Power supply management device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle power supply management device. A controller includes a first storage section and a second storage section that store a control program, a third storage section, a first holding section corresponding to the first storage section, a second holding section corresponding to the second storage section, and a processing circuit that executes processing based on the running surface storage section control program. The processing includes holding processing that calculates a temperature increase amount at each calculation cycle and holds a cumulative value of the temperature increase amount in the holding section corresponding to the running surface. The processing circuit, after updating the control program of the non-running surface storage section, holds the contents held in the holding section corresponding to the running surface in the third storage section, switches the storage section in which the control program is updated to the running surface, and causes the holding section corresponding to the new running surface to hold the contents stored in the third storage section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to onboard power supply management devices. Background Technology

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-118749 discloses an in-vehicle electronic control device capable of updating its control program via OTA (Over-The-Air) updates. This electronic control device includes a first memory and a second memory for storing the control program. For example, when the first memory is set to the operating state, processing based on the control program stored in the first memory is executed. After obtaining the update control program from an external server, the control program in the second memory can be updated even while processing based on the control program in the first memory is being executed. After the control program in the second memory is updated, if a predetermined switching condition is met, a switching process is performed to switch the operating state from the first memory to the second memory.

[0003] Consider an electronic control device that calculates a temperature estimate for the power line connecting the battery and the electronic device. When the temperature estimate exceeds a threshold, this electronic control device executes countermeasures to suppress the rise in power line temperature. In such electronic control devices, for example, when the control program in the second memory is updated and a switching process is executed, the calculated temperature estimate may be initialized. If the initialization of the calculation result is caused by the execution of the switching process, it will cause a delay in the execution of the aforementioned countermeasures. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The power supply management device for solving the above-mentioned problems is applied to vehicles equipped with batteries, electronic devices, and power lines connecting the batteries and the electronic devices.

[0005] The power supply management device includes: a switching circuit installed on the power line; and a controller for controlling the switching circuit to open and close.

[0006] The controller includes: a first storage unit and a second storage unit, a third storage unit, a first storage unit that stores calculation results associated with the execution of the control program based on the first storage unit, a second storage unit that stores calculation results associated with the execution of the control program based on the second storage unit, and a processing circuit that sets one of the first storage unit and the second storage unit as a running surface and executes the control program based on the running surface.

[0007] The processing based on the control program includes:

[0008] Storage Processing: In each calculation cycle, the temperature rise of the power line within that calculation cycle is estimated, and the cumulative value of the temperature rise is saved to the storage section corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage section and the second storage section.

[0009] Cut-off process: Based on the cumulative value stored in the storage section corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage section and the second storage section, it is determined whether the cut-off condition for disconnecting the switch circuit is met. If the cut-off condition is met, the switch circuit is disconnected.

[0010] The processing circuit is configured as follows:

[0011] When executing the operation plane control program, update the control program of the non-operation plane storage section in the first storage section and the second storage section;

[0012] After the control program of the non-operational surface storage unit is updated, the calculation results stored in the storage units corresponding to the operation surface in the first and second storage units are saved to the third storage unit. Then, the storage unit whose control program has been updated is set as the operation surface, and the storage units corresponding to the newly set operation surface in the first and second storage units save the stored contents of the third storage unit.

[0013] The first and second storage units are each configured such that the calculation results are reset when the operating plane is switched; on the other hand, the third storage unit is configured such that the stored content can be maintained even when the operating plane is switched.

[0014] Even if the control program of either the first or second storage unit is updated, the switching circuit can be disconnected at the appropriate time. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same constituent elements, wherein,

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a power supply management device and an OTA server capable of communicating with the vehicle;

[0017] Figure 2 This is an explanation Figure 1 A diagram showing the protection functions of the switching circuit.

[0018] Figure 3 This shows the calculations used. Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a series of processes for the cumulative value of one of the relevant information items related to the temperature of the power supply line;

[0019] Figure 4 It shows the control Figure 1 A flowchart of a series of processes for switching the circuit on and off;

[0020] Figure 5 This shows the update. Figure 1A sequence diagram of the processing flow during the control program of the power supply management device. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following will refer to Figures 1-5 This describes one implementation method of a power supply management device. Figure 1 The image shows a vehicle 10 and an OTA server 100 located outside the vehicle. OTA is an abbreviation for "Over The Air".

[0022] The OTA server 100 manages the control program stored in the memory of the vehicle 10's electronic control unit. The OTA server 100 exchanges various information with the vehicle 10 via an external network 200, which is a wireless communication network. The OTA server 100 sends update control programs to the vehicle 10.

[0023] Vehicle 10 includes: a Data Communication Module (DCM) 21 that receives update control programs from an OTA server 100 via an external network 200, and a storage device 22 that stores the update control programs received by the DCM 21. "DCM" is an abbreviation for "Data Communication Module". The DCM 21 can access the storage device 22 via an in-vehicle network 25. Therefore, the DCM 21 stores the update control programs received from the OTA server 100 into the storage device 22. An example of the in-vehicle network 25 is a CAN bus. CAN is an abbreviation for "Controller Area Network".

[0024] Vehicle 10 includes a battery 11, a power supply management device 30, and multiple electronic control devices 23. These electronic control devices will be referred to as "ECUs" below. ECU 23 is an example of an "electronic device." The controller 40 of the power supply management device 30, the multiple ECUs 23, and the aforementioned DCM 21 are configured to exchange information with each other via the in-vehicle network 25. Furthermore, the power supply management device 30 and the multiple ECUs 23 each obtain power from the battery 11 via power lines 13.

[0025] The power supply management device 30 includes a switching circuit 31 and a controller 40. The switching circuit 31 is located on the power line 13 connecting the battery 11 and the ECU 23. An example of the switching circuit 31 is a semiconductor fuse. For example, an IPD (Intelligent Power Device) can be used as a semiconductor fuse. The switching circuit 31 has a self-disconnect function. The current flowing through the switching circuit 31 when it is turned on is denoted as the "line current value Is". Figure 2As shown, the self-disconnect function is, for example, a function that disconnects itself when the line current value Is exceeds a first current disconnection threshold Isth1. The threshold used to suppress a dead short circuit in the switching circuit 31 is set to the first current disconnection threshold Isth1.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the controller 40 is an ECU that controls the on / off state of the switch circuit 31. The controller 40 includes a processing circuit 41, a first ROM 43, a second ROM 45, and a RAM 47. An example of the first ROM 43 and the second ROM 45 is flash memory. The first ROM 43 stores a control program. The processing circuit 41 performs processing based on the control program in the first ROM 43. The processing based on the control program includes save processing and cut-off processing, described later. The second ROM 45 has a third storage section 53. The second ROM 45 is configured such that even when the control program in the first ROM 43 is updated or the controller 40 is initialized, the contents stored in the third storage section 53 can be maintained. The RAM 47 stores the calculation results of the processing circuit 41 performing the control program-based processing.

[0027] The processing circuit 41 is a multi-core processor with multiple cores. The multiple cores include a first core 41a and a second core 41b. The first ROM 43 has a first storage section 51 and a second storage section 52. The first storage section 51 and the second storage section 52 are each storage areas for a storage control program. The RAM 47 has a first storage section 47a associated with the first storage section 51 and a second storage section 47b associated with the second storage section 52. A portion of the RAM 47 functions as the first storage section 47a. In addition to the portion functioning as the first storage section 47a, at least a portion of the RAM 47 functions as the second storage section 47b.

[0028] There is a situation where the first storage unit 51 is set as the running plane and the second storage unit 52 is set as the non-running plane. In this case, the first core 41a executes processing based on the control program of the first storage unit 51 and saves the calculation results associated with the processing to the first storage unit 47a. When the second storage unit 52 is set as the running plane and the first storage unit 51 is set as the non-running plane, the second core 41b executes processing based on the control program of the second storage unit 52 and saves the calculation results associated with the processing to the second storage unit 47b.

[0029] The controller 40 monitors the line temperature TMP, which is the temperature of the power line 13. Based on the heating characteristics of the power line 13, the controller 40 sets a second current cutoff threshold Isth2. The second current cutoff threshold Isth2 is a threshold used to suppress high-resistance short circuits in the power line 13.

[0030] If a portion of the power line 13 is damaged, a high-resistance section will be created on the power line 13. This will cause an increase in the current flowing through the power line 13, which may result in the power line 13 overheating. This phenomenon is known as a high-resistance short circuit. The higher the line temperature TMP, the more likely a high-resistance short circuit may occur even if the current flowing through the power line 13 is small.

[0031] The current value used as a reference for determining whether a high-resistance short circuit is possible is denoted as the "boundary current value Isb". The heating characteristics of the power line 13 described above represent the relationship between the line temperature TMP and the boundary current value Isb. According to this heating characteristic, the higher the line temperature TMP, the smaller the boundary current value Isb.

[0032] Based on the aforementioned heating characteristics, the controller 40 derives the boundary current value Isb corresponding to the current line temperature TMP. Then, the controller 40 sets the derived boundary current value Isb as the second current cutoff threshold Isth2.

[0033] Figure 2 The trend of the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 is shown. The longer the switching circuit 31 is energized, the higher the line temperature TMP. Therefore, when the switching circuit 31 is turned on, the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 gradually decreases over time. Furthermore, when in situations such as... Figure 2 When the line temperature TMP has risen to a certain level after time t1, if the line current value Is reaches or exceeds the second current cutoff threshold Isth2, the controller 40 will disconnect the switch circuit 31.

[0034] Reference Figure 3 This describes the cumulative value calculation performed by the processing circuit 41 of the controller 40. The processing circuit 41 repeatedly performs this calculation at a predetermined calculation cycle. In this embodiment, this calculation corresponds to "save processing". When the first storage unit 51 is set to the running state, the first core 41a performs this calculation. When the second storage unit 52 is set to the running state, the second core 41b performs this calculation.

[0035] In S11, processing circuit 41 acquires the line current value Is. Then, in S13, processing circuit 41 determines whether switching circuit 31 is on. For example, when the line current value Is is greater than 0 (zero), switching circuit 31 is considered on; when the line current value Is is 0 (zero), switching circuit 31 is considered off. If processing circuit 41 determines that switching circuit 31 is on (S13: Yes), the process moves to S15; if it determines that switching circuit 31 is off (S13: No), the process moves to S21.

[0036] In S15, the processing circuit 41 calculates the temperature rise ΔTMP1, which is the rise in line temperature TMP within the calculation cycle. The length of the calculation cycle is denoted as "cycle time". The processing circuit 41 calculates the temperature rise ΔTMP1 in such a way that the larger the product of the line current value Is and the cycle time, the larger the value.

[0037] In the following S17, the processing circuit 41 calculates the accumulated value INTMP by accumulating the temperature rise ΔTMP1. For example, when the first storage unit 51 is set to the operating state, the first core 41a of the processing circuit 41 calculates the sum of the accumulated value INTMP stored in the first storage unit 47a and the temperature rise ΔTMP1 calculated in S15 as the latest value of the accumulated value INTMP. After that, the processing circuit 41 moves the processing to S19.

[0038] In S19, the processing circuit 41 saves the latest value of the accumulated value INTMP to the storage section corresponding to the operating plane in the first storage section 47a and the second storage section 47b. For example, when the first storage section 51 is set to the operating plane, the first core 41a of the processing circuit 41 saves the accumulated value INTMP to the first storage section 47a. Then, the processing circuit 41 temporarily stops the operation.

[0039] In S21, the processing circuit 41 calculates the temperature drop amount ΔTMP2, which is the amount of temperature drop in the line temperature TMP during the operation cycle. For example, the processing circuit 41 calculates the temperature drop amount ΔTMP2 in such a way that the lower the ambient temperature of the power supply management device 30, the larger the value.

[0040] In the following S23, the processing circuit 41 updates the accumulated value INTMP based on the calculated temperature drop ΔTMP2. For example, when the first storage unit 51 is set to the operating state, the first core 41a of the processing circuit 41 calculates the value of the accumulated value INTMP stored in the first storage unit 47a by subtracting the temperature drop ΔTMP2, and uses this value as the latest value of the accumulated value INTMP. At this time, if the value of the accumulated value INTMP minus the temperature drop ΔTMP2 is negative, the processing circuit 41 sets the accumulated value INTMP to 0 (zero). After that, the processing circuit 41 moves to S19.

[0041] Reference Figure 4 This describes the operation processing of the switching circuit 31 executed by the processing circuit 41 of the controller 40. The processing circuit 41 executes this operation processing at a predetermined execution cycle. This operation processing corresponds to "cut-off processing". When the first storage unit 51 is set to the operating state, the first core 41a executes this operation processing. When set to the second storage unit 52, the second core 41b executes this operation processing.

[0042] In step S43, the processing circuit 41 calculates the line temperature TMP by summing the accumulated value INTMP stored in RAM 47 with the temperature baseline value TMPb. For example, when the first storage unit 51 is set to the operating state, the first core 41a of the processing circuit 41 calculates the line temperature TMP by summing the accumulated value INTMP stored in the first storage unit 47a with the temperature baseline value TMPb. Thus, the processing circuit 41 can calculate the line temperature TMP in such a way that the larger the accumulated value INTMP is, the larger the value will be. An example of the temperature baseline value TMPb is the ambient temperature of the switching circuit 31. This line temperature TMP corresponds to the "estimated temperature value of the power supply line 13".

[0043] In the following step S45, the processing circuit 41 sets a second current cutoff threshold Isth2 based on the line temperature TMP. At this time, the processing circuit 41 uses the heating characteristics of the power line 13 to set the second current cutoff threshold Isth2. Thus, the processing circuit 41 can set the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 to a smaller value by increasing the line temperature TMP. In this respect, the processing in S45 corresponds to "threshold setting processing".

[0044] In the next step S47, the processing circuit 41 determines whether the switch circuit 31 is on. If the switch circuit 31 is on (S47: Yes), the processing circuit 41 moves the processing to S48. On the other hand, if the switch circuit 31 is off (S47: No), the processing moves to S60.

[0045] In S48, the processing circuit 41 determines whether the elapsed time since the start-up of the power system of vehicle 10 has reached the determination time TMth. The determination time TMth is set as a judgment criterion based on whether the protection of the switching circuit 31 requires not only self-disconnection but also software protection. For example, the elapsed time that will become the judgment criterion for determining whether the line temperature TMP has risen to a certain level is set as the determination time TMth (see reference). Figure 2 If the elapsed time reaches the determination time TMth (S48: Yes), the processing circuit 41 moves the processing to S49. On the other hand, if the elapsed time does not reach the determination time TMth (S48: No), the processing circuit 41 moves the processing to S51.

[0046] In S49, the processing circuit 41 determines whether the line current value Is is greater than the second current cutoff threshold Isth2. If the line current value Is is greater than the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 (S49: Yes), the processing circuit 41 can determine that the cutoff condition for disconnecting the switch circuit 31 is met, and therefore the processing is moved to S53. On the other hand, if the line current value Is is less than the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 (S49: No), the processing is moved to S51.

[0047] In S51, the processing circuit 41 determines whether the line temperature TMP is greater than the cut-off determination temperature TMPth1. The cut-off determination temperature TMPth1 is set to a line temperature slightly lower than the reference temperature for determining whether the power line 13 has caught fire. If the line temperature TMP is greater than the cut-off determination temperature TMPth1 (S51: Yes), the processing circuit 41 determines that the cut-off condition for disconnecting the switch circuit 31 is met, and therefore moves the processing to S53. On the other hand, if the line temperature TMP is lower than the cut-off determination temperature TMPth1 (S51: No), the processing circuit 41 determines that the cut-off condition is not met, and therefore temporarily terminates the operation.

[0048] In S53, processing circuit 41 disconnects switch circuit 31 and then proceeds to S67. In S60, processing circuit 41 determines whether the elapsed time since the start of the power system of vehicle 10 has reached the aforementioned determination time TMth. If the elapsed time has reached the determination time TMth (S60: Yes), processing circuit 41 proceeds to S61. On the other hand, if the elapsed time has not reached the determination time TMth (S60: No), processing circuit 41 temporarily terminates the operation.

[0049] In S61, the processing circuit 41 determines whether the line current value Is is less than the second current cutoff threshold Isth2. If the line current value Is is less than the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 (S61: Yes), the processing circuit 41 moves the processing to S63. On the other hand, if the line current value Is is greater than or equal to the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 (S61: No), the processing circuit 41 temporarily terminates the operation.

[0050] In S63, the processing circuit 41 determines whether the line temperature TMP is lower than the connection determination temperature TMPth2. The connection determination temperature TMPth2 is set to a value smaller than the aforementioned disconnection determination temperature TMPth1. If the line temperature TMP is lower than the connection determination temperature TMPth2 (S63: Yes), the processing circuit 41 moves the processing to S65. On the other hand, if the line temperature TMP is higher than the connection determination temperature TMPth2 (S63: No), the processing circuit 41 temporarily terminates the operation.

[0051] In S65, processing circuit 41 turns on switch circuit 31, and then processing moves to S67. In S67, processing circuit 41 saves the information related to switch circuit 31 at the current time, i.e., operation information, to the storage section corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage section 47a and the second storage section 47b. If processing circuit 41 turns off switch circuit 31 in S53, processing circuit 41 saves the operation information indicating that switch circuit 31 is turned off to RAM 47. If processing circuit 41 turns on switch circuit 31 in S65, it saves the operation information indicating that switch circuit 31 is turned on to RAM 47. After that, processing circuit 41 temporarily ends operation processing.

[0052] Reference Figure 5 The process flow for updating the control program will be explained. For example, the case of updating the control program for the second storage unit 52 when the first storage unit 51 is set as the running surface and the first core 41a is executing the processing based on the control program for the first storage unit 51 will be explained.

[0053] When the OTA server 100 is ready with the latest control program, in ST101, the OTA server 100 notifies the vehicle 10 that the control program of the power supply management device 30 can be updated.

[0054] When DCM21 receives the aforementioned notification, in ST103, DCM21 requests the OTA server 100 to send the latest control program. When the OTA server 100 receives the aforementioned request, in ST105, the OTA server 100 sends the latest control program as an update control program to vehicle 10.

[0055] In ST107, DCM21 acquires the latest received control program and stores it in storage device 22. In the following ST109, DCM21 instructs the controller 40 of the power supply management device 30 to download the latest control program.

[0056] When the processing circuit 41 of the controller 40 receives the above instruction, in ST111, the processing circuit 41 requests the DCM21 to send the latest control program to the controller 40.

[0057] When DCM21 receives the request, in ST113, DCM21 sends the latest control program stored in storage device 22 as an update control program to controller 40.

[0058] Then, in ST115, the processing circuit 41 downloads the latest control program and stores it in the second storage unit 52, which is a non-operational area. Thus, the processing circuit 41 can rewrite the control program in the second storage unit 52. When the control program in the second storage unit 52 has been rewritten, in ST117, the processing circuit 41 communicates the completed control program rewriting to the DCM21.

[0059] Subsequently, when the permission conditions for switching the operating plane are met, the processing circuit 41 executes the switching process for switching the operating plane. The switching process includes ST119, ST121, and ST123. The permission conditions include, for example, that the vehicle 10 is in a parked state. In ST119, the first core 41a of the processing circuit 41 saves the saved contents of the first storage unit 47a corresponding to the operating plane in the first storage unit 47a and the second storage unit 47b to the third storage unit 53. Then, in ST121, the processing circuit 41 switches the operating plane. That is, the processing circuit 41 sets the second storage unit 52, which has been updated with the control program, as the operating plane and sets the first storage unit 51 as a non-operating plane. At this time, the processing circuit 41 initializes the controller 40, thereby initializing the saved contents of the first storage unit 47a and the second storage unit 47b. In the next ST123, the processing circuit 41 causes the second storage unit 47b to save the stored contents of the third storage unit 53. Therefore, the processing circuit 41 can execute processing based on the control program of the second storage unit 52, that is, the latest control program.

[0060] The above describes the first update step in the processing flow for updating the control program of the second storage unit 52. The second update step in the processing flow for updating the control program of the first storage unit 51 is the same as the first update step, therefore the description of the second update step is omitted.

[0061] The function and effects of this implementation method are explained.

[0062] (1) The third storage unit 53 is configured to retain its stored content even when a switching process is performed. Therefore, during the switching process, the processing circuit 41 first stores the stored content of the storage units corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage unit 47a and the second storage unit 47b into the third storage unit 53, and then switches the operating surface. Afterward, the processing circuit 41 causes the storage units corresponding to the new operating surface in the first storage unit 47a and the second storage unit 47b to store the stored content of the third storage unit 53. Thus, when the processing circuit 41 performs processing based on the control program of the new operating surface, the processing circuit 41 can take into account the temperature rise before the switching process is executed and calculate the line temperature TMP. Therefore, even if the control program of either the first storage unit 51 or the second storage unit 52 is updated via OTA, the processing circuit 41 can disconnect the switching circuit 31 at the appropriate time.

[0063] (2) The processing circuit 41 also saves the operation information of the switching circuit 31 to the storage unit corresponding to the operating surface. During the switching process, this operation information is stored in the third storage unit 53 together with the accumulated value INTMP. Therefore, the processing circuit 41 can immediately grasp the on or off state of the switching circuit 31 after the switching process is completed.

[0064] (3) Even if the line current value Is is less than the first current cutoff threshold Isth1, a high-resistance short circuit may still occur in the power supply line 13. Furthermore, the higher the temperature of the power supply line 13, the more likely a high-resistance short circuit will occur even with a small line current value Is. Therefore, the processing circuit 41 sets the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 in a manner where the larger the cumulative value INTMP (i.e., the line temperature TMP), the smaller the value. Moreover, during the cutoff process, when the line current value Is is greater than the second current cutoff threshold Isth2, the processing circuit 41 disconnects the switching circuit 31. Thus, the processing circuit 41 can suppress the occurrence of a high-resistance short circuit.

[0065] (4) The processing circuit 41 calculates the line temperature TMP based on the accumulated value INTMP. Furthermore, when the line temperature TMP is greater than the cut-off determination temperature TMPth1, the processing circuit 41 disconnects the switching circuit 31. Thus, the processing circuit 41 can properly protect the power supply line 13 and the switching circuit 31.

[0066] The above-described embodiments can be implemented with the following modifications. The above-described embodiments and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within a technically consistent range. When the switching process is performed, the calculation of the temperature rise ΔTMP1 stops. Therefore, after the switching process is completed, the processing circuit 41 can also estimate the temperature rise during the switching process. At this time, the processing circuit 41 preferably calculates the temperature rise during the switching process in such a way that the product of the time required for the switching process and the line current value Is at the start of the switching process is as large as possible. Then, the processing circuit 41 can update the accumulated value INTMP by adding this temperature rise to the accumulated value INTMP.

[0067] The switching circuit 31 may not have a self-cutoff function. Even so, the processing circuit 41 can protect the switching circuit 31 through software processing.

[0068] Processing circuit 41 may choose not to save the operation information of switching circuit 31 to the storage unit. (Refer to...) Figure 4 In the described operation process, if the determination result of S48 is negative, the processing circuit 41 can also temporarily end the operation process.

[0069] Sometimes, the processing circuit 41 determines whether to disconnect the switching circuit 31 by comparing the line current value Is with the second current cutoff threshold Isth2. In this case, the process of determining whether to disconnect the switching circuit 31 by comparing the line temperature TMP with the cutoff determination temperature TMPth1 can be omitted.

[0070] Sometimes, the processing circuit 41 determines whether to disconnect the switching circuit 31 by comparing the line temperature TMP with the cutoff threshold TMPth1. In this case, the process of determining whether to disconnect the switching circuit 31 by comparing the line current value Is with the second current cutoff threshold Isth2 can be omitted.

[0071] In the above embodiment, RAM 47 has a first storage section 47a and a second storage section 47b, but is not limited thereto. For example, the controller 40 may also be a structure that has RAMs that function as the first storage section 47a and RAMs that function as the second storage section 47b, respectively.

[0072] In the above embodiments, the first storage area of ​​the first ROM 43 functions as a first storage unit 51, and the second storage area functions as a second storage unit 52, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the controller 40 may also be a structure that has a memory that functions as a first storage unit 51 and a memory that functions as a second storage unit 52.

[0073] The memory equipped with the third storage unit 53 can be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, as long as it can retain its stored contents during the switching process.

[0074] The controller 40 is not limited to a device that has a CPU and ROM and performs software processing. That is, the controller 40 can be any of the structures described in (a), (b) and (c) below.

[0075] (a) The controller 40 has one or more processors that perform various processes according to a computer program. The processor includes a CPU and memories such as RAM and ROM. The memories store program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to perform processes. Memory, i.e., computer-readable media, includes all available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0076] (b) The controller 40 has one or more dedicated hardware circuits that perform various processes. Examples of dedicated hardware circuits include application-specific integrated circuits, i.e., ASICs or FPGAs. ASIC is an abbreviation for "Application Specific Integrated Circuit", and FPGA is an abbreviation for "Field Programmable Gate Array".

[0077] (c) The controller 40 includes: one or more processors that execute a portion of various processes according to a computer program; and one or more dedicated hardware circuits that execute the remaining processes in the various processes.

Claims

1. A power supply management device, applied in a vehicle having a battery, electronic equipment, and power lines connecting the battery and the electronic equipment, wherein, The power supply management device includes: A switching circuit is provided in the power supply line; and A controller that controls the on / off state of the switching circuit. The controller has: The first and second storage sections of the storage control program; Third storage unit; The first storage unit stores the calculation results accompanying the execution of the control program based on the first storage unit; The second storage unit stores the calculation results accompanying the execution of the control program based on the second storage unit; as well as The processing circuit sets one of the first storage unit and the second storage unit as the operating plane and executes the control program based on that operating plane. The processing based on the control program includes: In the storage process, during each calculation cycle, the temperature rise of the power line within that calculation cycle is estimated, and the cumulative value of the temperature rise is saved to the storage section corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage section and the second storage section. and The disconnection process involves determining, based on the cumulative value stored in the storage units corresponding to the operating surface in the first and second storage units, whether a disconnection condition for disconnecting the switching circuit is met. If the disconnection condition is met, the switching circuit is disconnected. The processing circuit is configured as follows: When executing the processing of the control program based on the operating plane, the control program of the storage unit of the first storage unit and the second storage unit that is not the operating plane is updated; After the control program of the storage unit on the side not designated as the operating plane is updated, the calculation results stored in the storage units corresponding to the operating plane in the first and second storage units are saved to the third storage unit. Then, the storage unit that updated the control program is set as the operating plane, and the storage units corresponding to the newly set storage unit in the first and second storage units save the stored content of the third storage unit. The first storage unit and the second storage unit are each configured such that the calculation result is reset when the operating plane is switched. On the other hand, the third storage unit is configured such that the stored content can be maintained even when the operating plane is switched.

2. The power supply management device according to claim 1, wherein, The switching circuit has a self-disconnection function that disconnects itself when the current flowing through it exceeds the current cutoff threshold. The processing circuit also saves operation information related to whether or not the switching circuit is disconnected to the storage section corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage section and the second storage section.

3. The power supply management device according to claim 2, wherein, The current cutoff threshold is the first current cutoff threshold. The processing circuit is configured as follows: A threshold setting process is performed, wherein the second current cut-off threshold is set in such a way that the larger the cumulative value stored in the first storage unit and the second storage unit corresponding to the operating surface, the smaller the value. In the cutting-off process, when the current value exceeds the second current cutting-off threshold, the switching circuit is disconnected.

4. The power supply management device according to claim 1, wherein, The processing circuit is configured such that, during the cut-off process, the estimated temperature value of the power line is calculated in such a way that the larger the cumulative value stored in the storage unit corresponding to the operating surface in the first storage unit and the second storage unit, the larger the value; if the estimated temperature value is greater than the cut-off determination temperature, the cut-off condition is determined to be met.

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