Semiconductor Device Abnormality Detection Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic control units in vehicles face challenges in detecting abnormalities, such as short-circuits, in a timely manner, which can lead to increased weight and cost due to the need for thicker wire harnesses to ensure durability, affecting fuel economy and component reliability.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with two chips on a single package, including a power-supply transistor, driver circuit, current detecting resistor, abnormality detection circuit, and current generation circuit, allows for early detection of abnormalities by generating sense and fault currents, and a micro-controller chip for digital signal processing to determine abnormality presence based on stored reference values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wire harness is made thicker to ensure durability and safety margin for abnormality detection time, then the reliability and durability are improved, but the total weight of the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by detecting abnormalities before they cause damage through a current detection circuit that continuously monitors load current. The control unit detects short-circuits or ground shorts in advance, allowing protective operations to be executed before the wire harness requires excessive thickness for safety margins, thereby reducing vehicle weight while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of using thicker wire harnesses for durability with an electrical detection system. Instead of relying on physical robustness (mechanical solution), the system uses electrical current monitoring and electronic control to detect and respond to abnormalities, achieving the same reliability goal with lighter components
2Reliability
If thicker wire harnesses are used to provide sufficient durability margin, then the safety and reliability are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary detection of abnormalities through the current detection circuit before damage occurs. This allows the system to use standard-thickness wire harnesses with adequate safety margins, reducing material costs and manufacturing expenses while maintaining reliability through early anomaly detection and protective operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes expensive, thick wire harnesses with a more cost-effective electrical detection and control system. The current detection circuit and control unit provide reliability assurance at lower manufacturing cost compared to using oversized wire harnesses, making the overall system more economically viable
3Measurement precision
If the abnormality detection takes more time to ensure accuracy, then the measurement precision is improved, but the response speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an electrical current detection circuit with high-speed electronic sensors and a microcontroller-based control unit to detect abnormalities. This electronic system provides both high precision in detecting current anomalies and fast response speed, overcoming the trade-off between measurement precision and detection speed that would exist in mechanical or slower electronic systems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables early detection of abnormalities, reducing the need for thicker wire harnesses, thereby minimizing weight and cost while improving component reliability and fuel efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a current detecting resistor for outputting a voltage in accordance with a flowing current
Implementation Method 2
a first analog-digital conversion circuit that converts an analog signal to be input to the second terminal so as to be connected with the first terminal to a first digital signal
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes first and second semiconductor chips mounted on one package. In the first semiconductor chip, a current generation circuit generates a sense current in accordance with a load current and a fault current indicating that an abnormality detection circuit has detected an abnormality, and allows either one of the currents to flow through a current detecting resistor in accordance with presence or absence of detection of the abnormality. In the second semiconductor chip, a storage circuit stores a current value of the fault current obtained in an inspection process of the semiconductor device as a determination reference value. An arithmetic processing circuit sets a standard range based on the determination reference value, and determines presence or absence of detection of the abnormality based on whether or not a current value indicated by a digital signal of an analog-digital conversion circuit is included within the standard range.