IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,454,362
Granted Patent B2
US 10,454,362 · App. 16/321,216 · Granted Oct 22, 2019

Circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit, and electric system

Inventors: Alex Itten (Romanshorn, CH); Zoltan Docs (Budapest, HU)
Assignee: Schmidhauser AG
H02M1/36H02J7/345H02M1/32B60L2210/30B60L2210/40B60L2270/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,454,362
App. No.
16/321,216
Granted
Oct 22, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit having a positive branch and a negative branch includes: a first controllable energy source, a second controllable energy source, the first control energy source and second controllable energy source being looped in series between the positive branch and the negative branch on the output side, a suppression unit, the suppression unit being looped between a connection node of the output of the first controllable energy source and the output of the second controllable energy source and a reference potential, and a controller. The controller is connected to the first energy source and the second energy source for signaling purposes and is configured to actuate the first energy source and the second energy source in order to generate an output signal pattern in order to pre-charge the intermediate circuit.

Claims (38)

1. A circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit, wherein the intermediate circuit has a positive branch and a negative branch, comprising:

a first controllable energy source,

a second controllable energy source, wherein the first controllable energy source and the second controllable energy source are looped in, on the output side, in series between the positive branch and the negative branch,

an interference suppression unit, wherein the interference suppression unit is looped in between a connecting node of the output of the first controllable energy source and of the output of the second controllable energy source and a reference-ground potential, and

a control device,

which is connected in a signal-transmitting manner to the first energy source and the second energy source, and

which is configured to actuate the first energy source and the second energy source to generate an output signal pattern in order to pre-charge the intermediate circuit.

2. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the first energy source and/or the second energy source is/are a voltage source, a current source or a combined voltage/current source.

3. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the first energy source has a DC-isolating DC/DC converter, and/or

the second energy source has a DC-isolating DC/DC converter.

4. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the control device is configured to actuate the first energy source and the second energy source independently of one another.

5. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a measurement device, which is configured to measure at least one of: (i) a voltage between a middle potential and the reference-ground potential, (ii) a voltage between a potential present at the positive branch and the reference-ground potential, (iii) a voltage between a potential present at the negative branch and the reference-ground potential, and (iv) a voltage dropped at the interference suppression unit.

6. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein

the measurement device is configured to detect a malfunction of the first energy source and/or of the second energy source and, in an event of a detected malfunction of one of the two energy sources, to activate the respectively fault-free energy source in order to pre-charge the intermediate circuit.

7. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the control device is configured to actuate the first energy source and the second energy source in alternation to generate an output voltage test pattern.

8. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein

the control device is configured to detect, based on the voltage or voltages measured by the measurement device, both symmetrical and asymmetrical insulation faults in the intermediate circuit, wherein insulation faults are located by different switch-on conditions of the two energy sources.

9. An electrical system, comprising:

a circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 1 ,

an intermediate circuit capacitor, which is looped in between the positive branch and the negative branch of the intermediate circuit, wherein the circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit is configured to charge the intermediate circuit capacitor up to a pre-charging voltage, and

a current converter, which is fed from the intermediate circuit.

10. The electrical system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein

the current converter has a number of electrical switching elements, wherein the control device is configured to actuate the electrical switching elements,

wherein the measurement device is configured to measure currents and voltages of the current converter in different switch-on states of the first energy source, of the second energy source and different switching states of the switching elements and to evaluate same in such a way that possible insulation faults in the entire electrical system are detectable and locatable.

11. The electrical system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein

the current converter is an AC/DC, DC/DC or DC/AC converter.

12. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein

the first energy source has a DC-isolating DC/DC converter, and/or

the second energy source has a DC-isolating DC/DC converter.

13. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein

the control device is configured to detect, based on the voltage or voltages measured by the measurement device, both symmetrical and asymmetrical insulation faults in the intermediate circuit, wherein insulation faults are located by different switch-on conditions of the two energy sources.

14. The circuit for pre-charging an intermediate circuit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein

the control device is configured to detect, based on the voltage or voltages measured by the measurement device, both symmetrical and asymmetrical insulation faults in the intermediate circuit, wherein insulation faults are located by different switch-on conditions of the two energy sources.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 12, 2021
From: SCHMIDHAUSER AG
To: BUCHER HYDRAULICS AG
Reel/Frame 056834/0026 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2019
From: ITTEN, ALEX; DOCS, ZOLTAN
To: SCHMIDHAUSER AG
Reel/Frame 048440/0490 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2016 214 063 · Jul 29, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190165670A1 · May 30, 2019