Vehicle Pressure Control Device Current Budget Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle systems lack efficient energy management, leading to limited functionality and increased fuel consumption, as they rely on fixed voltage limits and switch off functions when energy is insufficient, especially in autonomous driving scenarios where driver intervention is not possible.
Innovation Solution
A method for operating a pressure control device in vehicles that determines the maximum current required for actuators and implements intelligent current budget management, allowing for optimal energy distribution and prioritization of safety functions, even with reduced power, by calculating and redistributing energy among actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If fixed voltage limit values are used to switch off functions when energy is insufficient, then energy consumption is reduced, but functionality is limited and resources are not fully exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic current budget management that continuously monitors available energy and adjusts actuator operation in real-time. Instead of fixed voltage limits, the system dynamically allocates current budgets to different actuators based on priority levels and available energy, allowing functions to adapt their operation rather than simply switching off. This enables the system to maintain functionality across a wider range of energy conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by implementing hierarchical priority levels for different actuators and functions. When energy becomes limited, the controller redistributes current budgets according to predefined priority schemes, allowing critical safety functions to maintain full operation while non-critical functions reduce power consumption. This parameter-based approach enables gradual scaling of functionality rather than abrupt on/off transitions.
2Loss of energy
If functions are switched off when voltage supply is insufficient, then energy consumption is controlled, but available energy is not fully utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by allowing actuators to operate at reduced power levels rather than completely switching them off. The current budget management system allocates partial current budgets to lower-priority actuators when energy is limited, enabling them to perform reduced-function operations. This partial operation approach extracts maximum useful work from available energy before complete shutdown becomes necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuity of useful action by implementing hierarchical priority management that ensures critical functions continue operating even when non-critical functions are reduced or suspended. The current budget is continuously redistributed based on available energy and priority levels, maintaining uninterrupted operation of safety-critical actuators while allowing optional actuators to scale back their activity smoothly.
3Reliability
If driver intervention is available for monitoring during braking operations, then safety can be maintained with reduced energy, but in autonomous driving this monitoring element is unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining hierarchical priority levels for different actuators and functions before energy limitations occur. The system is configured in advance with knowledge of which functions are safety-critical and require guaranteed operation. When energy becomes limited, this pre-established hierarchy immediately guides current budget redistribution, ensuring safety functions receive priority allocation without requiring real-time driver assessment or intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring available current budget and actual energy consumption of each actuator. The controller continuously adjusts current allocations based on feedback from energy state sensors and actuator performance monitors. This closed-loop feedback ensures that safety-critical functions maintain adequate power supply even as overall energy availability fluctuates, compensating for the absence of driver monitoring through automated real-time adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a pressure control device in a vehicle, in particular in a motor vehicle, wherein current is supplied by an energy source of the vehicle for operating the pressure control device, as a result of which the pressure control device carries out at least one pressure control function, for which at least two actuators of the pressure control device are actuated, wherein at least one current required at maximum for actuating the actuator is determined for each actuator and current budget management for actuating the actuators and/or for carrying out the pressure control functions is performed by the determined currents required at maximum. In addition, the invention relates to a pressure control device for carrying out the method.