KR102785154B1 - Method and apparatus for Semiconductor-type fuse control - Google Patents

Abstract

The semiconductor fuse control method of the present invention may include a step of determining a first reference value based on a wire characteristic curve; a step of determining a second reference value based on an inflow current of a connected load; a step of calculating a consumption current of the connected load; a step of controlling a MOSFET based on the consumption current of the connected load, the first reference value, and the second reference value; and a step of generating a diagnosis result corresponding to the consumption current of the connected load.

Description

Method and apparatus for semiconductor-type fuse control

The present invention relates to a semiconductor fuse control method and device.

In general, depending on the type of electrical load of the vehicle, the characteristics of the current consumption of the connected load are a combination of a load that consumes current constantly regardless of time and a load that consumes current periodically.

The vehicle may have a vehicle fuse that diagnoses and controls overcurrent of wires installed in the vehicle to protect the vehicle. To this end, a mechanical fuse or semiconductor fuse is used that utilizes a method of melting and blocking by heat generation when overcurrent flows. The forms of such mechanical fuses and semiconductor fuses are respectively illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 is a drawing showing the characteristics of a mechanical fuse according to conventional technology.

In the graph shown in Figure 1, the horizontal axis represents current (A) and the vertical axis represents time.

Referring to Fig. 1, depending on the type of electric load of the vehicle, the characteristics of the current consumption of the connected load may include a load that consumes current constantly regardless of time and a load that consumes current periodically. In this case, the allowable current of the wire has a characteristic that is located above the current characteristic graph on the current-time curve in order to sufficiently supply the current consumed by the load.

Therefore, a mechanical fuse that utilizes a method of melting and blocking by heat generation when an overcurrent flows must melt before the wire in order to sufficiently supply the current consumed by the load and prevent ignition/melting of the wire when an overcurrent is conducted. To this end, the characteristic curve of the mechanical fuse can be arranged below the wire curve, which is arranged above the load curve. In other words, the characteristic curve of the mechanical fuse has characteristics between the load characteristic and the wire characteristic curve.

Figure 2 is a drawing showing the characteristics of a semiconductor fuse according to conventional technology.

In the graph shown in Figure 2, the horizontal axis represents current (A) and the vertical axis represents time.

In order to supply sufficient current consumed by the semiconductor fuse load and prevent ignition/burnout of the wire in case of overcurrent conduction, the current must be cut off before the burnout of the wire. For this purpose, the characteristic curve of the mechanical fuse can be placed below the wire curve, which is placed above the load curve.

At this time, the fact that the characteristic curve of the semiconductor fuse is close to the characteristic curve of the wire in terms of current-time curve means that a large amount of current close to the allowable current of the wire can be supplied to the load, while the fact that the characteristic curve of the current-time curve is close to the characteristic curve of the load current means that the wire diameter optimized for the load can be determined.

However, in the conventional mechanical fuse described above, since the fuse uses a fuse that is heated, the characteristic curve of the fuse cannot be freely adjusted, and in the conventional semiconductor fuse, since only the material thermal characteristics of the semiconductor are used, there is a problem in that the current-time curve cannot be freely adjusted.

The present invention proposes a semiconductor fuse control method and device that can protect a wire and monitor the current of a load by applying a semiconductor fuse control having a dual judgment criterion.

The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A semiconductor fuse control method for solving the above technical problems may include a step of determining a first reference value based on a wire characteristic curve; a step of determining a second reference value based on an inflow current of a connected load; a step of calculating a consumption current of the connected load; a step of controlling a MOSFET based on the consumption current of the connected load, the first reference value, and the second reference value; and a step of generating a diagnosis result corresponding to the consumption current of the connected load.

According to an embodiment, a semiconductor fuse device having a dual judgment criterion includes a MOSFET; and a control logic unit including a first decision unit determining a first reference value based on a wire characteristic curve, a second decision unit determining a second reference value based on an inflow current of a connected load, and a calculation unit calculating a consumption current of the connected load, wherein the control logic unit controls the MOSFET based on the consumption current of the connected load and the reference value of the first decision unit and the reference value of the second decision unit, and can generate a diagnosis result corresponding to the consumption current.

The semiconductor fuse control method and device according to the present invention have the following effects.

First, it has the advantage of reducing wire diameter since the reference current for wire protection can be programmed close to the wire.

Second, there is an advantage in that it can be used to check the current consumption of abnormal loads by utilizing the load current monitoring function and to use it for integrated power control at the vehicle level.

Third, it has the advantage of detecting abnormal load behavior outside the normal range.

The effects obtainable from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

The drawings attached below are intended to aid understanding of the present invention and provide embodiments of the present invention together with a detailed description. However, the technical features of the present invention are not limited to specific drawings, and the features disclosed in each drawing may be combined with each other to form new embodiments.
Figure 1 is a drawing showing the characteristics of a mechanical fuse according to conventional technology.
Figure 2 is a drawing showing the characteristics of a semiconductor fuse according to conventional technology.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor fuse according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing data of a limit current-time curve for each wire diameter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a drawing explaining the operation of a semiconductor fuse having a dual judgment criterion according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of a control method for a semiconductor fuse according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the devices and various methods to which the embodiments of the present invention are applied will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves.

In the description of the embodiments, when it is described that each component is formed "above or below", "before or after", "above or below" and "before or after" include both cases where the two components are formed in direct contact with each other or where one or more other components are disposed between the two components.

Also, in describing components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

In addition, the terms "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless otherwise specifically stated, mean that the corresponding component may be included, and therefore should be interpreted as including other components rather than excluding other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, unless otherwise defined, have the same meaning as generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

Before explaining a semiconductor fuse control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor fuse applicable to the embodiments will be explained.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor fuse according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 3, the semiconductor fuse can be connected to the vehicle power supply through the input terminal. The input signal received through the input terminal can be transmitted to the control logic unit (20) through the overvoltage protection unit (60) and the undervoltage protection unit (70). Therefore, the input signal from the vehicle power supply can be input to the control logic unit (20).

A semiconductor fuse can be connected to a power output section connected to a power load through an output terminal. A current sensor (30), a counter (40), and a temperature sensor (50) can be arranged between the output terminal and the control logic section (20).

The control logic unit (20) of the semiconductor fuse may include a first decision unit (21), a second decision unit (22), a calculation unit (23), and a memory (24).

The first decision unit (21) can determine a first reference value based on a wire characteristic curve. At this time, the first reference value can be a current-time curve representing a reference current for protecting the wire.

The second decision unit (22) can determine the second reference value based on the inflow current of the connected load supplied with power. At this time, the second reference value can be a current-time curve representing the reference current for load current monitoring.

The calculation unit (23) can calculate the current consumption of the connected load. The memory (24) can store the current-time curve of the load according to the characteristics of the connected load.

The control logic unit (20) can perform a wire protection function. To this end, the control logic unit (20) can calculate a wire characteristic curve.

The control logic unit (20) can calculate a limit current-time curve for each wire diameter based on the thermal characteristics of the conductor and covering constituting the wire, and determine a first reference value based on the calculated limit current-time curve. According to an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, data of the calculated limit current-time curve for each wire diameter can be stored in the memory (24).

The control logic unit (20) can perform a load current monitor function. The control logic unit (20) can determine the second reference value corresponding to the current-time curve based on the inflow current at the time of initial operation based on the type of connected load and the length of the wire.

The control logic unit (20) can calculate the current consumption of the load using the current sensor (30) and the counter (40). To this end, the control logic unit (20) can measure the time for maintaining the current consumption level of the connected load through the current sensor (30) and match the position of the current consumption on the current-time plane.

The control logic unit (20) can control a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect transistor, 10) based on internal control logic. At this time, the control logic unit (20) can be operated by a reference voltage for driving the internal logic of a semiconductor fuse received from a ground terminal.

That is, the control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) based on the consumption current of the connected load, the first reference value of the first decision unit, and the second reference value of the second decision unit.

According to an embodiment, the control logic unit (20) can compare the calculated wire characteristic curve with the current consumption of the connected load. The control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) to be turned OFF when the current consumption is greater than or equal to the first reference value.

According to an embodiment, the control logic unit (20) can compare the consumption current with the current characteristics of the stored load. The control logic unit (20) can maintain the MOSFET (10) in the ON state when the consumption current is lower than or equal to the first reference value and higher than or equal to the second reference value.

The control logic unit (20) can generate a diagnostic result in response to the current consumption and output a diagnostic signal to the outside for feedback.

According to an embodiment, the control logic unit (20) may generate a first diagnostic signal corresponding to a forced cut-off state due to overcurrent when the consumption current is greater than or equal to the first reference value.

According to an embodiment, the control logic unit (20) may generate a second diagnostic signal corresponding to the deviation of the current consumption from the normal range when the current consumption is less than or equal to the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value. The normal range may be a state in which the current consumption is less than or equal to the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value.

Meanwhile, the semiconductor fuse can receive a control signal, which is an external signal for controlling the gate of the MOSFET (10) of the semiconductor fuse, from the control terminal and input it to the control logic unit (20). Through this, the control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) based on the external signal.

FIG. 5 is a drawing explaining the operation of a semiconductor fuse having a dual judgment criterion according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 5, the horizontal axis of the graph represents time and the vertical axis represents current. Referring to Fig. 5, a wire characteristic curve (510), a first reference current curve (520) according to a first reference value, a second reference current curve (530) according to a second reference value, and an inflow current (540) received from a connected load are illustrated on a current-time plane.

The control logic unit (20) can calculate the current consumption of the connected load. The control logic unit (20) can measure the time for maintaining the current level through the current sensor (30) in the semiconductor fuse. Through this, the control logic unit (20) can calculate at which point on the I-T plane the current consumption is located.

The control logic unit (20) can control by comparing the calculated consumption current with the first reference value. According to an embodiment, if the consumption current increases more than the first reference value, there is a possibility of the wire ignition, so the control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) to turn off to block the current.

The control logic unit (20) immediately turns off the MOSFET (10) to cut off the current when the consumption current increases above the first reference value, as there is a possibility of the wire igniting, and outputs a diagnostic signal to transmit the fact that the current has been forcibly cut off due to overcurrent to an external controller or an internal MCU (Micro Controller Unit) as a first diagnostic signal.

Meanwhile, the control logic unit (20) can perform a load current monitor function. The control logic unit (20) can store the current-time curve of the load in accordance with the connected load characteristics in the memory (24). Through this, the control logic unit (20) can program the current-time curve to match the load characteristics since the inflow current at the time of initial operation is determined according to the type of the connected electrical load (motor, lamp, solenoid valve, etc.) and the length of the wire.

At this time, the programming variables are specified in the form of (I1, T1), (I2, T2)… … (In, Tn), and the values after the last variable (In, Tn) are DC values, so they can be specified as IDC values.

Meanwhile, the control logic unit (20) can control by comparing the consumption current of the measured connected load with the characteristics of the stored load. According to an embodiment, the control logic unit (20) can maintain the ON state of the MOSFET (10) because there is no possibility of wire ignition when the consumption current increases beyond the load current monitor characteristic curve. At this time, the characteristics of the consumption current can utilize data utilized when comparing with the wire protection special curve.

The control logic unit (20) can maintain the ON state of the MOSFET (10) because there is no possibility of the wire ignition when the consumption current increases beyond the wire protection curve. The control logic unit (20) can output a diagnostic signal to transmit the deviation of the consumption current of the connected load from the normal range to an external controller or internal MCU as a second diagnostic signal.

Through this, the semiconductor fuse of the present invention can secure power stability through current detection of MDPS. MDPS generally consumes 20 to 30 A of current when changing lanes while driving, but consumes more than 100 A of current under conditions such as low-speed sharp turns and sharp steering while stopped. In this case, it is possible to prevent quality problems such as a momentary voltage drop in the vehicle power grid and a decrease in lamp brightness.

That is, by detecting the current consumption of each connected load, especially the abnormal consumption state, it is possible to control the MDPS by detecting the high instantaneous current consumption through the integrated power management logic to reduce the consumption of unnecessary electric field loads.

In addition, semiconductor fuses can have the effect of judging the deterioration of the durability of a load when the internal resistance component increases as a load such as a motor deteriorates, thereby increasing the current consumption, and an increase in the current consumption exceeding a certain level is confirmed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of a control method for a semiconductor fuse according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control logic unit (20) can determine a first reference value based on the wire characteristic curve (S610).

After the above step S610, the control logic unit (20) can determine the second reference value based on the inflow current of the connected load (S620).

After the above step S620, the control logic unit (20) can calculate the current consumption of the connected load (S630).

After the above step S630, the control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) based on the consumption current of the connected load, the first reference value, and the second reference value. The control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) to be turned OFF when the consumption current is greater than or equal to the first reference value (S640).

After the above step S640, the control logic unit (20) can generate a first diagnostic signal corresponding to a forced cut-off state due to overcurrent when the consumption current is greater than the first reference value (S650).

Meanwhile, after the step S630, the control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) based on the consumption current of the connected load, the first reference value, and the second reference value. The control logic unit (20) can control the MOSFET (10) to be maintained in the ON state when the consumption current is lower than or equal to the first reference value and higher than or equal to the second reference value (S660).

After the above step S660, the control logic unit (20) can generate a second diagnostic signal corresponding to the deviation of the normal range of the consumption current when the consumption current is lower than or equal to the first reference value and higher than or equal to the second reference value (S670).

The method according to the above-described embodiment can be produced as a program to be executed on a computer and stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage system, etc. The computer-readable recording medium can be distributed to computer systems connected to a network, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the above-described method can be easily inferred by programmers in the technical field to which the embodiment belongs.

10: MOSFET
20: Control logic section
30: Current sensor
40: Counter

Claims (19)

A step of determining a first reference value based on a wire characteristic curve;
A step of determining a second reference value based on the inflow current of the connected load;
A step of calculating the consumption current of the above connected load;
A step of controlling a MOSFET based on the consumption current of the above-mentioned connected load, the first reference value, and the second reference value; and
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising a step of generating a diagnostic result corresponding to the consumption current of the above-mentioned connected load. In paragraph 1,
The step of determining the above first reference value is
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising the step of determining the first reference value corresponding to the limit current-time curve for each wire diameter. In paragraph 1,
The step of determining the second reference value is
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising a step of determining the second reference value corresponding to the current-time curve based on the inflow current at the time of initial operation based on the type of the above-mentioned connection load and the length of the above-mentioned wire. In paragraph 1,
The steps for calculating the current consumption of the above connected load are
A step for measuring the time for maintaining the current consumption level of the connected load through a current sensor; and
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising a step of matching the position of the above-mentioned consumption current on the current-time plane. In paragraph 1,
The steps for controlling the above MOSFET are
A semiconductor fuse control method including a step of controlling the MOSFET to turn OFF when the consumption current is greater than or equal to the first reference value. In paragraph 5,
The step of generating a diagnosis result in response to the above consumption current is
If the above consumption current is greater than or equal to the first reference value,
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising a step of generating a first diagnostic signal corresponding to a forced cut-off state due to overcurrent. In paragraph 1,
The steps for controlling the above MOSFET are
If the above consumption current is less than or equal to the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value,
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising a step of controlling the above MOSFET to be maintained in an ON state. In Article 7,
The step of generating a diagnosis result in response to the above consumption current is
If the above consumption current is less than or equal to the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value,
A semiconductor fuse control method comprising a step of generating a second diagnostic signal corresponding to a deviation from the normal range of the above consumption current. In Article 8,
The above normal range is
A semiconductor fuse control method wherein the consumption current is lower than or equal to the first reference value and higher than or equal to the second reference value. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing a semiconductor fuse control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. MOSFET; and
A first decision unit for determining a first reference value based on a wire characteristic curve;
A control logic unit including a second decision unit that determines a second reference value based on the inflow current of the connected load, and a calculation unit that calculates the consumption current of the connected load,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse that controls the MOSFET based on the consumption current of the above-mentioned connected load and the reference value of the first decision unit and the reference value of the second decision unit, and generates a diagnostic result corresponding to the consumption current. In Article 11,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse for determining the first reference value corresponding to the limit current-time curve for each wire diameter. In Article 11,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse that determines the second reference value corresponding to the current-time curve based on the inflow current at the time of initial operation based on the type of the above-mentioned connection load and the length of the above-mentioned wire. In Article 11,
Including a current sensor for measuring the consumption current of the above-mentioned connected load,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse that measures the time for maintaining the current consumption level of the connected load through the current sensor and matches the position of the measured current consumption on the current-time plane. In Article 11,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse that controls the MOSFET to turn off when the consumption current is greater than or equal to the first reference value. In Article 15,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse that generates a first diagnostic signal corresponding to a forced cut-off state due to overcurrent when the above-mentioned consumption current is greater than the above-mentioned first reference value. In Article 11,
The above control logic section
A semiconductor fuse that controls the MOSFET to be kept in the ON state when the consumption current is lower than or equal to the first reference value and higher than or equal to the second reference value. In Article 17,
The above control logic section
If the above consumption current is less than or equal to the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value,
A semiconductor fuse that generates a second diagnostic signal corresponding to a deviation from the normal range of the above consumption current. In Article 18,
The above normal range is
A semiconductor fuse having a consumption current lower than or equal to the first reference value and higher than or equal to the second reference value.