Standard Vehicle Controller Architecture for Wiring Harness Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems face inefficiencies due to optimized circuit designs that are inflexible, requiring significant development time and cost for changes in signal inputs and outputs, and result in lengthy and heavy wiring harnesses due to separate controller structures and non-shared signals.
Innovation Solution
A standard controller system with a three-layer structure comprising standard controllers, a gateway controller, and a central computer, allowing components to be added or changed via software updates, with signal classification and standardized interfaces for efficient communication and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If optimized circuit design is used for each controller, then material cost is reduced, but development time and cost increase significantly when signal inputs/outputs need to be changed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a standardized controller platform that can be universally applied across different vehicle components. The controller uses a common hardware architecture and standardized signal interfaces (such as standardized pin assignments and communication protocols) that allow the same controller design to serve multiple functions and components. This universality enables rapid deployment without requiring new development for each component, thus reducing development time while maintaining material cost efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs configurable parameters within the standardized controller to adapt to different signal requirements. By changing software parameters, signal mappings, and configuration settings rather than hardware design, the system can accommodate different signal inputs and outputs without requiring physical redesign. This parameter-based adaptability significantly reduces development time when signal specifications need to be modified.
2Reliability
If separate controller structures are used for different functions, then each controller is optimized for its specific function, but wiring harness length and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple separate controllers into a unified standardized controller platform. By merging the hardware architecture, power supply systems, and communication interfaces into a common structure, the system reduces the overall number of controllers needed. This consolidation eliminates redundant wiring between separate controllers and reduces the total length and weight of the wiring harness while maintaining functional optimization through software configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a standardized communication interface and signal routing layer that acts as an intermediary between components and the controller. This standardized interface layer enables efficient signal transmission with minimal wiring requirements, replacing the need for extensive point-to-point wiring that would be required between separate controllers. The intermediary layer manages signal routing centrally, reducing wiring harness complexity and weight.
3Reliability
If separate controller structures are used for different functions, then each controller is specialized, but the system becomes inflexible and requires new controller development for changes
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized controller platform is designed to be universally applicable across different vehicle functions and components. The same hardware platform can be configured to control different components through software parameter changes, signal mapping adjustments, and configuration file modifications. This universal design provides both functional specialization (through configuration) and system flexibility (through reconfigurability), eliminating the need for new controller development when changes are required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic and reconfigurable controller system where signal assignments, communication protocols, and control parameters can be changed without hardware modifications. The controller uses configurable registers, programmable logic, and software-defined signal mappings that allow the system to adapt to different functional requirements dynamically. This dynamic capability maintains functional specialization while providing high adaptability to system changes.
4Reliability
If direct wire connections are used for signal transmission between controllers, then signal transmission is reliable, but wiring harness length and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces extensive mechanical wire connections with standardized communication buses and digital communication protocols. Instead of using point-to-point wire connections between controllers and components, the system employs standardized communication interfaces (such as CAN bus, LIN bus, or other digital communication protocols) that transmit signals efficiently over shorter distances. This substitution maintains signal transmission reliability through error checking and protocol validation while dramatically reducing wiring harness length and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple signal transmission paths into a single standardized communication bus. By combining multiple individual wire connections into a shared communication medium, the system reduces the total length and weight of the wiring harness. The standardized bus provides reliable signal transmission for multiple signals simultaneously, replacing the need for separate dedicated wires for each signal while maintaining transmission integrity through protocol-level error detection and correction.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a control system of a device having mobility, the control system including at least one standard controller installed in one of a plurality of areas in the device and configured to detect an input for a function related to a component to the standard controller, generate and transmit an input control signal corresponding to the detected input, detect an output control signal corresponding to an output for the function related to the component, and perform control corresponding to the output control signal, wherein the standard controller may include a processor having a register mapping and driving control unit configured to perform a configuration of a register of a high current driver, a low current driver or a switch detector according to a configured signal database and the configuration of the register is performed for the function.