DRIVE TRAIN CONTROL

• US 20150039949A1
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Barrenscheen, Jens, Brockerhoff, Philip, Hoffmann, Toralf, Schwenk, Roland, Torrecilla, Diego
• Granted Patent: US 9,274,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/712
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1625 in communications, e.g. transmission, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2012 and using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247

Abstract

Various techniques relating to drive train control are disclosed. In an embodiment, in a first mode of operation communication between a controller and a submodule of the drive train takes place via a first communication channel and optionally additionally via a second communication channel. In a second mode of operation, upon failure of the first communication channel, communication with the submodule of the drive train takes place via the second communication channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a controller to control at least part of a drive train, wherein the controller is configured to;

communicate with at least one submodule of the drive train in a first mode of operation via at least a first communication channel using a first communication protocol, and communicate with the at least one submodule of the drive train in a second mode of operation via a second communication channel using a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol upon failure of the first communication channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel is more reliable than the first communication channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second communication channel comprises at least one of a controller area network (CAN) bus and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel enables a faster communication than the second communication channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first communication channel comprises one or more of an optical communication channel, a wire-based communication channel or a pulse width modulated (PWM) communication channel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to, in said first mode of operation, communicate with said submodule via said first communication channel and said second communication channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said controller is configured to, in said first mode of operation, control a first part of said submodule via said first communication channel and a second part of said submodule via said second communication channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to control said submodule to be bypassed in said second mode of operation.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising said first communication channel, said second communication channel, a submodule coupled with said first communication channel and said second communication channel, and an electric motor, a coil of said electric motor being supplied by said submodule.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a module configured to be controlled at least via a first communication channel using a first communication protocol in a first mode of operation, and to be controlled at least by a second communication channel using a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol in a second mode of operation when said first communication channel fails.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said second communication channel is configured to protect data integrity better than said first communication channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first communication channel has less latency than said second communication channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said module is mounted to an electric motor, said output being coupled with a coil of said electric motor.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said module comprises a direct current/alternating current (DC/AC) converter, wherein in said first mode of operation a DC part of said DC/AC converter is controlled via said first communication channel and an AC part of said DC/AC converter is controlled via said second communication channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said module comprises a controller configured to receive target values via said second communication channel and to regulate said AC part in accordance with said target values.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said module is configured to be short-circuited in said second mode of operation.

17. A method, comprising:

communicating with a submodule of a drive train control at least via a first communication channel using a first communication protocol in a first mode of operation,

detecting a failure of the first communication channel; and

upon detecting the failure, communicating with the submodule via a second communication channel using a second communication protocol in a second mode of operation, wherein the second communication protocol is different from the first communication protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises communicating with the submodule via the second communication channel in said first mode of operation, wherein communicating via the first communication channel in the first mode of operation comprises controlling a first part of the submodule and communicating via the second communication channel in the first mode of operation comprises controlling a second part of the submodule.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating a voltage value of a DC/AC converter of said submodule to a controller using a sigma-delta-conversion.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating via said second communication channel comprises communicating via a bus system.