SYSTEM AND METHOD TO DETERMINE THE OPERATING STATUS OF AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAVING A SYSTEM CONTROLLER AND AN ACTUATOR CONTROLLER

• US 20130113406A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veoneer, Inc. (SSW Partners LP)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mills, Robert Duane, Carpenter, Jeffrey Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,847,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/454
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0084 relating to control modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/14106 Reconfiguration of components or graceful degradation, degrade
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25158 Watchdog
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs

Abstract

A system and method to determine the operating status of an electrical system includes a system controller and an actuator controller. The system controller determines if the actuator controller is operating properly and initiates a safe mode of operation if the actuator is not operating properly. In turn, the actuator controller determines if the system controller is operating properly and initiates a safe mode of operation if the system controller is not operating properly.

Claims

1. A method to determine the operating status of an electrical system having a system controller and an actuator controller, the method comprising the steps of:

determining by the system controller if the actuator controller is operating properly;

determining by the actuator controller if the system controller is operating properly; and

initiating a safe mode operation if either the system controller or actuator controller is not operating properly.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

generating a system key by the system controller;

transmitting the system key from the system controller to the actuator controller;

determining by the actuator controller if the system key is an expected system key value;

ignoring commands from the system controller by the actuator controller if the system key is not the expected system key value;

generating an actuator key by an actuator controller;

transmitting the actuator key from the actuator controller to a system controller;

determining by the system controller if the actuator key is an expected actuator key value; and

removing power from the actuator controller if the actuator key is not the expected actuator key value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the actuator key value is based on a system rate of the actuator controller.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the actuator key value is based on system checks of at least one logic unit of the actuator controller.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one logic unit logic unit of the actuator controller is a read only memory, a random access memory, or an arithmetic logic unit.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining by the system controller if the actuator key was generated at a specified rate; and

removing power from the actuator controller if the actuator key was not generated at the specified rate.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transmitting from the actuator controller to the system controller information regarding the operating state of the system controller.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the system key value is based on a system rate of the system controller.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the system key value is based on system checks of at least one logic unit logic unit of the system controller.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one logic unit logic unit of the system controller is a read only memory, a random access memory, or an arithmetic logic unit.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining by the actuator controller if the system key was generated at a specified rate; and

ignoring commands from the system controller by the actuator controller if the system key was not generated at the specified rate.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of transmitting from the actuator controller to the system controller information regarding the operating state of the system controller.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining by the actuator controller if the system controller can determine if the actuator key is the expected actuator key value; and

ignoring commands from the system controller by the actuator controller if the system controller cannot determine if the actuator key is the expected actuator key value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of transmitting from the actuator controller to the system controller information regarding the operating state of the system controller.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining by the system controller if the actuator controller can determine if the system key is the expected system key value; and

removing power from the actuator controller if the actuator controller cannot determine if the system key is the expected system key value.

16. A system to determine the operating status of an electrical system, the system comprising:

a system controller;

an actuator controller in communication with the system controller, whereby the actuator controller controls an actuator;

wherein the system controller is configured to determine if the actuator controller is operating properly;

wherein the actuator controller is configured to determine if the system controller is operating properly; and

wherein the system controller and the actuator controller are configured to initiate a safe mode operation if either the system controller or actuator controller is not operating properly.

17. The system of claim 16,

wherein the actuator controller is configured to generate an actuator key and transmit the actuator key to the system controller;

and

wherein the system controller is configured to determine if the actuator key is an expected actuator key value and remove power from the actuator controller if the actuator key is not the expected actuator key value.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the actuator key value is based on a system rate of the actuator controller.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the actuator key value is based on system checks of at least one logic unit of the actuator controller.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one logic unit logic unit of the actuator controller is a read only memory, a random access memory, or an arithmetic logic unit.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the system controller is configured to determine if the actuator key was generated at a specified rate and remove power from the actuator controller if the actuator key was not generated at the specified rate.

22. The system of claim 17,

wherein the system controller is configured to generate a system key and transmit the system key to the actuator controller;

and

wherein the actuator controller is configured to determine if the system key is an expected system key value and ignore commands from the system controller if the system key is not the expected system key value.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the actuator controller is configured to transmit the system controller information regarding the operating state of the system controller.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the system key value is based on a system rate of the system controller.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the system key value is based on system checks of at least one logic unit logic unit of the system controller.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one logic unit logic unit of the system controller is a read only memory, a random access memory, or an arithmetic logic unit.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the actuator controller is configured to determine if the system key was generated at a specified rate and ignore commands from the system controller if the system key was not generated at the specified rate.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the actuator controller is configured to transmit to the system controller information regarding the operating state of the system controller.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the actuator controller is configured to determine if the system controller can determine if the actuator key is the expected actuator key value and ignore commands from the system controller if the system controller cannot determine if the actuator key is the expected actuator key value.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the actuator controller is configured to transmit to the system controller information regarding the operating state of the system controller.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the system controller is configured to determine if the actuator controller can determine if the system key is the expected system key value and remove power from the actuator controller if the actuator controller cannot determine if the system key is the expected system key value.