Auxiliary Power Supply Control for Steering ECU Stop Coordination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing power supply systems for electric power steering systems in vehicles face challenges in preventing unexpected situations where one control unit continues to operate when it should stop, or stops when it should not, due to inadequate communication and status correlation between the system control unit and the auxiliary power supply control unit.
Innovation Solution
A power supply system is configured to allow information exchange between the system control unit and the auxiliary power supply control unit, enabling them to determine each other's operation status based on the main power supply's status and external information, and to adjust their operations accordingly, with a selection circuit selecting the higher voltage power source to ensure reliable power delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system control unit and auxiliary-power-supply control unit operate independently without information exchange, then each control unit can function autonomously, but unexpected situations occur where one control unit operates continuously when it should stop or stops when it should not
Solution Approach 1:
The control units are configured to output information indicating their operation status to each other. When a control unit stops operation, it outputs a stop signal that the other control unit receives and processes. This feedback mechanism ensures that control units do not fall into unexpected situations where they operate continuously when they should stop or vice versa, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If the auxiliary power supply continuously provides assistance, then the system control unit can maintain operation during main power supply failure, but the auxiliary power supply may operate when it should stop based on system requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary-power-supply control unit receives operation status information from the system control unit. Based on this feedback, the auxiliary power supply only provides assistance when the system control unit is operating and needs power support. When the system control unit stops operation, the auxiliary power supply also stops, preventing unnecessary energy consumption while ensuring power continuity when needed.
3Loss of energy
If the system control unit stops operation based on main power supply status, then power consumption is reduced, but the auxiliary power supply may continue operating causing unexpected situations
Solution Approach 1:
When the system control unit stops operation, it outputs a stop signal to the auxiliary-power-supply control unit. The auxiliary power supply control unit receives this feedback and stops its operation accordingly. This coordinated stop mechanism ensures that when the system control unit stops to reduce power consumption, the auxiliary power supply also stops to prevent unexpected situations, maintaining reliability while managing energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply system includes a system control unit, an auxiliary power supply, and an auxiliary-power-supply control unit. The system control unit and the auxiliary-power-supply control unit are configured such that information of at least one control unit of the system control unit and the auxiliary-power-supply control unit is able to be output to another control unit of the system control unit and the auxiliary-power-supply control unit. The at least one control unit is configured to output information indicating that an operation of the at least one control unit is stopped to the other control unit when the at least one control unit stops the operation of the at least one control unit.