Electromechanical circuit breaker for a battery distribution box of a motor vehicle and battery distribution box

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electromechanical circuit breaker for a battery distribution box of a motor vehicle. The electromechanical circuit breaker comprises a housing having a coil arranged therein. To switch the electromechanical circuit breaker, the coil is actuated via a control terminal. The electromechanical circuit breaker includes a common load choke arranged inside the housing.

Claims

1. An electromechanical circuit breaker for a battery distribution box of a motor vehicle, the electromechanical circuit breaker comprising: a housing; a coil having an armature arranged in the housing; a control terminal arranged on a side of the housing, the control terminal configured to actuate the coil such that a movement of the armature switches the electromechanical circuit breaker; and a common load choke electrically connected to the coil, wherein the common load choke is configured to reduce coupling attenuation.

2. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, comprising: a first conductor electrically coupling the coil to the common load choke, wherein the first conductor has a maximum length (L) of 5 cm.

3. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 2, wherein the first conductor has a maximum length (L) of 2 cm.

4. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein a switching voltage of the electromechanical circuit breaker is at least 400 V.

5. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the common load choke is arranged inside the housing.

6. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 5, wherein the common load choke is arranged on an inner side of the housing and the control terminal is arranged on an outer side of the same side of the housing.

7. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the control terminal includes a plug connector and the common load choke is arranged in the plug connector.

8. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 7, wherein: the plug connector comprises a first plug element connected to the housing; and the common load choke is arranged in the first plug element.

9. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 7, wherein: the plug connector comprises a second plug element connected to a second conductor configured to connect the electromechanical circuit breaker to a control device; and the common load choke is arranged in the second plug element.

10. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the common load choke includes a plurality of suppressor chokes, at least two of the plurality of suppressor chokes having different properties.

11. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, comprising: a common circuit board, wherein the common load choke and a protective circuit are arranged on the common circuit board.

12. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 11, comprising: protective circuit comprises at least one of a free-wheeling diode and a capacitor.

13. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 1, comprising: a control device configured to transmit control signals to the control terminal causing the coil to actuate.

14. A battery distribution box for a motor vehicle, comprising: an electromechanical circuit breaker including: a housing; a coil having an armature arranged in the housing; a control terminal arranged on a side of the housing, the control terminal configured to actuate the coil such that a movement of the armature switches the electromechanical circuit breaker; and a common load choke electrically connected to the coil, wherein the common load choke is configured to reduce coupling attenuation; and a control device connected to the electromechanical circuit breaker, the control device configured to transmit control signals to the control terminal causing the coil to actuate.

15. An electromechanical circuit breaker for a battery distribution box of a motor vehicle, the electromechanical circuit breaker configured to conduct current from a power storage device to one or more loads when switched, the electromechanical circuit breaker comprising: a housing; at least two contacts arranged on a side of the housing; a coil having an armature arranged in the housing, wherein a movement of the armature is configured to interconnect the two contacts when the coil is actuated; a common load choke arranged inside the housing, the common load choke being electrically connected to the coil; and a control terminal arranged on a side of the housing, wherein the control terminal is configured to actuate the coil and switch the electromechanical circuit breaker.

16. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 15, comprising: a first conductor electrically coupling the coil to the common load choke, wherein the first conductor has a maximum length (L) of 5 cm.

17. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 16, wherein the first conductor has a maximum length (L) of 2 cm.

18. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 15, wherein the common load choke includes a plurality of suppressor chokes, at least two of the plurality of suppressor chokes having different properties.

19. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 15, wherein: the control terminal comprises a first plug element coupled to the side of the housing and configured to interconnect with a second plug element, the second plug element connecting the electromechanical circuit breaker to a control device.

20. The electromechanical circuit breaker according to claim 15, comprising: a common circuit board, wherein the common load choke and a protective circuit are arranged on the common circuit board.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a motor vehicle with a battery distribution box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of a battery distribution box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of an electromechanical circuit breaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

(5) FIG. 4 is a drawing of electromechanical circuit breaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle 100 with a battery distribution box 102 coupled to a power storage unit 104, a central vehicle control device 106 and two loads 108. This simplified drawing of an onboard electrical system illustrates the basic functionality of a battery distribution box. The loads 108 may be actuators 108 such as drive motors of the vehicle 108 or other consumers such as air conditioning, lighting or the like. The loads 108 are switched on and off through commands transmitted from the central vehicle control device 106 to the battery distribution box 102. Accordingly, the battery distribution box 102 has electromechanical circuit breakers and a control device, as shown in FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a schematic drawing of a battery distribution box 102 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery distribution box 102 includes busbars 210, two electromechanical circuit breakers 212 and a control device 214. A first contact of the power storage unit 104 is connected to ground GND and a second contact is connected through a busbar 210 to the battery distribution box 102. A busbar 210 extends in the battery distribution box 102 from the terminal leading to the power storage unit 104 to a particular first contact of the circuit breakers 212. An additional contact of the circuit breakers 212 is electrically connected via a busbar to a terminal for a load. The circuit breakers 212 are designed to conduct, or in other words, to switch, the current provided by the power storage unit 104 to the loads. Thus, the circuit breakers 212 are connected to the control device 214 in order to receive control signals from the control device 214 to actuate the circuit breakers 212.

(8) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the power storage unit provides a nominal voltage of at least 400 V, and preferably 480 V. The actual voltage made available may depend on the charge state and on the battery management system, and therefore may fluctuate within a tolerance range. The control device 214 typically works with 12 V onboard voltage.

(9) With reference to the coupling attenuation, the main coupling path is the high-voltage contactor, i.e. the electromechanical circuit breaker 212. To minimize the coupling attenuation, the electromechanical circuit breaker 212 has a common load choke. This will be shown and explained in greater detail with reference to the following figures.

(10) FIG. 3 shows an electromechanical circuit breaker 212 and a control device 214 connected to the circuit breaker 212, which includes a common load choke 320. Not shown in the drawing is the control device 214 being supplied from a low-voltage onboard electrical system, typically the 12 V onboard network of the vehicle.

(11) The electromechanical circuit breaker 212, also referred to as high-voltage contactor 212, has a coil 322 that switches two high-voltage (HV) contacts 326, 328 arranged on a housing 324, via an armature (not shown in FIG. 3). Accordingly, in the activated state the two HV contacts 326, 328 are interconnected. Both the coil 322 with its armature and the common load choke 320 are arranged inside the housing 324.

(12) The coil 322 is connected to the control device 214 via conductors 330, 332, with the common load choke 320 being connected therebetween. As depicted in FIG. 3, the conductor between the coil 322 and the common load choke 320 has reference number 330, and the conductor between the common load choke 320 and the control device 214 has reference number 332. A conductor 330, 332 may be understood to be a double cable made up of two electrical conductors. In one embodiment, the electrical conductors of the current conductor 330, 332 are twisted.

(13) The length L of the line of the conductor 330 between the coil 322 and the common load choke 320 may be less than 5 cm, and in some embodiments may be less than 2 cm. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the length L of the line is less than 1 cm. In some embodiments, a line length of less than 0.5 cm, with a view toward reducing the coupling attenuation, may be mechanically feasible. Thus, the interference is attenuated very closely to the source and prevents an additional coupling on the 12 V side.

(14) Integrating the common load choke 320 inside the housing 324 as shown in FIG. 3 utilizes existing installation space that either cannot be created outside of the circuit breaker 212, or only with great constructional effort inside a battery distribution box. Further, it creates a damping effect to combat the problem of coupling attenuation.

(15) The necessary installation space without a housing or circuit board for a single common load choke can be given as a cuboid with an edge length of approximately 6 mm. The base area needed may be increased if a plurality of suppressor chokes is combined on a circuit board to improve the impedance in a broad frequency spectrum, or if the common load choke 320 is combined with a wide protective circuit, however an edge length of 6 mm should still be adequate.

(16) In some embodiments, an additional free-wheeling diode or a capacitor may be provided as the protective circuit. The free-wheeling diode protects the coil of the contactor. The capacitor brings an improvement in the frequency range. As an alternative, a protective circuit may also have a free-wheeling diode and a capacitor.

(17) FIG. 4 illustrates the spatial arrangement of the common load choke 320. The circuit breaker 212 may be an embodiment of the circuit breaker 212 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. An arrangement of the coil 322 is visible in the open housing 324. An armature 438 is arranged for movement inside the coil 322 in order to switch the HV contacts of the circuit breaker.

(18) A control terminal 440 is provided on a side of the housing 324. The control terminal 440 is mechanically implemented as a plug connection 442. The plug connection 442 is comprised of a first plug element 444 and a second plug element 446. The first plug element 444 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is a plug that is mechanically connected to the housing 324. The second plug element 446 is a socket that is electrically and mechanically connected to a line 332, and can be coupled to the control device. In some embodiments, the plug and socket can be interchanged with one another, or the plug connection can be implemented in a different manner such as with bifurcated contacts or the like.

(19) In one embodiment, the common load choke 320 is arranged on the inner side of the housing 324 on the same housing wall as the plug connection 442, with the plug connection arranged on the outer side of the same housing wall.

(20) In another embodiment, the common load choke 320 is arranged in one of the two plug elements 444, 446. This makes it possible to retrofit circuit breakers 212 without having to completely reconstruct or open them.

(21) Having described aspects of the present disclosure in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(22) 100 vehicle 102 battery distribution box 104 power storage unit 106 vehicle control device 108 load, actuator 210 busbar 212 electromechanical circuit breaker, high-voltage contactor 214 control device 320 common load choke 322 coil 324 housing 326, 328 HV contact 330, 332 conductor, cable 438 armature 440 control terminal 442 plug connector 444 first plug element 446 second plug element L length, line length