The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 13, 2026
Filed:
Jan. 08, 2024
Zf Automotive Uk Limited, Solihull, GB;
Tamas Terdy, Birmingham, GB;
Kevin Cockerham, Sutton Coldfield, GB;
ZF Automotive UK Limited, Solihull, GB;
Abstract
A motor drive circuit comprising: a motor bridge, comprising a bridge arm comprising upper and lower switches for each motor phase, which may be selectively closed to modulate voltage applied to the respective phases to drive signals from a motor control circuit, at least one solid-state-phase-isolation-relay (SSPIR) provided in series in an electrical path connecting a respective phase of the motor to a respective bridge arm, the SSPIR being closed in normal operation so that current can flow in the phase and held open in a fault mode of operation to prevent current flow, a monitoring arrangement for monitoring a current waveform in the phase to identify when it is safe to open the SSPIR without causing damage to the SSPIR due to an avalanche mode, and a control circuit that applies a voltage to each SSPIR that is sufficient to hold the SSPIR closed in normal operation is only opened when the current is in a safe operational area.