Vehicle Electrical Domain Emulation With Conductive Body Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing test systems fail to adequately replicate the electromagnetic coupling effects between high-voltage and other electrical domains of a vehicle, particularly due to alternating current components in high-voltage cables, which affect vehicle body and other systems, and are difficult to model accurately.
Innovation Solution
A test system comprising emulator modules and a conductive body substitution device that mimics the electrical and magnetic conductivities of a vehicle body, along with model-based control for emulator modules, to simulate the interactions between different electrical domains, allowing for realistic emulation without requiring a complete vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a complete vehicle or essential parts of the vehicle are physically present in the test system, then the electromagnetic coupling effects can be more accurately replicated, but the device complexity and test setup time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the vehicle body with equivalent electromagnetic properties (conductivity, geometry) to replicate coupling effects. Instead of using the complete vehicle, a representative model with matched electrical and magnetic conductivities is employed to simulate the electromagnetic environment, achieving accurate coupling simulation without the complexity of a full vehicle setup
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts the electrical and magnetic conductivity parameters of the simplified body model to match those of the actual vehicle body. By carefully selecting materials and geometric dimensions that replicate the original vehicle's electromagnetic characteristics, the system achieves accurate coupling effect simulation while maintaining a simple, manageable test setup
2Productivity
If emulator modules with model-based control are used to simulate electrical components, then the test system becomes more flexible and faster, but the ability to accurately model alternating current coupling effects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the simplified conductive body model as an intermediary element that physically mediates the electromagnetic coupling between high-voltage and low-voltage domains. This intermediary structure enables alternating current coupling effects to occur naturally through electromagnetic induction in the conductive material, while the emulator modules handle the control and simulation aspects, combining the benefits of both approaches
3Productivity
If multiple electrical domains are tested simultaneously in a simplified setup, then productivity increases, but interference between domains and measurement accuracy decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the electrical system into distinct domains (high-voltage, low-voltage, thermal, signaling) that can be independently controlled and measured. The simplified conductive body model provides a unified electromagnetic environment that naturally couples these segmented domains, allowing simultaneous testing while maintaining the ability to isolate and measure individual domain behaviors through the structured emulator module architecture
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 more accurate and efficient simulation of electromagnetic interactions between vehicle electrical domains, facilitating faster and more complex test runs with reduced interference, and eliminating the need for physical vehicle components.
Implementation Method 1
the electric drive is connected to a battery via a high-voltage cable. Such a high-voltage power supply via high-voltage cables leads to the coupling of currents and voltages into conductive elements of the vehicle located near the cables due to the alternating current components in these cables
Implementation Method 2
a first emulator module (20a) for emulating an electrical component of a first electrical domain, and a second emulator module (20b) for emulating a second electrical component that is assigned to the first electrical domain or to a second electrical domain
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a testing system (10) for carrying out a test operation and for detecting an operating behaviour of at least one electrical domain of a vehicle with a body, having: a voltage source, which has in particular a DC link (14) connected to a power grid (12), a first emulator module (20a) for emulating an electrical component of a first electrical domain, wherein the first electrical component is an actuator and/or a sensor, and a second emulator module (20b) for emulating a second electrical component, which is associated with the first electrical domain or a second electrical domain, wherein the second electrical component is an actuator and/or a sensor and wherein the emulator modules (20a-g) are connected to the voltage source and in each case comprise a transformer with model-based control for emulating the electrical component. The invention is characterised by: a conductive vehicle body substitution device (24), which is set up to accommodate a test specimen (22) connectable to the emulator modules, wherein the electrical and/or magnetic conductivity of the vehicle body substitution device (24) simulates the electrical and/or magnetic conductivity of the body of the vehicle.