Control device and voltage supply method for a control device

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device, in particular for a motor vehicle, wherein, in the event of an interruption in the external voltage supply, a limited functionality can be continued. To this end, some of the functional modules of the control device are deactivated in the event of an interruption in the external voltage supply and the electrical energy stored in the deactivated functional modules is used for the voltage supply of further functional modules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a control device, particularly a control device for motor vehicles. Furthermore, this invention relates to a voltage supply method for such a control device. Background Technology

[0002] Modern motor vehicles typically have an increasing number of controllers. In this context, central controllers, which combine multiple functions into a single unit, are also becoming more prevalent. This type of central controller generally has higher energy requirements than a single, individual controller. In the event of a power outage to the controller, a sufficiently large energy storage device can be stored within the controller to ensure at least the safety-related functions of the controller are maintained for the duration of the outage.

[0003] Document DE 10 2015 226 600 A1 describes a controller for a vehicle, which is powered by an external current supply device. Here, at least one sub-function of the controller is designed such that two voltage sources are available for the sub-function. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention proposes a control device for a motor vehicle, having the features of the independent claims, and a voltage supply method for the control device. Other advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0005] Configure accordingly:

[0006] A control device for a motor vehicle includes a voltage supply module. This voltage supply module is designed to connect to a voltage source at its input connection. Furthermore, it is designed to provide supply voltage for multiple functional modules of the control device. Additionally, it is designed to provide an intermediate voltage in the event of an interruption in the input voltage at its input connection. Moreover, the voltage module is further designed to provide the intermediate voltage only to a predetermined subset of the multiple functional modules in the event of an input voltage interruption.

[0007] Additional settings:

[0008] A current supply method for control devices, particularly control devices for motor vehicles. This current supply method includes the steps of: providing a supply voltage to functional modules of the control device. Specifically, when using an input voltage supplied to the control device, the supply voltage is provided. Additionally, the method includes the step of: detecting an interruption in the input voltage supplied to the control device. Furthermore, it includes the step of: generating an intermediate voltage on a subset of the functional modules. Specifically, when using electrical energy stored in the control device, the intermediate voltage is generated. When an interruption in the input voltage supplied to the control device is detected, the intermediate voltage is supplied to a subset of the functional modules.

[0009] Advantages of the present invention

[0010] This invention is based on the understanding that temporary voltage interruptions can occur when supplying power to a control device, such as a controller for a motor vehicle. For example, when a large appliance is connected to the energy supply network to which such a control device is connected, a brief but significant voltage drop may occur, making the electrical energy supplied by such a network temporarily insufficient to reliably power the functional modules within the control device. To ensure the reliable operation of the functional modules within the control device during such voltage interruptions, an energy storage device of appropriate size, such as a capacitor or similar, can be provided within the control device. Therefore, as the energy demands of the functional modules of the control device increase, an energy storage device of appropriate size is also required. However, this type of energy storage device, such as a capacitor, requires relatively large structural space and is generally associated with high cost.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention is conceived of considering this understanding and providing a scheme for voltage supply in a control device that enables safe and reliable operation of the control device in the event of a temporary drop in energy supply. To this end, when interference, particularly an interruption, occurs in the supply voltage to the control device, a temporary intermediate voltage is supplied to a portion of the functional modules located in the control device.

[0012] In this context, intermediate voltage should be understood as the voltage used to supply energy to components in a control device, provided to at least partially or partially maintain the function of the corresponding components during periods of temporary disruption or interruption of external energy supply. It is also possible, if necessary, to provide an intermediate voltage that only meets a portion of the energy requirements of the corresponding components of the control device. In this case, an additional energy buffer can be provided, and the energy requirements of the corresponding components can be met jointly by means of the provided intermediate voltage and electrical energy from the additional energy buffer, enabling stable operation over a predetermined time span during periods of power supply interruption. Here, by providing an intermediate voltage, the energy buffer can have a smaller size compared to a scheme where the energy supply of the components only needs to be met by the energy buffer.

[0013] In this context, the term "functional module" should be understood as a module or component of the controller. For example, a functional module may receive and / or analyze and process sensor signals, control actuators, enable communication with other, especially external, components, or implement any other pre-defined process in the control device.

[0014] Here, other components, such as other functional modules, can be temporarily restricted or disabled. It is possible that, during an interruption of external power supply, the electrical energy stored in the temporarily disabled components can be used to generate an intermediate voltage, which supplies power to the functional modules. It is also possible to maintain at least a portion of the control device's functionality even in the event of a power supply interruption. For example, priority functions, such as safety-related functions, can be maintained even in the event of an external power supply interruption, while lower-priority functions are disabled.

[0015] This type of scheme for locally supplying energy within a control device allows for the temporary maintenance of particularly relevant functions even when the external energy supply is briefly interrupted. By limiting functions to predetermined sub-functions during energy supply interruptions, internal energy consumption within the control device can be reduced. Consequently, the energy storage device providing power during external energy supply interruptions can have a smaller size. As will be explained in more detail below, particularly for providing power during external energy supply interruptions, energy storage devices (e.g., capacitors or the like) for a functional group can be discharged, for example, to deactivate the functional group during the interruption. This type of energy storage device can be, for example, a capacitor that stabilizes the DC voltage supply to the corresponding functional group during normal operation. Thus, such a capacitor fulfills two distinct tasks: firstly, it stabilizes the voltage supply during normal operation; secondly, it functions as an energy storage device for providing power if the external energy supply is interrupted. Since such a capacitor for stabilizing the voltage supply is typically already provided, additional energy storage devices can be omitted, or at least their size can be correspondingly smaller.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the voltage supply module of the control device is designed to draw electrical energy from one or more energy storage devices of the control device to provide an intermediate voltage. In principle, the electrical energy can be provided by any energy storage device, but in particular, it can be provided by a capacitor or the like. In addition to a central energy storage device, such as a capacitor in the voltage supply module, it is possible to use multiple smaller energy storage devices. For example, the smaller energy storage devices can also be distributed among the various functional modules of the control device.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the voltage supply module is designed to extract electrical energy from one or more capacitors of a functional module to provide an intermediate voltage. In particular, electrical energy can be extracted from the capacitors of functional modules that are not supplied with an intermediate voltage in the event of an input voltage interruption at the input connection terminal, i.e., functional modules that are deactivated in the event of an input voltage interruption. As described above, during normal operation, if an external input voltage is provided, such capacitors can be used to stabilize the corresponding supply voltage for the functional module. In the event of an input voltage interruption, these capacitors can then be selectively discharged, and the electrical energy stored in the respective capacitors can be used to provide an intermediate voltage during the input voltage interruption.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the control device includes a DC-DC voltage converter. This DC-DC voltage converter can be arranged between a voltage supply module and a functional module. Specifically, the DC-DC voltage converter can be arranged between the voltage supply module and a functional module to which an intermediate voltage is not supplied in the event of an external input voltage interruption. In this case, the DC-DC voltage converter can be designed to supply power to the voltage supply module from the energy storage of the functional module connected to the DC-DC voltage converter in the event of an external input voltage interruption. In particular, the DC-DC voltage converter can regulate the voltage supplied to the voltage supply module such that it provides at least a nearly constant DC voltage to the voltage supply module. In this way, a constant DC voltage can be provided to the DC-DC voltage supply module even when the voltage drops during the discharge of the energy storage in the corresponding functional module.

[0019] Alternatively, the functional module may be attached to an external power supply via a DC-DC converter, which converts the DC voltage supplied by the external power supply into a different DC voltage with a higher voltage level than the external power supply voltage. In this case, in the event of an interruption in the external input voltage, the energy storage of such a functional module can be discharged, during which the voltage level of the energy storage will continuously decrease. An additional DC-DC converter may be provided if necessary for discharging the energy storage.

[0020] If necessary, the energy storage of a functional module, especially a functional module with a boosted DC voltage, can be discharged down to a low voltage level that allows the corresponding functional module to continue operating, at least with limitations.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the DC-DC voltage converter between the voltage supply module and the functional module can be implemented as a bidirectional DC-DC voltage converter. On one hand, during normal operation, i.e., while providing an external input voltage to the control device, such a DC-DC voltage converter can provide a DC voltage with a predetermined voltage level from the voltage supply module to the corresponding functional module. Furthermore, in the event of an interruption of the external input voltage, the same DC-DC voltage converter can also transfer electrical energy from the functional module, particularly from an energy storage device, such as a capacitor within the functional module, to the voltage supply module. This type of DC-DC voltage converter is also referred to, for example, as a dual-quadrant regulator.

[0022] According to one embodiment, in the event of an interruption in the input voltage at the input connection terminal of the voltage supply module, electrical energy can be transferred to the voltage supply module via the internal diodes, particularly the internal body diodes, of the DC-DC voltage converter. In this way, when an interruption occurs in the external input voltage of the control device, the energy storage in the corresponding functional module can be discharged particularly easily and without additional switching operations.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the control device includes at least one functional module, which includes a monitoring module. The monitoring module of the corresponding functional module can be designed to monitor other functional modules of the control device. Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring module can provide a communication connection with external components. In this case, the voltage supply module can be designed to provide at least an intermediate voltage to the monitoring module in the event of an interruption in the input voltage at the input connection terminal. In this way, even in the event of an interruption in the external input voltage, the corresponding function of the functional module with the monitoring module can continue to be maintained. If external communication is implemented, for example, by means of the corresponding functional module, interference with external communication can be avoided by maintaining the corresponding function. Therefore, it can be ensured that in the event of an interruption in the input voltage of the control device, external communication is not interfered with, and thus the function of other external components involved in the communication is not impaired.

[0024] Furthermore, maintaining internal monitoring ensures that, in the event of an interruption in the external voltage supply to the control equipment, internal functions are transferred to a safe state, thus preventing uncontrolled damage or interference. For example, in the event of an external power supply interruption, the monitoring module can place at least a portion of other functional modules of the control equipment into a standby or ready-to-go mode in a controlled manner, thereby further reducing internal energy requirements.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the control device may include multiple functional modules, which are implemented as a system-on-a-chip. In particular, multiple different functional modules may also be implemented as a common system-on-a-chip.

[0026] According to one implementation, when an interruption in the input voltage supplied to the control device is detected, the power consumption of one or more predetermined functional modules can be reduced. The power consumption of the corresponding functional module can be reduced, for example, by completely disabling the functional module. Alternatively, it is also possible to place at least a portion of the functional module in a standby or ready-to-go mode, thereby reducing energy demand. In particular, it is also possible, in a multi-stage scheme, to first shut down the functional module in a controlled manner and, for example, store the current system state. In another step, the corresponding functional module can then be completely disabled. In this way, at a later time, when an external power supply is available again, the corresponding functional module can be selectively restarted and initialized. Of course, any other scheme for reducing power consumption and / or disabling functional modules is also possible.

[0027] The above-described configurations and extensions can be combined arbitrarily, provided they are reasonable. Other configurations, extensions, and implementations of the invention include combinations of features not explicitly mentioned in the preceding or hereinafter described in relation to embodiments. In particular, those skilled in the art will add certain aspects as improvements or additions to the corresponding basic forms of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Other features and advantages of the invention are set forth below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown herein:

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a block diagram of a control device according to one embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a block diagram of a control device according to another embodiment;

[0031] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown, illustrating the voltage supply method for adjusting calibration parameters according to one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a block diagram of a control device 1 according to one embodiment. For example, the control device 1 can be powered by an external energy source 2, particularly an external DC voltage source. This could be, for example, a DC voltage grid for a motor vehicle. For instance, the voltage provided by the DC voltage source can supply power to one or more functional modules 21 to 24 via a voltage supply module 10. If each functional module 21 to 24 requires a different voltage, particularly one different from the input voltage, the voltage can be adjusted accordingly using one or more DC voltage converters or voltage regulators. In this way, a suitable supply voltage can be provided to each functional module 21 to 24.

[0033] Therefore, each functional module 21 to 24 can be directly connected to the voltage supply module 10. Alternatively, a single functional module 24 can also be supplied with power via another functional module 23.

[0034] Each functional module 21 to 24 can perform any different function. For example, a functional module 21 can be provided to provide a communication connection with one or more external components 3. For this purpose, the corresponding functional module 21 can be connected to other components, for example, via a data connection or a network connection, such as a communication bus, for example, a CAN bus.

[0035] In addition, individual functional modules 22 to 24 can also be associated with any suitable sensor or actuator. For example, functional modules 22 to 24 may include a camera module for detecting image data, an ultrasonic sensor for measuring distance to external obstacles, or any other suitable sensor, especially an environmental sensor. Similarly, actuators are possible, such as servo motors or the like.

[0036] Depending on the function of each functional module 21 to 24, each functional module 21 to 24 may be assigned a different priority. For example, functional modules used for security-related functions may be assigned a higher priority. Other functional modules 21 to 24 may be assigned a lower priority, in which case temporary interruption of the corresponding function may be tolerated if necessary.

[0037] For example, damage to the functional module 21 used for communication with other external components could disrupt the entire communication process and, if necessary, lead to the transmission of erroneous information. Therefore, in such cases, the corresponding communication module 21 can be assigned a higher priority. If, for example, a camera module is provided below functional modules 22 to 24, which only provides optical information for visualization on the screen, then brief interruptions to these image signals can be tolerated if necessary, allowing functional modules 22 to 24 of this type to be assigned a correspondingly lower priority.

[0038] If an interruption of the external power supply from voltage source 2 occurs during the operation of control device 1, the objective of control device 1 is preferably to maintain the functionality of higher priority functional modules 21 to 24. In contrast, temporary damage to lower priority functional modules 22 to 24 can be tolerated if necessary.

[0039] Therefore, in the event of a temporary interruption of the external voltage supply, the voltage supply module 10 can continue to supply a supply voltage, hereinafter referred to as the intermediate voltage, to the pre-defined group of functional modules 21 to 24. Other functional modules 22 to 24, such as those referred to above as functional modules with lower priority, can be deactivated during the period in which the external voltage supply is interrupted.

[0040] During periods when the external voltage supply 2 is temporarily interrupted, electrical energy needs to be drawn from the internal energy storage device to supply intermediate voltage to the selected functional modules 21 to 24. For this purpose, in principle, a suitable energy storage device, such as a capacitor of appropriate size, can be provided in the voltage supply module 10.

[0041] Alternatively, it is also possible to use electrical energy to generate an intermediate voltage, which is stored in the energy storage of functional modules that can be deactivated during periods of external energy supply interruption. For example, capacitors can be installed in the voltage supply lines to each of the functional modules 21 to 24, which stabilize the corresponding supply voltage for each functional module 21 to 24 during normal operation, i.e., when the voltage is supplied by the external energy source 2. Therefore, a certain amount of electrical energy is initially stored in these capacitors.

[0042] To generate an intermediate voltage, for example, electrical energy can be utilized in a capacitor, which is provided in functional modules 22 to 24 that can be deactivated in the event of an interruption of the external voltage supply 2. In other words, voltage supply module 10 can discharge the energy storage, such as the capacitor, in functional modules 22 to 24, which can be deactivated in the event of an interruption of the external voltage supply 2. This energy can be used to generate / produce an intermediate voltage.

[0043] Since the voltage level of the capacitor will typically decrease during discharge, a DC voltage converter can be provided in the voltage supply module 10 to boost the voltage supplied by the energy storage in the deactivated functional modules 22 to 24 to the desired intermediate voltage level.

[0044] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of a control device 1 according to another embodiment is shown. Figure 2 The embodiments shown herein largely correspond to those previously described according to Figure 1 The implementation method. In Figure 2The embodiment shown here differs from the previously described embodiment in that a DC-DC voltage converter 11 may be provided between the voltage supply module 10 and one or more functional modules 22. During normal operation, when the power is supplied by an external voltage source 2, the DC-DC voltage converter 11 can increase or decrease the voltage level provided by the external voltage source 2 to a voltage level required for the operation of the corresponding functional module 22.

[0045] Furthermore, in the event of a temporary interruption of the external voltage supply 2, electrical energy can be extracted from the energy storage device, such as a capacitor, in the functional module 2 and supplied to the voltage supply module 10 via a corresponding DC-DC voltage converter 11 in order to provide the required intermediate voltage.

[0046] In one embodiment, electrical energy can flow from an energy storage unit in functional module 22 in the direction of voltage supply module 10 via an internal diode in DC voltage converter 11, for example via a body diode.

[0047] Alternatively, the corresponding DC-DC voltage converter 11 may be implemented as a bidirectional DC-DC voltage converter, which can transmit electrical energy not only from the voltage supply module 10 in the direction of the functional module 22, but also from the functional module 22 in the opposite direction of the voltage supply module 10. In this case, the DC-DC voltage converter 11 can be adjusted such that, given the energy flow from the functional module 22 in the direction of the voltage supply module 10, the voltage supplied to the voltage supply module 10 is preferably at least nearly constant.

[0048] By providing an intermediate voltage during a temporary interruption of the external voltage supply 2, as described above, it is possible to continue operating at least a portion of functional modules 21 to 24. In this way, for example, safety-related functions can be maintained even in the event of a brief interruption of the external voltage supply 2. For example, an interruption lasting up to 20 milliseconds (ms) or, if necessary, up to 100 ms can be considered a temporary interruption of the external voltage supply. However, other periods for temporary interruptions of the external voltage supply 2 are also possible, depending on the size of the energy storage device within the control device 1, and especially the size of the corresponding capacitor.

[0049] Alternatively, it is also possible to limit the functionality of some functional modules 21 to 24 during an interruption of the external voltage supply 2. In this way, the energy requirements for operating the respective functional modules 21 to 24 can be reduced. In particular, if the respective functional modules are supplied with an intermediate voltage provided by the voltage supply module 10, it is possible, for example, for functional modules 21 to 24 to operate with reduced energy requirements.

[0050] Furthermore, a multi-stage solution can be implemented even if the external voltage supply 2 is interrupted. In this multi-stage solution, for example, in the first stage, the functional modules 22 to 24 to be disabled are first placed in a safe state in a controlled manner, such as in standby mode or ready mode, and then in another stage, the functional modules are completely disabled. In this way, uncontrolled operating states or signal flow can be avoided when necessary.

[0051] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a voltage supply method for a control device 1 according to one embodiment is shown. In step S1, a supply voltage is first provided to a plurality of functional modules 21-24 of the control device 1. Here, the supply voltage is provided when an externally supplied input voltage is used.

[0052] In step S2, an interruption of the supplied external input voltage is detected. Then, in step S3, an intermediate voltage is provided. Specifically, this intermediate voltage is provided only to a subset of the functional modules 21-24 of the control device 1. Here, the intermediate voltage is provided using electrical energy stored in the control device 1. The intermediate voltage is provided after an interruption of the external input voltage is detected.

[0053] Furthermore, the method may include, for example, steps for reducing the power consumption of one or more predetermined functional modules 21-24. In particular, power consumption can be reduced when an interruption in the input voltage supplied to the control device 1 is detected.

[0054] In summary, the present invention relates to a control device, particularly a control device for motor vehicles, wherein limited functions can be maintained in the event of an interruption of the external voltage supply. To this end, in the event of an interruption of the external voltage supply, some functional modules of the control device are deactivated and the electrical energy stored in the deactivated functional modules is used to supply voltage to other functional modules.

Claims

1. A control device (1) for a motor vehicle, said control device having: A voltage supply module (10) is designed to connect to a voltage source (2) at its input connection terminal and provide supply voltage for multiple functional modules (21-24) of the control device (1). in, The voltage supply module (10) is designed to generate an intermediate voltage for energy supply to a predetermined subset of the plurality of functional modules (21-24) in the event of an interruption of the input voltage at the input connection terminal, and to provide the generated intermediate voltage to the predetermined subset of the plurality of functional modules (21-24). The voltage supply module (10) is designed to extract electrical energy from one or more capacitors of the following functional modules (21-24) to generate the intermediate voltage: in the event of an interruption of the input voltage at the input connection terminal, the intermediate voltage is not supplied to the functional module.

2. The control device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The voltage supply module (10) is designed to extract electrical energy from one or more energy storage devices of the control device (1) to provide the intermediate voltage.

3. The control device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, the control device having a DC voltage converter (11) arranged between the voltage supply module (10) and at least one functional module (21-24), and the voltage supply module (10) being designed to transmit electrical energy from the corresponding connected functional module (21-24) to the voltage supply module (10) in the event of an interruption of the input voltage at the input connection terminal of the voltage supply module (10).

4. The control device (1) according to claim 3, wherein, The DC voltage converter includes a bidirectional DC voltage converter.

5. The control device (1) according to claim 3, wherein, In the event of an interruption of the input voltage at the input connection terminal of the voltage supply module, electrical energy is transferred to the voltage supply module (10) via the internal body diode of the DC voltage converter (11).

6. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device has at least one functional module (21-24), the at least one functional module including a monitoring module, wherein, The monitoring module is designed to monitor other functional modules (21-24) of the control device (1) and / or provide communication connections with external components. The voltage supply module (10) is designed to provide at least the intermediate voltage to the monitoring module in the event of an interruption of the input voltage at the input connection terminal.

7. The control device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The control device (1) includes multiple functional modules (21-24), which are implemented as a system-on-a-chip.

8. A voltage supply method for a control device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the voltage supply method comprising the following steps: When using the input voltage provided to the control device (1), supply voltage is provided to the functional modules (21-24) of the control device (1); Detect an interruption in the input voltage supplied to the control device (1); When an interruption in the input voltage supplied to the control device is detected, an intermediate voltage is supplied to a subset of the functional modules (21-24) using the electrical energy stored in the control device (1). in, The intermediate voltage is generated by extracting electrical energy from one or more capacitors of the following functional modules (21-24): in the event of an interruption of the input voltage supplied to the control device, the intermediate voltage is not supplied to the functional modules.

9. The voltage supply method according to claim 8, wherein the voltage supply method comprises the following steps: when an interruption of the input voltage supplied to the control device (1) is detected, the power consumption of one or more predetermined functional modules (21-24) is reduced.

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