Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R16/00—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for
  • B60R16/02—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for electric constitutive elements
  • B60R16/03—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for electric constitutive elements for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for switching electric charge by a microcontroller electronic system.
• the application to lighting and automotive locking functions is particularly appropriate.
• a simple degraded mode is to place the load in a permanent idle state.
• the direct disadvantage is the loss of availability of the switching function of the load.
• the indirect disadvantage is the possible loss of security due to the loss of availability.
• the inactive state is not necessarily the most functionally and safely appropriate state.
• Another degraded mode is to place the load in a permanent active state, to better meet the functional and security needs.
• the extended active state can lead to other malfunctions such as overheating, over-consumption, destruction of the load or switch associates. These can induce avalanche failures on other systems such as cables, fuses, energy sources. This can still have a negative impact on availability and security.
• the two degraded modes described above are in fact only safe modes, according to the terminology in the field of dependability, since they inhibit the function and make it unavailable.
• the solution is to implement redundant systems, by duplicating the electronic system or by adding a manual backup system.
• the invention provides an electronic device for switching electric charge comprising an electronic switch controlled by improved microcontroller.
• the invention therefore relates to an electronic device for switching electric charge comprising a microcontroller-controlled electronic switch powered by a voltage Vcc, comprising an output port with at least three states and operating in a "nominal" mode, the latter being suitable for to enter a mode "degraded" intentionally or by default in the event of failure of said device, characterized in that said electronic device further comprises: - a switched Vbat power supply connected by a resistive biasing device to the microcontroller of the electronic device to act security barrier, an interface device making it possible to recognize the presence or absence of the switched Vbat power supply.
• the object of the invention is to implement an intermediate degraded mode between the nominal mode and the refuge mode, in order to improve the availability and the security of the system, without adding complexity that could affect the reliability , the availability, security, and cost of the system.
• the invention thus proposes an electronic device for switching electrical charge comprising a microcontroller-controlled electronic switch powered positively at a voltage Vcc, comprising an output port with at least three states and operating in a "nominal" mode, the latter being suitable to enter a mode "degraded" intentionally or by default in case of failure of said electronic switching device, characterized in that said electronic switching device further comprises:
• the operating states of the electronic switching device make it possible to select the operating mode "nominal” or “degraded” to be preferred for the electronic switching device
• the low impedance and low impedance Vcc states of the output port of the microcontroller are the most dominant states
• the high impedance state of the microcontroller is the most recessive
• the switched Vbat power supply applied through the resistive polarization device is a state of intermediate dominance
• switched Vbat power supply for "degraded” mode is a power supply common to other devices of a host system whose active state is representative of a global phase of operation of the host system,
• the switched Vbat power supply for the "degraded” mode originates from a pre-existing manual switch or added in the host system.
• the switched Vbat power supply for the "degraded” mode is issued both from a common supply to other devices in the host system and a specific manual switch pre-existing or added in the host system,
• the host systems are either a position light or a brake light, or a motor for unlocking the trunk of a motor vehicle.
• the electronic switching device further comprises a sleep device for putting the electronic switching device in "sleep" mode, said sleep device being powered by a switched Vbat power supply and triggered intentionally. by the microcontroller, wherein the output ports go to the high impedance state and the load is permanently disabled.
• the invention also relates to a method of operating an electronic charge switching device controlled by a microcontroller operating in a "nominal” mode and able to go into a "degraded” mode.
• the transition from one of the operating modes “nominal” or “degraded” to a “sleep” mode is performed according to the following steps: a - activation by the microcontroller of the sleep mode device, b - passage of the ports of microcontroller output in the high impedance recessive state to keep the sleep device active, c - permanent deactivation of the load until the return to nominal mode.
• FIG. 1 schematically represents a device according to the invention, the application of which is a position light
• FIG. 2 diagrammatically represents a device according to the invention whose application is a stop light
• FIG. 3 diagrammatically represents a device according to the invention whose application is a trunk unlocking motor
• FIG. 4 schematically shows a sleep mode device according to the invention.
• the present invention enables the efficient implementation of an electrical charge switching function in a so-called “nominal” mode when the system has no failure, and in a so-called “degraded” mode when the "nominal" mode can no longer be provided following a failure.
• the degraded mode is implemented according to the principle of safety barrier, namely a palliative device as independent as possible, active only in degraded mode and regularly monitored in nominal mode. This advantageously ensures compliance with the availability and safety requirements.
• the device consists of: - a positive power supply Vbat,
• Vcc a positive power supply Vbat
• a monitoring means acting as a "watchdog”, which resets the microcontroller 12 in the event of a voltage drop or non-refresh by the microcontroller 12,
• Vcc low impedance an output port of the microcontroller 12 with three states: Vcc low impedance, low impedance mass and high impedance.
• the high impedance state is the state in which the microcontroller 12 is not powered or when it is reset.
• An electronic switch 16 controlled by the output port of the microcontroller 12, which switches the power on the load when it is positively polarized.
• the load is activated by configuring the output port in low impedance Vcc, - the load is deactivated by configuring the output port in low impedance mass, - it is The high impedance state is not used.
• the device 10 accommodates: a switched Vbat power supply: commonly present in the automobile, typically switched by the ignition key or by a similar device, or switched by a manual switch, a resistive biasing device 14 which connects the Vbat state switched to the control of the electronic switch 16, also connected to the output port of the microcontroller 12, - an interface device 18 which connects the switched Vbat state to another port of the microcontroller 12 configured as a logic input, to recognize the presence or absence of the switched Vbat state.
• a switched Vbat power supply commonly present in the automobile, typically switched by the ignition key or by a similar device, or switched by a manual switch
• a resistive biasing device 14 which connects the Vbat state switched to the control of the electronic switch 16
• an interface device 18 which connects the switched Vbat state to another port of the microcontroller 12 configured as a logic input, to recognize the presence or absence of the switched Vbat state.
• the transition to degraded mode is materialized by the passage of the output port of the microcontroller 12 to the high impedance state intentionally or by default when the microcontroller 12 is faulty. Then, the electronic switch
• the load is activated and deactivated according to the switching of the output port of the microcontroller 12 between a Vcc low impedance state and low impedance mass, without being disturbed by the switched Vbat state connected by a resistive polarization device 14.
• the switched Vbat state which acts as a security barrier, is regularly monitored on the input port of the microcontroller 12, so as to detect the possible loss of this barrier and to take the necessary measures.
• the arbitration between the nominal mode and degraded mode devices is naturally done by the dominant and recessive characters of these devices. So :
• the low impedance and low impedance Vcc states of the output port of the microcontroller 12 are the most dominant states.
• the high impedance state of the microcontroller 12 is the most recessive state.
• the switched Vbat state applied through a resistive polarization device 14 is an intermediate dominance state.
• the switched Vbat state is a power supply common to other services, typically a power supply switched by the ignition key of an automobile.
• the load is activated and deactivated at the same time as the other services sharing the switched Vbat state, according to a global operating phase of the host system 22.
• the switched Vbat state is a power switched by a specific manual contact (but possibly pre-existing) which is actuated precisely when it would be desirable to switch the load, typically a contact brake pedal which is supposed to be synchronous with the ignition of the brake lights.
• a specific manual contact but possibly pre-existing
• the load is activated and deactivated under conditions close to nominal mode operation.
• the switched Vbat state is a switched power supply according to several conditions, typically an association of a common switched Vbat state (contact key type) and a specific manual contact.
• a common switched Vbat state contact key type
• a third mode of operation is added, namely the sleep mode which is shown schematically in Figure 4 described later in the description. This is a mode intentionally triggered by the microcontroller 12, in which the output ports go to the high impedance state, and in which the load is permanently disabled.
• the switched Vbat state is considered to be cut off simultaneously with the transition to sleep mode, and under these conditions the electronic switching device 1 0 is designed so that the load is not activated. not.
• the transition to sleep mode induces the permanent deactivation of the load until the return to nominal mode.
• the switched Vbat state is considered uncut at the same time as the sleep mode, in which case it is necessary to prevent this sleep mode from triggering the degraded mode, since the recessiveness of the state High impedance sleep mode leaves control to degraded mode devices.
• a device 20 that is active when switching to sleep mode, and that forces the deactivation of the load with a dominant state prohibiting any action of degraded mode devices, and this throughout the sleep mode.
• Such a device 20 is controlled directly or indirectly by the microcontroller 12, and therefore has a capacity to memorize its state when the microcontroller 12 is no longer able to control after its passage in sleep mode.
• the transition to sleep mode is effected, firstly, by the microcontroller 12 which activates the sleep mode device and puts itself in sleep mode. Then, the output ports of the microcontroller 12 pass in high impedance. The sleep mode device 20 then maintains its active state. This state of the sleep mode device 20 forces the load to be permanently deactivated until it returns to normal mode. nominal (when the microcontroller 12 will disable the sleep mode device).
• the electronic switch 16 is produced by way of example with a relay in configuration allowing forcing in the Vbat state or so-called "high side” in English (component K1) controlled by an NPN bipolar transistor in configuration allowing the pull to the ground or so-called “low side” in English (component Q1 and its polarization resistors R1 and R2).
• This electronic switch 1 6 is itself controlled by a tri-state output port of the microcontroller 12 (port "command"). Thanks to these provisions, it ensures the operation in nominal mode: the load is activated when the control is Vcc low impedance, and disabled when the control is low impedance ground.
• a switched power supply Vbat (for example: a power supply switched by the ignition key in an automobile) connected by a resistor R3 to the control of the electronic switch 1 6 (also connected to the output port of the microcontroller 12).
• the availability and security of the function is ensured by the implementation of a nominal mode and a degraded mode with a monitored security barrier, advantageously using the high intrinsic recessive state that is intrinsic to the microcontroller 12 in case of failure, and advantageously using a switched Vbat state already available (for example: ignition key in an automobile) to perform the switching of the load in degraded mode (for example: lighting of the position light at start-up of the vehicle and extinguishing the fire when the ignition is switched off).
• a switched Vbat state already available for example: ignition key in an automobile
• the electronic switch 1 6 is produced by way of example with a relay in configuration allowing forcing in the Vbat state (component K2) controlled by an NPN bipolar transistor in a configuration allowing the pull to ground (component Q2 and its polarization resistors R6 and R7).
• This electronic switch 1 6 is itself controlled by a tri-state output port of the microcontroller 12 (port "command"). Thanks to these arrangements, the operation is ensured in nominal mode: the load is activated when the control is at low impedance Vcc, and deactivated when the control is at low impedance ground.
• Vbat power supply switched by a manual contact such as the contact of the brake pedal connected by a resistor R8 to the control of the electronic switch 16 also connected to the output port of the microcontroller 12.
• an interface device 1 made here by way of example with a resistor bridge R9 and R1 0, enabling the microcontroller 12 to detect the closing or opening of the manual contact by simple binary reading.
• an input port (“watch” port).
• the integrity of the safety gate is monitored during nominal mode operation, provided that the manual contact is activated regularly in nominal mode. This is the case of the example of the stop lamp since the closing of the contact of the brake pedal is very common and moreover very often at the origin of the decision of activation of the brake light in nominal mode.
• the availability and security of the function is ensured by the implementation of a nominal mode and a degraded mode with a monitored security barrier, advantageously using the recessive high intrinsic impedance state of the microcontroller 12 in case of failure, and advantageously using a manual contact already available for switching the load in degraded mode as the ignition of the brake light with each pressure on the brake pedal.
• the electronic switch 16 is made by way of example with a relay in configuration allowing forcing in the Vbat state (component K3) controlled by an NPN bipolar transistor in configuration allowing the pull to ground (component Q3 and its polarization resistors R11 and R12).
• This electronic switch 16 is itself controlled by a tri-state output port of the microcontroller 12 (port "command"). Thanks to these arrangements, the operation is ensured in nominal mode: the load is activated when the control is at low impedance Vcc, and deactivated when the control is at low impedance ground.
• a device consisting of a PNP bipolar transistor in configuration enabling forcing in the Vbat state (component Q4 and its biasing resistors R14 and R15), powered by a switched Vbat state (for example: a switched power supply). by the ignition key in an automobile), and controlled by a manual contact, the whole being connected by a resistor R13 to the control of the electronic switch 16 also connected to the output port of the microcontroller 12.
• Vbat switched by simple binary reading of an input port ("monitoring" port).
• the availability and security of the function is ensured by the implementation of a nominal mode and a degraded mode with monitored security barrier, advantageously using the high intrinsic recessive state intrinsic to the microcontroller 12 in the event of a fault, and advantageously using a switched Vbat state already available (for example: ignition key in an automobile) and an already available manual contact (for example: the trunk opening contact) to perform the switching of the charging in degraded mode, according to an advanced strategy (for example: unlocking the trunk each time the opening contact is pressed, provided that the key switch is engaged).
• a switched Vbat state already available for example: ignition key in an automobile
• an already available manual contact for example: the trunk opening contact
• the manual contact used in degraded mode is a different contact of the manual contact used in nominal mode to control the unlocking, in order to guarantee the fault tolerance on these contacts (whereas a single manual contact serving both the nominal mode and the degraded mode can lead to the unavailability of the function on a simple failure of this contact).
• an exemplary flip-flop device 20 with an NPN bipolar transistor in a configuration allowing the pull to ground (component Q5 and its polarization resistors R18 and R19). looped back through a resistor R22 with a PNP bipolar transistor in configuration allowing forcing in the Vbat switched state (component Q6 and its polarization resistors R20 and R21).
• This flip-flop 20 is powered under a switched Vbat power supply, and controlled by a tri-state output port of the microcontroller 12 ("sleep" port), so as to behave in the following manner according to the state of the output port :
• the microcontroller 12 can signal the transition to sleep mode by putting its output port Vcc low impedance, and memorize this state during the actual transition to sleep mode and the high impedance of the output port.
• the electronic switch 16 of the first mode of embodiment (example of the position light) is biased to ground, and the switched Vbat state of the third embodiment (example of the trunk release) is forced to cut, which results in the inhibition of charges, prohibiting any Mode device degraded to implement, until return to nominal mode (when the microcontroller 12 again change the state of the rocker by putting a low impedance mass on its output port).

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Safety Devices In Control Systems (AREA)
• Electronic Switches (AREA)
• Lock And Its Accessories (AREA)
• Power Conversion In General (AREA)
• Control Of Motors That Do Not Use Commutators (AREA)
• Control Of Electric Motors In General (AREA)

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• 2005
  • 2005-12-22 FR FR0553984A patent/FR2895535B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2006
  • 2006-12-08 EP EP06842125A patent/EP1963933A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-12-08 WO PCT/FR2006/051314 patent/WO2007074257A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2006-12-08 US US12/158,173 patent/US7808130B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-12-08 JP JP2008546541A patent/JP5052526B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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