Electric power source apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434724-B2
Application number	US-202318340330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2023
Priority date	Jun 24, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

An electric power source apparatus includes a drive control apparatus and an auxiliary control apparatus. The drive control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus are configured to communicate with each other. When one of the drive control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus is a first control apparatus and the other of the drive control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus is a second control apparatus, the first control apparatus is configured to continue a function to communicate with the second control apparatus even when the first control apparatus is not able to normally communicate with the second control apparatus, and configured to execute communication with the second control apparatus when the first control apparatus is put into a state where the first control apparatus is able to normally communicate with the second control apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric power source apparatus comprising a turning control apparatus and an auxiliary control apparatus that are disposed in a vehicle, wherein:
the vehicle includes
a main electric power source,
an auxiliary electric power source configured to store electric power that is supplied to the auxiliary electric power source from the main electric power source, and
a supply path configured to supply electric power from the main electric power source to a turning motor that turns a turning wheel of the vehicle, and configured to be opened or closed depending on a state of a start-up switch of the vehicle;

the turning control apparatus is configured to control a control amount of the turning motor disposed in the vehicle, using one of the main electric power source and the auxiliary electric power source as an electric power source;
the auxiliary control apparatus is configured to control a state of the auxiliary electric power source;
the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus are configured to communicate with each other; and
the turning control apparatus is (i) configured to stay in a state in which the turning control apparatus can start to communicate with the auxiliary control apparatus even when the auxiliary control apparatus is being reset which causes communication to be disrupted between the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus, and (ii) configured to execute communication with the auxiliary control apparatus after the auxiliary control apparatus recovers from the reset.

2. The electric power source apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the turning control apparatus is configured to execute a notification process of giving a notice indicating that the communication is disrupted between the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus, when the communication is disrupted between the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus.

3. The electric power source apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the auxiliary control apparatus is configured to start the communication with the turning control apparatus and execute an initial check, when the auxiliary control apparatus recovers from the reset; and
the turning control apparatus is configured to continue the notification process while the auxiliary control apparatus is executing the initial check, even though the communication with the auxiliary control apparatus has been started.

4. The electric power source apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the turning control apparatus is configured to terminate the notification process when the auxiliary control apparatus completes the initial check.

5. The electric power source apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the turning control apparatus includes a storage apparatus; and
the turning control apparatus is configured to execute a retention process of storing a last communication content between the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus in the storage apparatus and a process of controlling the control amount of the turning motor based on the last communication content stored in the retention process, when the communication is disrupted between the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus.

6. The electric power source apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the turning control apparatus is configured to execute an update process of updating the content stored in the storage apparatus, when the communication between the turning control apparatus and the auxiliary control apparatus is restarted after having been disrupted.

Assignees

• Jtekt Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Kajisawa Yuuta
• Fujita Yuji
• Hasegawa Kazuma
• NAGASHIMA Yugo
• Koudai Takashi
• Inaba Daiki
• Yamashita Masaharu
• Satou Atsushi
• Yamashita Yosuke
• Iida Kazuaki
• Katayama Hiroyuki
• Takayama Shintaro
• Hayashi Toyohiro
• Iwana Takeshi
• Tanabe Hayaki
• Nakajima Nobuyori
• Tomizawa Hiroki

Classifications

• H02J7/855

  with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/80 Primary

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B60W50/0205

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• B60R16/033

  characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) · CPC title