Compact power electronics for controlling electric vehicle battery

Abstract

A compact design of a printed circuit board (PCB) device for an intelligent cell system is provided. The design includes a number of features, including scalable high performance power modules. In one embodiment, the power module includes a plurality of power switches (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs)) having a low resistance that can control very high currents of a direct current to direct current (DCDC) converter and an H-bridge of a PCB. The power module is sandwiched between input and output busbars, which are positioned on opposite surfaces of a planar main substrate of the PCB to create a current transfer distance as short as possible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electric and / or hybrid electric vehicle driving technology, and more particularly, to a compact power electronic device for controlling a battery of an electric and / or hybrid vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as a more sustainable mode of transportation. The electric vehicle battery management system (BMS) is a critical component for the successful operation of electric vehicles. It plays a key role in ensuring the safety, performance, and reliability of the electric vehicle battery system. The printed circuit board (PCB) is an integral part of this system as the PCB houses the various components of the system, such as sensors and controllers, and provides interconnection between the various components. As the need for BMS system optimization and energy control in EVs emerges, new PCB technologies are needed to meet this demand. Summary of the invention

[0003] The following provides an overview to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention. This overview is not intended to identify key or core elements or to delineate any scope of a particular embodiment or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later. In one or more embodiments described herein, a compact power electronics PCB technology for controlling a battery of an electric and / or hybrid vehicle is provided.

[0004] In one embodiment, a compact PCB device for controlling a battery of an electric vehicle is provided. The PCB device includes a direct current to direct current (DCDC) converter formed on a substrate, the DCDC converter including a primary winding having a planar / flat geometry and formed on a first surface of the substrate, a secondary winding having a planar geometry and formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface, and a transformer core formed around the primary winding and the secondary winding.

[0005] In one or more embodiments, the DCDC converter includes an LLC resonant converter, wherein the primary winding includes a first inductor of the LLC resonant converter, the secondary winding includes a second inductor of the LLC resonant converter, and wherein the primary winding and the secondary winding are respectively configured to generate a limited amount of leakage inductance by the LLC resonant converter without using a third inductor. For example, in some embodiments, the primary winding, the secondary winding, and the substrate form a stacked three-layer structure, the three-layer structure includes a substrate sandwiched between the primary winding and the secondary winding, wherein the primary winding and the secondary winding are partially offset in a direction parallel to the first surface and the second surface, wherein the limited amount of leakage inductance is generated by the partial offset of the primary winding and the secondary winding. The limited amount of leakage inductance can also be generated by a transformer core, which is formed around only a portion of the primary winding and the secondary winding. For example, in some implementations, the transformer core can be defined by a distal end, a proximal end opposite the distal end, and a length extending laterally from the distal end to the proximal end, and wherein a portion of the primary winding and a portion of the secondary winding extend laterally beyond the proximal end and the distal end of the transformer core in a direction parallel to the first surface and the second surface.

[0006] In various embodiments, the primary winding comprises a conductive metal sheet patterned into a planar winding configuration, and wherein the primary winding is soldered to a first surface of a substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate comprises a first substrate, and wherein the secondary winding comprises a trace formed on or within a second substrate, the second substrate being formed on a second surface of the first substrate.

[0007] In some embodiments, the PCB device further comprises a busbar formed on the opposite surface of the substrate, the busbar comprising a first busbar formed on the first surface of the substrate and a second busbar formed on the second surface of the substrate, and a power module formed on the substrate and sandwiched between the first busbar and the second busbar, the power module comprising a plurality of power switches, the plurality of power switches controlling the current flow between the busbars. In various implementations of these embodiments, the plurality of power switches comprises at least two switches electrically connected to the primary winding, the at least two switches controlling the switching operation of the DCDC converter. In these implementations, the second busbar may comprise an inlet busbar electrically connected to a first switch of the at least two switches and configured to feed the input current to the primary winding via the first switch, and an outlet busbar electrically connected to a second switch of the at least two switches and configured to receive the output current from the primary winding via the second switch. To this end, the first switch and the second switch may be sandwiched between a portion of the primary winding and corresponding portions of the inlet busbar and the outlet busbar, and wherein the at least two power switches are aligned with a portion of the primary winding and corresponding portions of the inlet busbar and the outlet busbar in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface.

[0008] In some embodiments, the PCB device further comprises a row of capacitors formed on the second surface at a position aligned with the power module in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface, wherein a distal end of the row of capacitors is aligned with a portion of the primary winding in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface, wherein the row of capacitors is electrically connected to the primary winding and is configured to provide a second input current to the primary winding, and is also configured to perform the function of a PCB device unassociated / separate from the DCDC converter.

[0009] In some embodiments, the PCB arrangement may include another row of capacitors formed on the second surface and electrically connected to a portion of the primary winding, wherein the another row of capacitors is aligned with the portion of the primary winding in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface.

[0010] In another embodiment, a method includes forming a DCDC converter on a substrate, including forming a primary winding having a planar geometry on a first surface of the substrate, forming a secondary winding having a planar geometry on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface, and forming a transformer core around the primary winding and the secondary winding. In some embodiments, the DCDC converter includes an LLC resonant converter, wherein the primary winding includes a first inductor of the LLC resonant converter, and the secondary winding includes a second inductor of the LLC resonant converter, and wherein forming the DCDC converter includes configuring the primary winding and the secondary winding to generate a defined amount of leakage inductance by the LLC resonant converter without using a third inductor.

[0011] In another embodiment, a device may include one or more battery cells, and a PCB device attached to the one or more battery cells. The PCB device may include a DCDC converter formed on a substrate and electrically connected to the one or more battery cells, the DCDC converter including a primary winding having a planar geometry and formed on a first surface of the substrate, a secondary winding having a planar geometry and formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface, and a transformer core formed around the primary winding and the secondary winding.

[0012] In another embodiment, a compact PCB device for controlling a battery of an electric vehicle is provided. The PCB device may include a busbar formed on opposite sides of a substrate, and a power module formed on the substrate, the power module being sandwiched between the busbars and electrically connected to the busbars, the power module including a power switch, and the power switch controlling the flow of current between the busbars. In some embodiments, the power switch controls the flow of current in a direction perpendicular to the opposite side of the substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate includes an electrical connector formed within the thickness of the substrate and exposed on the opposite side of the substrate, wherein the power switch is formed on the substrate at a position directly above or below the electrical connector, and the electrical connector connects each power switch to the busbar.

[0013] In another embodiment, the method may include: forming a power module on a substrate, the power module including a power switch; forming a bus on opposite sides of the substrate and the power module, and electrically connecting the power switch to the bus. In one aspect, forming the bus includes soldering the bus to opposite sides of the substrate, with the power module sandwiched between the bus. In some embodiments, the method also includes an electrical connector formed within the thickness of the substrate and exposed on opposite sides of the substrate, and wherein forming the power module includes positioning the power switch on the substrate at a position directly above or directly below the electrical connector.

[0014] In some embodiments, the substrate includes a first substrate, and the power module includes a power switch embedded in a second substrate. In these embodiments, forming the power module on the substrate includes welding the second substrate to the first substrate. Welding the second substrate to the first substrate may also include welding the second substrate to a first side of the first substrate, and wherein forming the busbars includes welding one or more first busbars to the second substrate and welding one or more second busbars to a second side of the first substrate opposite the first side. In other embodiments, forming the power module includes separately welding at least some of the power switches to the substrate.

[0015] In another embodiment, the device may include one or more battery cells and a PCB device attached to the one or more battery cells. The PCB device may include busbars formed on opposite sides of the substrate, wherein at least one busbar is electrically connected to the one or more battery cells. The PCB device also includes a power module formed on the substrate, sandwiched between the busbars and electrically connected to the busbars, and the power module includes a power switch that controls the flow of current between the busbars. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] One or more exemplary embodiments are described below in the detailed description section with reference to the following figures.

[0017] Figure 1 An exemplary smart cell battery system for powering one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0018] Figure 2A An exemplary battery cell of a smart cell battery system according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0019] Figure 2B Another exemplary battery cell according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A simplified circuit diagram of an exemplary direct-to-direct (DCDC) converter is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0021] Figure 4 A top view of an exemplary printed circuit board (PCB) arrangement suitable for connection to a battery cell according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0022] Figure 5A An exploded view of an exemplary PCB arrangement according to one or more first embodiments described herein is shown.

[0023] Figure 5B An exploded view of an exemplary PCB arrangement according to one or more second embodiments described herein is shown.

[0024] Figure 6 A top view of an exemplary PCB arrangement is shown with an alternating current (AC) bus bar removed, according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0025] Figure 7 A bottom view of an exemplary PCB arrangement according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0026] Figure 8 A bottom view of an exemplary PCB arrangement is shown with the DC busbars removed according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0027] Fig. 9 Shown is a side view of an exemplary PCB arrangement according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0028] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B A side view of an exemplary PCB arrangement is shown, wherein the main substrate has been removed, according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0029] Fig.11A and Fig. 11BShown are isolated views of primary and secondary windings according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0030] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D Different configurations of primary and secondary windings according to one or more embodiments described herein are shown.

[0031] Fig.13A and Fig. 13B Shown is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary PCB arrangement according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0032] Fig.14 An exemplary method for forming a compact direct current to direct current (DCDC) converter on a PCB arrangement according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0033] Fig.15 Another exemplary method for forming a compact DCDC converter on a PCB arrangement according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0034] Fig.16 Another exemplary method for forming a compact DCDC converter on a PCB arrangement according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0035] Fig.17 An exemplary method for forming a compact PCB arrangement including an embedded power module according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0036] Fig.18 Another exemplary method for forming a compact PCB arrangement including an embedded power module according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0037] Fig.19 Another exemplary method for forming a compact PCB arrangement including an embedded power module according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following detailed description is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the application or use of the embodiments and / or embodiments. In addition, it is not intended to be bound by any explicit or implicit information presented in the previous background technology part or the invention summary part, or the detailed description part.

[0039] In one or more embodiments described herein, PCB technology is provided for controlling a battery of an electric vehicle and / or a hybrid vehicle. The disclosed PCB technology particularly relates to a PCB device for controlling battery cell operation of an intelligent single-cell battery system, which is used to power one or more electrical machines (e.g., motors) and / or electrical systems of an electric vehicle.

[0040] The smart cell battery system aims to remove large and expensive components from traditional powertrains and use batteries more efficiently. More specifically, the smart cell battery system is a multilevel inverter concept that aims to replace powertrain components such as traditional large inverters by integrating them into printed circuit boards (PCBs) connected to battery cell clusters. These PCBs are wirelessly connected to a central controller that handles advanced control. Each PCB includes several power electronic components, which enable several power electronic components to intelligently control and manage the operation of the corresponding battery cells to which they are connected (e.g., making them "intelligent"). In addition, the PCB enables the direct current (DC) output from the small battery cell cluster to be converted into alternating current (AC) to control the motor through field-oriented control (FOC). The battery cell cluster can be configured in a variety of different ways depending on propulsion requirements, the use of other high-voltage and low-voltage electrical systems of the vehicle, and the charging situation. By switching the converter to a smart cell battery system, the battery pack can operate at twice the voltage level of a similar battery pack using a traditional converter, thereby reducing current and reducing losses. In addition, only the required battery cells need to be activated, rather than all batteries needing continuous activity, thereby improving efficiency.

[0041] The disclosed subject matter particularly relates to a compact design for a PCB device to provide optimized utility while minimizing manufacturing costs. The design includes a number of features, including a DC to DC (DCDC) converter having a compact, low-cost format that can provide significant power output despite operating at low voltages. In one or more embodiments, the DCDC converter includes or corresponds to an LLC resonant converter, which provides higher switching frequencies and reduced switching losses compared to other types of converters (e.g., flyback converters and / or forward converters). In contrast to using a pre-packaged standard DCDC converter, the disclosed technology builds the DCDC converter directly on a planar / flat main substrate of a PCB, thereby achieving better performance with fewer components and reduced costs. The DCDC converter includes a number of features, including but not limited to a closed loop for a primary side winding, an integrated leakage inductor, a planar / flat integrated transformer, a modular replaceable secondary side winding, and two secondary side rectification variants depending on the desired output voltage. The components / parts of the DCDC converter each have a planar or substantially planar geometry, enabling the DCDC converter to have a compact planar geometry with an overall thickness of approximately 1.0 mm or less.

[0042] The PCB also incorporates scalable, high-performance power modules. The power module includes multiple power switches (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), field effect transistors (FETs), etc.) with low resistance (e.g., <0.5mOhm), very high current to control the DCDC converter and the PCB's H-bridge, which is used to control the supply of AC current to the motor (among other functions). Traditional power modules include separate housings, isolation between each power switch (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), field effect transistors (FETs), etc.), and high current connections to surrounding components. In addition, traditional MOSFET packaging solutions cannot provide the extremely low resistance levels required for smart single-cell battery systems because traditional MOSFET packaging solutions add more resistance to the switch than the actual MOSFET itself.

[0043] The disclosed power module may include a plurality of power switches that can be customized according to the power requirements of the PCB. The power module is sandwiched between input and output busbars located on opposite sides of the planar main substrate of the PCB to generate the shortest possible current transmission distance. For example, the input and output busbars correspond to relatively large, substantially planar metal plates of conductive metal (e.g., copper, aluminum, gold, etc.). Since the metal plates are stacked on opposite sides of the planar main substrate to form relative parallel metal layers on the opposite sides of the planar main substrate, the power module is formed on the main substrate and sandwiched between the relative parallel metal layers. With this configuration, the current path between each busbar passes vertically through the power switch (e.g., perpendicular to the parallel planes / flat surfaces of the busbar and the main substrate). This helps to minimize the switch inductance, maximize cooling and reduce resistance to an absolute minimum. In addition, according to some embodiments of the smart single cell battery system, the busbar has been water-cooled in close proximity to the power module. Therefore, by sandwiching the power switch between the conductive busbars, the cooling of the busbar can be coordinated with the cooling of the power switch.

[0044] Although the disclosed technology is described with respect to a PCB device for controlling the operation of a battery cell of an electric vehicle, the disclosed technology can be extended to various other fields. In this regard, the disclosed PCB device can be applied in conjunction with its use to control and manage battery systems that are also used to power various other types of battery-powered electrical systems other than those associated with electric vehicles and conventional vehicles.

[0045] One or more embodiments are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are always used to refer to the same elements. It should be understood that the various structures depicted in the drawings are merely exemplary and may not be drawn to scale. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are set forth in order to more fully understand one or more embodiments. However, it is apparent that in various cases, one or more embodiments may be practiced by these specific details. In addition, when the explanation does not necessarily focus on the omitted elements, certain elements may be omitted in a particular view for the sake of clarity and / or simplicity. In addition, the same or similar reference numerals used throughout the accompanying drawings are used to represent the same or similar features, elements or structures, and therefore, for each accompanying drawing, the detailed explanation of the same or similar features, elements or structures will not be repeated.

[0046] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, terms such as on, above, over, top, positioned / formed on, positioned / formed on top of, etc., indicate that a first component is present on a second component, wherein there may be an intermediate component between the first component and the second component. As used herein, terms such as up, down, top, bottom, above, below, aligned with, adjacent to, distal, proximal, right, left, vertical, horizontal, and their derivatives shall relate to the disclosed structures, which are shown relative to the drawings in the drawings. Figure 4 As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "surface", "side", "end" and variations thereof when used to describe components of a PCB arrangement will assume that the side or end is defined by a physical element or structure having at least one surface.

[0047] As used herein, the term "aligned with..." refers to a first component (or a portion thereof) being positioned in a specified orientation or direction relative to a second component (or a portion thereof). In this regard, unless otherwise stated, the phrase "aligned with... in a direction perpendicular to the (planar) surface of the substrate" refers to a straight line that can be drawn from the first component to the second component, which is perpendicular to the plane of the substrate. Unless otherwise stated, the phrase "aligned with... in a direction parallel to the (planar) surface of the substrate" refers to a straight line that can be drawn from the first component to the second component, which is parallel to the plane of the substrate. As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the terms used in conjunction with the terms directly above, below, underneath, beside, etc. refer to the first component and the second component being aligned with each other. As used herein, the term longitudinal (or vertical) refers to a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the PCB device, and the term transverse refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the PCB device. According to the PCB device described herein, the longitudinal axis (i.e. Figure 4 The Y-Y' axis shown) is perpendicular to the relative top and bottom surfaces of the main substrate.

[0048] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it may describe one or more different types of couplings, including but not limited to chemical coupling, communicative coupling, electrical coupling, electromagnetic coupling, operational coupling, optical coupling, physical coupling, thermal coupling, and / or other types of couplings.

[0049] Figure 1An example smart cell battery system 102 is shown for powering one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle 100 according to one or more embodiments described herein. The one or more electrical systems may include one or more electric motors 112, one or more high voltage (HV) electrical systems 110, and / or one or more low voltage (LV) electrical systems 108. The one or more LV electrical systems 110 may include any type of electrical system associated with the electric vehicle 100 that typically consumes a DC input voltage of less than about 50 volts (V) (e.g., 12V, 14V, 15V, 40V, 48V, etc.). Some examples of LV electrical systems may include, but are not limited to, power steering systems, autonomous driving systems, infotainment systems, navigation systems, backup camera systems, and the like. The one or more HV electrical systems 110 may include any type of electrical system associated with the electric vehicle 100 that typically consumes a DC input voltage greater than about 50V (e.g., 48V, 72V, 100V, 400V, etc.), such as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and the like.

[0050] The one or more motors 112 (e.g., for example, a single motor typically used for 2-wheel drive vehicles and two motors for 4-wheel drive vehicles) may include any type of electric vehicle motor that is part of the vehicle's powertrain or drive, including one or more DC motors and / or one or more AS motors. In various embodiments, the one or more motors 112 may include or correspond to a three-phase motor, such as a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). A PMSM is a synchronous motor that uses permanent magnets (PM) rather than electromagnetic windings to generate a magnetic field. The three-phase machine operates using a three-phase current system. The fundamental frequency of the power supply three-phase system also determines the rotor speed by controlling the rotating magnetomotive force (MMF). The MMF produces torque together with the magnetic field of the PM rotor.

[0051] The rotor consists of PM, and the three static coils are stator windings. The stator windings are distributed 120° apart with respect to the central PM. The stator windings can be represented as an inductor in series with a resistor. The three windings are described as phase A, phase B, and phase C, and the phase current is i a 、i b and i c When current flows through the static coil, a magnetic field is generated according to Faraday's law, and a magnetic field is generated by the PM. When the electrical angle between the MMF of the stator and the rotor magnetic field is 90°, the maximum torque is generated.

[0052] In a conventional BEV system, a three-phase current for an AC motor such as a PMSM is generated from a DC power source through an inverter. According to one or more embodiments of the disclosed technology, a three-phase current is generated by a smart cell battery system 102 without using an inverter. To achieve this, the smart cell battery system 102 includes a plurality of battery cells (not shown) arranged in three separate strings corresponding to three different phases (e.g., a phase A string, a phase B string, and a phase C string), which can provide corresponding three-phase currents of the three-phase current used in driving the one or more motors 112.

[0053] In this regard, the smart single-cell battery system 102 includes a plurality of battery cell units 106 arranged into three separate strings, which are represented as phase A string, phase B string, and phase C string, respectively. The battery cell units 106 associated with the phase A string include cells A1-An, the battery cell units 106 associated with the phase B string include cells B1-Bn, and the battery cell units 106 associated with the phase C string include cells C1-Cn. The number of battery cell units "n" associated with each string can vary. For example, in some embodiments, the number of battery cell units n included in each string is 96, so that there are a total of 288 battery cell units 106 in the smart single-cell battery system 102. However, the number of battery cell units 106 included in the smart single-cell battery system 102 is not limited to this configuration and can be customized to suit various usage scenarios.

[0054] Each battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn and C1-Cn may include one or more battery cells and a PCB device that includes several power electronic components that enable them to intelligently control and manage the operation of the corresponding battery cells connected thereto. In addition, the PCB enables the DC output from the corresponding battery cells connected thereto to be converted to AC to control one or more motors 112 through field oriented control FOC. These PCBs are wirelessly connected to the main board 104 that handles advanced control.

[0055] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An exemplary battery cell unit of the smart cell battery system 102 is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 2A An exemplary battery cell unit 200A including a single battery cell 202 is shown. Figure 2B Another exemplary battery cell unit 200B including a plurality of battery cells 202 is shown. Figure 1 , Figure 2A and Figure 2B , in various embodiments, Figure 1All or some of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn shown in FIG. 1 may correspond to the battery cell 200A and / or the battery cell unit 200B. Figure 2A As shown, in some embodiments, one or more battery cell units 106 may include a single battery cell 202. In other embodiments, one or more battery cell units 106 may include a cluster 206 of battery cells 202, wherein the cluster 206 may include two or more battery cells 202. The number of battery cells 202 included in the cluster 206 may vary. For example, although the battery cell unit 200B is shown as having four battery cells 202, it should be understood that the number of battery cells 202 can be customized according to different usage scenarios and power requirements. The battery cells 202 may include any type of battery cell material, such as lithium battery cell material, lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery cell material, lithium metal battery cell material, lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery cell material, molten salt (Na-NiCl2) battery cell material, nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery cell material, lead-acid battery cell.

[0056] All or some of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn may include a PCB device 204 formed thereon, the PCB device 204 being electrically connected to one or more battery cells 202 associated with the battery cell units 106, respectively. For example, the PCB device 204 may be physically attached to a single battery cell 202 or one or more corresponding battery cells 202 included in the cluster 206. The manner in which the PCB device 204 is physically attached to a single battery cell 202 (e.g., as exemplified for battery cell 200A) and / or a battery cell cluster 206 (e.g., as exemplified for battery cell unit 200B) may vary. For example, the PCB device 204 may be materially bonded to one or more battery cells 202, such as by one or more welding bonds (e.g., solder material welding bonds, laser material welding bonds, etc.) and / or via one or more adhesive material bonds). Alternatively, the PCB device 204 may be attached to one or more battery cells 202 via one or more screw connections.

[0057] The manner in which the PCB assembly 204 (or its components) is electrically connected to a single battery cell 202 and / or a cluster 206 of battery cells 202 may also vary. For example, each battery cell 202 may include one or more terminals or power supply points (not shown), and the PCB assembly 204 (or its components) may be electrically connected to at least one terminal of the battery cell 202 via any suitable thermal connection (e.g., a busbar, a direct metal-to-metal component connection, a wired connection, etc.). In some embodiments, each battery cell 202 may include four terminals or output points, two of which may be AC ​​terminals or power supply points, and two of which may be isolated DC terminals or power supply points. In some embodiments, when applied to a cluster 206 of battery cells 202, the PCB assembly 204 (or its components) may be electrically connected to at least one terminal of each battery cell of the cluster 206. In other embodiments, when applied to a cluster 206 of battery cells 202, the PCB assembly 204 (or its components) may be electrically connected to at least one terminal of at least one battery cell 202 of the cluster 206.

[0058] The battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn (and / or components thereof) may be electrically connected in series and / or in parallel (e.g., via hardwire connections) in appropriate quantities to achieve a desired voltage and / or form independent subgroups of the battery cells 106 that are connected to different electrical systems (e.g., one or more LV electrical systems 108 and / or HV electrical systems 110) of the electric vehicle 200. The battery cells 106 (and / or components thereof) and / or subgroups of the battery cells 106 may be further electrically connected (e.g., via hardwire connections) to one or more electric motors 112, one or more LV electrical systems 108, and / or HV electrical systems 110.

[0059] For example, in various embodiments, some or all of the battery cell units 106A1-n, B1-n, and C1-n (or portions thereof, such as two motors applied to a 4-wheel drive machine) can be used to feed DC current to one or more LV electrical systems 108 and / or one or more HV electrical systems 110, and to feed AC current to one or more motors 112. To achieve this, a corresponding PCB device (e.g., corresponding to PCB device 204, etc.) may include a DCDC converter that can be used to generate a desired DC output voltage to feed the LV and / or HV electrical system. The DCDC converters of the corresponding battery cell units 106 may be connected in series and / or in parallel (e.g., via a wired connection). The corresponding PCB device may also include an H-bridge, and each H-bridge may be connected in series (via a wired connection). The battery cell units 106 may feed respective AC phase currents from each of the three-phase strings A, B, and C to one or more motors 112 via respective respective battery cell groups and H-bridge connections that are independent of respective DCDC converters that feed DC currents to the corresponding LV electrical system 110 or HV electrical system 112 to which the DCDC converters are connected. Various configurations are contemplated.

[0060] In this regard, the PCB device 204 may include or correspond to a circuit board device including electronic or electrical hardware (and software) components that enable the PCB device 204 to intelligently control various operations of the corresponding battery cells 202 connected thereto, including providing DC output and AC output to the corresponding electrical system of the electric vehicle 100. The electronic or electrical hardware components may include, but are not limited to: a DCDC converter, a power module including multiple power switches for the DCDC converter and H-bridge (and other functions), a bus, wires, ports, sensors, a control unit (e.g., including a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a storage device, etc.), wireless communication components (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) transmitter / receiver, a transceiver, etc.), and various other components. The following will refer to Figure 3-13B The electronic / electrical hardware components of the PCB assembly 204 are discussed in more detail.

[0061] Figure 3 2 shows a simplified circuit diagram of an exemplary DCDC converter 300 according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 1-Figure 3 In various embodiments, the PCB device 204 may be a DCDC converter 300 and / or a device similar to a DCDC converter. Figure 3 As shown, the electrical components of the DCDC converter 300 may be grouped into primary-side components, secondary-side components, and transformer components.

[0062] The transformer of the DCDC converter 300 couples the primary side and the secondary side electrical components, and includes a primary side winding 308, a secondary side winding 312, and a transformer core 310. The primary winding 308 and the secondary winding 312 are magnetically coupled to each other, and are electrically / physically isolated from each other by a small isolation distance. In order to improve the magnetic connection between them, a transformer core 310 (e.g., made of graphite or other suitable materials) can be formed around both the primary winding 308 and the secondary winding 312, and the transformer core 310 serves as a guide for the magnetic field surrounding the transformer core 310 to improve the magnetic coupling between the primary winding 308 and the secondary winding 310.

[0063] The primary side components may include a primary side input connector 304a (also referred to as a positive connector) and a primary side output connector 304b (also referred to as a negative connector). The input connector 304a and the output connector 304b may be electrically connected to one or more battery cells 202 via a DC input busbar 302a and a DC output busbar 302b, respectively. For example, the DC input busbar 302a may be connected to the corresponding positive terminal of the battery cell 202 and the input connector 304a, while the output busbar 302b may be connected to the corresponding negative terminal of the battery cell 202 and the output connector 304b. The primary side of the DCDC converter 300 also includes at least two power switches, shown as a first switch 306a and a second switch 306b. These power switches may include or correspond to MOSFETs or similar types of switches, respectively. The DCDC converter 300 also includes a main controller 314 to control the operation of the DCDC converter 300, including controlling the conduction and disconnection (or opening and closing) of the first switch 306a and the second switch 306b. The primary side of the DCDC converter 300 also includes a plurality of capacitors, represented as capacitor 316a, capacitor 316b and capacitor 316c. Each of these capacitors 316a, 316b and 316c may respectively include or correspond to a capacitor bank, but for simplicity, only one capacitor symbol is shown here.

[0064] The secondary-side electrical assembly may include a secondary-side positive output connector 324a, a secondary-side negative output connector 324b, and an output capacitor bank 322 (again represented by a single capacitor for simplicity, but may include or correspond to a bank of capacitors). The positive output connector 324a may be electrically connected to a load 326, such as one or more LV electrical systems 108 and / or one or more HV electrical systems 110 of the electric vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the negative output connector 324b may be electrically connected to ground and / or another power source. The secondary-side electrical assembly also includes a secondary-side switch (represented as a third switch 318a and a fourth switch 318b) and a rectifier controller 320, which may control the turning on and off (or opening and closing) of the secondary-side switch. In some embodiments, the DCDC converter 300 is configured to generate a low output voltage (e.g., less than 50V, and typically about 15V, for supplying current to one or more LV electrical systems 108), and the secondary-side switch (e.g., the third switch 318a and the fourth switch 318b) may include a MOSFET or a similar type of power switch. In other embodiments, the DCDC converter is configured to generate a high output voltage (e.g., greater than 50V, and even up to 400V or higher, for supplying current to one or more HV electrical systems 110), and the secondary side switches (e.g., the third switch 318a and the fourth switch 318b) may include diodes or similar switches. In some implementations of these embodiments, the secondary side switches include diodes and the rectifier controller 320 may be removed.

[0065] The primary side switches (e.g., the first switch 306a and the second switch 306b) and the secondary side switches (e.g., the third switch 318a and the fourth switch 318b) control (e.g., controlled via the main controller 308 and the rectifier controller 318, respectively) the current flow between the battery cell 202 and the load 326 through the DCDC converter 300. Specifically, these switches are opened and closed according to a carefully adjusted switching frequency to control the current flow through the transformer of the DCDC converter in the forward (i.e., positive) and reverse (i.e., negative) directions on the primary side and the secondary side, so that the transformer operates at a desired resonant frequency and produces a desired output voltage with low switching losses. For example, according to the example operation of the DCDC converter 300, on the primary side, when the first switch 306a is opened and the second switch 306b is closed, the current flows in a first direction (or forward / positive direction), as shown by the solid arrow line. On the primary side, when the first switch 306a is closed and the second switch 306b is opened, the current flows through the transformer in the second direction (or reverse / negative direction), as shown in the dotted arrow line. In this regard, the first switch 306a and the second switch 306b are alternately opened and closed, causing the current on the primary side to alternately flow through the transformer in the forward and reverse directions. Similarly, on the secondary side, when the third switch 318a is opened and the fourth switch 318b is closed, the current flows in the first direction (or forward / positive direction), as shown in the solid arrow line. On the secondary side, when the third switch 318a is closed and the fourth switch 318b is opened, the current flows through the transformer in the second direction (or reverse / negative direction), as shown in the dotted arrow line. In this regard, the third switch 318a and the fourth switch 318b also alternate between opening and closing, causing the current on the secondary side to alternately flow through the transformer between the forward and reverse directions.

[0066] For the primary side, the current flows in a first direction or a positive direction along the solid arrow line, wherein the first switch 302a is open and the second switch 302b is closed, and the current flows from the battery cell 202 into the DCDC converter 300 via the input DC bus 302a, through the first switch 306a, and into the primary winding 308. The current then flows through the primary winding 308 that is magnetically coupled with the secondary winding 312. The current then circulates between the primary winding 308, the secondary winding, and the transformer core 310 to generate an output voltage that is higher (or lower) than the input voltage of the primary winding 308.

[0067] In addition, on the primary side, current then flows out of the primary winding 312 and into capacitors 316a and 316b, where the current is temporarily stored. For example, capacitors 316a and 316b may include or correspond to a resonant bank of a DCDC converter. The first switch 306a may remain open to control the current flow into capacitors 316a and 316b, preferably until the amount of voltage retained in the capacitors is at its maximum level (e.g., corresponding to the maximum voltage capacity of the battery cell 202). In this regard, the first or forward flow of current corresponds to the input flow from the battery cell into the DCDC converter 300, resulting in capacitors 316a and 316b being charged.

[0068] Once the capacitors 316a and 316b reach the desired (e.g., maximum) charge level, the first switch 306a is closed and the second switch 306b is opened. This cuts off the flow of current from the battery cell 202 and causes the voltage stored in the capacitors 316a and 316b to rush out of the capacitors and flow in the second direction or reverse direction indicated by the dashed arrow lines. After flowing in reverse on the primary side, the current accumulated in the capacitors 316a and 316b leaves the capacitors and flows back to the primary winding 308 in the reverse direction. The current leaves the primary winding 308 in the opposite direction and flows back to the primary side via the output connector 304b and the output DC bus 302b and flows to the ground and / or the negative terminal of the battery cell 202.

[0069] For the secondary side, according to forward (solid arrow line) and reverse (dashed arrow line) flow, the current generated by the transformer flows out of the transformer and flows to the load 326 connected to the positive output connector 324a. Residual current (e.g., as shown by the dashed arrow line) may also flow between the positive output connector 324a and the negative output connector 324b (which may be connected to the ground or another element) and flow around the secondary side circuit. In both forward and reverse flow, in association with the current flow between the transformer and the load, the current (or a portion thereof) may be temporarily stored and / or filtered via the output capacitor bank 322. For example, the output capacitor bank 322 may be used as a rectifier filter of the DCDC converter 300, and the secondary side forward and reverse currents are filtered by the rectifier filter before being transmitted to the load 326 via the positive output connector 324a. As described above, on the secondary side, the third switch 318a and the fourth switch 318b are alternately opened and closed, resulting in the current on the secondary side alternately flowing through the transformer in the forward direction (solid arrow line) and the reverse direction (dashed arrow line).

[0070] According to both forward and reverse flows, the resonant frequency of the DCDC converter 300 is based on the alternating switching time and frequency of the primary side switches (e.g., the first switch 306a and the second switch 306b) and the secondary side switches (e.g., the third switch 318a and the fourth switch 318b) and the capacitors (e.g., capacitors corresponding to the first capacitor 316a, the second capacitor 316b, and the resonant group capacitor 322). The primary side forward and reverse flows can be operated at very high switching frequencies (e.g., about 100 to 200kHz). The switching frequency of the primary side forward and reverse flows can be customized and controlled by the corresponding primary side switches 316a / 316b and the secondary side switches 318a / 318b to achieve the desired secondary side output voltage. Generally, the higher the switching frequency, the greater the secondary side output voltage. When these switches are controlled (e.g., via the main controller 314 and the rectifier controller 320, respectively) to turn on and off with perfect timing, so that the first switch 306a and the second switch 306b are alternately turned on and off based on the time when the voltage levels in the capacitors 316a and 316b match the output voltage capacity of the battery cell 202, the DCDC converter 300 operates at its natural resonant frequency, which means optimal efficiency and the lowest possible switching losses.

[0071] In one or more embodiments, the DCDC converter 300 includes or corresponds to an LLC resonant converter, which provides higher switching frequencies and lower switching losses than other types of converters (e.g., flyback converters and / or forward converters). An LLC converter uses at least two inductors (LL) and a capacitor (c) (or a group of capacitors), referred to as an LLC configuration. The LLC converter can provide an output voltage higher or lower than the input voltage and provides electrical isolation via a transformer. Although more complex than a flyback or forward converter, the LLC converter design can produce higher output power and use smaller, cheaper components (among other benefits).

[0072] A conventional LLC converter can be described as including four main components, including a main power switch (e.g., MOSFET, etc.), a resonant tank, a transformer, and a rectifier element. The main power switch can adopt a full-bridge or half-bridge topology. The main power switch (e.g., corresponding to the first switch 306a and the second switch 306b) converts the input DC voltage into a high-frequency square wave. The square wave then enters the resonant tank, which eliminates the harmonics of the square wave and outputs a fundamental frequency sine wave. The resonant tank is composed of a resonant capacitor and two inductors: the resonant inductor is connected in series with the capacitor and the transformer, and in parallel with the magnetizing inductor. The role of the resonant tank is to filter out the harmonics of the square wave and output a fundamental switching frequency sine wave to the input of the transformer. The sine wave is transmitted to the secondary of the converter through a high-frequency transformer, which adjusts the voltage up or down depending on the application. Finally, the rectifier converts the sine wave into a stable DC output. The rectifier circuit can be implemented as a full-wave bridge or a tapped configuration with a capacitor filter.

[0073] According to one or more embodiments, the DCDC converter 300 integrated on and / or within the PCB device 204 (wherein the PCB device 204 corresponds to the reference Figure 4-13B The PCB assembly 400 described above implements an LLC type converter design and function with fewer components (and therefore lower cost) and a planar geometry, thereby minimizing the overall thickness of the PCB assembly 204. To achieve this, the DCDC converter 300 uses the above reference Figure 3 Describes the unique physical design and configuration of the various electrical components. Figure 4-13B This unique design and configuration of the DCDC converter and other unique features and functions of the PCB arrangement 204 are described in more detail.

[0074] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a top view of an exemplary PCB arrangement 400 in an assembled configuration according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 1-Figure 4 In various embodiments, the PCB device 400 may include or correspond to the PCB device 204 (or vice versa). In this regard, the PCB device 400 (or its components) may be configured to be physically and electrically connected to one or more battery cells 202 in one or more battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn, and control various operations of the corresponding battery cells 202 connected thereto, including those associated with powering one or more electric motors 112, one or more HV electrical systems 110, and / or one or more LV electrical systems 108 from the corresponding battery cells 202, obtaining power from the corresponding battery cells 202, and those associated with charging operations, transferring energy to the corresponding battery cells 202.

[0075] Figure 5A An exploded, disassembled view of a PCB arrangement 400 according to one or more first embodiments is shown. Figure 5B FIG. 4 shows another exploded, disassembled view of a PCB assembly 400 according to one or more second embodiments described herein. Figure 5A and 5B As shown, the respective components of the PCB arrangement 400 are positioned relative to each other in the manner in which they are configured to be assembled to form Figure 4 The assembled configuration of PCB arrangement 400 is shown.

[0076] Figure 6 Another top view of the PCB arrangement 400 is shown, wherein the top (surface) surface bus bars have been removed (eg, the first upper bus bar 414 a and the second upper bus bar 414 b ), according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 7 A bottom view of a PCB arrangement 400 is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 8 Another bottom view of the PCB arrangement 400 is shown, wherein the bottom (surface) surface bus bars have been removed (eg, the first lower bus bar 416 a and the second lower bus bar 416 b ), according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0077] Fig. 9 Shown is a (left) side view of a PCB arrangement 400 according to one or more embodiments described herein. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B A side (left) view of a PCB arrangement 400 is shown with a primary substrate (eg, primary substrate 402 ) removed, according to one or more embodiments described herein. Fig.11A and Fig. 11B An isolated view of a primary winding (eg, primary winding 408 ) and a secondary winding (eg, substrate 502 including secondary winding 504 ) is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figures 12A-12D Different configurations of primary and secondary windings according to one or more embodiments described herein are shown. Fig.13A and Fig. 13B Shown is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary PCB arrangement 400 according to one or more embodiments described herein. Fig.13A and Fig. 13B The cross-sectional views in the figure respectively depict the PCB device 400 along the direction relative to Figure 6 The PCB assembly 400 is shown as a cross-section taken along the P-P' axis, but including the upper busbars 414a and 414b. Figures 11A-13B middle, Figure 4-10A Some identical electrical components of the PCB arrangement 400 shown in FIG. 4 are shown patterned or shaded to facilitate illustration.

[0078] refer to Figure 4-13B , combined with Figure 1-Figure 3 , the PCB assembly 400 includes a plurality of electrical components formed on opposite sides of the main substrate 402. Figure 4 As shown, the host substrate 402 may have a planar or substantially planar and rectangular geometry defined by a planar material layer having a maximum linear dimension along the XZ plane. Figure 4 As shown, the main substrate 402 can be defined by a length extending laterally relative to the X-X' axis, a width extending laterally along the Z-Z' axis, and a minimum thickness or height extending longitudinally or vertically along the Y-Y' direction (e.g., less than 1.0 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, and more preferably less than 0.2 mm). In this regard, the main substrate 402 has a rectangular body that is a plane or substantially plane defined by parallel and opposing surfaces, which is referred to herein as a top (surface) surface 402A (e.g., also referred to as a first surface) and a bottom (surface) surface 402B (e.g., also referred to as a second surface) opposite to the first surface. The main substrate 402 can also be defined as a left side, a right side opposite to the left side, a distal end, and a proximal end.

[0079] Hereinafter, the relative positions, orientations, and sizes of the electrical components of the PCB assembly 400 (and the PCB assembly as a whole unit) are described relative to the three-dimensional (3D) position and orientation of the main substrate 402, which is defined by the top surface 402A, the bottom surface 402B, the left side, the right side, the distal end, and the proximal end of the main substrate 402 relative to the X-X', Y-Y', and Z-Z' axes, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 For example, the top surface or top side of a component refers to the surface / side with the Y-Y' axis facing Y, the bottom surface / side refers to the surface / side with the Y'-Y' axis facing Y', the left side / surface refers to the surface / side with the Z-Z' axis facing Z, the right side / surface refers to the surface / side with the Z-Z' axis facing Z', and so on.

[0080] The main substrate 402 may be formed of one or more layers of suitable dielectric materials and / or conductive materials. For example, in some embodiments, the main substrate 402 may include one or more first conductive layers or regions (e.g., conductive metal material layers or regions) located on or near the top surface 402A, one or more second conductive layers or regions (e.g., conductive metal material layers or regions) located on or near the bottom surface 402B, and a dielectric core formed between the one or more first conductive layers and the one or more second conductive layers. The main substrate 402 may also include a plurality of electrical connectors or through holes (e.g., Fig.13A and Fig. 13BThe main substrate 402 may further include a plurality of electrical connectors or through holes extending through the substrate to the opposite surface of the substrate to electrically connect one or more electrical components formed on the top surface 402A to one or more electrical components formed on the bottom surface 402B. According to conventional PCB manufacturing techniques, the top surface 402A and / or the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 may also include a plurality of traces (not shown) formed thereon to provide electrical connections between the electrical components respectively formed on the top surface 402A and / or the bottom surface 402B.

[0081] Given that Figure 3 ,refer to Figure 4 (as well as Figures 5A-13B The top surface 402A of the PCB device 400 shown in many other figures in the drawings) may include, but is not limited to, a secondary-side DC positive output connector 404 (e.g., corresponding to the positive output connector 324a), a secondary-side negative output connector 406 (corresponding to the negative output connector 324b), a rectifier controller 407 (corresponding to the rectifier controller 320), a primary winding 408 (corresponding to the primary winding 308), a portion (e.g., the upper portion 410a) of the transformer core 410 (e.g., corresponding to the transformer core 310), a main DCDC controller 412 (e.g., corresponding to the main controller 314), a first upper bus bar 414a and a second upper bus bar 414b. In various embodiments, the first upper bus bar 414a and the second upper bus bar 414b respectively correspond to bus bars for distributing current between electrical components of the PCB device 400 that are not associated with the DCDC converter of the PCB device (e.g., in some embodiments, except for the buffer, as described below). For example, the first upper busbar 414a and the second upper busbar 414b may include or correspond to input and / or output busbars configured to distribute high voltage AC energy between the power modules of the PCB device 400 (e.g., formed below the first upper busbar 414a and the second upper busbar 414b, as described below) and one or more external electrical systems (e.g., one or more electric motors 112 of an electric vehicle) to which the respective busbars are connected. The first upper busbar 414a and the second upper busbar 414b may each include or correspond to a relatively large planar metal plate formed of one or more conductive metals (e.g., copper, aluminum, gold, etc.).

[0082] refer to Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 6In some embodiments, the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 may further include a power module, the power module including a plurality of power switches 514 (e.g., MOSFET, FET, or similar type of semiconductor switches), the plurality of power switches 514 being formed on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 and being located directly below the first upper bus 414a and the second upper bus 414b. For example, in some embodiments, as Figure 5A and Figure 6 As shown, the power module may include a plurality of power switches 514 formed on and / or within a substrate 512 having a planar geometry. The number and type of power switches 514 formed on or within the substrate 512 may be adjusted according to different applications of the PCB device 400. For example, Figure 5A As shown, the substrate 512 includes eight power switches 514, and as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, some of the power switches are removed from the second substrate 512 to expose the switch connection area 616. In this regard, in some embodiments, the substrate 512 may include a switch connection area 616, which corresponds to a pre-configured connection area for attaching one or more power switches 514 thereto (e.g., by soldering (hereinafter may be referred to as welding) or another suitable attachment mechanism). With these embodiments, the number, type and position of the power switches 514 formed on or in the substrate 512 can be selectively adjusted to accommodate different applications of the PCB device 400.

[0083] For example, in some embodiments, each power switch 514 may include or correspond to a pre-packaged individual switch that may be independently soldered to and / or embedded within the substrate 512 at the connection region 616. In some implementations of these embodiments, the connection region 616 may include an electrical connector (e.g., a through-hole, etc., represented by a black dot located within the connection region 616) extending through the thickness of the substrate 512 to electrically connect the power switch 514 formed thereon to other electrical components located on the opposite surface of the substrate 512.

[0084] In other embodiments, the power switch 514 may be embedded within the thickness of the substrate 512, such as Fig.13A In these embodiments, the corresponding source and drain regions of the power switch 514 may be exposed on opposite sides of the second substrate 512. In these embodiments, Figure 6The illustrated connection region 616 may include or correspond to an opening extending through the thickness of the substrate 512, into which the power switch 514 may be inserted. In other embodiments, the substrate 512 including the embedded power switch 514 formed within the thickness of the substrate 512 may include or correspond to a pre-packaged power module manufactured and obtained as a single unit. In these embodiments, the number, type, and arrangement of the power switches 514 integrated within the substrate 512 may be customized at the time of manufacture depending on the application of the PCB device 400.

[0085] like Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 may also include a connection area 516 formed thereon, and the location of the connection area 516 corresponds to the location where the power switch 514 is attached. For example, the connection area 516 may include an electrical connector (e.g., Fig.13A and Fig. 13B The electrical connectors 1302 shown, such as through holes, extend from the top surface 402A to the bottom surface 402B to pass through the thickness of the main substrate 402. These electrical connectors can electrically connect the power switch 514 located thereon to other electrical components formed on the opposite surface of the main substrate 402.

[0086] Additionally or alternatively, a power module defined by the substrate 512 (including a power switch 514 embedded therein) may be assembled on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402, with the position of the power module being similar to that of the substrate 512. Figure 5A , Figure 6 and Fig.13A The positions of the power modules shown in are mirror images. For these embodiments, Figure 5A The connection area 516 shown in FIG. 5 may be additionally or alternatively formed on the bottom surface of the main substrate, and the location of the connection area 516 may be different from that of the main substrate. Figure 5A The positions of the connection areas shown in are mirrored.

[0087] In other embodiments, Figure 5B and Fig. 13BAs shown, the power switch 514 may include or correspond to individual switches that are individually and separately attached to the top and / or bottom surfaces of the main substrate 402 at locations corresponding to the connection regions 516. With these embodiments, the power switch 514 may be directly assembled (e.g., welded or using another suitable attachment mechanism) on the top surface 402A and / or the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 at locations of the connection regions 516. An electrical connector (e.g., electrical connector 1302) formed within the thickness of the main substrate 402 (e.g., extending from the top surface 402A to the bottom surface 402B) at a location corresponding to the connection region 516 may further electrically connect the power switch 514 formed on the top surface 402A to an electrical component formed on the bottom surface 402B (or vice versa). With these embodiments, different types of power switches 514 may be selectively attached to the main substrate 402 as needed and according to a desired configuration relative to the connection region 516.

[0088] like Figure 5A and Figure 5B , Figure 7 As shown in (and other figures), the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 may include a lower portion 410b of a transformer core 410 (corresponding to the transformer core 310), a secondary winding 504 (corresponding to the secondary winding 312) formed on or within a planar substrate 502 (e.g., as a trace), a first lower busbar 416a (corresponding to the DC input busbar 302a), and a second lower busbar 416b (corresponding to the DC output busbar 302b). In this regard, according to the disclosed technology, the secondary winding 504 of the DCDC converter may be formed as a trace (e.g., an electrically patterned winding) formed on and / or within a separate substrate 502 having a planar geometry. (It should be noted that for ease of description, Figure 5A and Figure 5B The secondary winding 504 (i.e., the patterned traces indicated by the dashed lines) shown on the substrate 502 is not shown on the substrate 502 in the other figures. In this regard, although not shown, it should be understood that Figures 5A-13B Each instance of the substrate 502 shown in the figure includes a secondary winding 504. To this end, each transformer component of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400 (corresponding to the DCDC converter 300) is assembled on the main substrate 402, wherein the primary winding 408 is located on the top surface 402A, the substrate 502 includes a secondary winding 504 located on the bottom surface 402B and below the primary winding 408, and the transformer core 410 is formed around the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 on both the top surface and the bottom surface of the main substrate. For example, as Fig. 9 and Fig. 10AAs shown, after assembly, the upper portion 410 a and the lower portion 410 b are combined and connected to form a transformer core 410 surrounding the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 .

[0089] Specifically, Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, the transformer core 410 may be formed of an upper portion 410a and a lower portion 410b, wherein the upper portion 410a is configured to be assembled on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402, and the lower portion 410b is configured to be assembled on the bottom surface 410B of the main substrate 402, directly below the upper portion 410a. When assembled on the main substrate 402, the upper portion 410a is physically attached (e.g., by welding or other suitable attachment mechanisms) to the lower portion 410b through the openings 508a and 508b formed through the main substrate 402 and the opening 506 formed through the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504. For example, the upper portion 410a may have a geometric shape corresponding to an upper capital letter "E" having a planar top surface and three longitudinal walls (e.g., a first wall 510a, a second wall 510b, and a third wall 510c) extending vertically toward the main substrate 402 in a direction perpendicular to the planar top surface (e.g., along the Figure 4 The primary winding 408 also having a planar geometry is located on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402, and further meanders through the three longitudinal walls (eg, the first wall 510a, the second wall 510b, and the third wall 510c) of the upper portion 410a.

[0090] The second substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 is assembled on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402, such as being sandwiched between the bottom surface 402B and the lower portion 410b. When positioned relative to the bottom 410b, the width of the substrate 502 can be less than the width of the lower portion 410b (e.g., in the Z-Z' direction), so that when positioned on the lower portion 410b, the surfaces 507a and 507c of the lower portion 410b on the opposite left and right sides of the substrate 502 are exposed, while the center surface 507b of the lower portion 410b is exposed within the opening 506 of the substrate 502. The length of the substrate 502 (and the secondary winding 504) can also be greater than the length of the second portion 410b (e.g., in the XX' direction), so that the substrate 502 extends laterally beyond the distal and proximal ends of the lower portion 410b.

[0091] When the substrate 502 and the lower portion 410b are assembled on the bottom surface 402B, the opening 506 and the central surface 507b exposed therein are aligned with the opening 508b. At the same time, the surface 507a is aligned with the opening 508a. The size of the substrate 502 and the lower portion 410b can be further set to when assembled on the bottom surface 402A of the main substrate 402, the surface 507c of the lower portion 410b at least partially extends laterally in the Z-Z' direction beyond the right edge of the main substrate 402. When the upper core portion 410a is assembled on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402, the second wall 510b is configured to be inserted through the opening 508b and attached (for example, via welding or other suitable attachment mechanisms) to the central surface 507b of the lower portion 410b, such as aligned with the opening 508b. At the same time, the first wall 510a is configured to be inserted through the opening 508a and attached to the surface 507a, such as aligned with the opening 508a. In addition, the third wall 510a is configured to be attached to the surface 507c around the right edge of the main substrate 402, such as Figure 6 (and other figures).

[0092] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 4 (and other figures), when assembling the transformer portion of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400, the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 includes a substrate 502 (including a secondary winding 504), which is directly located on the bottom surface of the main substrate 402, wherein a lower core portion 410b is formed around a portion of the substrate 502. In this regard, the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 is assembled between the bottom surface 402A of the main substrate 402 and the lower portion 410b.

[0093] As described above, the bottom surface 402A of the main substrate 402 includes a first lower bus bar 416a (corresponding to the DC input bus bar 302a) and a second lower bus bar 416b. Similar to the upper bus bar formed on the top surface 410A, the first lower bus bar 416a and the second lower bus bar 416b may respectively include or correspond to a relatively large planar metal plate formed by one or more conductive metals (e.g., copper, aluminum, gold, etc.). In various embodiments, the first lower bus bar 416a corresponds to the DC input bus bar 302a, and the second lower bus bar 416b corresponds to the DC output bus bar 302b. In this regard, the first lower bus bar 416a may be connected to the corresponding positive terminal of the battery cell 202 and configured to distribute the input current from the battery cell 202 to the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400. Likewise, the second lower busbar 416 b may be connected to the respective negative terminals (and “ground” in some embodiments) of the battery cells 202 and configured to distribute the output current from the DCDC converter to the battery cells 202 .

[0094] As mentioned above, Figure 5B As stated, and as Figure 8 The first lower bus bar 416a and the second lower bus bar 416b in the bottom surface 402B are shown with respect to the Figure 7 The bottom surface 402B is shown removed. In some embodiments, the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 may include a plurality of power switches 514 formed between the first and second lower bus bars and the bottom surface 402A. Figure 8 As shown, the plurality of power switches 514 include a row of switches formed on the bottom surface 402A, and the position of the row of switches is aligned with the second lower bus bar 416b instead of the first lower bus bar 416a, but this is for illustrative purposes only. In this regard, in some embodiments, one or more power switches 514 may be additionally or alternatively formed directly below the first lower bus bar 416a at a position corresponding to the connection area 516. In this regard, as described above with reference to Figure 5A and Figure 5B As described above, in some embodiments, similar to the top surface 402A, the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 may also include a connection area 516 formed thereon, and the position of the connection area 516 is similar to the top surface 402A. Figure 5A and Figure 5B The positions of the connection areas shown in the top panel are mirrored.

[0095] The bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 may also include a plurality of capacitors, including capacitor 702a, capacitor 702b, capacitor 702c, and capacitor 702d. In various embodiments, capacitor 702b and capacitor 702c located near the proximal substrate 502 (including the secondary winding 504) may correspond to capacitor 316a and capacitor 316b of the DCDC converter 300, respectively. Similarly, capacitor 702d located adjacent to the distal end of the substrate 502 may correspond to capacitor 322 of the DCDC converter 300. Figure 7 As shown, capacitors 702b and 702c may be arranged in a row or in a straight line on bottom surface 402B, the row or line being parallel to the distal and proximal ends of main substrate 402B. The rows of capacitors 702b and 702c are further positioned laterally between the proximal end of substrate 502 and the distal ends of lower bus bars (e.g., first lower bus bar 416a and second lower bus bar 416b).

[0096] In some embodiments, capacitor 702a may correspond to capacitor 316c of DCDC converter 300. As discussed in more detail below, capacitor 702a may correspond to an electrical component known as a buffer and provide dual functionality for PCB device 400, including a function serving the DCDC converter and another function unrelated to the DCDC converter. Figure 7As shown, capacitors 702a may be formed in a row on the bottom surface 402A between the first lower busbar 416a and the second lower busbar 416b along the Z-Z' direction. To this end, the row of capacitors 702a and the rows of capacitors 702b and 702c together form a "T" configuration. Similarly, as Figure 8 As shown, power switch 514 and / or connection region 516 may be formed on bottom surface 402B on opposite left and right sides of capacitor 702a.

[0097] The bottom surface 402B may further include a first rectifier switch 704a corresponding to the third switch 318a of the DCDC converter 300 and a second rectifier switch 704b corresponding to the fourth switch 318b of the DCDC converter 300. The bottom surface 402A may further include a battery management system 706, a power supply unit 708, and a gate controller 710, which performs functions in the PCB device 400 that are not related to the DCDC converter.

[0098] With particular reference to the power switches 514 of the PCB device 400, in various embodiments, the power switches 514 may collectively correspond to the power modules of the PCB device 400. The power switches 514 may be formed on the top surface 402A and / or the back surface 402B of the main substrate 402. The power switches 514 may be formed on and / or embedded in the substrate 512, which is then attached to the top surface 402A (e.g., by welding or other suitable attachment mechanisms), wherein the power switches 514 are aligned with the connection areas 516 (e.g., Figure 5A 514) and / or attached to the bottom surface 402B when the power switches 514 are aligned with the connection areas 516. Additionally or alternatively, the power switches 514 may be located at positions corresponding to the connection areas 516 (e.g. Figure 5B 402B (e.g., by welding or other suitable attachment mechanisms). The number of power switches 514 associated with the power module can be varied and customized according to the desired power capability of the PCB arrangement 400. In an example embodiment, the number of power switches associated with the power module can include approximately 10 to 14 power switches 514.

[0099] The power switches 514 may include MOSFETs (and / or other types of power switches) that may control very high currents associated with the DCDC converter and other circuits of the PCB arrangement 400 (e.g., an H-bridge circuit, etc.). Specifically, at least some of the power switches 514 may control current flow between the lower busbars (e.g., the first lower busbar 416a and the second lower busbar 416b) and the transformer of the DCDC converter of the PCB arrangement. Other power switches 514 may control very high current flow between the upper busbars (e.g., the first upper busbar 416a and the second upper busbar 416b) and other circuits of the PCB arrangement (e.g., an H-bridge circuit, etc.). To achieve this, the power switches 514 require very low resistance (e.g., <0.5 mOhm).

[0100] According to the disclosed technology, the power module of the PCB device 400 (for example, in some embodiments, composed of a power switch 514 and a substrate 512) is sandwiched between upper and lower busbars formed on opposite surfaces (for example, top surface 402A and bottom surface 402B) of the main substrate 402, respectively, so as to produce the shortest possible current transmission distance between the power switch and the busbar. For example, as described above, the upper busbars (for example, the first upper busbar 414a and the second upper busbar 414b) and the lower busbars (for example, the first lower busbar 416a and the second lower busbar 416b) may include or correspond to a relatively large planar (or substantially planar) metal plate of a conductive metal (for example, copper, aluminum, gold, etc.). Since the upper and lower busbars are located on opposite surfaces of the planar main substrate 402, the upper busbars are stacked above the lower busbars (for example, as shown in FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 , Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig. 9 , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B ), to form opposing parallel metal layers on opposite surfaces of the planar main substrate 402, wherein a power module (e.g., a power switch 514) is formed on the main substrate 402 and sandwiched between the opposing parallel metal layers. In this regard, as Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Fig. 9As shown, the substrate power switches 514 are hidden from the illustration of the PCB device 400 because they are covered by the upper and / or lower busbars. With this configuration, the current path between the busbars and the power switch 514 passes vertically through the power switch (e.g., perpendicular to the parallel planar surfaces of the upper and lower busbars and the main substrate 402). This helps to minimize the switch inductance, minimize switching losses, maximize cooling and reduce resistance to an absolute minimum. In addition, according to some embodiments of the smart single cell battery system 102, the lower and / or upper busbars have been water-cooled in close proximity to the power module. Therefore, by sandwiching the power switch 514 between the conductive busbars, the cooling of the busbars cools the power switch in coordination.

[0101] In addition, by sandwiching the power switch 514 between the upper and lower busbars, the power switch can be directly connected to the busbars. Fig.13A As shown, in the power switch 514 (in Fig.13A and Fig. 13B In one or more embodiments (shown as black fill in FIG. 4 ) embedded within the substrate 512, each power switch 514 may include source and drain regions (not shown) that are respectively exposed on opposite sides of the substrate 512. The power switch 514 may extend longitudinally between the relative top and bottom surfaces of the substrate 512, so that the opposite sides of the switch are exposed at the opposite surfaces of the substrate 512. The exposed opposite sides of the power switch 514 may include switch source and drain regions, respectively. The main substrate 402 may also include an electrical connector 1302 formed through the thickness of the main substrate 402, the electrical connector 1302 being exposed on the top surface 402A and the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate (e.g., before assembling the power module on the main substrate). The electrical connector 1302 may include or correspond to a metal-plated (e.g., copper or other conductive metal) hole or through-hole that transmits current and heat vertically (e.g., in the longitudinal direction) to the opposite surface of the main substrate 402. In this regard, as Fig.13A The power switch 514 embedded in the substrate 512 and located on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 can be electrically connected to the first lower bus 416a (and / or the second lower bus 416b, which is excluded from the assembly) located on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 via the electrical connector 1302. Fig.13A and Fig. 13B outside the cross-sectional view shown). (As a reminder, Fig.13A and Fig. 13B The cross-sectional views shown depict the Figure 64 ). The power switch 514 may also be directly electrically connected to the upper busbars (e.g., the first upper busbar 414a and / or the second upper busbar 414b) located directly above the power switch 514 (e.g., via direct contact between the top surface of the power switch 514 and the bottom surface of the upper busbars and / or via other suitable conductive connection mechanisms). For example, the PCB device 400 may be assembled as follows: the substrate 512 including the embedded power switch 514 is directly soldered to the top surface 402A of the main substrate 302, and then the upper busbars 414a and 414b are directly soldered to the substrate 512. Similarly, the lower busbars 416a and 416b may be directly soldered to the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402.

[0102] Additionally or alternatively, a power module defined by substrate 512 including power switch 514 embedded therein may be provided in conjunction with Figure 5A , Figure 6 and Fig.13A The power modules are assembled on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate at positions that are mirror images of the positions of the power modules shown in FIG.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, a power module of the PCB device 400 may be formed using a power switch 514, which is manufactured as a pre-packaged individual switch that can be independently soldered to the top surface 402A and / or the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402, such as Figure 5A , Figure 8 and Fig. 13B (In some implementations of these embodiments, the pre-packaged power switch may have two or more pre-packaged switches that are embedded within a substrate corresponding to substrate 512). With these embodiments, power switch 514 may be assembled directly (e.g., via welding or using another suitable attachment mechanism) on top surface 402A and / or bottom surface 402B of main substrate 402 at the location of connection region 516 (and electrical connector 1302). With these embodiments, different types of power switches 514 may be selectively attached to main substrate 402 as needed and according to the desired configuration relative to connection region 516.

[0104] In some embodiments of these embodiments, the power switch 514 may include exposed source and drain regions on its opposite sides as described above. Using these embodiments, the power switch 514 can operate bidirectionally regardless of the surface of the main substrate to which they are attached, and can be directly electrically connected to the upper and / or lower busbars as described above. In other embodiments of these embodiments, the power switch 514 does not include source and drain regions on both sides thereof, the power switch 514 must be placed on the main substrate 402, and the gate connection of each switch faces the surface of the main substrate to which each switch is attached (e.g., top surface 402A or bottom surface 402B). In other words, the unidirectional power switch must be placed on each opposite side of the main substrate 402 (e.g., a first direction on one side and the other side in the reverse direction).

[0105] According to some embodiments where the power switch 514 is separately attached to the main substrate 402, the thickness of the power switch 514 (e.g., in the longitudinal or vertical direction) can increase the overall thickness of the assembled PCB device 400 (e.g., in the longitudinal or vertical direction). Fig.13A and Fig. 13B denoted by distance "d" in the figure), because each switch will extend from each surface of the main substrate 402 to which it is attached. In some implementations of these embodiments, in order to balance the increased thickness of the power switch 514, one or more upper bus bars (e.g., first upper bus bar 414a and second upper bus bar 414b) and / or lower bus bars (e.g., first lower bus bar 416a and / or 416b) may include a recessed area 518 at a position corresponding to the power switch 514, and the power switch 514 may be assembled in the recessed area, such as Figure 5B and Fig. 13B shown.

[0106] In various embodiments, due to the planar geometry of larger components and direct connections between several components, a total thickness "d" of approximately 1.0 mm (e.g., 1.0 mm in some embodiments, less than 1.0 mm in other embodiments, and less than 1.5 mm in other embodiments) for the entire PCB assembly 400 can be achieved using the design and configuration of electrical components as described herein.

[0107] Now specifically focusing on the DCDC converter of the PCB arrangement 400, as described above, in various embodiments, the DCDC converter of the PCB arrangement 400 may include or correspond to the DCDC converter 300. In this regard, the electrical components forming and / or electrically connected to the DCDC converter of the PCB arrangement 400 may include at least the above-mentioned components. Figure 3For example, the electrical components of the PCB device forming and / or associated with the DCDC converter include (but are not limited to): a first lower bus 416a (corresponding to the DC input bus 302a), a second lower bus 416b (corresponding to the DC output bus 302b), at least two of the power switches 514 (e.g., corresponding to the first switch 316a and the second switch 316b), a capacitor 702b and a capacitor 702c (corresponding to capacitors 316a and 316b, respectively), a capacitor 702a (in some embodiments, corresponding to capacitor 316c), a main DCDC controller 412 (corresponding to main controller 314), primary winding 408 (corresponding to primary winding 308), substrate 502 including secondary winding 504 (corresponding to secondary winding 312), transformer core 410 (corresponding to transformer core 310), capacitor 702d (corresponding to capacitor 322), first rectifier switch 704a and second rectifier switch 704b (corresponding to third switch 318a and fourth switch 318b, respectively), rectifier controller 407 (corresponding to rectifier controller 320), positive output connection 404 (corresponding to positive output connector 324a), and negative output connection 406 (corresponding to negative output connector 324b).

[0108] As opposed to using a pre-packaged standard LLC resonant converter, the disclosed technology builds the DCDC converter 300 directly on the planar main substrate 402 of the PCB device 400, enabling the DCDC converter to produce high power output (e.g., output power from 15V up to 400V or higher despite operating at a low input voltage) and achieve efficient performance (e.g., low switching losses, low heat distribution, etc.) with fewer components, thereby reducing costs while maintaining a compact size (e.g., due to the planar geometry and relative arrangement of larger electrical components of the DCDC converter such as the transformer component and the lower busbar). In this regard, the DCDC converter is particularly configured to be associated with integration on the individual battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn of the smart single-cell battery system 102, provide the power output required to power the LV electrical system and the HV electrical system of the electric vehicle 100, and use the power provided by the corresponding battery cell 202 associated with each battery cell unit 106 (e.g., typically around 15V, but varies depending on the number and type of battery cells associated with each unit). According to this use scenario, each battery cell may include a PCB device 400 attached thereto to provide various advanced features and functions of the smart single-cell battery system 102, thereby providing significant advantages for electric vehicle operation. Therefore, the unique design and configuration of the DCDC converter and other electrical components of the PCB device 400 described herein make the overall size and cost of the PCB device 400 suitable for this use scenario (e.g., making electric vehicles more affordable to consumers), while also providing the functions required by the PCB device 400 according to the smart single-cell battery system 102 (e.g., the DCDC converter described herein, etc.).

[0109] In this regard, reference Figure 3-13B , the primary side components of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400 may include at least two (for example, two when applied to a half-bridge LLC converter, and four when applied to a full-bridge LLC converter) primary side power switches, which correspond to the first switch 316a and the second switch 316b. According to the disclosed technology, these primary side power switches may include at least two power switches 514, and the at least two power switches 514 are sandwiched between the upper busbars 414a and 414b and the lower busbars 416a and 416b. Specifically, as Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 6 , Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the at least two power switches 514 are labeled as power switches 514 (DC+) or 514 (DC-) to indicate that these power switches correspond to primary-side power switches of the DCDC converter. These primary-side DC power switches may include a first switch 514 (DC+) corresponding to the first switch 306a. Figure 3 The first switch 514 controls the current flow between the input DC bus (e.g., the first lower bus 416a) and the primary winding 408. The primary side DCDC power switch may also include a second switch 514 (DC-) corresponding to the second switch 306b, according to the reference Figure 3 In the reverse flow or negative flow described above, the second switch 514 controls the current flow between the primary winding 408 and the output DC bus (eg, the second lower bus 416 b ).

[0110] The location of these first and second primary side DC power switches (and potentially third and fourth primary side DC power switches when applied to a full-bridge converter) relative to the primary winding 408 and the DC input and output busses (e.g., first lower bus 416a and second lower bus 416b, respectively) is particularly important and is uniquely configured to provide specific functional advantages.

[0111] In this regard, if Fig. 10B , Fig.11A , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B As shown, in various embodiments, the primary winding 408 can be subdivided into three subsections, including subsection A, subsection B, and subsection C. According to the positive flow or positive flow of the primary side current of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400 (corresponding to the reference Figure 3 The current flows vertically from the DC input busbar (e.g., the first lower busbar 416a) through the main substrate 402, enters the sub-segment A of the primary winding 408, bypasses the sub-segment B, and enters the sub-segment C. As described above and with reference to Figure 3 As described above, the first switch 514 (DC+) corresponding to the first switch 306a controls the positive flow, that is, the input current is supplied from the DC input bus (e.g., the first lower bus 416a) to the sub-section A of the primary winding 408. Figure 3 The dotted arrow line depicted in FIG. 4 shows a reverse flow or negative flow, where the current flows from sub-segment C through sub-segment B, then back to sub-segment A, and then downwardly from sub-segment A back to the DC output bus (e.g., second lower bus 416b). To this end, the primary winding 408 can be defined as including two ends, a first end corresponding to sub-segment A and a second end corresponding to sub-segment C. As described above and with reference to Figure 3 As depicted, the second switch 514 (DC-) corresponding to the second switch 306b controls the reverse flow, ie, supplies the output current from the sub-section A of the primary winding to the DC output bus (eg, the second lower bus 416b).

[0112] In order to minimize the distance that the primary side forward (or input) and reverse (or output) currents have to travel, the disclosed technique positions the primary side DC input and output switches (e.g., 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC-)) directly below the A subsection of the primary winding. For example, note that Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 6 , Figure 8 , Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B , the portion of power switch 514 labeled 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC−) includes switches located directly below sub-segment A of primary winding 408 .

[0113] For example, Figure 6 and Fig. 10B As shown, in some embodiments, the first switch 514 (DC+) and the second switch 514 (DC-) may be included on or within the power module substrate 512 and positioned on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 directly below the sub-section A of the primary winding 408. Figure 6 and Fig. 10B , the two power switches 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC-) are shown in dashed lines to indicate that they are covered (e.g., formed on) below the corresponding portion (e.g., sub-segment A) of the primary winding 408 formed on the top surface of the main substrate 402. In these embodiments, one of the power switches 514 (DC+) aligned with the DC input bus (e.g., the first lower bus 416a) corresponds to the first switch 306a that controls the flow of current from the DC input bus to the primary winding 408, and one of the power switches 514 (DC-) aligned with the DC output bus (e.g., the second lower bus 416b) corresponds to the second switch 306b that controls the flow of current from the primary winding 408 to the DC output bus (e.g., the second lower bus 416b).

[0114] Utilizing these embodiments, the first power switch 514 (DC+) may be electrically connected directly to a corresponding portion (e.g., sub-segment A) of the primary winding 408 (e.g., by direct metal-to-metal connection and / or by wired or soldered connection) and electrically connected to an input DC bus (e.g., first lower bus 416a) via an electrical connector (e.g., a through hole (e.g., electrical connector 1302)) formed through the main substrate 402, as shown in FIG. Fig.13ASimilarly, the second power switch 514 (DC-) can be directly electrically connected to the corresponding portion of the primary winding 408, i.e., sub-segment A (e.g., via direct metal-to-metal connection and / or by wired or welded connection), and electrically connected to the output DC bus (e.g., the second lower bus 416b) through an electrical connector (e.g., a through hole (e.g., electrical connector 1302)) formed through the main substrate 402, in the same manner as for Fig.13A The perspective diagram shown in is described in the same way.

[0115] According to this configuration, the primary side forward and reverse currents of the DCDC converter travel vertically in the shortest possible vertical distance defined by the thickness of the main substrate 402 to pass through the corresponding power switches 514 (DC+) and 515 (DC-) between the corresponding DC input and output busbars and the primary winding of the sub-section A, thereby minimizing switching losses and optimizing the efficiency of the DCDC converter. Figure 3 As described above, the turning on and off of these primary-side DCDC switches (e.g., 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC-)) can be controlled via the main controller 314, which corresponds to the main DCDC controller 412 located on the top surface of the main substrate 402. The main DCDC controller 412 can be electrically connected to the switches 514 (DC+) and 515 (DC-) via traces (not shown) formed on or within the main substrate 402 and / or using through-holes (e.g., when formed on the opposite side of the substrate), wires, or other suitable PCB connection techniques.

[0116] Various alternative but similar arrangements of the primary side DCDC switches 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC-) relative to the DC input and output busbars and the primary winding are also contemplated. For example, in some embodiments, instead of placing the first switch 514 (DC+) and the second switch 514 (DC-) on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402, one or both of these switches may be positioned relative to the primary winding. Figure 6 and Fig. 10B , and is located on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402. For example, Figure 5B and Figure 8 as well as Fig. 10AAs shown, in some embodiments, the first switch 514 (DC+) may be located on the top surface of the main substrate 402 and aligned with the DC input bus (e.g., the first lower bus 416a), and the second switch 514 (DC-) may be located on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 and aligned with the DC output bus (e.g., the second lower bus 416b). In other embodiments, both the first switch 514 (DC+) and the second switch 514 (DC-) may be located on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402. According to all of these configurations, the primary side forward and reverse current flows still follow the vertical current flow path described above.

[0117] The primary side electrical components of the DCDC converter may also include a capacitor 702c corresponding to the capacitor 316a and a capacitor 702b corresponding to the capacitor 316b. Figure 3 As described above, these capacitors 702c and / or 702b may include or correspond to a resonance bank of the DCDC converter 300, which temporarily stores the current generated by the transformer according to the forward or positive current flow path. The location of these capacitors 702c and 702b relative to the primary winding 408 is also particularly important and is uniquely configured to provide specific functional advantages. Specifically, as shown in reference Figure 3 As described above, according to the primary side forward current flow or positive current flow, capacitors 316a and 316b receive current from primary winding 308 and temporarily store the current. Similarly, according to the primary side reverse current flow or negative current flow, the current is released from capacitors 316a and 316b and sent back through primary winding 308.

[0118] For this reason, Fig. 9 , Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B As shown, capacitors 702b and 702c corresponding to capacitors 316a and 316b, respectively, may be collectively positioned in a row or line and located directly below sub-segment C of primary winding 408 and arranged along the width of sub-segment C (eg, along the ZZ' axis). Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.13A and Fig. 13BAs shown, these capacitors 702c and 702b can be arranged on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402, laterally located between the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 and the lower busbars (e.g., the first lower busbar 416a and the second lower busbar 416b). With this configuration, the capacitors 702c and 702b are located directly below and aligned with the sub-segment C of the primary winding 408, and the sub-segment C is located on the opposite surface (e.g., the top surface 402A) of the main substrate 402. The capacitors 702c and 702b can also be connected to the main substrate 402 via one or more electrical connectors 1302 (e.g., formed through the thickness of the main substrate 402). Fig.13A and 13B The primary winding 408 is directly connected to the sub-segment C of the primary winding 408 (as shown) (and / or via another suitable electrical connection mechanism). With this configuration, the current path between the sub-segment C of the primary winding 408 and the resonant capacitors 702b and 702c vertically passes through the main substrate 402, and thus the shortest possible current path (e.g., limited only by the vertical thickness of the main substrate 402) is achieved between the primary winding 408 and the resonant group capacitors 702c and 702b, thereby improving the efficiency of the DCDC converter and minimizing switching losses.

[0119] Similarly, the secondary side (or rectifier side) components of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400 are intelligently integrated on opposite surfaces (eg, top surface 402A and bottom surface 402B) on the far end of the main substrate 402. Specifically, as Fig. 9 , Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B As shown, the secondary-side DC positive output connector 404 (e.g., corresponding to the positive output connector 324a), the secondary-side negative output connector 406 (corresponding to the negative output connector 324b), and the rectifier controller 407 (corresponding to the rectifier controller 320) can be located on the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 at a position directly above (and thus vertically aligned with) the capacitor 702d corresponding to the secondary-side capacitor 322 of the DCDC converter 300. As shown in FIG. Figure 3 As described above, the secondary side capacitor 322 corresponding to the capacitor bank 702d can be used as a rectifier filter of the DCDC converter 300, through which the secondary side input and output currents are filtered before being transmitted to the load 326 or the negative output connector 324b (corresponding to the negative output connector 406) or the ground via the positive output connector 324a (corresponding to the positive output connector 404). With this configuration, the positive output connection 404 and the negative output connection 406 can be formed through the thickness of the main substrate 402 using one or more electrical connectors (e.g., Fig.13A and Fig. 13BThe through-holes 1302 shown in FIG. 1 are directly and vertically connected to capacitors 702d located on the opposite surface of the main substrate 402, thereby again providing the shortest possible current flow distance between the various components in the vertical direction through the main substrate 402 (e.g., defined by the thickness of the main substrate 402). In addition, by placing these capacitors 702d laterally adjacent to the secondary winding 504 formed within the substrate 502, the current flow path between the capacitors 702d and the secondary winding 504 (included in the substrate 502) is minimized, thereby further optimizing the efficiency of the DCDC converter.

[0120] In addition, the secondary side rectifier switches 704a and 704b, which correspond to the rectifier switches 318a and 318b, respectively, control the secondary side forward (or positive) and reverse (or negative) flow, thereby controlling the current flow between the secondary winding 504 and the capacitor 702d, and the secondary side rectifier switches 704a and 704b are intelligently positioned on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402, on the opposite side of the capacitor 702b in the Z-Z' direction. In other words, the capacitor 702d is located between the positive and negative rectifier switches 704a and 704b and very close to the secondary winding 504. With this configuration, the current flow path between the secondary winding 504, the rectifier switches 704a and 704b, and the rectifier capacitor 702d is minimized, thereby minimizing switching losses and improving the efficiency of the DCDC converter. The secondary winding 504, the rectifier switches 704a and 704b, and the rectifier capacitor 702d may be electrically connected to each other via traces, wires, or other suitable connection mechanisms formed on the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate. A rectifier controller 407 (in embodiments where they include or correspond to MOSFETs instead of diodes) that may control the switching of the rectifier switches 704a and 704b is further located above the location of the rectifier switches 704a and 704b on the opposite surface of the main substrate (e.g., the top surface or top surface 402A), as shown in FIG. Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B As shown (eg, above and between switches 704a and 704b on the opposite surface of main substrate 402). Rectification controller 704 may also be electrically connected to rectifier switches 704a and 704b using vias 1302 formed through the thickness of the substrate and / or traces.

[0121] In addition, if Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, in some embodiments, the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402 may include a capacitor row 702a laterally located between the right edge of the second lower bus bar 416b and the left edge of the first lower bus bar 416a. With this configuration, the capacitor row 702c is located on or within the power module of the PCB device 400 and between the plurality of power switches 514. In other words, the capacitor row 702b may be formed adjacent to and parallel to one or more rows of power switches 514 formed on the back surface 402B and / or the top surface 402A of the PCB device 400. With this configuration, the capacitor row 702a may be used as a buffer to soften the voltage spike or switching loss associated with the switching operation of a portion of the power switch 514, which is not associated / separated from the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400.

[0122] Specifically, as described above, the power module of the PCB device 400 may include a plurality of power switches 514, and only two (or in some embodiments, four) of these power switches 514 are used as primary-side DCDC switches (e.g., 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC-). The remaining (e.g., typically between 8 and 10 additional MOSFETs) power switches 514 are used for switching operations associated with transmitting current between upper bus bars (e.g., first upper bus bar 414a and second upper bus bar 414b). For example, these switching operations may include transmitting AC current between the battery cell unit 106 and one or more motors 112, etc. These switching operations involve transmitting high voltage current between the upper bus bars 414a and 414b, and Voltage spikes and switching losses may be generated in association with turning on and off currents via the corresponding power switches 514. To this end, in various embodiments, the capacitor 702a may be electrically connected (e.g., via the electrical connector 1302 and / or via another suitable electrical connection mechanism) to the upper busbars 414a and 414b and / or the portion of the power switches 514 used for switching operations that are not associated / separate from the DCDC converter. The capacitor 702a may also be configured to receive current from the upper busbars 414a and 414b (directly and / or via the corresponding power switches 514) and / or to supply current to the upper busbars 414a and 414b (directly and / or via the corresponding power switches 514) to soften voltage spikes and minimize switching losses associated with these switching operations.

[0123] In some embodiments, in addition to the functions of the capacitor 702a described above, the capacitor 702a can also be used as an additional primary-side input voltage source for the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 3As described, the primary side forward and reverse flows can operate at very high switching frequencies (e.g., about 100 to 200kHz). The switching frequency of the primary side forward and reverse flows can be customized and controlled (e.g., by the main DCDC controller 412) to achieve the desired secondary side output voltage. Generally, the higher the switching frequency, the greater the secondary side output voltage. In some embodiments where the switching frequency is higher (e.g., greater than 100kHz), it may not be possible to receive the input voltage supplied by the battery cell 202 from the input DC bus (e.g., the first lower bus 416b) quickly enough to provide the rapid energy burst required for the primary side forward current flow or positive current flow. In these embodiments, the capacitor 702a may also be configured to provide additional input current for the DCDC converter primary side forward current flow or positive current flow. In this regard, the primary side DCDC converter input switch 515 (DC+) may receive an electrical input current from the capacitor 702a and provide the input current to the primary winding 408 (e.g., via sub-segment A) in association with the forward or positive primary side current flow.

[0124] For example, some or all of the capacitors 702a may be electrically connected to the subsection A of the primary winding 408 via the primary side DCDC converter input switch (i.e., 514 (DC+)) and / or the input DCDC bus (i.e., the first lower bus 416a). In addition, since the capacitors 702a are already located very close to 514 (DC+), the DC input bus (e.g., the first lower bus 416a), and the subsection A of the primary winding 408, the current travel distance between these respective electrical components is also very small, thereby improving the efficiency of the DCDC converter and minimizing switching losses. For example, as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, capacitors 702a may be arranged in a row on bottom surface 402B of main substrate 402 between lower bus bars 416a and 416b, extending laterally from the proximal end of main substrate 402 (e.g., along axis X'-X) and reaching the distal ends of lower bus bars 416a and 416b. Figure 8 As shown, capacitor bank 702a extends to the far end of the power module (wherein the power module refers to the power switches 514 collectively grouped into a single unit), wherein the far end of the power module includes the primary side DCDC power switches 514 (DC-) and 514 (DC+) located directly below the sub-section A of the primary winding 408, the bottom surface 402B and / or the top surface 402A (such as Figure 6 , Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B , Fig.13A and Fig. 13B In this regard, Fig.13A and Fig. 13B (and other figures), the first lower bus bar 416a (and Fig. 9 The distal end of the second lower bus bar 416b) is shown to be located vertically directly below 514 (DC+) and sub-segment A of the primary winding 408. To this end, the distal end of the capacitor bank 702a is located on the bottom surface 402B at a position directly below a portion of sub-segment A of the primary winding 408 located on the top surface 402A, and is laterally adjacent to (i.e., in the Z-Z' direction) 514 (DC+), thereby providing a direct path for inputting additional input current to sub-segment A of the primary winding 408 for forward current flow or positive current flow.

[0125] Referring now specifically to the transformer components of the DCDC converter, including transformer core 410, primary winding 408, and secondary winding 504 (formed on and / or within substrate 502), the geometry, size, and configuration of these components are particularly important and uniquely configured to provide specific functional advantages.

[0126] First, if Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig.11A , Fig. 11B As shown in many other figures, the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 have a planar geometry. (Note that the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 is Figures 11A-12D In this regard, as described above with reference to Figure 5A and Figure 5B As described, the secondary winding 504 can be formed by a trace formed on or within a substrate 502 having a planar geometry. For example, the substrate 502 can include a planar substrate formed by one or more planar layers, and the one or more planar layers are composed of insulating materials and / or conductive materials. The thickness of the substrate 502 (for example, in the Y-Y' direction) can vary, but in a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the substrate 502 is less than 1.0 mm, more preferably less than 0.5 mm, and even more preferably less than 0.2 mm. The secondary winding 504 can be formed on and / or within the substrate 502 as a desired winding pattern etched on the surface of the substrate 502 and / or embedded in the thickness of the substrate 502 and patterned into a desired number of turns.

[0127] The primary winding 408 also has a planar geometry. In various embodiments, the primary winding 408 includes a conductive metal sheet patterned into a planar winding configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the primary winding 408 can be formed from a suitable conductive metal sheet (e.g., copper, aluminum, gold, or other suitable conductive metal) by etching and / or cutting the primary winding 408 from the metal sheet into the winding pattern shown in the figure.

[0128] By forming the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 as planar windings, rather than conventional coil windings, the primary winding 408 eliminates the normally complex winding operations required by conventional transformer designs, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. For example, conventional transformer designs form the primary winding and the secondary winding as coils that are each tightly wound around a separate component of the transformer core. In addition, by forming the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 as planar components, a nominal thickness (e.g., less than 1.0 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, and even more preferably less than 0.3 mm) is added to the total thickness of the PCB device 400 assembled on the main substrate 402. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness of the substrate 502 can be less than 1.0 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, more preferably less than 0.3 mm, and even more preferably less than 0.2 mm. Similarly, the substrate thickness of the primary winding 408 can be less than 1.0 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, more preferably less than 0.3 mm, and even more preferably less than 0.2 mm.

[0129] Secondly, by forming the secondary winding 504 of the DCDC converter as a separate component on or within the substrate 502 that can be separately attached to the bottom surface 402B of the main substrate 402, the output voltage capability of the DCDC converter can be selectively and effectively configured by simply changing the configuration of the secondary winding 504. For example, the output voltage of the DCDC converter supplied to the load (e.g., load 326, etc.) can be customized based on the number of turns of the trace for the secondary winding 504 patterned on and / or within the substrate 502 to produce different voltage amounts (e.g., 15V, 48V, 400V, etc.). With this configuration, the secondary winding 504 becomes an interchangeable component, which allows for the effective creation of a PCB device corresponding to a PCB device 400 having different DCDC converter output voltage capabilities. The secondary side rectification system of the DCDC converter integrated on the main substrate 402 can remain the same for different variants. However, in some embodiments, the secondary winding 504 is configured to produce a higher output voltage (e.g., greater than 15V, such as up to 400V), and the secondary side rectifier switches 704a and 704b can be replaced with compatible diodes (e.g., as opposed to MOSFETs or similar power switches). The voltage drop across the diodes will result in negligible losses for the 400V variant. In this regard, the output capacity of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400 can be customized by customizing the configuration of the secondary winding 504 without changing the overall structure and configuration of other electrical components of the DCDC converter.

[0130] Third, due to the modular configuration of the primary winding 408, the secondary winding 504, and the transformer core 410, the transformer of the DCDC converter can be easily and efficiently (eg, quickly and at a low cost) assembled on the main substrate 402. For example, as shown in FIG. Figure 5A and Figure 5B As described above, the transformer of the DCDC converter can be assembled on the main substrate 402 by attaching the bottom surface of the primary winding 408 to the top surface 402A of the main substrate 402 at a position around the openings 508a and 508b, and attaching the top surface of the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 to the bottom surface 402B at a position where the opening 506 is aligned with the opening 508b. The transformer core 410 is also formed around the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 located on the opposite surface of the substrate by positioning the upper portion 410a above the primary winding 408 on the top surface 402A, positioning the lower portion 410b below the substrate 502, and connecting the upper portion 410a to the lower portion 410b, as shown in reference Figure 5A and 5B In various embodiments, the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 may be attached to respective opposite surfaces of the main substrate 402 via welding or other suitable connection mechanisms. Similarly, the upper portion 410a may be attached to the lower portion 410b via welding or other suitable connection mechanisms.

[0131] When assembled on the main substrate 402, the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 are formed on opposite surfaces of the main substrate 402 and are sandwiched between the upper portion 410a and the lower portion 410b of the transformer core 410. To this end, when assembled, the primary winding 408, the secondary winding 504 and the main substrate 402 form a stacked three-layer structure that includes the main substrate 402 sandwiched between the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504. With this configuration, the planar surfaces of the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 are parallel to each other and are physically separated or isolated from each other by the main substrate 402. In this regard, the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 are physically separated from each other in the vertical or longitudinal direction (e.g., relative to the axis Y-Y') by a distance that is defined by the thickness of the planar main substrate 402. To this end, since the thickness of the main substrate 402 is very small (e.g., less than 1.0 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, and even more preferably less than 0.3 mm), the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 can be closely coupled, and the main substrate 402 serves as an isolation barrier between the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504. The transformer core formed of graphite or other magnetic coupling materials further improves the magnetic coupling between the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504, and serves as a guide for the electrical energy generated by the transformer, which flows around the primary winding 408, the secondary winding 504, and the transformer core 410. The transformer core 410, i.e., the upper portion 410a and the lower portion 410b, also has a substantially planar geometry (e.g., defined by planar top and bottom surfaces), with a nominal combined thickness of less than 1.5 mm, preferably less than 1.0 mm, and more preferably less than 0.5 mm, thereby helping to reduce the thickness of the PCB device 400 as a whole.

[0132] Furthermore, the geometry, size, and configuration of the primary winding 408, the secondary winding 504, and the transformer core 410 are specifically configured to produce a defined amount of leakage inductance in the transformer. Figure 3 As described, in one or more embodiments, the DCDC converter may include an LLC converter, which belongs to the resonant class of converters. A prerequisite for these types of converters is the presence of a certain amount of leakage inductance in the transformer. This inductance can produce switching losses in a flyback or forward converter. However, for a resonant DCDC converter, the leakage inductance can be used to produce oscillations at a certain eigenfrequency / characteristic frequency. By switching the converter at a frequency close to this eigenfrequency, the losses in the switch can be kept to a minimum and the overall efficiency is very high.

[0133] Typically, for a resonant LLC converter, the primary and secondary windings are tightly wound around the transformer core and placed as close to each other as possible to keep the leakage inductance between the primary and secondary windings as small as possible. The defined amount of leakage inductance required to produce oscillation at a specific eigenfrequency is then ensured by an additional inductor, which increases the size and cost of the converter. For example, briefly referring to Figure 3 According to the conventional LLC converter design, an additional inductor (eg, winding or coil) and a separate core formed therearound will be placed on the primary side portion of the circuit close to the transformer, such as Figure 3 shown.

[0134] However, according to the disclosed technology, the primary winding 408, the secondary winding 504, and the transformer core 410 are configured to generate the desired leakage inductance required to generate oscillation at a specific eigenfrequency without using additional inductors. For example, in various embodiments, the DCDC converter of the PCB device can be defined to include only two inductors, namely the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504, and the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 are respectively configured to generate a limited amount of leakage inductance by using the DCDC converter as an LLC resonant converter without using a third inductor. Therefore, compared with a conventional LLC converter, the cost of the DCDC converter of the PCB device 400 is reduced, and since each battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn is coupled to a separate PCB device corresponding to the PCB device 400, the total cost of the smart single-cell battery system 102 is significantly reduced.

[0135] In this regard, in accordance with the disclosed techniques, a desired limited amount of leakage inductance for the transformer is achieved (at least in part) by using an oversized primary winding 408, by positioning the primary winding 408 in an imperfect alignment relative to the secondary winding (e.g., thereby creating a tuning overlap between the respective windings), and by forming the transformer core 410 around only a portion of the primary and secondary windings 504.

[0136] For example, Fig. 10A , Fig. 10BAs shown in other figures, the transformer core 410 is formed only around the primary winding 408 and the central area of ​​the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504. In this regard, the primary winding 408 can be defined by a first length (e.g., along the axis XX') that is greater than the length of the transformer core 410 (e.g., along the axis XX') and positioned relative to the transformer core 410 such that the distal end and the proximal end of the primary winding 408 extend laterally beyond the distal end and the proximal end of the transformer core 410, respectively. Similarly, the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504 can be defined by a second length (e.g., along the axis XX') that is greater than the length of the transformer core 410 (e.g., along the axis XX') and positioned relative to the transformer core 410 such that the distal end and the proximal end of the substrate 502 extend laterally beyond the distal end and the proximal end of the transformer core 410, respectively. In this regard, the length of the transformer core 410 is shorter than the length of the primary winding 508 and the substrate 502, and the transformer core 410 is positioned around the primary winding 508 and the substrate 502 such that the length of the transformer core 410 is centered (or substantially centered) relative to the length of the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502. In other words, the transformer core 410 may be defined by a distal end, a proximal end opposite the distal end, and a length extending laterally from the distal end to the proximal end, and wherein portions of the primary winding 408 and portions of the secondary winding 504 extend laterally beyond the proximal end and the distal end of the transformer core 410 in a direction parallel to the first surface 402A and the second surface 402B of the main substrate 402.

[0137] like Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B As shown in other figures, the length of the transformer core 410 can be significantly less than the length of the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502, such that the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding extend laterally by a large amount relative to the proximal and distal ends of the transformer core 410. For example, in some embodiments, the length of the transformer core 410 can be approximately 30% less than the length of the primary winding 408 and / or the substrate 502. In other embodiments, the length of the transformer core 410 can be approximately 40% less than the length of the primary winding 408 and / or the substrate 502. In another embodiment, the length of the transformer core 410 can be approximately 50% less than the length of the primary winding 408 and / or the substrate 502. In yet another embodiment, the length of the transformer core 410 can be approximately 60% less than the length of the primary winding 408 and / or the substrate 502.

[0138] In addition, because the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 are partially misaligned in a direction parallel to the first surface 402A and the second surface 402B when assembled on the respective surfaces of the main substrate relative to each other, a limited amount of leakage inductance can be generated. For example, in some embodiments, the lengths of the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 (and therefore the secondary winding 504 formed therein / on it) can also be different, resulting in the primary winding 408 and the secondary winding 504 not being completely aligned when assembled on the main substrate 402. For example, Fig.11A and Fig. 11B 4 shows an isolated view of the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 positioned relative to each other when assembled onto the main substrate 402 according to one or more embodiments. Fig.11A and Fig. 11B As shown, the length of the primary winding 408 is longer relative to the length of the substrate 502. The primary winding 408 is further positioned relative to the substrate such that the proximal end of the primary winding 408 (including at least a portion of subsegment C and all of subsegment A) extends laterally (e.g., along axis XX') beyond the proximal end of the substrate 502. With this configuration, the primary winding 408 can be considered to be oversized and not fully aligned with the substrate 502.

[0139] It should be understood that the actual dimensions of the primary winding 408, the substrate 502 including the secondary winding 504, and the transformer core 410 (e.g., respective lengths (e.g., relative to axis XX') and widths (e.g., relative to axis ZZ')) can be varied and customized based on the configurations shown in the figures and the principles disclosed herein.

[0140] In some embodiments, Fig.11A and Fig. 11B As shown, the distal end and left and right side edges of the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 can be completely vertically aligned. However, in other embodiments, the distal end and / or left and right side edges of the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 can be vertically offset from each other (i.e., not completely aligned), which can further facilitate the generation of the target leakage inductance required for the transformer. For example, Figures 12A-12D Various different relative configurations of the primary winding 408 and substrate 502 that may be used are shown. In addition to the relative size and lateral positioning of the primary winding 408 relative to the substrate 502, in some embodiments, the vertical separation distance between the primary winding 408 and the substrate 502 can be tailored based on the thickness of the main substrate 402 and / or the soldering material used to solder the various components to the opposing surface of the main substrate 402 to control the DCDC converter to produce a defined amount of leakage inductance without the use of an additional (i.e., third) inductor.

[0141] Fig.14An exemplary method 1400 of forming a compact DCDC converter on a PCB arrangement (e.g., PCB arrangement 400) according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. The method 1400 includes forming a planar primary winding (e.g., primary winding 408) on a first surface (e.g., top surface 402A) of a substrate (e.g., main substrate 402) at 1402. At 1404, the method 1400 includes forming a planar secondary winding (e.g., secondary winding 504) on a second surface (e.g., bottom surface 402B) of the substrate opposite to the first surface. At 1406, the method 1400 also includes forming a transformer core (e.g., transformer core 410) around the planar primary winding and the planar secondary winding on the substrate.

[0142] Fig.15 Another exemplary method 1500 of forming a compact DCDC converter on a PCB arrangement (e.g., PCB arrangement 400) according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. Method 1500 includes soldering a primary winding (e.g., primary winding 408) to a first surface (e.g., top surface 402A) of a first substrate (e.g., main substrate 402) at 1502, the primary winding being formed of a planar metal material (e.g., a suitable conductive metal such as copper, aluminum, gold, and / or another thermally conductive metal material). Method 1500 also includes soldering a second substrate (e.g., substrate 502) including a secondary winding (e.g., secondary winding 504) to a second surface (e.g., bottom surface 402B) of the first substrate opposite to the first surface at 1504. Method 1500 includes forming a transformer core (e.g., transformer core 410) around the primary winding and the second substrate at 1506. The method 1500 also includes, at 1508 , configuring the primary winding and the secondary winding to produce a defined amount of leakage inductance without using an additional inductor.

[0143] Fig.16Another exemplary method 1600 for forming a compact DCDC converter on a PCB device (e.g., PCB device 400) according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. The method 1600 includes forming a DCDC converter on a substrate (e.g., main substrate 402) at 1602, the DCDC converter including a primary winding having a planar geometry and formed on a first surface of the substrate, a secondary winding having a planar geometry and formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface, and a transformer core formed around the primary winding and the secondary winding. The method 1600 also includes forming a busbar (e.g., lower busbar 416a / 416b) on the second surface at 1604. The method 1600 includes forming a power switch (e.g., 514 (DC+) and 514 (DC-)) on a first surface or a second surface of the substrate and at a position between a bus bar and a portion of the primary winding at 1606, the power switch being aligned with the portion of the primary winding and the bus bar in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface. The method 1600 includes electrically connecting the bus bar, the power switch, and the portion of the primary winding to each other in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface at 1608.

[0144] Fig.17 An exemplary method 1700 of forming a compact PCB assembly (e.g., PCB assembly 400) including an embedded power module according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. Method 1700 includes forming a power module on a substrate at 1702, the power module including a power switch (e.g., power switch 514). Method 1700 also includes forming busbars (e.g., upper busbars 414a / 414b and lower busbars 416a / 416b) on opposite surfaces of the substrate and the power module at 1704, such that the power module is sandwiched between the busbars. Method 1700 also includes electrically connecting the power switch to the busbars (e.g., via electrical connector 1302) at 1706.

[0145] Another exemplary method 1800 of forming a compact PCB device (e.g., PCB device 300) including an embedded power module according to one or more embodiments described herein. The method 1800 includes forming an electrical connector (e.g., electrical connector 1302) at a connection point (e.g., connection area 516) defined within a first substrate (e.g., main substrate 402) at 1802. The method 1800 includes soldering a second substrate (e.g., substrate 512) including a power switch (e.g., power switch 514) embedded therein to a first surface (e.g., top surface 402A and / or bottom surface 402B) of the first substrate at 1804, wherein each power switch is vertically aligned with the connection point. The method 1800 includes soldering a first planar busbar (e.g., upper busbar 414a / 414b) to a second substrate at 1806. The method 1800 includes soldering a second planar busbar (e.g., lower busbar 416a / 416b) to a second surface of the first substrate opposite to the first surface at 1808.

[0146] Fig.19 Another exemplary method of forming a compact PCB device (PCB device 400) including an embedded power module according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. Method 1900 includes forming an electrical connector (e.g., electrical connector 1302) at a defined connection point (e.g., connection area 516) within a substrate (e.g., main substrate 402) at 1902. Method 1490 includes soldering a power switch (e.g., power switch 514) to a first surface (e.g., top surface 402A) of the substrate and / or a second surface (e.g., bottom surface 402B) of the substrate opposite to the first surface at 1904, including soldering each power switch individually at a position vertically aligned with the connection point. Method 1900 includes soldering busbars (e.g., upper busbars 414a / 414b and lower busbars 416a / 416b) to a first surface of the substrate and a second surface of the substrate at 1906, wherein the power switch is sandwiched between the busbars.

[0147] What is described herein includes only one or more examples of one or more systems and / or methods. Of course, for the purpose of describing the subject matter, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components and / or methods implemented by the systems. Nevertheless, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one or more additional combinations and / or arrangements of the disclosed subject matter are possible. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including," "having," "having," and the like are used in the detailed description, claims, appendices, and / or drawings, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising," in that when "including" is used as a transitional word in a claim, "including" is interpreted as including.

[0148] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being "coupled" to another element, the term "coupling" can describe one or more different types of couplings, including but not limited to chemical coupling, communication coupling, capacitive coupling, electrical coupling, electromagnetic coupling, inductive coupling, operational coupling, optical coupling, physical coupling, thermal coupling, and / or other types of couplings. As described herein, an "entity" includes a machine, a device, hardware, software, a computing device, and / or a person. According to one or more embodiments described herein, such an entity can facilitate the implementation of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0149] In addition, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive arrangement. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, unless otherwise specified or the singular form is clear from the context, the words "one" and "an" used in this specification and the drawings should generally be interpreted to mean "one or more". As used herein, the terms "example" and / or "exemplary" are used to indicate use as an example, instance, and / or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited to such examples. In addition, any aspect and / or design described herein as "example" and / or "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior and / or beneficial to other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to exclude equivalent exemplary structures and / or technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0150] The description of one or more various embodiments provided herein is presented for illustrative purposes, but is not intended to be exhaustive and / or limited to the disclosed one or more embodiments. One or more modifications and / or variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, and / or technical improvements to technologies found on the market, and / or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0151] What has been described above merely includes examples of systems and computer-implemented methods. Of course, for the purposes of describing the present disclosure, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or computer-implemented methods, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present disclosure are possible. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including," "having," "having," and the like are used in the detailed description, claims, appendices, and drawings, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to that in which the term "including" is interpreted when used as a transitional word in a claim. Descriptions of various embodiments have been presented for illustrative purposes, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements to technologies found on the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board (PCB) device, comprising: bus bars formed on opposite surfaces of the substrate; as well as A power module is formed on a substrate, sandwiched between the bus bars and electrically connected to the bus bars, and includes a power switch that controls the flow of current between the bus bars.

2. The PCB according to claim 1, wherein: The power switch is directly electrically connected to the busbar.

3. The PCB according to claim 1, wherein: The power switch controls current flow in a direction perpendicular to the opposite surface of the substrate.

4. The PCB according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate includes an electrical connector formed within the thickness of the substrate and exposed on an opposite surface of the substrate, wherein the power switches are formed on the substrate at a position directly above or below the electrical connector, and wherein the electrical connector connects each power switch to the busbar.

5. The PCB according to claim 4, wherein: The substrate includes a first substrate, wherein the power module includes a second substrate including a power switch embedded in the second substrate, and wherein the second substrate is soldered to the first substrate.

6. The PCB according to claim 5, wherein: Each power switch includes drain and source components, and wherein the drain and source components are exposed on opposite surfaces of the second substrate.

7. The PCB according to claim 1, wherein: At least some of the power switches are individually soldered to the substrate.

8. The PCB according to claim 1, wherein: The PCB device includes a planar geometry defined by a thickness of approximately 1.5 millimeters or less.

9. A method comprising: forming a power module on a substrate, the power module comprising a power switch; forming bus bars on opposite surfaces of the substrate and the power module; as well as The power switch is electrically connected to the bus bar.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Forming the busbars includes soldering the busbars to opposite surfaces of the substrate, with the power module sandwiched between the busbars.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: An electrical connector is formed within the thickness of the substrate and is exposed on an opposing surface of the substrate, and wherein forming the power module includes positioning a power switch on the substrate at a location directly above or below the electrical connector.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The substrate includes a first substrate, wherein the power module includes a power switch embedded in a second substrate, and wherein forming the power module on the substrate includes soldering the second substrate to the first substrate.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Soldering the second substrate to the first substrate includes soldering the second substrate to the first surface of the first substrate, and wherein forming the busbar includes: soldering the one or more first bus bars to the second substrate; and One or more second bus bars are soldered to a second surface of the first substrate opposite the first surface.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Forming the power module includes individually soldering at least some of the power switches to the substrate.

15. An apparatus comprising: One or more battery cells; as well as a printed circuit board (PCB) arrangement attached to the one or more battery cells, the PCB arrangement comprising: bus bars formed on opposite surfaces of the substrate, wherein at least one bus bar is electrically connected to the one or more battery cells; and A power module is formed on a substrate, sandwiched between the bus bars and electrically connected to the bus bars, and includes a power switch that controls the flow of current between the bus bars.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein: The power switch controls current flow in a direction perpendicular to the opposite surface of the substrate.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein: The substrate includes an electrical connector formed within the thickness of the substrate and exposed on an opposite surface of the substrate, wherein the power switches are formed on the substrate at a position directly above or below the electrical connector, and wherein the electrical connector connects each power switch to the busbar.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: The substrate includes a first substrate, wherein the power module includes a second substrate including a power switch embedded in the second substrate, and wherein the second substrate is soldered to the first substrate.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein: At least some of the power switches are individually soldered to the substrate.

20. The device according to claim 15, wherein: The PCB device includes a planar geometry defined by a thickness of approximately 1.5 millimeters or less.

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