Vehicle Occupant Protection Voltage Regulator with Selective Deactivation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occupant protection systems in vehicles lack the ability to deactivate individual voltage regulators, leading to unnecessary component connections and potential fluctuations in output voltages, which can affect system robustness and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
An integrated regulator with a configuration circuit that evaluates a configuration signal to deactivate or activate voltage regulators, allowing for selective deactivation of regulators not required in the system, thereby reducing unnecessary connections and stabilizing output voltages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all voltage regulators are kept active and connected to external components, then the monitoring function and reset signal generation are ensured, but component costs increase and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of voltage regulators through a configuration pin that allows the regulator to switch between active and deactivated states. The deactivation is achieved by controlling the trigger circuit, which prevents the regulating element from generating output signals when deactivated. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements, reducing component connections and costs while maintaining reliability when needed.
2Device complexity
If voltage regulators are deactivated, then component costs are reduced and unnecessary connections are eliminated, but the monitoring function and reset signal generation may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voltage regulator functionality by allowing individual regulators to be deactivated independently through configuration pins. Each regulator can be controlled separately, enabling selective deactivation of unused regulators while keeping required regulators active. This segmentation allows the system to reduce component complexity without compromising the monitoring function and reset signal generation of active regulators.
3Device complexity
If voltage regulators are deactivated, then cost reduction is achieved, but output voltage stability may be affected if not properly managed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the triggering function from the deactivated regulator by preventing the trigger circuit from activating the regulating element. When a regulator is deactivated through the configuration pin, the trigger circuit is inhibited from generating trigger signals, which prevents the regulating element from producing output signals. This extraction of the triggering function ensures that deactivated regulators do not produce unstable or fluctuating output voltages that could affect system stability.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated regulator is described, in particular a voltage regulator for occupant protection means in a vehicle, including a regulating element, which converts an input signal into an output signal having a predefined value, and a trigger circuit, which activates the regulating element to generate the output signal having the predefined value. A configuration circuit is provided, which receives and evaluates at least one configuration signal and deactivates the regulating element as a function of the evaluation.