Protective arrangement for the protection of safety-relevant electronic circuits from malfunctions

• US 8,412,432 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Matthias, Junglas, Marco, Muders, Lutz, Ohlig, Benedikt
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Melton, Todd
• Application Number:
  US12/988,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 361/88, 361/30, 361/31, 361/33, 318/782
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/746 and mechanical transmission of the braking action
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2818 using test structures on, or modifications of, the card under test, made for the purpose of testing, e.g. additional components or connectors G01R31/2805 takes precedence; printed circuits having, e.g. symbols, test patterns or visualisation means H05K1/0266
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0265 characterized by the lay-out of or details of the printed conductors, e.g. reinforced conductors, redundant conductors, conductors having different cross-sections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0268 for electrical inspection or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09781 Dummy conductors, i.e. not used for normal transport of current; Dummy electrodes of components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10053 Switch
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10166 Transistor

Abstract

A protective circuit arranged on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) has two conductor loops. At least one supply voltage track, at least one semiconductor switch and at least one control component are arranged on the PCB. A first terminal of the control component and a first terminal of the semiconductor switch are connected electrically. A first conductor loop of the protective circuit is arranged on the PCB so that it surrounds an electrically conducting connection between the supply voltage track and the semiconductor switch and/or the control component. A second conductor loop is arranged on the PCB so that it surrounds the electrically conducting connection between the first terminal of the control component and the first terminal of the semiconductor switch, and thereby screens the same from the semiconductor switch and at least from those regions of the control component that are also connected to the supply voltage track.

Claims

1. A protective circuit arranged on a printed circuit board comprising:

at least one supply voltage track on the printed circuit board,

at least one semiconductor switch with a plurality of terminals on the printed circuit board, an

at least one control component with at least one terminal on the printed circuit board that is electrically connected to a first terminal of the semiconductor switch,

a first conductor loop connected to an electronic evaluation unit, the first conductor loop arranged on the printed circuit board so that it surrounds an electrically conducting connection between the supply voltage track and the control component, and

a second conductor loop, which is arranged on the printed circuit board so that it screens the electrically conducting connection between the first terminal of the control component and the first terminal of the semiconductor switch from the semiconductor switch, and at least from those regions of the control component which are also connected to the supply voltage track, the second conductor loop also completely surrounding the first terminal of the control component and the first terminal of the of the semiconductor switch.

2. The protective circuit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one semiconductor switch controls a downstream component, and further wherein, if activation of the downstream component is triggered by a short-circuit, a voltage UM applied to the downstream component is determined at least by a threshold voltage UTh of the at least one semiconductor switch and an operating voltage UB applied between the supply voltage track and an earth potential, and wherein

the threshold voltage UTh of the at least one semiconductor switch is chosen so that, if the activation of the downstream component is triggered by the short-circuit, the voltage UM applied to the downstream component is insufficient to at least one of operate or damage the component.

3. The protective circuit according to claim 2, wherein the semiconductor switch and the control component each have a second terminal, and the second terminal of the semiconductor switch and the second terminal of the control component are connected electrically to the supply voltage track.

4. The protective circuit according to claim 3, wherein the control component has a third and a fourth terminal, and the third and fourth terminals of the control component have an earth potential.

5. The protective circuit according to claim 3, wherein the control component has a third and a fourth terminal, and the first terminal of the control component is arranged between the third and fourth terminals of the control component.

6. The protective circuit according to claim 3, wherein the control component has a third and a fourth terminal, and a start of the second conductor loop is connected electrically to the third terminal of the control component, and an end of the second conductor loop is connected electrically to the fourth terminal of the control component.

7. The protective circuit according to claim 6, wherein the second conductor loop is a closed second conductor loop, because of the connection of the conductor loop to the third and fourth terminals of the control component.

8. The protective circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first and second conductor loops are bare at least in sections.

9. The protective circuit according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor switch is a transistor, and the first terminal of the semiconductor switch is a gate terminal of the transistor.

10. The protective circuit according to claim 9, wherein at least one diode is included in the electrical connection between the first terminal of the control component and the gate terminal of the transistor, or at least one voltage divider is provided in the transistor.

11. The protective circuit according to claim 9, wherein the transistor includes a third terminal, and the third terminal is a source terminal of the transistor.

12. The protective circuit according to claim 9, wherein between the gate terminal of the transistor and the first terminal of the control component, an electrically conducting connection is formed, and the source terminal of the transistor is connected electrically to this electrically conducting connection.

13. The protective circuit according to claim 12, wherein the electrically conducting connection between the source terminal of the transistor and the electrically conducting connection between the gate terminal of the transistor and the first terminal of the control component includes at least one discharge resistor.

14. The protective circuit according to claim 9, wherein the electrically conducting connection between the gate terminal of the transistor and the first terminal of the control component includes at least one discharge resistor.

15. Protective circuit according to claim 9, wherein at least one diode is included in the electrical connection between the first terminal of the control component and the gate terminal of the transistor, or at least one voltage divider is provided in the transistor.

16. The protective circuit according to claim 1, wherein

at least two transistors are included on the printed circuit board,

the control component has at least one fifth terminal,

the first and fifth terminals of the control component are arranged between the third and fourth terminals, and

in each case between two electrical connections, which are formed between a gate terminal of a first transistor and a first terminal of the control component and between a gate terminal of a second transistor and a fifth terminal of the control component, an electrically conducting coupling is formed.

17. The protective circuit according to claim 16, wherein the electrically conducting coupling includes at least one coupling resistor.

18. The protective circuit according to claim 1, wherein the second conduction loop screens the electrically conducting connections which are formed between a gate terminal of a transistor and a terminal of the control component from the transistor, and at least from those regions of the control component which are connected to the supply voltage track.

19. The protective circuit according to claim 1 wherein the circuit includes two adjacent printed circuit boards with each of the circuit boards including

at least one supply voltage track,

at least one semiconductor switch, and

at least one control component being arranged,

a first of the two printed circuit boards being arranged over a second printed circuit board, with:

the first and second printed circuit boards being connected to each other by at least one of mechanically and electrically,

and further wherein a protective surface that is characterized by a conductor surface is arranged between the first and second printed circuit boards and screens the first and second printed circuit boards from each other.

20. The protective circuit according to claim 19, wherein the printed circuit boards include the conductor surface having earth potential.

21. The protective circuit according to claim 1 wherein the protective circuit is included in an electronic system for operating an electromechanical parking brake system of a vehicle, the electronic system including:

at least one input unit to capture a driver'"'"'s wish, which is evaluated by a control unit which controls at least one positioning unit to actuate at least one brake, the control unit including at least two control components, of which a first control component is assigned to the input unit, and at least one second control component is assigned to the at least one positioning unit.

22. The protective circuit according to according to claim 21, wherein the protective circuit according to is included in at least one of the control components.

23. The protective circuit according to claim 21, wherein the at least one second control component is integrated in the at least one positioning unit, and includes at least one protective circuit.

24. The protective circuit according to claim 1 wherein the protective circuit is included in an electronic system for operating an electromechanical parking brake system of a vehicle that includes at least one input unit to capture a driver'"'"'s wish, which is evaluated by a control unit which controls at least one positioning unit to actuate at least one brake, the control unit including at least two control components, of which a first control component is assigned to the input unit, and at least one second control component is assigned to the at least one positioning unit.

25. The protective circuit according to claim 24, wherein the protective circuit is included in at least one of the control components and includes two adjacent printed circuit boards with each of the circuit boards including:

at least one supply voltage track,

at least one semiconductor switch, and

at least one control component being arranged,

a first of the two printed circuit boards being arranged over a second printed circuit board,

the first and second printed circuit boards being connected to each other at least one of mechanically and electrically, and

further wherein a protective surface that is characterized by a conductor surface is arranged between the first and second printed circuit boards and screens the first and second printed circuit boards from each other,

and further wherein the protective circuit is included in at least one of the control components.

26. The protective circuit according to claim 24, wherein the at least one second control component is integrated in the at least one positioning unit, and the protective circuit includes two adjacent printed circuit boards with each of the circuit boards including:

at least one supply voltage track,

at least one semiconductor switch, and

at least one control component being arranged,

a first of the two printed circuit boards being arranged over a second printed circuit board,

the first and second printed circuit boards being connected to each other at least one of mechanically and electrically, and

further wherein a protective surface that is characterized by a conductor surface is arranged between the first and second printed circuit boards and screens the first and second printed circuit boards from each other.