Bus System With Slave-as-Master Control for Climate Subsystems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bus systems for motor vehicle climate control, such as those using LIN bus systems, are complex and costly due to the need for additional control units and increased complexity, especially when integrating seat heating and ventilation systems, leading to inefficiencies and higher production costs.
Innovation Solution
A bus system with a single master component and multiple slave components, where at least one slave component can autonomously issue control signals, reducing the complexity and cost by allowing slave components to temporarily function as masters, thereby simplifying the control architecture and eliminating the need for additional control units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additional control units are added for seat heating and ventilation, then the control functionality is comprehensive, but the production costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions for seat heating and ventilation into a single integrated control architecture. The slave component for seat heating is equipped with control logic that can manage both heating elements and ventilation fans, eliminating the need for separate control units and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The slave component is designed with multi-functionality, capable of performing both heating control and ventilation control functions. This universal approach allows a single component to handle multiple climate control tasks, reducing the number of required control units and simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If slave components autonomously determine set-point parameters, then the control flexibility is improved, but the communication protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by enabling autonomous parameter determination at the slave component level for specific functions. Each slave component can independently determine set-point operating parameters for its associated actuators based on local sensor feedback, providing control flexibility without requiring complex centralized communication protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
A bus system is disclosed which comprises a plurality of electrical and/or electronic components coupled to one another in terms of signaling via at least one bus line, said components including at least one master component and at least two slave components. At least one of the slave components functions as a master for one or a plurality of the further slave components for at least one operating parameter. There is additionally disclosed a method for controlling such a bus system comprising a plurality of electrical or electronic components coupled to one another in terms of signalling via at least one bus line, wherein at least one of the slave components operates as a master for one or a plurality of the further slave components for at least one operating parameter.