Relay Pulse Timing Control to Suppress Power Supply Ripple
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Solution Overview
Problem
When multiple relays are turned on and off simultaneously, the current supplied increases in proportion to the number of relays, leading to undesirable ripple in the power supply due to increased charging and discharging.
Innovation Solution
A control device and method that acquires the number of relays with identical specifications and outputs a pulse current at shifted timings, determining the difference in output timing between adjacent relays based on the duty ratio and number of relays, to suppress power supply ripple.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple relays are turned on and off simultaneously, then the relays can be controlled efficiently with simple timing, but the current supplied increases in proportion to the number of relays causing power supply ripple
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by dividing the relay control into sequential time periods. Instead of simultaneous switching, each relay is activated at different time intervals within a control cycle. The control unit generates pulse signals with different duty ratios for each relay based on their required operation times, creating a periodic switching pattern that distributes current demand over time and reduces power supply ripple while maintaining effective relay control.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If pulse current is output to multiple relays at shifted timings, then power supply ripple is suppressed, but the control complexity increases due to timing determination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the duty ratio parameter for each relay based on its required operation time. The control unit determines different duty ratios (Ton/Toff) for each relay coil, transforming the control approach from fixed simultaneous switching to flexible parameter-based sequential switching. This parameter adaptation allows the system to suppress power supply ripple while maintaining relatively simple control logic through standardized pulse generation with varying duty cycles.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control device includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire the number of relays to be driven having an identical specification; and an output unit configured to output a pulse current to a plurality of relays to be driven, at shifted output timings in a case where the number of relays acquired by the acquisition unit is plural. The output unit is configured to determine a difference in output timing of the pulse current between relays adjacent in an order of output of the pulse current based on a duty ratio of the pulse current and the number of relays acquired by the acquisition unit.