Method for ascertaining the phase currents of an electric machine having a power converter

1. A method for ascertaining the phase currents of an electric machine having a power converter and a stator with a phase number of at least four, the power converter including a plurality of high-side switching elements and a plurality of low-side switching elements, the method comprising:

operating the power converter of the electric machine according to one of a pulse width modulation activation pattern and a block activation pattern, wherein each one of the pulse width modulation activation pattern and the block activation pattern includes an operating state in which at least two of the low-side switching elements are activated;

measuring phase currents of a selected number of measuring phases during the operating state, the selected number being at least two and being lower by at least two than the phase number, wherein the measured phase currents are measured from at least two of the measuring phases associated with the activated low-side switching elements during the operating state, and wherein a remainder of the low-side switching elements that are not the activated low-side switching elements during the operating state are non-conductive while the measuring is performed; and

arithmetically determining the phase currents of the remaining phases from the measured phase currents, wherein at least the measured phase currents, a spatial angle of the measuring phases and a spatial angle of the remaining phases are used for the arithmetical determination.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spatial angle of the measuring phases and the remaining phases is determined based on a geometric arrangement of the measuring phases and the remaining phases in the electric machine.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the phase currents are measured when active switching elements assigned to the measuring phases in a low-side path of the power converter are activated.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the phase number is four, five or six.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the number of the measuring phases is two or three.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the phase currents of at least two measuring phases are measured in the form of a total current.

7. The method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the method is performed in a measuring mode of the power converter in which at least one switching element of the power converter is additionally activated in comparison to a regular operating mode.

8. A system for ascertaining the phase currents of an electric machine having a power converter and a stator with a phase number of at least four, the power converter including a plurality of high-side switching elements and a plurality of low-side switching elements, the system comprising:

a control unit including a computer processor configured to perform the following:

operating the power converter of the electric machine according to one of a pulse width modulation activation pattern and a block activation pattern, wherein each one of the pulse width modulation activation pattern and the block activation pattern includes an operating state in which at least two of the low-side switching elements are activated;

measuring phase currents of a selected number of measuring phases during the operating state, the selected number being at least two and being lower by at least two than the phase number, wherein the measured phase currents are measured from at least two of the measuring phases associated with the activated low-side switching elements during the operating state, and wherein a remainder of the low-side switching elements that are not the activated low-side switching elements during the operating state are non-conductive while the measuring is performed; and

arithmetically determining the phase currents of the remaining phases from the measured phase currents, wherein at least the measured phase currents, a spatial angle of the measuring phases and a spatial angle of the remaining phases are used for the arithmetical determination.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium storing a computer program having program codes which, when executed on a computer, perform a method for ascertaining the phase currents of an electric machine having a power converter and a stator with a phase number of at least four, the power converter including a plurality of high-side switching elements and a plurality of low-side switching elements, the method comprising:

operating the power converter of the electric machine according to one of a pulse width modulation activation pattern and a block activation pattern, wherein each one of the pulse width modulation activation pattern and the block activation pattern includes an operating state in which at least two of the low-side switching elements are activated;

measuring phase currents of a selected number of measuring phases during the operating state, the selected number being at least two and being lower by at least two than the phase number, wherein the measured phase currents are measured from at least two of the measuring phases associated with the activated low-side switching elements during the operating state, and wherein a remainder of the low-side switching elements that are not the activated low-side switching elements during the operating state are non-conductive while the measuring is performed; and

arithmetically determining the phase currents of the remaining phases from the measured phase currents, wherein at least the measured phase currents, a spatial angle of the measuring phases and a spatial angle of the remaining phases are used for the arithmetical determination.