Method for manufacturing a component group and control device

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a component group (1) comprising at least one electrical component (2) and a control device (3) designed for controlling and / or energizing the electrical component (2), comprising the steps of: - connecting electrical contacts (4, 5) of the electrical component (2) with component contacts (6, 7) of the control device (3), - establishing a communication link (8) between the control device (3) and a configuration device (9), - determining at least one electrical measurement quantity (10) that depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two of the electrical contacts (4, 5) of the electrical component (2), - transmitting a target configuration (11) of the control device (3) from the configuration device (9) via the communication link (8) to the control device (3).wherein the target configuration (11) is selected from several predefined configuration options (12) depending on the determined electrical measurement quantity (10).

Description

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a component group comprising at least one electrical component and a control device configured for controlling and / or energizing the electrical component. The invention also relates to a control device, a configuration device, and a configuration arrangement. Various devices, such as those in motor vehicles, incorporate electrical components that are controlled or energized by a control unit during operation. It is possible that different versions of such a component are used in different devices during the production of multiple units. This can occur, for example, if different suppliers provide different versions of the component, or if a component used in a previous production series is discontinued and a different version is required in the future. Depending on the specific version of the electrical component used, the control unit often requires different control or current supply to the component. For example, when controlling LEDs in a vehicle headlight, different pulse widths may be required to achieve the same brightness, different maximum currents may be permissible, or similar factors may apply, depending on the specific version used (e.g., different part numbers of the LEDs). It is therefore typically necessary to ensure that the respective electrical component is combined with a suitably configured control unit during manufacturing. This makes changing the installed component variant relatively complex, and the mixed use of different component variants in the same manufacturing process is only possible with a complex synchronization of the supply of matching, pre-configured control units and the controlled components. German patent application DE 10 2022 118 843 A1 discloses a motor vehicle with multiple control units, each controlling a specific component of the vehicle, such as an engine, air conditioning system, or lighting system. A central control unit of the vehicle provides equipment data to an external computer, describing which control units the vehicle is equipped with and the current software version of each control unit. Based on this data, the external computer provides an update package, and the individual updates are installed by the central control unit activating the individual control units. Document CN 1 11 611 005 A proposes to identify hardware versions of components by measuring a voltage drop across the component. German patent application DE 10 2005 036 959 A1 discloses a control unit with two different programs, both of which are designed to control a throttle valve. A further program module selects one of these programs to control the throttle valve based on an identifier transmitted by the throttle valve. In the method for regulating the operating current of a lighting unit according to DE 10 2016 220 198 B3, a control unit generates a measuring current flowing through the lighting unit when it is switched off, in order to identify a diode type based on a measured value. The operating current is adjusted depending on the identified diode type. German patent application DE 10 2014 019 161 A1 discloses a method for identifying a vehicle control device, wherein the control device comprises a resistor arrangement connected in parallel to a switch. When the switch is open, the electrical resistance of the resistor arrangement can be detected to identify the control device. However, identifying components during operation can increase the device's start-up time and increases the complexity of the control system. Furthermore, the described approach is limited to identifying switches and can lead to electrical losses during operation due to the parallel connection of the resistor arrangement. The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing an improved method for supplying current or controlling an electrical component, which in particular avoids or at least reduces the aforementioned problems. The problem is solved by a method for manufacturing a component group comprising at least one electrical component and a control device designed for controlling and / or energizing the electrical component, comprising the following steps: - Connecting electrical contacts of the electrical component with component contacts of the control device, - Establishing a communication link between the control device and a configuration device, - Determining at least one electrical measurement variable that depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two of the electrical contacts of the electrical component, - Transmitting a target configuration of the control device from the configuration device to the control device via the communication link, wherein the target configuration is selected from several predefined configuration options depending on the determined electrical measurement variable. Within the scope of the invention, it was recognized that components which are interchangeable in themselves, but which require different current supply and / or control by a control device, can typically be distinguished on the basis of different values ​​of a measured quantity which depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between contacts of the respective electrical component. Electrical measurements can include, for example, resistance, inductance, capacitance, complex impedance, voltage drop at a given current, and / or current flow at a given voltage, all of which can be measured and considered when selecting the target configuration. Alternatively or additionally, asymmetric conduction behavior, such as the forward direction of current flow (e.g., due to a diode connected between the component's electrical contacts), and / or the threshold voltage of such a diode, can be considered as electrical measurements. Preferably, the two component contacts in the component can be connected, in particular exclusively, via a passive electrical component or a combination of several passive electrical components, for example, via a combination of at least one resistor and / or at least one capacitor and / or at least one inductor and / or at least one diode, or via a single one of the aforementioned components. In this case, the electrical measurement quantity can be an electrical property of this combination of passive electrical components or of this passive electrical component itself. Preferably, the electrical measurement is at least approximately independent of signals at potentially existing, additional electrical contacts of the electrical component and / or of the states of active electrical components within the component. For example, the electrical measurement can be independent of the switching states of transistors and / or the contents of memory modules, provided such components are present in the electrical component. In an alternative embodiment, however, it would also be possible for the electrical measurement to depend, for example, on the contents of a memory module of the electrical component, such as an EPROM. Preferably, however, the electrical component does not include a memory module or at least not an electrically readable memory module that can be read via the two electrical contacts of the electrical component. The configuration unit is specifically designed separately from the control unit and is not part of the manufactured component group or any device comprising it. For example, after the target configuration has been transferred, the configuration unit can be disconnected from the control unit, or the communication link can be disconnected. This allows for the use of a relatively simple control unit, which, after configuration, only needs to be set up to control or power the actually installed electrical components. Differentiation between different component types or variants during operation by the control unit is not required. In real-world applications where different component variants can be used, the number of component variants to be distinguished is typically small, in particular less than 30 or less than 20 or less than or equal to 16. Therefore, a relatively imprecise determination of the electrical measurement quantity is often sufficient to achieve robust component differentiation. The configuration unit can set the desired configuration of the control device, for example, by writing information about the communication link to non-volatile memory, such as flash memory or EPROM, in the control device. As will be explained later, various firmware versions can be predefined as configuration options, from which one is selected and written to the control device's memory. Alternatively or additionally, the desired configuration can be set to at least one control parameter, such as the pulse width of a control signal for emitting a specific brightness from an LED, a supply voltage and / or current requirement of the component, or similar parameters. The communication link can be a wired connection, established, for example, by directly connecting the communication interfaces of the control unit and the configuration unit, or via a connecting cable. To minimize technical complexity, a relatively simple communication interface, such as an SPI bus or an I2C interface, can be used. However, it is also possible, in principle, to use other interfaces, such as a USB or Ethernet interface, or even a wireless communication protocol, to establish the communication link and thus transmit the desired configuration. The steps mentioned can be carried out in the specified order, which in particular makes it possible for the control unit itself to determine the electrical measurement. However, it is also possible, for example, for the electrical measurement to be determined before the electrical connections are made to the control unit, for instance by temporarily connecting the contacts of the electrical component to contacts of the configuration unit. In some applications, it may be useful to determine a specific electrical measurement for several pairs of electrical contacts of the electrical component and to select the target configuration depending on these several determined electrical measurements, for example to distinguish between a larger number of potentially installed electrical components and / or to further improve the robustness of component recognition.If the control unit serves to jointly or independently control and / or energize several electrical components, for example, to control several independently controllable light sources in a vehicle headlight, it is possible to determine the electrical measurement variable for only one of these electrical components or only for a subset of them and, based on this, specify a target configuration for the control unit that affects the control and / or energizing of all these electrical components. This can be advantageous, for example, if it can be assumed that all components in the respective component group are of the same type. For instance, it may be possible that, during the manufacture of a headlight, potentially different LEDs are used for different headlights, but that identical LEDs are always used within the same headlight. However, it is also possible to determine separate electrical measurements for each electrical component controlled or energized by the control unit, or for several subgroups of such electrical components, and to select separate target configurations accordingly. For example, in the control unit of a headlight, it may be possible to configure the energization of each individual LED or even groups of LEDs separately, for example, LEDs of a specific color or lighting function. The electrical measurement quantity is preferably determined by the control unit after the electrical contacts of the electrical component are connected to the component contacts of the control unit, after which the control unit transmits component type information dependent on the electrical measurement quantity to the configuration unit via the communication link, after which the configuration unit selects the target configuration depending on the component type information. The electrical measurement can be determined, for example, using an analog-to-digital converter. As a simple example, the component type information could correspond to a digital value that describes the electrical resistance between the two electrical contacts of the component. Particularly preferred, however, is the possibility that the electrical component has one of several possible component types, each of which is assigned a type identifier, wherein the type identifier of the electrical component is determined by the control device depending on the determined electrical measurement quantity and is provided as component type information to the configuration device via the communication link. For example, the electrical measurement and component type information can be determined when a corresponding request message is received from the configuration unit via the communication link. Alternatively, the control unit can automatically determine the electrical measurement and component type information, for example, after power is applied or after the control unit's firmware is started. The determined component type information can be temporarily stored until it is requested by the configuration unit at a later time. The respective type identifier can, for example, be a part number of the electrical component, which is different from each other, at least for component types that are powered differently or controlled differently from each other. Determining the component type information by the control unit can be advantageous, as the control unit and the connected component can then be configured by the configuration unit in the same way, or, for example, flashed with suitable firmware, as is generally possible for electrical components that have an electronically readable part number. The configuration unit can thus be used, in particular, to configure a large number of devices, especially those connected sequentially, based on an identifier read by the respective device, or to flash firmware dependent on that identifier. For example, if a new type of electrical component is to be approved for the production process, requiring a new type of control or current supply, a new type identifier, such as a new electronic part number, can be assigned using the inventive method. This identifier can be stored in the control unit along with its associated value or range of values ​​for the electrical measurement variable. When this new type is installed, the control unit reports the new type identifier as component type information to the configuration unit, which can then, for example, deploy suitable firmware. The assignment of the respective type identifier to the respective measured quantity can be carried out, for example, using a look-up table stored in the control unit, which assigns a type identifier to each value or value range of the measured electrical quantity. Alternatively, a sequence of conditions evaluating the measured electrical quantity can be used in the firmware of the control unit or in an initial firmware (which will be explained later and is only used temporarily) to determine the correct type identifier of the installed component. The target configuration can be or include firmware that is executed by a processing unit of the control unit during operation of the control unit in the manufactured component group. In particular, the firmware can control an electrical output level and / or the temporal profile of the electrical output level at at least one of the component contacts, and thus at the electrical contact of the component connected to it. By using firmware as the target configuration transmitted to the scattering device, extensive adaptation of the control unit's operation to different components is possible, while simultaneously keeping the complexity of the firmware used, and therefore the memory and processing power requirements of the control unit, low. In an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, an initial firmware is stored in a memory of the control unit prior to the transmission of the target configuration. By executing this firmware, the processing unit of the control unit determines the electrical measurement variable, which depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two of the component contacts of the control unit and thus between the two electrical contacts of the electrical component, and / or determines the component type information of the electrical component as a function of the determined electrical measurement variable. The firmware transmitted as the target configuration or as part of the target configuration can at least partially overwrite the initial firmware in the memory of the control unit. This approach minimizes the memory requirements of the control unit, as the initial firmware does not need to be permanently stored, or at least not completely. Furthermore, the described procedure reduces the energy and computing power consumption of the spreading device. For example, the initial firmware can include functions that are automatically performed when the spreading device starts, such as determining the electrical measurement, and / or functions that are performed repeatedly, such as waiting for a request message from the configuration unit, which are no longer required after configuration is complete. By at least partially overwriting the initial firmware, the execution of these functions can be prevented on subsequent startups after configuration. The electrical component could be, for example, a light source. Additionally or alternatively, the component group could be a headlight for a motor vehicle and / or a component of a headlight for a motor vehicle. The respective electrical component can, in particular, comprise one or more LEDs, for example, connected in parallel or in series. As a target configuration or as part of the target configuration, at least one parameter can be transmitted, relating to a target LED current for the LED and / or thermal behavior and / or fault behavior of the LED. As already explained, it is also possible to transmit the aforementioned parameters as part of a transmitted firmware and / or to specify the respective parameter implicitly through the transmitted firmware. The invention further relates to a control device which is configured to: - on the one hand, determine an electrical measurement variable which depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two electrical contacts of an electrical component which are connected to component contacts of the control device, and transmit component type information dependent on the electrical measurement variable via a communication interface of the control device to a configuration device separately designed from the control device, and - on the other hand, after receiving a target configuration via the communication interface, control and / or energize the electrical component via the component contacts and / or via further component contacts of the control device which are connected to further electrical contacts of the electrical component, depending on the target configuration. The control device can therefore be configured specifically for carrying out the method according to the invention. Independently of this, the control device can be further developed with the features described in relation to the method according to the invention in order to achieve the aforementioned advantages, and vice versa. The invention further relates to a configuration device for providing the target configuration for the control device according to the invention, wherein the configuration device is configured to: - receive the component type information via a communication link using the communication interface of the control device, - select the target configuration from several predefined configuration options depending on the component type information, and - transmit the selected target configuration to the control device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a configuration arrangement comprising the control device and the configuration device according to the invention. In particular, the configuration arrangement can additionally include the electrical component. The configuration device or configuration arrangement can thus be configured, in particular, to carry out the method according to the invention. Independently of this, the configuration device or configuration arrangement can be further developed with the features described in relation to the method according to the invention in order to achieve the aforementioned advantages, and vice versa. Further advantages and details of the invention will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Here, Fig. 1 schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of a configuration arrangement according to the invention, comprising an exemplary embodiment of a control device and a configuration device according to the invention, and Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention for manufacturing a component group. Fig. 1 shows a configuration arrangement 25, which is present in an intermediate step of the manufacture of a component group 1 consisting of an electrical component 2 and a control device 3 designed for controlling and energizing the electrical component 2. As already explained in the general part of the description, when manufacturing several such component groups 1, different component types can be used as electrical component 2 in different of the manufactured component groups 1 to provide the same function. In the exemplary headlight 20 for a motor vehicle, manufactured as component group 1, LEDs from different manufacturers and / or from different production series can be used as light sources 19, depending on current availability. These LEDs may differ, for example, in their maximum luminous intensity, the required operating currents, and / or their thermal behavior. Depending on which of these component types is actually installed in the respective component group 1, a different current supply and / or control of the electrical component 2, and thus a different configuration of the control unit 3, may be necessary or at least expedient. In the example shown, an automatic configuration of the control unit 3, depending on the component 2 installed in component group 1, is achieved by a suitable design of the control unit 3 and by using a configuration unit 9 designed separately from the control unit 3. This is explained below with additional reference to the flowchart of the manufacturing process for component group 1 shown in Fig. 2. In step S1, the electrical contacts 4, 5 of the electrical component 2 are connected to component contacts 6, 7 of the control unit 3. In step S2, the control unit 3 is powered on, which starts an initial firmware 18 stored in the memory 17 of the spreading unit 3 and is thus executed by the processing unit 16 of the control unit 3. The initial firmware 18 is independent of the actual installed electrical component 2 and, as will be explained later, primarily serves to determine the component type information 13 of the actual installed electrical component 2 or the component contacts 6, 7 of the control unit 3 and to provide it to the configuration unit 9 via a communication interface 17 of the control unit 3. In step S3, a communication connection 8 is established between the control unit 3 and a configuration unit 9, which in this example is done via a wired connection. For example, a relatively simple communication protocol, such as a CAN bus, an I2C interface, or an SPI bus, can be used for communication. In step S4, the initial firmware 18 repeatedly checks whether a request from the configuration device 9 has been received via the combination connection 8. As soon as this is the case, the procedure continues with step S5, in which the initial firmware 18 determines an electrical measurement 10, for example via an analog-to-digital converter (not shown). In this example, this measurement is an electrical resistance between the component contacts 6, 7 of the control device 3 and thus between the electrical contacts 4, 5 of the electrical component 2 connected to these contacts. As part of the initial firmware 18, the memory 17 of the control unit 3 stores, for example, pairs 22 consisting of a possible type identifier 14 for the electrical component 2 and an associated value interval 23 for the determined electrical measurement 10, for example in the form of a lookup table. The initial firmware 18 can thus check in step S6 in which of these value intervals 23 the determined electrical measurement 10 lies. The type identifier 14 assigned to this value interval 23 can then be determined as component type information 13 for the electrical component 2 and transmitted in step S7 via the communication link 8 to the configuration unit 9. Configuration unit 9 stores several configuration options 12 for the control unit 3, from which a target configuration 11 is selected in step S8, depending on the received component type information 13. The selection can be made, for example, by using a lookup table that assigns one of the configuration options 12 to each component type information 13 or to each group of different component type information 13. In this example, a possible firmware of the control unit 3 is stored for each of the communication options 12. A firmware 15 is thus selected as the target configuration 11, which is transferred to the control unit 3 in step S9 and stored there in memory 17. In this example, this is done by at least partially overwriting the previously stored initial firmware 18, so that upon a subsequent restart of the control unit 3, the firmware 15 transferred by the configuration unit 9 is executed instead of the initial firmware 18. This firmware is selected based on the component type information 13 and thus the acquired electrical measurement 10. As already discussed in the general part of the description, it would also be possible, for example, to transmit parameters as target configuration 11 instead of the new firmware 15 or in addition to it, which will parameterize the operation of the control unit 3 in the future in order to adapt the operation of the control unit to the actually installed electrical component 2. After the firmware 15, or more generally the target configuration 11, has been transferred and saved, the communication link 8 can be disconnected in step S10, thus disconnecting the control unit 3 and therefore the component group 1 from the configuration unit 9. Subsequently, the component group 1 can be supplemented, for example, by a housing and / or other components and / or integrated into a device. When the control unit 3 is restarted in step S11, firmware 15 is executed in the example, or operation generally takes place according to the target configuration 11. Since the control unit is thus specifically configured for operation with an electrical component 2 of the actual installed component type, it is not necessary to differentiate between different component types or configurations during operation, so that, for example, firmware 15 and thus also a control calculation 3 with low complexity is sufficient. The described procedure configures or programs the control unit 3 to always match the actual installed electrical component 2. Manual configuration or programming is therefore unnecessary, which reduces the manufacturing effort for component group 1 when using different component types and prevents misconfigurations. By providing the target configuration 11 using the separately designed configuration unit 9, the complexity of the control unit 3 can still be kept low.

Claims

Method for manufacturing a component group (1) comprising at least one electrical component (2) and a control device (3) designed for controlling and / or energizing the electrical component (2), comprising the steps of: - connecting electrical contacts (4, 5) of the electrical component (2) with component contacts (6, 7) of the control device (3), - establishing a communication link (8) between the control device (3) and a configuration device (9), - determining at least one electrical measurement quantity (10) that depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two of the electrical contacts (4, 5) of the electrical component (2), - transmitting a target configuration (11) of the control device (3) from the configuration device (9) via the communication link (8) to the control device (3).wherein the target configuration (11) is selected from several predefined configuration options (12) depending on the determined electrical measurement quantity (10). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical measurement quantity (10) is determined by the control device (3) after the electrical contacts (4, 5) of the electrical component (2) are connected to the component contacts (6, 7) of the control device (3), after which the control device (3) transmits component type information (13) dependent on the electrical measurement quantity (10) to the configuration device (9) via the communication link (8), after which the configuration device (9) selects the target configuration (11) depending on the component type information (13). Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrical component (2) has one of several possible component types, each of which is assigned a type identifier (14), wherein the type identifier (14) of the electrical component (2) is determined by the control device (3) depending on the determined electrical measurement quantity (10) and is provided as component type information (13) via the communication link (8) to the configuration device (9). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the target configuration (11) is or comprises a firmware (15) which is executed by a processing unit (16) of the control unit (3) during operation of the control device (3) in the manufactured component group (1). The method according to claim 4, characterized in that an initial firmware (18) is stored in a memory (17) of the control device (3) before the transmission of the target configuration (11), the execution of which by the processing device (16) of the control device (3) determines the electrical measurement quantity (10), which depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two of the component contacts (6, 7) of the control device (3) and thus between the two electrical contacts (4, 5) of the electrical component (2), and / or the component type information (13) of the electrical component (2) is determined as a function of the determined electrical measurement quantity (10), wherein the firmware (15) transmitted as target configuration (11) or as part of the target configuration (11) at least partially overwrites the initial firmware (18) in the memory (17) of the control device (3). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a light source (19) is used as the electrical component (2) and / or that a headlight (20) for a motor vehicle and / or a component of a headlight (20) for a motor vehicle is manufactured as the component group (1). Control device, characterized in that the control device (3) is configured to: - on the one hand, determine an electrical measurement quantity (10) that depends on a current flow and / or a voltage drop between two electrical contacts (4, 5) of an electrical component (2) which are connected to component contacts (6, 7) of the control device (3), and to transmit component type information (13) dependent on the electrical measurement quantity (10) via a communication interface (21) of the control device (3) to a configuration device (9) separately configured from the control device (3); and - on the other hand, after receiving a target configuration (11) via the communication interface (21), control the electrical component (2) via the component contacts (6, 7) and / or via further component contacts of the control device (3) which are connected to further electrical contacts of the electrical component (2).to control and / or power up depending on the target configuration (11). Configuration device for providing a target configuration (11) for the control device (3) according to claim 7, characterized in that the configuration device (9) is configured to: - receive the component type information (13) via a communication link (8) using the communication interface (21) of the control device (3), - select the target configuration (11) from several predefined configuration options (12) depending on the component type information (13), and - transmit the selected target configuration (11) to the control device (3). Configuration arrangement comprising the control device (3) according to claim 7 and the configuration device (9) according to claim 8.

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