Electronic control device including interrupt wire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9899178-B2
Application number	US-201414585623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2014
Priority date	Feb 4, 2011
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

An electronic control device includes one or more substrates, a casing, a plurality of circuit blocks, a common wire, a plurality of branch wires and two interrupt wires. The circuit blocks are disposed on the substrates and the substrates are disposed in the casing. The common wire is shared by the circuit blocks. The branch wires are respectively coupled between the circuit blocks and the common wire. The two interrupt wires are respectively coupled with two of the common wire and the branch wires for overcurrent protection of the circuit blocks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic control device comprising:
one or more substrates;
a casing in which the substrates are disposed;
a plurality of circuit blocks disposed on the one or more substrates, the plurality of circuit blocks respectively having different functions;
a common wire shared by the plurality of circuit blocks;
a plurality of branch wires respectively coupled between the plurality of circuit blocks and the common wire;
two interrupt wires respectively coupled between two different portions of the common wire and two of the branch wires for overcurrent protection of the plurality of circuit blocks, the two interrupt wires providing a protection to a short-circuit current generated at a short-circuit fault; and
at least one connection wire via which at least one of the two interrupt wires is electrically coupled with the common wire, wherein:
the common wire, the two of the plurality of branch wires, and two of the plurality of circuit blocks to which the two of the plurality of branch wires are respectively connected are disposed on one of the one or more substrates;
one of the two interrupt wires is a first interrupt wire and a different one of the two interrupt wires is a second interrupt wire;
the first interrupt wire is coupled with one of the plurality of circuit blocks via one of the branch wires;
the second interrupt wire is coupled with a different one of the plurality of circuit blocks via a different one of the branch wires;
the electronic control device further comprises a third interrupt wire disposed in the common wire;
the plurality of circuit blocks includes a circuit block which does not include an interrupt wire;
when an overcurrent occurs in the circuit block which does not include the interrupt wire, the third interrupt wire disposed in the common wire interrupts the overcurrent occurring in the circuit block which does not include the interrupt wire such that a voltage drop in the common wire is avoided; and
in a case where a first circuit block of the plurality of circuit blocks stops functioning, a second circuit block of the plurality of circuit blocks continues to function.

2. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic control device is used in a vehicle,
the circuit block coupled with the first interrupt wire performs a function, related to driving and/or control of the vehicle, having a lower importance and the circuit block coupled with the second interrupt wire performs a function, also related to driving and/or control of the vehicle, having a higher importance, the lower importance of the function and the higher importance of the function being predetermined according to which function is more critical to a safety of the vehicle when the vehicle is travelling, and
an interrupting current of the first interrupt wire and an interrupting current of the second interrupt wire are set so that the first interrupt wire melts earlier than the second interrupt wire in response to an overcurrent.

3. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a protective layer covering a surface of one of the one or more substrates including the two interrupt wires, wherein
the protective layer defines an opening portion through which at least a portion of one of the two interrupt wires is exposed.

4. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein
side ends of the at least one connection wire are smoothly connected with respective side ends of the at least one of the two interrupt wires and gradually extend toward the common wire.

5. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the two interrupt wires are coupled to the common wire at different portions separated from each other.

6. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the common wire is a power supply wire.

7. A control system comprising:
a power supply path coupled with a power source;
a fuse disposed on the power supply path;
a device coupled with the power source by the power supply path via the fuse; and
the electronic control device according to claim 6 , wherein
the power supply wire in the electronic control device is coupled with the power source by the power supply path via the fuse.

8. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the different functions respectively are related to vehicle functions.

9. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the different functions respectively are related to vehicle functions, and control a vehicle provided with the electronic control device independently of each other.

10. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the branch wires is directly coupled with the common wire without intervening one of the interrupt wires.

11. An electronic control device comprising:
one or more substrates;
a connector provided onto each of the substrates and electrically coupling with an external portion;
a casing in which the substrates are disposed;
at least three circuit blocks disposed on the substrates, the circuit blocks having different functions respectively and including a first circuit block and a second circuit block;
a common wire shared by the circuit blocks;
at least three branch wires, each coupled between the common wire and each of the circuit blocks;
two interrupt wires respectively coupled
(i) between the common wire and the connector and between the common wire and one of the branch wires, providing a protection to a short-circuit current generated at a short-circuit fault or
(ii) between the common wire and one of the branch wires and between the common wire and another of the branch wires, providing the protection to the short-circuit current generated at the short-circuit fault;

at least one of the branch wires is directly coupled with the common wire without intervening one of the interrupt wires; and
wherein:
the common wire, two of the branch wires, and two of the circuit blocks to which the two of the branch wires are respectively connected are disposed on one of the substrates;
one of the two interrupt wires is a first interrupt wire and a different one of the two interrupt wires is a second interrupt wire;
the electronic control device further comprises a third interrupt wire disposed in the common wire;
the first interrupt wire is coupled with one of the circuit blocks via one of the branch wires;
the second interrupt wire is coupled with a different one of the circuit blocks via a different one of the branch wires;
the circuit blocks includes a circuit block which does not include an interrupt wire;
when an overcurrent occurs in the circuit block which does not include the interrupt wire, the third interrupt wire disposed in the common wire interrupts the overcurrent occurring in the circuit block which does not include the interrupt wire such that a voltage drop in the common wire is avoided; and
in a case where the first circuit block stops functioning, the second circuit block continues to function.

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Furuta Takahiko
• Itabashi Toru
• Mikami Yuuki
• Nakamura Hiroaki
• Nishiyama Shigeki

Classifications

• H01H23/10

  Adaptation for built-in fuse · CPC title

• H01H23/105

  Fuses mounted on, or constituting the movable part of, the switch · CPC title

• H01H2085/0275

  Structural association with a printed circuit board · CPC title

• H01H85/046

  Fuses formed as printed circuits · CPC title

• H01H2085/0414

  Surface mounted fuses · CPC title