Automotive electrical system

• US 7,701,079 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: O'Gorman, Patrick A., Stephens, Dennis L., Remboski, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Fritz M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parries; Dru M
• Application Number:
  US10/927,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20060028778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1438 in combination with power supplies for loads other than batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a variety of different electrical system topologies intended to mitigate the impact of large intermittent loads on a 12 volt vehicle power distribution system. In some embodiments the intermittent load is disconnected from the remainder of the system and the voltage supplied to this load is allowed to fluctuate. In other embodiments, the voltage to critical loads is regulated independently of the voltage supplied to the remainder of the system. The different topologies described can be grouped into three categories, each corresponding to a different solution technique. One approach is to regulate the voltage to the critical loads. A second approach is to isolate the intermittent load that causes the drop in system voltage. The third approach is to use a different type of alternator that has a faster response than the conventional Lundell wound field machine.

Claims

1. An automotive electrical system comprising:

a smart junction box connected to a non-critical load;

a boost converter connected to the smart junction box, the boost converter being directly connected to a critical load and not to the non-critical load;

such that the critical load is electrically isolated from the non-critical load at least in part by the smart junction box and such that the boost converter adjusts the voltage being supplied to the critical load and not to the non-critical load to provide separate control of the critical load and the non-critical load;

wherein the smart junction box is configured to selectively control the operation of the non-critical load and wherein the smart junction box is further configured to selectively activate and deactivate the boost converter;

wherein the boost converter is configured to determine an occurrence of a voltage transient caused by an event associated with the non-critical load, and to responsively and when enabled by the smart junction box, boost a voltage supplied to the critical load.

2. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 further comprising an alternator coupled to the main bus and wherein the alternator is a switched reluctance generator and wherein the voltage regulator and rectifier bank are an integrated switched reluctance controller.

3. The automotive electrical system of claim 2 further comprising a feedback path connecting the voltage supplied to the critical load to the switched reluctance controller.

4. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 wherein the critical load comprises headlights.

5. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 wherein the non-critical load is a component selected from the group consisting of a radio, a blower, and an electronic power steering system.

6. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 wherein the smart junction box comprises a single housing.

7. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-critical load is a high current load, and wherein the system comprises a feed forward control circuit for controlling a voltage regulator in response to a current required by the high current load.

8. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 wherein power is supplied to the main bus alternatively by an alternator or a battery.

9. The automotive electrical system of claim 1 wherein the occurrence of the voltage transient caused by the event associated with the non-critical load and a voltage associated with the critical load are received by the smart junction box, and the smart junction box responsively causes the boost converter to adjust one of a plurality of voltages that is supplied to the critical load and not to the non-critical load such that the selected one of the plurality of voltages is maintained at a substantially constant level.

10. A method of distributing electrical power in an automotive electrical system comprising:

electrically isolating a critical load from a non-critical load using at least in part a smart junction box to achieve the isolating;

at the smart junction box;

receiving a first signal representing an occurrence of a voltage transient associated with the non-critical load and a second signal representative of a voltage associated with the critical load;

selectively activating and deactivating a boost converter coupled to the smart junction box based at least in part upon the first signal and the second signal;

at the boost converter;

maintaining a selected one of a plurality of voltages at the critical load and not at the non-critical load such that the selected one of the plurality of voltages supplied is maintained at a substantially constant value.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the non-critical load comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a radio, a blower, and an electronic power steering system.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating electrical energy and controlling the generation of electrical energy in response to a current required by the high current load.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the critical load comprises headlights.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising supplying voltage to the main bus alternatively by an alternator or a battery.

15. A method of controlling the operation of differing loads in a vehicular electrical system, the method comprising:

receiving a first electrical signal associated with an operation of a vehicular headlight;

receiving a second electrical signal, the second electrical signal being representative of a voltage transient associated with a second operation of a non-critical electrical device, the non-critical device not being the vehicular headlight and the non-critical device being electrically isolated from the headlight;

separately controlling the operation of the headlight and the operation of the non-critical electrical device, the control of the headlight based at least in part upon the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal, such that the voltage supplied to the headlight is a selected one of a plurality of voltage levels and such that the selected one of the plurality of voltage levels is maintained at a substantially constant level.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the controlling comprises:

determining a control action to be applied to a boost converter based at least in part upon the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal;

applying the control action to the boost converter to cause the boost converter to maintain a substantially steady voltage to be supplied to the headlight.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the non-critical load comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a radio, a blower, and an electronic power steering system.