Vehicle and method of controlling a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle and a method of controlling a vehicle. A vehicle is provided which supplies a constant current to a motor without changing a gate voltage even at high temperatures. The vehicle includes at least one switching element which supplies a current to a motor, a temperature sensor which detects temperature information of at least one transistor, at least one processor which transmits a clock signal corresponding to a motor drive, and a driver which receives the clock signal and transmits a drive signal to the transistor. Subsequently, a converter determines a duty ratio of the drive signal based on the temperature information received from the temperature sensor.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0113674 filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on September 7, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to a vehicle for effectively controlling the motor of an environmentally friendly vehicle, and a method for controlling the vehicle. Background Technology

[0004] Environmentally friendly vehicles are the next generation of vehicles that minimize pollution by using hydrogen or electricity as a power source. Currently, power components used in power modules for inverters account for a significant portion of the material cost of those modules. Therefore, research is underway to improve cost competitiveness by enhancing the current density of power components and improving the cooling performance of power modules, thereby minimizing the chip size of power components.

[0005] However, even with improved cooling performance, current density remains a barrier to reducing chip size. In other words, the saturation current of a power device must exceed the maximum output current required by the system. In the saturation region of a power device, not only is a current greater than or equal to the saturation current not generated, but power dissipation increases and a large amount of heat is generated due to the increased voltage (Vce) across the device, which can potentially damage the device. Therefore, research is actively underway to address these issues. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One aspect of the invention provides a vehicle that supplies a constant current to the motor without changing the gate voltage even at high temperatures, and a method for controlling the vehicle. Other aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0007] According to one aspect of the invention, a vehicle may include: at least one switching element configured to supply current to a motor; a temperature sensor configured to acquire temperature information from at least one transistor; at least one processor configured to transmit a clock signal corresponding to motor drive; and a driver configured to receive the clock signal and transmit a drive signal to the transistor. The converter may be configured to determine the duty cycle of the drive signal based on the temperature information received from the temperature sensor.

[0008] The clock signal may include a triangular wave signal. The drive signal may include a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal. The converter may be configured to convert the triangular wave signal into a PWM signal. The processor may be configured to correct the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor based on a temperature rise in the transistor. The converter may be configured to increase the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to the corrected sensing voltage.

[0009] The processor can be configured to correct the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor based on the temperature drop of the transistor. The converter can be configured to reduce the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to the corrected sensing voltage. The converter can be configured to determine the duty cycle based on the intersection of the sensing voltage and the clock signal. The at least one switching element can be provided with at least one transistor element. The saturation current of the at least one transistor element can be configured to be determined independently of the temperature information. The vehicle can be configured as one of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a vehicle may include: acquiring temperature information of at least one transistor by a temperature sensor; sending a clock signal corresponding to motor drive by at least one processor; receiving the clock signal by a driver and sending a drive signal to the transistor; and determining the duty cycle of the drive signal by a converter based on the temperature information received from the temperature sensor.

[0011] The clock signal may include a triangular wave signal. The drive signal may include a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal. The method may further include converting the triangular wave signal into a PWM signal by a converter. Determining the duty cycle of the drive signal may include: correcting the sensed voltage based on a temperature rise in the transistor; and increasing the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to the corrected sensed voltage.

[0012] Determining the duty cycle of the drive signal may include: correcting the sensed voltage based on the temperature drop of the transistor; and reducing the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to the corrected sensed voltage. Determining the duty cycle of the drive signal may also include determining the duty cycle based on the intersection of the sensed voltage and the clock signal.

[0013] The at least one switching element may include at least one transistor element. The saturation current of the at least one transistor element may be configured to be determined independently of temperature information. The vehicle may be configured as one of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Attached Figure Description

[0014] These and / or other aspects of the invention will become clear and more readily understood from the following description of exemplary embodiments presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the current characteristics of a switching element at each temperature according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between a clock signal and a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating circuitry included in a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "of a vehicle" or other similar terms as used herein generally includes motor vehicles, such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, and various commercial vehicles, vessels including various boats and ships, aircraft, etc., and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., vehicles derived from non-fossil fuels). As mentioned herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle with two or more power sources, such as a vehicle powered by both gasoline and electricity.

[0021] Although the exemplary embodiments are described as utilizing multiple units to perform the exemplary process, it should be understood that the exemplary process may also be performed by one or more modules. Furthermore, it should be understood that the term "controller / control unit" refers to a hardware device including a memory and a processor, specifically programmed to perform the processes described herein. The memory is configured to store modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes described further below.

[0022] Furthermore, the control logic of the present invention can be implemented as a non-volatile computer-readable medium on a computer-readable medium, comprising executable program instructions that are executed by a processor, controller / control unit, etc. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, optical disc (CD)-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash drive, smart card, and optical data storage device. The computer-readable recording medium can also be distributed across a network-connected computer system, allowing the computer-readable medium to be stored and executed in a distributed manner, for example, via a telematics server or a controller area network (CAN).

[0023] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of the stated features, values, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or inclusion of one or more other features, values, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated enumerations.

[0024] Unless otherwise stated or obvious from the context, the term "approximately" as used herein is understood to mean within the normal tolerances in the field, such as within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "Approximately" can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the specified value. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, all numerical values ​​provided herein are modified by the term "approximately".

[0025] Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. Not all elements of embodiments of the invention will be described, but descriptions of elements well known in the art or those overlapping in exemplary embodiments will be omitted. Terms used throughout this specification, such as “~part,” “~module,” “~component,” “~block,” etc., can be implemented in software and / or hardware, and multiple “~parts,” “~modules,” “~components,” or “~blocks” can be implemented in a single element, or a single “~part,” “~module,” “~component,” or “~block” can include multiple elements.

[0026] It will also be understood that the term "connection" and its derivatives refer to both direct and indirect connections, with indirect connections including connections via wireless communication networks. It should also be understood that the term "component" and its derivatives refer to when one component is in contact with another component and when another component exists between two components.

[0027] Furthermore, when stated as one layer "above" another layer or bottom layer, that layer may be directly above the other layer or bottom layer, or a third layer may be situated between the two. It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or portion from another region, layer, or portion.

[0028] It should be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural objects unless explicitly stated herein. The reference numerals used for method steps are for convenience of interpretation only and are not intended to restrict the order of steps. Therefore, the written order may be practiced in other ways unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0029] The working principle and exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle according to the embodiment may include: a switching element 120, a temperature sensor 150, a processor 140, and a converter 130.

[0030] The switching element 120 can be configured to supply current to the motor 110 disposed within the vehicle. The switching element 120 can be configured as a transistor element including an operating region and a saturation current region. Furthermore, the switching element 120 disposed within the vehicle can have different saturation current regions depending on the gate voltage or temperature. Simultaneously, the output current of the switching element 120 can be determined independently of information such as the temperature of the motor 110.

[0031] The output current can be a current sent by the switching element 120 to the motor 110, etc., and can be determined in a manner different from the saturation current determined by the transistor element itself. The temperature sensor 150 can be configured to sense the temperature of the switching element 120 disposed within the vehicle. The temperature sensor 150 may include at least one diode temperature sensor 150.

[0032] The vehicle may also include at least one processor 140 configured to operate motor 110. Processor 140 may be configured to generate a clock signal corresponding to the driving of motor 110. The clock signal may refer to a signal that drives motor 110 based on user-input instructions, and may be configured as an AC signal and a triangular waveform signal as described below. The vehicle may also include a converter 130. Converter 130 may be configured as a flyback controller. Specifically, converter 130 may be configured as an AC-DC converter 130.

[0033] Converter 130 can be configured to receive a clock signal from processor 140 and send a drive signal to switching element 120. The clock signal may include a triangular wave signal, and the drive signal may include a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal. Converter 130 can be configured to determine the duty cycle of the drive signal based on temperature information received from temperature sensor 150. Specifically, in response to determining that the temperature of switching element 120 is greater than a threshold temperature, the saturation current of switching element 120 decreases; therefore, converter 130 can be configured to increase the duty cycle to maintain the amount of current supplied to motor 110 before the temperature rises.

[0034] Converter 130 can be configured to convert a clock signal consisting of a triangular wave signal into a drive signal including a PWM signal. The operation of converting the clock signal into a PWM signal will be described in detail below. Temperature sensor 150 can be configured to decrease the sensing voltage based on an increase in the temperature of the transistor. Converter 130 can be configured to increase the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to the decreased sensing voltage. Conversely, temperature sensor 150 can be configured to increase the sensing voltage based on a decrease in the temperature of switching element 120. Converter 130 can be configured to decrease the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to the increased sensing voltage.

[0035] The sensing voltage is the voltage output from the temperature sensor 150. When the temperature of the switching element 120 is above a threshold temperature, the sensing voltage can output a low voltage, and when the temperature of the switching element 120 is below the threshold temperature, the sensing voltage can output a high voltage. This operation can be performed by a processor 140 located in the vehicle. Specifically, the processor 140 located in the vehicle can be configured to correct the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor 150 based on an increase in transistor temperature. Specifically, as the temperature increases, the sensing voltage may decrease.

[0036] Furthermore, the processor 140 can be configured to correct the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor 150 based on a decrease in transistor temperature. Specifically, the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor 150 can increase as the temperature decreases. The converter 130 can be configured to determine the duty cycle of the drive signal based on the intersection of the sensing voltage and the clock signal. This configuration can also be applied to environmentally friendly vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

[0037] Corresponding to Figure 1 The performance of the vehicle components shown can be modified by adding or removing at least one component. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the relative positions of the components can be altered to correspond to the performance or structure of vehicle 1. Meanwhile, Figure 1Each component shown may refer to a hardware component, such as software and / or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0038] Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the current characteristics of a switching element at each temperature according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the operation of the switching element 120 at room temperature. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the operation of the switching element 120 at high temperatures.

[0039] Specifically, Figure 2 Z2-1 and Figure 3 In this context, Z3-1 represents the operating region of the IGBT, while regions Z2-2 and Z3-2 represent the saturation current region of the IGBT. (Refer to...) Figure 2 and Figure 3 The voltage and current characteristics based on the gate voltage of the switching element 120 are shown. Specifically, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the voltage and current characteristics at room temperature (25°C). Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the voltage and current characteristics at a high temperature (175°C).

[0040] Switching element 120 can be configured to transmit current differentially based on gate voltage. A higher gate voltage allows for a greater amount of current to be transmitted to switching element 120, while a higher temperature of switching element 120 results in a smaller current being transmitted. According to an exemplary embodiment, the gate drive voltage for driving switching element 120 can be determined to be 15V.

[0041] Reference Figure 2 When the gate voltage of switching element 120 is 15V, the saturation current at room temperature can be determined to be approximately 1900A. Meanwhile, referring to... Figure 3 When the junction temperature increases to a high temperature, the saturation current can be limited to approximately 1300A. Therefore, when considering high-temperature use, the current output from the switching element 120 is approximately 1300A.

[0042] Typically, to solve this problem, increasing the gate voltage of the switching element 120 can be considered. Specifically, when the gate voltage applied to the switching element 120 is compensated and it is used at high temperatures, the saturation current limit can be relaxed. Specifically, refer to... Figure 3 When the gate voltage increases from 15V to 17V, the saturation current can increase to approximately 1600A. Simultaneously, in this case, the chip size must be increased. The operation of the present invention to solve this problem will be described below.

[0043] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between a clock signal and a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. (Refer to...) Figure 4 It shows the clock signal, sensed voltage, and drive signal derived from the clock signal at room temperature.

[0044] The processor 140 included in the vehicle can be configured to send a clock signal to the converter 130 to drive the motor 110. The converter 130 can be configured to acquire temperature information from a temperature sensor 150 disposed in the switching element 120. The temperature information may include a sensed voltage determined based on the temperature of the switching element 120. When the temperature of the switching element 120 is high, the sensed voltage can be determined to be low, and when the temperature of the switching element 120 is low, the sensed voltage can be determined to be high.

[0045] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the scenario where the switching element 120 is driven at room temperature. Specifically, the sensed voltage V4 received from the temperature sensor 150 can be determined to be relatively high. The converter 130 can be configured to receive a clock signal C4 from the processor 140 for driving the motor 110 and determine a drive signal D4 based on the sensed voltage V4 received from the temperature sensor 150. The drive signal D4 can be determined as the intersection points t41 and t42 of the clock signal C4 and the sensed voltage.

[0046] exist Figure 4 In this context, the drive signal D4 can be defined as the intersection of the clock signal C4 and the sensed voltage V4. Specifically, the duty cycle of the drive signal D4 can be determined by the intersection of the sensed voltage V4 and the clock signal C4. At room temperature, the duty cycle of the drive signal will not increase because the saturation current of the switching element 120 is sufficient.

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between current and voltage of the switching element 120 at high temperatures. (Refer to...) Figure 5 and Figure 4 , Figure 5 The diagram illustrates driving the switching element 120 at high temperatures to output a low saturation current. Specifically, the temperature sensor 150 can be configured to send a low sensed voltage V5 to the converter 130. The converter 130 can be configured to determine the drive signal D5 by receiving a clock signal C5 from the processor 140 for driving the switching element 120 and the sensed voltage V5 from the temperature sensor 150.

[0048] At the same time, Figure 5In this process, a low sensing voltage V5 can be received. Simultaneously, the converter 130 can be configured to determine the duty cycle of the drive signal D5 based on the intersection points t51 and t52 of the clock signal C5 and the sensing voltage V5. Specifically, the switching element 120 has a high temperature, while the sensing voltage V5 is low. This is because the distance between the intersection points t51 and t52 of the sensing voltage V5 and the clock signal C5 is... Figure 4 With a wide distance, a drive signal with a large duty cycle can be output in this case.

[0049] At the same time, due to Figure 5 This refers to the operation of switching element 120 at high temperature and with low saturation current; therefore, converter 130 can be configured to drive switching element 120 by outputting a drive signal D5 with a high duty cycle. Therefore, Figure 5 The switching element 120 has a ratio Figure 4 The switching element 120 has a lower saturation current but a higher duty cycle, thereby supplying the current required to drive the motor 110 to the motor 110. Meanwhile, reference... Figure 4 and Figure 5 The described operation is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and there are no limitations on the operation of changing the drive signal based on the temperature of the switching element 120.

[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating circuitry included in a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 A processor 140, a converter 130, a driver 160, a temperature sensor 150, and a switching element 120 are illustrated. According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one processor 140 can be configured to generate a clock signal for driving the motor 110 based on user instructions. The generated clock signal can be sent to the converter 130, which can be configured to generate a drive signal based on a sensed voltage received from the temperature sensor 150. The temperature sensor 150 can be configured to detect junction temperature information of the switching element 120.

[0051] As described above, the sensing signal can be transmitted via the temperature sensor 150 of the switching element 120. The converter 130 can be configured as a flyback controller. The converter 130 may include a transformer configured to generate a drive signal, and the converter 130 can be configured to regulate power using the power of the driver 160 and its gate duty cycle (PWM_Power). The converter 130 can be configured to receive temperature information (TEMP_OUT) from the switching element 120, compare the clock signal of the processor 140 with the sensed voltage using a comparator configured therein, and regulate the current supplied to the motor 110 by adjusting the duty cycle of the drive signal according to the temperature.

[0052] For example, when the temperature rises and the sensed voltage decreases, the controller is configured to increase the duty cycle of the drive signal based on the sensed voltage and the clock signal. Therefore, compared to a conventional converter, the converter 130 can be configured to compensate for the decrease in saturation current caused by high temperature by increasing the saturation current.

[0053] Simultaneously, at least one processor 140 can be configured to send a drive signal supplied to the converter 130 to the driver 160, which can be configured to send a drive signal with a defined duty cycle to the switching element 120 as described above. The switching element 120 can be configured to supply current to the motor 110 independently of temperature. Specifically, since the saturation current of the switching element 120 can be maintained at room temperature, the sensing voltage sent by the temperature sensor 150 is sent high, thereby allowing the switching element 120 to be driven using a low duty cycle drive signal.

[0054] On the other hand, at high temperatures, since the saturation current of the switching element 120 remains low, the sensing voltage sent by the temperature sensor 150 is also low, thus a high duty cycle drive signal can be used to drive the switching element 120. When the temperature of the switching element 120 rises, even though the saturation current of the switching element 120 is low, the duty cycle of the drive signal increases, thus allowing a constant current to be supplied to the motor 110. Simultaneously, Figure 6 The circuit diagram shown is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and there are no limitations on the embodiments of the circuit diagram for controlling the current supply of the motor 110.

[0055] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. (Refer to...) Figure 7 The converter 130 can be configured to acquire temperature information from the temperature sensor 150 (step 1001). When the temperature of the switching element 120 rises, the converter 130 can be configured to increase the duty cycle of the drive signal based on the sensed voltage and clock signal received from the temperature sensor 150 (steps 1002, 1003). Simultaneously, the converter 130 can be configured to supply current to the motor 110 using the drive signal with the increased duty cycle as described above (step 1004).

[0056] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, even at high temperatures, the vehicle and the method of controlling the vehicle can supply a constant current to the motor without changing the gate voltage.

[0057] The disclosed exemplary embodiments can be implemented as a recording medium storing computer-executable instructions that can be executed by a processor. These instructions can be stored as program code, and when executed by a processor, they can create program modules to perform the various steps of the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The recording medium can be implemented as a non-volatile computer-readable recording medium.

[0058] Non-volatile computer-readable recording media can include all types of recording media that store commands that can be interpreted by a computer. For example, non-volatile computer-readable recording media can be, for example, ROM, RAM, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, flash memory, optical data storage devices, etc.

[0059] Embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced in other forms than the exemplary embodiments described above without altering the technical concept or essential characteristics of the invention. The exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: At least one switching element configured to supply current to the motor; A temperature sensor configured to detect temperature information of at least one transistor; At least one processor configured to send a clock signal corresponding to the motor drive; A driver configured to receive the clock signal and send a drive signal to a transistor; A converter configured to determine the duty cycle of the drive signal based on temperature information received from a temperature sensor. The temperature information includes a sensing voltage, and the at least one processor is further configured to correct the sensing voltage when the temperature of at least one transistor increases or decreases. When the temperature of the at least one transistor rises, the at least one processor is configured to correct the sensed voltage to maintain a constant current supplied to the motor, and the converter is configured to determine the duty cycle by increasing the duty cycle in response to the corrected sensed voltage.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The clock signal includes a triangular wave signal; The driving signal includes a pulse width modulation signal; The converter is configured to convert a triangular wave signal into a pulse width modulated signal.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to correct the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor based on the temperature rise of the transistor to compensate for the decrease in the saturation current of the transistor.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to correct the sensing voltage of the temperature sensor based on the temperature drop of the transistor; The converter is configured to reduce the duty cycle of the drive signal in response to a corrected sense voltage.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The converter is configured to determine the duty cycle based on the intersection of the sensed voltage and the clock signal.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one switching element is provided with at least one transistor element.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle is configured as one of a hybrid electric vehicle, a battery electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and a fuel cell electric vehicle.

8. A method for controlling a vehicle, comprising: Temperature information of at least one transistor is obtained from a temperature sensor; At least one processor sends a clock signal corresponding to the motor drive to the driver; The driver receives the clock signal and sends the drive signal to the transistor. The converter determines the duty cycle of the drive signal based on temperature information received from the temperature sensor. The temperature information includes a sensing voltage, and determining the duty cycle of the drive signal includes: when the temperature of at least one transistor rises or falls, the sensing voltage is corrected by at least one processor; when the temperature rises, the sensing voltage is corrected by at least one processor to maintain a constant current supplied to the motor; in response to the corrected sensing voltage, the converter determines the duty cycle by increasing the duty cycle.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The clock signal includes a triangular wave signal; The driving signal includes a pulse width modulation signal; The method includes converting a triangular wave signal into a pulse width modulated signal using a converter.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Determining the duty cycle of the drive signal includes: The sensed voltage is corrected based on the increase in transistor temperature to compensate for the decrease in transistor saturation current.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Determining the duty cycle of the drive signal includes: The sensing voltage is corrected based on the temperature drop of the transistor. The duty cycle of the drive signal is reduced in response to the corrected sense voltage.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Determining the duty cycle of the drive signal includes: The duty cycle is determined based on the intersection of the sensed voltage and the clock signal.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein: At least one switching element is provided with at least one transistor element.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The vehicle is configured as one of a hybrid electric vehicle, a battery electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and a fuel cell electric vehicle.

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