US 12,241,925 B2
Arc fault detection modules for vehicle electrical systems
Chaitanya Bhalwankar, Pune (IN); Ritika Shetty, Pune (IN); Brandon William Fisher, Portland, OR (US); Kumar Prasad Telikepalli, Pune (IN); and Naresh Kumar Kodela, Pune (IN)
Assigned to EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED, Dublin (IE)
Appl. No. 17/789,468
Filed by Eaton Intelligent Power Limited, Dublin (IE)
PCT Filed Dec. 28, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/025600
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 27, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/129956, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 1, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 201911054197 (IN), filed on Dec. 27, 2019; and application No. 202011048605 (IN), filed on Nov. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0034902 A1, Feb. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 31/12 (2020.01); G01R 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 31/007 (2013.01) [G01R 31/1272 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle electric system comprising:
one or more circuits, the one or more circuits comprising a plurality of modules, each module of the plurality of modules, comprising:
an arc fault detection unit comprising:
one or more sensors configured for monitoring an alternating current circuit or a direct current circuit for signs of an arc fault and configured for outputting arc fault data, and
a signal conditioning circuitry for receiving and translating arc fault data for processing,
a processing unit connected directly or indirectly to the signal conditioning circuitry, the processing unit configured to receive arc fault data from the signal conditioning circuitry and configured to identify an arc fault condition, and
a notification device connected to the processing unit, the notification device configured to notify a supervisory controller of an arc fault and configured to communicate other data to the supervisory controller, and
the supervisory controller networked to the plurality of modules,
wherein the vehicle electric system is configured with a plurality of remote contactors,
wherein each module of the plurality of modules is configured to supervise respective one of the alternating current circuit or direct current circuit to collect and process arc fault data;
wherein each module of the plurality of modules is configured to transmit arc fault detection data to the supervisory controller; and
wherein the supervisory controller is programmed to manage current flow in the vehicle electrical system by commanding one or more of the remote contactors to open, disabling current flow to the one or more circuits, when an arc fault condition is detected.