Patent ID: 7956488

Claim:
A controlling apparatus for a motor vehicle having a high voltage direct current power supply, an inverter for converting direct current power of said high voltage direct current power supply into ac power, a smoothing capacitor provided between said inverter and said high voltage direct current power supply, a main contactor provided between said high voltage direct current power supply and said smoothing capacitor for connecting and disconnecting said high voltage direct current power supply and said smoothing capacitor to and from each other, and a precharge circuit connected in parallel to said main contactor; said precharge circuit including a discharge path connected in parallel to said main contactor for passing discharge current from said smoothing capacitor to said high voltage direct current power supply from the negative electrode of said high voltage direct current power supply to the negative electrode of said smoothing capacitor or from the positive electrode of said smoothing capacitor to the positive electrode of said high voltage direct current power supply and a charge path connected in parallel to said main contactor for passing charge current from said high voltage direct current power supply to said smoothing capacitor from the negative electrode of said smoothing capacitor to the negative electrode of said high voltage direct current power supply or from the positive electrode of said high voltage direct current power supply to the positive electrode of said smoothing capacitor; at least one common switch element being provided in said discharge path and said charge path.