Power Source IC Startup Diagnosis for Safety Signal Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of modern automobile control systems increases the risk of malfunction, and existing technologies are inadequate for reliable abnormality detection of safety control signals beyond power source outputs, posing a safety risk to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Innovation Solution
An electronic control device comprising a microcomputer and a power source IC with a monitoring circuit, safety processing circuit, and diagnosis circuit that diagnoses safety control signal fixation failures before the microcomputer is activated, by sequentially activating internal power sources and safety control signals to detect abnormalities based on signal states before and after activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the microcomputer is activated first to perform system initialization, then the system can start normal operation, but the safety control signal may already have fixation failures that cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by reversing the traditional startup sequence: the power source IC is activated first to initialize internal power sources and safety control signals, performing safety diagnostics before the microcomputer starts. This allows fixation failures in safety control signals to be detected before normal operation begins, ensuring reliability without sacrificing productivity.
2Device complexity
If the power source IC activates all internal power sources simultaneously, then the startup process is simple and fast, but it is impossible to diagnose fixation failures of individual safety control signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the power source activation into sequential steps: first activating internal power sources individually, then activating safety control signals one by one. This segmented approach allows the diagnosis circuit to compare signal states before and after each activation, enabling precise detection of fixation failures in individual safety control signals while maintaining manageable system complexity.
3Reliability
If the safety control signal is activated before the internal power source is ready, then the system can detect power-related abnormalities, but it may cause false fixation failure diagnoses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by ensuring that each internal power source is fully activated and stabilized before the corresponding safety control signal is activated. The diagnosis circuit compares the signal state after power source activation with the state after safety control signal activation, allowing true fixation failures to be distinguished from transient power-related abnormalities, thereby maintaining both reliability and diagnostic accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an electronic control device in which a microcomputer and a power source IC are mounted, the electronic control device having high reliability and being capable of performing fixation diagnosis of a safety control signal of the power source IC before activation of the microcomputer. The electronic control device includes a microcomputer, and a power source IC that communicates with the microcomputer. The power source IC includes a monitoring circuit that monitors the microcomputer, a safety processing circuit that outputs a safety control signal when the monitoring circuit determines an occurrence of an abnormality in the microcomputer, and a diagnosis circuit that diagnoses whether or not the safety control signal has a fixation failure. The diagnosis circuit detects whether or not the fixation failure has occurred, based on states of the safety control signal before and after the safety control signal is activated after activation of a power source.