Airbag Control Unit Voltage Dip Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airbag control systems in motor vehicles fail to reliably prevent re-activation of the high-voltage battery during prolonged voltage dips, as the storage process in the high-voltage control device may not be completed before power resumes, potentially leading to unintended re-activation.
Innovation Solution
The airbag control device employs a non-volatile memory to store actuation signals and status signals, ensuring that the actuation signal is transmitted again if the status signal is still set upon power-up, and the contactors are only closed if the actuation signal was previously generated and stored, thereby preventing re-activation of the high-voltage battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the airbag control device maintains actuation signal for holding time during voltage supply failure, then airbag firing reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to auxiliary voltage source and timing mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of maintaining actuation signals during voltage dips and preventing re-activation after power restoration into a single integrated control device. The airbag control device combines the holding function (using auxiliary voltage source) with the status signal generation and transmission functions, eliminating the need for separate control devices and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If the status signal is stored in non-volatile memory with storage time longer than holding time, then re-activation prevention is improved, but unnecessary re-transmission of actuation signal occurs when high-voltage control device already stored the event
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements feedback by having the airbag control device monitor whether the high-voltage control device has already stored the actuation event before re-transmitting the actuation signal. The status signal in non-volatile memory serves as feedback information that allows the system to determine whether re-transmission is necessary, thus preventing unnecessary signal transmissions while maintaining reliable re-activation prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag control device, wherein the airbag control device generates at least one actuation signal for an actuation time as a function of at least one sensor signal, wherein the airbag control device can maintain the at least one actuation signal for a holding time, wherein the airbag control device has at least one non-volatile memory in which the generation of the at least one actuation signal can be stored, wherein the airbag control device, when the at least one actuation signal is generated, stores a status signal in the at least one non-volatile memory or in a further non-volatile memory, wherein the status signal is deleted again if the at least one actuation signal was generated for longer than a storage time. Also disclosed is a voltage network in a motor vehicle and to a method for actuating a voltage network.