System and method for vehicle load current sensing and control

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining and controlling vehicle load current and temperature by using a common current sensor is disclosed. An exemplary vehicle includes: a power source; an electrical sensor configured to detect a total current provided by the power source to a plurality of electrical loads; and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a target load temperature based on the total current and set a voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain the target load temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle electronics and, more particularly, to systems and methods for vehicle load current sensing and control using a common current sensor. Background Art

[0002] Many modern vehicles include electronic systems that can be used to achieve powertrain control, comfort, safety, and convenience. Examples may include various power circuits, heaters, actuators, valves, pressure regulators, etc. Operational information about these systems can be collected in order to control the systems (i.e., feedback) and to ensure that they are operating properly. Summary of the invention

[0003] The appended claims define the present application. This disclosure summarizes aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims. Other implementations are contemplated based on the techniques described herein, which will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon studying the following drawings and detailed description, and these implementations are intended to fall within the scope of the present application.

[0004] Exemplary embodiments are shown that describe systems, devices, and methods for detecting current drawn by one of a plurality of electrical loads operating in a vehicle and controlling the temperature of the electrical load. The exemplary disclosed vehicle includes: a power source; an electrical sensor configured to detect a total current provided by the power source to a plurality of electrical loads; and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a target load temperature based on the total current and set a voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain the target load temperature.

[0005] The method disclosed illustratively includes determining, by a vehicle processor, a total current supplied to a plurality of electrical loads coupled to a vehicle power supply. The method also includes determining, by the vehicle processor, a target load for the plurality of electrical loads. The method also includes determining, by the vehicle processor, a target load temperature based on the total current supplied to the plurality of electrical loads. And, the method also includes setting a voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain a target load temperature.

[0006] A third example may include means for determining a total current provided to a plurality of electrical loads coupled to a vehicle power supply. The third example may also include means for determining a target load for the plurality of electrical loads. The third example may also include means for determining a target load temperature based on the total current provided to the plurality of electrical loads. And, the third example may still include means for setting a voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain a target load temperature.

[0007] A fourth example may include current control of motors and solenoids. The torque of a motor may be proportional to its current. The force of a solenoid may depend on its current. These devices may operate over a temperature range, and the resistance of each device may change with temperature. By implementing a current feedback system, the current may be controlled to a target current over a certain device temperature range. Repeatable currents result in repeatable torques or forces, which are beneficial for actuator control, etc. Although some actuators are sensitive to electrical power rather than current, current measurements may still be required in order to calculate electrical power. Therefore, electrical power may be used as feedback (e.g., in-tank fuel pump control) only when the measurements of both current and applied voltage (or mission cycle voltage) are known.

[0008] A fifth example may include a diagnostic method. Knowing the applied voltage and the current generated, the temperature of the electrical conductors (e.g., windings, resistive heating elements) of the electrical load may be inferred. The expected temperature may be compared to the calculated temperature (resistance changes with temperature) as a diagnosis. Furthermore, the resistance may be compared to the expected resistance. Furthermore, the current level may be compared to the expected current level to diagnose the load. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the embodiments illustrated in the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and related elements may be omitted, or in some cases the proportions may be exaggerated in order to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. In addition, as is known in the art, the system components may be arranged differently. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several views.

[0010] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram of electronic components of a vehicle.

[0012] Figure 3 A simplified general automotive power supply scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] While the invention may be embodied in various forms, certain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments will be shown in the drawings and described below, it being understood that this disclosure is considered as an example of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments shown.

[0015] As described above, a vehicle may include one or more electrical systems or devices, also referred to as electrical loads. Electrical loads may be related to vehicle safety, comfort, convenience, etc., and may include power windows, heated seats, entertainment systems, defrost or defog circuits, fans, pumps, etc. One or more of the electrical loads may be driven using a voltage that may have a corresponding duty cycle. It may be beneficial that one or more vehicle control systems collect data related to the use, voltage, current, resistance, temperature, etc. of the electrical loads so that the control system can exert control over the electrical loads and determine when the loads are operating within their specifications. Data about electrical loads may be used to maintain normal operation, and / or control one or more aspects of the operation of the electrical loads (e.g., changing voltage, current, resistance, temperature, power, etc.).

[0016] Some vehicles may include multiple sensors dedicated to each electrical load. These sensors may provide data specific to a given load. In the presence of multiple loads, the vehicle may require many sensors, which increases manufacturing costs and increases the number of possible failure points.

[0017] In view of these issues, embodiments disclosed herein can provide systems, methods, and devices that are configured so that a centralized or shared current sensor configured to measure the total current of all loads can be used to collect information related to multiple electrical loads, and can support the selection of a single target load from multiple target loads and analysis without the need to use a separate current sensor on each electrical load. In addition, embodiments described herein can support the control of the voltage and / or current provided to the target electrical load so that the target current, voltage, temperature, and / or one or more other target characteristics can be controlled, maintained, or otherwise modified.

[0018] In one example, the target electrical load may be a driver's side seat heating circuit. An exemplary processor may be able to determine the current supplied to the seat heating circuit by measuring the total current output by the vehicle power supply when the seat heating circuit is (1) turned on and (2) turned off. If no other loads change during this measurement, the current difference may be attributed to the seat heating circuit, which may be associated with the temperature of the seat heating circuit. The temperature may be determined based on a known resistance of the circuit. The processor may then use the determined information to maintain a target or predetermined temperature, or to determine whether the seat heating circuit is faulty or outside a threshold range included in a component specification. The processor may then set a voltage duty cycle for the seat heating circuit to maintain the target temperature or to increase / lower the temperature as appropriate.

[0019] Figure 1An exemplary vehicle 100 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Vehicle 100 may be a standard gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or any other type of vehicle for mobility. Vehicle 100 may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, or autonomous. Vehicle 100 may include parts related to mobility, such as a powertrain with an engine, a transmission, a suspension, a drive shaft, and / or wheels. In the example shown, vehicle 100 may include one or more electronic components (described below with respect to Figure 2 described).

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , vehicle 100 may include: a power source 102; a plurality of electrical loads 104, 106, and 108; and a processor 110. Vehicle 100 may include a power source 102; a plurality of electrical loads 104, 106, and 108; and a processor 110. Figure 2 One or more additional electronic components described in further detail.

[0021] The power source 102 may include a battery pack, an alternator, and / or one or more other power generation or storage devices. The battery pack may be low voltage or high voltage, may include one battery or may include multiple batteries, and may be located at one location within the vehicle or may be distributed throughout the vehicle. Additionally, in some instances, the battery pack may be a battery pack system including two or more battery packs (e.g., a low voltage battery pack and a high voltage battery pack) configured to provide power to respective subsets of multiple loads. The alternator may be a generator coupled to the engine of the vehicle, the generator being configured to provide power when the vehicle is turned on and the engine is running.

[0022] Figure 1 Three exemplary electrical loads are shown, including seat heating circuits 104 and 106 and a rear defroster circuit 108. Other loads are possible.

[0023] The power source 102 may be coupled to or may include one or more electrical sensors configured to measure current, voltage, and / or other characteristics corresponding to the power source. For example, the one or more sensors may be configured to measure the total current provided by the power source 102. To this end, in some examples, this may include a first current sensor coupled to the battery pack and a second current sensor coupled to the alternator. Thus, the total current may be determined by combining the outputs from the first current sensor and the second current sensor. This will refer to Figure 3 Described in further detail.

[0024] In some examples, the current drawn by a particular electrical load can be determined based on data from a current sensor coupled to the power supply.Instead of using a current sensor coupled to each load individually, a common current sensor coupled to the power supply can be used to determine the current drawn by any one of the coupled electrical loads.

[0025] To determine the current drawn by a particular target load, the total current drawn by all connected loads may be analyzed. The total current measurement may be a signal that changes over time and may include the total current provided by the power supply to multiple electrical loads. The signal may change based on the composition of the connected and activated loads, such that the total current signal may change when one or more loads are connected, activated or shut down, and / or otherwise change state.

[0026] The difference in the total current measured when the target load is turned on and when the target load is turned off may provide a value corresponding to the current drawn by the target load.

[0027] In some examples, the processor 110 may receive control signals about one or more loads including a target load. The control may be used to determine the point in time when the target load is turned on or off, which may allow the processor 110 to determine the total current signal at each point in time so that the current specific to the target load may be determined.

[0028] In some examples, a user may initiate a control signal related to a target load (e.g., push a button to activate a defroster, heated seats, windows, etc.) In other examples, control signals may be automated (i.e., without human input), such as signals to control a cooling fan, a fuel pump, etc.

[0029] Any electrical load of the vehicle 100 that includes a control signal that can be received by the processor can be selected as a target load. And to this end, the processor 110 can determine the current drawn by any load having a control signal, provided that the current drawn is greater than the noise floor level. Therefore, one benefit of the present disclosure is that a sensor that detects the current provided to all loads can be used to determine the current directed to a specific target load without using a separate current sensor on the target load.

[0030] When the current directed to or drawn by a particular load is known, the current can be analyzed in conjunction with the voltage applied to the load to determine the load resistance. Current, voltage, and resistance will obey the classic law V = I x R, where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance.

[0031] If the load is purely resistive, then the instantaneous current can be equal to the steady-state current measurement. However, capacitive or inductive loads can have instantaneous current values ​​that are different from the steady-state value. In this case, it may be necessary to wait 2 to 3 time constants after the load is turned on or off to get the current measurement.

[0032] When the resistance of the load is known, the corresponding temperature can also be determined. A given load can have a first resistance when the vehicle and / or load is at a low temperature (i.e., in a steady state where the vehicle and / or load has been off for a period of time). When the vehicle and / or load is operating, the temperature of the load may change, thereby changing the load resistance. This is particularly evident for seat heating circuits such as loads 104 and 106 and rear defrost circuits such as load 108. The second measured resistance can be compared to the first resistance, and a corresponding change in temperature can be determined.

[0033] In some examples, the processor 110 can determine the load temperature based on a lookup table. For example, the rear defrost circuit 108 can be analyzed during manufacturing to determine a baseline resistance and temperature. The circuit 108 can then be tested under various conditions to determine the response of the circuit and an equation that relates the circuit resistance R to the temperature of the circuit.

[0034] When the temperature of the target load is known, the processor 110 can then be configured to set the voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain the target load temperature and / or modify the target load temperature to an expected, predetermined, or other temperature. For example, where the target load temperature is determined to be 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the processor can be configured to set, change, or modify the voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain the temperature at 100 degrees. If the temperature increases over time due to continued operation of the circuit, the processor 110 can be configured to responsively reduce the voltage duty cycle of the target load so that the temperature drops back to 100 degrees. Similarly, if the determined target load temperature drops below 100 degrees, the processor 110 can be configured to increase the duty cycle so that the temperature rises back to 100 degrees.

[0035] In some examples, the processor may determine a predetermined or end point target load temperature. The predetermined temperature may be the temperature at which the target load should operate, and the processor 110 may control the voltage duty cycle to cause the target load temperature to reach the predetermined temperature. For example, the predetermined temperature for heated seat operation may be 100 degrees. If the target load temperature is determined to be 95 degrees, the processor may be configured to increase the voltage duty cycle to cause the target load temperature to rise to the predetermined temperature.

[0036] Additionally, the predetermined or end point target load temperature may be a temperature range (eg, 95 degrees to 100 degrees). In this case, if the target load temperature is determined to be outside the range, the processor 110 may be configured to bring the temperature within the range.

[0037] In some instances, the processor may determine an expected temperature associated with a given load based on one or more operating characteristics. For example, the expected temperature may be a threshold within which the load is expected to operate or function based on manufacturing tolerances and / or specifications. The temperature range associated with a heated seat circuit may have a maximum limit of 105 degrees Fahrenheit before causing harm to an occupant. Based on a determined target load temperature and an expected temperature of less than 105 degrees, the processor may take one or more actions, such as shutting down the target load, reducing or increasing a voltage duty cycle, providing an alarm, etc. This may provide increased safety by preventing one or more loads from overheating.

[0038] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram 200 is shown illustrating electronic components of a vehicle 100 according to some embodiments. In the example shown, electronic components 200 include an onboard computing system 210, an infotainment head unit 220, sensors 240, an electronic control unit 250, and a vehicle data bus 260.

[0039] The onboard computing system 210 may include a microcontroller unit, controller or processor 110 and a memory 212. The processor 110 may be any suitable processing device or collection of processing devices, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory 212 may be a volatile memory (e.g., RAM, including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), a non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile solid-state memory based on memristors, etc.), an unchangeable memory (e.g., EPROM), a read-only memory, and / or a high-capacity storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, etc.). In some examples, the memory 212 includes multiple categories of memory, particularly volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0040] The memory 212 may be a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions may be embedded, such as software for operating the methods of the present disclosure. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, during execution of the instructions, the instructions may reside completely or at least partially within any one or more of the memory 212, the computer-readable medium, and / or within the processor 110.

[0041] The terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database and / or associated cache memory and server storing one or more sets of instructions. In addition, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include any tangible medium that can store, encode, or carry a set of instructions for a processor to perform or cause a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk, and excludes propagating signals.

[0042] The infotainment head unit 220 may provide an interface between the vehicle 100 and a user. The infotainment head unit 220 may include a user interface 224 having one or more input and / or output devices. The input devices may include, for example, a control knob, an instrument panel, a digital camera for image capture and / or visual command recognition, a touch screen, an audio input device (e.g., a cabin microphone), a button, or a touch pad. The output devices may include an instrument cluster output (e.g., a dial, a lighting device), an actuator, a head-up display, a center console display (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a flat panel display, a solid-state display, etc.), and / or a speaker. In the example shown, the infotainment head unit 220 includes ... of and MyFord From of From of The information entertainment head unit 220 may include hardware (e.g., processor or controller, memory, storage device, etc.) and software (e.g., operating system, etc.) of the vehicle 100. In some examples, the infotainment head unit 220 may share a processor with the vehicle computing system 210. In addition, the infotainment head unit 220 may display the infotainment system on, for example, a center console display 222 of the vehicle 100.

[0043] The sensors 240 may be arranged in any suitable manner in and about the vehicle 100. In the example shown, the sensors 240 include a battery pack current sensor 242 and an alternator current sensor 244. Other sensors may also be included.

[0044] ECU 250 can monitor and control the subsystems of vehicle 100. ECU 250 can communicate and exchange information via vehicle data bus 260. In addition, ECU 250 can communicate properties (such as, the state of ECU 250, sensor readings, control state, errors and diagnostic codes, etc.) to other ECU 250, and / or receive requests from other ECU 250. Some vehicles 100 may have 70 or more ECU 250 located in various locations around the vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled by vehicle data bus 260. ECU 250 can be a discrete collection of electronic devices, including their own circuits (such as, integrated circuits, microprocessors, memory, storage devices, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators and / or mounting hardware. In the example shown, ECU 250 can include telematics control unit 252, body control unit 254 and climate control unit 256.

[0045] The telematics control unit 252 can control tracking of the vehicle 100, for example, using data received by a GPS receiver and / or one or more sensors. The body control unit 254 can control various subsystems of the vehicle 100. For example, the body control unit 254 can control the power trunk latch, windows, power locks, power sunroof controls, anti-theft control systems, and / or power mirrors, etc. The climate control unit 256 can control the speed, temperature, and volume of air flowing out of one or more vents. The climate control unit 256 can also detect the blower speed (and other signals) and send them to the onboard computing system 210 via the data bus 260. Other ECUs are also possible.

[0046] The vehicle data bus 260 may include one or more data buses that communicatively couple the vehicle computing system 210, the infotainment head unit 220, the sensor 240, the ECU 250, and other devices or systems connected to the vehicle data bus 260. In some examples, the vehicle data bus 260 may be implemented according to a controller area network (CAN) bus protocol as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898-1. Alternatively, in some examples, the vehicle data bus 260 may be a media-oriented systems transport (MOST) bus or a CAN-flexible data (CAN-FD) bus (ISO 11898-7).

[0047] Figure 3 A simplified generic automotive power supply scheme 300 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Scheme 300 shows that the power supply may include a vehicle's battery pack 302 and an alternator 304. Additionally, a plurality of electrical loads 306A-306N may be electrically coupled to the power supply.

[0048] The scheme 300 also shows that in some examples there may be a current sensor 308 coupled to the battery pack 302 and configured to measure a first current supplied by the battery pack 302. There may also be a second current sensor 310 coupled to the alternator 310 and configured to determine a second current supplied by the alternator 304 to the plurality of loads 306A to 306N. The total current provided by the power source may be a combination of the first current and the second current measured by the current sensors 308 and 310. Any changes in the total current measurement may be affected by one or more of the loads 306A to 306N being turned on or off or changing state.

[0049] Figure 4 A flow chart of an exemplary method 400 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 may enable a vehicle processor to determine the current drawn by a target load based on a change in the total current provided by the vehicle power supply, and control the temperature of the target load based on the information. Figure 4 The flowcharts of represent machine-readable instructions stored in a memory (such as memory 212) and may include one or more programs that, when executed by a processor (such as processor 110), may cause vehicle 100 and / or one or more systems or devices to implement one or more functions described herein. Figure 4 The flowchart shown in the embodiment describes an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for implementing the functions described herein may be used instead. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be rearranged or executed in series or in parallel with each other, and the blocks may be changed, eliminated, and / or combined to perform the method 400. In addition, because the combination Figures 1 to 3 The method 400 is disclosed by the components, so some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0050] The method 400 may start at block 402. At block 404, the method 400 may include determining a target load. This may be done by a vehicle processor and may include selecting a target load from a plurality of loads.

[0051] At block 406, method 400 may include receiving a control signal. The control signal may be received by a vehicle processor and may correspond to a target load. In some cases, the control signal may be a signal indicating a point in time when the target load is turned on or off.

[0052] At block 408, method 400 may include determining the total current provided by the vehicle power source if the target load is activated. Block 410 may include determining the total current provided by the vehicle power source if the target load is turned off. The difference between these two values ​​may be the current drawn by the target load. To this end, the order of blocks 408 and 410 may be reversed, particularly if the control signal indicates that the target load has changed from the off position to the activated position.

[0053] At block 412 , the method 400 may include determining a target load temperature. The target load temperature may correspond to a resistance of the target load, which may be determined based on a known voltage and current provided to the target load.

[0054] At block 414, the method 400 may include determining whether the target load temperature is within a threshold. The threshold may be target load specific, and one or more target loads may have different corresponding thresholds for this purpose.

[0055] In some examples, the threshold value may be a threshold range. If the determined target load temperature is outside the threshold range, then the method 400 may include determining whether the target load temperature is too low, or is below the threshold range, at block 416. However, if the target load temperature is within the threshold value, then the method 400 may include returning to block 404.

[0056] At block 416, if the determined target load temperature is below the threshold, the method 400 may include modifying the target load temperature by increasing the voltage duty cycle of the target load at block 418. Alternatively, if the target load temperature is above the threshold (i.e., not too low), the method 400 may include decreasing the voltage duty cycle of the target load at block 420. The method may then return to block 414 to determine whether the target load temperature is within the threshold. The method 400 may then end at block 422.

[0057] In this application, the use of transitional conjunctions is intended to include conjunctions. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, reference to "the" object or "a / an" object is intended to also mean one of a possible plurality of the said objects. In addition, the conjunction "or" can be used to convey simultaneous features rather than mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction "or" should be understood to include "and / or". The term "includes / including / include" is inclusive and has the same scope as "comprises / comprising / comprise", respectively.

[0058] The above-described embodiments and particularly any "preferred" embodiments are possible examples of implementations and are merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present invention. Many changes and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the technology described herein. In this article, all modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and are protected by the following claims.

[0059] According to the present invention, a vehicle is provided, the vehicle having: a power supply; an electrical sensor configured to detect a total current provided by the power supply to a plurality of electrical loads; and a processor configured to: determine a target load temperature of a target load based on the total current; and set a voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain the target load temperature.

[0060] According to an embodiment, the power source comprises a battery pack and an alternator.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the electrical sensor includes: a first electrical sensor, which is configured to detect a first current provided by the battery pack; and a second electrical sensor, which is configured to detect a second current provided by the AC generator, wherein the total current provided by the power supply includes a combination of the first current and the second current.

[0062] According to an embodiment, the processor is configured to determine the target load temperature by: determining a first total current when the target load is turned on; determining a second total current when the target load is turned off; and determining the target load temperature based on a difference between the first total current and the second total current.

[0063] According to an embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive a control signal corresponding to the target load.

[0064] According to an embodiment, the control signal indicates whether the target load is turned on or off.

[0065] According to an embodiment, the processor is further configured to: compare the target load temperature with an expected temperature; and set the voltage duty cycle of the target load based on both the target load temperature and the expected temperature.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the processor is further configured to: determine that the target load temperature is less than the expected temperature; and responsively increase the voltage duty cycle of the target load.

[0067] According to an embodiment, the target load comprises a heating circuit of a vehicle seat.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the above invention is also characterized by determining, by a vehicle processor, a total current supplied to a plurality of electrical loads coupled to a vehicle power supply; determining, by the vehicle processor, a target load of the plurality of electrical loads; determining, by the vehicle processor, a target load temperature based on the total current supplied to the plurality of electrical loads; and setting a voltage duty cycle of the target load to maintain the target load temperature.

[0069] According to an embodiment, the vehicle power supply includes a battery pack and an alternator.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the above invention is also characterized in that determining the total current includes: determining a first current provided by the battery pack; and determining a second current provided by the AC generator, wherein the total current provided by the vehicle power supply includes a combination of the first current and the second current.

[0071] According to an embodiment, the above invention is also characterized in that determining the target load temperature includes: determining a first total current when the target load is turned on; determining a second total current when the target load is turned off; and determining the target load temperature based on a difference between the first total current and the second total current.

[0072] According to an embodiment, the above invention is further characterized by receiving a control signal corresponding to the target load.

[0073] According to an embodiment, the control signal indicates whether the target load is turned on or off.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by comparing the target load temperature with an expected temperature; and setting the voltage duty ratio of the target load based on both the target load temperature and the expected temperature.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by determining that the target load temperature is less than the expected temperature; and responsively increasing the voltage duty cycle of the target load.

[0076] According to an embodiment, the target load comprises a heating circuit of a vehicle seat.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising: power supply; an electrical sensor configured to detect a total current provided by the power supply to a plurality of electrical loads; as well as A processor configured to: determining a target load temperature of a target load based on the total current; and A voltage duty cycle of the target load is set to maintain the target load temperature.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises a battery pack and an alternator, and wherein the electrical sensor comprises: a first electrical sensor configured to detect a first current provided by the battery pack; as well as a second electrical sensor configured to detect a second current provided by the alternator, The total current provided by the power supply includes a combination of the first current and the second current.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the target load temperature by: determining a first total current when the target load is turned on; determining a second total current when the target load is turned off; and The target load temperature is determined based on a difference between the first total current and the second total current. 4 . The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a control signal corresponding to the target load.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the control signal indicates whether the target load is turned on or off.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: comparing the target load temperature to an expected temperature; and The voltage duty ratio of the target load is set based on both the target load temperature and the expected temperature.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining that the target load temperature is less than the expected temperature; and The voltage duty cycle of the target load is responsively increased.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the target load comprises a heating circuit of a vehicle seat.

9. A method comprising: determining, by a vehicle processor, a total current supplied to a plurality of electrical loads coupled to a vehicle power source; determining, by the vehicle processor, a target load for the plurality of electrical loads; determining, by the vehicle processor, a target load temperature based on the total current provided to the plurality of electrical loads; as well as The voltage duty cycle of the target load is set to maintain the target load temperature.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle power source includes a battery pack and an alternator, and wherein determining the total current includes: determining a first current provided by the battery pack; as well as determining a second current provided by the alternator, The total current provided by the vehicle power supply includes a combination of the first current and the second current.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the target load temperature comprises: determining a first total current when the target load is turned on; determining a second total current when the target load is turned off; as well as The target load temperature is determined based on a difference between the first total current and the second total current.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a control signal corresponding to the target load. The method of claim 12 , wherein the control signal indicates whether the target load is turned on or off.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: comparing the target load temperature to an expected temperature; as well as The voltage duty ratio of the target load is set based on both the target load temperature and the expected temperature.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: determining that the target load temperature is less than the expected temperature; as well as The voltage duty cycle of the target load is responsively increased.

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