US 11,932,123 B2
Active discharge of an electric drive system
Christoph Dustert, Soest (DE); Andreas Volke, Soest (DE); and Klaus Harmann, Duesseldorf (DE)
Assigned to POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Power Integrations, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/944,537.
Claims priority of application No. 21210185 (EP), filed on Nov. 24, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0158896 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. H02J 7/00 (2006.01); B60L 50/51 (2019.01); B60L 50/60 (2019.01)
CPC B60L 50/60 (2019.02) [B60L 50/51 (2019.02); B60L 2210/10 (2013.01); B60L 2210/40 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A discharge system for an electric vehicle, the discharge system comprising:
a step-down power converter configured to step down an input voltage to an output voltage, wherein the input voltage is higher than the output voltage;
a discharge circuitry coupled to the output of the step-down power converter, wherein the discharge circuitry is reversibly driveable to load the step-down power converter;
a user interaction component configured to receive an input that originated from a human user, wherein the input indicates that the electric vehicle is to shutdown;
a discharge drive circuitry configured to drive the discharge circuitry to load the step-down power converter in response to the indication that the electric vehicle is to shutdown, and
a fault detection circuitry, wherein the discharge drive circuitry is configured to respond to identification of a fault by driving the discharge circuitry to load the step-down power converter.