Apparatus for driving electrical loads provided at a vehicle

• US 5,917,249 A
• Filed: 01/05/1998
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Saito, Hiroyuki, Kon'i, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Elms, Richard T.
• Application Number:
  US09/002,865
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1-10.8, 307/30, 307/31, 307/38, 307/39, 307/41, 307/125, 307/126, 307/130, 307/131, 307/139, 307/140, 307/141, 361/18, 361/86, 361/87, 361/90-92, 701/1, 701/29, 701/34, 701/36
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0185 for failure detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/08 Failure or malfunction detecting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0104 Communication circuits for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01061 between the airbag system and other vehicle electronic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01115 specific data frames
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/02 Suppression of vibrations of non-rotating, e.g. reciprocating systems; Suppression of vibrations of rotating systems by use of members not moving with the rotating systems F16F15/005 takes precedence ; layered products B32B; suppression of vibration in ships B63; relieving load on bearings, using magnetic means F16C39/06

Abstract

An apparatus for driving electrical loads provided at a vehicle by feeding power to the electrical loads, includes a power source for feeding power to a plurality of the electrical loads provided at a vehicle. The plurality of electrical loads are divided into more than one group. Each of the groups is driven by each of a plurality of load drive circuits by feeding power to each of the load drive circuits from the power source, provided at the vicinity of each of set places in the vehicle at which a group of the electrical loads are concentratedly arranged. A power line is connected to the battery, wherein each of the load drive circuits has a pair of power input terminals, and the power line connected to the battery is branched into two branch power wires. Each of the branch power wires is connected to a power input terminal of each of a first two load drive circuits of the load drive circuits. Another input terminal of each of the first two load drive circuits is connected to a power input terminal of a neighboring load drive circuit by a mutual connection power wire, respectively. One of two power input terminals of one of the neighboring two remaining load drive circuits is connected to one input terminal of the other load drive circuit. The branch power wires, the load drive circuits and the mutual connection power wires compose an electrical connection loop.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for driving electrical loads provided at a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

at least two power wires arranged in said vehicle;

load drive elements connected to said at least two power wires, each of said load drive elements feeding power to one of said electrical loads from one of said power wires; and

a cut-off circuit for monitoring said load drive elements and electrically cutting off a switching element connected between said at least two power wires and one of said load drive elements if said one of said load drive elements is determined to be anomalous, by said cut-off circuit.

2. A control apparatus for driving electrical loads provided at a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

at least two power wires arranged in said vehicle;

load drive elements connected to said at least two power wires, each of said load drive elements feeding power to one of said electrical loads from one of said at least two power wires;

an anomaly detection circuit for detecting at least one of a short circuit and an open circuit in said at least two power wires; and

a switching circuit for switching a connection of one of said electrical loads, connected to one of said at least two power wires, which has been detected to be anomalous by said anomaly detection circuit, to another connection to a normal one of said at least two power wires.