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

1. A method for determining phase currents of an electric machine, the electric machine including a power converter and a stator having at least four phases, the power converter having, for each of the at least four phases, an upper branch having an upper switch and a lower branch having a lower switch, all the upper branches being connected to an upper DC voltage terminal and all the lower branches to a lower DC voltage terminal, the method comprising:

operating the power converter in an active rectification mode in which each upper switch is closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant upper switch is higher than a voltage with respect to ground at the upper DC voltage terminal, and each lower switch being closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant lower switch is lower than a voltage with respect to ground at the lower DC voltage terminal;

while the power converter is operating in the active rectification mode, measuring in each lower branch of the lower branches, a respective low-side phase branch current in the lower branch, to provide a respective measured phase current for each of the lower branches, the measuring and the providing being for all of the lower branches;

determining for each phase of the at least four phases, via a processor, a respective phase current of the phase, wherein the determined respective phase currents of the at least four phases are determined from only two of the respective measured phase branch currents having the greatest absolute values, wherein the processor is coupled to power converter and is configured to receive the respective measured phase branch currents at an input, the processor having a non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing program code for performing at least the determining step; and

controlling an active braking torque during a generator mode of the electric machine using the determined respective phase currents.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the respective low-side phase branch currents are measured in all the lower branches simultaneously.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the respective low-side phase branch currents are measured in all the lower branches by way of a respective measuring resistor in each of the lower branches.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the respective low-side phase branch currents are measured in all the lower branches in a regular time pattern.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the respective low-side phase branch currents are measured in all the lower branches independently of switching times of the active rectification mode.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the determined phase currents are determined based on angular distances between the at least four phases.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a battery voltage is applied between the upper DC voltage terminal and the lower DC voltage terminal.

8. A computation unit for determining phase currents of an electric machine, the electric machine including a power converter and a stator having at least four phases, the power converter having, for each of the at least four phases, an upper branch having an upper switch and a lower branch having a lower switch, all the upper branches being connected to an upper DC voltage terminal and all the lower branches to a lower DC voltage terminal, comprising:

a computation device having program code stored on a non-transitory computer, which is executable by a processor, for performing the following:

operating the power converter in an active rectification mode in which each upper switch is closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant upper switch is higher than a voltage with respect to ground at the upper DC voltage terminal, and each lower switch being closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant lower switch is lower than a voltage with respect to ground at the lower DC voltage terminal;

while the power converter is operating in the active rectification mode, measuring in each lower branch of the lower branches, a respective low-side phase branch current in the lower branch, to provide a respective measured phase current for each of the lower branches, the measuring and providing being for all of the lower branches;

determining for each phase of the at least four phases a respective phase current of the phase, wherein the determined respective phase currents of the at least four phases are determined from only two of the respective measured phase branch currents having the greatest absolute values; and

controlling an active braking torque during a generator mode of the electric machine using the determined respective phase currents;

wherein the processor is coupled to the power converter and is configured to receive and is configured to receive the respective measured phase branch currents at an input.

9. A motor vehicle electrical system, comprising:

an electric machine having a power converter and a stator having at least four phases, the power converter having, for each of the at least four phases, an upper branch having an upper switch and a lower branch having a lower switch, all the upper branches being connected to an upper DC voltage terminal and all the lower branches to a lower DC voltage terminal; and

a computation unit for determining phase currents of the electric machine, the computation unit having a non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing program code, the program code, when executed by the computation unit, causing the computation unit to perform the following:

while the power converter is operating in the active rectification mode, operating the power converter in an active rectification mode in which each upper switch is closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant upper switch is higher than a voltage with respect to ground at the upper DC voltage terminal, and each lower switch being closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant lower switch is lower than a voltage with respect to ground at the lower DC voltage terminal;

while the power converter is operating in the active rectification mode, measuring in each lower branch of the lower branches, a respective low-side phase branch current in the lower branch, to provide a respective measured phase current for each of the lower branches, the measuring and providing being for all of the lower branches;

determining for each phase of the at least four phases a respective phase current of the phase, wherein the determined respective phase currents of the at least four phases are determined from only two of the respective measured phase branch currents having the greatest absolute values; and

controlling an active braking torque during a generator mode of the electric machine using the determined respective phase currents;

wherein the computation unit is coupled to the power converter and is configured to receive and is configured to receive the respective measured phase branch currents at an input.

10. The motor vehicle electrical system as recited in claim 9 , further comprising:

an electrical energy reservoir that is connected between the upper DC voltage terminal and the lower DC voltage terminal.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for determining phase currents of an electric machine, the electric machine including a power converter and a stator having at least four phases, the power converter having, for each of the at least four phases, an upper branch having an upper switch and a lower branch having a lower switch, all the upper branches being connected to an upper DC voltage terminal and all the lower branches to a lower DC voltage terminal, the computer program, when executed by a computation unit, by performing the following:

operating the power converter in an active rectification mode in which each upper switch is closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant upper switch is higher than a voltage with respect to ground at the upper DC voltage terminal, and each lower switch being closed only as long as a phase voltage with respect to ground at the relevant lower switch is lower than a voltage with respect to ground at the lower DC voltage terminal;

while the power converter is operating in the active rectification mode, measuring, in each lower branch of the lower branches, a respective low-side phase branch current in the lower branch, to provide a respective measured phase current for each of the lower branches, the measuring and providing being for all of the lower branches;

determining for each phase of the at least four phases a respective phase current of the phase, wherein the determined respective phase currents of the at least four phases are determined from only two of the respective measured phase branch currents having the greatest absolute values; and

controlling an active braking torque during a generator mode of the electric machine using the determined respective phase currents;

wherein the computation unit is coupled to the power converter is configured to receive the respective measured phase branch currents at an input.