Power supply protection control method, device and equipment and readable storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a power supply protection control method, device, equipment and medium, comprising: acquiring real-time current of a load; determining a stage in which the load currently stays according to characteristics of the real-time current or evolution of the real-time current over time; determining a protection parameter set according to the stage in which the load currently stays; and realizing a disconnection action based on the protection parameter set, effectively curbing an over-temperature trend of a wire harness and a device, and reducing a fire risk caused by abnormality or aging of an electric appliance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of power supply protection technology, and specifically to a power supply protection control method, device, equipment, and readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In vehicle electrical systems, reliable overcurrent protection is typically required for electrical loads. This protection needs to tolerate high inrush currents during load startup to ensure normal operation, while also responding quickly to overcurrent faults once the load has reached steady-state operation to prevent line overload or potential fire risks.

[0003] In related technologies, overcurrent protection is generally achieved by using fuses with fixed protection characteristics. In practical applications, slow-blow fuses are typically selected to meet the starting current requirements of the load. Furthermore, to avoid accidental blowing due to load starting impact, larger fuses are chosen, usually matching 1.5 times or even higher of the appliance's rated current. However, this fixed-characteristic fuse-based solution suffers from extremely long blowing times during normal load operation. For example, at 1.5 times the rated current, it may take hundreds of seconds to break, resulting in a severely delayed protection response and making it difficult to effectively reduce the risk of fire caused by appliance malfunctions or aging. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention aims to provide a power supply protection control method, device, equipment and readable storage medium to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the use of fuses with fixed protection characteristics to achieve overcurrent protection results in a serious delay in protection response, making it difficult to effectively reduce the risk of fire caused by abnormal or aging electrical appliances.

[0005] This invention provides a power supply protection control method, executed by an electronic fuse unit, the method comprising: Obtain the real-time current of the load; Based on the characteristics of the real-time current or the evolution of the real-time current over time, determine the current stage of the load. Based on the current stage of the load, a set of protection parameters is determined, and a disconnection action is performed based on the set of protection parameters.

[0006] In one possible embodiment, the control unit of the electronic fuse unit pre-stores multiple mapping characteristic curves between overcurrent multiples and disconnection time. The step of determining a protection parameter set based on the current stage of the load and implementing the disconnection action based on the protection parameter set includes: Based on the current stage of the load, obtain the first mapping characteristic curve corresponding to the current stage of the load from the multiple mapping characteristic curves; The target disconnection time is determined based on the overcurrent multiple corresponding to the real-time current and the first mapping characteristic curve, so as to execute the disconnection action.

[0007] In one possible embodiment, the current stage of the load includes either a startup stage or a steady-state operation stage. The step of determining a protection parameter set based on the current stage of the load and implementing a disconnection action based on the protection parameter set includes: When the load is in the startup phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action; When the load is in a steady-state operation phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action; Wherein, under the same overcurrent multiple, the disconnection time of the second disconnection action is earlier than the disconnection time of the first disconnection action.

[0008] In one possible embodiment, controlling the electronic fuse unit to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action, or controlling the electronic fuse unit to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action, includes: The power switch in the electronic fuse unit is turned off to cut off the circuit supplying power to the load.

[0009] In one possible embodiment, determining the current stage of the load includes: The current stage of the load is determined based on a preset time point used to define the startup and steady-state stages.

[0010] In one possible embodiment, the time point is determined by the following steps: The current waveform during the load startup process is acquired using a measuring device; Identify the moment when the starting current spike ends and the current enters the stable range from the current waveform; Set the time as the specified time point.

[0011] In one possible embodiment, determining the current stage of the load includes: Obtain the branch current and bus voltage of the branch where the load is located; Based on the attenuation characteristics of the branch current and the recovery characteristics of the bus voltage, steady-state identification conditions are established. During the period when the steady-state identification condition is not met, the load is determined to be in the startup phase; Once the steady-state identification conditions are met, the load is determined to have entered the steady-state operation phase.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a power supply protection control device, the device comprising an electronic fuse unit, the device comprising: The acquisition module is used to acquire the real-time current of the load; The determination module is used to determine the current stage of the load based on the characteristics of the real-time current or the evolution of the real-time current over time. The disconnect module is used to determine a set of protection parameters based on the current stage of the load, and to perform a disconnection action based on the set of protection parameters.

[0013] Thirdly, the present invention provides an electronic device, the device comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory being used to store relevant program code; the processor being used to call the program code to execute the power supply protection control method described in any of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0014] Fourthly, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for executing the power supply protection control method described in any implementation of the first aspect.

[0015] Fifthly, the present invention provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer program / instruction, which, when executed by a processor, implements the power supply protection control method described in any of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0016] In the above implementation of the present invention, the real-time current of the load is acquired; the current stage of the load is determined based on the characteristics of the real-time current or its evolution over time; a protection parameter set is determined based on the current stage of the load; and a disconnection action is performed based on the protection parameter set. This allows a single protection device to apply differentiated protection strategies for different operating stages. During the startup stage, a parameter set that tolerates high inrush currents can be used to avoid false disconnection and ensure normal load startup; while during steady-state operation, it automatically switches to a parameter set with a faster protection response. Therefore, when an abnormal overcurrent occurs during the steady-state stage, rapid disconnection can be achieved, effectively curbing the overheating trend of wiring harnesses and devices, and reducing the risk of fire caused by abnormal or aging electrical appliances. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is an architecture diagram of a power supply protection and control system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2A flowchart of a power supply protection control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how to determine when a load enters a stable range based on a current waveform, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is another schematic diagram illustrating how to determine when a load enters a stable range based on a current waveform, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of step S203 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 Another flowchart of step S203 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a power supply protection and control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In vehicle electrical systems, reliable overcurrent protection is typically required for electrical loads. This protection needs to tolerate high inrush currents during load startup to ensure normal operation, while also responding quickly to overcurrent faults once the load has reached steady-state operation to prevent line overload or potential fire risks.

[0027] In related technologies, overcurrent protection is generally achieved by using fuses with fixed protection characteristics. In practical applications, slow-blow fuses are typically selected to meet the starting current requirements of the load. Furthermore, to avoid accidental blowing due to load starting impact, larger fuses are chosen, usually matching 1.5 times or even higher of the appliance's rated current. However, this fixed-characteristic fuse-based solution suffers from extremely long blowing times during normal load operation. For example, at 1.5 times the rated current, it may take hundreds of seconds to break, resulting in a severely delayed protection response and making it difficult to effectively reduce the risk of fire caused by appliance malfunctions or aging.

[0028] To address this, the present invention employs differentiated protection strategies for different operating phases. During startup, a parameter set that tolerates high inrush currents is used to prevent accidental disconnection and ensure normal load startup. In steady-state operation, the system automatically switches to a parameter set with a faster protection response. Therefore, when an abnormal overcurrent occurs in the steady-state phase, rapid disconnection can be achieved, effectively curbing the overheating trend of wiring harnesses and devices, and reducing the risk of fire caused by electrical appliance malfunctions or aging.

[0029] In this embodiment, before providing a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, we will first refer to... Figure 1 A brief description of one implementation environment of the present invention will be provided. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the power supply protection and control system provided in this embodiment of the invention. To concretize the inventive concept, firstly, in conjunction with... Figure 1 This describes a typical implementation environment, which is used to illustrate the hardware composition, connection relationships and signal flow on which this embodiment is based, and does not involve specific protection strategies.

[0030] In this embodiment, the power supply protection and control system is deployed within the low-voltage power supply domain of the vehicle body, using a smart distribution box (100) as the carrier. The input terminal of the smart distribution box is connected to the positive terminal of the vehicle battery, labeled VBat (60), and its output terminal is connected to electrical loads throughout the vehicle via several power supply branches, including semiconductor controllers, motor actuators, lighting and signal devices, etc. Each power supply branch is equipped with an electronic fuse unit (10) for performing current sampling, on / off control and fault disconnection on that branch, thereby replacing the glass fuses or blade fuses used in related technologies.

[0031] The electronic fuse unit (10) on a single power supply branch mainly consists of a power switch section, a current sampling section, a drive and protection section, and a main control section. The power switch section uses an external high-current MOSFET (50), whose drain is connected to VBat (60) via the power supply bus, and whose source is output to the load terminal via the main current path. The load is represented by RLoad in the figure, and its low potential terminal is connected to the vehicle ground. To facilitate heat dissipation, the MOSFET is thermally coupled to the power distribution box housing or a dedicated heat dissipation structure through a heat sink.

[0032] The current sampling section includes a current sensing resistor RSense (40) connected in series in the main current path. RSense is located in the branch between VBat and the drain of the external high-current MOSFET. The differential voltage across RSense reflects the real-time current value flowing through the load. This differential voltage is introduced to the current detection port ISense in the drive and protection section and converted into a current signal that can be compared and read by the internal conditioning circuit.

[0033] The drive and protection section is a dedicated drive control chip (20), which integrates a current detection channel ISense, a gate drive output terminal GATE OUT, and a timing terminal TIMER. The gate drive output terminal is connected to the gate of the external high-current MOSFET (50) via a gate drive resistor to control the MOSFET's turn-on and turn-off. The TIMER terminal is connected to an external timing element to form a hardware-level turn-off timing path. The ISense channel transmits the collected current value to the internal comparison circuit and provides it to the main control unit for reading. The drive control chip also has a power good indicator terminal PG to provide feedback on its own operating status to the main control unit.

[0034] The main control unit is a microcontroller (MCU) (30), which is connected to the drive control chip via communication and I / O interfaces. The interface between the MCU and the drive control chip includes at least a control terminal, a status feedback terminal (PG), and several general purpose input / output (GPIO) terminals. The MCU sends enable, disable, and parameter configuration commands to the drive control chip through the Ctrl terminal; receives the chip's self-test and operating status through the PG terminal; and reads current sampling values ​​through the GPIO terminals, or interacts with the drive control chip to exchange overcurrent events and timing status.

[0035] The microcontroller has an internal non-volatile memory area for storing configuration parameters of the loads corresponding to each power supply branch, as well as mapping data tables required for operation. The configuration parameters include at least the load identification information and rated current value. The mapping data tables are stored in the form of a correspondence between current multiples and time, which the MCU can access during operation. These parameters and data tables can be read, written, and updated online via the vehicle diagnostic interface or calibration tools.

[0036] In the signal flow direction, the main current flows from VBat through RSense and the external MOSFET in sequence to the load RLoad, forming a power supply loop; the sampling signals at both ends of RSense are sent to the ISense channel of the driver control chip and further transmitted to the microcontroller, forming a current feedback path; the MCU generates control commands based on the feedback information, which are applied to the gate of the MOSFET through the Ctrl and GATE OUT terminals, forming an on / off control path; when an abnormal current occurs on the branch, the comparator circuit and TIMER terminal inside the driver control chip can independently apply a turn-off signal to the gate of the MOSFET, forming a hardware-level fast cut-off path.

[0037] The aforementioned implementation environment constitutes the hardware and signal foundation upon which the various embodiments of the present invention are implemented. Subsequent specific processes, such as determining the stage of the load, selecting the protection parameter set, and executing the disconnection action, are all completed on the electronic fuse unit and its collaborative framework with the MCU provided by the implementation environment.

[0038] Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a power supply protection control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The method is executed by the aforementioned electronic fuse unit (10) and is completed by the cooperation between the drive control chip (20) and the microcontroller (30) in the intelligent power distribution box (100). The method includes the following steps: Step S201: Obtain the real-time current of the load.

[0039] In this embodiment, the real-time current can be acquired using a current sensing resistor connected in series with the main current path. The differential voltage formed across the resistor reflects the instantaneous current value flowing through the load. As a specific implementation, the differential voltage is first introduced into the current detection port of the drive control chip (20), amplified and filtered by the internal conditioning circuit, and converted into a current signal that can be compared and read. Then, the microcontroller (30) reads the signal through the GPIO port in analog-to-digital sampling or digital communication. The real-time current acquisition scheme may include, but is not limited to: sampling based on a low-resistance shunt resistor and differential amplifier, non-contact sampling based on a Hall current sensor, or indirect estimation based on the on-resistance voltage drop of a MOS transistor. All of these schemes can achieve continuous and accurate acquisition of the branch real-time current. In this invention, the real-time current refers to the branch current sequence continuously acquired at a certain sampling frequency during load operation. The sampling period can be selected between tens of microseconds and milliseconds, for example, 100 microseconds, 250 microseconds, or 1 millisecond, to balance the fidelity of the current waveform and the computational burden of the main control part.

[0040] Step S202: Determine the current stage of the load based on the characteristics of the real-time current or the evolution of the real-time current over time.

[0041] In this embodiment, the current stage of the load can include two types: the startup stage and the steady-state operation stage. At the hardware level, a hardware-level stage timing reference can be formed by the timing terminal TIMER in the drive control chip (20) in conjunction with an external timing element; at the software or logic level, the following algorithm steps can be implemented by the microcontroller (30): start timing at the instant the load is powered on, and continuously read the real-time current value fed back by the ISense channel. By comparing the amplitude, rising edge, decay rate, and accumulated time from the moment of closing the current with a preset criterion, the determination result of the current stage is obtained. In some embodiments, the characteristics of the current can refer to physical quantities such as the amplitude, peak value, rising slope, effective value, rate of change, or its integral within a time window. The evolution process of the current over time can refer to the continuous change of the current waveform over time from the moment of closing the current. The above stage determination can adopt a coarse-grained criterion based on time points, a fine-grained criterion based on current waveform characteristics, or a composite criterion combining the two.

[0042] In one embodiment, determining the current stage of the load includes: The current stage of the load is determined based on a preset time point used to define the startup and steady-state stages.

[0043] Specifically, timing begins from the moment the power is supplied to the load. The accumulated time from the moment of connection is compared with a preset time point. When the accumulated time is less than the preset time point, the load is determined to be in the startup phase. When the accumulated time reaches or exceeds the preset time point, the load is determined to have entered the steady-state operation phase. The time point can be stored as a program parameter in the non-volatile memory area of ​​the microcontroller (30) and can be configured and updated through an external calibration interface. For different types of loads, such as semiconductor controllers, motor actuators, and lighting and signal devices, their respective time points can be calibrated and stored. This simplifies the implementation of phase determination to a time comparison operation, thereby reducing computational overhead and improving execution stability.

[0044] In one embodiment, the time point is determined by the following steps: The current waveform during the load startup process is acquired using a measuring device; Identify the moment when the starting current spike ends and the current enters the stable range from the current waveform; Set the time as the specified time point.

[0045] Specifically, the current waveform during the load startup process is acquired using a measuring device; the moment when the startup current spike ends and the current enters a stable range is identified from the current waveform; this moment is set as the time point. The measuring device can be an oscilloscope, whose current sampling channel continuously acquires the current after the load is closed using a suitable time base, obtaining a current waveform reflecting the current surge at the moment of closure and its subsequent decay process. Methods for identifying the end of the startup current spike can include: comparing the instantaneous value of the current waveform with the mean value near the steady state; when the deviation between the instantaneous value and the mean value is within a preset threshold and persists for a preset time, it is determined that the current has entered a stable range; or performing a first-order difference on the current waveform; when the difference amplitude is consistently less than a preset threshold, it is determined that the current has entered a stable range. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, the measured current waveform of a certain load indicates that the current basically enters the stable range about 600 milliseconds after the circuit breaker is closed. Therefore, 600 milliseconds can be taken as the time point corresponding to this load. Figure 4As shown, the measured current waveform for another load indicates that the current enters the stable range approximately 250 microseconds after the circuit breaker is closed. This 250 microsecond time can be taken as the corresponding time point for this load. The information displayed on the oscilloscope interface, such as CH1 13.4 A / DC, 10MSa, Mean 11.13A, and Vp=32.44A, can be used to help confirm the range, sampling rate, steady-state mean, and peak parameters of the current waveform.

[0046] In one embodiment, the time point is set within a range of 5 to 8 seconds from the start of power supply to the load.

[0047] Specifically, considering that commercial vehicle electrical loads typically consist of motor-type actuators, the starting current of which typically decays to a steady-state range within a few seconds from the moment the circuit breaker is switched on. Therefore, the time point can be set within the range of 5 to 8 seconds from the start of power supply to the load. For example, the time point can be 5 seconds, 6 seconds, 6.5 seconds, 7 seconds, or 8 seconds. Setting the time point within this range ensures coverage of the typical motor-type load startup process while avoiding steady-state overcurrent response delays caused by excessively long startup phase windows. Furthermore, the specific value of the time point is not limited to the above range and can be adjusted between hundreds of microseconds and tens of seconds depending on the load type and startup characteristics in the actual application scenario.

[0048] In one embodiment, determining the current stage of the load includes: Obtain the branch current and bus voltage of the branch where the load is located; Based on the attenuation characteristics of the branch current and the recovery characteristics of the bus voltage, steady-state identification conditions are established. During the period when the steady-state identification condition is not met, the load is determined to be in the startup phase; Once the steady-state identification conditions are met, the load is determined to have entered the steady-state operation phase.

[0049] Specifically, the branch current can be acquired via a current sensing resistor connected in series in the main current path in the manner described above; the bus voltage can be sampled via a voltage divider resistor network connected in parallel between VBat (60) and vehicle ground, and sent to the analog-to-digital conversion port of the microcontroller (30). The attenuation characteristic of the branch current can be manifested as follows: at the moment of closing, the branch current exhibits a starting current spike, and then gradually attenuates to near the steady state as the charging of the internal energy storage element of the load ends; the recovery characteristic of the bus voltage can be manifested as follows: at the moment of closing, due to the voltage drop caused by the starting current spike through the equivalent impedance of the power supply harness, the bus voltage drops to a certain extent, and then gradually recovers to near the no-load voltage as the branch current attenuates. Based on the above two characteristics, the steady-state identification condition can be set as follows: the absolute value of the rate of change of the branch current within the preset observation window is continuously less than the first threshold, and the deviation of the bus voltage relative to the no-load voltage within the same observation window is continuously less than the second threshold. The first threshold can be selected between 1% and 10% of the rated current per second, the second threshold can be selected between 0.5% and 5% of the rated voltage, and the length of the observation window can be selected between 10 milliseconds and 500 milliseconds.

[0050] By adopting a dual-variable criterion of branch current and bus voltage, the stage determination process can switch the protection parameter set in a timely manner when the load actually completes the start-up process. This avoids the steady-state protection from intervening too late due to a conservative setting at a fixed time point, or the start-up stage being mistakenly judged as a steady-state stage due to an aggressive setting, resulting in false disconnection.

[0051] Step S203: Determine the protection parameter set according to the current stage of the load, and implement the disconnection action based on the protection parameter set.

[0052] In this embodiment, the protection parameter set can be stored in the non-volatile memory area of ​​the microcontroller (30) in the form of a data structure. Its contents include at least the overcurrent trigger threshold corresponding to the stage and the allowable duration corresponding to different overcurrent multiples. At the hardware level, after the microcontroller (30) completes the stage determination, it sends the protection parameter set corresponding to the current stage to the drive control chip (20) through the control terminal. The drive control chip (20) configures the internal comparison circuit and the timing threshold of the timing terminal according to the received parameters. When the real-time current fed back by the current sensing resistor triggers the configured overcurrent condition and continues to reach the configured time threshold, the drive control chip (20) applies a turn-off level to the gate of the external MOS transistor (50) through the gate drive output terminal, so that the external MOS transistor (50) switches from the on state to the off state, thereby cutting off the power supply circuit from VBat (60) through RSense (40) and MOS transistor (50) to the load. At the software or logic level, the microcontroller (30) can also directly query the overcurrent multiple-time correspondence defined in the protection parameter set based on the real-time current value read from the ISense channel to obtain the target disconnect time, and actively drive the control chip (20) to perform shutdown via the Ctrl terminal (31) when the timer reaches the target disconnect time. The above two software and hardware paths can coexist in parallel. The former provides fast shutdown capability independent of the microcontroller (30), and the latter provides programmable shutdown capability that can be flexibly configured according to stages and curves.

[0053] As one specific implementation method, see Figure 5 The control unit of the electronic fuse unit has multiple pre-stored mapping characteristic curves between overcurrent multiples and disconnection time. The step of determining a protection parameter set based on the current stage of the load and implementing the disconnection action based on the protection parameter set includes: S2031, Based on the current stage of the load, obtain the first mapping characteristic curve corresponding to the current stage of the load from the multiple mapping characteristic curves; S2032, determine the target disconnection time based on the overcurrent multiple corresponding to the real-time current and the first mapping characteristic curve, so as to execute the disconnection action.

[0054] Specifically, the non-volatile memory area of ​​the microcontroller (30) can pre-store multiple mapping characteristic curves between overcurrent multiples and disconnection times, each mapping characteristic curve corresponding to a specific operating stage of the load. This makes the correspondence between stages and disconnection times explicit in the form of curves or lookup tables, thereby facilitating online adjustment and maintenance. In one specific implementation, the mapping characteristic curves can be stored in a lookup table as discrete current multiple-time data pairs. For example, the first mapping characteristic curve simulating slow melting characteristics can include the following data pairs: a rated current multiple of 1.35 corresponds to a typical melting time of 900 seconds, a rated current multiple of 1.5 corresponds to 480 seconds, a rated current multiple of 1.6 corresponds to 240 seconds, a rated current multiple of 2 corresponds to 20 seconds, a rated current multiple of 3.5 corresponds to 1.5 seconds, and a rated current multiple of 6 corresponds to 0.12 seconds; the second mapping characteristic curve simulating fast melting characteristics can include the following data pairs: a rated current multiple of 1.35 corresponds to 60 seconds, a rated current multiple of 1.5 corresponds to 30 seconds, a rated current multiple of 1.6 corresponds to 15 seconds, a rated current multiple of 2 corresponds to 1 second, a rated current multiple of 3.5 corresponds to 0.2 seconds, and a rated current multiple of 6 corresponds to 0.04 seconds. After obtaining the overcurrent multiple corresponding to the real-time current, the microcontroller (30) can perform piecewise linear interpolation, spline interpolation, or take the nearest value on the above data pairs to obtain the target breaking time. It is understandable that alternative structures to achieve the same purpose may also include: fitting the above data points with an analytical function to obtain the target disconnection time by calculation, or implementing the overcurrent multiple-time mapping in the form of a piecewise constant table. The mapping characteristic curve and its corresponding lookup table can also be edited and updated online through the vehicle diagnostic interface or calibration tool to adapt to the adjustment requirements of different load characteristics. By adopting the above-mentioned organization method of the mapping characteristic curve, high-precision overcurrent-time protection characteristics can be obtained with low computational overhead, and the protection parameters can be continuously evolved throughout the vehicle's life cycle, thereby synergistically enhancing the overall technical effect of achieving time-sharing dual-characteristic protection with a single electronic fuse unit (10).

[0055] In one embodiment, see Figure 6 The current stage of the load includes either the startup stage or the steady-state operation stage. The step of determining a protection parameter set based on the current stage of the load and implementing a disconnection action based on the protection parameter set includes: S2033, when the load is in the startup phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use the first protection parameter set to achieve the first disconnection action; S2034, When the load is in a steady-state operation phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action; Wherein, under the same overcurrent multiple, the disconnection time of the second disconnection action is earlier than the disconnection time of the first disconnection action.

[0056] Specifically, this limitation causes the same electronic fuse unit (10) to exhibit a delay characteristic similar to a slow-blow fuse during the startup phase, thereby tolerating the startup current spike and inrush current that occur when the load is closed, and avoiding accidental disconnection; while after the load enters the steady-state operation phase, it switches to a sensitive characteristic similar to a fast-blow fuse, thereby quickly disconnecting the power supply circuit when the load experiences continuous overcurrent due to aging or functional abnormality. For example, when the overcurrent multiple is 1.5, the first disconnection action corresponding to the first protection parameter set can be executed about 480 seconds after closing, while the second disconnection action corresponding to the second protection parameter set can be executed about 30 seconds after the overcurrent occurs; when the overcurrent multiple is 2, the former corresponds to about 20 seconds, and the latter corresponds to about 1 second; when the overcurrent multiple is 6, the former corresponds to about 0.12 seconds, and the latter corresponds to about 0.04 seconds. As can be seen, under the same overcurrent multiple, the second disconnection action has a significantly shorter allowable duration compared to the first disconnection action. This achieves a balance between high inrush current tolerance during startup and rapid overcurrent disconnection protection during steady-state operation on the same hardware platform. Compared to related technologies that typically require a slow-blow fuse matched with 1.5 times the rated load current, resulting in approximately 480 seconds for the fuse to blow even when the actual load current reaches 2.25 times the rated current, this solution significantly shortens the steady-state response time and reduces the risk of fire by switching the protection parameter set via software.

[0057] In one embodiment, controlling the electronic fuse unit to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action, or controlling the electronic fuse unit to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action, includes: The power switch in the electronic fuse unit is turned off to cut off the circuit supplying power to the load.

[0058] Specifically, controlling the electronic fuse unit (10) to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action, or controlling the electronic fuse unit (10) to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action, may specifically include: controlling the power switch in the electronic fuse unit (10) to turn off, so as to cut off the power supply loop to the load. The power switch can be the aforementioned external high-current MOSFET (50), whose drain is connected to VBat (60) via the power supply bus, and whose source is output to the load terminal via the main current path. When a disconnection action is required, the GATE OUT terminal of the drive control chip (20) outputs a turn-off level to the gate of the MOSFET (50), or the microcontroller (30) drives the control chip (20) to pull down the output level of the GATE OUT terminal via the Ctrl terminal instruction, so that the MOSFET (50) changes from the on state to the off state, thereby interrupting the current loop from VBat (60) through RSense (40) and the MOSFET (50) to the load. As a specific implementation, the MOSFET (50) can be an N-channel enhancement-mode MOSFET, whose drain-source breakdown voltage can be selected between 40 volts and 100 volts to adapt to typical 12 volts or 24 volt vehicle battery power supply scenarios, and whose continuous drain current can be selected according to the rated current of the branch, for example, between 20 amps and 200 amps.

[0059] In this embodiment, the real-time current of the load is acquired; based on the characteristics of the real-time current or its evolution over time, the current stage of the load is determined; based on the current stage of the load, a protection parameter set is determined; and based on the protection parameter set, a disconnection action is performed. This allows a single protection device to apply differentiated protection strategies for different operating stages. During the startup stage, a parameter set that tolerates high inrush currents can be used to avoid false disconnection and ensure normal load startup; while during steady-state operation, it automatically switches to a parameter set with a faster protection response. Therefore, when an abnormal overcurrent occurs during the steady-state stage, rapid disconnection can be achieved, effectively curbing the overheating trend of wiring harnesses and devices, and reducing the risk of fire caused by abnormal or aging electrical appliances.

[0060] Based on the above method embodiments, this invention also provides a power supply protection control device. See [link to previous document]. Figure 7 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of a power supply protection and control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] The device includes: The acquisition module 701 is used to acquire the real-time current of the load; The determination module 702 is used to determine the current stage of the load based on the characteristics of the real-time current or the evolution of the real-time current over time. The disconnect module 703 is used to determine a set of protection parameters based on the current stage of the load, and to perform a disconnection action based on the set of protection parameters.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the control unit of the electronic fuse unit pre-stores multiple mapping characteristic curves between overcurrent multiples and disconnection time. The step of determining a set of protection parameters based on the current stage of the load and implementing the disconnection action based on the set of protection parameters includes: Based on the current stage of the load, obtain the first mapping characteristic curve corresponding to the current stage of the load from the multiple mapping characteristic curves; The target disconnection time is determined based on the overcurrent multiple corresponding to the real-time current and the first mapping characteristic curve, so as to execute the disconnection action.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the current stage of the load includes either a startup stage or a steady-state operation stage. The step of determining a set of protection parameters based on the current stage of the load and implementing a disconnection action based on the set of protection parameters includes: When the load is in the startup phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action; When the load is in a steady-state operation phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action; Wherein, under the same overcurrent multiple, the disconnection time of the second disconnection action is earlier than the disconnection time of the first disconnection action.

[0064] In one possible implementation, controlling the electronic fuse unit using a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action, or controlling the electronic fuse unit using a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action, includes: The power switch in the electronic fuse unit is turned off to cut off the circuit supplying power to the load.

[0065] In one possible implementation, determining the current stage of the load includes: The current stage of the load is determined based on a preset time point used to define the startup and steady-state stages.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the time point is determined through the following steps: The current waveform during the load startup process is acquired using a measuring device; Identify the moment when the starting current spike ends and the current enters the stable range from the current waveform; Set the time as the specified time point.

[0067] In one possible implementation, determining the current stage of the load includes: Obtain the branch current and bus voltage of the branch where the load is located; Based on the attenuation characteristics of the branch current and the recovery characteristics of the bus voltage, steady-state identification conditions are established. During the period when the steady-state identification condition is not met, the load is determined to be in the startup phase; Once the steady-state identification conditions are met, the load is determined to have entered the steady-state operation phase.

[0068] See Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] The electronic device 800 includes a memory 801 and a processor 802; the memory 801 is used to store relevant program code; the processor 802 is used to call the program code to execute the power supply protection control method described in the above method embodiment.

[0070] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for executing the power supply protection control method described in the above method embodiments.

[0071] This invention also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program / instruction. When the computer program / instruction is executed by a processor, it implements the power supply protection control method described in the above method embodiments.

[0072] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium described above in this invention can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination thereof. A computer-readable storage medium can be, for example,—but not limited to—an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0073] The computer program product can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​to perform the operations of the embodiments of the present invention. The programming languages ​​include object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server.

[0074] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. In particular, for system or device embodiments, since they are basically similar to method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units or modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units or modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units or modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without creative effort.

[0075] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functions, and operations that may be implemented according to various embodiments of the invention, including methods, apparatus, and devices. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0076] It should be understood that in this invention, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0077] It should also be noted that, in this invention, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0078] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be implemented directly by hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module can be located in random access memory (RAM), main memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0079] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A power supply protection and control method, characterized in that, Performed by an electronic fuse unit, the method includes: Obtain the real-time current of the load; Based on the characteristics of the real-time current or the evolution of the real-time current over time, determine the current stage of the load. Based on the current stage of the load, a set of protection parameters is determined, and a disconnection action is performed based on the set of protection parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit of the electronic fuse unit has multiple pre-stored mapping characteristic curves between overcurrent multiples and disconnection time. The step of determining a protection parameter set based on the current stage of the load and implementing the disconnection action based on the protection parameter set includes: Based on the current stage of the load, obtain the first mapping characteristic curve corresponding to the current stage of the load from the multiple mapping characteristic curves; The target disconnection time is determined based on the overcurrent multiple corresponding to the real-time current and the first mapping characteristic curve, so as to execute the disconnection action.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The current stage of the load includes either the startup stage or the steady-state operation stage. The step of determining a protection parameter set based on the current stage of the load and implementing a disconnection action based on the protection parameter set includes: When the load is in the startup phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action; When the load is in a steady-state operation phase, the electronic fuse unit is controlled to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action; Wherein, under the same overcurrent multiple, the disconnection time of the second disconnection action is earlier than the disconnection time of the first disconnection action.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control of the electronic fuse unit to use a first set of protection parameters to achieve a first disconnection action, or the control of the electronic fuse unit to use a second set of protection parameters to achieve a second disconnection action, includes: The power switch in the electronic fuse unit is turned off to cut off the circuit supplying power to the load.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the current stage of the load includes: The current stage of the load is determined based on a preset time point used to define the startup and steady-state stages.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The time point is determined through the following steps: The current waveform during the load startup process is acquired using a measuring device; Identify the moment when the starting current spike ends and the current enters the stable range from the current waveform; Set the time as the specified time point.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the current stage of the load includes: Obtain the branch current and bus voltage of the branch where the load is located; Based on the attenuation characteristics of the branch current and the recovery characteristics of the bus voltage, steady-state identification conditions are established. During the period when the steady-state identification condition is not met, the load is determined to be in the startup phase; Once the steady-state identification conditions are met, the load is determined to have entered the steady-state operation phase.

8. A power supply protection control device, the device comprising an electronic fuse unit, characterized in that, The device includes: The acquisition module is used to acquire the real-time current of the load; The determination module is used to determine the current stage of the load based on the characteristics of the real-time current or the evolution of the real-time current over time. The disconnect module is used to determine a set of protection parameters based on the current stage of the load, and to perform a disconnection action based on the set of protection parameters.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, The device includes: a memory and a processor; the memory is used to store relevant program code; the processor is used to call the program code to execute the power supply protection control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for performing the power supply protection control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images