KR20150046652A - Method and apparatus for supplying electricity power for load of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for supplying electric power to a load of a vehicle. A method for supplying electric power from a smart pre-fuse box (SPB) to a vehicle load comprises: a step where the SPB generates power supply determination information of the vehicle load; a step where the SPB selects at least one power supply among main power supply and auxiliary power supply as the power supply for supplying the electric power to the vehicle load on the basis of the power supply determination information; and a step where the SPB supplies the electric power to the vehicle load on the basis of at least one selected power supply. The power supply determination information may be information to determine the power supply for supplying the electric power to the vehicle load.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for supplying power to a load of a vehicle,

The present invention relates to power supply, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for powering a vehicle.

In the past, automobiles were regarded as vehicles only, but automobiles have become a necessity for modern people because of the development of the automobile industry. Time spent in automobiles is increased, and high-performance products with safety and convenience are required. The demand for improving the performance of automobiles has led to an increase of the electric field system of the automobile and the increase of the weight of the automobile has been inevitable due to the increase of the wire harness connecting the electric parts with the application of the intelligent transport system (ITS).

In the early days, a fuse-relay box having a distribution function and a wiring arrangement function of a power source supplied to a vehicle appeared. However, a junction box has been developed in which the fuse-relay box is unsuitable for splitting and absorbing joints of wire harnesses and is also disadvantageous to assembly airflows, thereby realizing joint absorption, lamination and compactness. The junction box can integrate and integrate the parts with the increase of the number of control units as the number of control units increases, so that redundant power lines and signal lines can be reduced and the path of the wire harness can be further refined to secure more space. In addition, improvement of productivity and assembly workability of wire harness and quality assurance of ease of automation of production line have been emphasized.

However, with the development of intelligent, advanced, and environmentally friendly automobiles, it has led to a steady increase in the field system, which has further complicated and diversified wire harnesses and junction boxes. Accordingly, it is difficult to efficiently arrange the wires according to the increase of the wire length and the number of connection points, thereby increasing the probability of failure and thus threatening the safety of the explorer. In addition, when an analog component of the non-integrated circuit of the electronic device is abnormally generated, the fault diagnosis can be performed only through each operation test, and each component has a problem that the user can not recognize the malfunction and the malfunction by the independent operation.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a method of supplying power to a load of a vehicle.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for performing a method of supplying power to a load of a vehicle.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of supplying power from a smart pre-fuse box (SPB) to a vehicle load, the SPB generating power determination information of the vehicle load Selecting at least one of a main power and an auxiliary power as a power source for the SPB to supply the power to the vehicle load based on the power determination information and selecting the power source based on the selected at least one power source And supplying the power to the vehicle load, wherein the power determination information may be information for determining a power source that supplies the power to the vehicle load. The main power source may be a power source charged by the alternator, and the auxiliary power source may be a power source charged by the main power source. The power determination information may include information on a group of vehicle loads grouped based on the type of the power source supplied to the vehicle load, and the vehicle load group may include a main power supply load group, an auxiliary power supply load group, Wherein the main power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the main power supply, the auxiliary power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the auxiliary power supply, the mixed power supply load group May be a group that receives power from the main power source and the auxiliary power source. The vehicle load group may be preferentially determined based on the amount of electric power required for the vehicle load in operation and the power request period information of the vehicle load, the vehicle load group may be a quantity of electric power required for operation of another vehicle load, And may be adaptively changed according to the power request period of the other vehicle based on the power request period information of the load. A method of supplying power to a vehicle load includes monitoring the charging state of the main power source by the SPB and outputting a signal for requesting charging of the main power source to the alternator when the charging state of the main power source is equal to or less than a first charging threshold value The alternator may adjust the output voltage based on the charge state information of the main power source. A method of supplying power to a vehicle load includes: monitoring the charging state of the auxiliary power by the SPB; and, when the charging state of the auxiliary power is below a second charging threshold, The method may further comprise the step of charging. A method of supplying power to a vehicle load includes operating a fail-safe circuit when the SPB receives an error signal and operating the fail-safe circuit when the SPB receives an error signal And supplying the electric power to the vehicle load using the vehicle load.

In order to achieve the second object of the present invention, there is provided a smart pre-fuse box (SPB) for supplying power to a vehicle load according to an aspect of the present invention, wherein the SPB includes a processor, Selects at least one of a main power source and an auxiliary power source as a power source for supplying the power to the vehicle load based on the power source determination information, and the SPB And the power supply determination information may be information for determining a power supply for supplying the power to the vehicle load. The main power source may be a power source charged by the alternator, and the auxiliary power source may be a power source charged by the main power source. The power determination information may include information on a group of vehicle loads grouped based on the type of the power source supplied to the vehicle load, and the vehicle load group may include a main power supply load group, an auxiliary power supply load group, Wherein the main power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the main power supply, the auxiliary power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the auxiliary power supply, the mixed power supply load group May be a group that receives power from the main power source and the auxiliary power source. The vehicle load group may be preferentially determined based on the amount of electric power required for the vehicle load in operation and the power request period information of the vehicle load, the vehicle load group may be a quantity of electric power required for operation of another vehicle load, And may be adaptively changed according to the power request period of the other vehicle based on the power request period information of the load. The processor may be configured to monitor a state of charge of the main power source and to transmit a signal requesting charging of the main power source to the alternator when the state of charge of the main power source is equal to or less than a first charge threshold value, The output voltage can be adjusted based on the charge state information. The processor monitors the charging state of the auxiliary power and charges the auxiliary power based on the main power when the charging state of the auxiliary power is below the second charging threshold. The processor is configured to operate a fail-safe circuit upon receiving an error signal and to supply the power to the vehicle load using the fail safe circuit if the SPB receives an error signal .

As described above, by using a method and apparatus for supplying power to a load of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to selectively supply power to each vehicle load group based on multiple power source sources. Therefore, the frequency and dependency of the battery, which is the main power source, can be reduced. In addition, real-time battery monitoring enables battery status check and alternator control to reduce energy consumption due to battery overcharging. In addition, SPB's self-protection function and fault-safe mode can be used to maintain self-restoring and diagnosing functions in case of system malfunction.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of supplying power from a SPB to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of supplying power from a SPB to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of supplying power to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of supplying power to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a power supply operation of the power selection unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of controlling charging and discharging of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an SPB according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a block diagram illustrating an SPB according to an embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals will be used for the same constituent elements in the drawings, and redundant explanations for the same constituent elements will be omitted.

The pre-fuse box for supplying electric power to the existing vehicle load was merely responsible for a simple manual function of supplying power to each load from the battery and shutting off the power. In the event of a problem with the pre-fuse box, it protects the battery and harness from its own damage, but eventually the replacement of the pre-fuse box was inevitable.

Hereinafter, a method of adaptively performing power supply to a vehicle load based on a main battery (battery) and / or an auxiliary power supply is described in the following embodiments of the present invention, do.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, in order to supply power from the battery of the vehicle to each component of the vehicle more efficiently, to secure the stability of the entire power system of the vehicle, A Smart Pre-Fuse Box (hereinafter also referred to as SPB) is described. The smart pre-fuse box (SPB) according to the embodiment of the present invention performs power supply and power cutoff functions for the purpose of a pre-fuse box and efficiently manages a main battery, And multiple power sources and vehicle load selection functions, self-diagnosis and return functions, and various circuit protection functions. The SPB can perform the following simple operations.

The SPB can supply power to each load through the pre-fuse box primarily from the battery to provide power to the vehicle load.

In addition, the SPB can supply power to the vehicle load by adaptively using the main power and the auxiliary power by setting the battery as the main power source (main power source) and setting the additional power as the auxiliary power source. A plurality of power sources (multi-source sources) can be used as an auxiliary power source. For example, a solar cell, an ultracapacitor, or the like can be used as an auxiliary power source. It is possible to overcome the inefficiency of the electric power supply system which uses the main power and the auxiliary power adaptively and relies solely on the battery which is the main power source only to supply power to the vehicle load.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the power consumption of the vehicle loads can be analyzed to group the vehicle loads. The main power and / or auxiliary power can supply power to the grouped vehicle loads. For example, an auxiliary power source can be used to supply electric power to a vehicle load in the case of an auxiliary power load determined to be a group that does not require supply of a battery as a main power source in supplying electric power. Conversely, for the main power load corresponding to the main power group judged to be the main power group, the main power can be used to supply electric power to the vehicle load.

By using this method, it is possible to lower the frequency of use of the main battery, thereby improving the power utilization efficiency.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether to charge or discharge the battery by monitoring the state of the battery, which is the main power source, in real time, and by controlling the output voltage of the alternator through communication, And can reduce energy consumption.

Hereinafter, a method of supplying electric power to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of supplying power from a SPB to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a method of using the main power source 150 and the auxiliary power source 160 to supply electric power to the vehicle load is described. Hereinafter, in the embodiment of the present invention, the main power source 150 indicates the battery, and the auxiliary power source 160 is used to designate a multi-power source that provides power to the vehicle load in various ways except the battery.

Referring to Figure 1, the SPB may first determine the vehicle load that needs to be powered and determine for the power source used to power the vehicle load. This determination may be performed by the power selection unit 100 implemented in the SPB described later. The power source used to supply power to the vehicle load can be determined in consideration of various factors. For example, the power source used to supply power to the vehicle load can be determined in consideration of the state of charge of the main power source 150, the state of the vehicle, the electric power required by the load, the type of the load requiring the current electric power, and the like. The term to determine the power source used to power the vehicle load is referred to as the power determination parameter.

For example, when the vehicle performs an initial drive (start), the power source selection unit 100 of the SPB can preferentially control the main power source 150 to supply power to the load of the vehicle. If the main power source 150 is discharged when the vehicle is initially driven, the auxiliary power source 160 may be used as a lane to supply power to the load of the vehicle. After the initial drive of the vehicle, based on the amount of charge information charged in the battery and the amount of power to be supplied to the current load, the magnitude of the voltage and / or current to be supplied to the current load, (150) and the auxiliary power source (160). Hereinafter, a method for determining the power source used by the power source selection unit 100 of the SPB to supply power to the vehicle load based on the power source selection parameter will be described in detail.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of supplying power from a SPB to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, in order to supply power among the main power source 250 and the auxiliary power source 260 based on the information on the charge amount of the main power source 250 and the amount of power to be supplied to the current load, A method for determining a power source to be used is disclosed.

2, the power selection unit 200 of the SPB includes a charge amount determination unit 220 for determining information on a charge amount of the main power source 250 and a required power determination unit 220 for determining an amount of power to be supplied to the current load, (240). The charge determination unit 220 and the required power determination unit 240 included in the power selection unit 200 perform the following determination to determine the power of the vehicle load among the main power source 250 and the auxiliary power source 260 Can be determined for the power source to be used to supply.

For example, it can be assumed that the amount of charge of the main power source 250 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and the amount of power to be supplied to the vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. In this case, the power source selection unit 200 can set the operation of the power source to use both the main power source 250 and the auxiliary power source 260 to supply power to the vehicle load.

As another example, it can be assumed that the amount of charge of the main power source 250 is equal to or greater than a certain amount and the amount of power to be supplied to the vehicle is equal to or greater than the second threshold value and equal to or less than the first threshold value. In this case, the power source selection unit 200 of the SPB can set the operation of the power source so as to supply power to the vehicle load using only the main power source 250.

As another example, it can be assumed that the amount of charge of the main power source 250 is less than a predetermined amount and the amount of power to be supplied to the vehicle is less than a second threshold value. In this case, the power source selection unit 200 of the SPB can set the operation of the power source to supply power to the vehicle load using only the auxiliary power source 260, not the main power source 250. [

When the power is not supplied using the main power source 250 or when the main power source 250 is charged less than a predetermined amount, the battery is controlled to be charged to a predetermined amount or more based on a power generator such as an alternator 270 provided in the vehicle can do. The amount of power of the main power source 250 may be periodically monitored to determine whether to charge the main power source 250 based on the amount of power of the main power source 250. [ The alternator 270 may be a device that generates voltage and current by electromagnetic induction. The alternator 270 generates an AC voltage based on the interaction between a rotating rotor that rotates as the engine of the vehicle is operated and a stator that stalls the rotor, . According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the main power source 250 needs to be charged and control the operation of the alternator 270 and the voltage generated by the alternator 270. Such a method will be described later.

Another way to implement a method of powering a vehicle load from an SPB according to an embodiment of the present invention is to group the vehicle loads and determine for a power source to supply power based on the grouped vehicle load.

3 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of supplying power to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 shows a method of classifying vehicle load groups on the basis of a power-supplied power source and supplying power to the vehicle loads by different combinations of power sources for each vehicle load group.

Referring to FIG. 3, a vehicle load group that supplies electric power using only the main power source 360 is referred to as a main power supply load group 310, and a vehicle load group that supplies electric power using only the auxiliary power source 370 is referred to as a sub- The main power source 360 and the auxiliary power source 370 may be used to classify a vehicle load group that supplies electric power into the mixed power supply load group 320. [

In addition, when the auxiliary power source 370 is a multi-source, the auxiliary power supply load group 330 and the mixed power supply load group 320 are further classified into an additional subgroup based on the power source included in the auxiliary power source 370 . For example, the auxiliary power source 370 may include two power sources, and each of the power sources may be referred to as a first auxiliary power source and a second auxiliary power source.

In this case, the sub power supply load group 330 may include a first sub power supply load group using only the first sub power, a second sub power supply load group using only the second sub power, a first sub power source, And a third auxiliary power supply load group using all of the second auxiliary power. Likewise, the mixed power supply load group 320 includes a first mixed power supply load group using a first auxiliary power and a main power as a lower group, a second mixed power supply load group using a second auxiliary power and a main power, 1 auxiliary power supply and the second auxiliary power supply.

The main power supply load group 310, the auxiliary power supply load group 330, and the mixed power supply load group 320 may be predetermined load groups. For example, the load group can be set based on the power consumption of the vehicle load, the voltage magnitude, the current magnitude, and the like.

For example, it can be assumed that a voltage range that can be generated by the main power source 360 is a first range, and a voltage range that can be generated by the auxiliary power source 370 is a second range. In this case, in the case of a vehicle load operating on the basis of the voltage included in the first range, in the case of a vehicle load operating on the basis of the voltages classified into the main power supply load group 310 and included in the second range, And is classified into a load group 330 and can be supplied power from the main power source 360 and the auxiliary power source 370. [

As another example, the load group may be adaptively changed based on the magnitude of the power required to operate the vehicle load and the operation period of the vehicle load. For example, the first vehicle load uses a strategy amount of 50 (unit is omitted) as a load that continuously supplies power when the vehicle is traveling, and the second vehicle load is a load that supplies power periodically when the vehicle is traveling A strategy amount of 100 (unit omitted) is used, and a third vehicle load assumes a strategy amount of 20 (unit is omitted) as a load that continuously supplies power when the vehicle is running.

In such a case, the first vehicle load may be first classified as the main power supply load group 310, and the third vehicle load may be classified as the auxiliary power supply load group 330. [ When the power is supplied to the second vehicle load, the group of loads classified in this way can be changed to another group of the power supply to be supplied with electric power. For example, in a period in which electric power is supplied to the second vehicle load, the first vehicle load may be changed into the mixed power supply load group 320 as the load group. That is, both the main power source 360 and the auxiliary power source 370 can be used to supply power to the first vehicle load and the second vehicle load in a period in which electric power is supplied to the second vehicle load.

As another example, in a cycle in which electric power is supplied to the second vehicle load, the third vehicle load may be changed into the mixed power supply load group 320 as the load group. That is, both the main power source 360 and the auxiliary power source 370 can be used to supply power to the second vehicle load and the third vehicle load in a period in which electric power is supplied to the second vehicle load.

The grouping operation for determining the power supplied to the vehicle load may be performed by the load determining unit 300 of the SPB and may transmit the information determined by the load determining unit 300 to the power selecting unit 350. [ The power selection unit 350 may operate the main power source 360 and / or the auxiliary power source 370 according to the load group determined by the load determination unit 300 to supply power.

4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of supplying power to a vehicle load according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a method of supplying power to a vehicle load in consideration of information on the total amount of power required at a current vehicle load.

Referring to FIG. 4, the load determining unit 400 can determine the amount of power currently used in the vehicle. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the load determination unit 400 may transmit a power request signal to the power selection unit 450 according to the amount of power currently used in the vehicle. The power request signal may be classified into a mixed power request signal, a main power request signal, and an auxiliary power request signal according to the type of power requested by the load determination unit 400. In the embodiment of the present invention, the load determination unit 400 determines the amount of power required for the current vehicle. For example, the processor implemented in the SPB determines the amount of power required for the current vehicle, The main power source 460 and / or the auxiliary power source 470 of the power source unit 450 may be controlled to supply power to the vehicle.

For example, when the load determination unit 400 determines that the amount of power to be supplied to the vehicle load is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the mixed power request signal may be transmitted to the power selection unit 450. The power selection unit 450 receiving the mixed power request signal can supply power to the vehicle load by driving both the main power source 460 and the auxiliary power source 470.

If the load determination unit 400 determines that the amount of power to be supplied to the vehicle load is equal to or greater than the second threshold value and less than the first threshold value, the main power request signal may be transmitted to the power selection unit 450. The power selection unit 450 receiving the main power request signal can supply power to the vehicle load by driving only the main power.

If the load determining unit 400 determines that the amount of power to be supplied to the vehicle load is less than the second threshold value, it may transmit the auxiliary power request signal to the power selecting unit 450. [ Upon receiving the auxiliary power request signal, the power selection unit 450 can supply power to the vehicle load by driving only the auxiliary power.

The load determining unit 400 may obtain information on the power required for the vehicle in various ways. For example, each component requiring power in the vehicle may transmit a power supply request signal to the SPB, which is a signal requesting power for driving. In addition, when each component stops operating, each component can transmit a power supply interruption request signal, which is a signal requesting not to supply power, to the SPB.

The processor of the SPB can calculate the total amount of power required for the current vehicle based on the received power supply request signal and the power supply interruption signal. The processor can transmit information on the total amount of power required by the load determining unit 400. [ The load determination unit 400 may control the main power source 460 and / or the auxiliary power source 470 of the power source selection unit 450 to operate based on information on the total amount of power that is received. As described above, the processor directly transmits the information on the total amount of power required to the power selection unit 450 and the main power source 460 based on information on the total amount of power received by the power selection unit 450. [ And / or the auxiliary power supply 470.

The operation of the power source selecting unit disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4 assumes that the main and auxiliary power sources are in a normal charging state. If the charging state of the main power source and the auxiliary power source is less than the normal range, the operation of the main power source and / or the auxiliary power source of the power source selection unit may be changed.

5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a power supply operation of the power selection unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the battery management unit implemented in the SPB can monitor the charging state of the main power source and the auxiliary power source of the power source selection unit.

5 shows a case where the state of charge of the main power source is judged to be less than the threshold value. In this case, the power source selection unit may be configured so that a part or all of the power supplied through the main power source is supplied from the auxiliary power source. The battery management unit may instruct the processor that the current main power source needs power charging, and the processor may instruct the alternator to charge the main power source.

5 shows a case where the state of charge of the auxiliary power supply is judged to be less than the threshold value. In this case, it is possible to set a part or all of the power supplied through the auxiliary power source to be supplied from the main power source. Likewise, the battery management unit can indicate to the processor that the auxiliary power source currently requires power charging, and the processor can charge the auxiliary power source with the power of the main power source. In this case, the alternator can be operated simultaneously to charge the main power source.

The lower end of FIG. 5 shows a case where both the main power source and the auxiliary power source charge state are judged to be less than the threshold value. In such a case, the power selection unit may be implemented to operate both the main power and the auxiliary power to supply necessary power. The processor can command the alternator to charge the mains power, and if the auxiliary power is charged based on the mains power, the auxiliary power can also be charged through the mains power. In addition, when the charging states of the main power and the auxiliary power supply are both determined to be less than the threshold value, the non-essential components in the power-consuming components may be configured to operate in the low power mode or to stop operating.

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of controlling charging and discharging of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6, a method of monitoring the state of the main power source 650 in the SPB and charging it will be described.

Referring to FIG. 6, the SPB can monitor the current state of the main power source 650 in real time to determine the state of the battery, which is the main power source 650. The state of the battery can be classified, for example, into an overcharged state, a steady state, or a low-voltage state.

If the state of the battery is overcharged, it may not be necessary to continuously charge the battery. In this case, the SPB may be configured to prevent the alternator 620 from continuously charging the battery to a processor (e.g., electronic control unit (ECU)) or alternator controller 600. The alternator 620 can charge the battery by adjusting the output voltage. If the battery is in a low voltage state, the SPB may be configured to continuously charge the battery by the alternator 620 to the ECU or alternator controller 600. The ECU may be a control device for controlling components such as an engine of an automobile, an automatic transmission, and an anti-lock brake system (ABS).

If an error occurs in the MCU (motor control unit), a fail-safe circuit 610 operates to directly control the battery charging function. For example, a system using an MCU may cause an infinite loop due to some cause or abnormal operation to perform a watchdog reset, thereby resetting the system to perform a normal MCU operation again. The fail-safe circuit 610 monitors a fault signal (e.g., a watchdog reset signal) generated by the MCU and can directly control the battery charging function when a watchdog reset signal occurs in the MCU.

The auxiliary power source 660 may be charged based on the operation of the alternator. However, when charging based on the main power source 650 is required, the auxiliary power source 660 is directly charged from the main power source 650 in the operating state of the alternator 620 A backup power control unit may perform a control function for charging.

7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an SPB according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Each component of the SPB disclosed in FIG. 7 can perform the operations of the SPB disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 5 described above.

Referring to FIG. 7, the SPB may be implemented to replace a pre-fuse box implemented in an existing battery. The SPB according to the embodiment of the present invention can perform effective power distribution to the vehicle load by switching the main power source and / or the auxiliary power source based on the vehicle load.

The SPB may include a battery management unit 700, a power selection unit 730, a load selection unit 710, a protection unit 720, a communication unit 740, and a processor 750.

The battery management unit 700 may be implemented to manage a battery used as a main power source. The battery management unit 700 may monitor the current state of charge of the battery to determine whether to charge the battery. Specifically, as described above, the battery management unit 700 may control the operation of the alternator to charge the battery by determining the state of the battery as one of an overcharge state, a normal state, and a low voltage state. The battery management unit 700 may also monitor the charging state of the auxiliary power.

The power selection unit 730 can select a power source to be used for supplying power to the vehicle load. Main power and / or auxiliary power may be used to power the vehicle load. Also, the power selection unit 730 can determine whether to use any of the multiple sources when the auxiliary power is implemented as a multi-source. The power source selection unit 730 may determine a power source to be used to supply power to the vehicle load in consideration of the current power required, the current load amount, the charging state of the power source, and the like. Alternatively, the power selection unit 730 may determine which group the vehicle load requesting power belongs to based on information on the divided vehicle load group, and may select a power source to use. That is, the power source selection unit 730 may switch the power source used according to the load requesting power from the current vehicle. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, the power source selection unit 730 can operate the main power source and / or the auxiliary power source through the logical switching. By using this method, the power of the vehicle load can be reduced, Can be effectively supplied.

The load selection unit 710 may be implemented to select a load to be supplied with electric power from the power selection unit 730. For example, the load selection unit 710 may group loads to supply power when the power selection unit 730 supplies power according to a group of loads.

The protection unit 720 protects the circuit of the SPB and can be implemented so that the operation of the SPB can be performed without error even when a malfunction occurs in another device. The protection unit 720 may sense a current and / or a voltage in real time to diagnose an abnormality of the system and perform a self-recovery function to perform a protection function against electrical noise that may be caused by other electric fields of the vehicle .

In addition, the protector 720 may monitor an error signal received at other electronic equipment of the vehicle to determine an error occurring in the current vehicle. For example, the protection section 720 may implement a fail-safe circuit. If it is determined that the watchdog reset signal generated by the MCU has occurred in the protection unit 720, the fail-safe circuit may be used to perform the battery charging function.

The communication unit 740 may be implemented to perform networking with other components outside the SPB. For example, the communication unit 740 receives a signal generated in another component of the vehicle based on a communication protocol such as a controller area network (CAN) or a local interconnection network (LIN) Lt; / RTI > For example, it is possible to control the charging and discharging of the battery by controlling the operation of the alternator based on a communication protocol such as CAN or LIN.

The processor 750 may be implemented to control operations of the battery management unit 700, the power selection unit 730, the load selection unit 710, the protection unit 720, and the communication unit 740.

8 is a block diagram illustrating an SPB according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In Fig. 8, the constituent units included in the SPB are described. Each constituent part of the SPB disclosed in FIG. 8 can perform the operations of the SPB described in FIGS. 1 to 5 described above.

Referring to FIG. 8, the SPB may include a battery management unit, a power selection unit, a load selection unit, a protection unit, a communication unit, and a processor. Each constituent part may specifically include the following constituent parts. Each component of the SPB can illustratively perform the following operations.

The battery management unit may include a battery 700, a battery monitoring module 705, a drive unit module 710, a drive unit interface and protection module 715, and a back-up power control module 720.

The battery 700 may be implemented as a main power supply for supplying power to the vehicle load. Also, the battery 700 may be connected to the back-up power control module to supply backup power to the vehicle load or charge the auxiliary power when the auxiliary power supplies power to the vehicle load.

The battery monitoring module 705 may be implemented to monitor the charging and discharging states of the battery. The result monitored by the battery monitoring module 705 may be transmitted to the processor 780 to control the battery charging operation of the alternator 770.

The drive unit module 710 may be implemented to drive a charging or discharging operation of the battery 700. [

The drive unit interface and protection module 715 may operate as an interface between the drive unit module 700 and the processor 780 and may be coupled to the fail-safe circuitry of the protection unit 750, The charging of the battery 700 can be performed.

The back-up power control module 720 may be implemented to determine whether to supply the power of the battery 700 to the auxiliary power source 725. [ For example, when the power supplied to the vehicle load is insufficient only by the auxiliary power supply 725 or when it is necessary to charge the auxiliary power by using the battery 700, The power of the power source 700 can be supplied to the auxiliary power source.

The power source selection unit may include an auxiliary power source 725, a power source interface, and a power source selection unit 730.

The auxiliary power source 725 may include a multi-power source other than the main power source. The multi-power source may be, for example, a solar cell, an ultracapacitor, or the like. The auxiliary power source 725 may be connected to the back-up power control module 720 of the battery management unit. The auxiliary power source 70250 can supply power to the vehicle load in accordance with the power selection of the power source selection unit.

The power interface and power source selection unit 730 may be implemented to select a power source to be used to power the vehicle load. The power interface and power selection unit 730 may be coupled to the processor 780 and the load selector 740 to determine a power source to be used to power the current vehicle load. As described above, the power selection unit can determine whether to supply power to the vehicle load group using main power or auxiliary power based on the information about the set vehicle load group. In addition, the power supply interface and the power supply selection unit 730 may be an interface for supplying power to the load selection unit 740. Power can be supplied to the vehicle load through the selected power source determined by the power source interface and the power source selection unit 730. [

The load selection unit 740 may be implemented to select a vehicle load to which electric power is supplied. The load selection unit 740 may set a group of loads to select a vehicle load to which electric power is supplied to supply power to each load group.

The protection unit 750 may include circuitry to ensure that the operation of supplying power to the load is uninterrupted if, for example, another electrical field of the vehicle, such as a fail-safe circuit, or a component part of the SPB is malfunctioning.

The communication unit 760 may be implemented to perform communication with components of other vehicles outside the SPB. For example, the communication unit 760 receives signals generated by other components (ECU, alternator control unit, etc.) of the vehicle based on a communication protocol such as a controller area network (CAN) or a local interconnection network (LIN) The signals generated by the SPB can be transmitted to other components of the vehicle.

The processor 780 may be implemented to control operations of the battery management unit, the power selection unit, the load selection unit, the protection unit, and the communication unit.

7 and 8 is a functional classification of the operation of the SPB according to the embodiment of the present invention. One constituent part may be divided into a plurality of constituent parts or a plurality of constituent parts may be embodied as one constituent part, And may be included in the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be possible.

Claims (14)

A method for powering a vehicle load from a smart pre-fuse box (SPB)
The SPB generating power determination information of the vehicle load;
Selecting at least one of a main power source and an auxiliary power source as a power source for the SPB to supply the power to the vehicle load based on the power source determination information; And
The SPB supplying the power to the vehicle load based on the selected at least one power source,
Wherein the power determination information is information for determining a power source that supplies the power to the vehicle load. The method according to claim 1,
The main power source is a power source charged by the alternator,
Wherein the auxiliary power source supplies power to a vehicle load that is a power source charged by the main power source. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the power determination information includes information on a group of vehicle loads grouped based on a type of power supplied to the vehicle load,
Wherein the vehicle load group includes a main power supply load group, an auxiliary power supply load group, and a mixed power supply load group,
Wherein the main power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the main power supply,
Wherein the auxiliary power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the auxiliary power supply,
And the mixed power supply load group supplies power to the vehicle load, which is a group supplied with power from the main power source and the auxiliary power source. The method of claim 3,
The vehicle load group is preferentially determined on the basis of the amount of power required at the time of operation of the vehicle load, the power request period information of the vehicle load,
Wherein the vehicle load group is adaptively changed in accordance with the power request period of the other vehicle based on the power amount required for operation of another vehicle load and the power request period information of the other vehicle load. 5. The method of claim 4,
Monitoring the state of charge of the main power source by the SPB; And
And transmitting the signal requesting charging of the main power source to the alternator when the SPB has the charging state of the main power source being equal to or less than the first charging threshold value,
Wherein the alternator adjusts the output voltage based on the charge state information of the main power source. 6. The method of claim 5,
Monitoring the state of charge of the auxiliary power by the SPB; And
And charging the auxiliary power source based on the main power source when the SPB has the charging state of the auxiliary power source being equal to or less than a second charging threshold value. The method according to claim 1,
Operating a fail-safe circuit when the SPB receives an error signal; And
And when the SPB receives an error signal from the SPB, supplying the power to the vehicle load using the fail safe circuit. 1. A smart pre-fuse box (SPB) for powering a vehicle load, the SPB comprising a processor,
Wherein the processor is configured to cause the SPB to generate power determination information of the vehicle load,
Wherein the SPB selects at least one of a main power and an auxiliary power as a power source for supplying the power to the vehicle load based on the power determination information,
Wherein the SPB is configured to supply the power to the vehicle load based on the selected at least one power source,
Wherein the power determination information is information for determining a power source that supplies the power to the vehicle load. 9. The method of claim 8,
The main power source is a power source charged by the alternator,
Wherein the auxiliary power source is a power source charged by the main power source. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the power determination information includes information on a group of vehicle loads grouped based on a type of power supplied to the vehicle load,
Wherein the vehicle load group includes a main power supply load group, an auxiliary power supply load group, and a mixed power supply load group,
Wherein the main power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the main power supply,
Wherein the auxiliary power supply load group is a load group that receives the power from the auxiliary power supply,
Wherein the mixed power supply load group is a group that receives power from the main power source and the auxiliary power source. 11. The method of claim 10,
The vehicle load group is preferentially determined on the basis of the amount of power required at the time of operation of the vehicle load, the power request period information of the vehicle load,
Wherein the vehicle load group is adaptively changed according to a power request period of the other vehicle based on power amount required for operation of another vehicle load and power request period information of the other vehicle load. 12. The apparatus of claim 11,
Monitoring a state of charge of the main power source,
And to transmit the signal for requesting charging of the main power source to the alternator when the charging state of the main power source is equal to or less than the first charging threshold value,
And the alternator adjusts the output voltage based on the charge state information of the main power source. 13. The system of claim 12,
Monitoring the charge state of the auxiliary power source,
And the auxiliary power source is charged based on the main power source when the charging state of the auxiliary power source is equal to or less than the second charging threshold value. 9. The apparatus of claim 8,
When an error signal is received, a fail-safe circuit is activated,
And to provide the power to the vehicle load using the fail safe circuit when the SPB receives an error signal.

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