IP Library Granted Patent US 11,658,477
Granted Patent B2
US 11,658,477 · App. 17/218,806 · Granted May 23, 2023

System, method, and apparatus for multi-port power converter and inverter assembly

Inventors: Martin Wayne Mensch (Livonia, MI); Brandon William Fisher (Portland, OR); Robert Stephen Douglass (Wildwood, MO); Austin Robert Zurface (Dowling, MI); Jeff Howard Urian (Waterford, MI); James David (Portage, MI); Bharath Suda (Munich, DE); Asheesh Soni (Bonn, DE); Karsten Gerving (Bonn, DE); Guido Vollmar (Cologne, DE); Gerd Schmitz (Niederkassel, DE); Christoph Bausch (Bonn, DE); Ute Molitor (Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, DE); Lutz Friedrichsen (Langerwehe, DE); Kai Schroeder (Niederkassel, DE); Julia Otte (Cologne, DE); Madeline Philipsohn (Eitorf, DE); Norbert Roesner (Sankt Augustin, DE); Volker Lang (Bonn, DE); Johannes Meissner (Bonn, DE); Paolo D'Amico (Pescara, IT); Jalpa Shah (Woodbury, MN); Meng Wang (Chanhassen, MN); Damrongrit Piyabongkarn (Plymouth, MN); Niles Stephen Ramseyer (Portland, OR); Dennis Dukaric (Oregon City, OR); Matt Haylock (Oregon City, OR); Justin Keith Griffiths (Clarkston, MI)
Assignee: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
H02H7/085H01H71/32H01H89/00H02H1/0007H02M7/003H02P29/68H05K7/2089B60K6/22B60Y2200/91B60Y2200/92
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,658,477
App. No.
17/218,806
Granted
May 23, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A multi-port power converter includes a housing that includes a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface to a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics. The multi-port power converter also includes a plurality of solid state components configured to provide selected electrical power outputs and to accept selected electrical power inputs and a plurality of solid state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid state components and the plurality of ports.

Claims (17)

1. A multi-port power converter, comprising:

a housing comprising at least two AC interface ports and at least three DC interface ports to electrically interface to a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics;

a plurality of solid state components configured to provide selected electrical power outputs and to accept selected electrical power inputs; and

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

2. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , wherein the distinct electrical characteristics are selected from the electrical characteristics consisting of: a DC voltage, an AC voltage or voltage equivalent, a load power rating, a regenerative power rating, a current rating, a current directionality, a response time characteristic, a frequency characteristic, and a phase characteristic.

3. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller, the controller comprising:

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

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

4. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics is a superset of the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics sufficient to encompass a selected class of applications.

5. The multi-port power converter of claim 4 , wherein each application of the selected class of applications comprises at least one of a vehicle, an off-road vehicle, and a set of load types for a vehicle.

6. The multi-port power converter of claim 1 , further comprising, one or more fuses or contactors configured to be coupled into selected circuits by the plurality of solid state switches.

7. The multi-port power converter of claim 6 , further comprising:

a fuse load circuit structured to determine that no current is demanded for a fuse load, and to further determine that contactors associated with the one or more fuses are open;

an offset voltage determination circuit structured to determine an offset voltage corresponding to at least one component in a fuse circuit associated with the one or more fuses, in response to the determining that no current is demanded for the fuse load; and

an offset data management circuit structured to store the offset voltage, and to communicate a current calculation offset voltage for use by a controller to determine current flow through the one or more fuses.

8. The multi-port power converter of claim 6 , wherein the one or more fuses are in thermal connection to one or more laminated layers.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NAME OF INVENTOR KARSTEN GERVING PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 055785 FRAME 0093. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 28, 2021
From: MENSCH, MARTIN WAYNE; FISHER, BRANDON WILLIAM; DOUGLASS, ROBERT STEPHEN; ZURFACE, AUSTIN ROBERT; URIAN, JEFF HOWARD; DAVID, JAMES; SUDA, BHARATH; SONI, ASHEESH; GERVING, KARSTEN; VÖLLMAR, GUIDO; SCHMITZ, GERD; BAUSCH, CHRISTOPH; MOLITOR, UTE; FRIEDRICHSEN, LUTZ; SCHROEDER, KAI; OTTE, JULIA; PHILIPSOHN, MADELINE; ROESNER, NORBERT; LANG, VOLKER; MEISSNER, JOHANNES; D'AMICO, PAOLO; SHAH, JALPA; WANG, MENG; PIYABONGKARN, DAMRONGRIT; RAMSEYER, NILES STEPHEN; DUKARIC, DENNIS; HAYLOCK, MATT
To: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
Reel/Frame 056696/0596 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2021
From: MENSCH, MARTIN WAYNE; FISHER, BRANDON WILLIAM; DOUGLASS, ROBERT STEPHEN; ZURFACE, AUSTIN ROBERT; URIAN, JEFF HOWARD; DAVID, JAMES; SUDA, BHARATH; SONI, ASHEESH; GER, KARSTEN; VÖLLMAR, GUIDO; SCHMITZ, GERD; BAUSCH, CHRISTOPH; MOLITOR, UTE; FRIEDRICHSEN, LUTZ; SCHROEDER, KAI; OTTE, JULIA; PHILIPSOHN, MADELINE; ROESNER, NORBERT; LANG, VOLKER; MEISSNER, JOHANNES; D'AMICO, PAOLO; SHAH, JALPA; WANG, MENG; PIYABONGKARN, DAMRONGRIT; RAMSEYER, NILES STEPHEN; DUKARIC, DENNIS; HAYLOCK, MATT
To: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
Reel/Frame 055785/0093 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2021
From: GRIFFITHS, JUSTIN KEITH
To: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
Reel/Frame 055785/0212 →
Priority Claims (5)
IN 201711039846 · Nov 8, 2017 · national
IN 201711039847 · Nov 8, 2017 · national
IN 201711039848 · Nov 8, 2017 · national
IN 201711039849 · Nov 8, 2017 · national
IN 201711039850 · Nov 8, 2017 · national
Continuity (19)
Continuation 16994196 · Aug 14, 2020
Continuation 16380857 · Apr 10, 2019
Continuation In Part 16184185 · Nov 8, 2018
Continuation In Part PCTEP2018080611 · Nov 8, 2018
Provisional Application 62809367 · Feb 22, 2019
Provisional Application 62809384 · Feb 22, 2019
Provisional Application 62809375 · Feb 22, 2019
Provisional Application 62744496 · Oct 11, 2018
Provisional Application 62730494 · Sep 12, 2018
Provisional Application 62697192 · Jul 12, 2018
Provisional Application 62687197 · Jun 19, 2018
Provisional Application 62675622 · May 23, 2018
Provisional Application 62655956 · Apr 11, 2018
Provisional Application 62655635 · Apr 10, 2018
Provisional Application 62655631 · Apr 10, 2018
Provisional Application 62583367 · Nov 8, 2017
Provisional Application 62583355 · Nov 8, 2017
Provisional Application 62583428 · Nov 8, 2017
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