Zonal Vehicle Wiring Harness With Decentralized Control Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle electrical systems with zonal structures require complex and expensive decentralized control units, leading to increased costs and complexity in wiring harnesses, and lack modularization for simplified assembly.
Innovation Solution
An on-board electrical system with decentralized control units (nZC) that connect vehicle sub-zones to a central supply line, featuring local intelligence, communication capabilities, and redundancy, allowing for flexible assembly and fault tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrical systems with separate battery and alternator are used, then power supply capacity is sufficient for traditional loads, but the system becomes unreliable when multiple simultaneous high-power loads are activated and increases in size and weight to handle peak demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the battery and alternator into a single integrated power supply unit. The battery is positioned within the alternator housing, creating a unified component that combines energy storage and generation functions. This integration eliminates the need for separate mounting spaces and reduces the overall number of electrical components in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated power supply unit performs multiple functions simultaneously - the alternator generates electrical power while the integrated battery stores excess energy and provides supplemental power during high-demand periods. This multi-functional design allows a single component to replace what were traditionally two separate systems, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Weight of stationary object
If the battery and alternator are integrated into a single unit, then space and weight are reduced, but manufacturing and assembly become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
While integrating the battery and alternator, the design maintains functional segmentation through separate terminals and connection points. The battery and alternator retain distinct electrical interfaces, allowing them to be manufactured as separate components and then assembled into the integrated unit. This approach simplifies manufacturing compared to creating a completely new integrated component while still achieving weight reduction through consolidation.
3Reliability
If control logic continuously monitors load demands and power availability, then power distribution reliability is improved, but computational requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control logic operates autonomously to manage power distribution between the battery and alternator based on real-time system conditions. The controller automatically monitors voltage levels, current draw, and component status, then dynamically adjusts power routing without external intervention. This self-managing approach ensures reliable power distribution while minimizing the need for additional monitoring systems or manual control mechanisms.
Data Source
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Figure 3~5
AI summary
The invention relates to an onboard electrical system (4) for a motor vehicle, which system - has a number of onboard electrical system sub-regions (6), wherein - each sub-region has a plurality of electrical components (12), - each sub-region has a sub-cable set (10) having connection lines (26), namely current connection lines (26A) and data connection lines (26B), via which the electrical components (12) are connected, - each sub-region is assigned to a decentralised control unit (8) which defines an interface to the onboard electrical system sub-region (6), via which interface the electrical components (12) are supplied with both electrical power and data, and for this purpose the decentralised control units (8) o are connected to a supply arm (16) which has at least one current line (22) for supplying electrical power and at least one data line (24) for transmitting data, o the decentralised control units (8) each have a computing unit (28) which is designed to carry out the following steps: communicating, via the data connection lines (26B), with the electrical components (12) by means of a first data bus, the control units (8) preferably form a meshed network, wherein a second data bus is preferably used for communication between the decentralised control units (8), communicating with a central control unit (14) via the supply arm (16), wherein the electrical components (12) of the onboard electrical system assembly are controlled via the central control unit (14), protecting the connected connection lines (26, 26A).