Vehicle load backup circuit

• US 8,121,750 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Masayuki, Ohno, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US12/238,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/36, 307/80, 307/100, 324/771
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/005 for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00

Abstract

A load backup device includes an abnormality detection part which detects an abnormal operation of a processing part, and a backup driving part which drives a load based on an output from the abnormality detection part when the abnormality detection part detects the abnormal operation of the processing part.

Claims

1. A vehicle load backup device, comprising:

an abnormality detection part which detects an abnormal operation of a processing part related to driving a load; and

a backup driving part which drives the load based on an output from the abnormality detection part when the abnormality detection part detects the abnormal operation of the processing part;

a reference voltage output part which outputs a reference voltage; and

a comparison part which compares an output voltage from the abnormality detection part with the reference voltage from the reference voltage output part, and outputs a predetermined signal when the output voltage from the abnormality detection part is larger than the reference voltage from the reference voltage output part,

wherein the abnormality detection part outputs a voltage smaller than the reference voltage when the processing part operates normally, and outputs a voltage larger than the reference voltage when the processing part operates abnormally; and

wherein the backup driving part drives the load when the predetermined signal outputted from the comparison part is inputted into the backup driving part.

2. The vehicle load backup device according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection part outputs the voltage smaller than the reference voltage when pulses outputted from the processing part are inputted into the abnormality detection part at a constant pulse repetition frequency in a normal operation of the processing part, and outputs the voltage larger than the reference voltage when the pulses are not outputted from the processing part due to an abnormal operation of the processing part.

3. The vehicle load backup device according to claim 1, wherein the comparison part is a comparator is which outputs the predetermined signal for driving the load.

4. The vehicle load backup device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle load driving part which drives the load when the processing part operates normally; and

a backup driving part which backup drives the vehicle load driving part when the vehicle load driving part becomes abnormal.

5. The vehicle load backup device according to claim 1, wherein the load is a headlamp.

6. A vehicle load backup device, comprising:

an abnormality detection part which detects an abnormal operation of a processing part related to driving a load; and

a backup driving part which drives the load based on an output from the abnormality detection part when the abnormality detection part detects the abnormal operation of the processing part;

a reference voltage output part which outputs a reference voltage; and

a comparison part which compares an output voltage from the abnormality detection part with the reference voltage from the reference voltage output part, and outputs a predetermined signal when the output voltage from the abnormality detection part is smaller than the reference voltage from the reference voltage output part,

wherein the abnormality detection part outputs a voltage larger than the reference voltage when the processing part operates normally, and outputs a voltage smaller than the reference voltage when the processing part operates abnormally; and

wherein the backup driving part drives the load when the predetermined signal outputted from the comparison part is inputted into the backup driving part.

7. The vehicle load backup device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a vehicle load driving part which drives the load when the processing part operates normally; and

a backup driving part which backup drives the vehicle load driving part when the vehicle load driving part becomes abnormal.

8. The vehicle load backup device according to claim 6, wherein the load is a headlamp.

9. A vehicle load backup method comprising:

a determination step of determining whether or not a processing part operates normally;

an abnormality detection step of outputting a voltage larger than a predetermined value when it is determined at the determination step that the processing part operates abnormally;

a comparison step of comparing the voltage outputted at the abnormality detection step with a reference voltage; and

a backup drive step of driving a vehicle load when the voltage outputted at the abnormality detection step becomes larger than the reference voltage.

10. The vehicle load backup method according to claim 9, wherein when it is determined at the determination step that the processing part operates normally, the load is driven by a drive signal or a backup drive signal.

11. The vehicle load backup method according to claim 9, wherein the determination step determines whether or not the processing part operates normally based on whether or not a pulse of a constant cycle is outputted from the processing part.