# US 12,003,099 B2 · Motor vehicle control unit with redundant power supply, and corresponding motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,003,099 B2 - Document ID: US12003099B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/278,498 - Filed: 2019-09-20 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-24 - Assignees: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH - Applicants: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH - Inventors: Ingo Scheier; Christian Voss; Josef Schnell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003099B2 ## CPC - H02J 1/108: having arrangements for blocking reverse current flow, e.g. using diodes (H02J1/12 takes precedence) - B60R 16/03: for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} - G01R 31/006: {on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks (testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00)} - G01R 31/2632: {for testing diodes} - H02H 1/06: Arrangements for supplying operative power {(power supply arrangements in general G05F, H02M)} - H02H 3/044: {Checking correct functioning of protective arrangements, e.g. by simulating a fault (for differential current circuit breakers H02H3/335)} - H02H 3/05: with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements {(for logic circuits H03K19/003)} - H02H 3/18: responsive to reversal of direct current - H02H 3/20: responsive to excess voltage - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H) ## Abstract A control unit for a motor vehicle, having a supply connection for receiving a supply voltage from a supply line needing to be secured against a reaction from the control unit, wherein to protect against the reaction there is provision in a current path of the supply connection for a unidirectional first blocking element, and a diagnostic circuit is configured to check the blocking effect thereof by a predetermined diagnostic routine. An additional, second unidirectional blocking element is connected in series with the blocking element in the current path of the supply connection, wherein the first and the second blocking element each provide for a unidirectional flow of current to the device circuit, and the diagnostic circuit is configured to use the diagnostic routine to also check the blocking effect of the second blocking element. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control unit for a motor vehicle, having at least one supply connection for receiving a supply voltage from a respective supply line needing to be secured against a predetermined electrical reaction from the control unit, wherein the at least one supply connection is connected via a respective current path to a circuit input of an electrical device circuit of the control unit, and to protect against the reaction there is provision for, in the respective current path of the at least one supply connection, a respective unidirectional first blocking element that provides for a unidirectionally directed flow of current to the device circuit and a blocking effect for a flow of current to the respective supply connection, wherein a diagnostic circuit is configured to check the blocking effect by a predetermined diagnostic routine, wherein a second unidirectional blocking element is respectively connected in series with the first blocking element in the respective current path of the at least one supply connection, wherein the second blocking element likewise provides for the unidirectional flow of current to the device circuit, and the diagnostic circuit is configured to use the diagnostic routine to also check the blocking effect of the second blocking element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diagnostic circuit for the respective current path of the at least one supply connection has an electrical network in each case via which the circuit input is connected to a reference potential of the control unit, and the diagnostic routine involves an evaluation logic of the diagnostic circuit using a switching element of the network to set two different switching states in the network and, in each of the switching states, recording at least one voltage value obtained in the respective switching state for a respective electrical first test voltage of the network at at least one predetermined first tap point and using the voltage values to verify, according to a predetermined voltage coding, whether the first and the second blocking element has its respective blocking effect, and otherwise generating an error signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The control unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the circuit input is electrically connected to the reference potential in both switching states of the network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The control unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the network is connected to the current path at at least two contact points, and a first of the contact points is arranged between firstly the two blocking elements and secondly the supply connection and the second of the contact points is arranged between the two blocking elements. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The control unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein a first tap point in the network is connected to a first measurement point of the current path, corresponding to the first contact point, via a first resistor element and to the reference potential via a second resistor element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The control unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the switching element connects the circuit input to a feed point corresponding to the second contact point. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The control unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the diagnostic routine involves the evaluation logic recording a feed voltage value when the switching element is switched to an electrically conductive state, which feed voltage value correlates with a feed voltage that is present in a circuit branch that comprises the switching element and connects the circuit input to the feed point, and configuring the voltage coding on the basis of the recorded feed voltage value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The control unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first tap point is connected to the feed point via a third resistor element or wherein there is provision for a further first tap point that is connected to the feed point via a fifth resistor element and to the reference potential via a sixth resistor element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The control unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the diagnostic circuit for the respective current path of the at least one supply connection provides for an interruption element of switchable design, provided between firstly the supply connection and secondly the two blocking elements, in the current path in each case, wherein the diagnostic routine provides for the blocking effect to be checked by virtue of the interruption element being switched to an electrically nonconductive state for at least part of the diagnostic routine. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The control unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein a second measurement point, arranged between the supply connection and the interruption element, of the current path is connected to the evaluation logic, and the diagnostic routine involves the evaluation logic, when the interruption element is switched to an electrically conductive state, checking a conducting-state voltage dropped across the interruption element for whether the conducting-state voltage satisfies a predetermined conducting-state criterion, and generating a failure signal if the conducting-state criterion is violated. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The control unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the diagnostic circuit has a voltage divider, connecting the second measurement point and the reference potential, that provides a second tap point, and the conducting-state criterion involves a voltage difference between a second test voltage recorded at the second tap point and the first test voltage being lower than a predetermined threshold value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The control unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the evaluation logic is configured to perform the diagnostic routine while the control unit is starting and to refrain from the diagnostic routine while the control unit is operating. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The control unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the evaluation logic is provided on the basis of at least one microcontroller, and the evaluation logic is configured to use at least one AD converter of the at least one microcontroller for a voltage recording provided for according to the diagnostic routine. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blocking elements are in each case a diode and/or a MOSFET with body diode and/or a switching unit that is designed to be alternately switchable to an electrically conductive state and an electrically nonconductive state. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A motor vehicle having at least one electrical supply line and at least one control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one control unit is connected to the at least one supply line for an electrical supply. ### Claim 16 (depends on 3) The control unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the network is connected to the current path at at least two contact points, and a first of the contact points is arranged between firstly the two blocking elements and secondly the supply connection and the second of the contact points is arranged between the two blocking elements. ### Claim 17 (depends on 4) The control unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the switching element connects the circuit input to a feed point corresponding to the second contact point. ### Claim 18 (depends on 7) The control unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first tap point is connected to the feed point via a third resistor element or wherein there is provision for a further first tap point that is connected to the feed point via a fifth resistor element and to the reference potential via a sixth resistor element. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cathode of the first blocking element is directly connected to an anode of the second blocking element.