KR20180000232A - Driver circuit for an electric vehicle and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a driving circuit for an electric vehicle which enables a user to easily identify whether a cause of overcurrent is due to a short circuit accident caused by an external factor, and a control method thereof. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driving circuit is for an electric vehicle having a battery pack and a load. The driving circuit comprises: a first contactor of which one end is connected to a first terminal of the battery pack; and an overcurrent blocking circuit of which one end is connected to the other end of the first contactor, and the other end is connected to a first terminal of the load. The overcurrent blocking circuit includes two or more fuses. The two or more fuses are interconnected in series, and have different capacities.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a drive circuit for an electric vehicle,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drive circuit for an electric vehicle and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a drive circuit and a method for determining whether or not a short circuit fault occurs due to an external factor when a fuse is blown by an overcurrent.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, demands for portable electronic products such as notebook computers, video cameras, and portable telephones have been rapidly increasing, and development of electric vehicles, energy storage devices, robots, Researches are being actively conducted.

There are nickel cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries and the like. Among them, lithium secondary batteries have almost no memory effect compared with nickel-based secondary batteries, Free, self-discharge rate is low, and energy density is high.

The secondary battery has been attracting attention as a new energy source for improving environment-friendliness and energy efficiency in that it has not only a primary advantage of reducing the use of fossil fuels but also no by-products due to the use of energy.

Such a secondary battery is also referred to as a unit cell. On the other hand, a battery module used in an electric vehicle or an energy storage device typically includes a plurality of unit cells and a system for monitoring their states.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0110328 (hereinafter referred to as "prior art") for an electric vehicle using a battery pack has been disclosed. 1 is a view showing a configuration of a battery current measuring apparatus according to a prior art document.

1, the battery current measuring apparatus according to the prior art includes a precharge switch 120, a precharge resistor 130, a current measuring resistor 140, and a precharge switch 130. The precharge switch 120 is disposed between the battery pack 110 and the load 190, A first switch 150, a second switch 160, a current measuring unit 170, and a controller 180.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, generally only one fuse is disposed between the battery pack and the load provided in an electric vehicle or the like. The fuse blows when the overcurrent exceeds a predetermined capacity (that is, it is blown by heat), thereby protecting the battery pack and the electrical parts electrically connected thereto.

When a fuse is disposed between the battery pack and the load, it is possible to protect the battery pack and the like from some damage due to the overcurrent. However, since the magnitude of the overcurrent flowing when a short-circuit fault occurs on the load side is much larger than the capacity of the fuse, due to the overcurrent flowing toward the battery pack before the fuse is completely disconnected, It can cause serious damage to the parts.

However, since a single fuse having a predetermined fixed capacity fuses only when a current exceeding its own capacity flows, it is impossible to determine whether the cause of the overcurrent is a short-circuit caused by external factors. As a result, if the fuse blows, it is difficult for the user to identify whether it is necessary to replace only the fuse or other electrical components.

That is, the prior art including the prior art can not provide a technique for enabling the user to recognize whether or not a short circuit accident due to an external factor occurs.

Disclosure of the Invention The present invention has been conceived to solve the problems as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery pack and a battery charging apparatus which are capable of preventing overcurrent from occurring due to a short- And to provide a control method for the electric vehicle drive circuit.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also to be understood that the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations thereof.

Various embodiments of the present invention for achieving the above object are as follows.

A driving circuit according to an aspect of the present invention is for an electric vehicle having a battery pack and a load. The driving circuit includes: a first contactor, one end of which is connected to a first terminal of the battery pack; And an overcurrent shut-off circuit having one end connected to the other end of the first contactor and the other end connected to the first terminal of the load. The overcurrent shut-off circuit includes at least two fuses connected in series and having different capacities.

The driving circuit may further include a pre-charge module connected in parallel with the first contactor. At this time, the pre-charge module may include a second contactor.

In addition, the pre-charge module may further include at least one resistance element connected in series with the second contactor.

The driving circuit may further include a third contactor having one end connected to the second terminal of the battery pack and the other end connected to the second terminal of the load.

The driving circuit may further include a control unit configured to control an operation of the first contactor.

Preferably, the overcurrent shut-off circuit may include a first fuse and a second fuse that are connected in series with each other. In this case, the capacity of the first fuse may be smaller than the limit current of the first contactor, and the capacity of the second fuse may be equal to or greater than the limit current of the first contactor.

The driving circuit may further include a voltage measuring circuit configured to measure a first terminal voltage applied across the first fuse and a second terminal voltage applied across the second fuse.

The control unit may determine whether or not the first fuse is blown based on the first terminal voltage. Alternatively or additionally, the control unit may determine whether the second fuse is blown based on the second terminal voltage.

According to the embodiment, when it is determined that at least one of the first fuse and the second fuse is fused, the control unit may output a signal indicating that the fused fuse needs to be replaced.

According to the embodiment, when it is determined that both the first fuse and the second fuse are fused, the control unit may output a signal indicating that a short circuit accident has occurred in the electric vehicle drive circuit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle including the driving circuit for the electric vehicle.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of the drive circuit. Wherein the control method further comprises: measuring a first terminal voltage applied across the first fuse; Measuring a second terminal voltage applied across the second fuse; Determining whether the first fuse is fused, based on the first terminal voltage; Determining whether the second fuse is fused, based on the second terminal voltage; And outputting a signal indicating that a short circuit fault has occurred in the electric vehicle drive circuit when it is determined that both the first fuse and the second fuse are blown.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of fuses connected in series and having different capacities are disposed between the battery pack and the load, so that the user can easily identify whether the cause of the overcurrent is due to an external factor .

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description of the invention given below, serve to further the understanding of the technical idea of the invention. And should not be construed as limiting.
1 is a view showing a configuration of a battery current measuring apparatus according to a prior art document.
2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electric vehicle including a driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 shows an example in which an overcurrent flows from the load side to the drive circuit side in the electric vehicle shown in Fig.
Fig. 4 shows another example in which an overcurrent flows from the load side to the drive circuit side in the electric vehicle shown in Fig.
5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electric vehicle 1 having a driving circuit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms, and the inventor should appropriately interpret the concepts of the terms appropriately It should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements, not excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, the term " control unit " as described in the specification means a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a portion is referred to as being "connected" to another portion, it is not necessarily the case that it is "directly connected", but also "indirectly connected" .

Hereinafter, the driving circuit according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2 to 6. Fig.

2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electric vehicle 1 having a drive circuit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, an electric vehicle 1 includes a battery pack 100, a driving circuit 10, a load 20, voltage output lines 11 to 16, and electric lines 31 to 38 .

The driving circuit 10 includes a first contactor 210, a second contactor 220, a third contactor 230, a resistor 223, an overcurrent shutoff circuit 300, and a control unit 400 can do. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the overcurrent shutoff circuit 300 will be referred to as a shutoff circuit.

As described later, an advantage of the driving circuit 10 is that the user can easily identify whether a short-circuit fault has occurred, according to the fusing state of a plurality of fuses included in the shut-off circuit 300. Further, the driving circuit 10 can perform an algorithm for determining whether or not a plurality of fuses included in the shut-off circuit 300 are fused and providing information on the necessity of replacing the fuse or the like to the user based on the result of the determination .

The battery pack 100 is configured to output an operation voltage V _H for operating the load 20. [ The battery pack 100 may include battery modules 110 and 120 that are electrically connected in series, as shown. At this time, each of the battery modules 110 and 120 may be configured to include at least one unit cell.

The load 20 may include an inverter 21 and an electric motor 22. The inverter 21 can be electrically connected between the first terminal 130 and the second terminal 140 of the battery pack 100 while the connection portions 212 and 232 to be described later are simultaneously in the closed operating position. Accordingly, the inverter 21 can supply the operating voltage to the electric motor 22 through the electric line 38. [ For example, the inverter 21 may convert the DC voltage supplied from the battery pack 100 into an AC voltage, and then supply the AC voltage to the electric motor 22.

The controller 400 is configured to control the operating positions of the first contactor 210, the second contactor 220, and the third contactor 230. The control unit 400 may include a microprocessor 410, a memory 420, and at least three voltage output units 431 to 433. [

The microprocessor 410 may be implemented in hardware as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) processors, micro-controllers, and other electronic units for performing other functions.

The memory 420 may store various data and instructions required for the overall operation of the driving circuit 10. [ The microprocessor 410 controls the operation of the first contactor 210, the second contactor 220 and the third contactor 230 by referring to the data and the commands stored in the memory 420. [ A process for outputting a signal or determining whether the first contactor 210, the second contactor 220, and the third contactor 230 operate normally can be executed. For example, the memory may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a solid state disk type, an SDD type (Silicon Disk Drive type), a multimedia card micro type, At least one of a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) Lt; / RTI > type of storage medium.

The first voltage output unit 431 outputs a voltage of a predetermined level to the first voltage output line 11 and the second voltage output line 12 in response to a signal provided from the microprocessor 410 . The second voltage output unit 432 can output a voltage of a predetermined level to the third voltage output line 13 and the fourth voltage output line 14 in response to a signal provided from the microprocessor 410 have. The third voltage output unit 433 can output a voltage of a predetermined level to the fifth voltage output line 15 and the sixth voltage output line 16 in response to a signal provided from the microprocessor 410 have.

The first contactor 210 may include a first contactor coil 211 and a first connection 212. The first contactor 210 may be electrically connected in series with the battery pack 100, the isolation circuit 300, and the load 20.

Specifically, the first contactor 210 may be connected in series between the first terminal 130 of the battery pack 100 and the first terminal of the load 20. At this time, the first terminal of the battery pack 100 may be a terminal having a relatively higher potential than both terminals of the battery pack 100.

The first terminal 130 of the battery pack 100 may be connected to one end of the first connection part 212 through the electric line 31. The other end of the first connection part 212 may be electrically connected to one end of the blocking circuit 300 through the electric line 32. The other end of the isolation circuit 300 may also be electrically connected to the first terminal of the load 20 via the electrical line 33.

One end of the first contactor coil 211 may be electrically connected to the first voltage output line 11 and the other end of the first contactor coil 211 may be electrically connected to the second voltage output line 12 .

The controller 400 may output a predetermined level of voltage to the first voltage output line 11 and the second voltage output line 12 to apply power to the first contactor coil 211. [ The level of the voltage output to the one end of the first contactor coil 211 through the first voltage output line 11 is the same as that of the other end of the first contactor coil 211 through the second voltage output line 12. [ May be different from the level of the output voltage. The first connecting part 212 is in a closed operational position due to the current flowing in the first contactor coil 211 to which the power is applied. The electrical connection between the battery pack 100 and the load 20 can be made while the first connection portion 212 is in the closed operating position.

The control unit 400 can stop the output of the voltage to at least one of the first voltage output line 11 and the second voltage output line 12 and cut off the power to the first contactor coil 211. [ When the power of the first contactor coil 211 is cut off, the first connection part 212 becomes an open operational position. Electrical separation of the battery pack 100 and the load 20 can be performed while the first connecting portion 212 is in the open operating position.

Meanwhile, the first contactor 210 may be referred to as a 'main contactor'.

The second contactor 220 may include a second contactor coil 221 and a second contactor 222. The second contactor 220 may be electrically connected to the first contactor 210 in parallel.

Specifically, one end of the second connection part 222 may be electrically connected to the electric line 31 through the electric line 34. [ The other end of the second connection part 222 may be electrically connected to the electric line 32 through the resistor 223 and the electric line 35. [ The resistor 223 may be referred to as a " pre-charge resistor ".

The driving circuit 10 is operated by using the second contactor 220 and the resistor 223 while the first connecting portion 212 is in the open operating position and the second connecting portion 222 is in the closed operating position. The capacitor 21a connected between the first terminal and the second terminal of the first switch 20 can be charged. Thus, the pre-charge to the capacitor 21a can be made before the first connection part 212 becomes the closed operating position.

The control unit 400 directs the first connection unit 212 to the closed operating position after the preliminary charging of the capacitor 21a is completed to a target value so that the battery pack 100 having a high voltage is electrically connected to the capacitor 21a It is possible to reduce the magnitude of the instantaneous inrush current.

One end of the second contactor coil 221 may be electrically connected to the third voltage output line 13 and the other end of the second contactor coil 221 may be electrically connected to the fourth voltage output line 14 .

The controller 400 outputs a predetermined level of voltage to each of the third voltage output line 13 and the fourth voltage output line 14 to apply power to the second contactor coil 221. [ The level of the voltage output to the one end of the second contactor coil 221 through the third voltage output line 13 is the same as that of the other end of the second contactor coil 221 through the fourth voltage output line 14. [ May be different from the level of the output voltage. The second connection part 222 is in a closed operational position due to the current flowing through the second contactor coil 221 to which the power is supplied. The electrical connection between the battery pack 100 and the load 20 can be made while the second connecting portion 222 is in the closed operating position.

The control unit 400 may stop the output of the voltage to at least one of the third voltage output line 13 and the fourth voltage output line 14 and turn off the power to the second contactor coil 221. [ When the power of the second contactor coil 221 is cut off, no current flows through the second contactor coil 221, so that the second connection part 222 is in the open operational position. Electrical separation of the battery pack 100 and the load 20 can be performed while the second connecting portion 222 is in the open operating position.

On the other hand, the second contactor 220 may be referred to as a 'pre-charge contactor'.

The third contactor 230 may include a third contactor coil 231 and a third connection 232. The third contactor 230 may be electrically connected in series with the battery pack 100 and the load 20. Specifically, one end of the third connection part 232 may be electrically connected to the second terminal 140 of the battery pack 100 through the electric line 36. The other end of the third connection part 232 may be electrically connected to the second terminal of the load 20 through the electric line 37. [

One end of the third contactor coil 231 may be electrically connected to the fifth voltage output line 15 and the other end of the third contactor coil 231 may be electrically connected to the sixth voltage output line 16 .

The controller 400 outputs a predetermined level of voltage to the fifth voltage output line 15 and the sixth voltage output line 16 to apply power to the third contactor coil 231. [ The level of the voltage output to the one end of the third contactor coil 231 through the fifth voltage output line 15 is the same as that of the other end of the third contactor coil 231 through the sixth voltage output line 16. [ May be different from the level of the output voltage. The third connecting part 232 is in a closed operational position due to the current flowing through the third contactor coil 231 to which the power is supplied. An electrical connection can be made between the second terminal of the battery pack 100 and the second terminal of the load 20 while the third connection portion 232 is in the closed operating position.

The control unit 400 may stop the output of the voltage to at least one of the fifth voltage output line 15 and the sixth voltage output line 16 and cut off the power to the third contactor coil 231. [ When the power of the third contactor coil 231 is cut off, no current flows through the third contactor coil 231, so that the third connection part 232 is in the open operational position. Electrical separation of the second terminal of the battery pack 100 and the second terminal of the load 20 can be achieved while the third connection portion 232 is in the open operating position.

On the other hand, the third contactor 230 may be referred to as a 'ground contactor'.

The blocking circuit 300 includes at least two fuses. One end of the isolation circuit 300 may be electrically connected to the first contactor 210 through the electric line 32. The other end of the isolation circuit 300 may also be electrically connected to the first terminal of the load 20 via the electrical line 33.

At this time, at least two fuses included in the blocking circuit 300 may be electrically connected in series. Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that each of the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 is electrically connected to the electric line 32 and the electric line 34. It is shown in FIG. 2 that the fuse included in the shut-off circuit 300 is two, but it is apparent to those skilled in the art that it may include more fuses.

On the other hand, the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 may have different capacities. In other words, the capacity of the first fuse F1 and the capacity of the second fuse F2 may be different. For example, the capacity of the first fuse F1 may be larger than the capacity of the second fuse F2, or the capacity of the first fuse F1 may be smaller than that of the second fuse F2. Each of the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 is described as being fused in the case where a current equal to or larger than its own capacity is input. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the capacity of the first fuse F1 is smaller than that of the second fuse F2.

Fig. 3 shows an example in which the overcurrent I1 flows from the load side to the drive circuit side in the electric vehicle shown in Fig.

In Fig. 3, it is assumed that the overcurrent I1 is larger than the capacity of the first fuse F1 and smaller than the capacity of the second fuse F2. That is, when the capacity of the first fuse F1 is Ia and the capacity of the second fuse F2 is Ib, the relationship of Ia <I1 <Ib is satisfied.

The limit current that the first to third contactors 210, 220 and 230 can withstand without damage is larger than the capacity of the first fuse F1 and substantially equal to the capacity of the second fuse F2 I suppose. That is, when the limit currents of the first to third contactors 210, 220, and 230 are Ic, the relation of Ib = Ic is satisfied. Of course, according to the embodiment, the relation of Ib > Ic may be satisfied.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the overcurrent I1 flows through the second fuse F2 and the first fuse F1, only the first fuse F1 blows.

On the other hand, even when the overcurrent I1 is supplied to the first fuse F1 from the time when the overcurrent I1 flows into the first fuse F1 until the first fuse F1 is completely disconnected, Can flow to other configurations of the driving circuit 10.

Since the limit currents of the first to third contactors 210, 220 and 230 are larger than the overcurrent I1 as described above, the first to third contactors 210 and 220 , 230) is very small.

In addition, since only the first fuse F1 among the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 is blown, the user can easily operate the battery pack 100, the first through third contactors 210, 220 and 230, It can be easily recognized that replacement for the configuration is unnecessary. In other words, it can be seen that the user is not caused by short-circuiting the cause of the first fuse F1 being blown, but only by replacing the fused first fuse F1 with a new fuse of the same capacity.

Fig. 4 shows another example in which the overcurrent I2 flows from the load side to the drive circuit side in the electric vehicle shown in Fig.

In contrast to FIG. 3, it is assumed in FIG. 4 that the overcurrent I2 is greater than the capacity of the second fuse F2. That is, when the capacity of the first fuse F1 is Ia and the capacity of the second fuse F2 is Ib, the relationship of Ia <Ib <I2 is satisfied.

Further, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, it is assumed that the limit current that the first to third contactors 210, 220, and 230 can withstand without damage is Ic.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the overcurrent I2 flows through the second fuse F2 and the first fuse F1, the second fuse F2 as well as the first fuse F1 are fused.

On the other hand, during the time from the time when the overcurrent I2 flows into the first fuse F1 to the time when the first fuse F1 is completely disconnected, the overcurrent I2 is driven like the first contactor 210 Can flow to other configurations of the circuit 10.

3, since the overcurrent I2 is larger than the limit current Ic of the first to third contactors 210, 220, and 230, the overcurrent I2 is higher than the limit current Ic of the first to third contactors 210, The third contactors 210, 220, and 230 are very likely to be damaged.

Since the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 are both blown by the overcurrent I2, the user can be prevented from being discharged from the battery pack 100, the first through third contactors 210, 220, 230, It can be easily recognized that a replacement for the configuration is necessary. In other words, since the user causes the second fuse F2 to be blown due to a short circuit, the first to third contactors 210 and 220, as well as the fused first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2, , 230) to be replaced.

5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electric vehicle 1 having a driving circuit 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Compared with FIG. 2, the driving circuit 10 shown in FIG. 5 differs only in that it further includes a voltage measuring circuit 500, and a repetitive description of the remaining configurations will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5, the voltage measuring circuit 500 may be configured to measure the first to third voltages A, B, and C, respectively. Specifically, the first voltage A indicates the difference between the electric potential of the electric line 32 and the reference point, and the third voltage C indicates the difference between the electric potential of the electric line 33 and the reference point. have. The second voltage B may indicate the difference between the potential of the common node of the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 and the potential of the reference point. Preferably, the reference point may be the ground or the second terminal 140 of the battery pack 100.

In addition, the voltage measuring circuit 500 can measure a voltage applied to both ends of the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2. For example, the voltage measurement circuit 500 may measure the terminal voltage A-B applied across the first fuse F1, based on the first voltage A and the second voltage B. The voltage measuring circuit 500 can measure the terminal voltage B-C applied across the second fuse F2 based on the second voltage B and the third voltage C. [

The voltage measuring circuit 500 generates a signal D representing the terminal voltages applied to both ends of the measured first to third voltages A, B and C and the first and second fuses F2 and F2, ) To the control unit 400. [0053] FIG. Preferably, the signal D has a binary value format and can be output repeatedly at predetermined intervals.

The microprocessor 410 can determine whether the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 respectively are fused or not based on the signal D. [

Specifically, the microprocessor 410 determines the magnitude of the voltage applied across the first fuse F1, based on the signal D, and determines whether the voltage applied across the first fuse F1 reaches a predetermined first If it is equal to or greater than the reference value, it can be determined that the first fuse F1 has been fused.

The microprocessor 410 also determines the magnitude of the voltage applied across the second fuse F2 based on the signal D and determines whether the voltage applied across the second fuse F2 exceeds a predetermined second reference value & , It can be determined that the second fuse F2 has been fused. At this time, the first reference value and the second reference value may be determined through a preliminary experiment and stored in the memory 420, and they may be the same or different.

The microprocessor 410 can output a signal indicating that it is necessary to replace the fused blown fuse when it is determined that at least one of the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 is fused. For example, the microprocessor 410 may output a signal for inducing a display of information indicating that the first fuse F1 or the second fuse F2 is currently fused to the instrument panel of the electric vehicle 1.

Preferably, the microprocessor 410 outputs a signal indicating that a short circuit accident has occurred to the drive circuit 10 for an electric vehicle when it is determined that both the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 are blown out can do.

The cut-off circuit 300 may be provided in the fuse box of the electric vehicle 1. [ Accordingly, the user (for example, the driver, the mechanic) can determine whether or not the fuses F1 and F2 included in the cut-off circuit 300 are directly fused to the fuses F1 and F2, It is possible to quickly grasp the possibility of damages and the necessity of replacing the terminals 210 and the like.

6 is a flowchart showing a control method of the driving circuit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the driving circuit 10 includes a first fuse F1 and a second fuse F2 as shown in Fig. 5 and a voltage measuring circuit 500 for measuring terminal voltages thereof.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, in step S610, the voltage measurement circuit 500 may measure the first terminal voltage applied across the first fuse F1.

In step S620, the voltage measurement circuit 500 may measure the second terminal voltage applied across the second fuse F2.

A signal D indicating the first and second terminal voltages measured in steps S610 and S620 may be provided to the microprocessor 410. [ Preferably, steps S610 and S620 may be performed when at least one of the first connection 212 and the second connection 222 is in the closed operating position.

In step S630, the microprocessor 410 can determine whether the first fuse F1 is fused, based on the first terminal voltage. For example, the microprocessor 410 can determine that the first fuse F1 is blown when the first terminal voltage is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

In step S640, the microprocessor 410 may output a signal indicating that the first fuse F1 needs to be replaced when the first fuse F1 is determined to be fused in step S630.

In step S650, the microprocessor 410 can determine whether the second fuse F2 is fused, based on the second terminal voltage. For example, the microprocessor 410 can determine that the second fuse F2 has blown when the second terminal voltage is equal to or greater than the second reference value.

Preferably, the microprocessor 410 may perform step S650 only if it is determined in step S630 that the first fuse F1 has been fused. In other words, the microprocessor 410 can determine whether or not the first fuse F1 is fused before determining whether the second fuse F2 is fused. This is because if the first fuse F1 having a capacity smaller than the capacity of the second fuse F2 is not fused by the overcurrent, the second fuse F2 would not be fused.

In step S660, when it is determined that both the first fuse F1 and the second fuse F2 are blown, the microprocessor 410 can output a signal to the drive circuit 10 to notify the occurrence of a short circuit fault.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not only implemented by the apparatus and method but may be implemented through a program for realizing the function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium on which the program is recorded, The embodiments can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the embodiments described above.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details thereof and that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. And various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to be illustrative, The present invention is not limited to the drawings, but all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made.

1: Electric vehicle
10: driving circuit
20: Load
100: Battery pack
210: first contactor
220: second contactor
230: third contactor
300: Overcurrent shutoff circuit
400:
500: Voltage measuring circuit

Claims (12)

1. A drive circuit for an electric vehicle having a battery pack and a load,
A first contactor, one end of which is connected to a first terminal of the battery pack; And
And an overcurrent shut-off circuit having one end connected to the other end of the first contactor and the other end connected to the first terminal of the load,
The overcurrent shut-
And at least two fuses connected in series and having different capacities. The method according to claim 1,
And a pre-charge module including a second contactor, the pre-charge module being connected in parallel with the first contactor. 3. The method of claim 2,
The pre-charge module comprises:
And at least one resistance element connected in series with the second contactor. The method of claim 3,
And a third contactor, one end of which is connected to the second terminal of the battery pack, and the other end of which is connected to the second terminal of the load. The method according to claim 1,
And a control unit configured to control an operation of the first contactor. 6. The method of claim 5,
The overcurrent shut-
A first fuse and a second fuse inter-connected in series,
Wherein the capacity of the first fuse is smaller than the limit current of the first contactor and the capacity of the second fuse is equal to or greater than the limit current of the first contactor. The method according to claim 6,
And a voltage measuring circuit configured to measure a first terminal voltage applied across the first fuse and a second terminal voltage applied across the second fuse. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein,
Determines whether the first fuse is fused or not based on the first terminal voltage,
And determines whether or not the second fuse is fused based on the second terminal voltage. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein,
And outputs a signal indicating that the fused blown fuse is necessary when at least one of the first fuse and the second fuse is judged to be fused. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein,
And outputs a signal indicating that a short-circuit accident has occurred in the electric-vehicle drive circuit when it is determined that both the first fuse and the second fuse are fused. 11. A driving circuit for an electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
The electric vehicle. 11. A control method of a drive circuit for an electric vehicle according to any one of claims 7 to 10,
Measuring a first terminal voltage applied across the first fuse;
Measuring a second terminal voltage applied across the second fuse;
Determining whether the first fuse is fused, based on the first terminal voltage;
Determining whether the second fuse is fused, based on the second terminal voltage; And
Outputting a signal indicating that a short circuit fault has occurred in the driving circuit for an electric vehicle when it is determined that both of the first fuse and the second fuse are fused;
And a control circuit for controlling the drive circuit.

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