IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,594,839
Granted Patent B2
US 12,594,839 · App. 17/969,858 · Granted Apr 7, 2026

Electrified vehicle low-voltage (LV) bus voltage control

Inventors: Hanyang Chen (Canton, MI); Michael J Irby (Monroe, MI)
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
B60L15/20B60L50/60G07C5/0808G07C5/0825B60L2210/10B60L2250/26
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,594,839
App. No.
17/969,858
Granted
Apr 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electrified vehicle includes a traction battery coupled to an electric machine that provides propulsive force, an auxiliary battery, a voltage converter coupled to the traction battery and configured to convert traction battery voltage to auxiliary battery voltage, and a controller programmed to control the voltage converter to provide either a non-oscillating voltage above a first voltage threshold, or an oscillating voltage having a peak below the first voltage threshold based on a vehicle start signal and a vehicle brake pedal position signal. The controller may control the voltage converter to provide the non-oscillating voltage in response to the vehicle start signal being received while the brake pedal position signal indicates a released brake pedal, and to provide the oscillating voltage in response to the vehicle start signal being received while the brake pedal position signal indicates a depressed brake pedal.

Claims (30)

1 . An electrified vehicle comprising:

an electric machine powered by a high-voltage battery;

a voltage converter coupled to the high-voltage battery and a low-voltage auxiliary battery; and

a controller programmed to control the voltage converter to provide an output voltage greater than a first voltage threshold to the low-voltage auxiliary battery in response to a vehicle start signal received while a brake pedal is depressed, and to provide an oscillating output voltage with a peak amplitude less than the first voltage threshold to the low-voltage auxiliary battery in response to the vehicle start signal being received while the brake pedal is released;

wherein the controller is further programmed to generate a diagnostic signal in response to current of the low-voltage auxiliary battery being less than a first current threshold when the output voltage is above the first voltage threshold.

2 . The electrified vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a human-machine interface (HMI), wherein the HMI generates an alert in response to the diagnostic signal.

3 . The electrified vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to generate a diagnostic signal in response to current variation of the low voltage auxiliary battery being less than a second current threshold when the voltage converter is providing the oscillating output voltage.

4 . The electrified vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller controls the voltage converter to provide the oscillating voltage with an oscillation frequency of 1 Hz.

5 . The electrified vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller controls the voltage converter to provide the oscillating voltage with a peak-to-peak amplitude of less than 2% of a predetermined target voltage associated with the low-voltage auxiliary battery.

6 . The electrified vehicle of claim 1 wherein the voltage converter comprises a DC/DC converter and wherein the controller communicates an oscillating target voltage command to the DC/DC converter to provide the oscillating output voltage.

7 . A method for controlling an electrified vehicle having a high-voltage traction battery coupled by a voltage converter to a low-voltage auxiliary battery, comprising, by a vehicle controller: controlling the voltage converter to provide an oscillating output voltage to the low-voltage auxiliary battery in response to receiving a start signal while a vehicle brake pedal is released; and

generating a diagnostic signal in response to variation of current supplied to the low-voltage auxiliary battery being less than a first current variation threshold;

controlling the voltage converter to provide an output voltage greater than a first voltage threshold in response to receiving the start signal while the vehicle brake pedal is depressed; and

generating the diagnostic signal in response to the current supplied to the low-voltage auxiliary battery being less than a first current threshold when the output voltage is above the first voltage threshold.

8 . The method of claim 7 wherein the oscillating output voltage

has a maximum voltage less than the first voltage threshold.

9 . The method of claim 7 wherein generating the diagnostic signal is performed after the current supplied to the low-voltage auxiliary battery is less than the first current threshold for a predetermined period of time.

10 . The method of claim 7 wherein the voltage converter comprises a DC/DC converter and wherein controlling the voltage converter to provide an oscillating output voltage comprises generating an oscillating target command voltage communicated to the DC/DC converter.

11 . The method of claim 7 wherein the oscillating output voltage has a frequency of 1 Hz and a peak-to-peak amplitude of less than 5% of a predetermined target voltage associated with the low-voltage auxiliary battery.

12 . The method of claim 7 further comprising communicating an alert to a vehicle human-machine interface (HMI) in response to the diagnostic signal.

13 . The method of claim 7 wherein generating the diagnostic signal is performed after the current supplied to the low-voltage auxiliary battery is less than the first current variation threshold for a predetermined period of time.

14 . A system comprising:

a traction battery coupled to an electric machine that provides propulsive force to an electrified vehicle;

an auxiliary battery;

a voltage converter coupled to the traction battery and configured to convert traction battery voltage to auxiliary battery voltage; and

a controller programmed to:

control the voltage converter to provide a non-oscillating voltage above a first voltage threshold to the auxiliary battery in response to the vehicle start signal being received while the brake pedal position signal indicates a released brake pedal, and an oscillating voltage having a peak below the first voltage threshold based on a in response to the vehicle start signal being received while the brake pedal position signal indicates a depressed brake pedal;

wherein the controller is further programmed to generate a diagnostic signal in response to current to the auxiliary battery being below a corresponding current threshold while the voltage converter provides the non-oscillating voltage.

15 . The system of claim 14 wherein the controller is further

programmed to generate a diagnostic signal in response to variation of current to the auxiliary battery being below a corresponding current variation threshold while the voltage converter provides the oscillating voltage.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 20, 2022
From: CHEN, HANYANG; IRBY, MICHAEL J
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 061486/0444 →
Continuity (2)
Related Publication 20240131935A1 · Apr 25, 2024
Related Publication 20240227576A9 · Jul 11, 2024
References Cited (5)
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US 20180246169A1 · Miura et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20230311683A1 · Lachaize · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240034188A1 · Lee · 2024 [cited by examiner]