Vehicle Relay Current Sensing After Transient Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing designs for electric wires and drive circuit elements in vehicles lack precision and stability in determining the actual current consumed by loads due to temperature dependency and manufacturing variance, necessitating a more accurate method for current acquisition.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system comprising an electric power source, a load, a relay, and a processor that controls the relay to a conductive state, waits for a predetermined time to stabilize current and voltage measurements before acquiring and transmitting these values, along with environmental temperature, to external systems for precise and stable current consumption data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If current and voltage measurements are taken immediately after relay conduction, then response time is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to transient current variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by waiting for a predetermined time period after relay conduction before acquiring current and voltage measurements. This preliminary waiting period allows transient current variations to subside, ensuring that measurements are taken when the current has stabilized, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring immediate measurement that would capture unstable transient values.
2Reliability
If design is performed with high safety factor considering temperature dependency and manufacturing variance, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to larger margins
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by acquiring actual current consumption values from the load and transmitting them to external devices. These measured values provide real-world feedback that can be used to refine design parameters, allowing designers to base safety factors on actual measured data rather than relying solely on conservative theoretical margins, thereby potentially reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by measuring actual current consumption under different operating conditions and associating these measurements with environmental temperatures. This parameter-based approach allows for more precise design optimization, where safety factors can be adjusted based on actual measured current values rather than using fixed conservative margins, balancing reliability with manufacturing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes an electric power source, a load configured to be supplied electric power from the electric power source, a relay provided between the electric power source and the load, and a processor. The processor is configured to control the relay to a conductive state based on a predetermined drive instruction. The processor is configured to acquire a value of current flowing through the relay and a value of voltage applied to the relay after a predetermined amount of time elapses following conduction of the relay based on the drive instruction. The processor is configured to transmit the value of the current and the value of the voltage that are acquired to an external of the vehicle.