Electric load management center

• US 20030095367A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Zhenning, Mares, Mircea
• Granted Patent: US 7,007,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/93.7
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0061 concerning transmission of signals transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/006 Calibration or setting of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/05 with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements for logic circuits H03K19/003
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/0935 the timing being determined by numerical means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles

Abstract

An electrical power distribution system is disclosed that includes a gateway module (100) including logic (112) to interface to a vehicle management computer (VMC) (50) via a dual redundant standard data bus (1). The gateway module (100) has redundant microcontrollers (114, 116) operably connected to the VMC (50) for selectively controlling supply of electrical power to a plurality of separate electrical loads (120). A plurality of Load Management Modules (300) is provided. Each Load Management Module (300) includes a local microcontroller (310); power switching devices (320); and application specific integrated circuits ASICs (330) for interfacing the power switching devices (320) to the local microcontroller (310). Each ASIC (330) can be connected to a corresponding digital potentiometer (600) that is used to program an over current protection characteristic. Additionally, each ASIC (330) can include a voltage to frequency converter (381) that provides a true RMS current value to the local microcontroller (310).

Claims

1. An electrical power distribution center comprising:

a gateway module including logic to interface to a vehicle management computer (VMC) via a dual redundant standard data bus, wherein the gateway module comprises redundant microcontrollers operably connected to the VMC for selectively controlling supply of electrical power to a plurality of separate electrical loads;

two internal serial data buses, wherein the two internal serial data buses are of two different types and the redundant microcontrollers are each operably connected to the two internal serial data buses; and

a plurality of Load Management Modules (LMMs), each Load Management Module operably connected to the internal serial data buses for receiving control commands from the gateway module, wherein each Load Management Module comprises;

a local microcontroller;

a plurality of power switching devices; and

a plurality of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) corresponding to the plurality of power switching devices for interfacing the power switching devices to the local microcontroller, wherein each ASIC is connected to a corresponding digital potentiometer that is used to program an over current protection characteristic of the ASIC.

2. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 1, wherein each ASIC is configurable for both AC and DC loads at a plurality of current ratings.

3. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 1, wherein the over current protection characteristic is an integration parameter of an I²t curve which set by a resistance value of the digital potentiometer.

4. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 3, wherein each ASIC includes an analog signal processing block that conditions a load current sense voltage across a sense resistor to produce a true RMS current value.

5. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 4, wherein the true RMS current value is used for calculating an I²t value.

6. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 5, wherein each ASIC includes an analog processor that uses the I²t value and the resistance value of the digital potentiometer to determine trip times for corresponding power switching devices.

7. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 1, wherein the digital potentiometer comprises a non-volatile memory and a programmable potentiometer.

8. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 7, wherein a resistance value of the programmable potentiometer is maintained during power interruptions.

9. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 1, further comprising a fail-safe resistor connected in parallel with the digital potentiometer.

10. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 9, wherein the fail-safe resistor is set to the maximum rated current of the corresponding power switching device.

11. An electrical power distribution center comprising:

a gateway module including logic to interface to a vehicle management computer (VMC) via a dual redundant standard data bus, wherein the gateway module comprises redundant microcontrollers operably connected to the VMC for selectively controlling supply of electrical power to a plurality of separate electrical loads;

two internal serial data buses, wherein the two internal serial data buses are of two different types and the redundant microcontrollers are each operably connected to the two internal serial data buses; and

a plurality of Load Management Modules (LMMs), each Load Management Module operably connected to the internal serial data buses for receiving control commands from the gateway module, wherein each Load Management Module comprises;

a local microcontroller;

a plurality of power switching devices; and

a plurality of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) corresponding to the plurality of power switching devices for interfacing the power switching devices to the local microcontroller, wherein each ASIC includes a voltage to frequency converter that converts a true RMS current value to a corresponding frequency that is provided to the local microcontroller.

12. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 11, wherein each ASIC includes an analog signal processing block that conditions a load current sense voltage across a sense resistor to produce the true RMS current value.

13. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 11, further comprising:

an opto-coupler connected between the ASIC and the local microcontroller that transmits the frequency to local microcontroller.

14. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 11, wherein the local microcontroller uses an accumulator to convert the frequency into a value representing true RMS current value.

15. An electrical power distribution center comprising:

a gateway module including logic to interface to a vehicle management computer (VMC) via a dual redundant standard data bus, wherein the gateway module comprises redundant microcontrollers operably connected to the VMC for selectively controlling supply of electrical power to a plurality of separate electrical loads;

two internal serial data buses, wherein the two internal serial data buses are of two different types and the redundant microcontrollers are each operably connected to the two internal serial data buses; and

a plurality of Load Management Modules (LMMs), each Load Management Module operably connected to the internal serial data buses for receiving control commands from the gateway module, wherein each Load Management Module comprises;

a local microcontroller;

a plurality of power switching devices; and

a plurality of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) corresponding to the plurality of power switching devices for interfacing the power switching devices to the local microcontroller, wherein each ASIC includes a decoder for decoding a channel ID that determines which of the plurality of power switching devices will be activated.

16. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 15, wherein the Channel ID is broadcast to all ASICs.

17. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 15, wherein each ASIC includes an encoder for encoding the channel ID along with status information used to report monitoring data back to the microcontroller.

18. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 15, wherein each ASIC includes a wired location ID that is compared with the channel ID and when the wired location ID and channel ID match information associated with the channel ID is passed to the ASIC.

19. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 17, wherein each ASIC includes a wired location ID that is used to as the channel ID encoded by the encoder.

20. The electrical power distribution center according to claim 15, wherein the channel ID and associated information is generated by the VMC and is communicated from the VMC via the gateway module and local microcontroller to each ASIC and wherein when the channel ID matches an ID associated with a selected ASIC, information associated with the channel ID is passed to the selected ASIC.