Dual-Battery Switching Layout for Multi-Area Power Redundancy

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing power supply systems for vehicles require multiple batteries per area, leading to increased space, weight, and costs, while also posing challenges in stabilizing power supply voltages and achieving redundancy.

Innovation Solution

A power supply system that utilizes a main battery and a sub-battery, with switching boxes to control power distribution across multiple areas, allowing for the switching on and off of power supply sections to stabilize voltages and achieve redundancy without the need for a battery in each area, thereby reducing costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a battery is arranged in each subsystem to stabilize power supply voltage and achieve redundancy, then power supply stability and redundancy are improved, but system cost, weight, and space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower supply stabilityVSAvoidsystem cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the power supply functions by having multiple subsystems share common power supply sections (main battery and sub-battery) instead of each subsystem having its own battery. The switching sections enable dynamic allocation of power from shared sources to multiple subsystems, achieving redundancy and stability without duplicating battery units across all subsystems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The main battery and sub-battery serve multiple subsystems simultaneously, making the power supply sections universal resources. The switching sections provide multi-functional control by dynamically connecting power sources to different subsystems based on operational needs, enabling a single power supply infrastructure to support diverse power requirements across the vehicle system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If a battery is arranged in each subsystem to stabilize power supply voltage and achieve redundancy, then power supply stability and redundancy are improved, but system weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveredundancyVSAvoidsystem weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the power supply functions by having multiple subsystems share common power supply sections (main battery and sub-battery) instead of each subsystem having its own battery. The switching sections enable dynamic allocation of power from shared sources to multiple subsystems, achieving redundancy and stability without duplicating battery units across all subsystems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If a battery is arranged in each subsystem to stabilize power supply voltage and achieve redundancy, then power supply stability and redundancy are improved, but fuel efficiency decreases due to increased weight

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower supply stabilityVSAvoidfuel efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the power supply functions by having multiple subsystems share common power supply sections (main battery and sub-battery) instead of each subsystem having its own battery. The switching sections enable dynamic allocation of power from shared sources to multiple subsystems, achieving redundancy and stability without duplicating battery units across all subsystems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Adaptability or versatility

If switching sections are introduced to enable flexible power distribution, then power supply flexibility and cost are improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower distribution flexibilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the power supply system into distinct functional modules: power supply sections (main battery, sub-battery), switching sections (with individual switches for each subsystem), and subsystems. This modular segmentation allows independent control and management of each component while maintaining overall system flexibility, making the complexity manageable through structured organization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The switching sections provide dynamic control capabilities, allowing the system to adapt power distribution in real-time based on operational requirements. Each switch can be independently controlled to connect or disconnect subsystems from power sources, enabling flexible reconfiguration of the power architecture without requiring physical reconfiguration of the system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4084252B1Power supply system
Publication Date: 2023.10.11 YAZAKI CORP
  • EP4084252B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4084252B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4084252B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(c)

AI summary

An objective of the present invention is to provide a power supply system which enables stabilization of power supply voltages of multiple areas and/or redundancy to be achieved with low costs. A power supply system 1 includes a main battery MB for providing power and a sub-battery SB which is separate from the main battery MB and provides power. The power supply system 1 further includes switching boxes SW1 to SW4 in first to fourth areas Al to A4 as a plurality of power supply areas configured to be supplied with power from the main battery MB and sub-battery SB, the switching boxes SW1 to SW4 switching on/off states of power supplies into the first to fourth areas Al to A4 from the main battery MB and from the sub-battery SB. Furthermore, the power supply system 1 includes a control section 6 for switching control of the on/off states for the switching boxes SW1 to SW4.