Control Device ID Assignment via Potential Setting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control systems for vehicles face challenges in efficiently identifying and configuring electronic control units, leading to increased component and manufacturing costs, prolonged system startup times, and potential malfunctions due to incorrect ID assignment and component type uncertainties.
Innovation Solution
A control device with input ports set to reference potentials, an ID specifying unit that determines identification information based on port potentials, and a storage unit that allows ID re-determination to prevent malfunctions and facilitate flexible ID assignment, enabling commonized configurations and reduced startup times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a resistor is incorporated in each slave device to detect DC voltage for identifier specification, then the slave device can specify its identifier, but component costs and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identifier specification function from the slave device itself and relocates it to the master control unit. The master control unit now performs the identifier assignment by controlling ground voltage timing, while slave devices simply measure time to determine their identifiers. This eliminates the need for resistors in each slave device, reducing component costs and manufacturing complexity while maintaining identifier specification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The master control unit is given the universal function of both controlling the system and assigning identifiers to slave devices. By using the existing communication line and ground voltage control capabilities of the master control unit, the system achieves identifier specification without adding dedicated components to slave devices, thereby reducing overall system cost.
2Ease of manufacture
If an electronic control device assigns node ID to vehicle components by setting sensor line to ground voltage, then node ID can be assigned, but the system requires prolonged time to achieve correct operation state
Solution Approach 1:
The master control unit performs identifier assignment to all slave devices before the system begins normal operation. By completing the identifier specification process in advance during system initialization, the patent ensures that all communication and control operations can proceed immediately without delays for identifier determination, thus reducing overall system startup time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a streamlined identifier assignment process where the master control unit rapidly cycles through ground voltage timing control to assign identifiers to multiple slave devices in sequence. This rushed-through approach completes the identifier specification quickly, minimizing the time the system spends in configuration mode before achieving correct operational state.
3Adaptability or versatility
If vehicle components are bus-connected via common communication line without pre-assigned identifiers, then component types cannot be identified in initial state, but signal collision occurs on communication line
Solution Approach 1:
The master control unit performs preliminary identifier assignment to all slave devices before enabling normal communication on the common communication line. By pre-establishing unique identifiers for each device, the system prevents signal collision and ensures reliable communication while maintaining the flexibility of bus-connected architecture without pre-assigned identifiers.
Data Source
AI summary
A control device includes a plurality of input ports to which electrical components are connected, a potential setting unit that sets the plurality of input ports to have any one of a first reference potential and a second reference potential different from the first reference potential, an ID specifying unit that specifies identification information of the control device based on a combination of electric potentials of the plurality of input ports, a storage unit that stores the specified identification information, and a control unit that controls the electrical component based on the specified identification information. In the control device, in a given case, the ID specifying unit prohibits the identification information specified at the start of the control device from being written into the storage unit for a prescribed time, and specifies the identification information again after the prescribed time and writes it into the storage unit.