Dual DC Converter Coordination for Stable Vehicle Low-Voltage Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicles face instability and safety issues in their low-voltage networks due to rapid load fluctuations, particularly during critical driving conditions, which can lead to oscillations and insufficient power supply to essential components like steering and brakes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a direct, fast communication connection between the hardware regulators of DC voltage converters, allowing them to share regulating information with minimal latency, thereby synchronizing their operations to stabilize the low-voltage network and prevent oscillations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two DC voltage converters are used to provide redundancy and improve safety, then reliability is improved, but oscillations occur in the low-voltage network due to conflicting regulating attempts from different locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where regulating information from one DC voltage converter is transmitted to the other via a communication connection. The receiving converter uses this information to adapt its regulating operation, creating a coordinated feedback loop that prevents oscillations while maintaining redundancy for improved reliability.
2Speed
If the two DC voltage converters operate independently to respond quickly to load changes, then response speed is improved, but oscillations and instability occur in the network
Solution Approach 1:
The communication connection between the two converters creates a feedback mechanism that allows each converter to sense the other's regulating actions. This enables fast response to load changes while preventing oscillations through coordinated control based on real-time information exchange.
3Reliability
If the DC voltage converters are physically separated to improve safety in accidents, then fault safety is improved, but coordinating their regulating operations becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The communication connection acts as an intermediary between the two physically separated DC voltage converters. It transmits regulating information between them, enabling coordinated control operations despite their physical separation, thus maintaining fault safety while simplifying regulation coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle includes a first voltage network and a second voltage network, an operating voltage of the second voltage network being lower than an operating voltage of the voltage network, and two DC voltage converters connecting the second voltage network to the first voltage network, each of the DC voltage converters including a hardware regulator that regulates the operating voltage of the second voltage network, the DC voltage converters being physically separated in the motor vehicle, the hardware regulators of the DC voltage converters being connected via a communication connection having at least one communication line, a first one of the hardware regulators, in operation, sends regulating information via the communication connection to a second one of the hardware regulators, and the second one of the hardware regulators, in operation, performs a regulating operation based on the regulating information sent by the first one of the hardware regulators.