A method of determining the voltage across an electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle
The method determines voltage across electric components in electric vehicles using values from other components with higher precision, ensuring continued operation and user comfort by preventing complete inhibition.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- MASERATI
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
AI Technical Summary
In electric vehicles, when direct detection of voltage across an electric component is not possible due to malfunctions, the component is often operated in a derated or inhibited mode, leading to sub-optimal vehicle performance and user discomfort.
A method to determine the voltage across an electric component by using voltage values from other components in the high-voltage system, prioritizing those with higher precision and updating the value if direct detection fails, ensuring the component can operate in a safety or derated mode without complete inhibition.
Enables the continued operation of electric components, maintaining vehicle functionality and user comfort by avoiding complete inhibition, even when direct voltage detection is unavailable.
Smart Images
Figure IB2025062088_02072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] "A method of determining the voltage across an electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle"
[0002] ****
[0003] TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION
[0004] Field of the invention
[0005] The present invention relates to electric vehicles equipped with a high-voltage battery, for example an 800 V battery, which supplies energy primarily to the electric powertrain (for this reason also called the traction battery) and more generally to a high-voltage electrical system of the vehicle. The battery can be recharged by connection to an external charging infrastructure (so-called charging stations). Such vehicles may include Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV).
[0006] The invention was developed with reference to the determination (detection) of the voltage across one or more of the electric components that are part of the high-voltage electrical system powered by the battery.
[0007] Prior art
[0008] In modem electric vehicles, in which a high-voltage battery is present (e.g., 800 V - also referred to as "HV battery" in the present description) dedicated primarily to powering the powertrain and other electric components forming part of the high-voltage electrical system (e.g., the air conditioning system of the passenger cabin, the heating and / or cooling system of the battery pack, etc.), one or more vehicle control units (e.g., the Battery Management System "BMS" control unit, and / or the Vehicle Dynamic Control Module "VDCM" control unit) manage various aspects of the operation of these electric components (e.g., propulsion management, battery charging management, heating and / or cooling function management, etc.) also based on the electrical quantities detected in the system, including, for example, the voltages detected across the electric components.
[0009] In the event that it is not possible to detect, at a certain instant, the voltage across a given electric component (e.g., due to a malfunction or fault), the control algorithms implemented in conventional vehicles provide for operating this electric component in a "safety" or "degraded" or "derated"mode, in which the performance deliverable by such component is heavily limited or, possibly, the operation of such component is completely inhibited. This safety operating mode can persist over time, even if the inability to detect the voltage is only momentary, and this can lead to a perception of poor comfort and / or poor quality of the vehicle by the user, as one or more vehicle functionalities may be made unavailable and / or available with limited performance, leading to sub-optimal operation of the vehicle (e.g.: low or zero propulsive power delivered by the motor, excessively long battery charging time or complete inability to carry out charging, poor or zero cooling and / or heating power of the passenger cabin, etc.).
[0010] A document of possible interest in this technical field is EP 3499251 B1.
[0011] Therefore, there is a need in the art to develop a method that allows determining the voltage across an electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, even when direct detection of such voltage is not possible, in order to avoid the operation of the electric component being excessively derated or even completely inhibited, if not strictly necessary.
[0012] Object of the invention
[0013] The object of the invention is to solve the aforementioned technical problem. In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a method of determining the voltage across an electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, when direct detection of the voltage on the component is not possible, so as to avoid the inhibition of the component for reasons of electrical safety. In particular, the method is applicable when such a component is electrically connected in parallel to at least one further electric component of the high-voltage system.
[0014] Summary of the invention
[0015] The object of the invention is achieved by a method having the features forming the subject of the claims that follow, which form an integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in relation to the invention.
[0016] The method can be implemented by one or more electronic control units of a vehicle, for example by the Battery Management System (BMS) control unit and / or by the Vehicle Dynamic Control Module (VDCM) controlunit.
[0017] Brief description of the figures
[0018] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, provided by way of non-limiting example only, wherein:
[0019] Figure 1 is a block diagram exemplifying a generic high-voltage electrical system of an electric vehicle;
[0020] Figure 2 is a block diagram exemplifying the input and output variables of a method of determining the voltage across an electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or more embodiments of the present description;
[0021] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of a method of determining the voltage across a first electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or more embodiments of the present description;
[0022] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of a method of determining the voltage across a second electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or more embodiments of the present description;
[0023] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of a method of determining the voltage across a third electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or more embodiments of the present description;
[0024] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of a method of determining the voltage across a fourth electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or more embodiments of the present description;
[0025] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of a method of determining the voltage across a fifth electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or more embodiments of the present description; and
[0026] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating the phases of a method of determining the voltage across a generic electric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, according to one or moreembodiments of the present description.
[0027] Detailed description
[0028] As anticipated, the invention relates to a method that allows determining the voltage across an electric component of the high-voltage system of a vehicle, even when the voltage value is not directly detectable at the component itself (e.g., due to a temporary malfunction of the respective measurement system). This objective is achieved, in particular, by using one or more voltage values that can be detected at one or more further electric components connected to the same high-voltage system.
[0029] The voltage across a generic electric component of the high-voltage system is a signal usually measured by the control unit that manages the component itself, and which can be communicated by such a control unit to other control units (or electronic control units) of the vehicle. This signal can be used in various control algorithms implemented by one or more of these vehicle control units to manage various aspects of the vehicle's operation (e.g., vehicle charging, vehicle propulsion and regenerative braking, vehicle thermal management such as cooling and / or heating of the passenger cabin and / or battery pack, etc.). If the voltage signal of a certain component is not available at a certain moment, in order to correctly execute the control algorithms that use it (possibly also in a "safety" mode), it is necessary to recalculate its value. Each electric component has its own voltage measurement system which is characterized by a respective measurement precision (or accuracy). For example, the voltage measurement systems of the battery or the inverters usually have a greater precision compared to the voltage measurement systems of auxiliary components such as the electric coolant heater, the refrigerant compressor or the DC-DC converter.
[0030] In this regard, Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a generic high-voltage electrical system 10 of an electric vehicle, which comprises an exemplary number of five high-voltage components (e.g., battery 11, inverter 12, electric heater 13, compressor 14, and DC-DC converter 15). The components 11-15 are electrically connected in parallel (i.e., they are powered by the same voltage), so that it can be considered that the voltage across them is approximately the same for all components, neglecting the voltage drop that occurs on the electrical connection cables (since in thehigh-voltage system the current flow and the electrical resistance of the cables are rather low). In this example, it is assumed that the precision of voltage measurement on components 11-15 decreases (e.g., linearly) from component 11 to component 15, i.e., it is assumed that the voltage on component 11 is the one measured with the highest accuracy, and the voltage on component 15 is the one measured with the lowest accuracy.
[0031] Figure 2 illustrates the input and output variables of a method (executed by a control unit 20) for determining the voltage across any one of the electric components 11 -15 of the high-voltage system 10, even when the respective voltage measurement system is not able to directly detect this value. In particular, the method receives as input the voltages Vcomp1_Raw, Vcomp2_Raw, Vcomp3_Raw, Vcomp4_Raw and Vcomp5_Raw Which are the "raw" voltages measured in real time by the voltage sensors on components 11 to 15 (thus, with precision decreasing from the voltage VcomPi_Raw to the voltage VcomP5_Raw), receives as input the binary signals (or "flags") Vcompi_Avi, Vcomp2_Avi, Vcomp3_Avi, Vcomp4_Avi and Vcomp5_Avi which indicate, respectively for each of the components 11 to 15, whether the respective "raw" voltage signal is correctly available and usable (in which case, the respective binary signal is asserted, for example high or logic "1") or is not correctly available and therefore not usable (in which case, the respective binary signal is de-asserted, for example low or logic "0"), and receives as input the voltages Vcomp1_Old, Vcomp2_Old, Vcomp3_Old, Vcomp4_Old and Vcomp5_Old which are the voltages on components 11 to 15 determined during the previous iteration of the method and suitably stored (considering that the method is repeated constantly during vehicle operation, with a certain voltage value update rate equal for example to 100 ms). As exemplified in Figure 2, at each iteration the method can determine the respective voltages Vcompi, Vcomp2, Vcomp3, Vcomp4 and Vcomp5 on components 11 to 15, according to the algorithm described below.
[0032] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the algorithm 30 for determining the voltage Vcompi across the first electric component 11 of the high-voltage system 10. Substantially, a first selector 31 outputs the voltage value Vcompi equal to the "raw" value VcomPi_Raw measured on component 11 in real time if the binary signal VcomPi_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomPi_Raw is correctly available. If instead thebinary signal VcomPi_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomPi_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value Vcompioutput by the first selector 31 is equal to the value output by a second selector 32. The second selector 32 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP2_Raw measured on component 12 in real time if the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP2_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP2_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the second selector 32 is equal to the value output by a third selector 33. The third selector 33 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP3_Raw measured on component 13 in real time if the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP3_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP3_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the third selector 33 is equal to the value output by a fourth selector 34. The fourth selector 34 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP4_Raw measured on component 14 in real time if the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP4_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP4_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fourth selector 34 is equal to the value output by a fifth selector 35. The fifth selector 35 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP5_Raw measured on component 15 in real time if the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP5_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP5_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fifth selector 35 is equal to the voltage value Vcompi_oid, i.e. , the value of the voltage Vcompistored at the previous iteration of the method (in this way, the voltage value determined for component 11 remains "frozen" if none of the voltages detected on components 11 to 15 is currently usable).
[0033] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the algorithm 40 for determining the voltage VcomP2 across the second electric component 12 of the high-voltage system 10. Substantially, a first selector 41 outputs the voltage value VcomP2 equal to the "raw" value VcomP2_Raw measured on component 12 in real time if the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is asserted and thusindicates that the voltage VcomP2_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP2_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value VcomP2 output by the first selector 41 is equal to the value output by a second selector 42. The second selector 42 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value Vcompi_Raw measured on component 11 in real time if the binary signal Vcompi_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage Vcompi_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal Vcompi_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage Vcompi_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the second selector 42 is equal to the value output by a third selector 43. The third selector 43 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP3_Raw measured on component 13 in real time if the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP3_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP3_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the third selector 43 is equal to the value output by a fourth selector 44. The fourth selector 44 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP4_Raw measured on component 14 in real time if the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP4_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP4_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fourth selector 44 is equal to the value output by a fifth selector 45. The fifth selector 45 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP5_Raw measured on component 15 in real time if the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP5_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP5_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fifth selector 45 is equal to the voltage value VcomP2_oid, i.e. , the value of the voltage VcomP2 stored at the previous iteration of the method (in this way, the voltage value determined for component 12 remains "frozen" if none of the voltages detected on components 11 to 15 is currently usable).
[0034] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the algorithm 50 for determining the voltage VcomP3 across the third electric component 13 of the high-voltage system 10. Substantially, a first selector 51 outputs the voltage value VcomP3 equal to the "raw" value VcomP3_Raw measured oncomponent 13 in real time if the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP3_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP3_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value VcomP3 output by the first selector 51 is equal to the value output by a second selector 52. The second selector 52 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value Vcompi_Raw measured on component 11 in real time if the binary signal Vcompi_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage Vcompi_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal Vcompi_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage Vcompi_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the second selector 52 is equal to the value output by a third selector 53. The third selector 53 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP2_Raw measured on component 12 in real time if the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP2_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP2_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the third selector 53 is equal to the value output by a fourth selector 54. The fourth selector 54 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP4_Raw measured on component 14 in real time if the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP4_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP4_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fourth selector 54 is equal to the value output by a fifth selector 55. The fifth selector 55 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP5_Raw measured on component 15 in real time if the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP5_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP5_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fifth selector 55 is equal to the voltage value VcomP3_oid, i.e. , the value of the voltage VcomP3 stored at the previous iteration of the method (in this way, the voltage value determined for component 13 remains "frozen" if none of the voltages detected on components 11 to 15 is currently usable).
[0035] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the algorithm 60 for determining the voltage VcomP4 across the fourth electric component 14 of the high-voltage system 10. Substantially, a first selector 61 outputs thevoltage value VcomP4 equal to the "raw" value VcomP4_Raw measured on component 14 in real time if the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP4_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP4_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value VcomP4 output by the first selector 61 is equal to the value output by a second selector 62. The second selector 62 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value Vcompi_Raw measured on component 11 in real time if the binary signal Vcompi_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage Vcompi_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal Vcompi_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage Vcompi_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the second selector 62 is equal to the value output by a third selector 63. The third selector 63 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP2_Raw measured on component 12 in real time if the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP2_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP2_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the third selector 63 is equal to the value output by a fourth selector 64. The fourth selector 64 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP3_Raw measured on component 13 in real time if the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP3_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP3_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fourth selector 64 is equal to the value output by a fifth selector 65. The fifth selector 65 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP5_Raw measured on component 15 in real time if the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP5_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP5_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fifth selector 65 is equal to the voltage value VcomP4_oid, i.e. , the value of the voltage VcomP4 stored at the previous iteration of the method (in this way, the voltage value determined for component 14 remains "frozen" if none of the voltages detected on components 11 to 15 is currently usable).
[0036] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the algorithm 70 for determining the voltage VcomP5 across the fifth electric component 15 ofthe high-voltage system 10. Substantially, a first selector 71 outputs the voltage value VcomP5 equal to the "raw" value VcomP5_Raw measured on component 15 in real time if the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP5_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP5_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP5_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value VcomP5 output by the first selector 71 is equal to the value output by a second selector 72. The second selector 72 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomPi_Raw measured on component 11 in real time if the binary signal VcomPi_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomPi_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomPi_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomPi_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the second selector 72 is equal to the value output by a third selector 73. The third selector 73 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP2_Raw measured on component 12 in real time if the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP2_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP2_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP2_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the third selector 73 is equal to the value output by a fourth selector 74. The fourth selector 74 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP3_Raw measured on component 13 in real time if the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP3_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP3_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP3_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fourth selector 74 is equal to the value output by a fifth selector 75. The fifth selector 75 outputs a voltage value equal to the "raw" value VcomP4_Raw measured on component 14 in real time if the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is asserted and thus indicates that the voltage VcomP4_Raw is correctly available. If instead the binary signal VcomP4_Avi is de-asserted (and thus the voltage VcomP4_Raw is not correctly available), the voltage value output by the fifth selector 75 is equal to the voltage value VcomP5_oid, i.e. , the value of the voltage VcomP5 stored at the previous iteration of the method (in this way, the voltage value determined for component 15 remains "frozen" if none of the voltages detected on components 11 to 15 is currently usable).
[0037] Therefore, as exemplified in Figures 3 to 7, the idea of the method isto determine the voltage value VcomPj across a generic ithcomponent (among components 11 to 15) of the system 10 by using:
[0038] (i) the voltage value Vcomp_i_Raw measured in real time directly on the ithcomponent, if this value is correctly available at that moment (which represents the preferred choice);
[0039] (ii) subordinate to point (i), the voltage value Vcompj_Raw measured in real time on another component (jth) of the system 10 different from the ithcomponent, preferably selected in order of decreasing measurement precision among the voltage values correctly available at that moment, if the voltage value Vcomp_i_Raw measured on the ithcomponent is not correctly available at that moment; and
[0040] (iii) subordinate to point (ii), the voltage value Vcomp_i_oid determined for the ithcomponent at the previous iteration of the algorithm, if none of the voltage values measured in real time on the electric components of the system 10 is correctly available at that moment.
[0041] This basic idea is also exemplified in the block diagram of Figure 8, which illustrates a method 80 according to one or more embodiments for determining the voltage VcomPj across a generic ithelectric component in a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, comprising the following steps:
[0042] - in step 801 , the output voltage VcomPj is assigned the voltage value VcomP_i_Raw measured in real time directly on the ithcomponent, if this value is correctly available at that moment (i.e. , if the signal VcomPj_Avi is asserted, e.g. VcomP_i_Avi=1);
[0043] - in step 802 (executed subordinate^ to a negative outcome of step 801 , i.e., only if in step 801 it was not possible to determine the value of the output voltage VcomP_i), the output voltage VcomPj is assigned the voltage value VcomP_i_Raw measured in real time on another component (jth) of the system 10 different from the ithcomponent, preferably selected in order of decreasing measurement precision among the voltage values correctly available at that moment as indicated by the signals VcompJ_AVI, if the voltage value VcomPj_Raw measured on the ithcomponent is not correctly available at that moment (i.e., if the signal VcomPj_Avi is de-asserted, e.g. VcomPj_Avi = 0); and
[0044] - in step 803 (executed subordinate^ to a negative outcome of step 802, i.e., only if in step 802 it was not possible to determine the value of theoutput voltage Vcompj), the output voltage Vcompj is assigned the voltage value VcomP_i_oid determined for the ithcomponent at the previous iteration of the algorithm, if none of the voltage values measured in real time on the components is correctly available at that moment (i.e., if the signals Vcomp _i_Avi are all de-asserted, e.g. Vcomp J_AVI = 0, for every j + i).
[0045] Therefore, the method described herein allows determining the voltage across a generic ithelectric component of the high-voltage system 10 even when, at a certain instant, it is not possible to directly detect the voltage across that component, using the voltages detected on the other components of the same high-voltage system (in decreasing order of measurement precision) or using the voltage value determined for the ithcomponent at a previous iteration (i.e., "freezing" the value of the voltage determined for the ithcomponent). In this way, it is possible to use the electric components of the system 10 (even if possibly in a "safety" or "derated" mode, but still avoiding their complete inhibition) even when a direct detection of the respective voltage is not possible, thereby increasing the usability of the vehicle and the perception of comfort and quality by the user, as all the most important functions of the vehicle (e.g., charging and propulsion) remain available (obviously, unless there are other more significant faults). In this regard, it will be noted that the use of a voltage value with lower precision than the "expected" one (e.g., the use of the voltage value Vcomp5_Ra™ to manage the operation of any of the components 11 to 14) or the use of a voltage value not updated in real time (i.e., the use of the voltage value Vcompj_oid to manage the operation of a generic ithcomponent among components 11 to 15) does not entail risks for the safety or integrity of the vehicle, as the component can possibly be operated in a "safety" or "derated" mode, still obtaining an advantage compared to conventional algorithms which would provide for its complete deactivation or inhibition.
[0046] Obviously, it will be understood that an example has been illustrated here in which there are five electric components 11 to 15 connected in parallel in the high-voltage system 10 of the vehicle, but various embodiments can be applied to a system having any number of electric components greater than or equal to two.
[0047] Naturally, the details of implementation and the forms of executioncan be widely varied with respect to what has been described and illustrated without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
CLAIMS1. A method (80) of determining the voltage ( Vcompj) across an electric component in a high-voltage system (10) of an electric vehicle, wherein said high-voltage system (10) comprises said electric component and at least one further electric component electrically coupled in parallel, the method (80) comprising:(i) sensing (801) a first value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) across said electric component and receiving (801 ) a first binary signal ( VcomPj_Avi) indicative of whether said first value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) is correctly available or not;(ii) in response to said first value off actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) being correctly available, determining (801) that the voltage ( Vcompj) across said electric component is equal to said first value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_RaW, (iii) in response to said first value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) not being correctly available, sensing (802) at least one further value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) across said at least one further electric component, receiving (802) at least one further binary signal ( VcomP_i_Avi) indicative of whether said at least one further value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) is correctly available or not, and determining (802) that the voltage ( Vcompj) across said electric component is equal to said at least one further value of actual voltage ( Vcomp j_Raw) if said at least one further value of actual voltage ( VcomP_i_Raw) is correctly available; and(iv) in response to no further value of actual voltage ( VcomPj_Raw) being correctly available, determining (803) that the voltage ( VcomP_i) across said electric component is equal to a value of voltage across said electric component previously determined and stored (VcomPj_oid).
2. The method (80) of claim 1 , wherein said high-voltage system (10) comprises a plurality of further electric components electrically coupled in parallel to said electric component, and wherein said electric component and said plurality of further electric components are ordered in a sequence from a first electric component (11) equipped with a most precise voltage measurement system to a last electric component (15) equipped with a least precise voltage measurement system, wherein step (iii) of the method (80) comprises:- sensing (802), for each of said further electric components, a respective further value of actual voltage ( Vcomp j_Raw)- receiving (802), for each of said further electric components, a respective further binary signal ( VcomP_i_Avi) indicative of whether the respective further value of actual voltage (Vcomp _i_Raw) is correctly available or not; and- determining (802) that the voltage ( Vcompj) across said electric component is equal to the further value of actual voltage ( Vcomp _i_Raw) which, among those correctly available, was sensed on the further electric component equipped with the most precise voltage measurement system.
3. The method (80) of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said high-voltage system (10) comprises at least one electric component among: a high-voltage battery (11), an inverter (12), an electric heater (13), a compressor (14), and a DC-DC converter (15).
4. The method (80) of claim 3, wherein the voltage measurement system of said high-voltage battery (11) and / or of said inverter (12) is more precise than the voltage measurement system of said electric heater (13) and / or of said compressor (14) and / or of said DC-DC converter (15).