Electrical assembly

Abstract

An electrical assembly includes: a conductor; a switch electrically connected to the conductor; and a control circuit connected to the switch, the control circuit including at least one of an electronic controller, a sensor, or a filter. The control circuit may be configured to operate the switch according to a maximum energy capacity of the conductor and a net energy of the conductor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to electrical assemblies, including electrical assemblies that may be used in conjunction with monitoring and / or protective conductors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Although the claims are not limited to specific illustrations, an understanding of various aspects may be gained through a discussion of various examples. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and certain features may be exaggerated or hidden to better illustrate and explain the innovative aspects of the examples. In addition, the exemplary illustrations described herein are not exhaustive or otherwise limiting, and the embodiments are not limited to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings or disclosed in the following detailed description. The exemplary illustrations are described in detail with reference to the drawings as follows:

[0004] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram generally illustrating an embodiment of an electrical assembly in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0005] Figure 2 is a flow chart generally illustrating an embodiment of a method of operating an electrical component according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0006] Figure 3 is a flow chart generally illustrating an embodiment of a method of determining net energy according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 4 is a flow chart generally illustrating an embodiment of a method of determining net energy according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 5 is a flow chart generally illustrating an embodiment of a method of determining net energy according to the teachings of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0010] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the detailed description that follows, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments described. However, it is apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various embodiments described may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

[0011] refer to Figure 1, the electrical assembly 20 includes a switch 22, a conductor 24, a control circuit 26, a power source 28, and a load 30. The switch 22 is connected between the power source 28 and the load 30 so that the switch 22 selectively provides power from the power source 28 to the load 30. The conductor 24 connects the switch 22 with the load 30. The control circuit 26 controls the operation of the switch 22. For example, the control circuit 26 can control the switch 22 to selectively provide power to the load 30, and / or can control the switch 22 according to one or more characteristics of the conductor 24. The one or more characteristics may include one or more of current, voltage, or energy, etc. The control circuit 26 may control the switch 22 according to the one or more characteristics to prevent damage and / or failure of the conductor 24. The conductor 24 may include one or more of various configurations (such as cables, wires, or bus bars, etc., or combinations thereof). The conductor 24 may be an independent component connected to other components, and may be incorporated into other components (such as fuses, motors, pumps, or circuit boards, etc.).

[0012] The control circuit 26 includes an electronic controller 40, a sensor 42, and / or a filter 44. The electronic controller 40 may include a processor 50 and a memory 52. ​​The sensor 42 may include one or more sensors, such as a current sensor. The filter 44 may include one or more filters, such as a moving average filter and / or a decimation filter. The control circuit 26 may be connected to the switch 22, across the switch 22, and / or to the conductor 24. Although the electronic controller 40, the sensor 42, and the filter 44 are illustrated, the control circuit 26 may include one or a combination of the electronic controller 40, the sensor 42, and the filter 44, and may include other components.

[0013] refer to Figure 2 , illustrates a method 100 of operating an electrical component 20. The method 100 may be performed at least in part by a control circuit 26. The method 100 includes obtaining (e.g., sensing by a sensor 42) a present current of the electrical component 20 (block 102), such as at a switch 22 and / or at a conductor 24. The control circuit 26 compares the present current to a maximum current threshold (block 104). The maximum current threshold may be predetermined, such as predetermined based on a rated current of the conductor 24 and / or the load 30. If the present current is greater than the maximum current threshold, the control circuit 26 may determine that a fault has occurred and / or open the switch 22 (block 120) to disconnect the power source 28 from the conductor 24 and the load 30. If the present current is equal to or less than the maximum current threshold, the control circuit 26 determines a net energy of the electrical component 20 (block 106), such as the net energy of the conductor 24. The net energy may be expressed as the difference between the sensed energy and the energy dissipated:

[0014] Net Energy = Sensed Energy - Dissipated Equation 1

[0015] The sensed energy may include some or all of the previous sensed energy, and the dissipated may include some or all of the previous dissipated. The control circuit 26 may determine the net energy based on the sum of the previous net energy value (which may include some or all of the previous sensed energy and / or the previous dissipated) and the sensed energy during the current sampling time minus the dissipated during the current sampling time. The sensed energy may represent the amount of energy transferred by the conductor 24.

[0016] Net Energy [n] = Net Energy [n-1] + Sensed Energy [n] - Dissipated Energy [n] Equation 2

[0017] In block 108, the control circuit 26 compares the net energy to the maximum energy capacity of the electrical component 20, such as the conductor 24. If the net energy exceeds the maximum energy capacity, the control circuit 26 may determine that a fault has occurred and / or open the switch 22 (block 120). Opening the switch 22 may protect the conductor 24 and / or the load 30 from damage, and the method 100 may be referred to as a method of protecting the conductor and / or the load. Optionally, the control circuit 26 may close the switch 22 after opening the switch 22 if one or more conditions are met. For example, the control circuit 26 may close the switch 22 after a certain period of time and / or after sufficient energy has been dissipated from the conductor 24. The number of times the control circuit 26 closes the switch 22 after previously opening the switch 22 due to a fault may be configurable.

[0018] If the net energy is equal to or less than the maximum energy capacity, the control circuit 26 may not have detected a fault, the control circuit 26 may set the previous net energy to be equal to the net energy (block 110), and / or the method 100 may return to block 102. The maximum energy capacity may be a predetermined value and may correspond to one or more characteristics of the conductor 24.

[0019] Although the method 100 and equations are generally described as adding the current energy to the previous energy, subtracting the dissipation, and comparing the result to the maximum energy capacity, the method 100 and equations can also be used with the following operations: the starting energy capacity or energy budget is equal to the maximum energy capacity, the current energy is subtracted from the previous energy budget and the dissipation is added to obtain the current energy budget, and if the current energy budget is below zero, a fault is detected and / or the switch 22 is disconnected. Then, the control circuit 26 sets the previous energy budget to be equal to the current energy budget and repeats the method. With such an energy budget configuration, the remaining energy budget can be available without further calculation, such as without determining the difference between the net energy and the maximum energy capacity. The control circuit 26 can determine an energy capacity value, which can include the net energy or the remaining energy capacity. If the energy capacity value is net energy, the control circuit 26 can compare the energy capacity value with the maximum energy capacity, and if the energy capacity value exceeds the maximum energy capacity, the switch 22 is disconnected. If the energy capacity value is a remaining energy capacity, the control circuit 26 may compare the energy capacity value to zero and open the switch 22 if the energy capacity value is negative or greater than a threshold below zero.

[0020] refer to Figure 3 , illustrates a method 200 for determining net energy (block 106 of method 100). Method 200 includes obtaining a sensed energy (block 202). Obtaining the sensed energy may include: control circuit 26 squares the current sensed by sensor 42 and multiplies the product by the sampling time. In some examples, control circuit 26 may multiply the sensed energy by a first energy factor EF1. For example, the current energy may be expressed as follows:

[0021] Current Energy = I 2 感测 *T 采样 *EF1 Equation 3

[0022] The sampling time may include the amount of time between successive values ​​(e.g., samples) of the current sensed via the sensor 42, such as in block 102 of the method 100. The first energy factor EF1 may correspond to the rate at which the capacity of the conductor 24 is consumed when current flows. In some cases, to simplify the determination, the first energy factor EF1 may be set to 1.

[0023] Method 200 includes control circuit 26 adding sensed energy to previous net energy (block 204). If method 200 has not been performed previously and / or previous net energy has not been determined, the previous net energy may be set to zero, a steady-state value, or other value. In block 206, control circuit 26 determines energy dissipation. In block 208, control circuit 26 subtracts energy dissipation from the sum of previous net energy and sensed energy to obtain net energy. Net energy may then be used in method 100, such as in blocks 108 and / or 110. When determining net energy, such as when energy dissipation is subtracted in block 208, control circuit 26 may limit the minimum value of net energy to zero so that net energy cannot be negative, such as to maintain the suitability of maximum energy capacity. If net energy is allowed to be negative without adjusting maximum energy capacity, energy exceeding energy capacity may be inappropriately provided to conductor 24.

[0024] refer to Figure 4 , illustrates a method 300 for determining net energy (block 106 of method 100). Method 300 may be utilized in place of or in addition to method 200. For example, in some configurations, control circuitry 26 may utilize an average of the net energy values ​​determined by methods 200 and 300.

[0025] In block 302, the control circuit 26 determines the expected net energy. Determining the expected net energy may include determining the difference between the square of the nominal current and the square of the sensed current, multiplying the difference by the steady-state time, and then subtracting the product from the energy capacity:

[0026] Expected Net Energy = Energy Capacity - (I 标称 2 -I 感测 2 ) * T lim Equation 4

[0027] For example, if the sensed current is equal to the nominal current, the expected net energy is equal to the energy capacity. If the sensed current is zero, the expected net energy is zero. The steady state time may include the amount of time involved in reaching the maximum energy capacity of conductor 24 (or the energy budget reaches zero) with the nominal current flowing in conductor 24. If control circuit 26 subtracts the net energy from the energy capacity, the expected net energy may be determined by a second term (e.g., the difference between the square of the nominal current and the square of the sensed current, multiplied by the steady state time).

[0028] In block 304, the control circuit 26 determines whether the electrical component 20 and / or the conductor 24 are in a balanced mode. If (a) the expected net energy is within a tolerance threshold of the previous net energy and (b) the present current is less than or equal to the nominal current (and the square of the present current is less than or equal to the square of the nominal current), the control circuit 26 may determine that the electrical component 20 and / or the conductor 24 are in a balanced mode. The tolerance threshold may be configured to compensate for small transients and may be small, such as being equal to 0.01 or equal to 0.03 or between 0.01 and 0.03 in some examples. If the control circuit 26 determines that the electrical component 20 and / or the conductor 24 are in a balanced mode (e.g., conditions (a) and (b) are met), the control circuit 26 may determine that the net energy is equal to the previous net energy (block 306).

[0029] If the control circuit 26 determines that the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is not in the balancing mode (e.g., one or both of conditions (a) and (b) are not met), the control circuit 26 determines whether the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is in the depletion mode (block 308). If (c) the expected net energy is greater than the previous net energy, or (d) the current is greater than the nominal current, the control circuit 26 may determine that the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is in the depletion mode. If one or both conditions are met, the method proceeds to block 310 and the control circuit 26 obtains the sensed energy, which may be performed in the same manner as described above in conjunction with block 202 of method 200. The method 300 then proceeds to block 312 and the control circuit 26 determines that the net energy is equal to the previous net energy plus the sensed energy.

[0030] If neither condition (c) nor (d) is satisfied, the control circuit 26 determines that the electrical component 20 and / or the conductor 24 is not in a consumption mode, but is in a dissipation mode. The method 300 then proceeds to block 314, where the control circuit 26 determines the energy dissipation. The control circuit 26 may determine the energy dissipation based at least in part on the current and the nominal current. The method then proceeds to block 316, where the control circuit 26 determines the net energy by subtracting the energy dissipation from the previous net energy.

[0031] Optionally, in block 308, the control circuit 26 may alternatively determine whether the electrical component 20 and / or the conductor 24 is in a dissipation mode, such as (e) whether the expected net energy is less than the previous net energy, and (f) whether the current is less than or equal to the nominal current. If both conditions are met, the method 300 may proceed to block 312. If neither condition is met, the method 300 may proceed to block 314.

[0032] refer to Figure 5, a method 400 for determining net energy (block 106 of method 100) is illustrated. Method 400 is similar to method 300. For example, method 400 includes determining an expected net energy (block 402) and determining whether the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is in a balanced mode (block 404), which may be performed in the same manner as blocks 302 and 304 of method 300, respectively. If the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is in a balanced mode, the control circuit 26 sets the net energy equal to the previous net energy (block 406). If the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is not in a balanced mode, the method 400 proceeds to blocks 420 and 422 to obtain a sensed energy and determine energy dissipation, respectively, such as instead of determining whether the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 is in a dissipation mode (block 308 of method 300). Then, in block 424, the control circuit 26 determines that the net energy is the sum of the previous net energy and the sensed energy minus the energy dissipation.

[0033] In some examples, such as in blocks 206, 314, 422 of methods 200, 300, 400, the control circuit 26 may determine that the energy dissipation is equal to: 1 minus the quotient of the present current squared divided by the nominal current squared, integrally multiplied by the quotient of the sampling period divided by the recovery period:

[0034] Dissipation = T 采样 / T 恢复 *(1-I 感测 2 / I 标称 2 ) Equation 5 The recovery period may include the amount of time that the electrical component 20 and / or conductor 24 dissipates all energy at zero current.

[0035] In some other examples, such as in blocks 206, 314, 422 of methods 200, 300, 400, the control circuit 26 may determine that the energy dissipation is equal to: 1 minus the quotient of the present current squared divided by the nominal current squared, integrally multiplied by the quotient of the sampling period divided by the sum of the time constant and the sampling time:

[0036] Dissipation = T 采样 / (τ+T 采样 )*(1-I 感测 2 / I 标称 2 ) Equation 6 where τ is the time constant of a first-order exponential system. For example, Equation 6 can be used to model exponential energy dissipation.

[0037] In some examples, the control circuit 26 may determine some or each of the current values ​​obtained and / or the squared current values ​​within each sampling period. The control circuit 26 may store the squared current values ​​in a one-dimensional array of length M cells, such as in the memory 52. ​​These values ​​may be stored in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) manner. In some examples, such as in blocks 206, 314, 422 of the methods 200, 300, 400, the control circuit 26 may determine the energy dissipation by removing the oldest squared current value stored in the array to add the current squared current value. For example, if the control circuit 26 utilizes the sampling time when determining the dissipation, the control circuit 26 may multiply the oldest squared current by the sampling time to determine the dissipation, remove the oldest squared current value from the array, and add the current squared current value to the array. In some examples, the control circuit 26 may multiply the oldest squared current value by the second energy factor EF2 and the sampling time, and use the product as the energy dissipation. For example, the second energy factor EF2 may correspond to an amount of energy dissipated for a particular conductor 24 (e.g., the material of the conductor 24) and / or for the environmental conditions of the electrical component 20. If the control circuit 26 does not utilize sampling time, the control circuit 26 may set the dissipation equal to the oldest squared current value from the array and may or may not be multiplied by the second energy factor EF2.

[0038] In some examples, control circuit 26 may determine the energy dissipation based at least in part on the previous net energy multiplied by the third energy factor EF3. For example, control circuit 26 may use the sum of the following terms as the dissipation: (i) the product, and (ii) the oldest squared current value I n-M 2 , the second energy factor EF2 and the sampling time T 采样 The product of:

[0039] Dissipation = I n-M 2 *T 采样 *EF2+E M [n-1]*EF3Equation 7

[0040] The third energy factor EF3 may correspond to natural cooling of the conductor 24. In some cases, the third energy factor EF3 may be set to 1 or 0 to simplify the determination.

[0041] In some examples, for a particular sampling time n and an array of length M, control circuit 26 may determine the net energy E at sampling time n according to Equation 2: M [n], equation 2 can be expressed as:

[0042] E M [n] = EM [n-1] + I[n] 感测 2 * T 采样 * EF1-I n-M 2 * T 采样 * EF2-E M [n-1] *EF3 Equation 8

[0043] In some examples, the control circuit 26 may normalize one or more of the net energy, current energy, or dissipation, which may simplify the determination and / or output (e.g., the net energy may be expressed as a ratio or percentage of the maximum capacity used or remaining). For example, the control circuit 26 may divide the net energy, current energy, and dissipation by the energy capacity E. Max , so that each of the net energy, current energy, and dissipation is equal to 0 or equal to 1 or a value between 0 and 1.

[0044] In some examples, the determination of the net energy can be further simplified by setting the second energy factor EF2 to 1 and the third energy factor EF3 to zero. For example, normalizing and simplifying Equation 8 can yield the following equation:

[0045] e M [n] = e M [n-1] + (I[n] 感测 2 *T 采样 ) / E Max - (I n-M 2 *T 采样 ) / E Max Equation 9

[0046] In some examples, the control circuit 26 may determine energy values, such as net energy, current energy, and dissipation, that are independent of time, so that the determined values ​​are measured in amperes squared rather than in amperes squared per second. For example, since each term may otherwise be determined as a function of a sampling time, removing the sampling time from the determination may make the determination more efficient (e.g., using fewer computing resources of the electronic controller 40, using less power, making the determination faster). A time-independent simplified version of Equation 8 may yield the following equation:

[0047] ET M [n] = ET M [n-1] + I[n] 感测 2 -I n-M 2 Equation 10

[0048] The control circuit 26 can set ET M [n] Compare this to energy capacity, which can be determined by dividing the energy capacity by the sampling time, so that energy capacity is measured in amperes squared, making energy capacity also independent of time.

[0049] Embodiments of electrical components 20 and embodiments of methods of operating electrical components 20 (such as methods 100, 200, 300) can provide better monitoring and / or protection of conductors (such as conductor 24) than other designs. For example, other designs may rely only on comparing the sensed current with the maximum current, and may not consider the energy capacity of the conductor or the cumulative effect of the current energy and energy dissipation, such as in the case of variable and / or non-periodic currents. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to consider the energy capacity of the conductor and the cumulative effect of the current energy and energy dissipation, such as in the case of variable and / or non-periodic currents. Additionally or alternatively, embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize the measured current to estimate the energy dissipation physically based on the conductor parameters, while other designs may rely only on the elapsed time. Additionally or alternatively, embodiments of the present disclosure can operate more efficiently than other designs, such as by utilizing few computing resources and / or consuming less power. For example, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may not rely on calculating an average value of the current value, and may instead utilize the current / sense current and the previous energy value that has been combined with the previous current value. Additionally or alternatively, other designs may rely on temperature and / or voltage sensors or values, while embodiments of the present disclosure may operate independent of temperature and / or voltage sensors or values.

[0050] The present disclosure includes the following non-limiting examples:

[0051] 1. An electrical component comprising: a conductor; a switch electrically connected to the conductor; and a control circuit connected to the switch, the control circuit comprising at least one of an electronic controller, a sensor, or a filter; wherein the control circuit is configured to operate the switch based on a maximum energy capacity of the conductor and a net energy of the conductor.

[0052] 2. The electrical assembly of embodiment 1, wherein operating the switch comprises opening the switch based on determining that the net energy exceeds the maximum energy capacity.

[0053] 3. The electrical assembly of any preceding embodiment, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine energy dissipation of the conductor and to determine the net energy based at least in part on the energy dissipation.

[0054] 4. The electrical assembly of any preceding embodiment, wherein the control circuit determines the energy dissipation based at least in part on a difference between a sensed energy and a nominal energy of the conductor.

[0055] 5. The electrical assembly of any preceding embodiment, wherein the net energy of the conductor comprises a sum of a current energy value and a previous energy value.

[0056] 6. The electrical component according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the control circuit comprises a sensor; the previous energy value comprises a previous current energy value and a second previous energy value; and the control circuit obtains the current energy value via the sensor.

[0057] 7. The electrical assembly of any preceding embodiment, wherein the sensor is connected to sense the current at the switch; and the present energy value corresponds to the current at the switch.

[0058] 8. An electrical component comprising: a conductor; a switch electrically connected to the conductor; and a control circuit connected to the switch, the control circuit comprising at least one of a controller, a sensor, or a filter; wherein the control circuit: determines whether the conductor is in a balancing mode, a consumption mode, or a recovery mode; determines an energy capacity value of the conductor based on the determined mode; and controls the switch based on the energy capacity value.

[0059] 9. The electrical component of embodiment 8, wherein controlling the switch based on the determined energy capacity value comprises opening the switch if the energy capacity value exceeds the maximum energy capacity of the conductor.

[0060] 10. An electrical component according to embodiment 8 or 9, wherein the control circuit determines that the conductor is in a balanced mode based on determining that: (i) the current is less than or equal to the maximum current, and (ii) the expected capacity is within a threshold amount of a previous energy capacity value.

[0061] 11. The electrical assembly of any of embodiments 8-10, wherein the expected capacity corresponds to the difference between the square of the steady-state current of the conductor and the square of the measured current multiplied by the steady-state time.

[0062] 12. An electrical component according to any one of embodiments 8-11, wherein the control circuit determines that the conductor is in a consumption mode based on determining that the current is greater than the nominal current of the conductor, and the control circuit also determines that the conductor is in a consumption mode based on determining that the expected capacity is less than a previous energy capacity value by more than a threshold amount.

[0063] 13. An electrical component according to any of embodiments 8-12, wherein the control circuit determines that the conductor is in recovery mode based on determining that: (i) the conductor is not in balance mode or depletion mode, and / or (ii) (a) the present current is less than or equal to the nominal current of the conductor, and (b) the expected capacity is greater than a previous energy capacity value by more than a threshold amount.

[0064] 14. An electrical component according to any one of embodiments 8-13, wherein: based on determining that the conductor is in a balancing mode, the control circuit determines that the energy capacity value is equal to a previous energy capacity value; based on determining that the conductor is in a consumption mode, the control circuit determines that the energy capacity value is equal to the difference between the previous energy capacity value and the current energy of the conductor; based on determining that the conductor is in a recovery mode, the control circuit determines that the energy capacity value is equal to the sum of the previous energy capacity value and the energy dissipation; and operating the switch according to the energy capacity value includes: if the energy capacity value is negative, then disconnecting the switch.

[0065] 15. The electrical component of any one of embodiments 8-14, wherein the control circuit determines the energy capacity value within a plurality of sampling periods.

[0066] 16. A method of operating an electrical component, the method comprising: determining a present energy of a conductor; determining an energy dissipation of the conductor; determining a net energy of the conductor based at least in part on the present energy and the energy dissipation; opening a switch electrically connected to the conductor based on determining that the net energy exceeds a maximum energy capacity of the conductor; and closing the switch or maintaining the switch in a closed position based on determining that the net energy does not exceed the maximum energy capacity of the conductor.

[0067] 17. The method of embodiment 16, further comprising obtaining a sense current; and opening the switch based on determining that the sense current exceeds a current limit of the conductor.

[0068] 18. The method of embodiment 16 or 17, wherein determining the net energy comprises adding the sensed energy to the previous energy and subtracting the energy dissipation.

[0069] 19. The method of any one of embodiments 16-18, wherein determining the present energy comprises sampling a current through the switch, squaring a current sample from the sampling, and multiplying the squared current sample by a sampling time.

[0070] 20. The method of any one of embodiments 16-19, wherein determining the energy dissipation comprises determining a difference between a present energy and a nominal energy of the conductor.

[0071] 21. The electrical assembly of any of embodiments 1-7, wherein operating the switch based on the maximum energy capacity of the conductor and the net energy of the conductor includes adding the current energy to the previous energy and subtracting the energy dissipation.

[0072] 22. The electrical assembly of any one of embodiments 1-7 and 21, wherein operating the switch based on the maximum energy capacity of the conductor and the net energy of the conductor comprises subtracting the current energy from the previous energy capacity and adding the energy dissipation.

[0073] 23. The electrical component of any of embodiments 1-7 and 21-22, wherein determining the net energy comprises storing squared current samples in a one-dimensional array.

[0074] 24. The electrical component of any of embodiments 1-7 and 21-23, wherein determining the dissipation comprises determining the dissipation to be proportional to the oldest stored squared current sample.

[0075] 25. The electrical component of any of embodiments 1-7 and 21-24, wherein determining the dissipation comprises determining the dissipation equal to the square of the oldest stored current sample.

[0076] 26. The electrical component of any of embodiments 1-7 and 21-25, wherein determining the dissipation comprises determining the dissipation equal to the product of the oldest stored squared current sample multiplied by the sampling time.

[0077] In an example, the controller (e.g., electronic controller 40) may include an electronic controller and / or include an electronic processor, such as a programmable microprocessor and / or a microcontroller. In an embodiment, the controller may include, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and / or an embedded controller. The controller may include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable storage medium), and / or an input / output (I / O) interface. The controller may be configured to perform various functions, including those described in more detail herein, using appropriate programming instructions and / or codes embodied in software, hardware, and / or other media. In an embodiment, the controller may include multiple controllers. In an embodiment, the controller may be connected to a display, such as a touch screen display.

[0078] Various examples / embodiments for various devices, systems, and / or methods are described herein. Many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the examples / embodiments described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the examples / embodiments can be practiced without such specific details. In other examples, well-known operations, parts, and elements are not described in detail so as not to obscure the examples / embodiments described in this specification. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the examples / embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and therefore it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein can be representative and do not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0079] References throughout the specification to "examples", "in examples", "according to examples", "according to some examples", "various embodiments", "according to an embodiment", "in an embodiment", "embodiments", "according to some embodiments", "according to some configurations", "in some configurations", etc. mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with an example / embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the appearance of the phrases "examples", "in examples", "according to examples", "according to some examples", "in various embodiments", "according to an embodiment", "in an embodiment", "embodiments", "according to some embodiments", "according to some configurations", "in some configurations", etc. throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, particular features, structures, and / or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples / embodiments. Therefore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic shown or described in conjunction with one embodiment / example may be combined in whole or in part with features, structures, functions, and / or characteristics of one or more other embodiments / examples without restriction, as long as such combination is not illogical or non-functional. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] It should be understood that references to a single element are not necessarily so limited, and may include one or more of such elements unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Any directional references (e.g., positive, negative, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are used only for identification purposes to help the reader understand the present disclosure and do not create limitations, particularly with respect to the position, orientation, or use of the examples / embodiments.

[0081] “One or more” includes a function performed by one element, a function performed by more than one element (eg, in a distributed fashion), several functions performed by one element, several functions performed by several elements, or any combination of the foregoing.

[0082] It should also be understood that, although in some instances, the terms first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element can be called a second element, and similarly, a second element can be called a first element without departing from the scope of the various embodiments described. Both the first element and the second element are elements, but they are not the same element.

[0083] The terms used in the description of the various embodiments described herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limited. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein relates to and covers any and all possible combinations of one or more items in the associated listed items. The use of "and" and "or" should be interpreted broadly (e.g., regarded as "and / or"). For example and without limitation, the use of "and" does not necessarily require all listed elements or features, and the use of "or" is inclusive, unless such a construction is originally illogical. It should be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "includes", "including", "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups thereof.

[0084] References to engagement (e.g., attachment, connection, connection, etc.) should be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members between the connection of elements, relative movement between elements, direct connection, indirect connection, fixed connection, removable connection, operational connection, indirect contact and / or direct contact. Therefore, reference to engagement does not necessarily mean that two elements are directly connected / coupled and are in a fixed relationship with each other. The connection of electrical components (if any) may include mechanical connections, electrical connections, wired connections and / or wireless connections, etc. The use of "for example" and "such as" in this specification should be interpreted broadly and used to provide non-limiting examples of embodiments of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to such examples.

[0085] Although processes, systems, and methods may be described herein in conjunction with one or more steps in a particular sequence, it should be understood that these methods may be practiced with steps in a different order, by performing certain steps simultaneously, with additional steps, and / or by omitting certain described steps.

[0086] As used herein, the term "if" is optionally interpreted to mean "when..." or "upon..." or "in response to determining..." or "in response to detecting...", as the context requires. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if [the condition or event] is detected" are optionally interpreted to mean "upon determining..." or "in response to determining..." or "upon detecting [the condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [the condition or event]", as the context requires.

[0087] It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes may be made in detail or structure without departing from the disclosure.

[0088] It should be understood that the controller, electronic control unit (ECU), system and / or processor as described herein may include conventional processing means known in the art, which is capable of executing pre-programmed instructions stored in an associated memory, all according to the functions described herein. To the extent that the methods described herein are embodied in software, the resulting software can be stored in an associated memory and can also constitute a means for performing these methods. Such a system or processor can also be of a type having a combination of ROM, RAM, RAM and ROM, and / or non-volatile memory and volatile memory, so that any software can be stored and also allows for the storage and processing of dynamically generated data and / or signals.

[0089] It should be further understood that the manufacturing articles according to the present disclosure may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program encoded thereon for implementing the logic and other functions described herein. The computer program may include a code for executing one or more methods disclosed herein. Such an embodiment may be constructed to be executed via one or more processors (e.g., multiple processors), which are integrated into a single system or distributed on a communication network and connected together through a communication network, and the communication network may be wired and / or wireless. The code for implementing one or more of the features described in conjunction with one or more embodiments can cause multiple transistors to change from a first state to a second state when executed by a processor. A specific change mode (e.g., which transistors change state and which transistors do not change state) may be determined at least in part by logic and / or code.

Claims

1. An electrical component comprising: conductor; a switch electrically connected to the conductor; and a control circuit connected to the switch, the control circuit comprising at least one of an electronic controller, a sensor, or a filter; Wherein the control circuit is configured to operate the switch according to the maximum energy capacity of the conductor and the net energy of the conductor.

2. The electrical assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Operating the switch includes opening the switch based on determining that the net energy exceeds the maximum energy capacity.

3. The electrical assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The control circuit is configured to determine energy dissipation of the conductor and to determine the net energy based at least in part on the energy dissipation.

4. The electrical assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The control circuit determines the energy dissipation based at least in part on a difference between a sensed energy and a nominal energy of the conductor.

5. The electrical assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The net energy of the conductor comprises the sum of a current energy value and a previous energy value.

6. The electrical assembly according to claim 5, wherein: The control circuit includes the sensor; The previous energy values ​​include a previous current energy value and a second previous energy value; and The control circuit obtains the current energy value via the sensor.

7. The electrical assembly of claim 6, wherein: The sensor is connected to sense current at the switch; and The present energy value corresponds to the current at the switch.

8. An electrical component comprising: conductor; a switch electrically connected to the conductor; and a control circuit connected to the switch, the control circuit comprising at least one of a controller, a sensor, or a filter; Wherein, the control circuit: determining whether the conductor is in a balancing mode, a depleting mode, or a restoring mode; determining an energy capacity value of the conductor based on the determined mode; and The switch is controlled according to the energy capacity value.

9. The electrical assembly of claim 8, wherein: Controlling the switch according to the determined energy capacity value includes opening the switch if the energy capacity value is negative.

10. The electrical assembly of claim 8, wherein: The control circuit determines that the conductor is in the balancing mode based on determining that: (i) a present current is less than or equal to a maximum current, and (ii) an expected capacity is within a threshold amount of a previous energy capacity value.

11. The electrical assembly of claim 10, wherein: The expected capacity corresponds to the difference between the square of the steady state current of the conductor and the square of the measured current multiplied by the steady state time.

12. The electrical assembly of claim 10, wherein: The control circuit determines that the conductor is in the consumption mode based on determining that the current is greater than the nominal current of the conductor, and The control circuit also determines that the conductor is in the depleting mode based on determining that the expected capacity is less than the previous energy capacity value by more than the threshold amount.

13. The electrical assembly of claim 12, wherein: The control circuit determines that the conductor is in the recovery mode based on determining that: (i) the conductor is not in the balancing mode or the depletion mode, and / or (ii) (a) the present current is less than or equal to the nominal current of the conductor, and (b) the expected capacity is greater than the previous energy capacity value by more than the threshold amount.

14. The electrical assembly of claim 13, wherein: Based on determining that the conductor is in the balanced mode, the control circuit determines that the energy capacity value is equal to the previous energy capacity value; Based on determining that the conductor is in the depletion mode, the control circuit determines that the energy capacity value is equal to the difference between the previous energy capacity value and the current energy of the conductor; Based on determining that the conductor is in the recovery mode, the control circuit determines that the energy capacity value is equal to the sum of the previous energy capacity value and energy dissipation; as well as Operating the switch according to the energy capacity value includes opening the switch if the energy capacity value is negative.

15. The electrical assembly of claim 14, wherein: The control circuit determines the energy capacity value over a plurality of sampling periods.

16. A method of operating an electrical component, the method comprising: Determine the current energy of the conductor; determining energy dissipation of the conductor; determining a net energy of the conductor based at least in part on the present energy and the energy dissipation; opening a switch electrically connected to the conductor based on determining that the net energy exceeds the maximum energy capacity of the conductor; as well as Based on determining that the net energy does not exceed the maximum energy capacity of the conductor, the switch is closed or maintained in a closed position.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising obtaining a sense current; and Based on determining that the sensed current exceeds a current limit of the conductor, the switch is opened.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: Determining the net energy includes adding the sensed energy to the previous energy and subtracting the energy dissipation.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Determining the present energy includes sampling current through the switch, squaring a current sample resulting from the sampling, and multiplying the squared current sample by a sampling time.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: Determining the energy dissipation includes determining a difference between the present energy and a nominal energy of the conductor.

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