SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR BIDIRECTIONAL DC SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION - Patent application

Abstract

A self-triggering bidirectional control electronics component for an electronic switch (50) for current detection and rapid shutoff at selected thresholds for both current flow directions includes a threshold switch having a plurality of selectable shutoff thresholds for both current flow directions, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system (65) disposed within the electronic switch based on sensor sensing on an input side of the threshold switch, and a fast de-energization circuit (53) including a high unloaded circuit voltage for rapid removal of current from the magnetic drive coil (45) on an output side of the threshold switch, the fast de-energization circuit being configured to rapidly remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the plurality of selectable shutoff thresholds.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 200,074 (EATN-2027-P01), filed February 12, 2021, entitled “SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR BI-DIRECTIONAL DC SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION.”

[0002] Each of the foregoing applications is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0003] FIELD OF THEINVENTION Although not limited to a particular technical field, the present disclosure relates to DC short circuit protection. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aspects of the present disclosure include self-triggering bidirectional control electronic apparatus, devices, components, circuits, etc. for direct current (DC) switches. Aspects also include methods and systems of using or operating the apparatus, devices, components, circuits, etc. Aspects of the present disclosure include detection and interruption of current at selected thresholds for either, each, or both current flow directions. Aspects of the present disclosure include having respective switching thresholds for each current direction. Additionally, aspects of the present disclosure include applying a switch-off pulse to remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the current exceeds a threshold. Current removal can be fast, rapid, rapid, etc.

[0005] These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and drawings.

[0006] All documents mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. References to singular items should be understood to include plural items and vice versa, unless otherwise stated or apparent from the context. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to represent any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of joined clauses, sentences, words, etc., unless otherwise stated or apparent from the context. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] The present disclosure and the following detailed description of certain embodiments thereof can be understood by reference to the following figures. [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example DC switching device that utilizes a fast de-energizing circuit to effect fast shutdown of a magnetic drive coil. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of control electronics for a DC switching device. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system that generally illustrates a power distribution unit (PDU) operably disposed between a power source and a load. [Figure 4] 1 shows a more detailed embodiment of the system, with a PDU shown in schematic form. [Diagram 5] 1 shows a non-limiting example response curve for a fuse. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a non-limiting exemplary system for mobile applications such as in vehicles. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a non-limiting example system including a PDU. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus that includes all or part of a PDU. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates a non-limiting exemplary apparatus for providing additional protection against fuse failures and system failures. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates an embodiment of exemplary data for implementing system response values. [Figure 11]1 illustrates a non-limiting example fuse circuit that may be present on a PDU. [Figure 12] 1 illustrates an embodiment of a fuse circuit having a contactor. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates an embodiment of a fuse circuit including multiple fuses. [Figure 14] 1 shows a fuse circuit having a fuse in parallel with a contactor. [Figure 15] 1 illustrates exemplary data showing fuse response to vehicle drive cycles. [Figure 16] 1 illustrates a non-limiting example system that includes a power source and a load having a fuse electrically disposed between the load and the power source. [Figure 17] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a vehicle having a PDU. [Figure 18] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a breaker / repeater and a precharge repeater. [Figure 19] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit breaker / repeater and suppressor. [Figure 20] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power bus protection arrangement. [Figure 21] 1 illustrates details of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater component. [Figure 22] 1 illustrates details of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater component. [Figure 23] 1 illustrates details of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater component. [Figure 24] 1 shows contactor-fuse and breaker / relay current plots. [Diagram 25] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment for current protection. [Figure 26] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment for current protection. [Figure 27] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment for current protection. [Figure 28] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment for current protection. [Figure 29] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and an inverter. [Diagram 30] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and an inverter. [Diagram 31] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load. [Diagram 32] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement. [Diagram 33] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load. [Diagram 34] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load. [Diagram 35] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load with a depiction of the current paths. [Diagram 36] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load with a depiction of the current paths. [Figure 37] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load with a depiction of the current paths. [Figure 38] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement between a battery and a load with a depiction of the current paths. [Figure 39] 1 illustrates details of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater component. [Diagram 40] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power bus protection arrangement. [Diagram 41] 1 shows details of an embodiment of a contact of a breaker / repeater component. [Diagram 42] 1 illustrates details of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater component. [Diagram 43] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power protection arrangement with a controller. [Diagram 44] 1 illustrates a functional diagram of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater. [Diagram 45] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater. [Diagram 46] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater configuration showing specific voltage, amperage, and time-based values. [Figure 47] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a breaker / repeater operation. [Figure 48] 1 illustrates a method of operating a self-triggering bidirectional control electronic device. [Figure 49] 1 illustrates a method of operating a self-triggering bidirectional control electronic device. [Figure 50] 1 shows a self-triggering bidirectional control circuit for an electronic switch. [Figure 51] 1 shows a system for operating the contactors of a circuit breaker / repeater. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Many applications, especially power distribution for high DC currents, are subject to several challenges. Applications with highly variable loads, high power throughput, high voltage ratings, and / or distinct protection characteristics depending on the power flow direction (e.g., different power flow values, duty cycles, and / or sensitivity of protected components depending on the power flow direction) pose particular challenges. Certain applications, including but not limited to mobile applications, power grid operations, and / or power delivery operations, have high costs due to high current damage to components and / or downtime of the application. High costs may be incurred due to damage to high power battery packs, external costs due to loss of service (e.g., for data centers, medical facilities, power grids, mini-grids, etc.), costs related to the type of application (e.g., failures in mobile applications and / or remotely located locations may increase the time until service or response is available, increasing both the cost of repair and the time until access by service personnel that could otherwise minimize ongoing damage to the application). Certain applications may have highly variable power throughput requirements depending on the direction of power flow, and further have distinct sensitivities to current flow depending on the direction of power. For example, a mobile application may have very well-defined power ratings (including, e.g., nominal voltage, power throughput, and / or rated current) depending on whether mains, regenerative power, and / or fast-charging power is flowing through the system. In further examples, a mobile application may have separate power electronics, certain components that are exposed to power only under certain operating conditions (e.g., while charging, while mains, while regenerating, etc.), and / or power control components such as diodes that have well-defined sensitivity to current depending on the power direction. Similarly, applications such as power grid support systems and / or power delivery operations may have different power flow ratings depending on the operating state, time of day, and where the power is flowing (e.g., from the grid to the battery).Power flows from the battery to the grid and / or from power generating devices such as windmills, turbines, etc. to the battery, the grid, a load, or a combination thereof.

[0009] In another example, the high voltage battery of an electric vehicle is usually charged by a relatively constant current. If a short circuit occurs during charging, the short circuit current that occurs is significantly lower than in the case of a complete short circuit with a fully charged battery during driving. Therefore, in order to minimize problems fundamentally related to the occurrence of a short circuit, for example by exceeding the switching capacity of a switching device in a DC circuit or by thermal overload of a charging cable, it is desirable in many DC applications to differentiate the thresholds for switching off the short circuit current according to the current flow direction and / or to optimize the short circuit current for each application.

[0010] Exemplary energy storage and DC networks include a combination of contactors and relays (e.g., circuit breakers / relays) for routing and switching in normal operation, combined with separate fuse elements for rapid interruption in emergency situations such as in case of a short circuit. This applies in particular to so-called "high voltage on-board networks" in the field of electric mobility, with nominal voltages of 400 V and above and DC currents that can exceed 100 A during operation. In such applications, currents of several kiloamperes can occur in case of a short circuit, in combination with the formation of a DC arc, which, without appropriate protection devices, can cause significant destruction within a few milliseconds.

[0011] With reference to WO 2020 / 016179 ("SWITCHING DEVICE AND SWITCHING ARRANGEMENT", filed July 15, 2019, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes), a DC switching device suitable for high voltage networks such as electric vehicles is described. Conventionally known DC switching devices operate independently of the direction of current flow, for example utilizing the same threshold for both driving and charging modes with the direction of current flow reversed. In nominal operation, hundreds of amperes of DC current can be generated for fast charging of energy storage in larger electric vehicles. During operation, the vehicle's power electronics ensure that the switched current is limited to about 30 amperes, which allows the switching device to have a long electrical life of more than 100,000 switching operations under load. On the other hand, if a short circuit occurs in a DC network, typically with currents in the range of >1000 A, the switch opens the switching contacts very quickly, ensuring that the switching arc that occurs is always quickly removed from the contact tips by the force of the magnetic field, regardless of the direction of current flow, to prevent damage to the switching element due to its extremely high temperatures. The switching arc is transferred towards the arc chamber and extinguished there, so that the short circuit current is switched off within a few milliseconds.

[0012] Detection of a short circuit is provided by a current sensor element, for example in the form of a Hall effect sensor, located in close proximity to the fixed contacts. If a specified threshold, which may for example correspond to a multiple of the nominal current, is exceeded, the coil voltage of the electromagnetic switching drive is immediately stopped by the control electronics, which are switched off so that the switching contacts typically reach the contacts in less than 2 milliseconds and remain open indefinitely (e.g. opening to prevent re-contact of the contactor elements). In the case of a short circuit, damage to the electrical components can occur very quickly. In the case of high short circuit currents, the switching contacts may initially open due to dynamic current forces (e.g. due to Lorentz forces), resulting in the immediate formation of a high energy arc. In the case of a magnetic drive coil (e.g. a magnetic drive coil that controls the contact of the contactor elements) that has not yet been fully discharged, the contact compression spring force may still be acting during the opening operation, and may drive the contacts to reconnect as the Lorentz force decreases. The contact compression spring force, which may still be acting during the opening operation, may be due to dynamic contact forces acting much faster than the mechanical contact opening, which may be driven by the simultaneous de-energization of the counter contact spring and the magnetic drive coil. Reconnection of the contactor immediately after initial opening can result in severe damage and / or welding of the switching contacts heated by the arc. An exemplary DC switching device utilizes a fast de-energizing circuit to effectuate fast disconnection of the magnetic drive coil (see, e.g., FIG. 1). An exemplary de-energizing circuit utilizes a switch-off pulse to initiate connection of a high freewheeling opposing voltage to the magnetic coil circuit to ensure fast discharge of the coil current. An example of FIG. 1 is further described in the '179 document.

[0013] It should be understood that determining whether the coil current discharge is fast, rapid, quick, fast, etc. depends on the discharge event and the circumstances of the system, such as how quickly a component fails or how robust the protected component is to a high current event. In certain embodiments, fast, rapid, quick, fast, etc. may be a rate that is faster than a nominal deceleration, such as faster than a few milliseconds (e.g., faster than 2 ms). One of skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, can readily determine whether the coil current discharge characteristic is fast, rapid, quick, fast, etc. for a particular system. Without being limited to any other aspect of the present disclosure, certain considerations of one of skill in the art when determining whether the coil current discharge characteristic is fast, rapid, quick, fast, etc. include the capacitance of the energized coil, the capacitance of the power circuit in which the energized coil is operating, the ability of the protected device to withstand a high current event, capital vs. operating cost considerations (e.g., component cost vs. operational cost to keep the current within margins), the dynamics of the power circuit during opening under transient conditions and under power events, and / or the dynamics of the power components.

[0014] With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary list of components shown includes: 50DC Switch 50a switch main circuit 50b Auxiliary Switch 51 Overvoltage protection ·52 reverse polarity protection ·53 high speed de-energized circuits 54 magnetic drive coils 55 Power Up Driver 56 Inbound Filters 57 Threshold Switch Input Voltage 58 timers 59 Switch on Link 60 Switch-on voltage control circuit 61 Filter Circuit 62 DC-DC Step-Down Converters 63 Decoupling 64 threshold switch control voltage 65 Current Sensor 66 Current sensing threshold switch 67 External emergency cut-off for overvoltage protection 68 External emergency shutoff threshold switch

[0015] In the exemplary switch control electronic device of FIG. 1, there is no distinction based on current flow direction for switch-off control, including turning off short circuit currents. The examples of the present disclosure refer to DC circuits and switching for clarity of the present specification. However, the embodiments of the switch control electronic device described herein are useful for switching direct current (DC) circuits and / or alternating current (AC) circuits.

[0016] An exemplary DC switching device of the present disclosure includes control / release electronics that provide bidirectional short circuit detection with different levels of switch-off thresholds for two current flow directions, including rapid de-energization of a magnetic drive. In certain embodiments, the bidirectional switch-off thresholds can be based on one or more current characteristics depending on each direction, such as: the value of the current flowing; the rate of change of the current value; the time-based value of the current; the relative position of the current value with respect to a threshold; the rate of change of the relative position of the current value with respect to a threshold; and / or combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, both the thresholds and / or the current characteristics considered for switching can vary depending on the current flow direction.

[0017] A current direction dependent disconnection threshold can be implemented, for example, using a parallel arrangement of two comparators. The signal coming from a current sensor, preferably in the form of a Hall sensor, placed in the immediate vicinity of the main current path, is a measure of the amount of current flowing at that moment and goes simultaneously to one of the inputs of both comparators. In current flow mode, the Hall voltage signal is compared with a fixed reference signal for each of the two inputs of the two comparators. The level of the reference signal is dimensioned relative to the current sensor signal such that in the nominal operating case of both current directions, the output signals of both comparators are in the non-activated state of fast de-energization downstream of the magnetic drive coil for switching off the DC load. If the load current reaches a threshold in one direction of the current, and / or another threshold as described herein, for example a value corresponding to a short circuit, and / or any other condition indicating that an immediate power interruption should be performed, the modified Hall voltage level has the effect that one of the two comparators changes the state of its output signal so that a fast de-energization circuit is activated. However, in the other comparator, the changed Hall voltage due to the reference voltage applied thereto at the same time does not cause an input voltage difference that results in a change of state of the output signal. If the short circuit current threshold is reached in the case of the flow of current in the other direction, which can be different from the threshold for the reverse polarity, a change of state occurs in the signal output of the second comparator and there is no change in the first comparator.

[0018] Such a signal constellation can be advantageously implemented in that the Hall signal is applied to an inverted signal input to one of the two comparators and to a non-inverted signal input to the other comparator. The desired value or reference voltage can be implemented using a voltage divider that divides the control voltage of the control electronics accordingly. Such a voltage divider can be made, for example, via a series connection of ohmic resistors that specify a fixed constellation of reference voltages applied to the two comparators. In applications where a variable threshold is useful to turn off short circuit currents, the voltage divider can also be designed as a chain of variable resistors, for example B in the form of a potentiometer or a Zener diode configuration. It will be appreciated that other threshold types (e.g., current change rate, integration of the current value, and / or comparison of the current value with a threshold) can be implemented by suitable analog or digital electronics integrated with the circuit of the DC switching device (e.g., utilizing capacitors, inductors, reference voltages and / or current values ​​coupled to the circuit, solid-state components, and / or control electronics).

[0019] With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary list of components depicted includes: 10 DC Switches 10a main circuit switch 10b Auxiliary Switch 15 Hall sensors ·21 comparator K1 ·22 comparator K2 30 voltage divider 35 Overvoltage Protection ·36 reverse polarity protection ·40 rapid de-energizing circuits 45 drive coil

[0020] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the control electronics for a DC switching device. The operating mode is explained using the following exemplary embodiment. The monitored current is measured by a bipolar Hall sensor 15 mounted on the DC switching device 10 in close proximity to the main current path 12. In the case of de-energization, a Hall voltage UH-0 is present at the sensor output, which in this example is 50% of the supply voltage Vcc. If the DC current increases, the Hall voltage also increases in one direction of the current, while for a current that increases in the opposite direction the Hall voltage decreases. The Hall voltage is simultaneously fed as an input signal to two comparators 21 (e.g. inverting), 22 (e.g. non-inverting) arranged in parallel in the comparator part 20 of the control electronics. In this example, one comparator is the inverting input and the other is the non-inverting input. For each of the other signals, a reference signal is set for both directions of the current with a threshold for activating the rapid de-energization circuit 40 of the magnetic drive in case of a short circuit. In this example, the two reference voltage values ​​are derived from a supply voltage Vcc that is constantly applied through a voltage divider 30 provided with permanently selected ohmic resistors. It will be appreciated that the voltage divider 30 may include a variable resistor, for example, to adjust the current threshold for opening the contactor. Additionally or alternatively, the Hall voltage value provided to and / or from each comparator may be adjusted and / or have a parallel connection with the adjustment to utilize other types of thresholds, such as rate of change, accumulated time-current value, and / or for comparison with a reference value (for example, to determine if the current value is approaching a threshold value). For example, a resistor value constellation with R1=R2=15 kΩ, R3=20 kΩ, and a supply voltage Vcc of 5 V, divides the voltages such that a reference voltage of 3.5 V is applied to the non-inverting input of comparator K1 21 and a voltage of 2.0 V is applied to the inverting input of comparator K2 22. Thus, the Hall sensor signal at comparator K1 becomes the inverting input and the non-inverting input of comparator K2 at the same time. As long as the monitored DC current is below a trigger threshold (e.g., short circuit current, or other selected threshold), the input voltage difference is always greater than zero for both comparators. In the example of Fig. 2, when the voltage difference is greater than zero, the rapid de-energization circuit 40 does not operate, the output signal has the state "HI".However, if the Hall voltage reaches a value of 3.5V for one current flow direction having a given exemplary value, which corresponds to the threshold value in case of a short circuit specified for this current direction, the voltage difference at comparator K1 becomes zero and the output signal jumps to state "LO". In this example, due to the reference voltage value of 2.0V at K2, the voltage difference at comparator K2 is still greater than zero, so the output signal from the K2 comparator continues to have the state "HI", but the parallel arrangement of the two comparators causes an immediate activation of the rapid de-energization circuit 40 and a corresponding response of the magnetic drive coil 45 of the switching device.

[0021] In this example, an increase in the current intensity of the current flowing in the reverse direction is associated with a decrease in the Hall voltage. In this example, when the decreasing voltage reaches, for example, 2.0 V, which corresponds to the short circuit case threshold specified for the opposite current direction, the input of comparator K2 drops to zero voltage difference and the output signal of comparator K2 jumps to state "LO". In this example, the voltage difference at comparator K1 is still positive due to the higher reference voltage and the output of comparator K1 remains "HI", but the parallel arrangement of the two comparators causes an immediate activation of the rapid de-energization circuit 40 and a corresponding response of the magnetic drive coil 45 of the switching device.

[0022] An exemplary switching arrangement includes implementing control electronics, for example using a microcontroller-based configuration and / or a controller as shown with reference to Figure 9. Exemplary input variables of such control electronics include Hall voltage as a measure of the instantaneous load current and / or processed values ​​thereof, such as rate of change, accumulated time-current value, and / or comparison of any one or more of these to threshold values.

[0023] The control electronics can also be implemented using a microcontroller-based configuration.The input variable of such control electronics is the Hall voltage as a measure of the instantaneous load current.

[0024] In nominal operation, the applied Hall voltage varies within a voltage interval, the upper and lower limits of which correspond to the switch-off thresholds in case of a short circuit in both current directions. The levels of these thresholds are fixed for a given application, although in principle they can be set differently. When these thresholds are exceeded or below, respectively, an activation signal is sent at the microcontroller output to the rapid de-energization circuit 40 of the drive coil 45, similar to the comparator-based embodiment described in connection with FIG. 2. The example utilizing control electronics again ensures that the load current to the drive coil 45 is quickly switched off, avoiding a contactor reconnection event.

[0025] Exemplary features of the present disclosure are described below, any one or more of which may be present in a particular embodiment. An exemplary system includes a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for a DC switch for detection and rapid disconnection of current at a selected threshold (e.g., short circuit current) for both current flow directions, consisting of a threshold switch with different selectable disconnection thresholds for both current directions in the form of a parallel arrangement of two comparators and / or utilizing control electronics, coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system arranged in a DC switch based on a bipolar Hall sensor on the input side and a fast de-energizing circuit on the output side with a high unloaded circuit voltage for rapid removal of current from the magnetic coil of the switch driver. The self-triggering bidirectional control electronics may alternatively be described as a component, apparatus, device, assembly, circuit, or system. An exemplary system includes a bidirectional adjustable current disconnection threshold (e.g., short circuit current) on the input side of a comparator circuit in the form of a voltage divider with fixed and / or adjustable ohmic resistance, as a variably adjustable potentiometer configuration and / or an equivalent Zener diode circuit. An exemplary system includes self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for DC switches that utilizes control electronics such as a microcontroller circuit to provide rapid recognition of bidirectional high current events and rapid deactivation of a magnetic coil that operates a contactor of a switching device (e.g., a circuit breaker / relay). In some embodiments of the self-triggering bidirectional control electronics, a fast de-energization circuit is operable in the absence of a selectable interruption threshold. In some embodiments, the self-triggering bidirectional control electronics may be useful for detection and rapid interruption of current at a selected threshold (e.g., short circuit current) for one direction of bidirectional current. Various embodiments of bidirectional switching include having different switching thresholds for each current direction, having the same switching threshold for both directions, and having a switching threshold for only one current direction and no switching threshold for the other current direction.

[0026] Particular descriptions refer to switching means for operating the threshold switch and current removal means for operating the fast de-energizing circuit. The embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 show non-limiting examples of switching means and current removal means.

[0027] Certain further exemplary embodiments are described below. In further examples, but not limited to, components such as contactors and / or breakers / relays may be implemented utilizing switching devices with bidirectional switching control as described above with reference to Figure 2. Without being limited to any aspect of the disclosure, the operations described with respect to detected current values, current thresholds, etc. may be implemented as bidirectional current responses, including having the same or separate operations for each current direction.

[0028] Referring to Fig. 48, a method 4800 of operating a self-triggering bidirectional control electronic device is shown. The method 4800 of operating a self-triggering bidirectional control electronic device for an electronic switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions includes operating 4802 a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch, and operating 4804 a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than the selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds. Fig. 49 shows the method 4900 further including operating 4902 the de-energizing circuit to apply a high freewheeling counter voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil.

[0029] FIG. 50 illustrates a self-triggering bidirectional control circuit 5002 for an electronic switch. The circuit 5002 may include switching means 5004 for operating a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch. An embodiment of the switching means 5004 is shown and described with reference to at least the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The circuit 5002 may also include a current removal means 5008 for operating a fast de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the fast de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage for quickly removing current from the magnetic drive coil, the fast de-energizing circuit quickly removing current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system senses a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds. An embodiment of the current removal means 5008 is shown and described with reference to at least the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. It should be understood that the bidirectional control circuit 5002 may include both the switching means 5004 and the current removing means 5008, or either one may be omitted.

[0030] 51 illustrates a system 5100 for operating contactors of a circuit breaker / repeater 5102, the system including a circuit breaker / repeater 5102 as described herein and a self-triggering bi-directional control electronics component 5110 for an electronic switch in the circuit breaker / repeater 5102 for detection and rapid interruption of current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions. The component 5110 can include a threshold switch 5104 having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, as shown and described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the threshold switch coupled to a bi-directional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch. Component 5110 can also include a fast de-energizing circuit 5108 configured to apply a switch-off pulse to the output of the threshold switch as shown and described with reference to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fast de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage for quickly removing current from the magnetic drive coil, the fast de-energizing circuit 5108 configured to quickly remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system senses a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second shutoff thresholds. It is understood that component 5110 may include both the threshold switch 5104 and the de-energizing circuit 5108, or either one can be omitted.

[0031] An exemplary apparatus includes a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch, and a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds.

[0032] Certain further aspects of the exemplary apparatus are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary apparatus further includes the de-energizing circuit further configured to apply a high freewheeling counter voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil. The exemplary apparatus further includes the high freewheeling counter voltage comprising a flyback diode. The exemplary apparatus further includes the threshold switch comprising two comparators, each of the first and second shutoff thresholds comprising a bidirectionally adjustable current cutoff threshold on an input side of the two comparators. The exemplary apparatus further includes the threshold switch comprising a control output of a controller. The exemplary apparatus further includes one or more of the first and second shutoff thresholds corresponding to a short circuit current value. The exemplary apparatus further includes a voltage divider electrically coupled to a sensor in a threshold switch on a first side of the voltage divider, the sensor being a bipolar Hall sensor, and to two comparators in a threshold switch on a second side of the voltage divider. The exemplary apparatus further includes the voltage divider comprising at least one component selected from the following components: a fixed ohmic resistor, an adjustable ohmic resistor, a variably adjustable potentiometer configuration, or a Zener diode circuit. The exemplary apparatus further includes the first side of the voltage divider being an input side and the second side of the voltage divider being an output side. The exemplary apparatus further includes the electronic switch comprising a direct current (DC) switch.

[0033] An example method includes operating self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the method including: operating a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch; and operating a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil if the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than the selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds.

[0034] Certain further aspects of the exemplary method are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary method further includes operating the de-energized circuit to apply a high freewheeling counter voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil. The exemplary method further includes the high freewheeling counter voltage comprises a flyback diode. The exemplary method further includes the threshold switch comprises two comparators. The exemplary method further includes the first and second shutoff thresholds each comprise a bidirectionally adjustable current cutoff threshold on an input side of the two comparators. The exemplary method further includes the threshold switch comprises a control output of the controller. The exemplary method further includes one or more of the first and second shutoff thresholds correspond to a short circuit current value. The exemplary method further includes a voltage divider electrically coupled to a sensor in a threshold switch on a first side of the voltage divider, the sensor being a bipolar Hall sensor, and to two comparators in a threshold switch on a second side of the voltage divider. The exemplary method further includes the voltage divider comprising at least one component selected from the following components: a fixed ohmic resistor, an adjustable ohmic resistor, a variably adjustable potentiometer configuration, or a Zener diode circuit. The exemplary method further includes the first side of the voltage divider being an input side and the second side of the voltage divider being an output side. The exemplary method further includes the electronic switch comprising a direct current (DC) switch.

[0035] An exemplary auto-triggering bidirectional control circuit for an electronic switch for current detection and rapid shutoff at selected thresholds for both current flow directions includes a threshold switch having a first shutoff threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second shutoff threshold associated with a second current flow direction, switching means for operating the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensor sensing on an input side of the threshold switch, and a fast de-energizing circuit for applying a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the fast de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage for rapidly removing current from the magnetic drive coil, the fast de-energizing circuit rapidly removing current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second shutoff thresholds.

[0036] Certain additional aspects of the exemplary circuit are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary circuit further includes the fast de-energization circuit further configured to apply a high freewheeling counter voltage to quickly remove current from the magnetic drive coil. The exemplary circuit further includes the high freewheeling counter voltage comprises a flyback diode. The exemplary circuit further includes the threshold switch comprises two comparators. The exemplary circuit further includes the selected threshold comprises a bidirectionally adjustable current cut-off threshold on an input side of the two comparators. The exemplary circuit further includes the threshold switch comprises a control output of the controller. The exemplary circuit further includes the selected threshold corresponds to a short circuit current value. The exemplary circuit further includes a voltage divider electrically coupled to a sensor in a threshold switch on a first side of the voltage divider, the sensor being a bipolar Hall sensor, and to two comparators in a threshold switch on a second side of the voltage divider. The exemplary circuit further includes the voltage divider comprising at least one component selected from the components consisting of a fixed ohmic resistor, an adjustable ohmic resistor, a variably adjustable potentiometer configuration, or a Zener diode circuit. The exemplary circuit further includes the first side of the voltage divider being an input side and the second side of the voltage divider being an output side. The exemplary circuit further includes the electronic switch comprising a direct current (DC) switch.

[0037] An exemplary system for operating a contactor of a circuit breaker / repeater includes a circuit breaker / repeater including a fixed contact electrically coupled to an electric power bus, a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact, an armature coupled to the movable contact, the armature configured to be moved into contact with the fixed contact to enable current flow through the electric power bus, a relay including a coil and a magnet core, the coil configured to operate the relay such that when the coil is energized, the armature is attracted to the magnet core, and an interrupter including a plurality of splitter plates proximate a body of the circuit breaker / repeater, and a permanent magnet system surrounding the plurality of splitter plates and one or more of the arc paths between the contact gaps and the plurality of splitter plates, wherein during engagement or disengagement of the movable contact when the electric power bus is energized, the body of the circuit breaker / repeater cooperates with the splitter plates to break the arc using a magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet system. and a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics component for an electronic switch in the breaker / repeater, the self-triggering bidirectional control electronics component including a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction for detection and rapid interruption of current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed in the electronic switch based on detection of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch, and a fast de-energizing circuit configured to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the fast de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage for rapid removal of current from the magnetic drive coil, the fast de-energizing circuit configured to rapidly remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second thresholds.

[0038] Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system further includes the fast de-energization circuit further configured to apply a high freewheeling counter voltage to quickly remove current from the magnetic drive coil. The exemplary circuit further includes the high freewheeling counter voltage comprises a flyback diode. The exemplary circuit further includes the threshold switch comprises two comparators. The exemplary circuit further includes the selected threshold corresponds to a short circuit current value. The exemplary circuit further includes the electronic switch comprises a direct current (DC) switch.

[0039] An exemplary system for operating a contactor of a circuit breaker / repeater includes a circuit breaker / repeater including fixed contacts electrically coupled to an electric power bus, movable contacts selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contacts, an armature coupled to the movable contacts, the armature configured to be moved into contact with the fixed contacts to enable current flow through the electric power bus, a relay including a coil and a magnet core, the coil configured to operate the relay such that when the coil is energized, the armature is attracted to the magnet core, and an interrupter including a plurality of splitter plates proximate a body of the circuit breaker / repeater, and a permanent magnet system surrounding one or more of the plurality of splitter plates and the contact gaps and the plurality of splitter plates. and a breaker configured to cooperate with the splitter plate to dissipate an arc during engagement or disengagement of the movable contact when the power bus is energized, using a magnetic field provided by a permanent magnet system, the breaker / repeater body being configured to cooperate with the splitter plate to dissipate an arc. and a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics component for an electronic switch in the breaker / repeater, the threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction for detection and rapid interruption of current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch.

[0040] Certain additional aspects of the exemplary system are described below, any one or more of which may be present in certain embodiments. The exemplary system further includes the threshold switch comprising two comparators. The exemplary system further includes the selected threshold corresponds to a short circuit current value. The exemplary system further includes the electronic switch comprising a direct current (DC) switch.

[0041] An exemplary apparatus includes a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for a direct current (DC) switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch including: a DC switch; a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the DC switch based on detection of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch; and a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil if the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds.

[0042] An example apparatus includes a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch including a bidirectional current sensor system, a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to the bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensor sensing on an input side of the threshold switch, and a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than the selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds.

[0043] An exemplary apparatus includes a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch including a magnetic drive coil; a threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing of a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch; and a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil if the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds.

[0044] An exemplary apparatus includes a self-triggering bidirectional control electronics for an electronic switch for detecting and interrupting current at selected thresholds for both current flow directions, the threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system disposed within the electronic switch based on sensing a sensor on an input side of the threshold switch, the sensed current, and a de-energizing circuit to apply a switch-off pulse to an output side of the threshold switch, the de-energizing circuit including a high unloaded circuit voltage to remove current from the magnetic drive coil, the de-energizing circuit configured to remove current from the magnetic drive coil when the sensed current is equal to or greater than the selected one of the first and second interruption thresholds.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary system 100 is shown that includes a power distribution unit (PDU) 102 operably disposed between a power source 104 and a load 106. The power source 104 may be of any type including at least a battery, a generator, and / or a capacitor. The power source 104 may include multiple sources or power lines that may be distributed according to the type of power (e.g., battery input separated from generator input) and / or according to the device being powered (e.g., auxiliary and / or accessory power separated from main load power such as motor power, and / or split within accessories, split within motor power, etc.). The load 106 may be of any type that includes one or more power loads (e.g., individual drive wheel motors, global power drive motors, etc.), one or more accessories (e.g., on-board accessories such as steering, fans, lights, cab power, etc.). In certain embodiments, the PDU 102 facilitates the integration of the electrical system of an application including the system 100, such as by utilizing uniform input and output access, grouping all power distribution into a single box, a single area, and / or a single logically integrated group of components. In certain embodiments, the PDU 102 provides protection for the electrical system, including amalgamation and / or connection or disconnection (manual and / or automatic) of the electrical system or individual aspects of the electrical system. In certain embodiments, the one or more power sources 104 may be high voltage (e.g., a power source that may be 96V, 230V-360V, 240V, 480V, or any other value) or low voltage (e.g., 12V, 24V, 42V, or any other value). In certain embodiments, the one or more power sources 104 may be a direct current (DC) power source or an alternating current (AC) power source, including polyphase (e.g., three-phase) AC power. In certain embodiments, the PDU 102 is a pass-through device, e.g., providing power to the load 106 as configured by the power source 104 only when subject to sensing and other actions from the PDU 102 not provided for in the power configuration. In certain embodiments, the PDU 102 may include power electronics, e.g., rectification, voltage regulation, cleanup of noisy power, etc., to provide selected power characteristics to the load 106.

[0046] 4, a more detailed view of an exemplary PDU 102 is shown generally. The exemplary PDU 102 includes a main power source 202 (e.g., high voltage, main load power, power, etc.) that may be provided by one or more power sources 104, and an auxiliary power source 204 (e.g., auxiliary, accessory, low voltage, etc.) that may be provided by one or more power sources 104. Although the exemplary PDU 102 shows a single main power source 202 and a single auxiliary power source 204, a given application may include one or more main power sources 202, may include a separate auxiliary power source 204, and / or may omit the auxiliary power source 204.

[0047] The exemplary PDU 102 further includes a coolant inlet 206 and a coolant outlet 208. The supply of coolant to the PDU 102 is optional and may not be included in certain embodiments. The coolant may be of any type depending on availability in the present application, including, for example, available on-board coolant (e.g., engine coolant, transmission coolant, coolant flows associated with other power components such as auxiliaries or power source 104, etc.) and / or may be a coolant dedicated to the PDU 102. If present, the amount of cooling provided by the coolant may be variable by, for example, altering the amount of coolant flowing through the coolant loop through the PDU 102 by operating hardware (e.g., a valve or restriction) within the PDU 102, providing a request for coolant flow rate to another device in the system, etc.

[0048] The example PDU 102 further includes a main power outlet 210 and an auxiliary power outlet 212. As previously mentioned, the PDU 102 may include multiple main power outlets 210 and / or split, multiple, multiplexed, and / or omitted auxiliary power outlets 212. The example PDU 102 is a pass-through power device in which the power outlets 210, 212 have substantially the same electrical characteristics as the corresponding power inlets 202, 204, except for the impact on power due to sensing and / or active diagnostics. However, the PDU 102 may include power electronics (solid state or otherwise) for configuring the power in any desired manner.

[0049] The example PDU 102 further includes a controller 214 configured to functionally perform certain operations of the PDU 102. The controller 214 includes and / or is communicatively coupled to one or more sensors and / or actuators within the PDU 102, for example, to determine current, voltage, and / or temperature of any power sources or inputs, fuses, connectors, or other devices within the PDU 102. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 214 is communicatively coupled to the system 100 including the PDU 102, including, for example, a vehicle controller, an engine controller, a transmission controller, an application controller, and / or a network device or server (e.g., a fleet computer, a cloud server, etc.). The controller 214 may be coupled to an application network (e.g., a CAN, a data link, a private or public network, etc.), an external network, and / or another device (e.g., an operator's portable device, an in-cab computer for the vehicle, etc.). The controller 214 is shown generally as a single standalone device for ease of illustration. It will be appreciated that the controller 214 and / or aspects of the controller 214 may be distributed across multiple hardware devices, included within another hardware device (e.g., a controller for a power source, a load, a vehicle, an application, etc.), and / or configured as a hardware device, logic circuit, etc., to perform one or more operations of the controller 214. The PDU 102 is shown generally as a device within a single enclosure, but may be within a single enclosure and / or distributed across two or more locations within an application. In certain embodiments, including the PDU 102 within a single enclosure provides certain advantages for consolidation, reduced footprint, and / or simplified interfaces. Additionally or alternatively, including the PDU 102 in multiple locations within an application is contemplated herein, and / or including multiple PDUs 102 within an application is contemplated herein.

[0050] The example PDU 102 includes a main contactor 216 that selectively controls the main power throughput of the PDU 102. In this example, the main contactor 216 is communicatively coupled to and controlled by the controller 214. The main contactor 216 may be additionally manually controllable and / or other main contactors 216 may be in-line for manually controllable main power. The example main contactor 216 includes a solenoid (or other coil-based) contactor that provides a connected main power supply (e.g., normally open or power disconnected when not energized) when the solenoid is energized and / or provides a disconnected main power supply (e.g., normally closed or power connected when not energized) when the solenoid is energized. Characteristics of the system 100, including design choices regarding whether the power source should be active when the controller 214 power source fails, predefined service plans, regulations and / or policies, the consequences of power loss to the system 100, the voltage normally carried in the main power source, the availability of a positive manual disconnect option, etc., may inform or dictate the determination of whether the main contactor 216 is normally open or normally closed. In certain embodiments, the main contactor 216 may be a solid-state device, such as a solid-state repeater. When multiple main contactors 216 are present, the various contactors may include the same or separate hardware (e.g., one is a solenoid and one is a solid-state repeater) and / or may include the same or separate logic for being normally open or normally closed. The main contactor 216 may be further controllable by a device external to the PDU 102, such as a key switch lockout, another controller in the system 100 that has access to control the main contactor 216, and / or the controller 214 may respond to external commands to open or close the main contactor 216, and / or an additional contactor in-line for the main power source may respond to a device external to the PDU 102.

[0051] The example PDU 102 includes an auxiliary contactor 218 that selectively controls the auxiliary power throughput of the PDU 102. In this example, the auxiliary contactor 218 is communicatively coupled to and controlled by the controller 214. The auxiliary contactor 218 may be additionally manually controllable and / or other auxiliary contactors 218 may be in-line for manually controllable auxiliary power. The example auxiliary contactor 218 includes a solenoid (or other coil-based) contactor that provides a connected auxiliary power source (e.g., normally open or power disconnected when not energized) when the solenoid is energized and / or provides a disconnected auxiliary power source (e.g., power connected when normally closed or not energized) when the solenoid is energized. Characteristics of the system 100, including design choices regarding whether the power source should be activated when the controller 214 power source fails, predefined service plans, regulations and / or policies, consequences of power loss in the system 100, the voltage typically carried by the auxiliary power source, availability of a positive manual disconnect option, etc., may inform or direct the determination of whether the auxiliary contactor 218 is normally open or normally closed. In certain embodiments, the auxiliary contactor 218 may be a solid state device, such as a solid state relay. The auxiliary contactor 218 may be further controllable by a device external to the PDU 102, e.g., a key switch lockout, another controller in the system 100 that has access to control the auxiliary contactor 218, etc., and / or the controller 214 may respond to an external command to open or close the auxiliary contactor 218, and / or an additional contactor in-line for the auxiliary power source may respond to a device external to the PDU 102. In certain embodiments, an auxiliary contactor 218 may be provided for every auxiliary line, for a subset of the auxiliary lines (eg, four auxiliary power inputs having two, three, or four auxiliary contactors 218), and so on.

[0052] The exemplary PDU 102 includes a current source 220, which may be an AC power source and / or may be provided as a solid-state electronic circuit on the controller 214. The current source 220 may provide a selected current injection into the main power source across a main fuse 222, for example as an AC current, a DC current, and / or a controllable current over time. For example, the PDU 102 may include sensors, such as voltage and / or current sensors on the main power source, and the current source 220 provides an electrical connection to a power source (which may be an external power source and / or may be provided via the controller) in a manner configured to inject a desired current into the main power source. The current source 220 may include feedback to ensure a desired current is injected, for example to respond to system noise, variability, and aging, and / or may apply a nominal electrical connection to inject the current, and the controller 214 determines the sensor input to determine the actual current injected into the main power source. Although the exemplary PDU 102 illustrates a current source 220 associated with the main fuse 222, the PDU 102 may further include one or more current sources 220 associated with any one or more of the fuses 222, 224 in the PDU 102, including individually, in a subset, or across all fuses (subject to compatibility of power on the fuses, e.g., simultaneous current injection across electrically coupled fuses should generally be avoided). It will be appreciated that including additional current sources 220 provides greater resolution in injecting current across individual fuses and managing fuse drift over time, while including fewer current sources 220 reduces system cost and complexity. In certain embodiments, the current sources 220 are configured to selectively inject current across each fuse in the PDU 102 and / or across each fuse of interest, in a sequence or schedule, and / or as requested by the controller 214.

[0053] The exemplary PDU 102 includes a main fuse 222 and an auxiliary fuse 224. A main power source is associated with one or more main fuses 222, and an auxiliary power source is associated with an auxiliary fuse 224. In a particular embodiment, the fuses are thermal fuses, such as resistive devices that indicate heating and are intended to fail when a given current profile is exceeded in the associated power line. With reference to FIG. 5, a typical and non-limiting exemplary response curve of a fuse is shown. Curve 302 represents an application damage curve and indicates a current-time space where some aspects of the application will be damaged if the curve is exceeded. For example, in the exemplary application damage curve 302, exceeding 10× rated current for approximately 50 milliseconds will cause damage to some aspects of the application. It will be understood that an application may include many components, and the components may differ in the application damage curve 302. Furthermore, each fuse 222, 224 may be associated with a separate component having a different damage curve than other components. Curve 304 represents a control space, and in certain embodiments, the controller 114 provides control protection to prevent the system from reaching the applied damage curve 302 in the event of fuse failure or off-nominal operation. The applied damage curve 302 may be a specified value, e.g., a system requirement to be met, and exceeding the applied damage curve 302 will not meet the system requirement, but actual damage to the component may be experienced at some other value in the current time space. Curve 306 represents a fuse cut line of an exemplary fuse. At the location of the fuse cut line 306, the fuse temperature exceeds the fuse design temperature and the fuse cuts. However, the fuse continues to conduct (e.g., due to conduction through the cut material before the connection is broken, arcing, etc.) for a period of time after the cut begins, as indicated by fuse conduction line 308. When the time current space reaches the fuse conduction line 308, the fuse is no longer conducting on the power line and the line is cut.It will be appreciated that the particular system dynamics, fuse-to-fuse variations, fuse aging (e.g., induced mechanical or thermal degradation, compositional or oxidation changes, etc.), the exact nature of the current experienced (e.g., current rise time), and other real world variables will affect the exact timing of both fuse blowing and fuse cutting. However, it can be seen that even for a nominal fuse such as that shown in Figure 5, at very high currents, the nominal fuse conductive line 308 and even the fuse blowing line 306, for example, may cross the applied damage curve 302 because the particular dynamics of the fuse cutting operation are less responsive (in the time domain) or unresponsive to the current applied at very high current values.

[0054] The example PDU 102 further includes a conductive layer 226 associated with auxiliary power and a conductive layer 228 associated with primary power. The conductive layers 226, 228 include power couplings to the power lines fuses. In certain embodiments, the conductive layers 226, 228 are simply wires or other conductive couplings between the fuses and the power connections to the PDU 102. Additionally or alternatively, the conductive layers 226, 228 may include flat or laminated portions with conductive layers that are stamped or formed, for example, to provide power connections within the PDU 102, and / or the portions of the conductive layers 226, 228 may include flat or laminated portions. Without being limited to other disclosures provided herein, the utilization of flat or laminated sections may provide manufacturing flexibility, installation flexibility and / or reduced footprint of the conductive layers 226, 228, and / or provide a larger contact area between the conductive layers 226, 228 and portions of the PDU 102, such as fuses, controllers, contactors, or other devices within the PDU 102 where thermal and / or electrical contact between the conductive layers 226, 228 and other devices is desired. Although the exemplary conductive layers 226, 228 are shown in connection with fuses, the conductive layers 226, 228 may additionally or alternatively be associated with the controller 214 (e.g., power coupling, communications internal or external to the PDU 102, coupling to actuators, coupling to sensors, and / or thermal coupling), contactors 216, 218, and / or any other devices within the PDU 102.

[0055] With reference to FIG. 6, the exemplary system 400 is a mobile application, such as a vehicle. The exemplary system 400 includes a high-voltage battery 104 electrically coupled to a high-voltage load 106 via a PDU 102. In the exemplary system 400, an auxiliary prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine 402 (electric generator, motor-generator, and / or associated conversion electronics, such as an inverter), is further coupled to the PDU 102. It is understood that the high-voltage battery 104 and / or the auxiliary prime mover 402 may function as a power source or load during certain operating conditions of the system 400, and further, that the high-voltage load 106 (e.g., an electric motor or motor-generator coupled to wheels) may function as a load or power source during certain operating conditions. The descriptions of the loads 106 and sources 104 herein are non-limiting and refer only to nominal, normal, and / or operating conditions selected for conceptual illustration, even though the described loads 106 and / or sources 104 often, normally, or always operate in modes not named. For example, the high voltage battery 104 may operate as a power source during powered operation where net energy is being drawn from the battery, and / or as a load during charging operation, such as powered operation where wheels or an auxiliary prime mover are charging the battery.

[0056] The exemplary system 400 further includes a powertrain controller 404 for controlling the operation of a powertrain, which may be associated with other components in the system 400 and / or with some of the other controllers in the system (e.g., a vehicle controller, a battery controller, a motor or motor-generator controller, and / or an engine controller). The exemplary system 400 further includes a charger 406 coupled to the high-voltage battery 404 via the PDU 102, and a low-voltage load ("12V autoload" in the example of FIG. 6) representing the auxiliary and ancillary loads in the system 400. Those skilled in the art will recognize the system 400 as including a serial hybrid powertrain for a vehicle, for example, where the auxiliary power (e.g., an internal combustion engine) only interacts with the electrical system to recharge the battery and / or provide additional real-time power during operation, but does not mechanically interact with the drive wheels. Additionally or alternatively, the system may include a parallel hybrid system, where the auxiliary power can mechanically interact with the drive wheels and / or can interact with the electrical system (either or both). Additionally or alternatively, the system may be an all-electric system where there is no auxiliary power and / or where auxiliary power is present but does not interact with the high voltage / power system (e.g., alternative power units for driving accessories, refrigeration, etc., where power may be transmitted through the PDU 102 but may be isolated from the power electric system). In certain embodiments, power systems such as vehicles experience highly transient duty cycles, for example during acceleration, deceleration, stop-and-go traffic, emergency operations, etc., and thus managing power in such systems is complex and certain devices, such as fuses, may be vulnerable to highly transient duty cycles. Additionally or alternatively, loss of vehicle operation may result in system downtime costs, loss or premature delivery of cargo, and / or significant operational risk due to failure (e.g., operator and / or vehicle overturning, loss of operation in traffic, loss of operation on a freeway, etc.).In certain embodiments, other systems, which may be hybrid electric and / or fully electric, additionally or alternatively experience highly variable duty cycles and / or particular vulnerabilities to operational interruptions, such as pumping operations, process operations for larger processes (e.g., chemical, refining, drilling, etc.), power generation operations, mining operations, etc. System failures of these and other operations may include externalities, such as losses associated with process failures that exceed downtime of the particular system, and / or downtime of such systems may incur significant costs.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary system including a PDU 102 is shown. The exemplary PDU 102 has several auxiliary power connections (e.g., in the example, load returns for charging, power steering, vehicle accessories, and current sensing), and a main power / traction power connection. The exemplary system 500 includes two high voltage contactors, one each for the high and low sides of the battery, which in this example are controllable by a system control board, but may additionally or alternatively be manual (e.g., a switch accessible by an operator). Additionally, the system control board may control a master disconnect that may disconnect all power through the PDU 102. The system 500 further illustrates a power fuse bypass 502 controllable by the system control board that supports certain operations of the present disclosure described throughout. Although the system 500 illustrates a power fuse bypass 502, it may additionally or alternatively include an auxiliary bypass for one or more of the auxiliary fuses, any subset of the auxiliary fuses, and / or all of the auxiliary fuses together. The exemplary system 500 includes optional coolant supply and return couplings. The battery coupling in the system 500 illustrates a 230V to 400V battery coupling, although the high voltage coupling may be any value. The system control board is illustrated as being communicatively coupled to a 12V CAN network, however, the communication coupling of the system control board to surrounding applications or systems may be any network, multiple networks (e.g., vehicle, engine, powertrain, private, public, OBD, etc.) understood in the art, and / or may be or include a wireless network connection.

[0058] 8, an exemplary apparatus 1300 is shown that may include all or a portion of the PDU 102. Descriptions herein that refer to interaction between the master fuse 222 and the lamination layers 226 / 228 additionally or alternatively contemplate interactions between any fuses and / or connectors in the apparatus 1300 and / or any other components of the PDU 102 described throughout this disclosure. The exemplary apparatus 1300 includes contactors 216 / 218 that may be high voltage contactors and / or may be associated with various of the fuses 222, 224 in the apparatus 1300. The apparatus 1300 includes lamination layers 226 / 228 that may include conductive layers for certain aspects of the conductive circuitry in the apparatus 1300. The lamination layers 226 / 228 may additionally or alternatively provide rigidity and / or structural support for various components in the apparatus 1300. The lamination layer 226 / 228 may be configured to interact with any components in a manner desired to support the lamination layer 226 / 228's functions, including structural, heat transfer, and / or electrical conductivity functions. The exemplary lamination layer 226 / 228 interacts with all of the contactors and fuses in the device 1300, but the lamination layer 226 / 228 can be readily configured to interact with selected ones of the contactors and / or fuses, and / or other components in the device, for example, in a manner similar to a printed circuit board (PCB) design. The exemplary device 1300 is placed on an L-bracket, which may be in a final configuration and / or in a test configuration. In certain embodiments, the device 1300 is enclosed in a dedicated housing and / or in the housing of another device in the system 100, such as a battery housing. In certain embodiments, the device 1300 includes a removable housing portion (e.g., top, lid, etc.) for service and / or maintenance access to the device's components. The exemplary device 1300 includes connectors 1302 for providing, for example, power, data link access, connection to a power source 104, connection to a load 106, connection to a sensor (not shown), and / or any other type of connection to the system 100, etc.

[0059] 9, an exemplary apparatus 1900 for providing additional protection against fuse failures and system failures is described. The exemplary apparatus 1900, implemented, for example, on the controller 214, includes a current event determination circuit 1902 that determines that a current event 1904 is active or predicted to occur, where the current event includes a component that is experiencing (or is about to experience) a wear event, such as a current value that causes thermal and / or mechanical stress to the component but may not cause immediate failure or observable damage. An exemplary component includes a fuse, but may be any other component in the system, including a battery cell, a switch or connector, a motor, etc. Another exemplary current event includes a system failure value, for example, a current value that may cause or is predicted to cause a system failure (e.g., a cable failure, a connector failure, etc.).

[0060] The apparatus 1900 further includes a response determination circuit 1906 that determines a system response value 1910 to the current event 1904. Exemplary and non-limiting responses include notifying an operator to reduce power, reducing power, notifying a system controller that a current event 1904 exists or is imminent, opening a contactor on a circuit associated with the event, delaying circuit protection, monitoring the event and the cause of the response delay and responding later, and / or scheduling a response according to operating conditions within the system. The apparatus 1900 further includes a response implementation circuit 1908 that determines a communication and / or actuator response according to the system response value 1910 and provides network communications 1912 and / or actuator commands 1914 to implement the system response value 1910. Exemplary and non-limiting actuator responses include operating a contactor, operating an active coolant actuator to adjust heat transfer away from a fuse, etc.

[0061] 10, exemplary data 2000 for implementing system response value 1910 is shown. The exemplary data 2000 includes thresholds 2002, e.g., current, temperature, index parameter, or other values ​​at which component wear and / or system failure is expected to occur, at least under certain operating conditions at a given time in the system, to be utilized as thresholds by current event determination circuit 1902. It is understood that current event determination circuit 1902 may utilize multiple thresholds and / or dynamic thresholds, as described throughout this disclosure. Curve 2004 represents nominal system performance, e.g., current, temperature, index parameter, etc., experienced by the system in the absence of operation of device 1900. In this example, response determination circuit 1906 determines that threshold 2002 is crossed and commands contactor and / or increases heat transfer away from fuse, taking into account contactor disconnection time 2008 (and / or effective coolant loop response time) within a time to avoid crossing threshold 2002. The example data 2000 shows a resulting system response curve 2006, where the resulting system performance is maintained below the threshold 2002. The system may experience alternative response trajectories (e.g., the resulting system response curve 2006 may be well below the threshold 2002 depending on the dynamics of the system, how long the contactors remain open, etc.). Nevertheless, additionally or alternatively, the response decision circuit 1906 may allow the threshold 2002 to be exceeded, for example, according to any action or decision described throughout this disclosure. In certain embodiments, the response decision circuit 1906 allows the threshold 2002 to be exceeded, but with a lower peak value of the response and / or a smaller area under the response curve above the threshold 2002 than would be the case in the absence of the action of the response decision circuit 1906.

[0062] Exemplary procedures that may be performed by an apparatus such as apparatus 1900 include determining that a current event (or other response event) exceeds or is predicted to exceed a wear threshold and / or determining that a current event exceeds or is predicted to exceed a system fault value. In response to determining that a current event exceeds or is predicted to exceed any value, the procedure includes an operation to perform a mitigating action. The wear threshold component may be a fuse (e.g., a fuse experiencing or predicted to experience a current event that causes mechanical stress, thermal stress, or high use of fuse life), a component in the system (e.g., a contactor, cable, switch, battery cell, etc.), and / or a defined threshold that is nominally determined (e.g., a calibration of a value that is expected to be related to the likelihood of damage to a component, without necessarily being tied to a particular component). In certain embodiments, the wear threshold and / or system fault value are compensated for the aging or wear state of the system or components in the system (e.g., as the system ages, the threshold decreases and / or the response increases).

[0063] Non-limiting mitigation actions, which may be system response values ​​1910, may include, but are not limited to, 1) disconnecting a circuit having a wear component (e.g., a fuse, system component, and / or a particular power line experiencing an event); 2) notifying an operator to reduce power requirements; 3) notifying a vehicle or powertrain controller of a current event; 4) regulating or limiting available power to an operator; 5) determining whether a component in the system experiencing an underlying wear and / or fault event is appropriate based on the circumstances (e.g., traffic, moving vehicles, type of application, whether continued operation is required, etc.). 5) delaying circuit protection (disconnection and / or power reduction, etc.) in response to an event (e.g., notification from an operator that the event has occurred); 6) continuing to monitor and disconnect (or reduce power, etc.) the circuit if the event persists and if later conditions permit; 7) scheduling responses according to the system's operating mode (e.g., sport, economy, emergency, fleet operator (and / or policy), owner / operator (and / or policy), geographic policy, and / or regulatory policy); and / or 8) bypassing wear components (e.g., bypassing current around fuses as a response action).

[0064] In certain embodiments, the act of determining that a current event has exceeded a wear threshold and / or a system fault value is based on a calculation such as: 1) determining that the current through the circuit exceeds a threshold (e.g., an ampere value); 2) determining that the rate of change of the current through the circuit exceeds a threshold (e.g., amperes / second value); and / or 3) determining that an index parameter exceeds a threshold (e.g., accumulated ampere-seconds; amperes / second-seconds; counting indexes for durations above a threshold or durations above more than one threshold; counting indexes weighted by instantaneous current values; integrated current, heat transfer, and / or power values; and / or indexes including counting down or resetting these based on current operating conditions).

[0065] In certain embodiments, the operation of determining that a current event has exceeded a wear threshold and / or a system fault value may be determined using: 1) a trip curve (e.g., a power-hour or current-hour trajectory, and / or an operating curve on a data set or table such as that depicted in FIG. 5); 2) a fuse temperature model including a first or second derivative of temperature and one or more temperature thresholds for scheduled and / or escalating responses; 3) a measured battery voltage (e.g., as the battery voltage decreases, current values ​​may be higher and / or the dynamic response of the current may change causing a change in the wear threshold, system fault value, and / or current event determination); 4) first derivatives of current, temperature, power demand, and / or indicator parameters; 5) second derivatives of current, temperature, power demand, and / or indicator parameters; 6) information from the battery management system (e.g., voltage, current, charge, etc.); 7) determining and monitoring contactor disconnect time and considering contactor disconnect time when determining response to current event; 8) utilizing auxiliary system information and adjusting response (e.g., power demand from operation expected to generate upcoming change, supplemental restraint system active / deployed-open contactor (power disconnect); collision avoidance system active-keep contactor closed for maximum system control; and / or anti-lock braking system and / or traction control system active-keep contactor closed for maximum system control). In certain embodiments, the degree of activation may also be considered and / or system status may be communicated to the PDU, e.g., the system may report critical operations requiring power as long as possible, or shutoff operations requiring power to be disconnected as soon as possible, etc.

[0066] 11, an example fuse circuit 2100 that may be present on the PDU 102 is shown. The example fuse circuit 2100 may be associated with a primary fuse, an auxiliary fuse, and / or a group of fuses or a subset of a group of fuses. The fuse circuit 2100 includes a contactor (C1) in parallel with a fuse (F1). During normal operation, the contactor is open and the current in the fuse circuit 2100 passes through the fuse. In certain embodiments, the contactor may include a physical component (e.g., a solenoid and / or coil-based switch or relay) and / or the contactor may be a solid-state relay. In certain embodiments, the contactor may be normally open (e.g., applied power closes the contactor) or normally closed (e.g., applied power opens the contactor). The example fuse circuit 2100 allows the contactor to selectively bypass the fuse circuit, for example, according to the operation of the device 1900 (see FIG. 9 and corresponding disclosure).

[0067] 12, another embodiment of a fuse circuit 2200 is disclosed in which a contactor (C1) is in series with a second fuse (F2) and C1-F2 branches in parallel with a first fuse F1. The fuse circuit 2200 provides additional flexibility and some additional features for the operation of the device 1900. For example, normal operation can be performed with the contactor closed and the current split between F1 and F2 (in the resistance ratio of the two fuses). One example includes fuse F2 with a low current threshold set such that the split current will fail fuse F2 if the system design current exceeds a design amount (e.g., 135% to 300% of the system design current, but any value is contemplated herein). Fuse F1 may be set to a very high value, allowing the opening of the contactor to temporarily increase the fusing capacity of the circuit but still be blown. Additionally or alternatively, fuse F2 may be a relatively inexpensive and / or accessible fuse, which at the lower current threshold F2 may suffer greater mechanical and thermal fatigue and act as a failure point in the fuse circuit 2200, which may significantly extend the life of the more expensive and / or less accessible fuse F1. Additionally or alternatively, normal operation may be performed with the contactor open, and fuse F1 defines the normal blowing of the circuit. When a high transient or other current event occurs, the contactor is closed and branches C1-F2 share the current load, keeping fuse F1 within normal or lower wear operating conditions. In certain embodiments, fuses F1 and F2 may be similarly sized, for example, to allow fuse F2 to operate as a backup fuse, keeping similar fault conditions in place for F1 and F2. Alternatively, fuse F2 may be smaller than fuse F1, allowing for alternate operation as described, intermittent use of the C1-F2 circuit to draw some current to protect fuse F1, and / or backup blowing of F1 that may reduce system power limits if fuse F2 is smaller (e.g., as a non-rated and / or limp home operating mode).Alternatively, fuse F2 may be larger than fuse F1, for example, to allow fuse F2 to manage very high transient current conditions where operation is still desired. Utilization of fuse circuit 2200 allows for advanced control of the fusing system to protect the power system during nominal operation while still providing advanced capabilities during fault modes, non-nominal operation, and / or transient operation. In certain embodiments, a resistor may be provided in the C1-F2 branch to control the current sharing load between F1 and F2, for example, when contactor C1 is closed.

[0068] 13, fuse circuit 2300 includes multiple fuses F1, F2, F3, F4 shown in parallel with a corresponding contactor in series with each. Although the exemplary fuse circuit 2300 is for an auxiliary fuse, fuse circuit 2300 can be any fuse, including a primary fuse. The exemplary fuse circuit 2300 allows for either removing a fuse from operation, for example, if one of the fuses is experiencing a transient event, or adding a fuse, such as when a high transient event occurs, to share the current load. In certain embodiments, one or more of the fuses in fuse circuit 2300 do not have an associated contactor and are the primary load-bearing fuses for fuse circuit 2300. The relative sizes of the fuses in fuse circuit 2300 may be according to any selected value and depend on the purpose of fuse circuit 2300 (e.g., to provide a limp-home function, to provide additional capacity, to act as a backup, and / or to allow blowing of individual fuses in the system). Additionally or alternatively, any one or more of the fuses in the fuse circuit 2300 may be placed in series with a resistor, for example, to control current load sharing. In certain embodiments, the fuses F1, F2, F3, F4 are not in parallel and / or one or more of the fuses are not in parallel. Thus, opening of the contactor for such fuses does not shunt current to another fuse. Exemplary embodiments include separate contactors for fuses to allow for interruption of certain system capabilities (e.g., due to faults, high transients, etc.) without interrupting all system capabilities (e.g., fuses supporting braking may remain active even in high transient events, while accessory fuses for non-critical systems may be blown to protect the fuse and / or system).

[0069] Referring to FIG. 14, fuse circuit 2400 is shown, similar to fuse circuit 2300, except that each fuse has a contactor in parallel, allowing shorting of a particular fuse while maintaining current flow in that fuse's path. In certain embodiments, the parallel path of each fuse may include additional fuses and / or resistors such that the load across each fuse circuit remains at least partially balanced when the fuses are connected in parallel. The embodiments of FIGS. 11-14 may be referred to as current protection circuits, and embodiments such as those shown in FIGS. 11-14 allow for selectable configuration of the current protection circuit as described and / or described. The selectable configuration of the current protection circuit may include run-time operations (e.g., reconfiguring the current protection circuit in response to an event or operating condition) and / or design-time operations (e.g., allowing the same hardware device to support multiple power ratings, electrical connection configurations, and / or service events or upgrade changes).

[0070] Referring to FIG. 15, exemplary data 2500 illustrating fuse response to a drive cycle of a vehicle is shown. In this example, fuse current (e.g., dashed lower curve at 12 and 25 units of time) and fuse temperature (e.g., solid upper curve at 12 and 25 units of time) are shown. It will be understood that other parameters describing fuse performance and / or limitations may be utilized, including at least any of the values ​​described in reference to FIG. 10. The drive cycle operation, in the example, indicates a high transient where the fuse temperature is expected to exceed the "fuse temperature avoidance limit", e.g., a temperature or temperature transient where the fuse is subjected to mechanical stress. The apparatus 1900 may consider several thresholds of the fuse, e.g., a light wear threshold, a heavy wear threshold, and a potential failure threshold that may be set to a separate value of the fuser performance indicator being utilized (e.g., temperature). In certain embodiments, multiple types of thresholds may be utilized, e.g., a temperature threshold or set of thresholds, a second threshold or set of thresholds that change with temperature over time (e.g., dT / dt), etc. In this example, the apparatus 1900 may take mitigating action at the point of the transient, for example, by bypassing the corresponding fuse for a short period of time to avoid the transient and / or by controlling the rate at which the fuse is subjected to the transient.

[0071] 16, an exemplary system 2600 includes a power source 104 and a load 106, with a fuse (F1) electrically disposed between the load 106 and the power source 104. An operator provides a power request (accelerator pedal input), and the device 1900 determines that the load request exceeds a fuse threshold (e.g., according to a current demand exceeding a temperature limit, or some other determination), but may further determine that a transient will not exceed a system operating condition limit. In this example, the device 1900 commands a contactor (C3) to close for a period of time before or during the transient to protect the fuse. The system 2600 shows high-side (C1) and low-side (C3) high voltage contactors (e.g., 216, 218 from the system 100) that are distinct from the fuse bypass contactor C3.

[0072] 10, exemplary data 2000 for implementing system response values ​​1910 is shown. The exemplary data 2000 includes thresholds 2002 (e.g., current, temperature, exponential parameters, or other values ​​at which fuse wear and / or failure is expected to occur) utilized as thresholds by the current event determination circuit 1902 under certain operating conditions at least at a point in time in the system. It is understood that the current event determination circuit 1902 may utilize multiple thresholds and / or dynamic thresholds as described throughout this disclosure. Curve 2004 represents nominal system performance, e.g., current, temperature, exponential parameters, etc., experienced by the fuse in the absence of operation of the device 1900. In this example, the response determination circuit 1906 determines that the threshold 2002 is crossed and commands the contactor to connect or disconnect in time to avoid crossing the threshold 2002, taking into account the contactor connect / disconnect time 2008 (e.g., to bypass the fuse, engage a second fuse branch, and / or close a weaker fuse branch). Additionally or alternatively, the response decision circuit 1906 may nevertheless allow the threshold 2002 to be exceeded if, for example, a more critical system parameter requires the fuse to remain connected, allowing the fuse to experience a wear and / or failure event, e.g., in accordance with any action or decision described throughout this disclosure.

[0073] In certain embodiments, the act of determining that a current event has exceeded a wear threshold and / or a fuse failure value is based on calculations such as: 1) determining that the current through the fuse exceeds a threshold (e.g., an ampere value); 2) determining that the rate of change of the current through the fuse exceeds a threshold (e.g., amperes / second value); 3) determining that an exponential parameter exceeds a threshold (e.g., accumulated ampere-seconds; amperes / second-seconds; counting exponents for durations above a threshold or durations above more than one threshold; counting exponents weighted by instantaneous current value; integrated current, heat transfer, and / or power values; and / or counting down or resetting these based on current operating conditions).

[0074] In certain embodiments, the act of determining that a current event has exceeded a wear threshold and / or a fuse fault value may be determined using: 1) a trip curve (e.g., a power-hour or current-hour trajectory, and / or an operating curve on a data set or table such as that depicted in FIG. 5); 2) a fuse temperature model including a first or second derivative of temperature and one or more temperature thresholds for scheduled and / or escalating responses; 3) a measured battery voltage (e.g., as battery voltage decreases, current values ​​may be higher and / or the dynamic response of the current may change causing a change in the wear threshold, system fault value, and / or current event determination); 4) first derivatives of current, temperature, power demand, and / or indicator parameters; 5) second derivatives of current, temperature, power demand, and / or indicator parameters; 6) information from the battery management system (e.g., voltage, current, state of charge, state of health, rate of change of any of these, where these parameters include current values, expected current ... 7) determining and monitoring contactor connect or disconnect times and taking contactor connect or disconnect times into account when determining a response to a current event; 8) utilizing auxiliary system information and adjusting the response (e.g., activating a collision avoidance system, failing a fuse, and / or bypassing a fuse to allow for potential damage to the system and keeping power flowing; activating an anti-lock braking system and / or traction control system - keeping power flowing for maximum system control (which may also take into account the degree of activation and / or system status communicated to the PDU, e.g., the system may report a critical operation that requires power as long as possible, or a cut-off operation that requires power to be removed as soon as possible, etc.).

[0075] 9, an exemplary apparatus 1900 for reducing or preventing fuse damage and / or fuse failure is shown. The exemplary apparatus 1900 includes a current event determination circuit 1902 that may determine that a current event 1904 indicates that a fuse threshold (wear, failure, fatigue, or other threshold) has been exceeded or is predicted to be exceeded. The current event 1904 may be, for example, a current, temperature, or any other parameter described in connection with FIG. 10, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16. The exemplary apparatus 1900 further includes a response determination circuit 1906 that determines a system response value 1910, for example, a response determination circuit that opens or closes one or more contactors in a fuse circuit (e.g., 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, or any other fuse circuit or current protection circuit). The apparatus 1900 further includes a response implementation circuit 1908 that provides a network communication 1912 and / or an actuator command 1914 in response to the system response value 1910. For example, the system response value 1910 may determine to close one or more contactors, and the actuator command 1914 provides a command to a selected contactor responsive to the actuator command 1914 .

[0076] In certain embodiments, the actions to bypass and / or engage one or more fuses are performed in coordination with the vehicle battery management system and / or accelerator pedal input (or other load demand indicator), for example, timing the inrush current experienced at the fuse to provide an indication to the battery management system or other vehicle power system that a momentary un-fuse operation is about to occur and / or a higher fuse limit may be readily applicable. In certain embodiments, during an un-fuse operation and / or a higher fuse limit operation, the apparatus 1900 may operate a virtual fuse, for example, if the current experienced is higher than expected (e.g., predicted to exceed fuse wear limit but below system fault limit, but actually appears to exceed system fault limit), the apparatus 1900 may operate to open a main high voltage contactor, re-engage a fuse, or make another system adjustment to protect the system in the absence of a normally available blow operation.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 17, an example of a conventionally known system having a combination of contactors and fuses is shown. For illustrative purposes, the exemplary system is provided as part of a power distribution unit (PDU) 6402 for an electric or partially electric vehicle. The system includes an electrical storage (e.g., a battery) and a motor that powers the vehicle. The electrical storage (or power storage) device may be of any type including batteries, fuel cells, and / or capacitors (e.g., supercapacitors or hypercapacitors), and combinations thereof (e.g., capacitors included in the circuit to help with peak power generation or managing transient operations). In certain embodiments, the electrical storage device is rechargeable (e.g., any rechargeable battery technology such as lithium ion, nickel metal hydride, or nickel cadmium) or recoverable (e.g., a chemical-based fuel cell with a reversible chemistry to recover charge generation capability). In the exemplary system, the battery operates as a DC device and the motor operates as an AC device with an inverter disposed between them to regulate the power of the motor. The exemplary system includes a filter capacitor 6404 that provides regulation of the main power circuit. The exemplary system includes a low side contactor and a high side contactor. The high side contactor is in series with a fuse 6410 that provides overcurrent protection to the circuit. The exemplary system further includes a precharge circuit shown as a precharge repeater 6408 and a precharge resistor 6406. In a particular embodiment, the precharge repeater 6408 is engaged before the high side contactor is engaged, allowing capacitive elements throughout the circuit to conduct through the precharge resistor 6406, limiting inrush current or other charging artifacts during system startup. It can be seen that overcurrent protection is provided by the system through a fuse 6410, the characteristics of which set the overcurrent protection of the drive circuit through the PDU. Additionally, the contactors are subject to connection and disconnection events including arcing, heating, and other wear.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 18, an exemplary PDU 6402 of the present disclosure is shown in schematic form. The exemplary PDU 6402 may be utilized in a system such as that shown in FIG. 17. The exemplary PDU of FIG. 18 includes a breaker / repeater 6502 component on the high side. The exemplary configuration of FIG. 18 is non-limiting, and any configuration of breaker / repeater 6502 that provides designed overcurrent protection for a system using any of the principles described throughout this disclosure is contemplated herein. The exemplary PDU 6402 of FIG. 18 utilizes a breaker / repeater 6502 for overcurrent protection, eliminating a fuse in series with the contactor. Any of the breakers / repeaters 6502 described throughout this disclosure may be utilized in a system such as that shown in FIG. 18. The PDU 6402 of FIG. 18 further utilizes a pre-charge repeater 6408 and a pre-charge resistor 6406, similar to that shown in FIG. 17. In the example of FIG. 18, the breaker / relay 6502 is in parallel with the pre-charge circuit, and the relay of the breaker / relay 6502 may be engaged after the system is charged through the pre-charge circuit. As described throughout this specification, the breaker / relay 6502 provides continuous, selectable overcurrent protection while providing full rated operation throughout the range of the system's design operating current. In previously known systems, the contactor / fuse device necessarily provides a gap in the operating range, either pushing fuse activation at least partially down into the operating current range, or moving fuse activation out of the rated range, providing a gap in overcurrent protection above the rated current of the system. Furthermore, as described throughout this disclosure, the breaker / relay 6502 can provide multiple current protection regimes, selectable current protection based on operating conditions, and reduces wear on the breaker / relay contact elements compared to previously known contactors. Thus, a system such as that shown in FIG. 18 can provide reliable, responsive, and recoverable overcurrent protection compared to previously known systems.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 19, an exemplary PDU 6402 is shown in a schematic diagram. The exemplary PDU 6402 may be used in a system such as that shown in FIG. 1, and may have features in addition to or instead of those described with respect to FIG. 18. The example of FIG. 19 shows an external input to a circuit breaker / repeater 6502 (by a suppressor, in the example, a schematic diagram of a key switch input 6504). The circuit breaker / repeater 6502 responds to the external signal in a configurable manner. For example, a key switch on operation may be used to energize the circuit breaker / repeater 6502 directly (e.g., by wiring the key switch circuit through a coil of the circuit breaker / repeater) or indirectly (e.g., by receiving a network value representative of the key switch position, receiving a voltage signal representative of the key switch position, etc.), thereby charging the power circuit. In another example, a key switch off operation may be used to de-energize the circuit breaker / repeater 6502, thereby removing power from the power circuit. The external signal may be of any type or several types, including an external command generated from any part of the system, a calculated value indicating whether to apply or remove power (e.g., a service event, a maintenance event, an accident indicator, an emergency stop command, a vehicle controller request, a device protection request for any device on the vehicle, a calculation that a temperature, voltage value, or current value has exceeded a threshold, etc.). The external signal may be provided as a hardwired signal (e.g., an electrical connection with a voltage representing the signal value) and / or as a communication (e.g., a data link or network communication) that may be wired or wireless, and may be generated by a controller on the PDU 6402 or external to the PDU 6402 (e.g., a vehicle controller, a power management controller, etc.). The example of FIG. 19 does not show a precharge circuit for ease of explanation, but embodiments such as those shown in FIG. 18 or FIG. 19 may have a precharge circuit or omit the precharge circuit depending on the characteristics of the system, the design goals and requirements of the system, etc.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 20, an exemplary schematic block diagram of a circuit breaker / repeater is shown. The exemplary circuit breaker / repeater of FIG. 20 operates a high voltage throughput and includes a power bus 6702 (e.g., high voltage, power, load power, etc.) that is connected or disconnected via contacts as shown diagrammatically. The voltage that is "high voltage" on the power bus may be any value and depends on the load being driven and other selected parameters of the system. In certain embodiments, high voltage is any voltage above 42V, above 72V, above 110V, above 220V, above 300V, and / or above 360V. Voltage ranges may be different for power loads versus auxiliary loads (e.g., PTO devices, pumps, etc.) and may be higher or lower than these ranges. In this example, the standard on / off 6504 or control voltage is shown on the left (shown as 12V, but any value such as 6V, 12V, 24V, 42V, etc. may be utilized). The standard voltage 6504 is shown for illustrative purposes, however, the standard voltage may additionally or alternatively be a data link or network input (e.g., where the breaker / repeater has independent access to control power) that communicates with the controller of the breaker / repeater. In certain embodiments, the standard voltage 6504 is the same voltage experienced at the key switch, by the vehicle controller, by auxiliary (e.g., non-power or non-load) components in the system, etc. In certain embodiments, the standard voltage 6504 is a key switch 6504 signal. The standard voltage 6504 may be configured to be received via the input control isolation 6710.

[0081] Further, in the example of FIG. 20, an auxiliary off isolation 6708 is shown providing an input for auxiliary control of the breaker / repeater. In certain embodiments, the auxiliary off isolation 6708 is coupled to an electrical input 6704, such as a selectable input at a standard voltage, an output from a controller (e.g., the controller provides power to the auxiliary off isolation as an output of the selected voltage). In certain embodiments, the auxiliary off isolation 6708 may utilize a data link or network input. For example, in certain embodiments where the breaker / repeater has an internal controller, the standard on / off 6504 and the auxiliary off isolation input 6704 may be the same physical input, e.g., a data link input, a network input, and / or a controllable electrical signal (e.g., a controlled voltage value) providing the breaker / repeater with information to determine the current desired state of the breaker / repeater. In certain embodiments, the breaker / repeater is a hardware only device that accepts a first voltage value for a standard on / off position, a second voltage value for an auxiliary off position, and performs the selected action in response via the breaker / repeater's hardware configuration.

[0082] In the example of FIG. 20, the standard on / off input 6504 and the auxiliary off input 6704 include circuit protection components (e.g., isolation 6708, 6710), such as surge protection and polarity protection. The exemplary circuit breaker / repeater includes logic circuitry that provides for energizing the repeater (closing contacts on the power bus) when the standard on / off input 6504 is high, and de-energizing the repeater (opening contacts on the power bus) when the standard on / off input 6504 is low or the auxiliary off input is low 6704. In the example of FIG. 20, the logic circuitry is shown diagrammatically and may be implemented as hardware elements within the circuit breaker / repeater. Additionally or alternatively, a controller within the circuit breaker / repeater may implement logic interpreting input voltages, data link signals, and / or network communications to determine whether to open or close the repeater. Although the logic of the system is shown as a "normally open" repeater that closes (makes contacts) using power, the breaker / repeater may be configured as "normally closed," latched, or any other logical configuration. Additionally or alternatively, the standard on / off input 6504 and / or the auxiliary off input 6704 may utilize a logic high or logic low to implement the operation of the breaker / repeater.

[0083] The example circuit breaker / repeater of FIG. 20 further illustrates a current sensing device 6706 ("current sensing"), which may be a current sensor on the bus, a calculated current value based on other system parameters, a current value passed to the circuit breaker / repeater, and / or a controller operably coupled to the circuit breaker / repeater, or any other device, mechanism, or method for determining a current value on the bus. In the example of FIG. 20, the current sensing device 6706 is coupled to a "trigger level off" portion of the logic circuit and operates to de-energize the repeater when a high current value is detected. The detected high current value may be either a single threshold determined by hardware, for example, in the logic circuit, and / or a selectable threshold determined by a controller, for example, based on operating conditions or other values ​​in the system. It will be appreciated that functions of the sensed current value, such as rate of change, cumulative current value above a threshold, etc., may be utilized in addition to or instead of a single sensed current value, via hardware or utilizing a controller. It will be appreciated that a circuit breaker / repeater as illustrated in FIG. 20 provides controllable opening of the power bus circuit at a selected threshold current value and / or function thereof, allowing continuous operation throughout the range of rated currents of the system. Additionally, a circuit breaker / repeater such as that shown in FIG. 20 provides controllable disconnection of the power bus for any selected parameter that may not be related to current, such as an emergency shutdown operation, a request from elsewhere in the system (e.g., a vehicle controller), a service or maintenance operation, or any other selected reason. Certain embodiments throughout the present disclosure provide additional circuit breaker / repeater features, any one or more of which may be included in an embodiment such as that shown in FIG.

[0084] With reference to FIG. 21, an exemplary circuit breaker / repeater is shown diagrammatically in a cutaway view. The exemplary circuit breaker / repeater generally includes a switching portion 6820 (top half, or “circuit breaker”) and an actuation portion 6822 (bottom half, or “repeater”). For illustrative purposes, several exemplary components of the circuit breaker / repeater are shown and described. The exemplary circuit breaker / repeater includes a coil 6816 and a magnet core 6818 in the relay portion. In this example, energizing the coil 6816 actuates the relay and pulls the armature 6814 down to the magnet core 6818. The armature 6814 is coupled at the top to a movable contact 6810, which is moved into contact with a fixed contact 6812, completing a circuit and allowing current to flow through the power bus. In the example of FIG. 21, the movable contact 6810 is pressed against the fixed contact 6812 by a contact force, which in the example of FIG. 21 is a biasing spring 6804 of selectable biasing force. The movable contact 6810 can be lifted off the fixed contact 6812 with enough force to compress the contact force spring 6804, even when the armature 6814 is in the engaged (down) position. The example of Figure 21 shows the armature 6814 in a disengaged (up) position where the movable contact 6810 is open or not in contact with the fixed contact 6812.

[0085] The interrupting portion 6820 of the circuit breaker / repeater includes a number of splitter plates 6806 in close proximity to the body of the main contacts and a permanent magnet system 6802 surrounding the splitter plates 6806 and / or the arc path between the contact gap and the splitter plates 6806. During engagement or disengagement of the moving contacts 6810 when the power bus is energized, the body of the main contacts cooperates with the splitter plates 6806 in the presence of a magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet system 6802 to dissipate and distribute the resulting arc, significantly reducing contact wear, deterioration, and damage. The combined aspect of the interrupting portion has been shown to significantly extend the life of the contacts and switching chambers (e.g., due to lower arc thermal loads over the life of the circuit breaker / repeater).

[0086] The current passing through the power bus generates a repulsive force between the contacts, i.e., a Lorentz force. The Lorentz force is a complex function of the contact area and the current value through the power bus. If the current is very high, the Lorentz force between the contacts compresses the contact force spring 6804 sufficiently to lift the movable contact 6810 from the fixed contact 6812, momentarily opening the relay. It has been found that the contact force spring 6804 can be easily adjusted to provide a physical disconnection of the contacts at a selectable value. Additionally or alternatively, the contact area between the contacts and other geometric aspects of the contacts can be manipulated to select or adjust the physical disconnection current. However, in certain embodiments, the selection of the contact force spring 6804 provides a direct adjustment of the physical disconnection current. In certain embodiments, the selection of the contact force spring 6804 includes modifying the spring to change the physical disconnection current. Additionally or alternatively, the contact force spring 6804 can be adjusted in situ (e.g., compressing or releasing the spring axially) to adjust the physical disconnection current.

[0087] In certain embodiments, after a physical disconnection event (e.g., when the movable contact 6810 is pushed away from the fixed contact 6812, compressing the contact force spring 6812 while the armature 6814 is in the down or contact position), the current through the power bus drops rapidly and the Lorentz force decreases, forcing the movable contact 6810 back into the engaged position by the contact force spring 6804. In certain embodiments, the current sensor 6706 detects the high current event and triggers the coil 6816 to de-energize and return the armature 6814 to the disengaged position. Thus, when the movable contact 6810 returns to the engaged position, the armature 6814 has already moved the movable contact 6810 so that it does not contact the fixed contact 6812 after the physical disconnection event. In certain embodiments, the threshold detected by the current sensor 6706 to disengage the armature 6814 is lower than the physical disconnect current, giving the armature 6814 a “head start” and reducing the likelihood of the moving contact 6810 re-contacting the fixed contact 6812. In many systems, re-contact between the moving contact 6810 and the fixed contact 6812 during a very high current event can cause extensive damage to the interrupter / repeater and / or welds on the contacts.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 22, an exemplary circuit breaker / repeater is shown illustrating the relative motion of the armature and the movable contact. In this example, the top armature urges the movable contact away from the fixed contact resulting in a disconnection of the power bus. The bottom armature pulls the movable contact downward into engagement with the fixed contact resulting in a connection of the power bus. The motion arrow 6904 in FIG. 22 illustrates the movement of the armature as it moves from an open state to a closed state after the coil is energized. References to "up" or "down" throughout this disclosure are for clarity of explanation and do not refer to the actual vertical relationship of any components of the circuit breaker / repeater. The circuit breaker / repeater may be positioned such that the movement of the armature is along any axis including up and down, down-up, horizontal orientation, and / or any other orientation. In certain embodiments, the armature utilizes a passive element such as a biasing or reversing spring (e.g., disposed between the armature and the permanent magnet and / or in the housing of one or more of these) to return to the upper or disengaged position, resulting in a "normally open" logic operation of the circuit breaker / repeater. The biasing or reversing spring is not shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 22. As described throughout this disclosure, the circuit breaker / repeater may be normally open, normally closed, latched, or any other logic configuration, with appropriate adjustments of hardware and / or control elements to provide such configuration.

[0089] 23, an exemplary circuit breaker / repeater is shown in a closed position. The armature in the example of FIG. 23 is lowered and the movable contact 6810 along with the armature 6814 is further lowered to an engaged position with the fixed contact, closing the circuit and allowing power to pass through the power bus. The contact force spring 6804 is compressed in the position shown in FIG. 23, providing the movable contact 6810 with a contact force against the fixed contact. It can be seen that the movable contact is provided with a travel space such that a force sufficient to overcome the contact force 6804 allows the spring to lift the movable contact 6810 away from the fixed contact, thereby opening the circuit and preventing power from passing through the power bus.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 24, an operational diagram of a conventionally known contactor-fuse system and a breaker / relay system consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown generally. In the example of FIG. 24, an operating current bar is shown on the left with two general operating regimes: operation within the rated current value (e.g., within the designed current limits of the system, such as regions 7004, 7006) and operation above the rated current value (e.g., region 7008). Further, in the example of FIG. 24, operation within the rated current is subdivided into a lower region 7004 and an upper region 7006. In the example of FIG. 24, the lower region 7004 and the upper region 7006 are illustrative examples to illustrate the operating modes within the rated current region, e.g., the lower region 7004 may be associated with low power operation, such as operation of an accessory, and the upper region 7006 may be associated with high power operation, such as providing power or lift. Regions 7004, 7006 provide a conceptual distinction between operating conditions, and the actual operations occurring within lower region 7004 and upper region 7006 are not important to the discussion of Figure 24. For example, the upper region 7006 for one exemplary system may be power for moving a vehicle (e.g., if the lower region 7004 is another function such as communications or power to accessories), and the lower region 7004 for another exemplary system may be power for moving a vehicle (e.g., if the upper region 7006 is another function such as charging or high performance power).

[0091] In the example of FIG. 24, the operating region of the contactor-fuse system is shown in the center. The contactor provides full operation up to rated power. Design choices allow the contactor to provide operation slightly above rated power (e.g., if system risk is accepted to provide higher capacity) or slightly below rated power (e.g., if system performance is compromised to protect system components). The contactor-fuse system further includes an operating region of the fuse, which operates at a selected current value. It can be seen that an operating gap 7002 occurs and the fuse does not operate due to the low current value, but the contactor also does not support operation in the gap 7002 region. The gap 7002 can only be closed by overlapping operation of the contactor and / or fuse, inevitably compromising the system risk profile or performance. If the fuse region is extended lower, rated operation under a certain duty cycle may cause a fuse event and loss of mission. Additionally, as contactors and fuses experience wear or degradation, the operating area of ​​the contactor-fuse system shifts, resulting in inconsistent system performance, loss of protection, and / or unnecessary fuse events. Additionally, fuse failure modes result in extended system exposure to high currents due to fuse blow duration and arcing time through the fuse during start-up. Finally, operation of the contactor in the upper range of the contactor operating area results in undesirable heating and degradation of the contactor.

[0092] In the example of FIG. 24, the operating regions of the circuit breaker / repeater are shown consistent with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The circuit breaker / repeater provides smooth and selectable function throughout the operating current bar. The circuit breaker / repeater provides a high performance contact that does not operate near the upper region of its current capacity, reducing heating and degradation from operation in a high rated range, such as the upper region 7006. Additionally, the current sensor and associated disconnect action allows for selectable disconnection when operation exceeds the rated current of the system. Additionally, a physical disconnect current is available that provides instant disconnection of the power bus at very high current values ​​(see, for example, FIG. 21 and associated disclosure). In certain embodiments, the arcing mechanism of the circuit breaker / repeater further provides a quicker and less damaging disconnection event than previously known contactor-fuse configurations experience. Additionally, the circuit breaker / repeater provides recoverable disconnection operation, where a simple command to the circuit breaker / repeater again provides connection without a service event. Thus, when the system fault causing the high current event is resolved or coincides with a restart, the system can immediately resume operation with the breakers / repeaters as needed without the need to diagnose the fuse event or replace the fuses.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 25, an example procedure 7100 for disconnecting a power bus is shown. The example procedure 7100 includes an operation 7102 for detecting a current value, for example, utilizing a current sensor (see FIG. 21). The procedure 7100 further includes an operation 7104 for determining whether an overcurrent event is detected. For example, the detected current value, a function thereof, or a calculated parameter determined in response to the current value may be compared to a threshold value to determine whether an overcurrent event is detected. The example procedure 7100 further includes an operation 7106 for commanding the contacts to open, for example, by de-energizing the coil, thereby moving the armature to a position to open the contacts. The overcurrent threshold may be any value and may be changed in real time and / or according to operating conditions. The value of the overcurrent threshold depends on the application and the components in the system. Exemplary and non-limiting overcurrent values ​​include 100A, 200A, 400A, 1kA (1,000 amps), 1.5kA, 3kA, and 6kA.

[0094] 26, an example procedure 7200 for performing a physical disconnect is shown. The example procedure 7200 includes an operation 7202 of accepting a current throughput, for example, as a current passing through coupled contacts in a power bus. The example procedure 7200 further includes an operation 7204 of determining whether a current resulting force (e.g., a Lorentz force between a moving contact and a fixed contact) exceeds a contact force (e.g., as provided by a contact force spring). The example procedure 7200 further includes an operation 7206 of opening the contacts by a physical response, for example, a Lorentz force overcoming the contact force spring and moving the moving contact away from the fixed contact. The physical disconnect current may be any value and depends on the application and components in the system. Example and non-limiting physical disconnect currents include 400A, 1kA, 2kA, 4.5kA, 9kA, and 20kA.

[0095] 27, an example procedure 7300 for opening contacts in response to an overcurrent event and / or in response to any other selected parameters is shown. The example procedure 7300 includes an operation 7302 of powering on the system, for example, via a key switch or other circuitry and / or via recognition of a key switch on condition. The procedure 7300 further includes an operation 7304 of determining whether a touch enablement condition is met, for example, immediately after key switch on, after a selected period of time, after a system precharge event is determined to be completed, and / or according to any other selected condition. In certain embodiments in which operation 7304 determines that a touch enablement condition is not met, the procedure 7300 holds operation 7304 until the touch enablement condition is met. Any other response to operation 7304 determining that a touch enablement condition is not met is contemplated herein, including requesting permission to enable the touch condition, setting a fault code, etc. In response to operation 7304 determining that the contact condition is met, procedure 7300 further includes operation 7306 of closing the contacts (e.g., energizing the coil to move the armature) and operation 7202 of accepting the current throughput. The exemplary procedure 7300 further includes operation 7200 of performing a physical disconnect if the tolerable current is sufficiently high, and proceeds to operation 7102 to detect a current value via the power bus. Procedure 7300 further includes operation 7104 of determining whether an overcurrent event is detected (in certain embodiments, operation 7104 may be set to a current value lower than the physical disconnect current tested in operation 7200). In response to operation 7104 determining that an overcurrent event is detected, procedure 7300 includes operation 7312 of commanding the contacts to open. In response to operation 7104 determining that an overcurrent event is not detected, procedure 7300 includes operation 7308 of detecting an auxiliary command (e.g., an auxiliary off input) and operation 7310 of determining whether an auxiliary command to open the contacts is present (e.g., logic high, logic low, a specified value, absence of a specified value, etc.). In response to operation 7310 determining that an auxiliary command to open the contacts is present, procedure 7300 includes operation 7312 of commanding the contacts to open.In response to operation 7310 determining that there is no auxiliary command to open a contact (eg, in the example of FIG. 27, the branch “Continue Action”), the procedure returns to operation 7306.

[0096] 28, an example procedure 7400 for restoring operation of a breaker / relay after a contact opening event is shown. The example procedure 7400 includes an operation 7300 of opening the breaker / relay contacts, e.g., contacts opening due to a physical disconnect, overcurrent detection, and / or an auxiliary off command. The procedure 7400 further includes an operation 7402 of determining whether a contact reset condition exists. Exemplary and non-limiting operations 7402 include determining that a contact enabling condition is satisfied, determining that a fault code value has been reset, determining that a system controller is requesting a contact reset, and / or any other contact reset condition. The procedure 7400 further includes an operation 7404 of closing the contacts, e.g., by providing power to a coil to move an armature.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 29, an example of a conventionally known mobile power circuit is shown. The exemplary mobile power circuit is similar to the mobile power circuit shown in FIG. 17. The example of FIG. 29 includes a junction box that houses a pre-charge circuit, a high-side repeater, and a low-side repeater. In a specific embodiment, the pre-charge circuit and the high-side repeater are provided in a housing in the junction box. In the example of FIG. 29, a fuse 6410 provides overcurrent protection to the high side and is housed in the PDU housing 7500 together with the main repeater and the pre-charge resistor 6406.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 30, an exemplary mobile power circuit includes a circuit breaker / repeater 6502 disposed in a high-side circuit and a second circuit breaker / repeater 6502 disposed in a low-side circuit. In certain embodiments, each circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provides continuous overcurrent control throughout the operating range of the mobile application as described throughout this disclosure. Furthermore, it can be seen that the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provides overcurrent protection in all operating conditions, including during pre-charge operation where the high-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 can be bypassed, so that the mobile power circuit can be pre-charged through the pre-charge resistor 6406. In certain embodiments, both the high-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provide additional benefits such as rapid arc dispersion, low wear during connection and disconnection events, and improved heating characteristics during high current operation of the mobile circuit but within the rated range.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 31, an exemplary power distribution configuration for a mobile application is shown. The embodiment of FIG. 31 is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 30, having a high-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and a low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502. Four operating regimes of the embodiment of FIG. 31 are described herein, including a pre-charge operation (e.g., at system power-on for a mobile application), a power supply operation for a load (e.g., providing power or auxiliary power to a mobile application), a regenerative operation (e.g., recovering power from a power load or auxiliary load), and a charging operation (e.g., connecting a dedicated charger to the system). In the example of FIG. 31, the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 has an associated current sensor 6706. In the example of FIG. 31, the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is in the loop during all operations and can provide current protection for any operating condition. To save cost, the current sensor of the high-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 can be omitted. In certain embodiments, for protection of the breaker / relay contacts 6502, a local current sensor may be included for each breaker / relay 6502 to provide action to protect the contacts in the event of a physical current disconnect (see, e.g., FIG. 24). It will be appreciated that additional contactors and / or breakers / relays beyond those shown may be provided to, for example, isolate the charging circuit, route power through a selected one of the power load and / or auxiliary load, and / or prevent power flow through an inverter (not shown) during charging operations. Additionally or alternatively, certain components shown in FIG. 31 may not be present in certain embodiments. For example, the low side contactor on the charging circuit may not be present, and either one or more of the power load (traction motor drive) or auxiliary load may not be present. During precharge operations, the precharge contactor 7702 may be closed while the high side breaker / relay 6502 is open, and the low side breaker / relay 6502 provides current protection during precharge operations (in addition to or in lieu of the precharge fuse). During charging operations, the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provides current protection while the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is bypassed by the charging circuit.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 32, an example power distribution management for a mobile application is shown. The embodiment of FIG. 32 is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 31, except that the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is in the loop during all operations and the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is not in the loop during charging operations. In the example of FIG. 32, the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 may include current sensing associated therewith to protect the contacts during physical current disconnection. In certain embodiments, depending on the circuit dynamics of the mobile application, the current sensor 6706 shown on the low side may be sufficient to protect the contacts of the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 without a dedicated current sensor for the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502. During the pre-charge operation of the embodiment of FIG. 32, current protection is either absent or provided by the pre-charge fuse. During the charging operation of the embodiment of FIG. 32, current protection is provided by the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 33, an exemplary power distribution management for a mobile application is shown. The embodiment of FIG. 33 is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 31, except that a high-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is replaced with a standard contactor. In the example of FIG. 33, the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provides current protection during all operating conditions, otherwise the system uses conventional components. In certain embodiments, improved current protection capabilities are desirable, but contactor wear may not be as much of a concern, and a trade-off with less expensive contactors at other locations in the mobile power circuit away from the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 may be an acceptable solution. Furthermore, the presence of the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 in the circuit for all operating conditions may reduce wear on conventional contactors in the mobile power circuit through timing of connections, such that the low-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 reduces the number of connection and disconnection events of other contactors while the system is charging.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 34, an exemplary power distribution management for a mobile application is shown. The embodiment of FIG. 34 is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 32, except that the low side circuit breaker / repeater is replaced with a contactor and the low side charging circuit is routed through the low side contactor. The low side charging circuit may bypass the low side contactor in certain embodiments, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 32. In FIG. 34, it can be seen that when the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is bypassed, there is a circuit path without short circuit protection through the precharge circuit during precharge operation, unless protection is provided by the precharge fuse. In certain embodiments, a fuse in the precharge circuit (not shown) may be provided to provide short circuit protection during precharge operation conditions and / or unprotected precharge operation may be an acceptable risk. In any of the embodiments shown throughout this disclosure, a fuse may be included, potentially in series with the circuit breaker / repeater 6502, depending on the benefit sought from the circuit breaker / repeater 6502 for a particular embodiment. In certain embodiments, the included fuses with the circuit breaker / repeater 6502 may be configured to operate at very high current values ​​expected to be higher than the physical trip current of the circuit breaker / repeater 6502, for example as redundant protection for the circuit, and / or to provide a long life fuse expected to last for a selected period of time, such as the useful life of an electrical mobile application.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 35, an exemplary power distribution management for a mobile application is shown, consistent with the embodiment shown in FIG. 31. The flow of power during a precharge operation is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 35, with arrows indicating the path of power flow. The operations described in connection with FIG. 35 can be understood in the context of any of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. During a precharge operation, the precharge contactor 7702 is closed, the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is closed, and power is provided through the mobile circuit and the precharge resistor 6406. The precharge operation allows the capacitive element of the moving circuit to be charged before the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is closed. During the precharge operation in the embodiment of FIG. 35, the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provides overcurrent protection for the circuit. After the pre-charge operation is completed, which may be determined in an open-loop (e.g., using a timer) or closed-loop (e.g., by detecting a voltage drop across the battery terminals or by detecting a current through a circuit) manner, the high-side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 may be closed and the pre-charge contactor 7702 may be opened.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 36, an example power distribution management for a mobile application is shown, consistent with the embodiment shown in FIG. 31. The flow of power during a load powering operation is shown in FIG. 36, with arrows indicating the path of power flow. The operations described in connection with FIG. 36 can be understood in the context of any of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. During load powering operation, in this example, the precharge contactor 7702 is open and power flows through the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502. The embodiment of FIG. 36 shows a traction motor load being powered, however, additionally or alternatively, one or more auxiliary loads may be powered in a similar manner. During load powering operation, both the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provide overcurrent protection. In certain embodiments, the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 may have the same or different rated currents. For example, if one of the high side or low side circuit breakers / repeaters 6502 is easier or less expensive to maintain, that one of the circuit breakers / repeaters 6502 may have a lower overall current rating to provide a system where it is predictable that one circuit breaker / repeater 6502 will fail first. Additionally or alternatively, certain operations on the system may have higher current ratings, such as a charging operation where the charging circuit is routed through only one of the circuit breakers / repeaters 6502 (e.g., the low side circuit breaker / repeater in the embodiment of FIG. 36), and therefore one of the circuit breakers / repeaters 6502 may have a higher current rating than the other. In certain embodiments, the current rating of the breaker / repeater 6502 may be reflected by breaker / repeater design factors (e.g., contact surface area and contact spring force) that determine the contact material of the moving and fixed contacts, the contact surface area of ​​the moving and fixed contacts, the threshold settings for controlled operation in response to detected current, the number or arrangement of splitter plates, the splitter plate material and geometry, the magnetic strength and geometry of the permanent magnet system around the splitter plates, the contact force of the contact force springs, and / or the physical disconnect current due to the Lorentz force on the contacts.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 37, an example power distribution management for a mobile application is shown, consistent with the embodiment shown in FIG. 31. The flow of power during regenerative operation is shown in FIG. 37, with the arrows indicating the flow path. Although regenerative operation from a powered load, such as may be experienced during regenerative braking, is shown, any regenerative operation from any load in the system is contemplated herein. During regenerative operation, the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 are closed, and the precharge contactor 7702 may be open. Thus, both the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provide overcurrent protection during regenerative operation of the system.

[0106] Referring to FIG. 38, an exemplary power distribution management for a mobile application is shown, consistent with the embodiment shown in FIG. 31. The flow of power during a charging operation is shown in FIG. 38, with arrows indicating the flow path. Charging may be by an external charging device and may include a high current fast charging operation that may provide a higher current operation than associated with the rated power of the load. In the operation shown in FIG. 38, the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is closed and the contactors in the charging circuit are closed, providing the power flow path as shown. In certain embodiments, the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the pre-charge repeater 7702 may be opened, for example, to isolate the inverter (not shown) from the circuit during a charging operation. In certain embodiments, the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 may be closed, for example, when isolation of the inverter during a charging operation is not required and / or when quick operation without a pre-charge cycle after charging may be desired. During a charging operation, the low side circuit breaker / repeater 6502 provides overcurrent protection in the example of FIG. 38.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 39, another cutaway schematic diagram of a circuit breaker / repeater is shown. In the example of FIG. 39, circuit interruption and connection components are shown on the circuit breaker side 6820 and contactor operation components are shown on the repeater side 6822. The illustrated circuit breaker / repeater is an example and shows a single pole single throw circuit breaker repeater. Additionally or alternatively, the circuit breaker / repeater may be dual pole (e.g., two separate circuits, parallel paths for one of the circuits to provide additional current capability, and / or operating one pole providing high side coupling and the other pole providing low side coupling). In certain embodiments, circuit breakers / repeaters with two or more poles may control the poles independently or may be operated together utilizing the same armature. In certain embodiments, both poles have arc spread protection provided by the same splitter plate or by independent sets of splitter plates. In certain embodiments, both poles have arc spread protection provided by the same permanent magnet system or by independent permanent magnet systems.

[0108] Referring to Figure 40, another example of a circuit breaker / repeater schematic logic diagram is shown. The example of Figure 40 includes an emergency or auxiliary input 8602 that is processed by input isolation 8604. The emergency or auxiliary input 8602 may replace or be in addition to any other auxiliary inputs, providing a particular application's ability to control the operation of the circuit breaker / repeater for a selected response to any desired aspect of the system, including, but not limited to, allowing guaranteed disconnection during service, during an emergency, and / or with any desired control logic.

[0109] Referring to Figure 41, a detailed cross-sectional view of an exemplary breaker / relay contact is shown. The contact of Figure 41 shows an example interface configuration of a movable contact 6810 and a fixed contact 6812. The contact configuration is part of the system that contributes to the physical opening force of the contacts and can be configured with any shape or area to provide a desired response to high currents generated in an associated circuit.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 42, an exemplary circuit breaker / repeater is shown with a portion of the housing removed for illustration purposes. The exemplary circuit breaker / repeater includes two movable contacts that engage two fixed contacts. In the example of FIG. 42, the movable contacts are coupled and actuated by the same armature 6814 with a contact force provided by a contact spring 6804. In the example of FIG. 42, each contact is electrically connected through a bus bar 8802. In this example, the bus bar 8802 transitions directly between the contacts and is not significantly exposed to the current carrying portions of the bus bar, including the fixed contacts. In certain embodiments, the bus bar 8802 can include tracks that expose portions of the bus bar 8802 in close proximity to the current carrying members of the fixed contacts, thereby contributing to the Lorentz force that provides the physical disconnect of the circuit breaker / repeater. In certain embodiments, both the area of ​​the bus bar 8802 exposed to the fixed contact current carrying portions and the proximity of the bus bar 8802 to the fixed contact current carrying portions are design elements that allow for configuration of the Lorentz force response.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 43, an exemplary power management configuration for a mobile application is shown. The example of FIG. 43 includes a circuit breaker / repeater 6502 disposed on the high side of the power supply circuit, and a pre-charge contactor, resistor, and fuse coupled in parallel to the high side circuit breaker / repeater 6502. In the example of FIG. 43, the circuit breaker / repeater 6502 is, for example, a double pole circuit breaker / repeater 6502 to provide additional current capability through the contacts for the power supply circuit. In the example of FIG. 43, a controller 8902 is shown performing the control functions of the circuit breaker / repeater 6502 and the power management device. For example, the controller 8902 receives a key switch input, performs a pre-charge operation, operates the circuit breaker / repeater closure, and responds to a high current event by opening the circuit breaker / repeater contacts. In another example, the controller 8902 performs a power management device disconnect operation, such as opening the circuit breaker / repeater after the key switch is turned off, or in response to an auxiliary input, an emergency input, or other input requesting to disconnect power.

[0112] With further reference to FIG. 43, an exemplary power distribution management for mobile applications is shown in schematic form, which may be utilized in whole or in part with any other system or aspect of the present disclosure. An exemplary power distribution management system includes a double pole breaker / repeater, the example of FIG. 43 includes a double pole breaker / repeater (e.g., using one set of contacts per pole) with a single magnetic drive (e.g., magnetic actuator). In certain embodiments, both contacts are mechanically coupled to open and close each other (e.g., operating as a double pole single throw contactor). In certain embodiments, the contactors may share one or more arc suppression features (e.g., splitter plates and / or permanent magnets) and / or have individual arc suppression features. In certain embodiments, the arc suppression features may be partially shared (e.g., some splitter plates proximate both contacts) and / or partially individual (e.g., some splitter plates proximate only one or the other of the contacts). In certain embodiments, various features of the contactors may be shared, and other features of the contactors may be provided separately, such as control command or actuation (e.g., double pole double throw arrangement), arc suppression aspects, and / or housing. The example of FIG. 43 further illustrates a separate contactor (e.g., bottom left of the three contacts shown) that is separately controllable to provide contact management for a precharge circuit for a power distribution management system. In certain embodiments, the precharge contactor may be integrated with the dual pole contacts, for example, in the same housing as the dual pole contacts and / or with a precharge coupling provided as one of the dual pole contacts. The example of FIG. 43 illustrates a fuse on the precharge circuit and an additional global fuse on the battery low side. The presence of the fuses shown is optional and non-limiting, and fuses may be present elsewhere, omitted, and / or replaced (e.g., by a breaker / repeater as described throughout this disclosure and / or as a pole on a two or multi-pole breaker / repeater).In certain embodiments, the pre-charge circuit may be housed in a power distribution unit separate from and / or housing the breakers / repeaters, as a solid-state pre-charge circuit, and / or as a mechanical / electrical circuit located elsewhere in the system and / or within the breaker / repeater housing.

[0113] The electrical arrangement of poles in FIG. 43 is a schematic example and is not limited to the arrangement of the system for a particular embodiment. In a particular embodiment, each pole of a two-pole breaker / repeater (and / or each pole or a subset of poles of a multi-pole breaker / repeater) may provide selectable electrical coupling to the same circuit, separate circuits, and / or selected circuits (e.g., using a controllable switch or connector elsewhere in the system, not shown). In a particular embodiment, the power distribution management system further includes high-resolution current sensors and / or current sensing at two or more poles of a two-pole or multi-pole breaker / repeater. In a particular embodiment, the controller is communicatively coupled to the one or more high-resolution current sensors and utilizes the one or more high-resolution current sensors for any of the operations described throughout this disclosure (e.g., to command one or more of the contacts to an open position to avoid re-contact after opening) and / or communicates information determined from the current sensor (e.g., current, or other information derived therefrom) to another controller in the system, such as a vehicle controller. In certain embodiments, each contactor of a double or multi-pole breaker / repeater includes a configuration configured to open with a Lorentz force response due to a high current through the contactor's circuit, as described throughout this disclosure. In certain embodiments, one contact is configured to open with a Lorentz force response and the other contactor opens due to a mechanical coupling with the responsive contactor. In certain embodiments, each contact is configured to open with a Lorentz force response, e.g., to provide redundancy in circuit protection. In certain embodiments, each contact is configured to open with a Lorentz force response, each contact has a separately configured threshold for the opening response, and / or each contact is separably controllable (e.g., using a separate magnetic or other controlled actuator).

[0114] 44, an example breaker / repeater 9302 is shown diagrammatically in a context 9300. The example context 9300 includes a regulatory interface 9304 that includes, for example, legal or industry regulations, policies, or other enforceable frameworks under which the breaker / repeater 9302 is responsible for maintaining certain performance characteristics. The example regulatory interface 9304 may be physically manifested during run-time operation of an application having the breaker / repeater 9302 thereon, for example, as network communications, calibration values ​​for responses, selection of sizing of components of the breaker / repeater 9302, and / or the regulatory interface 9304 may represent one or more design time considerations made during selection, installation, repair, maintenance, and / or replacement of the breaker / repeater 9302 that are not physically manifested during run-time operation of an application having the breaker / repeater 9302 thereon.

[0115] The example context 9300 further includes a command and / or control interface 9306 that may include signals, voltages, electrical couplings, and / or network couplings through which commanded functions (e.g., a connector open command or a connector close command) are received by the circuit breaker / repeater 9302. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 includes only electromechanical components, e.g., the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 does not include a microprocessor, controller, printed circuit board, or other "intelligent" mechanisms. In certain embodiments, the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 includes some function controllers local to the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 and other function controllers elsewhere on the application that has the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 thereon, e.g., a battery management system controller, a vehicle controller, a power electronics controller, and / or other function controllers that have aspects distributed across one or more controllers. In certain embodiments, certain commands or control aspects are provided as physical or electrical commands and other commands or control aspects are provided as communication elements (e.g., data link or network commands) and / or as intelligent aspects of the breaker / repeater 9302 determined according to programmed logic in response to parameters detected or otherwise determined during runtime operation.

[0116] The example context 9300 further includes an environmental interface 9308, such as vibration, temperature events, shock, and other environmental parameters to which the breaker / repeater 9302 is subjected. Aspects of the environmental interface 9308 may be physically manifested in the breaker / repeater 9302, for example, by material design choices, component sizes and locations, connector choices, active or passive cooling choices, etc. Additionally or alternatively, projected or experienced duty cycles, power throughput, etc. may be part of the environmental interface 9308 of the breaker / repeater 9302.

[0117] The exemplary context 9300 further includes a high voltage interface 9310, e.g., coupling to a high voltage battery of the system, a system load, a charger, etc. In certain embodiments, the high voltage interface 9310 is physically manifested on the breaker / repeater 9302, e.g., by voltage ratings, component sizes, current sensor (if present) ratings, material selection, etc. Any exemplary features of a breaker / repeater as described throughout this disclosure may be included herein for the exemplary breaker / repeater 9302, including, but not limited to, arc quenching features, contactor design elements, connector contact force affecting aspects, etc. Any aspect of the context 9300 may be included or omitted, and the described aspects of the context 9300 are not limited to the envisioned context 9300 of a particular breaker / repeater 9302. Further, the arrangement of aspects of the context 9300 is an example for clarity of explanation, but it will be understood that certain aspects 9304, 9306, 9308, 9310 may be omitted, separated, and / or present in other aspects 9304, 9306, 9308, 9310 in certain embodiments. For example, voltage limits, response time limits, etc. may be understood to arise from the regulatory interface 9304 in one embodiment, from the command / control interface 9306 in another embodiment, and from both interfaces 9304, 9306 in yet another embodiment.

[0118] 45, an example circuit breaker / repeater architecture 9400 is shown. The example circuit breaker / repeater 9302 includes all electronic control functions located off the circuit breaker / repeater 9302, with only the electromechanical hardware remaining in the circuit breaker / repeater 9302. The example circuit breaker / repeater 9302 includes a contactor 9402, e.g., a high voltage contactor that is movably operated by a coil 9404, such as a normally open or normally closed contactor, where power to the coil 9404 provides an opening or closing force to the contactor 9402. In certain embodiments, the contactor 9402 is normally open and power to the coil 9404 closes the contactor 9402. The example architecture 9400 further includes a high voltage circuit 9406 that is switched by the contactor 9402, and a pair of input signals, e.g., an A input 9408 and a B input 9410, although any number and type of input signals are contemplated herein. An exemplary system illustrating an exemplary operation of an electronic device for controlling an exemplary circuit breaker / repeater 9302 (magnetic drive device 2302 in the depiction of FIG. 47) is shown in FIG. 47. The exemplary architecture 9400 further includes an external controller 9412, such as a battery management controller, a vehicle controller, or other controller present on the application, which includes an electronics portion and a management portion. In the exemplary architecture 9400, the electronics portion generally illustrates a controller configured to manage the direct opening and closing control of the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 and to communicate diagnostic information regarding the circuit breaker / repeater 9302. The management portion generally illustrates the provision of external commands to the circuit breaker / repeater 9302, for example, to command the circuit breaker / repeater 9302 to turn on or off, to implement an overcurrent interruption, and / or to implement an auxiliary or safety interruption (e.g., a crash signal, a service event signal, etc.). The electronics and management portions are shown in a configuration for clarity of explanation, however it will be understood that aspects of the electronics and management portions may be distributed throughout the system and / or portions of the electronics may be located on the breaker / repeater 9302.

[0119] Referring to Fig. 46, an example system 9500 is shown illustrating certain voltage, amperage, and time-based values ​​of an example system. The example system 9500 includes a switch-on signal having certain electrical characteristics and a hold signal having certain electrical characteristics, these being non-limiting examples. The example system 9500 is consistent with a particular embodiment of the architecture 9400 shown in Fig. 45. An example breaker / repeater consistent with a particular embodiment of the system of Fig. 46 is responsive to a switch-on voltage of 8.2V, a hold voltage of 1.5V, and includes a 3 ohm resistor in the actuation coil.

[0120] With reference to FIG. 47, for illustrative purposes, the operation of an exemplary electronics portion of the architecture 9400 as shown in FIG. 45 is shown. It will be understood that the components of a system such as FIG. 47 may be implemented in hardware, software, logic circuits, and / or may be combined or distributed around the system. The exemplary electronics includes a switch-on response in which a control voltage of 12V is applied to the module. The actual drive coil of the breaker / repeater can be switched to the control voltage via a de-energized circuit and driver. The switch-on driver 9702 is controlled to about 65% of the minimum nominal voltage (e.g., rated value <70% or 8.2V) for 100ms. The timing, voltage, and switching logic of the switch-on operation are non-limiting examples. During the switch-on operation, the drive coil is energized with a draw current, so that the drive can be switched on.

[0121] An exemplary electronic device includes a regulating response, such as linearly regulating the voltage during the switch-on process using a control circuit (regulation) and a linkage mechanism for the duration of the switch-on process (e.g., 100 ms), thereby applying a selected actuation voltage to the drive coil.

[0122] Exemplary electronic devices include a hold response, which includes disabling the driver after the switch-on period and providing a hold signal to the drive coil that remains on all the time (e.g., 1.5V) and / or a constant diagnostic interrupt (see, e.g., schematic voltage graph 9708).

[0123] In certain embodiments, the de-energized transistor is checked at selected intervals (e.g., depending on fault-tolerant time intervals, regulatory or policy intervals, and / or intervals of interest). If the de-energized transistor is bad (e.g., permanently conductive), a circuit breaker / repeater is relied upon to turn off the 1.5V power supply to de-energize the magnetic drive. The system can still be turned off, but operation with a bad de-energized repeater may be slower than expected and / or too slow for the circuit breaker / repeater to comply. In certain embodiments, frequent blanking pulses (or diagnostic interrupts) result in a cutoff voltage peak (freewheeling level, approximately 180V in an exemplary system) at the coil connection. If the voltage peak remains off, the de-energized transistor can be diagnosed as bad. In certain embodiments, the blanking pulses are kept short, thereby keeping the energy in the freewheeling circuit low, reducing wasted energy and heating, and keeping the retained energy low to reduce noise emissions. In certain embodiments, a blanking pulse of 100 microseconds is sufficient. In certain embodiments, faster or slower blanking pulses may be utilized, and in certain embodiments, diagnostics of de-energized relays and / or system responses (e.g., more conservative shutoffs to account for slower responses) may be utilized in electronic devices, management, or elsewhere in the system.

[0124] Exemplary electronic devices include a switch-off and / or de-energization response. In this example, turning off a holding voltage of 1.5V is approximately 4.5V (<50% of nominal) * The power supply voltage exceeds the trigger voltage (U-rated = 6V) and deactivates the non-powered circuit.

[0125] Certain operations described herein include interpreting, receiving, and / or determining one or more values, parameters, inputs, data, or other information ("receiving data"). An operation of receiving data includes, but is not limited to, receiving data via user input, receiving data over any type of network, reading a data value from a memory location in communication with the receiving device, utilizing a default value as the received data value, estimating, calculating, or deriving a data value based on other information available to the receiving device, and / or updating any of these in response to a later received data value. In certain embodiments, a data value may be received by a first operation and later updated by a second operation as part of receiving a data value. For example, if communication is down, intermittent, or interrupted, a first receiving operation may be performed and an updated receiving operation may be performed when communication is restored.

[0126] To illustrate aspects of the present disclosure, certain logical groupings of operations herein, such as methods or procedures of the present disclosure, are provided. The operations described herein have been generally described and / or illustrated, and operations may be combined, divided, rearranged, added, or removed in a manner consistent with the disclosure herein. Although the context of the operation description may require ordering for one or more operations and / or an order for one or more operations may be explicitly disclosed, it is understood that the order of operations should be understood broadly, and any equivalent grouping of operations to provide equivalent results of the operations is specifically contemplated herein. For example, if a value is used in an operation step, determination of the value may be required prior to that operation step in certain contexts (e.g., where a time delay of data for the operation to achieve a particular effect is important), but may not be required prior to that operation step in other contexts (e.g., where use of a value from a previous execution cycle of the operation is sufficient for those purposes). Thus, in certain embodiments, the ordering of operations and grouping of operations as described are expressly contemplated herein, and in certain embodiments, rearrangements, subdivisions, and / or different groupings of operations are expressly contemplated herein.

[0127] While only certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims. All patent applications and patents, both foreign and domestic, and all other publications referenced herein are incorporated herein in their entirety to the fullest extent permitted by law.

[0128] The programmed methods and / or instructions described herein may be deployed in part or in whole via a machine executing computer instructions, program code, and / or instructions on one or more processors on a computer-readable medium. A "processor" as used herein is synonymous with the plural "processors," and the two terms may be used interchangeably unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. A processor may be part of a server, a client, a network infrastructure, a mobile computing platform, a fixed computing platform, or other computing platform. A processor may be any type of computational or processing device capable of executing program instructions, code, binary instructions, and the like. A processor may be or include any variant, such as a signal processor, a digital processor, an embedded processor, a microprocessor, or a coprocessor (such as a mathematical coprocessor, a graphic coprocessor, a communication coprocessor, and the like) that may directly or indirectly facilitate the execution of program code or program instructions stored therein. Furthermore, a processor may enable the execution of multiple programs, threads, and codes. The threads may be executed simultaneously to improve the performance of the processor and facilitate the simultaneous operation of applications. As an implementation, the methods, program codes, program instructions, and the like described herein may be implemented with one or more threads. Threads may spawn other threads that may be assigned priorities associated with them. The processor may execute these threads based on priority or any other order based on instructions provided in the program code. The processor may include a memory that stores the methods, codes, instructions, and programs as described herein and elsewhere. The processor may access a storage medium via an interface that may store the methods, codes, and instructions as described herein and elsewhere.A storage medium associated with a processor for storing methods, programs, code, program instructions, or other types of instructions executable by a computing or processing device may include, but is not limited to, one or more of a CD-ROM, a DVD, memory, a hard disk, a flash drive, RAM, ROM, cache, etc.

[0129] A processor may include one or more cores, which may increase the speed and performance of a multiprocessor. In embodiments, a process may be a dual-core processor that combines two or more independent cores (called a die), a quad-core processor, other chip-level multiprocessors, etc.

[0130] The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or in whole via machines executing computer-readable instructions on servers, clients, firewalls, gateways, hubs, routers, or other such computer and / or network hardware. The computer-readable instructions may be associated with a server, which may include a file server, a print server, a domain server, an Internet server, an intranet server, and other variations such as secondary servers, host servers, distributed servers, etc. A server may include one or more of a memory, a processor, a computer-readable medium, a storage medium, a port (physical and virtual), a communication device, and an interface that can access other servers, clients, machines, and devices via a wired or wireless medium, etc. The methods, programs, or codes described herein and elsewhere may be executed by a server. Additionally, other devices necessary for the execution of the methods as described in this application may be considered part of the infrastructure associated with the server.

[0131] The server may provide an interface to other devices, including but not limited to clients, other servers, printers, database servers, print servers, file servers, communication servers, distributed servers, etc. Furthermore, this coupling and / or connection may facilitate remote execution of programs over a network. The networking of some or all of these devices may facilitate parallel processing of a program or method at one or more locations without departing from the scope. Furthermore, any of the devices attached to the server through an interface may include at least one storage medium capable of storing methods, programs, code, and / or instructions. A central repository may provide program instructions to be executed on different devices. In this implementation, the remote repository may act as a storage medium for program code, instructions, and programs.

[0132] The computer readable instructions may be associated with a client, which may include a file client, a print client, a domain client, an internet client, an intranet client, and other variations such as a secondary client, a host client, a distributed client, etc. A client may include one or more of a memory, a processor, a computer readable medium, a storage medium, a port (physical and virtual), a communication device, and an interface capable of accessing other clients, servers, machines, and devices via a wired or wireless medium, etc. The methods, programs, or codes described herein and elsewhere may be executed by a client. Additionally, other devices necessary for the execution of the methods as described in this application may be considered part of the infrastructure associated with the client.

[0133] The client may provide an interface to other devices, including but not limited to servers, other clients, printers, database servers, print servers, file servers, communication servers, distributed servers, etc. Furthermore, this coupling and / or connection may facilitate remote execution of programs over a network. The networking of some or all of these devices may facilitate parallel processing of a program or method at one or more locations without departing from the scope. Furthermore, any of the devices attached to the client through an interface may include at least one storage medium capable of storing methods, programs, applications, code and / or instructions. A central repository may provide program instructions to be executed on different devices. In this implementation, the remote repository may act as a storage medium for program code, instructions, and programs.

[0134] The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or in whole over a network infrastructure. The network infrastructure may include elements such as computing devices, servers, routers, hubs, firewalls, clients, personal computers, communication devices, routing devices, and other active and passive devices, modules and / or components known in the art. The computing devices and / or non-computing devices associated with the network infrastructure may include storage media such as flash memory, buffers, stacks, RAM, ROM, etc., apart from other components. The processes, methods, program codes, instructions described herein and elsewhere may be executed by one or more of the network infrastructure elements.

[0135] The methods, program codes, and instructions described herein and elsewhere may be implemented on a cellular network having multiple cells. The cellular network may be either a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network. The cellular network may include mobile devices, cell sites, base stations, repeaters, antennas, towers, etc. The cell network may be a GSM, GPRS, 3G, 4G, LTE, EVDO, mesh, or other network type.

[0136] The methods, programs, codes, and instructions described herein and elsewhere may be implemented on or through a mobile device. The mobile device may include navigation devices, vehicle remote network access devices, cell phones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, laptops, palmtops, netbooks, pagers, e-book readers, music players, and the like. These devices may include storage media, such as flash memory, buffers, RAM, ROM, and one or more computing devices, among other components. The computing device associated with the mobile device may be enabled to execute the program codes, methods, and instructions stored therein. Alternatively, the mobile device may be configured to execute instructions in cooperation with other devices. The mobile device may communicate with a base station interfaced with a server and configured to execute the program codes. The mobile device may communicate in a peer-to-peer network, a mesh network, or other communication network. The program codes may be stored in a storage medium associated with the server and executed by a computing device embedded within the server. The base station may include a computing device and a storage medium. The storage device may store the program codes and instructions executed by the computing device associated with the base station.

[0137] The computer instructions, program code, and / or instructions may be stored and / or accessed in machine-readable media, which may include computer components, devices, and recording media that hold digital data used to calculate certain time intervals; semiconductor storage devices known as random access memory (RAM); mass storage devices, usually for more permanent storage, such as optical disks, hard disks, tapes, drums, cards, and other types of magnetic storage devices; processor registers, cache memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory; optical storage devices such as CDs, DVDs, etc.; removable media such as flash memory (e.g., USB sticks or keys), floppy disks, magnetic tape, paper tape, punch cards, standalone RAM disks, Zip drives, removable mass storage, offline, etc.; other computer memory such as dynamic memory, static memory, read / write storage, mutable storage, read-only, random access, sequential access, position addressable, file addressable, content addressable, network attached storage, storage area networks, bar codes, magnetic ink, etc.

[0138] The methods and systems described herein may transform physical and / or intangible items from one state to another. The methods and systems described herein may also transform data representing physical and / or intangible items from one state to another.

[0139] Elements described and depicted herein, including procedural descriptions, methods, flow charts, and block diagrams, imply logical boundaries between elements. However, any operations described herein may be divided in whole or in part, combined in whole or in part, rearranged in whole or in part, and / or certain operations may be omitted in certain embodiments. Thus, the depiction and / or description of the order of various steps should not be understood as requiring a particular order of execution of those steps unless required by a particular application or unless explicitly stated or clear from the context. The operations described herein may be implemented by a computing device that accesses computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and the computing device executes the instructions to perform one or more aspects of the operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the operations described herein may be performed by a hardware configuration, logic circuitry, and / or electrical device configured to perform one or more aspects of the operations described herein. Examples of specific computing devices may include, but are not limited to, one or more controllers disposed in or associated with a vehicle, engine, transmission, and / or PTO device system, personal digital assistant, laptop, personal computer, cell phone, other handheld computing device, wired or wireless communication device, transducer, chip, calculator, satellite, tablet PC, e-book, gadget, electronic device, device with artificial intelligence, networking equipment, server, router, etc. Thus, while the foregoing drawings and description set forth functional aspects of the disclosed systems, the description herein is not limited to any particular arrangement of computer instructions, hardware devices, logic circuits, and the like for implementing the operations, procedures, or methods described herein, unless expressly stated or apparent from the context.

[0140] The above-described methods and / or processes, and steps thereof, may be implemented in hardware, instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, or any combination thereof, for a particular application. The hardware may include a general-purpose computer, a dedicated or specific computing device, logic circuits, hardware configurations configured to perform the described operations, any type of sensor, and / or any type of actuator. Aspects of the processes executed on a computing device may be implemented in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors, or other programmable devices, together with internal and / or external memory. The processes may also, or instead, be embodied in application specific integrated circuits, programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, or any other device or combination of devices that may be configured to process electronic signals. It will be further appreciated that one or more of the processes may be implemented as computer-executable code that may be executed on a machine-readable medium.

[0141] Thus, in one aspect, each of the methods described above and combinations thereof may be embodied in computer executable code that performs the steps when executed on one or more computing devices. In another aspect, the method may be embodied in a system that performs its steps, may be distributed among devices in some manner, or all of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated stand-alone device or other hardware. In another aspect, the means for performing the steps associated with the processes described above may include any of the hardware and / or computer readable instructions described above. All such permutations and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0142] While the methods and systems described herein have been disclosed in connection with specific exemplary embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements may become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the methods and systems described herein is not intended to be limited by the foregoing examples, but should be understood in the broadest sense permitted by law.

[0143] The description of the foregoing examples is provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be comprehensive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular example are generally not limited to that particular example, but can be substituted as necessary and can be used in selected examples even if not specifically shown or described. The same may be modified in many ways. Such modifications should not be considered as departures from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A threshold switch having a first interruption threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second interruption threshold associated with a second current flow direction, the threshold switch coupled to a bidirectional current sensor system for an electronic switch; and a de-energization circuit for the magnetic drive coil that controls the electronic switch, the de-energization circuit being coupled to an output of the threshold switch and configured to apply a switch-off pulse to remove the current from the magnetic drive coil in response to the output of the threshold switch when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than the selected one of the first and second shut-off thresholds.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the de-energized circuit is further configured to apply a high freewheeling counter voltage to remove the current from the magnetic drive coil.

3. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the high freewheeling counter voltage comprises a flyback diode for applying the high freewheeling counter voltage.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the threshold switch comprises two comparators.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first and second trip thresholds each comprise a bidirectionally adjustable current trip threshold at an input of the two comparators.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the first and second trip thresholds correspond to a short circuit current value.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a voltage divider electrically coupled to the threshold switch, the voltage divider providing reference values ​​for the first shutoff threshold and the second shutoff threshold.

8. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the voltage divider comprises at least one component selected from the following components: a fixed ohmic resistor, an adjustable ohmic resistor, a variable adjustable potentiometer configuration, or a Zener diode circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the bidirectional current sensor system.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the bidirectional current sensor system includes a bipolar Hall sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electronic switch comprises a direct current (DC) switch.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electronic switch, the electronic switch being electrically coupled to a power bus.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic switch is a circuit breaker / repeater contact.

14. A circuit breaker / repeater, comprising: the electronic switch as a fixed contact electrically coupled to a power bus; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact; an armature coupled to the movable contact, the armature configured to move into contact with the fixed contact to allow current to flow through the power bus; a relay unit including a coil and a magnet core, the coil configured to activate the relay such that the armature is attracted to the magnet core when the coil is energized; A blocking portion, a plurality of splitter plates adjacent a body of the breaker / repeater; a permanent magnet system surrounding one or more of the plurality of splitter plates and arc paths between a contact gap and the plurality of splitter plates; 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a circuit breaker / repeater, wherein the body of the circuit breaker / repeater is configured to cooperate with the splitter plate to dissipate an arc using a magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet system during engagement or disengagement of the movable contact when the power bus is energized.

15. A power supply comprising: a fixed contact electrically coupled to a power bus; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact; an armature coupled to the movable contact, the armature configured to move into contact with the fixed contact to allow current to flow through the power bus; a repeater comprising a coil and a magnet core, the coil configured to actuate the repeater such that the armature is attracted to the magnet core when the coil is energized; a circuit breaker comprising: a plurality of splitter plates proximate a body of the circuit breaker; and a permanent magnet system surrounding the plurality of splitter plates and one or more of an arc path between a contact gap and the plurality of splitter plates, wherein the body of the circuit breaker is configured to cooperate with the splitter plates to dissipate an arc using a magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet system during engagement or disengagement of the movable contact when the power bus is energized; a bidirectional current sensor system for sensing a current in the power bus; a threshold switch coupled to the bidirectional current sensor system, the threshold switch having a first blocking threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second blocking threshold associated with a second current flow direction; a de-energized circuit for a magnetic drive coil that controls the movable contact; the threshold switch includes two comparators, each of which receives an output of the bidirectional current sensor system and a reference value for the first and second shutoff thresholds from a voltage divider electrically coupled to the threshold switch; the de-energized circuit is coupled to receive an output of the threshold switch and configured to apply a switch-off pulse to remove the current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second shut-off thresholds.

16. Control electronics for a DC switching device, comprising: A bidirectional current sensor system for a power bus; a threshold switch comprising two comparators, each of the two comparators receiving an output of the bidirectional current sensor system, the threshold switch having a first blocking threshold associated with a first current flow direction and a second blocking threshold associated with a second current flow direction; a voltage divider electrically coupled to the threshold switch, the voltage divider providing reference values ​​for the first and second shutoff thresholds to the two comparators; and a de-energization circuit for a magnetic drive coil that controls the DC switching device, the de-energization circuit coupled to receive an output of the threshold switch and configured to apply a switch-off pulse to remove the current from the magnetic drive coil when the bidirectional current sensor system detects a current equal to or greater than a selected one of the first and second shut-off thresholds.

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