temperature of the motor.

Referring to fig. 156, in one aspect, an apparatus 15600 may comprise: a motor control circuit 15602 structured to operate motors for electric mobile applications; an operating condition circuit 15604 structured to interpret sensed motor temperature values 15608 of the motor, and further structured to interpret at least motor temperature related operating conditions 15620, such as: power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; a current input value of the motor; an ambient temperature value; and/or the amount of active cooling of the motor. The example apparatus 15600 includes a motor temperature determination circuit 15606 structured to determine a motor temperature value 15614 in response to motor temperature-related operating conditions 15620. The example motor temperature determination circuit 15606 also determines a motor effective temperature value 15612 in response to the motor temperature value 15614 and the sensed motor temperature value 15608; wherein the motor control circuit 15602 may be further structured to adjust at least one operating parameter of the motor (e.g., as updated motor commands 15610) in response to the motor effective temperature value 15614. In an embodiment, motor temperature determination circuit 15606 may be further structured to determine a first reliability value for the motor temperature value in response to a first operating condition of the motor, and determine a second reliability value for the sensed motor temperature value (reliability value 15616) in response to a second operating condition of the motor, and further determine motor effective temperature value 15612 in response to reliability value 15616.

Motor temperature determination circuit 15606 may be further structured to use sensed motor temperature value 15608 as a motor effective temperature value in response to the second reliability value exceeding the threshold value. Motor temperature determination circuit 15606 may be further structured to apply a temperature adjustment 15618, such as an offset component adjustment or a hot spot adjustment, to sensed motor temperature value 15608, and further determine motor effective temperature value 15612 in response to the adjusted sensed motor temperature value. The motor temperature determination circuit 15606 may also be structured to determine a first reliability value in response to at least one operating condition 15620, such as: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; a defined range value of the model for determining a motor temperature value; and a rate of change of one of the motor temperature value or the effective motor temperature value. The motor temperature determination circuit 15606 may also be structured to determine a second reliability value in response to at least one operating condition 15620, such as: power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; providing a defined range of values for a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a response time of a temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value; and providing a fault condition of a temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value. The motor control circuit 15606 may be further structured to adjust at least one operating parameter of the motor (e.g., adjusted motor commands 15610), such as: a rating of the motor; rating of the load for the electric mobile application; the active cooling capacity of the motor; and an operating space of the motor based on the efficiency map of the motor.

In one aspect, a system may include a motorized mobile application having a motor and an inverter, where the inverter may include a plurality of drive elements for the motor. Referring to fig. 157, the example system also includes a controller 15700 having motor control circuitry 15702 structured to provide driver commands (drive element commands 15704), and wherein the plurality of drive elements are responsive to the driver commands 15704. The controller 15700 also includes an operating condition circuit 15706 structured to interpret a motor performance request value 15708, such as a power, speed, and/or torque request of the motor. The controller 15700 also includes a driver efficiency circuit 15710 that interprets a driver activation value 15712 for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value 15708, and wherein the motor control circuit 15702 may be further structured to provide a driver command 15704 to deactivate at least one of the drive elements of the motor in response to the driver activation value 15712 for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter. In an embodiment, the motor may comprise a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements comprises six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit 15710 provides a driver activation value 15712 to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value 15708 being below a threshold value.

Referring to fig. 158, an exemplary process 15800 for selectively disabling portions of a power inverter for an electric mobile application is depicted. The operations of process 15800 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. The example process 15800 includes an operation 15802 of providing driver commands to a plurality of drive elements electrically coupled to an inverter of a motor for the electric mobile application and an operation 15804 of interpreting a motor performance request value for the electric mobile application. Exemplary and non-limiting motor performance request values include, but are not limited to, power, speed, and/or torque requirements of a motor powered by a power inverter. The example process 15800 further includes an operation 15806 of interpreting a driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements in response to the motor performance request value. For example, if the motor performance request value includes a power request that requires all drive elements (e.g., IGBTs on the inverter) to be active to accommodate the power request, operation 15806 may determine that the drive activation value for each drive element is true. As another example, if the motor performance request value includes a power request in which only a portion of the drive elements are needed to satisfy the power request, operation 15806 may include determining whether some of the drive elements may be deactivated. In another example, operation 15806 may include determining an efficiency of the drive elements under a first condition (e.g., all drive elements are active) and an efficiency of the drive elements under a second condition (e.g., some drive elements are inactive), and determining a driver activation value that meets a desired target (e.g., power conversion efficiency, a temperature target of the drive elements, a planned life cycle of the drive elements, noise or electrical characteristic requirements of the motor or load, etc.). The example process 15800 further includes an operation 15806 of providing a driver command to the driver element in response to the driver activation value, including deactivating one or more driver elements in response to the driver activation value. The exemplary process 15800 includes an operation 15806 of disabling three drive elements (e.g., maintaining an ability to support three balanced phases to drive the motor) of the total of six drive elements. Another exemplary process 15800 includes an operation 15806 of disabling a first three of the total six drive elements during a first disabling operation and disabling a last three of the total six drive elements during a second disabling operation (e.g., to balance a life cycle of the drive elements, balance heat generation within the inverter over time, utilize groups of drive elements having different capabilities (such as power ratings, etc.).

Referring to fig. 159, an exemplary system 15900 may include an electric mobile application having a plurality of

electric motors

15904, 15908, 15912, 15916, each of which is operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of

electrical loads

15906, 15910, 15914, 15918. The exemplary system 15900 includes four motors coupled to four loads, but the system may include any number of motors coupled to any number of loads, and the motors and loads may have more than one motor for a given load, and/or may have more than one load for a given motor. The system includes a controller 15902, wherein the controller 15902 includes (with reference to fig. 160) an application load circuit 16002 structured to interpret an application performance request value 16010; a performance service circuit 16004 structured to determine a plurality of motor commands 16020 in response to the motor performance description (motor performance capability 16016) and the application performance request value 16010. The controller 15902 also includes motor control circuitry 16006 structured to provide the plurality of motor commands 16014 to corresponding

motors

15904, 15908, 15912, 15916 of the plurality of electric motors; and wherein the plurality of

electric motors

15904, 15908, 15912, 15916 are responsive to the plurality of motor commands 16014. The determined motor commands 16020 may be different than the transmitted motor commands 16014, for example, to account for system dynamics, rate change limits, and/or other constraints unrelated to meeting performance requirements of the system.

In an embodiment, the performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands 16020 in response to one of a failure condition or a failure condition 16012 of at least one of the plurality of electric motors and/or a component (e.g., a local inverter, a local controller, a sensor, and/or a load) associated with one of the plurality of electric motors. The performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands 16020 to satisfy the application performance request value 16010 by at least partially redistributing load requirements from one of the plurality of electric motors having a fault condition or failure condition 16012 to at least one of the plurality of electric motors having available performance capabilities, but which may have a separate fault condition or failure condition 16012. The performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to derate one of the plurality of electric motors in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition 16012. The system may also include a first data store 16024 associated with a first one of the plurality of electric motors, a second data store 16026 associated with a second one of the plurality of electric motors, and wherein the controller 15902 may further include data management circuitry 16008 structured to command at least partial data redundancy (e.g., redundant data values 16022) between the first data store 16024 and the second data store 16026 and/or between one of the

data stores

16024, 16026 and another data store (not shown) in the system and/or an external data store. The at least partial data redundancy may comprise at least one data value selected from the group of data values consisting of: fault values, system states, and learned component values. The data management circuit 16008 may be further structured to command at least partial data redundancy in response to one of a fault condition or failure condition 16012 relating to at least one of, but not limited to: one of the plurality of electric motors, an inverter operatively coupled to the one of the plurality of electric motors; a sensor operatively coupled to one of the plurality of electric motors; and/or a local controller operatively coupled to one of the plurality of electric motors. The performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to determine a plurality of motor commands 16020 in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition 16012 and further in response to data 16022 from at least partial data redundancy. The performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to suppress an operator notification 16018 of one of a fault condition or failure condition 16012 in response to the performance capabilities 16016 of the plurality of electric motors being capable of delivering the application performance request value 16010. The performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to communicate the suppressed operator notification 16018 to at least one of the service tool 16030 or an external controller 16028, wherein the external controller 16028 and/or the service tool 16030 may be communicatively coupled to the controller 15902 at least intermittently. The performance service circuit 16004 may be further structured to adjust the application performance request value 16010 in response to the performance capabilities 16016 of the plurality of electric motors being unable to deliver the application performance request value 16010.

Referring to fig. 161, an exemplary process 16100 for controlling an electric mobile application having a plurality of distributed motors is schematically depicted. In certain embodiments, process 16100 can be used with a power mobile application having one or more distributed drive elements (e.g., inverters) associated with one or more distributed motors and/or one or more distributed controllers of inverters and/or motors. Distributed motors may be configured to power various loads within a powered mobile application, and in certain embodiments, more than one motor may be able to provide power to a particular load (e.g., the motors associated with the wheels may combine to provide overall power). The operations of routine 16100 may be performed by any controller, circuitry, and/or hardware arrangement as described throughout this disclosure, and may also be performed with respect to any system or hardware arrangement described throughout this disclosure. The example process 16100 includes an operation 16102 that interprets the application performance request value. Exemplary and non-limiting application performance request values include a power or load power supply request, a power or load torque request, and/or a power or load speed request. The application performance request may be related to the entire application (e.g., vehicle speed) and/or any portion of the application (e.g., pump speed, fan torque, etc.). The example process 16100 includes an operation 16104 of determining a fault and/or failure condition of one or more motors, inverters, and/or local controllers of the electric mobile application. The determination of the fault and/or failure condition may also include the ability to determine the faulty or failed component (e.g., the derated motor may still be able to provide some incremental amount of power, and/or a motor having a faulty inverter associated with the motor may have some ability to receive power provided by another inverter in the system). In certain embodiments, the motor can still be controlled by another controller in the system and/or another local controller associated with another motor in the system, for example, in the event that the motor is associated with a local controller for the motor and the local controller has failed. In certain embodiments, control of the motor by another controller in the system may be de-rated, for example, in the event that the remote controller does not have one or more available parameters such as a temperature value, a speed value, or another feedback value for the motor and/or has a degraded version of any such parameters (e.g., slower, lower resolution, and/or less deterministic), the remote controller may control the motor at a reduced power limit to protect the motor and/or the electric mobile application.

The example process 16100 also includes an operation 16106 of determining a motor command in response to the motor capability description (e.g., a motor rating, including deration due to a fault or failure condition of an associated component and/or due to a control type such as when a remote controller is operating the electric motor), the application performance request value, and the fault/failure condition of the electric motor. In certain embodiments, operation 16106 includes providing sufficient performance across available motors such that the application performance request value may be satisfied. In certain embodiments, operation 16106 further comprises providing commands to one or more of the motor, the local controller, and/or the associated inverter in response to the determined motor command.

In certain embodiments, process 16100 also includes an operation 16108 to command a data redundant storage operation. For example, critical operating information such as motor or inverter calibration, operating status, limits, etc. may be stored in more than one location. In certain embodiments, operation 16108 may be responsive to a fault or failure condition in the electric mobile application, such as where a local controller, sensor, or other component has a fault or failure condition, operation 16108 may include commanding redundant storage of data associated with the component (or related components) having the fault or failure condition. In certain embodiments, operation 16108 may include commanding data redundant storage of components that do not have a fault or failure condition, and further enhancing the data redundant storage in response to the occurrence of the fault or failure condition. In certain embodiments, operation 16108 provides for redundant storage of data regardless of a failure or failure condition of a component in the electric mobile application. Thus, operation 16108 provides protection against loss of data (e.g., parameters stored on the local controller) in response to loss of the data storage component, and provides improved control of the component (e.g., inverter and/or motor) in the event that the associated local controller fails or fails and is unable to control the relevant component and/or communicate control parameters of the local component after the failure or failure. In certain embodiments, the data redundancy may comprise at least one data value selected from the group consisting of: fault values, system states, and learned component values (e.g., control parameters related to machine learning operations and/or real-time calibration values). In certain embodiments, operation 16106 includes determining a motor, inverter, or local controller command in response to the data in the data redundancy store. Operation 16108 of providing redundant storage of data comprises allocating data in any manner within data stores available outside of the host data store, including data stores associated with at least any one or more of: another local controller, a master controller and/or a distributed (e.g., virtual) controller, a powertrain controller, a vehicle controller, and/or an external controller (e.g., manufacturer server, fleet server, cloud-based server, personal device such as an operator's smart phone, etc.).

The example process 16100 includes an operation 16110 of notifying an operator (e.g., a warning or maintenance light, a notification based on vehicle response, a notification based on an application, etc.) that is capable of suppressing a fault or failure (e.g., as determined in operation 16104) in response to the available motor commands. For example, if motor deration occurs while still being able to meet the tasks of a power-assisted mobile application (e.g., rated power is achievable, and/or a power request exceeding the current capability of the motor does not occur or is unlikely to occur), operation 16110 may suppress operator notification of a fault or failure indication that would normally occur. The example process 16100 also includes an operation 16112 of transmitting the suppressed operator notification (and/or the potential fault or failure condition) to a service tool or an external controller. For example, if a motor deration occurs while still being able to meet the mission of the electric mobile application, process 16100 may include suppressing operator notification and notifying an external controller (e.g., fleet maintenance server, manufacturer server, or other external server) and/or a service tool (e.g., an OBD device connected to a communication port of the electric mobile application, a Wi-Fi based device in a service shop, etc.). Thus, inconvenient and/or expensive maintenance events may be avoided and/or a maintenance party may be notified so that malfunctions or failures may be resolved at convenient times and/or when the power mobile application has been serviced. In certain embodiments, process 16100 includes an operation (not shown) that receives parameters defining the type of fault and/or failure that may be notified from an operator of the mitigation and/or the performance limits and/or component type (related to the fault/failure) that may be notified from the operator of the mitigation. Additionally or alternatively, process 16100 includes an operation (not shown) that receives parameters defining the type of fault and/or failure to be communicated to the external controller and/or the performance limits and/or component types to be communicated to the external controller. Additionally or alternatively, the process 16100 includes operations (not shown) that define the types of operator notifications that should be suppressed (e.g., where one type of operator notification is suppressed while another type is performed) and/or the timing or location of the external controller notifications.

The methods and systems described herein may be deployed, in part or in whole, by a machine having a computer, computing device, processor, circuitry, and/or server that executes computer-readable instructions, program code, instructions, and/or includes hardware configured to functionally execute one or more operations of the methods and systems disclosed herein. As used herein, the terms computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server are to be construed broadly.

Any one or more of the terms computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server includes any type of computer having access to instructions stored in communication therewith, such as on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, whereby the computer, when executing the instructions, performs the operations of the systems or methods described herein. In certain embodiments, such instructions themselves comprise a computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server. Additionally or alternatively, the computer, computing device, processor, circuitry, and/or server may be a separate hardware device, one or more computing resources distributed across a hardware device, and/or may include aspects such as: logic circuitry, embedded circuitry, sensors, actuators, input and/or output devices, network and/or communication resources, any type of memory resources, any type of processing resources, and/or hardware devices configured to functionally execute one or more operations of the systems and methods herein in response to a determined condition.

Network and/or communication resources include, but are not limited to, local area networks, wide area networks, wireless, internet, or any other known communication resources and protocols. Exemplary and non-limiting hardware, computers, computing devices, processors, circuits, and/or servers include, but are not limited to, general purpose computers, servers, embedded computers, mobile devices, virtual machines, and/or emulated versions of one or more of these. The exemplary and non-limiting hardware, computers, computing devices, processors, circuits, and/or servers may be physical, logical, or virtual. The computer, computing device, processor, circuit and/or server may be: a distributed resource included as an aspect of several devices; and/or distributed resources included as a set of interoperable resources to perform the described functions of the computer, computing device, processor, circuitry, and/or server, such that the distributed resources together serve to perform operations of the computer, computing device, processor, circuitry, and/or server. In certain embodiments, each computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server may be located on separate hardware, and/or one or more hardware devices may include aspects of more than one computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server, e.g., as separately executable instructions stored on a hardware device, and/or as logically partitioned aspects of a set of executable instructions, where some aspects of a hardware device include a portion of a first computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server, and some aspects of a hardware device include a portion of a second computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server.

The computer, computing device, processor, circuit, and/or server may be part of a server, a client, a network infrastructure, a mobile computing platform, a fixed computing platform, or other computing platform. The processor may be any type of computing or processing device capable of executing program instructions, code, binary instructions, and the like. The processor may be or include a signal processor, digital processor, embedded processor, microprocessor, or any variant that directly or indirectly facilitates execution of program code or program instructions stored thereon, such as a coprocessor (math coprocessor, graphics coprocessor, communications coprocessor, etc.), or the like. Further, a processor may allow execution of multiple programs, threads, and codes. The threads may execute concurrently to enhance the performance of the processor and facilitate concurrent operation of the applications. As an embodiment, the methods, program code, program instructions, etc. described herein may be implemented in one or more threads. The thread may spawn other threads that may have an assigned priority associated with them; the processor may execute these threads based on priority or based on any other order of instructions provided in the program code. The processor may include memory that stores methods, code, instructions, and programs as described herein and elsewhere. The processor may access the storage medium through an interface that may store methods, code, and instructions as described herein and elsewhere. A storage medium associated with a processor for storing methods, programs, code, program instructions, or other types of instructions capable of being executed by a computing or processing device may include, but is not limited to, one or more of CD-ROM, DVD, memory, hard disk, flash drive, RAM, ROM, cache, etc.

The processor may include one or more cores that may increase the speed and performance of the multiprocessor. In embodiments, the process may be a dual-core processor, quad-core processor, other chip-level multiprocessor, etc., that combines two or more independent cores (referred to as dies).

The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or in whole by a machine executing computer-readable instructions on a server, client, firewall, gateway, hub, router, or other such computer and/or networking hardware. The computer readable instructions may be associated with a server, which may include file servers, print servers, domain servers, internet servers, intranet servers, and other variations, such as auxiliary servers, host servers, distributed servers, and the like. A server may include one or more of a memory, a processor, computer-readable transitory and/or non-transitory media, storage media, ports (physical and virtual), communications devices, and interfaces capable of accessing other servers, clients, machines and devices through wired or wireless media, and so forth. The methods, programs, or code as described herein and elsewhere may be executed by a server. Further, other devices required to perform the methods as described herein may be considered part of the infrastructure associated with the server.

The server may provide an interface to other devices including, but not limited to, clients, other servers, printers, database servers, print servers, file servers, communication servers, distributed servers, and the like. Additionally, such coupling and/or connections may facilitate remote execution of instructions across a network. Networking of some or all of these devices may facilitate parallel processing of program code, instructions, and/or programs at one or more locations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, all devices attached to the server through the interface may include at least one storage medium capable of storing the methods, program codes, instructions, and/or programs. The central repository may provide program instructions to be executed on different devices. In this embodiment, the remote repository may serve as a storage medium for methods, program code, instructions and/or programs.

The methods, program code, instructions and/or programs may be associated with clients that may include file clients, print clients, domain clients, internet clients, intranet clients and other variants, such as secondary clients, host clients, distributed clients, and the like. The client may include one or more of a memory, processor, computer-readable transitory and/or non-transitory media, storage media, ports (physical and virtual), communication devices, and interfaces capable of accessing other clients, servers, machines and devices through wired or wireless media, and the like. The methods, program code, instructions and/or programs as described herein and elsewhere may be executed by a client. In addition, other devices for performing the methods as described herein may be considered part of the infrastructure associated with the client.

Clients may provide interfaces to other devices including, but not limited to, servers, other clients, printers, database servers, print servers, file servers, communication servers, distributed servers, and the like. Additionally, such coupling and/or connection may facilitate remote execution of the methods, program code, instructions, and/or programs across a network. Networking of some or all of these devices may facilitate parallel processing of methods, program code, instructions, and/or programs at one or more locations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, all devices attached to the client through the interface may include at least one storage medium capable of storing methods, program codes, instructions, and/or programs. The central repository may provide program instructions to be executed on different devices. In this embodiment, the remote repository may serve as a storage medium for methods, program code, instructions and/or programs.

The methods and systems described herein may be deployed, in part or in whole, through a network infrastructure. The network infrastructure may include elements such as computing devices, servers, routers, hubs, firewalls, clients, personal computers, communication devices, routing devices, and other active and passive devices, modules, and/or components known in the art. Computing and/or non-computing devices associated with the network infrastructure may include storage media such as flash memory, buffers, stacks, RAM, ROM, and the like, among other components. The methods, program code, instructions, and/or programs described herein and elsewhere may be executed by one or more of the network infrastructure elements.

The methods, program codes, instructions and/or programs described herein and elsewhere may be implemented on a cellular network having a plurality of cells. The cellular network may be a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network. The cellular network may include mobile devices, cell sites, base stations, repeaters, antennas, towers, and so forth.

The methods, program code, instructions and/or programs described herein and elsewhere may be implemented on or by a mobile device. The mobile device may include a navigation device, a cellular telephone, a mobile personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, a netbook, a pager, an e-book reader, a music player, etc. These mobile devices may include storage media such as flash memory, buffers, RAM, ROM, and one or more computing devices, among other components. A computing device associated with the mobile device may be enabled to execute the methods, program codes, instructions, and/or programs stored thereon. Alternatively, the mobile device may be configured to execute instructions in cooperation with other devices. The mobile device may communicate with a base station that interfaces with a server and is configured to perform methods, program code, instructions and/or programs. The mobile device may communicate over a peer-to-peer network, a mesh network, or other communication network. The methods, program code, instructions and/or programs may be stored on a storage medium associated with the server and executed by a computing device embedded within the server. A base station may include a computing device and a storage medium. The storage device may store methods, program code, instructions and/or programs for execution by a computing device associated with the base station.

The methods, program code, instructions and/or programs may be stored on and/or accessed on a machine-readable transitory and/or non-transitory medium, which may include: computer means, apparatus and recording medium for retaining digital data for calculation for a certain time interval; semiconductor memory devices called Random Access Memories (RAMs); mass storage devices, which are typically used for more permanent storage, such as optical disks, magnetic storage devices such as hard disks, magnetic tapes, cartridges, cards, and other types of forms; processor registers, cache memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory; optical storage devices such as CDs, DVDs; removable media such as flash memory (e.g., a U disk or U shield), floppy disk, magnetic tape, paper tape, punch card, stand-alone RAM disk, Zip drive, removable mass storage, offline storage, etc.; other computer memory such as dynamic memory, static memory, read/write storage, alterable storage, read-only memory, random-access memory, sequential-access memory, location-addressable memory, file-addressable memory, content-addressable memory, networked storage, a network of storage areas, barcodes, magnetic ink, and the like.

Certain operations described herein include interpreting, receiving and/or determining one or more values, parameters, inputs, data or other information. Operations that include interpreting, receiving, and/or determining any value parameter, input, data, and/or other information include, but are not limited to: receiving data via user input; receiving data over any type of network; reading a data value from a memory location in communication with a receiving device; using a default value as the received data value; estimating, calculating, or deriving data values based on other information available to the receiving device; and/or update any of these in response to later received data values. In some embodiments, a data value may be received through a first operation and later updated through a second operation as part of receiving the data value. For example, a first operation to interpret, receive, and/or determine a data value may be performed when communication is stopped, intermittent, or interrupted, and an update operation to interpret, receive, and/or determine a data value may be performed when communication is resumed.

Certain logical groupings of operations herein, such as methods or processes of the present disclosure, are provided for illustrating aspects of the present disclosure. Operations described herein are schematically depicted and/or described, and operations may be combined, divided, reordered, added, or removed in a manner consistent with the disclosure herein. It should be appreciated that the context of the operational description may require the ordering of one or more operations and/or the order of one or more operations may be explicitly disclosed, but such order of operations should be broadly understood, wherein any grouping of equivalent operations that provides equivalent operational results is specifically contemplated herein. For example, if a value is used in one operation step, the value may need to be determined before that operation step in certain contexts (e.g., where time delay of data of the operation to achieve a particular result is important), but the value need not be determined before that operation step in other contexts (e.g., where using the value in a previous execution cycle of the operation would be sufficient for those purposes). Thus, in certain embodiments, the described order of operations and grouping of operations are explicitly contemplated herein, and in certain embodiments, reordering, subdividing, and/or grouping of operations is explicitly contemplated herein.

The methods and systems described herein may transform a physical object and/or an intangible object from one state to another. The methods and systems described herein may also transform data representing physical objects and/or intangible objects from one state to another.

The elements described and depicted herein (including elements in flowcharts, block diagrams, and/or operational descriptions) depict and/or describe specific example arrangements of elements for purposes of illustration. However, the depicted and/or described elements, their functions, and/or arrangements of these elements may be implemented on a machine, such as through a computer-executable transitory and/or non-transitory medium having a processor capable of executing program instructions stored thereon, and/or as a logic circuit or hardware arrangement. An exemplary arrangement of programming instructions includes at least: a single instruction structure; a stand-alone instruction module for an element or portion thereof; and/or instruction modules employing external routines, code, services, etc.; and/or any combination of these, and all such embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Examples of such machines include, but are not limited to, personal digital assistants, laptops, personal computers, mobile phones, other handheld computing devices, medical devices, wired or wireless communication devices, transducers, chips, calculators, satellites, tablet PCs, electronic books, gadgets, electronic devices, devices with artificial intelligence, computing devices, networking devices, servers, routers, and the like. Further, elements and/or any other logic components depicted and/or described herein may be implemented on a machine capable of executing program instructions. Thus, while the foregoing flowchart, block, and/or operational descriptions set forth the functional aspects of the disclosed system, any arrangement of program instructions to implement the functional aspects is contemplated herein. Similarly, it should be understood that the various steps identified and described above may be varied, and the order of the steps may be adapted to specific applications of the techniques disclosed herein. Additionally, any steps or operations may be divided and/or combined in any manner that provides similar functionality to the described operations. All such variations and modifications are contemplated in this disclosure. The above described methods and/or processes and steps thereof may be implemented in hardware, program code, instructions and/or programs or in any combination of hardware and methods, program code, instructions and/or programs as may be suitable for the particular application. Exemplary hardware includes a special purpose computing device or particular computing devices, specific aspects or components of particular computing devices, and/or arrangements of hardware components and/or logic circuits that perform one or more operations of the methods and/or systems. The processes may be implemented in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors or other programmable devices, as well as internal and/or external memory. These processes may also, or instead, be embodied in an application specific integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, programmable array logic, or any other device or combination of devices that may be configured to process electronic signals. It should also be understood that one or more processes may be implemented as computer executable code capable of being executed on a machine-readable medium.

Computer executable code may be created using a structured programming language such as C, an object oriented programming language such as C + +, or any other high-level or low-level programming language (including assembly languages, hardware description languages, and database programming languages and techniques), which may be stored, compiled, or interpreted to run on one of the above-described devices, as well as heterogeneous combinations of processors, processor architectures, or combinations of different hardware and computer readable instructions, or any other machine capable of executing program instructions.

Thus, in one aspect, each of the methods described above, and combinations thereof, may be embodied in computer-executable code that, when executed on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of the methods. In another aspect, the methods may be embodied in a system that performs the steps of the methods, and may be distributed across devices in a variety of ways, or all of the functions may be integrated into a dedicated stand-alone device or other hardware. In another aspect, means for performing the steps associated with the processes described above may comprise any of the hardware and/or computer readable instructions described above. All such permutations and combinations are contemplated in embodiments of the present disclosure.

While the methods and systems described herein have been disclosed in connection with certain preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereto may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the spirit and scope of the methods and systems described herein are not limited by the foregoing examples, but should be understood in the broadest sense allowable by law.

All documents cited herein are incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

a power supply circuit comprising an electrical power storage device and an electrical load, wherein the electrical power storage device and the electrical load are selectively electrically coupled by a power bus;

a Power Distribution Unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a circuit breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device;

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a stationary contact electrically coupled to the power bus;

a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, and wherein the movable contact allows power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contact and prevents power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contact; and

An armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact; and

a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first position or the second position.

2. The mobile application of claim 1, further comprising:

a standard on/off circuit having at least two states, wherein the standard on/off circuit provides an actuation signal in a first state and blocks the actuation signal in a second state;

a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to block the actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value; and is

Wherein the armature is responsive to the actuation signal to electrically couple the movable contact to the stationary contact.

3. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker/relay further comprises an auxiliary off circuit structured to interpret an auxiliary command and further structured to block an actuation signal of a standard on/off circuit in response to the auxiliary command indicating that the movable contact should not be electrically coupled to the stationary contact.

4. The mobile application of claim 3, wherein the assistance command comprises at least one command selected from the group consisting of: emergency shutdown commands, maintenance event indicators, accident indicators, vehicle controller requests, and equipment protection requests.

5. The mobile application of claim 3, wherein the standard on/off circuit comprises one of a keyswitch voltage and a keyswitch indicator.

6. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker/relay further comprises:

a contact force spring operatively interposed between the armature and the movable contact such that the contact force spring is at least partially compressed in response to the armature being in the second position, and wherein the contact force spring is configured such that a Lorentz force acting between the fixed contact and the movable contact further compresses the contact force spring in response to a selected current value.

7. The mobile application of claim 6, wherein the high current value is lower than the selected current value.

8. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the movable contact comprises a body extending away from the stationary contact, wherein the body of the movable contact is disposed within a plurality of separator plates, and wherein the plurality of separator plates are at least partially disposed within a permanent magnet.

9. The mobile application of claim 1, further comprising a charging circuit, and wherein the circuit breaker/relay is further positioned on the charging circuit.

10. The mobile application of claim 9, wherein the charging circuit comprises a fast charging circuit having a current throughput value higher than a rated current for operation of the electrical load.

11. The mobile application of claim 10, further comprising:

a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to block the actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value;

Wherein the current response circuit is further structured to utilize a first threshold current value for the high current value in response to the power supply circuit powering the electrical load and a second threshold current value for the high current value in response to the charging circuit being coupled to a fast charging device; and is

12. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the electrical load comprises at least one load selected from the group consisting of: a power source load, a regenerative load, a power source output load, an auxiliary device load, and an accessory device load.

13. The mobile application of claim 1, further comprising a second circuit breaker/relay disposed on the other of the high side or the low side of the power storage device.

14. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the power storage device comprises a rechargeable device.

15. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the power storage device comprises at least one device selected from the group consisting of: batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells.

16. A circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising:

a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power bus for mobile applications;

a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact;

an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact and the armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the movable contact and the stationary contact;

a first biasing member that biases the armature into one of the first position or the second position;

17. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 16, wherein the mobile application comprises at least two current operating regions.

18. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 17, wherein the current response circuit is further structured to adjust the high current value in response to an active one of the at least two current operating regions.

19. A method, the method comprising:

detecting a current value comprising a current through a power bus electrically coupled to a circuit breaker/relay;

determining whether the current value exceeds a threshold current value; and

in response to the current value exceeding the threshold current value, actuating an armature to open contacts in the circuit breaker/relay to prevent the current from passing through the power bus.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

applying a contact force to a movable one of the contacts of the circuit breaker/relay;

opening the contacts in response to a repulsive force generated between the contacts in response to the current passing through the power bus.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising selecting the contact force such that opening the contact occurs at a selected current value of the current.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising actuating the armature to open the contacts in the circuit breaker/relay such that the movable ones of the contacts do not return to a closed position after opening the contacts in response to the repelling force.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein actuating the armature begins before opening the contacts in response to the repelling force.

24. A circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising:

a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power bus;

a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact;

a current response circuit structured to determine a current in the power bus and further structured to command the armature to the first position in response to the current in the power bus indicating a high current value.

25. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 24, further comprising a contact force spring operatively interposed between the armature and the movable contact such that the contact force spring is at least partially compressed in response to the armature being in the second position, and wherein the contact force spring is configured such that a lorentz force acting between the fixed contact and the movable contact further compresses the contact force spring in response to a selected current value.

26. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 25, wherein the high current value is lower than the selected current value.

27. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 24, wherein the movable contact comprises a body extending away from the fixed contact, wherein the body of the movable contact is disposed within a plurality of separator plates, and wherein the plurality of separator plates are at least partially disposed within a permanent magnet.

28. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 24, wherein the power bus is a power bus for mobile applications.

29. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 28, wherein the mobile application comprises at least two current operating regions.

30. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to the plurality of stationary contacts, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are selectively electrically coupled to the plurality of stationary contacts, and wherein the movable contacts allow power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contacts and prevent power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contacts;

An armature operatively coupled to at least one of the movable contacts such that the armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the fixed contacts and in a second position allows electrical coupling between the at least one of the movable contacts and the corresponding one of the fixed contacts;

a first biasing member that biases the armature into one of the first position or the second position; and

an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact.

31. The mobile application of claim 30, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

32. The mobile application of claim 31, wherein the armature is operatively coupled to two of the movable contacts.

33. The mobile application of claim 30, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are individually controllable.

34. The mobile application of claim 30, further comprising a pre-charge circuit coupled in parallel with at least one of the stationary contacts.

35. The mobile application of claim 34, wherein the precharge circuit comprises a solid state precharge circuit.

36. The mobile application of claim 30, wherein the movable contact and the stationary contact are disposed within a single housing.

37. The mobile application of claim 30, further comprising a magnetic actuator coupled to one of the movable contacts, and wherein all of the plurality of movable contacts are responsive to the magnetic actuator.

38. The mobile application of claim 30, wherein the arc suppression assembly comprises a plurality of separator plates and at least one permanent magnet.

39. The mobile application of claim 38, wherein at least one of the plurality of splitter plates is positioned within arc-dispersing proximity of more than one of the movable contacts.

40. The mobile application of claim 38, wherein the permanent magnet is positioned within arc-guiding proximity of more than one of the movable contacts.

41. The mobile application of claim 30, further comprising a current sensor structured to determine a current value in response to a current flowing through at least one of the movable contacts, further comprising a controller structured to interpret the current value and command the at least one of the movable contacts to the first position in response to the current value exceeding a threshold value.

42. The mobile application of claim 41, wherein the at least one of the movable contacts is responsive to Lorentz forces to physically move to the first position in response to the current value exceeding a second threshold.

43. The mobile application of claim 42, wherein the second threshold is greater than the threshold.

44. The mobile application of claim 42 wherein the controller is further structured to adjust the threshold value in response to an expected current value.

45. The mobile application of claim 41, wherein the controller is further structured to increase the threshold in response to determining that a charging operation of a battery is active.

46. The mobile application of claim 30, further comprising a bus bar electrically coupling two of the plurality of movable contacts.

47. The mobile application of claim 46, wherein the bus bar comprises a hardware configuration in the area of each of the movable contacts, wherein the hardware configuration provides a physically responsive force of the movable contact in response to a current value passing through the power bus.

48. The mobile application of claim 47, wherein the hardware configuration comprises at least one configuration selected from the group consisting of: a region of the bus bar is near a current providing portion of the power bus; and a portion of the bus bar is positioned adjacent to the current-providing portion of the power bus.

49. The mobile application of claim 30, further comprising a plurality of current sensors, each of the plurality of current sensors operatively coupled to one of the plurality of movable contacts.

50. The mobile application of claim 49, wherein a first movable contact of the plurality of movable contacts is coupled to a first circuit of the power bus, and wherein a second movable contact of the plurality of movable contacts is coupled to a second circuit of the power bus, and wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are power circuits for separate electrical loads.

51. The mobile application of claim 30, wherein the PDU further comprises: a coolant coupling configured to interface with a coolant source of the mobile application; and an active cooling path configured to thermally couple the coolant source with the stationary contact.

52. A circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to an electrical load circuit for mobile applications;

a plurality of movable contacts, each selectively electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of stationary contacts;

a plurality of armatures, each armature operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts, such that each armature in a first position prevents electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact, and each armature in a second position allows electrical coupling between the corresponding movable contact and the corresponding stationary contact; and

A current response circuit structured to determine a current for each of the electrical load circuits and further structured to provide an armature command to open the corresponding one of the movable contacts in response to the current in the corresponding electrical load circuit indicating a high current value.

53. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 52, further comprising a plurality of biasing members, each biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to bias a corresponding one of the plurality of armatures into one of the first or second positions.

54. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 52, wherein a first high current value of a first one of the electrical load circuits comprises a different value than a second high current value of a second one of the electrical load circuits.

55. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 54, further comprising: a first biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts of the first electrical load circuit; a second biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the movable contacts of the second electrical load circuit, and wherein the first biasing member comprises a different biasing force than the second biasing member.

56. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 54, wherein a first movable contact of the first electrical load comprises a different mass value than a second movable contact of the second electrical load.

57. A method, the method comprising:

determining a first current value in a first electrical load circuit for a mobile application;

determining a second current value in a second electrical load circuit for the mobile application; and

providing an armature command to open a contactor of a corresponding one of the first or second electrical load circuits in response to one of the first or second current values exceeding a first high current value or the second current value exceeding a second high current value.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising diffusing an arc of the opened contactor to a plurality of separator plates positioned proximate the opened contactor.

59. The method of claim 57, further comprising determining a first physical current cutoff value for the first electrical load circuit and a second physical current cutoff value for the second electrical load circuit, providing the first high current value as a value lower than the first physical current cutoff value, and providing the second high current value as a value lower than the second physical current cutoff value.

60. A system, the system comprising:

a housing;

a circuit breaker/relay device positioned in the enclosure, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device is configured to interrupt a power supply circuit of an electric vehicle system, wherein the enclosure is disposed on the electric vehicle system;

wherein the circuit breaker/relay device includes a physical trip response portion responsive to a first current value in the power supply circuit and a controlled trip response portion responsive to a second current value in the power supply circuit; and

a pre-charge circuit electrically coupled in parallel to the circuit breaker/relay device.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the pre-charge circuit is positioned within the housing.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the first current value is greater than the second current value.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein the physical opening response portion includes a first biasing member that biases an armature of the circuit breaker/relay device into an open position of a contactor of the power supply circuit, and a selected difference between a first force of the armature closing the contactor and a second force of the first biasing member opening the contactor.

64. The system of claim 62 wherein the controlled opening response portion includes a current sensor providing a value of current through the power supply circuit and a current response circuit structured to command an armature to open a contactor in response to the value of current exceeding the second value of current.

65. The system of claim 60, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device comprises a two pole circuit breaker/relay device.

66. The system of claim 60, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device comprises a single pole circuit breaker/relay device.

67. The system of claim 60, wherein the circuit breaker/relay device is positioned on one of a high-side circuit or a low-side circuit of the power supply circuit.

68. The system of claim 67, further comprising a high temperature switching device positioned on the other of the high side circuit or the low side circuit.

69. The system of claim 63, further comprising a physical trip response adjustment circuit structured to determine a first current value adjustment and adjust the physical trip response portion in response to the first current value adjustment.

70. The system of claim 69, wherein the physical trip response adjustment circuit is further structured to adjust the physical trip response portion by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: adjusting compression of the first biasing member; adjusting the first force; and modulating the second force.

71. The system of claim 69, wherein the physical trip response adjustment circuit is further structured to adjust the physical trip response portion in response to an operating condition of the electric vehicle system.

72. The system of claim 64 wherein the controlled opening response portion is further structured to command the armature to open the contactor in response to at least one value selected from the group consisting of: a time-current profile of the power supply circuit; a time-current trajectory of the power supply circuit; a time-current area value of the power supply circuit; a rate of change of a value of a current through the power supply circuit; and a difference between a value of current passing through the power supply circuit and the second current value.

73. A method, the method comprising:

Determining a current value through a power supply circuit of the electric vehicle system;

opening the power supply circuit with a physical response of a circuit breaker/relay device in response to the current value exceeding a first current value; and

opening the power supply circuit with a controlled response of an armature of a contactor operatively coupled to the circuit breaker/relay device in response to the current value exceeding a second current value.

74. The method of claim 73, wherein the first current value is greater than the second current value.

75. The method of claim 73, further comprising determining a first current value adjustment in response to an operating condition of the electric vehicle system, and adjusting the first current value in response to the first current value adjustment.

76. The method of claim 73, further comprising adjusting the physical disconnect response portion by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: adjusting compression of a first biasing member of the contactor operatively coupled to the circuit breaker/relay device; adjusting a first force of the first biasing member operatively coupled to the contactor of the circuit breaker/relay apparatus; and adjusting a second force of the armature of the contactor operatively coupled to the circuit breaker/relay device.

77. The method of claim 73, the response of the armature being controlled to open the contactor in response to at least one value selected from the group consisting of: a time-current profile of the power supply circuit; a time-current trajectory of the power supply circuit; a time-current area value of the power supply circuit; a rate of change of the current value through the power supply circuit; and a difference between the value of the current through the power supply circuit and the second current value.

78. A circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising:

a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit for mobile applications;

a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, wherein the movable contact in a first position allows power to flow through the power supply circuit and the movable contact in a second position does not allow power to flow through the power supply circuit; and

a physical break responsive portion responsive to a value of current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical break responsive portion is configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of current exceeding a threshold current value.

79. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 78, wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprising a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprising a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

80. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 79, wherein the bus bar comprises a hardware configuration in the area of each of the movable contacts, wherein the hardware configuration provides a physically responsive force of the movable contact in response to a value of current passing through the power supply circuit.

81. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 80 wherein the hardware configuration comprises at least one configuration selected from the group consisting of: a region of the bus bar is near a current providing portion of the power supply circuit; and a portion of the bus bar is positioned adjacent the current providing portion of the power supply circuit.

82. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 78, wherein the physical opening response portion includes a contact area between the fixed contact and the movable contact, and a biasing member that provides a contact force to the movable contact, wherein the contact area and the contact force are configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the current value exceeding the threshold current value.

83. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 82, wherein the physical opening response portion further comprises a mass value of the movable contact, wherein the contact area, the contact force, and the mass value are configured to move the movable contact away from the first position at a selected velocity value in response to the current value exceeding the threshold current value.

84. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 83, further comprising:

an armature operatively coupled to the movable contact and capable of moving the movable contact between the first position and the second position;

a current response circuit structured to determine a current in a mobile power supply circuit and further structured to provide an armature command to command the movable contact to the first position in response to the current in the mobile power supply circuit exceeding a second current threshold.

85. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 84 wherein the second current threshold is lower than the threshold current value.

86. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 85, wherein the selected speed value is configured to be sufficiently high such that the movable contact does not return to the first position after moving away from the first position.

87. The circuit breaker/relay of claim 78 wherein the movable contact is pivotally coupled to a pivot arm.

88. A method, the method comprising:

operating a movable contact between a first position in contact with a stationary contact and allowing power to flow through a power supply circuit for a mobile application and a second position out of contact with the stationary contact and preventing power from flowing through the power supply circuit for the mobile application; and

configuring a physical opening response portion of a circuit breaker/relay including the movable contact and the fixed contact such that the physical opening response portion moves the movable contact to the second position in response to a current value exceeding a threshold current value.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein configuring the physical opening response portion includes selecting a biasing force of a biasing member that provides a contact force to the movable contact.

90. The method of claim 88, wherein configuring the physical opening response portion includes selecting a contact area between the movable contact and the stationary contact.

91. The method of claim 88, wherein configuring the physical opening response portion includes selecting a mass of the movable contact.

92. The method of claim 88, wherein configuring the physical disconnection response portion comprises selecting a bus bar configuration, wherein the bus bar couples two movable contacts, and wherein the bus bar configuration comprises at least one of: the bus bar region is near a current providing portion of the mobile power supply circuit, or a portion of the bus bar is positioned near the current providing portion of the mobile power supply circuit.

93. The method of claim 88, further comprising determining a current in the mobile power supply circuit, and providing an armature command to command the movable contact to the first position in response to the current in the mobile power supply circuit exceeding a second current threshold.

94. The method of claim 93, further comprising configuring the physical opening response portion such that the movable contact does not return to the first position after moving away from the first position.

95. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a stationary contact electrically coupled to the power bus;

a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the stationary contact, and wherein the movable contact allows power flow through the power bus when electrically coupled to the stationary contact and prevents power flow through the power bus when not electrically coupled to the stationary contact;

a circuit breaker/relay electronic component, the circuit breaker/relay electronic component comprising:

96. The mobile application of claim 95, wherein the circuit breaker/relay further comprises an auxiliary off circuit structured to interpret an auxiliary command and further structured to block the actuation signal of the standard on/off circuit in response to the auxiliary command indicating that the movable contact should not be electrically coupled to the stationary contact.

97. The mobile application of claim 96, wherein the assistance command comprises at least one command selected from the group consisting of: emergency shutdown commands, maintenance event indicators, accident indicators, vehicle controller requests, and equipment protection requests.

98. The mobile application of claim 97, wherein the standard on/off circuit comprises one of a keyswitch voltage and a keyswitch indicator.

99. The mobile application of claim 98, wherein the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a contact force spring operatively interposed between the armature and the movable contact such that the contact force spring is at least partially compressed in response to the armature being in the second position, and wherein the contact force spring is configured such that a lorentz force acting between the fixed contact and the movable contact further compresses the contact force spring in response to a selected current value.

100. The mobile application of claim 99, wherein the high current value is lower than the selected current value.

101. The mobile application of claim 100, wherein the movable contact comprises a body extending away from the stationary contact, wherein the body of the movable contact is disposed within a plurality of separator plates, and wherein the plurality of separator plates are at least partially disposed within a permanent magnet.

102. The mobile application of claim 95, further comprising a charging circuit, and wherein the circuit breaker/relay is further positioned on the charging circuit.

103. The mobile application of claim 102, wherein the charging circuit comprises a fast charging circuit having a current throughput value higher than a rated current for operation of the electrical load.

104. The mobile application of claim 103, wherein the electrical load comprises at least one load selected from the group consisting of: a power source load, a regenerative load, a power source output load, an auxiliary device load, and an accessory device load.

105. The mobile application of claim 95, further comprising a second circuit breaker/relay disposed on the other of the high side or the low side of the power storage device.

106. The mobile application of claim 105, wherein the power storage device comprises a rechargeable device.

107. The mobile application of claim 106, wherein the power storage device comprises at least one device selected from the group consisting of: batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells.

108. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a power supply circuit;

a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in a power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising:

a first branch of the current protection circuit, the first branch comprising a circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay comprising:

a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of current exceeding a threshold current value; and

a second branch of the current protection circuit electrically coupled in parallel with the first branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch comprising a contactor.

109. The system of claim 108, wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises a first circuit breaker/relay, and wherein the contactor comprises a second circuit breaker/relay.

110. The system of claim 108, wherein the second branch further comprises a thermal fuse in series with the contactor.

111. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a power supply circuit;

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

A contactor in series with the circuit breaker/relay.

112. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a motive power path;

a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in the power supply path, the current protection circuit including a circuit breaker/relay, the circuit breaker/relay including:

a physical opening responsive portion responsive to a value of current in the power supply circuit, wherein the physical opening responsive portion is configured to move the movable contact to the second position in response to the value of current exceeding a threshold current value;

a current source circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to inject a current across the fixed contact; and

A voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injected current.

113. The system of claim 112, wherein the voltage determination circuit further comprises a band-pass filter having a bandwidth selected to define a frequency of the injection current.

114. The system of claim 112, in which the high pass filter comprises an analog hardware filter.

115. The system of claim 112, wherein the high pass filter comprises a digital filter.

116. The system of claim 113, wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine the contactor impedance value in response to an injection voltage drop.

117. The system of claim 116, further comprising a contactor characterization circuit structured to store one of a contactor resistance value and the contactor impedance value, and wherein the contactor characterization circuit is further structured to update the stored one of the contactor resistance value and the contactor impedance value in response to the contactor impedance value.

118. The system of claim 117, wherein the contactor characterization circuit is further structured to update one of the stored contactor resistance value and the contactor impedance value by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: updating the value to the contactor impedance value; filtering values using the contactor impedance values as filter inputs; rejecting the contactor impedance value for a period of time or for a certain determined number of the contactor impedance values; and updating the values by performing a rolling average of the plurality of contactor impedance values over time.

119. The system of claim 112, wherein the power distribution unit further comprises a plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices disposed therein, and wherein the current source circuit is further electrically coupled to the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices and injects current sequentially across each fixed contact of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices; and is

Wherein the voltage determination circuit is further electrically coupled to each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices and is further structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value for each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices.

120. The system of claim 119, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sequentially inject the current across each of the plurality of circuit breaker/relay devices in a selected order of the circuit breaker/relay devices.

121. The system of claim 120, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to at least one of: a rate of change of temperature of each of the fixed contacts of the circuit breaker/relay device; an importance value for each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; criticality of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; a power source throughput of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices; and one of a fault condition or a contactor health condition of each of the circuit breaker/relay devices.

122. The system of claim 120, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to adjust the selected order in response to one of a planned duty cycle and an observed duty cycle of the vehicle.

123. The system of claim 112, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sweep the injection current through a range of injection frequencies.

124. The system of claim 112, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection frequencies.

125. The system of claim 112, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes.

126. The system of claim 112, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power source throughput of the circuit breaker/relay device.

127. The system of claim 112, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

128. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a motive power path;

a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine an injection voltage amount and a contactor impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit is structured to perform a frequency analysis operation to determine the injection voltage amount.

129. The system of claim 128 wherein the voltage determination circuit is further structured to determine the amount of injection voltage by determining a magnitude of a voltage across the fixed contact at a frequency of interest.

130. The system of claim 129, wherein the frequency of interest is determined in response to a frequency of the injection voltage.

131. The system of claim 128, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to sweep the injection current through a range of injection frequencies.

132. The system of claim 128, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection frequencies.

133. The system of claim 128, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at a plurality of injection voltage magnitudes.

134. The system of claim 128, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a power source throughput of the circuit breaker/relay.

135. The system of claim 128, wherein the current source circuit is further structured to inject the current across the fixed contact at an injection voltage magnitude determined in response to a duty cycle of the vehicle.

136. A multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface with a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics;

a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input; and

a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports.

137. The multi-port power converter of claim 136 wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

138. The multi-port power converter of claim 136, wherein the plurality of ports comprises at least two AC interface ports and at least three DC interface ports.

139. The multi-port power converter of claim 136, further comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of the different electrical characteristics; and

a component library implementation circuit structured to provide a solid state switch state responsive to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state.

140. The multi-port power converter of claim 139, wherein the controller further comprises:

a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and

a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic.

141. The multi-port power converter of claim 140, further comprising at least one of:

Wherein the solid state switch is further responsive to the source/load drive characteristic;

wherein the gate driver controller is responsive to the source/load drive characteristics; and is

Wherein a requestor component for a gate driver controller is responsive to the source/load drive characteristics.

142. The multi-port power converter of claim 136, wherein the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics is a superset of a plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics sufficient to cover a selected class of applications, each application comprising at least one of: a vehicle, an off-highway vehicle, and a set of load types for the vehicle.

143. The multi-port power converter of claim 142, wherein the multi-port power converter comprises a sufficient number of solid state components, solid state switches, and ports such that the multi-port power converter is capable of providing the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics for any member of the selected class of applications.

144. The multi-port power converter of claim 136, wherein the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics is a superset of a plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics sufficient to cover a selected class of applications, each application comprising at least one of: a vehicle, an off-highway vehicle, and a set of load types for the vehicle.

145. The multi-port power converter of claim 144, further comprising a first application of the selected class of applications having a first set of different electrical characteristics, wherein a second application of the selected class of applications has a second set of different electrical characteristics, wherein a first multi-port power converter supports the first application, wherein a second multi-port power converter supports the second application, and wherein the first and second multi-port power converters have the same ports, solid state components, and solid state switches.

146. The multi-port power converter of claim 145, wherein the first and second multi-port power converters have different solid state switch states.

147. The multi-port power converter of claim 140, wherein the plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics is a superset of a plurality of loads having different electrical characteristics sufficient to cover a selected class of applications, each application comprising at least one of: a vehicle, an off-highway vehicle, and a set of load types for the vehicle.

148. The multi-port power converter of claim 147, further comprising a first application of the selected class of applications having a first set of different electrical characteristics, wherein a second application of the selected class of applications has a second set of different electrical characteristics, wherein a first multi-port power converter supports the first application, wherein a second multi-port power converter supports the second application, and wherein the first and second multi-port power converters have the same ports, solid state components, and solid state switches.

149. The multi-port power converter of claim 148, wherein the first and second multi-port power converters have different solid state switch states and different component driver configurations.

150. A power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a plurality of solid state components configured to provide a selected electrical power output and accept a selected electrical power input;

a plurality of solid state switches electrically interposed between the plurality of ports and the plurality of solid state components, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are configured to selectively couple groups of the plurality of solid state components to the plurality of ports; and

a controller, the controller comprising:

a component library configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of one of the plurality of ports; and

151. The power converter of claim 150, wherein the controller further comprises:

152. The power converter of claim 151 wherein the component library implementation circuit further provides the solid state switch state in response to the source/load drive characteristic; and is

Wherein a gate driver controller for at least one of the solid state components is responsive to the source/load drive characteristics.

153. The power converter of claim 150, wherein each of the solid state components comprises at least one of an inverter or a DC/DC converter.

154. The power converter of claim 150 wherein the component library configuration circuit is further structured to interpret a port configuration service request value, and wherein the component library implementation circuit further provides the solid state switch state in response to the port configuration service request value.

155. The power converter of claim 150 wherein the component library configuration circuit is further structured to interpret a port configuration definition value, and wherein the component library implementation circuit further provides the solid state switch state in response to the port configuration definition value.

156. A method comprising (at run-time):

interpreting a port electrical interface description comprising a description of electrical characteristics of at least one port of a plurality of ports of a power converter for an electric-powered mobile application; and

providing a solid state switching state in response to the port electrical interface description to configure at least one of an AC inverter or a DC/DC converter to provide power to at least one of the plurality of ports in accordance with the port electrical interface description.

157. The method of claim 156, further comprising interpreting the port electrical interface description during runtime operation of the electrically powered mobile application.

158. The method of claim 156, further comprising interpreting the port electrical interface description from a service tool in communication with a controller of the power converter.

159. The method of claim 156, further comprising interpreting the port electrical interface description from a manufacturing tool in communication with a controller of the power converter.

160. The method of claim 159, wherein providing the solid state switch state is performed as a remanufacturing operation of the power converter.

161. The method of claim 159, wherein providing the solid state switch state is performed as an operation selected from the group consisting of: an upgrade operation for the electric mobile application, an application change operation for the electric mobile application, and a retrofit operation for the electric mobile application.

162. The method of claim 156, further comprising interpreting source/load drive characteristics of at least one of the plurality of ports of the power converter, wherein the source/load drive characteristics include at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and providing a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic.

163. The method of claim 162, further comprising interpreting the source/load drive characteristics during runtime operation of the motorized mobile application.

164. The method of claim 163, further comprising interrogating at least one load electrically coupled to the at least one port of the power converter, and interpreting the source/load drive characteristics in response to the interrogation.

165. The method of claim 162, further comprising interpreting the source/load drive characteristics from a service tool in communication with a controller of the power converter.

166. The method of claim 162, further comprising interpreting the source/load drive characteristics from a manufacturing tool in communication with a controller of the power converter.

167. The method of claim 166, wherein providing the component driver configuration is performed as a remanufacturing operation of the power converter.

168. The method of claim 166, wherein providing the component driver configuration is performed as an operation selected from the group of operations consisting of: an upgrade operation for the electric mobile application, an application change operation for the electric mobile application, and a retrofit operation for the electric mobile application.

169. A method, the method comprising:

Providing a power converter having a plurality of ports;

determining an electrical interface description of at least one power source of a power-operated mobile application and at least one electrical load of the power-operated mobile application;

providing a solid state switching state in response to the electrical interface description to configure at least one of an AC inverter or a DC/DC converter to provide power to or receive power from at least one of the plurality of ports in accordance with the port electrical interface description; and

installing the power converter into the electric mobile application.

170. The method of claim 169, further comprising determining which ports of the power converter are to be coupled to the at least one power source and the at least one electrical load, and wherein providing the solid state switching state comprises configuring electrical characteristics of the determined ports according to the port electrical interface description.

171. The method of claim 169, further comprising a plurality of the electrical loads, wherein a first of the electrical loads comprises an AC load, and wherein a second of the electrical loads comprises a DC load.

172. The method of claim 169, further comprising a plurality of the power supplies, wherein a first one of the power supplies comprises a DC source at a first voltage, and wherein a second one of the power supplies comprises a DC source at a second voltage.

173. The method of claim 169, further comprising determining a source/load drive characteristic of at least one of the electrical loads of the motorized mobile application, and providing a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic.

174. The method of claim 173, wherein the component driver configuration comprises a gate driver controller of an inverter component coupled to one of the plurality of ports corresponding to the at least one of the electrical loads of the motorized mobile application.

175. The method of claim 169, further comprising coupling a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port to a cooling system of the electric mobile application.

176. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

a coolant channel disposed between a coolant channel cover and a coolant channel separation body;

wherein power electronics of the inverter assembly are thermally coupled to the coolant channel; and is

Wherein at least one of a coolant inlet or a coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element.

177. The inverter assembly of claim 176, wherein the quick connector further includes a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

178. The inverter assembly of claim 176, wherein the coolant channel split body further includes an integrated hose fitting configured to couple with the quick connector.

179. The inverter assembly of claim 178, further comprising a hose configured to couple to the integrated hose coupler at a first end and to the quick connector at a second end.

180. The inverter assembly of claim 179, wherein the hose comprises a baffled hose.

181. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

a plurality of IGBTs, each IGBT of the plurality of IGBTs configured to provide at least one phase of AC power to a motor; and

a closed DC link capacitor operatively disposed between the IGBT and a DC power source, and wherein the closed DC link capacitor includes a bus bar, a common mode choke, and a capacitor disposed in a housing of the closed DC link capacitor.

182. The inverter assembly of claim 181, further comprising a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and an AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

183. The inverter assembly of claim 182 wherein the AC motor connector comprises a plurality of AC blades.

184. The inverter assembly of claim 183, wherein each of the plurality of AC blades extends through a foam seal, thereby forming the AC motor connector.

185. The inverter assembly of claim 181, wherein the enclosed DC link capacitor is thermally coupled to an integral coolant channel of the inverter assembly.

186. The inverter assembly of claim 181, wherein the enclosed DC link capacitor protrudes from one of the main cover and the opposing back cover.

187. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

a coolant channel disposed between a coolant channel cover and a coolant channel separation body; and is

Wherein power electronics of the inverter assembly are thermally coupled to the coolant channel.

188. The assembly of claim 187, wherein the coolant channel separation body is friction stir welded to each of the main cap and the coolant channel separation body.

189. The assembly of claim 187, further comprising a second coolant channel, wherein the coolant channel is disposed on a first side of the coolant channel separation body, and wherein the second coolant channel is disposed on a second side of the coolant channel separation body.

190. The assembly of claim 187, further comprising:

wherein the main cover is cast;

wherein the coolant channel separator body is forged; and is

Wherein the coolant channel cover is stamped.

191. The assembly of claim 187 further comprising wherein the main cap defines a plurality of coupling threaded holes and wherein the rear cap defines a corresponding plurality of coupling threaded holes.

192. The assembly of claim 191, wherein the corresponding plurality of coupling threaded holes each further comprise an unthreaded guiding portion of the hole, and wherein the unthreaded guiding portion of the hole comprises a first height, wherein a plurality of coupling screws each comprise a threaded portion having a second height, and wherein the first height is greater than the second height.

193. The assembly of claim 192, wherein the main cap further defines a narrowed portion of each of the plurality of coupling threaded holes, and wherein each of the plurality of coupling screws further comprises a thin neck portion, and wherein the threaded portion of each of the plurality of coupling screws has a diameter greater than the thin neck portion.

194. The assembly of claim 187 further comprising a cured in place gasket positioned between the main cap and the rear cap.

195. The assembly of claim 194, further comprising wherein the cure in place gasket is dispensed on the main cap.

196. The assembly of claim 187, wherein at least one of the main cap and the rear cap comprises a flange having a selected height such that the cure in place gasket has a selected compression when the main cap is coupled to the rear cap.

197. A method, the method comprising:

operating a motor for motorized mobile applications;

determining a motor temperature value in response to at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; and a current input value of the motor;

Interpreting a sensed motor temperature value for the motor; and

adjusting an operating parameter of the motor in response to the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value.

198. The method of claim 197 further comprising determining a motor effective temperature value using a combination of the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value, and wherein adjusting the operating parameter is further responsive to the motor effective temperature value.

199. The method of claim 198, further comprising determining a first reliability value for the motor temperature value in response to a first operating condition of the motor, determining a second reliability value for the sensed motor temperature value in response to a second operating condition of the motor, and wherein determining the motor effective temperature value is further in response to the first reliability value and the second reliability value.

200. The method of claim 199, further comprising using the sensed motor temperature value as the motor effective temperature value in response to the second reliability value exceeding a threshold value.

201. The method of claim 198 wherein the sensed motor temperature value for the electric machine comprises a sensed temperature from a first component within the electric machine, the method further comprising applying a correction to the sensed motor temperature value to determine a second sensed temperature value comprising an estimated temperature of a second component within the electric machine, and further using the second sensed temperature value to determine the motor effective temperature value.

202. The method of claim 198, further comprising applying a hotspot regulation correction to the sensed motor temperature value, and further using the regulated sensed motor temperature value to determine the motor effective temperature value.

203. The method of claim 199, further comprising determining the first reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; a defined range value for a model used to determine the motor temperature value; and a rate of change of one of the motor temperature value or the effective motor temperature value.

204. The method of claim 199, further comprising determining the second reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; providing a defined range value for the temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a response time of the temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value; and providing a fault condition of the temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value.

205. The method of claim 199, further comprising using one or the other of the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value as the motor effective temperature value.

206. The method of claim 199, further comprising blending a previous value of the motor temperature value, the sensed motor temperature value, and the motor effective temperature value to determine the motor effective temperature value.

207. The method of claim 199, further comprising applying a low pass filter to the motor effective temperature value.

208. The method of claim 197, wherein adjusting the operating parameter comprises at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: adjusting a rating of the motor; adjusting a rating of a load of the motorized mobile application; adjusting an active cooling capacity of the motor; and adjusting an operating space of the motor based on an efficiency map of the motor.

209. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a motor control circuit structured to operate a motor for an electric mobile application;

an operating condition circuit structured to interpret a sensed motor temperature value of the motor and further structured to interpret at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; a current input value of the motor; an ambient temperature value; and an active cooling capacity of the electric machine;

A motor temperature determination circuit structured to:

determining a motor temperature value in response to the at least one of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a voltage input value of the motor; a current input value of the motor; an ambient temperature value; and an active cooling capacity of the electric machine; and

determining a motor effective temperature value in response to the motor temperature value and the sensed motor temperature value; and is

Wherein the motor control circuit is further structured to adjust at least one operating parameter of the motor in response to the motor effective temperature value.

210. The apparatus of claim 209, wherein the motor temperature determination circuit is further structured to:

determining a first reliability value for the motor temperature value in response to a first operating condition of the motor;

determining a second reliability value for the sensed motor temperature value in response to a second operating condition of the motor; and

determining the motor effective temperature value further in response to the first reliability value and the second reliability value.

211. The apparatus of claim 210 wherein the motor temperature determination circuit is further structured to use the sensed motor temperature value as the motor effective temperature value in response to the second reliability value exceeding a threshold value.

212. The apparatus of claim 210, wherein the motor temperature determination circuit is further structured to:

applying one of an offset component adjustment or a hot spot adjustment to the sensed motor temperature value; and

determining the motor effective temperature value further in response to the adjusted sensed motor temperature value.

213. The apparatus of claim 210, wherein the motor temperature determination circuit is further structured to determine the first reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; a defined range value for a model used to determine the motor temperature value; and a rate of change of one of the motor temperature value or the effective motor temperature value.

214. The apparatus of claim 210, wherein the motor temperature determination circuit is further structured to determine the second reliability value in response to at least one operating condition selected from the operating conditions consisting of: a power supply throughput of the motor; a rate of change of power supply throughput of the motor; providing a defined range value for the temperature sensor that senses a motor temperature value; providing a response time of the temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value; and providing a fault condition of the temperature sensor sensing a motor temperature value.

215. The apparatus of claim 209, wherein the motor control circuit is further structured to adjust at least one operating parameter selected from the group consisting of: a rating of the motor; a rating of a load of the motorized mobile application; the active cooling capacity of the electric machine; and an operating space of the motor based on an efficiency map of the motor.

216. A system, the system comprising:

a motorized mobile application having a motor and an inverter, wherein the inverter includes a plurality of drive elements for the motor;

a controller, the controller comprising:

a motor control circuit structured to provide a driver command, and wherein the plurality of drive elements are responsive to the driver command;

an operating condition circuit structured to interpret a motor performance request value comprising at least one of a power, speed, or torque request of the motor;

a driver efficiency circuit structured to interpret a driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value; and is

Wherein the motor control circuit is further structured to provide the driver command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements for the motor in response to the driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter.

217. The system of claim 216, wherein the motor comprises a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements comprises six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit provides the driver activation value to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value.

218. A method, the method comprising:

providing drive commands to a plurality of drive elements electrically coupled to an inverter of a motor for a motorized mobile application;

interpreting a motor performance request value comprising at least one of a power, speed, or torque request of the motor;

interpreting a drive activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value; and

providing the driver command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements of the motor in response to the driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter.

219. The method of claim 218, further comprising providing the drive command to deactivate three of the total six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value.

220. The method of claim 219, further comprising deactivating a first three of the total six drive elements during a first deactivation operation and deactivating a last three of the total six drive elements during a second deactivation operation.

221. A system, the system comprising:

a motorized mobile application having a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical loads;

a controller, the controller comprising:

an application load circuit structured to interpret an application performance request value;

performance service circuitry structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to a motor capability description and the application performance request value; and

a motor control circuit structured to provide the plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors; and is

Wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to the plurality of motor commands.

222. The system of claim 221, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

223. The system of claim 222 wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to provide the plurality of motor commands to satisfy the application performance request value by at least partially reallocating load requirements from one of the plurality of electric motors having the fault condition or the failure condition to at least one of the plurality of electric motors having available performance capabilities.

224. The system of claim 222, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to derate one of the plurality of electric motors in response to the one of the fault condition or the failure condition.

225. The system of claim 221, further comprising a first data storage library associated with a first one of the plurality of electric motors, a second data storage library associated with a second one of the plurality of electric motors, and wherein the controller further comprises data management circuitry structured to command at least partial data redundancy between the first data storage library and the second data storage library.

226. The system of claim 225, wherein the at least partial data redundancy includes at least one data value selected from the group of data values consisting of: fault values, system states, and learned component values.

227. The system of claim 225, wherein the data management circuitry is further structured to command the at least partial data redundancy in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition related to at least one of: one of the plurality of electric motors, or a local controller operatively coupled to one of the plurality of electric motors.

228. The system of claim 227, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to the one of the fault condition or the failure condition and further in response to data from the at least partial data redundancy.

229. The system of claim 221, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to suppress operator notification of one of a fault condition or a failure condition in response to performance capabilities of the plurality of electric motors being capable of delivering the application performance request value.

230. The system of claim 229, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to communicate the suppressed operator notification to at least one of a service tool or an external controller, wherein the external controller is communicatively coupled to the controller at least intermittently.

231. The system of claim 221, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to adjust the application performance request value in response to a performance capability of the plurality of electric motors being unable to deliver the application performance request value.

232. A method, the method comprising:

interpreting an application performance request value;

determining a plurality of motor commands in response to a motor capability description and the application performance request value; and

providing the plurality of motor commands to a corresponding motor of a plurality of electric motors operatively coupled to a corresponding electric load of a plurality of electric loads of the motorized mobile application.

233. The method of claim 232, further comprising determining the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

234. The method of claim 233, further comprising providing the plurality of motor commands to satisfy the application performance request value by at least partially redistributing load requirements from one of the plurality of electric motors having the fault condition or the failure condition to at least one of the plurality of electric motors having available performance capabilities.

235. The method of claim 233, further comprising derating one of the plurality of electric motors in response to the one of the fault condition or the failure condition.

236. The method of claim 232, further comprising commanding at least partial data redundancy between a first data storage bank associated with a first electric motor of the plurality of electric motors and a second data storage bank associated with a second electric motor of the plurality of electric motors.

237. The method of claim 236, wherein the at least partial data redundancy includes at least one data value selected from the group of data values consisting of: fault values, system states, and learned component values.

238. The method of claim 236, further comprising commanding the at least partial data redundancy in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition related to at least one of: one of the plurality of electric motors, or a local controller operatively coupled to one of the plurality of electric motors.

239. The method of claim 238, further comprising determining the plurality of motor commands in response to the one of the fault condition or the failure condition and further in response to data from the at least partial data redundancy.

240. The method of claim 236, wherein the one of a fault condition or a failure condition is associated with a first local controller operatively coupled to one of the plurality of electric motors, the method further comprising controlling the one of the plurality of electric motors with a second local controller communicatively coupled to the one of the plurality of electric motors.

241. The method of claim 232, further comprising suppressing an operator notification of one of a fault condition or a failure condition in response to performance capabilities of the plurality of electric motors being able to deliver the application performance request value.

242. The method of claim 232, further comprising communicating the suppressed operator notification to at least one of a service tool or an external controller, wherein the external controller is at least intermittently communicatively coupled to a controller of the motorized mobile application.

243. The method of claim 232, further comprising adjusting the application performance request value in response to a performance capability of the plurality of electric motors being unable to deliver the application performance request value.

244. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a motive power path;

a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in the power supply path, the current protection circuit comprising:

a first branch of the current protection circuit, the first branch comprising a high temperature fuse;

a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch comprising a thermal fuse; and is

Wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement;

a controller, the controller comprising:

a current detection circuit structured to determine a current through the power supply path; and

a high-temperature fuse activation circuit structured to provide a high-temperature fuse activation command in response to the current exceeding a threshold current value;

wherein the high temperature fuse is responsive to the high temperature fuse activation command; and

a fuse management circuit structured to provide a switch activation command in response to the current,

wherein the solid state switch is responsive to the switch activation command.

245. The system of claim 244, wherein a first resistance through the first branch and a second resistance through the second branch are configured such that a resulting current through the second branch after activation of the high temperature fuse is sufficient to activate the thermal fuse.

246. The system of claim 244, further comprising a contactor coupled to the current protection circuit, wherein the contactor in an open position disconnects one of the current protection circuit or the second branch of the current protection circuit.

247. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a motive power path;

a first branch of the current protection circuit, the first branch including a thermal fuse,

a second branch of the current protection circuit, the second branch comprising a solid state switch,

wherein the first branch and the second branch are coupled in a parallel arrangement; and

a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse;

A controller, the controller comprising:

a fuse management circuit structured to provide a switch activation command in response to the current;

wherein the solid state switch is responsive to the switch activation command;

a high voltage power supply input coupler comprising a first electrical interface of a high voltage power supply; and

a high voltage power supply output coupler comprising a second electrical interface of a power supply load;

wherein the current protection circuit electrically couples the high voltage power supply input to the high voltage power supply output, and wherein the current protection circuit is at least partially disposed in a laminate layer of the power distribution unit, the laminate layer including an electrically conductive flow path providing two electrically insulating layers.

248. The system of claim 247, further comprising a contactor coupled to the current protection circuit, wherein the contactor in an open position disconnects one of the current protection circuit or the second branch of the current protection circuit.

249. The system of claim 247, wherein current protection circuitry comprises a power bus bar disposed in the lamination layer of the power distribution unit.

250. An integrated inverter assembly having a power converter with a plurality of ports, the integrated inverter assembly comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

wherein power electronics of the inverter assembly are thermally coupled to the coolant channel;

wherein at least one of a coolant inlet or a coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element;

a controller, the controller comprising:

251. The inverter assembly of claim 250, wherein the quick connector further includes a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

252. The power converter of claim 250, wherein the controller further comprises:

253. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

254. The inverter assembly of claim 253, wherein the quick connector further includes a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

255. The inverter assembly of claim 253, further comprising a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and an AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

256. A system, the system comprising:

A controller, the controller comprising:

a driver efficiency circuit structured to interpret a driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter in response to the motor performance request value;

wherein the motor control circuit is further structured to provide the driver command to deactivate at least one of the plurality of drive elements for the motor in response to the driver activation value for each of the plurality of drive elements of the inverter; and

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

a stationary contact electrically coupled to a power supply circuit;

257. The system of claim 256, wherein the motor comprises a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements comprises six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit provides the driver activation value to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value.

258. The system of claim 256, wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

259. A system, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

Wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to the plurality of motor commands;

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

260. The system of claim 259, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

261. The system of claim 259, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

262. A system, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

Performance service circuitry structured to determine a plurality of motor commands in response to a motor capability description and the application performance request value;

a motor control circuit structured to provide the plurality of motor commands to corresponding motors of the plurality of electric motors;

a housing;

263. The system of claim 262, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

264. The system of claim 262, wherein the first current value is greater than the second current value.

265. A system, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

wherein the plurality of electric motors are responsive to the plurality of motor commands; and

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

266. The system of claim 265, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

267. The system of claim 265, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

268. A system, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

269. The system of claim 268, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

270. The system of claim 268, further comprising a plurality of biasing members, each biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to bias a corresponding one of the plurality of armatures into one of the first position or the second position.

271. A system, the system comprising:

A controller, the controller comprising:

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

272. The system of claim 271, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

273. The system of claim 271, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

274. A system, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

275. The system of claim 274, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

276. The system of claim 274, wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

277. A system, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

278. The system of claim 277, wherein the performance service circuit is further structured to determine the plurality of motor commands in response to one of a fault condition or a failure condition of at least one of the plurality of electric motors.

279. The system of claim 277, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

280. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

wherein at least one of a coolant inlet or a coolant outlet of the coolant channel comprises a quick connector without a locking element; and

A multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

281. The inverter assembly of claim 280, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

282. The inverter assembly of claim 280, wherein the quick connector further comprises a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

283. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

A plurality of IGBTs, each IGBT of the plurality of IGBTs configured to provide at least one phase of AC power to a motor;

a closed DC link capacitor operatively disposed between the IGBT and a DC power source, and wherein the closed DC link capacitor includes bus bars, a common mode choke, and a capacitor disposed in a housing of the closed DC link capacitor; and

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

284. The inverter assembly of claim 283, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

285. The inverter assembly of claim 283, the inverter group further comprising a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and an AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

286. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

287. The mobile application of claim 286, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

288. The mobile application of claim 286, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

289. A multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports; and

A controller, the controller comprising:

290. The multi-port power converter of claim 289, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

291. The multi-port power converter of claim 289, wherein the controller further comprises:

292. A multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

293. The multi-port power converter of claim 292, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

294. The multi-port power converter of claim 292, wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

295. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

296. The mobile application of claim 295, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

297. The mobile application of claim 295, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

298. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

a power converter having a plurality of ports, wherein the power converter determines an electrical interface description for at least one power source for an electric mobile application and at least one electrical load for the electric mobile application, and provides solid state switching states in response to the electrical interface description, configuring at least one of an AC inverter or a DC/DC converter to provide power to or receive power from at least one of the plurality of ports in accordance with the port electrical interface description, and installing the power converter into the electric mobile application.

299. The mobile application of claim 298, further comprising determining which ports of the power converter are to be coupled to the at least one power source and the at least one electrical load, and wherein providing the solid state switching state comprises configuring electrical characteristics of the determined ports in accordance with the port electrical interface description.

300. The mobile application of claim 298, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

301. A system, the system comprising:

a housing;

wherein the circuit breaker/relay device includes a physical trip response portion responsive to a first current value in the power supply circuit and a controlled trip response portion responsive to a second current value in the power supply circuit;

a pre-charge circuit electrically coupled in parallel to the circuit breaker/relay device; and

302. The system of claim 301, further comprising determining which ports of the power converter are to be coupled to the at least one power source and the at least one electrical load, and wherein providing the solid state switching states comprises configuring electrical characteristics of the determined ports in accordance with the port electrical interface description.

303. The system of claim 301, wherein the first current value is greater than the second current value.

304. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

305. The inverter assembly of claim 304, wherein the controller further comprises:

a load/source drive description circuit structured to interpret a source/load drive characteristic, wherein the source/load drive characteristic comprises at least one electrical characteristic requirement of a load; and a load/source drive implementation circuit structured to provide a component driver configuration in response to the source/load drive characteristic.

306. The inverter assembly of claim 304, wherein the quick connector further includes a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

307. A power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

a component library implementation circuit structured to provide a solid state switch state in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein the plurality of solid state switches are responsive to the solid state switch state; and

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

308. The power converter of claim 307, wherein the controller further comprises:

309. The power converter of claim 307 wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

310. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

311. The mobile application of claim 310, wherein the controller further comprises:

312. The mobile application of claim 310, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

313. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

314. The inverter assembly of claim 313, wherein the controller further comprises:

315. The inverter assembly of claim 313, wherein the quick connector further comprises a fir tree hose coupling disposed on a housing wall of the quick connector.

316. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a motive power path;

a power distribution unit including a current protection circuit disposed in the power supply path, the current protection circuit including a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse;

a fuse thermal model circuit structured to determine a fuse temperature value for the thermal fuse and to determine a fuse condition value in response to the fuse temperature value; and

a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

A controller, the controller comprising:

317. The system of claim 316, wherein the controller further comprises:

318. The system of claim 316, further comprising:

a current source circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to inject a current across the thermal fuse;

A voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the thermal fuse and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injection voltage and a thermal fuse impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injection current; and is

Wherein the fuse thermal model circuit is structured to determine the fuse temperature value of the thermal fuse further in response to the at least one of the injection voltage quantity and the thermal fuse impedance value.

319. A power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

320. The power converter of claim 319, wherein the controller further comprises:

321. The power converter of claim 319, further comprising a plurality of biasing members, each biasing member operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to bias a corresponding one of the plurality of armatures into one of the first or second positions.

322. An integrated inverter assembly, comprising:

a main cover and an opposing rear cover;

A power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

323. The inverter assembly of claim 322, wherein the controller further comprises:

324. The inverter assembly of claim 322, further comprising a first welded connection between the enclosed DC link capacitor and each of the IGBTs, and a second welded connection between each of the IGBTs and an AC motor connector of the inverter assembly.

325. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

an arc suppression assembly structured to direct and spread an arc between each of the plurality of movable contacts and the corresponding fixed contact; and is

Wherein the power supply path of the vehicle is provided by a current protection circuit comprising a thermal fuse and a contactor arranged in series with the thermal fuse, wherein the mobile application:

determining a current flowing through the power supply path;

Opening the contactor in response to the current exceeding a threshold;

confirming that vehicle operating conditions permit reconnection of the contactor; and

commanding the contactor to close in response to the vehicle operating condition.

326. The mobile application of claim 325, wherein confirming the vehicle operating condition comprises at least one vehicle operating condition selected from the group consisting of: an emergency vehicle operating condition; user override vehicle operating conditions; a maintenance event vehicle operating condition; and a reconnect command transmitted over the vehicle network.

327. The mobile application of claim 325, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined as a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

328. A system, the system comprising:

a vehicle having a motive power path;

a current source circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to inject a current across the fixed contact;

a voltage determination circuit electrically coupled to the circuit breaker/relay and structured to determine at least one of an amount of injected voltage and a contactor impedance value, wherein the voltage determination circuit includes a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency selected responsive to a frequency of the injected current; and

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

329. The system of claim 328, wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprises a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

330. The system of claim 328, wherein the voltage determination circuit further comprises a band-pass filter having a bandwidth selected to define a frequency of the injection current.

331. A system, the system comprising:

A controller, the controller comprising:

a circuit breaker/relay, said circuit breaker/relay comprising:

332. The system of claim 331, wherein the fixed contact comprises a first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprising a second fixed contact, wherein the movable contact comprises a first movable contact corresponding to the first fixed contact, the circuit breaker/relay further comprising a second movable contact corresponding to the second fixed contact, and a bus bar electrically coupling the first movable contact to the second movable contact.

333. The system of claim 331, wherein the motor comprises a three-phase AC motor, wherein the plurality of drive elements includes six drive elements, and wherein the driver efficiency circuit provides the driver activation value to deactivate three of the six drive elements in response to the motor performance request value being below a threshold value.

334. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

a plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

a power converter having a plurality of ports, the power converter comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

335. The mobile application of claim 334, wherein the controller further comprises:

336. The mobile application of claim 334, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.

337. A mobile application, the mobile application comprising:

wherein the circuit breaker/relay comprises:

A plurality of stationary contacts electrically coupled to the power bus;

a multi-port power converter, the multi-port power converter comprising:

338. The mobile application of claim 337, wherein the plurality of different electrical characteristics are selected from electrical characteristics consisting of: DC voltage, AC voltage or voltage equivalent, load power rating, regenerative power rating, current directionality, response time characteristics, frequency characteristics, and phase characteristics.

339. The mobile application of claim 337, wherein the plurality of movable contacts are joined in a double-pole single-throw contact arrangement.