CA3194817A1 - Communication method & system between electronic devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A data communication system comprising: a primary electronic control unit; at least one secondary electronic control unit; at least one first communication medium coupled between the primary electronic control unit and the at least one secondary electronic control unit; at least one data signal generated the primary electronic control unit and received by at least one secondary electronic control unit with the at least one first communication medium; at least one control signal generated by the at least one secondary electronic control unit, wherein the at least one control signal is derived from the at least one data signal, and at least one control signal controls at least one external electrical component.

Description

COMMUNICATION METHOD & SYSTEM BETWEEN ELECTRONIC DEVICES
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for data communication between devices.
BACKGROUND

[0002] A typical vehicle requires a vast number of electronic systems or electronic control units (ECUs) configured to control and/or monitor almost every aspect of the vehicle's operation. Such electronic systems include engine operations, audio system, driving assistance modules, steering control, door opening and locking, speed sensors, light control, safety mechanisms (e.g. ABS brakes, air bags and etc.), and others as known in the art. These electronic systems communicate with each other and the devices under their control via a variety of communication protocols. One such communication protocol is a controller area network (CAN) bus which comprises two wires (CAN low and CAN
high). Generally, a primary ECU broadcasts data over the CAN bus, and the broadcast data is accepted by all other ECUs on the CAN network, and each ECU can then check the data using an arbitration method, and decide whether to receive or ignore the broadcast data. Accordingly, relaying commands over a CAN bus is a relatively unreliable mode of communication due to its inherent nature of arbitration, including a limitation in bandwidth.

[0003] The primary ECUs are programmed to control a fixed number of injectors, which is predetermined during the design stage by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) as per the specifications provided by vehicle manufacturer. As such, the OEM
primary ECUs do not provide inbuilt spare dedicated pins or methods to control extra fuel injectors in their factory product. To solve this problem, several approaches have been proposed, and include standalone ECUs which operate the fuel injectors and boost solenoid and completely replace the primary ECU. These products require the user to connect additional sensors to the standalone ECU, so that the standalone ECU
can use these sensor readings to do port fuel injection and boost control.

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31

[0004] Yet another approach is a port injection controller which is a standalone system that operates additional fuel injectors. This controller uses various readings taken from the sensors connected to it, and independently calculates the amount of fuel needed to be injected by using tables stored in its memory, all without relying on the primary ECU. Accordingly, no control data is received from the primary ECU in this system, and this lack of coordination between the primary ECU and the port injection controller may lead to inefficient operation and under utilization of the system under operation.

[0005] Other commercial controllers are simply standalone ECUs which may be integrated with the primary ECU using a CAN bus to control port fuel injection, nitrous control, boost control. However, as previously noted, communicating time critical data between a primary ECU and a secondary ECU is inherently unreliable since the CAN bus uses arbitration, which makes it possible that time critical messages might be lost, at time instants, when a higher priority message has to be transmitted.
SUMMARY

[0006] In one of its aspects, an intermediary control apparatus for controlling at least one external electrical component, the intermediary control apparatus comprising:
a transceiver for intercepting at least one external control signal for controlling the external electrical components;
a microcontroller comprising:
microprocessor;
a communication controller;
a computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executed by the microprocessor to process at least one external control signal and at least (i) determine at least one operating timing interval for which the at least one external electrical component operates, and generate at least one primary PWM
control signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component; and (ii) generate at least one secondary PWM signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component.

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31

[0007] In another of its aspects, an intermediary control apparatus for controlling at least one external electrical component, the intermediary control apparatus comprising:
a first input/output interface for intercepting at least one external primary pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component;
a microcontroller comprising:
microprocessor;
a computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executed by the microprocessor to process the at least one external primary pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal and determine at least one operating timing interval for which the at least one external electrical component operates, and generate secondary PWM control signals for controlling the at least one external electrical component; and a second input/output interface for outputting the secondary PWM control signals control signals.

[0008] In another of its aspects, a data communication system comprising:
a primary electronic control unit;
at least one secondary electronic control unit;
at least one first communication medium coupled between the primary electronic control unit and the at least one secondary electronic control unit;
at least one data signal generated the primary electronic control unit and received by at least one secondary electronic control unit with the at least one first communication medium;
at least one control signal generated by the at least one secondary electronic control unit, wherein the at least one control signal is derived from the at least one data signal, and at least one control signal controls at least one external electrical component.

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31

[0009] In another of its aspects, a method of operating at least one external electrical component associated with an internal combustion engine, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving at least one external control signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component;
with a microprocessor executing program instructions stored a computer readable medium to at least (i) process the at least one external control signal to determine at least one operating timing interval for which the at least one external electrical component operates, and generate at least one first pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal for controlling the at least one first external electrical component;
and (ii) process the at least one external control signal to generate at least one second PWM signal for controlling the at least one second external electrical component.

[0010] In one exemplary implementation, the method and system provides an improved method of data communication between a primary ECU and a secondary ECU
in the application area of control of additional injectors added to a stock engine and control of additional boost solenoid in turbo charged systems. The primary ECU
can be considered as a leader controller that sends the operational commands to the secondary ECU, which can be regarded as a follower controller.

[0011] In another exemplary implementation, a system and method for communicating the control signals sent by a primary ECU to a secondary ECU to operate the devices connected to thereto, and uses pulse width modulated signals (PWM) signals to communicate control commands between the primary ECU and the secondary ECU
instead of conventional method of communicating control commands through a controller area network (CAN) bus.

[0012] In another exemplary implementation, control commands are transmitted from the primary ECU to the secondary ECU over a FlexRay communication bus and/or over a wired connection carrying PWM signals, thereby ensuring system redundancy, in case of loss of one of the communication links. For example, in case of a data transmission failure resulting in the loss of one or all of the PWM signals, the secondary Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 ECU switches over to the data received on the FlexRay communication bus to operate the external devices, such as the boost solenoids and/or fuel injectors.
Advantageously, the system provides a direct and reliable method to control the secondary ECU, thereby substantially minimizing the impact of external interference and any possibilities of data transmission failures that are prevalent in conventional systems using a CAN
bus as a method of control.

[0013] In addition, the system is capable modifying the OEM firmware of the primary ECU such that two of the output pins present on the primary ECU can be used to generate a PWM signal encoding the information needed by the secondary ECU to operate an additional set of injectors that may be added to a vehicle, as well to operate the boost solenoid.

[0014] The secondary ECU also provides diagnostic information as feedback to the primary ECU. In case of injector/solenoid malfunction, the primary ECU/DME can make necessary adjustments and activate a default "safe" mode while storing a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) which can later be read out by a mechanic for troubleshooting. This diagnostic capability makes the engine safer and easier to maintain in the long run.

[0015] Advantageously, the methods and systems provide a deterministic way of transferring data, which is absent in systems relying on a CAN bus.
Accordingly, the use of PWM lines and a FlexRay bus substantially guarantees a deterministic communication method of data from the primary ECU to the secondary ECU. In addition, the use of a FlexRay bus, which is capable of operating at a baud rate of 10Mbps, solves the problem of lack of bandwidth present in the systems dependent on the CAN bus which operate at a baud rate of 1 Mbps. Furthermore, the method and system provide dedicated point to point links between the primary ECU and the secondary ECU, in which the primary ECU
performs the majority of the calculations required to operate the external devices, such as, fuel injectors and boost solenoids, and transmits the time critical commands to the secondary ECU in the form of PWM signals over a wired connection. This form of integration reduces the need of user to add additional sensors to the automotive system as the primary ECU already has those sensors connected to it by the OEM.
Therefore, the Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 methods and systems eliminate the need to integrate additional sensors with the secondary ECU and also the CPU of secondary ECU is relieved of doing fuel injection related calculations.

[0016] Unlike the prior art approaches, the present methods and systems use time critical data from the primary ECU and use the secondary ECU as a system to operate the additional output solenoids and fuel injectors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 shows a high-level system diagram of a system architecture, one example;

[0018] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the system architecture, in another example;

[0019] Figure 3 shows an exemplary code snippet of a Pulse Width Measurement software sub-component;

[0020] Figure 4 shows a block diagram of the system architecture, in yet another example;

[0021] Figure 5 shows exemplary code snippet of a PulseWidth Measurement software sub-component, associated with the system of Figure 4;

[0022] Figure 6 shows exemplary code snippet of an Update PWM
Generator software sub-component, associated with the system of Figure 4;

[0023] Figure 7 shows a block diagram of the system architecture, in yet another example;

[0024] Figure 8 shows an exemplary representation of FlexRay communication frame payload showing an Injector Pulsewidth and Boost Duty values that are transmitted;

[0025] Figure 9 shows exemplary code snippet of Read FlexRay Message Data software sub-component;

[0026] Figure 10 shows exemplary code snippet of Write FlexRay Message Data software sub-component; and

[0027] Figure 11 shows a block diagram of a redundant system architecture.

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods.
Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0029] Moreover, it should be appreciated that the particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Indeed, for the sake of brevity, certain sub-components of the individual operating components, conventional data networking, application development and other functional aspects of the systems may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system.

[0030] Figure 1 shows system 10 comprising a primary ECU 12 and a secondary ECU
14 connected to, but not limited to, external electronic components or devices, such as standard 3 port or 4 port boost solenoids 16 and fuel injectors 18. A physical medium 19 provides a communications link for exchanging these signals between the primary ECU
12 and the secondary ECU 14. In one example the physical medium 19 comprises a wired connection, such as two digital signal wires or a bus based on a fault-tolerant, deterministic, high-bandwidth communication protocol. The secondary ECU 14 may require an electronic wastegate signal from the primary ECU 12 to operate the boost solenoid 16 with a duty cycle. Also, the secondary ECU 14 may need to perform Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 sequential port fuel injection for multi cylinder engines and may need fuel injection control signal from the primary ECU 12.

[0031] In one example, the primary ECU 12 is an OEM component pre-exists in a stock manufactured vehicle coming out of the factory, and is also known as a Digital Motor Electronics (DME), or Engine Control Module (ECM). The primary ECU 12 controls the engine and the actuators needed by the engine to achieve its goals of propelling a vehicle, among others. In addition, the primary ECU 12 also receives sensor data periodically retrieved from the sensors that are directly interfaced thereto, or receives the sensor over various other communication links, such that the primary ECU
12 is able to adjust its operations based on the sensor data.

[0032] Generally, the secondary ECU 14 is added to the stock manufactured vehicle to control the aftermarket components which include but not limited to secondary port fuel injectors, boost solenoid, or other electromechanical actuators. The secondary ECU
14 is also known by other names such as auxiliary controller, electronic control unit adapter. Additionally, the primary ECU 12 is also connected to sensors which include, but not limited to, flow sensors, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, flex fuel sensor among other known sensors. The secondary ECU 14 provides the readings of these sensors to the primary ECU 12 for further processing over a dual wire link 19.
The need for the secondary ECU 14 arises from the fact that the primary ECU 12 lacks the I/0 capabilities to directly interface with the external devices 16, 18, such as actuators and sensors.

[0033] One exemplary external device is solenoid 16, or boost solenoid, which can be energized to open/close at least one valve, such as a wastegate in turbo enabled systems, to redirect exhaust gases coming from the engine around the turbocharger such that the gases are not used to spool the turbo. Yet another exemplary external device is a fuel injector 18 which comprises a rapidly switched solenoid valve for injecting into cylinder an appropriate amount of fuel required for economical combustion, independent of the driving situation. In one example, when the injector solenoid 18 being powered up to allow fuel to flow therethrough, the injector solenoid 18 is said to be in an "injector Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 ON" state, and when injector solenoid 18 is not powered up, such that fuel does not flow therethrough, the injector is therefore in an "injector OFF" state. Generally, a typical vehicle comprises one or more fuel injectors 18, depending on the number of cylinders in a particular configuration of the vehicle or the maximum fuel requirement to be pumped in one full engine cycle. Accordingly, the secondary ECU 14 turns the injector(s) 18 "ON" for a predetermined time (e.g. in milliseconds) and turns injectors 18 "OFF" for a predetermined time (e.g. in milliseconds), by powering up and powering down the solenoid present in the fuel injectors 18.

[0034] The secondary ECU 14 receives commands from the primary ECU 12 over a wired connection 19, e.g. a 2-wire communication link, such as pulse signals, and the secondary ECU 14 interprets/processes the commands and operates boost solenoids 16, secondary fuel injectors 18, and other electromechanical actuators. In one example, the primary ECU 12 generates two PWM signals which are sent to two output pins of the primary ECU 12. These outputs pins are directly connected to the input pins of the secondary ECU 14 resulting into two point-to-point links. The secondary ECU 14 decodes the information contained in these PWM signals. In one example, the first PWM
signal (Pulse Signal I) comprises information needed by the secondary ECU 14 to operate the fuel injectors 18 to supply fuel into the engine during an engine cycle.
This information may comprise, but is not limited to, the instantaneous Injection Pulse Width, encoded in a direct or indirect manner as per the need. The second PWM signal (Pulse Signal 2) comprises information needed by the secondary ECU 14 to operate the boost solenoid 16, and this information comprises, directly or indirectly, the instantaneous duty cycle and the frequency for operation of the boost solenoid 16.

[0035] Looking at Figure 2, in one implementation system 20 comprises a primary ECU 22, and a secondary ECU 24 which operates external devices 26, such as injectors, by processing Pulse Signal / received from the primary ECU 22. In one example, the primary ECU 22 comprises a microprocessor 28, a computer readable medium 30 and input/output interface 32, interconnected by a conventional data bus 34. The microprocessor 28 executes program instructions stored in the computer readable Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 medium 30, such as an electronic memory chip, to generate control commands that are outputted to input/output interface 32 with pins 36.

[0036] The secondary ECU 24 comprises hardware and software sub-components involved in operation of the injectors 26. More specifically, secondary ECU 24 comprises various components including a microcontroller 40 with microprocessor 42, a computer readable medium 44, input/output interface 46 with I/O pins 48, digital input protection and filter circuitry 50, and injector driver circuitry 52 with input/output interface 54 and I/O pins 56 coupled thereto, including interconnecting data bus 52. The microprocessor 42 executes program instructions stored in the computer readable medium 44, such as an electronic memory chip, to generate control commands that are outputted to I/O
pins 56 coupled to the injectors 26.

[0037] The program instructions include a routine for calculating the injection ON
time and an injection scheduler routine, which process the command signals received from the primary ECU 22 and operate the injectors 26. For example, the primary ECU
22 generates Pulse Signal 1 and outputs this signal on output pin 36. In one example, Pulse Signal 1 is a digital signal having a level of, but not limited to, 12V, 5V, 3.3V or OV, and encodes the time duration for which the injectors 26 should be in an ON state during one engine cycle. One of the output pins 36 is coupled to one of the input pins 48 of the secondary ECU 24 via a wire 60 which carries pulse signal 1. This signal is noise filtered by the digital input protection and filter circuitry 50, and the filtered signal is passed to the microcontroller 40 which further processes the filtered signal to turn this information into a digital value.

[0038] The software sub-component Injection ON time calculator 60 calculates the injector ON time by measuring the time between the falling and rising edge of the digital Pulse Signal 1. The calculated injector ON time is then passed onto the software sub-component Injection Scheduler 62 which generates the output signals on microcontroller 40's digital pins. These digital pins are connected to the Injector Driver hardware sub-component 52 capable to operate multiple injectors 26 and known those by ordinary skill in the art. The output signal is then transmitted to a fuel injector 18, which opens a nozzle Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 or needle valve element to permit fuel to flow through the fuel injector 18 into a combustion chamber. An exemplary code snippet of the Injection On time calculation software sub-component is in Figure 3.

[0039] Looking at Figure 4, in one exemplary implementation, system 70 comprises a primary ECU 72, and a secondary ECU 74 which operates external devices 76, such as boost solenoid(s), by processing Pulse Signal 2 received from the primary ECU
72. In one example, the primary ECU 72 comprises a microprocessor 78, a computer readable medium 80 and input/output interface 82, interconnected by a conventional data bus 84.
The microprocessor 78 executes program instructions stored in computer readable medium 80, such as an electronic memory chip, to generate control commands that are outputted to input/output interface 82 with pins 84.

[0040] The secondary ECU 74 comprises hardware and software sub-components involved in operation of the boost solenoid 76. More specifically, secondary comprises various components including a microcontroller 90 with microprocessor 92, a computer readable medium 94, input/output interface 96 with I/O pins 98, digital input protection and filter circuitry 100, and PWM generator 102, and solenoid driver 104 with input/output interface 106 and I/O pins 108 coupled thereto, including interconnecting data bus 110. The microprocessor 92 executes program instructions stored in computer readable medium 94, such as an electronic memory chip, to generate control commands that are outputted to I/O pins 98 coupled to the boost solenoid 76.

[0041] The program instructions include a routine for pulse width measurement and an update PWM generator, which process the command signals received from the primary ECU 72 and operate the boost solenoid 76. For example, the primary ECU 72 generates Pulse Signal 2 and outputs this command signal on output pin 76. In one example, Pulse Signal 2 is a PWM signal comprising a particular duty cycle and a particular frequency.
For example, the duty cycle may range between 0 to 100 and the frequency may be set at, but not limited to, 60Hz. The output pin 84 of the primary ECU 72 is coupled to one of the I/O pins 98 of input/output interface 96 at the secondary ECU 74 via a wire 112 which carries Pulse Signal 2. Pulse Signal 2 is then fed into digital input protection and Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 filter circuitry 100 which removes noise in the received Pulse Signal 2. The filtered signal is further processed by the microcontroller 90 which executes a Pulse Width Measurement software routine to determine the width (e.g. in milliseconds) of each pulse.
The measured value is stored in the computer readable medium 94 as a pulseWidth data variable. An exemplary code snippet of the Pulse Width Measurement software sub-component is shown in Figure 5.

[0042] Another routine, Update PWM Generator sub-routine, executes periodically and updates the PWM Generator 102 using the measured pulse Width data variable.
Accordingly, the PWM Generator hardware sub-component 102 generates the PWM
signal at a certain PWM frequency and outputs it on the microcontroller 90 digital output pin. An exemplary code snippet of the Update PWM Generator software sub-component is shown is shown in Figure 6.

[0043] Next, the generated PWM signal is fed into the solenoid driver 104 which uses this PWM Signal to drive boost solenoid 76 connected at the respective output pin 108 of the secondary ECU 74.

[0044] Looking at Figure 7, in one exemplary implementation system 120 comprises a primary ECU 122 , and a secondary ECU 144 which operates external devices 126, 128, such as injectors and boost solenoids, by processing control signal data received over a communication link 130 and sends the status data back to the primary ECU 122 over the communication link 130. In one example, the data communication link 130 uses a data protocol which is deterministic and fault tolerant. The control signals are communicated between the primary and the secondary ECU based on clock synchronization and a time-division multiplexing data transmission method, resulting in a more reliable and fault-tolerant data transmission method compared to prior art methods. The primary comprises a microprocessor 132, a computer readable medium 134 and input/output interface 136, interconnected by a conventional data bus 138. The microprocessor 132 executes program instructions stored in computer readable medium 134, such as an electronic memory chip, to generate control commands that are outputted to input/output interface 136 with pins 139.

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31

[0045] The secondary ECU 144 comprises hardware and software sub-components involved in operation of the external devices 126, 128. More specifically, the secondary ECU 144 comprises various components including a microcontroller 140, transceiver 142, solenoid driver 144 and injection driver 146. Microcontroller 140 comprises a microprocessor 148, a computer readable medium 150, a communication controller 152, and a PWM generator 154, including interconnecting data bus 156. Solenoid driver 144 comprises input/output interface 158 with input/output pins 160 and injection driver 146 comprises input/output interface 162 with input/output pins 164. The microprocessor 148 executes program instructions stored in computer readable medium 150, such as an electronic memory chip, to generate control commands that are outputted to I/O
pins 160, 164 coupled to the boost solenoids 128 and injectors 126, respectively. The microcontroller 140 comprises the application programs associated with the operation and management of the Flexray communication protocol.

[0046] In one example, the primary ECU 122 and the secondary ECU 144 are coupled together via a FlexRay bus 130. This electrical coupling may be effected via a network topology that includes, but not limited to, point-to-point link/passive linear bus with stubs (similar to CAN Topology)/active star/passive star topology. Accordingly, the secondary ECU 144 comprises a FlexRay transceiver 142, such as TJA1080 FlexRay transceiver manufactured by NXP Semiconductors N.V., Eindhoven, Netherlands, and a FlexRay communication controller 152, such as the MFR4310 FlexRay communication controller manufactured by NXP Semiconductors N.V., Eindhoven, Netherlands. As is well known in the art, the Flexray protocol includes a dual-redundant channel and uses scalable static and dynamic message transmission that deliver guaranteed message latency time.
In addition, a system based on FlexRay can be programmed for synchronous and asynchronous transmission that provides higher flexibility compared with the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, which affords asynchronous transmission only. In addition, the protocol supports clock synchronization via a global time base, collision-free bus access, message-oriented addressing via identifiers, and scalable system fault-tolerance using either single or dual channels. Generally, the FlexRay frame is divided Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 into three segments: Header, Payload, and Trailer. The header section includes the Frame ID, Payload Length, Header CRC, and Cycle Count. The Frame ID identifies a frame and is used for prioritizing event-triggered frames. The Payload Length contains the number of words that are transferred in the frame. The Header CRC is used to detect errors during the transfer. The Cycle Count contains the value of a counter that advances incrementally each time a Communication Cycle starts. The payload section contains the data transferred by the frame. The length of the FlexRay payload or data frame is up to 127 words (254 bytes). The trailer segment consists of three 8-bit CRCs to detect errors.

[0047] In operation, the FlexRay transceiver 142 converts the differential signals present on FlexRay bus 130 to the logical voltage signals that can be read by the FlexRay communication controller 152. The FlexRay communication controller 152 is responsible for construction of the cycles, segments and so on. In one example, the FlexRay communication controller 152 is an independent integrated circuit (IC) or is available as an integrated peripheral inside the host microcontroller IC 140. Accordingly, the secondary ECU 124 operates component 126 and/or component 128 by processing data received over the FlexRay communication link 130 and sends the status data back to the primary ECU 122 over the FlexRay communication link 130.

[0048] In one example, Figure 8 represents a non limiting example representation of a payload of a FlexRay communication frame 200 comprising Injector Pulsewidth for operating injectors 126 and boost solenoid duty cycle commands for operating boost solenoid 128, among other commands, transmitted from the primary ECU 122 and received by the secondary ECU 124 via a FlexRay bus 130. In one example, as shown in Figure 8, the Injector Pulsewidth has an exemplary value of 10000 (0x2710 in Hex format), such that the injectors 126 connected to the secondary ECU 124 are caused operate with a pulsewidth of 10000 microseconds. The Injector Pulsewidth is contained in DATAO field 202 and DATAlfield 204 of the FlexRay communication frame 200, in which the DATAO field 202 represents a lower word and the DATA1 field 204 represents upper word of Injector Pulsewidth. Moreover, the boost solenoid 128 is commanded to operate at 50 percent duty cycle, which translates to 0x32 in Hex format, as shown in Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 DATA2 field 206. Each data field 202-206 in the payload is 16 bits (1 word) wide, and therefore frame 200 would belong to a particular slot/minislot of a static or dynamic segment in a particular communication cycle, for example, slot 3 of static segment of the communication cycle.

[0049] The host microcontroller 140 has the software sub-component Read FlexRay Message Data implemented to process the messages sent by the primary ECU 122 over FlexRay communication link 130 and parses the data. The parsed data is passed on to the sub-components Update PWM Generator 154 and Injection Scheduler executable code operate the boost solenoid 126 and the injectors 128, as described previously.
The host microcontroller 140 also has the software sub-component Send FlexRay Message Data that is responsible for sending the relevant status data back to the primary ECU 122. An exemplary code snippet of the Read FlexRay Message Data software sub-component is shown in Figure 9; and an exemplary code snippet of the Send FlexRay Message Data software sub-component is shown in Figure 10.

[0050] Figure 11 shows a block diagram of a redundant system architecture 300 comprising a primary ECU 302, and a secondary ECU 304 which operates external devices 306, 308, such as injectors and boost solenoids, by processing data received over data communication link 310, 312, 314 and sends the status data back to the primary ECU
312 over the data communication links 310, 312, 314. In one example, data communication link 312 is a wired connection which conveys control signals to injector solenoids 306 using pulse width modulated (PWM) signals, while data communication link 314 is a wired connection which conveys control signals to boost solenoids 308 using pulse width modulated (PWM) signals. Data communication link 310 operates using a data protocol which is deterministic, fault tolerant, such as Flexray, and transmits control signals to external devices 306, 308, such as injectors and boost solenoids.
Also, control commands may be transmitted over a FlexRay communication bus 310 along with pulse width modulated signals, thereby ensuring system redundancy. In case of the loss of communication on one or all of the wired connections 312, 314, the secondary switches to the data received on FlexRay 310 to operate the boost solenoid 306 and/or Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 fuel injectors 308, for seamless operation without any interruption of the vehicle operation.

[0051] Furthermore, the methods and systems provide dedicated point to point links between the primary ECU and secondary ECU, in which the primary ECU performs the majority of the calculations required to operate the external devices, such as, fuel injectors and boost solenoids, and transmits the time critical commands to the secondary ECU in the form of PWM signals over a wired connection. This form of integration reduces the need of user to add additional sensors to the automotive system as the primary ECU
already has those sensors connected to it by the OEM. Therefore, the methods and systems eliminate the need to integrate additional sensors with the secondary ECU and also the CPU of secondary ECU is relieved of doing fuel injection related calculations.

[0052] In one exemplary implementation, the messages sent or received over the FlexRay bus may be either be a part of the static segment of the communication cycle or dynamic segment of the communication cycle.

[0053] In one exemplary implementation, the system can operate the boost solenoid using the pulse signal from the primary ECU, and operate the injectors via the FlexRay communication link.

[0054] In one exemplary implementation, the methods described above may be used to control additional devices connected with the secondary ECU, such as, but not limited to, fuel pump relay, methanol injection solenoid, line lock solenoid, nitrous relay as the need arises.

[0055] In one exemplary implementation, more than one primary ECU may communicate signals to the secondary ECU, by implementing the methods described above.

[0056] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. As used herein, the terms "comprises,"

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 "comprising," or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
Further, no element described herein is required for the practice of the invention unless expressly described as "essential" or "critical."

[0057]
The preceding detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show the exemplary embodiment by way of illustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process claims may be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented. Further, the present invention may be practiced using one or more servers, as necessary. Thus, the preceding detailed description is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation, and the scope of the invention is defined by the preceding description, and with respect to the attached claims.

Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31

Claims (30)

1. CLAIMS:
   I. An intermediary control apparatus for controlling at least one external electrical component, the intermediary control apparatus comprising:
   a first input/output interface for intercepting at least one external primary pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component;
   a microcontroller comprising:
   microprocessor;
   a computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executed by the microprocessor to process the external PWM control signals and determine at least one operating timing interval for which the at least one external electrical component operates, and generate secondary PWM control signals for controlling the at least one external electrical component; and a second input/output interface for outputting the secondary PWM control signals control signals.
2. 2. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable to at least calculate an operating time interval for the at least one external electrical component.
3. 3. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one external primary PWM control signal is a digital signal.
4. 4. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the program instructions are executable to at least calculate the at least one operating timing interval by measuring the time between a falling and a rising edge of the digital signal.
   
   Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31
5. 5. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the program instructions are executable to at least encode the operating time interval for which the at least one external electrical component should operate during one cycle.
6. 6. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one external electrical component is a fuel injector operable to move between an open position permitting fuel flow from the fuel injector and a closed position inhibiting fuel flow from the fuel injector, wherein the fuel injector is operable by injector driver circuitry.
7. 7. The intennediaiy control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one external primary PWM control signal is received from a primary control apparatus.
8. 8. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable to at least measure a pulse width of the at least one external primary PWM control signal.
9. 9. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 8, wherein the measured pulse width is stored in the computer readable medium as a pulse width variable.
10. 10. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a pulse wave modulator which is updated periodically by the pulse width variable to generate at least one secondary PWM signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component.
11. 11. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one external electrical component is a solenoid operable by solenoid driver circuitry.
    
    Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31
12. 12. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a digital input protection and filter circuitry which receives the at least one external primary PWM
    control signal from the first input/output interface, and outputs filtered control signals to the microcontroller.
13. 13. An intermediary control apparatus for controlling at least one external electrical component, the intemiediary control apparatus comprising:
    a transceiver for intercepting at least one external control signal for controlling the external electrical components;
    a microcontroller comprising:
    microprocessor;
    a communication controller;
    a computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executed by the microprocessor to process at least one external control signal and at least (i) determine at least one operating timing interval for which the at least one external electrical component operates, and generate at least one first PWM
    control signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component; and (ii) generate at least one second PWM signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component.
14. 14. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are executable to at least encode the operating time interval for which the at least one external electrical component should operate during one cycle.
15. 15. The intemiediary control apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one first external electrical component is an injector operable by injector driver circuitry.
    
    Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31
16. 16. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a pulse wave modulator for generating at least one second PWM signal for controlling the at least one external second electrical component.
17. 17. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one second external electrical component is a solenoid operable by solenoid driver circuitry.
18. 18. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one external control signal is received from a primary control apparatus.
19. 19. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 14, further the at least one external control signal comprises a time triggered messaging and deterministic messaging protocol signal.
20. 20. The intermediary control apparatus of claim 19, wherein the time triggered messaging and deterministic messaging protocol signal is a FlexRay protocol signal.
21. 21. A data communication system comprising:
    a primary electronic control unit;
    at least one secondary electronic control unit;
    at least one first communication medium coupled between the primary electronic control unit and the at least one secondary electronic control unit;
    at least one data signal generated the primary electronic control unit and received by at least one secondary electronic control unit with the at least one first communication medium;
    at least one control signal generated by the at least one secondary electronic control unit, wherein the at least one control signal is derived from the at least one data signal, and at least one control signal controls at least one external electrical component.
    
    Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31
22. 22. The data communication system of claim 21, wherein the at least one data signal is a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal.
23. 23. The data communication system of claim 22, wherein the at least one data signal is transmitted via the at least one first communication medium using a time triggered messaging and deterministic messaging system.
24. 24. The data communication system of claim 23, wherein the at least one data signal is transmitted via at least one of the pulse width modulated (PWM) signal or the time triggered messaging and deterministic messaging protocol signal, thereby supporting network redundancy.
25. 25. The data communication system of claim 24, wherein the time triggered messaging and deterministic messaging protocol signal is a FlexRay protocol signal.
26. 26. The data communication system of claim 21, wherein the at least one first communication medium comprise a first wired connection for conveying pulse width modulated (PWM) signals and a second wired connection for conveying a time triggered messaging and deterministic messaging protocol signal, thereby supporting network redundancy.
27. 27. The data communication system of claim 21, wherein the at least one external electrical component is at least one of a boost solenoid, fuel injector, fuel pump relay, methanol injection solenoid, line lock solenoid, and nitrous relay.
28. 28. A method of operating at least one external electrical component associated with an internal combustion engine, the method comprising the steps of:
    
    Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31 receiving at least one external control signal for controlling the at least one external electrical component;
    with a microprocessor executing program instructions stored a computer readable medium to at least (i) process the at least one external control signal to determine at least one operating timing interval for which the at least one external electrical component operates, and generate at least one first pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal for controlling the at least one first external electrical component;
    and (ii) process the at least one external control signal to generate at least one second PWM signal for controlling the at least one second external electrical component.
29. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein at least one external control signal is at least one of a PWM signal and a FlexRay protocol signal.
30. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one external electrical component is at least one of a boost solenoid, fuel injector, fuel pump relay, methanol injection solenoid, line lock solenoid, and nitrous relay.
    
    Date recue/Date received 2023-03-31