Relay Device for Vehicle Power Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power supply systems for vehicles with dual batteries face increased complexity and part count due to the need for additional relays to maintain power supply continuity during main battery failures, making it difficult to avoid power interruptions for critical loads.
Innovation Solution
A relay device with a simpler configuration that includes a switch, first and second relays to manage power paths from both the main and sub-batteries, and a controller that detects abnormalities and adjusts the sub-battery relays to mirror the pre-failure state of the main battery's relays, ensuring continuous power supply to specific loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dual power supply system with separate ACC relays and IG relays is used on the sub-battery side, then power supply continuity to specific loads is ensured during main battery failures, but the number of relays and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by using a single IG relay and a single ACC relay on the sub-battery side that mirror the functionality of the main battery's relays. Instead of duplicating the entire relay structure, the sub-battery relays are configured to copy the switching states of the main battery relays, thereby ensuring power supply continuity while reducing the total number of relays required in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing the sub-battery's IG relay and ACC relay to serve dual purposes: they control power distribution from the sub-battery during normal operation and automatically mirror the main battery's relay states during failure conditions. This universal design allows the same relays to perform both primary control and backup mirroring functions, eliminating the need for separate dedicated relays for each function.
2Reliability
If additional relays are added to the sub-battery side to maintain power supply state reflection, then power supply continuity is improved, but the scale of the electrical power system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces the quantity of parts by implementing a copying mechanism where the sub-battery's IG relay and ACC relay replicate the operational states of the main battery's relays. This approach ensures that the power supply configuration is maintained during failures without requiring additional relays or components, thereby keeping the total number of parts minimal while achieving the desired reliability.
3Device complexity
If the sub-battery relays are configured to mirror main battery relay states, then system complexity is reduced, but the control logic for detecting and responding to abnormalities must be precise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms through the controller that continuously monitors the operational states of the main battery's IG relay and ACC relay. When abnormalities such as voltage drops or failures are detected, the controller receives feedback signals and automatically adjusts the sub-battery relays to mirror the appropriate relay states, ensuring continuous power supply to specific loads while maintaining simple hardware configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A relay device includes a switch that switches a power line, serving as a path for power supplied from a first power storage device to a plurality of loads, between an electrified state and a non-electrified state; a first relay that switches a first conductive path, serving as a path from the switch to at least one specific load, between an electrified state and a non-electrified state; a second relay that switches a second conductive path, serving as a path between a second power storage device and the at least one specific load, between an electrified state and a non-electrified state; and a controller. When an abnormality has been detected by an abnormality detector, the controller causes the second relay to operate in a manner corresponding to the operation of the first relay that was being performed before detection of the abnormality.