Motor vehicle electrical control system

US5914539A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Leopold KOSTAL GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Uwe Borgmann · Recklinghausen, DE
• Reiner Janca · Dorsten, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 18, 1997
• Grant date: Jun 22, 1999
• Expiry date: Nov 18, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05B19/0425
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A motor vehicle electrical control circuit for controlling energy consumption units includes a microcomputer, semiconductor output amplifiers, and control circuits. Each of the output amplifiers is connected to a respective one of the consumption units for providing electrical energy to the units. The control circuits are connected to the microcomputer and to a respective one of the output amplifiers for controlling the electrical energy provided to the consumption units. The control circuits generate a measurement signal indicative of a variable of the respective one of the output amplifiers. The computer systems process the measurement signals to determine if either a critical change or a sub-critical change of the variable has occurred. The associated control circuit shuts off the electrical energy provided by the respective one of the output amplifiers to the respective consumption unit in the event of a critical change and activates a security function stored in the computer system to vary the electrical energy provided to the respective consumption unit in the event of a sub-critical change.