Vehicle Power Flow Analysis for Fault Distinction

Solution Overview

Problem

Electric vehicles face challenges in distinguishing between internal faults and external forces causing unexpected acceleration, which is crucial for appropriate control measures to prevent unnecessary system shutdowns or unsafe operations.

Innovation Solution

A method analyzing vehicle parameters, specifically the magnitude and direction of acceleration changes, to differentiate between internal faults and external forces, allowing the control unit to take appropriate measures such as shutdown or continued operation based on the scenario detected.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the control system shuts down the propulsion system upon detecting unexpected acceleration, then safety is improved by preventing unsafe operation, but false shutdowns occur during external force events like collisions

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesafetyVSAvoidfalse shutdowns

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control system segments the unexpected acceleration event into two distinct evaluation dimensions: magnitude of acceleration change and direction of acceleration change. By dividing the detection logic into these separate components, the system can differentiate between internal faults (which typically produce specific magnitude-direction patterns) and external forces (which produce different patterns), thereby reducing false shutdowns while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of shutting down the propulsion system upon detecting unexpected acceleration (traditional approach), the patent inverts the logic by evaluating both magnitude and direction to determine whether shutdown is necessary. This inversion allows the system to distinguish between harmful internal faults requiring shutdown and benign external forces not requiring shutdown, eliminating false positives while maintaining protective shutdown capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If the control system continues operation upon detecting unexpected acceleration, then false shutdowns are reduced, but unsafe operation may occur if the acceleration is due to an internal fault

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefalse shutdownsVSAvoidsafety

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control system segments the unexpected acceleration event into two distinct evaluation dimensions: magnitude of acceleration change and direction of acceleration change. By dividing the detection logic into these separate components, the system can differentiate between internal faults (which typically produce specific magnitude-direction patterns) and external forces (which produce different patterns), thereby reducing false shutdowns while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The control system implements feedback by continuously monitoring acceleration magnitude and direction, comparing these parameters against expected ranges, and adjusting the shutdown decision based on this feedback loop. This allows the system to make informed decisions about whether to shutdown or continue operation, rather than using a simple threshold-based approach that causes false positives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If the system uses only magnitude of acceleration change for fault detection, then the detection process is simple, but the system cannot accurately distinguish between internal faults and external forces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection processVSAvoidfault distinction accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The control system segments the unexpected acceleration event into two distinct evaluation dimensions: magnitude of acceleration change and direction of acceleration change. By dividing the detection logic into these separate components, the system can differentiate between internal faults (which typically produce specific magnitude-direction patterns) and external forces (which produce different patterns), thereby reducing false shutdowns while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from one-dimensional acceleration magnitude detection to two-dimensional detection by incorporating direction of acceleration change as an additional evaluation dimension. This dimensional expansion enables the system to accurately distinguish between internal faults and external forces, as different failure modes produce distinct patterns in the magnitude-direction parameter space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS10005363B1Vehicle power flow analysis to distinguish between internal faults and external forces

Publication Date: 2018.06.26 GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC

AI summary

A method of analyzing vehicle parameters to distinguish between whether an unexpected vehicle acceleration is due to an internal fault or external forces. The method uses a magnitude and direction of a change in acceleration for evaluating whether the unexpected acceleration is due to a potential system fault scenario or a potential crash scenario.