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EP-4500016-B1 - PUMP WITH COMBINED ELECTRICAL CONTACT

EP4500016B1EP 4500016 B1EP4500016 B1EP 4500016B1EP-4500016-B1

Inventors

  • FLEISCHMANN, Zachary

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230324

Claims (15)

  1. A vehicle system comprising: a pump (150, 200A) including a motor (235); a pinout configuration (125) with an electrical contact, wherein electrical contact is configured to receive and transmit signals related to an operation of the pump and an address selection; a motor controller (230); a system controller bus (255) communicatively connected to the pinout configuration: and a system controller (250) communicatively connected to the pump via the system controller bus, the system controller configured to: determine that the electrical contact is energized; determine that a resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact after determining that the electrical contact is energized; determine a resistance value of the resistor after determining that the resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact; identify the pump based on the resistance value; and transmit a control signal to the motor controller to control the operation of the pump.
  2. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the pump based on the resistance value includes: assigning, via the system controller, an address to the pump based on the identified pump, preferably the system controller assigns the address to the pump using a CAN communication protocol.
  3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is configured to: determine that the operation of the pump is activated; and transmit the control signal to the motor controller based on determining that the operation of the pump is activated.
  4. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the electrical contact is energized includes: determine, via the system controller, that the electrical contact is receiving power.
  5. The system of claim 1, wherein the resistor is electrically connected between the electrical contact and a power source terminal.
  6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical contact is a single pin connection.
  7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is configured to: determine that the electrical contact is electrically open; and identify the pump based on determining that the electrical contact is electrically open, preferably wherein, when determining that the electrical contact is electrically open, the system controller is configured to: determine that the resistor is electrically disconnected from the electrical contact
  8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is configured to: determine that the electrical contact is electrically connected to a power source terminal; and identify the pump based on determining that the electrical contact is electrically connected to the power source terminal.
  9. A method for controlling a pump (150, 200A) of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving power at the pump; determining, via a system controller (250), that an electrical contact is energized; determining, via the system controller, that a resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact after determining that the electrical contact is energized; determining, via the system controller, a resistance value of the resistor after determining that the resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact; identifying, via the system controller, the pump based on the resistance value; receiving, via a motor controller (230), a control signal from the system controller; and controlling, via the motor controller, an operation of a motor of the pump based on the control signal.
  10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the pump based on the resistance value includes: assigning, via the system controller, an address to the pump based on the identified pump, preferably the system controller assigns an address to the pump based on a CAN communication protocol.
  11. The method of claim 9, comprising: determining, via the system controller, that the operation of the pump is activated; and transmitting the control signal to the motor controller based on determining that the operation of the pump is activated.
  12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the electrical contact is energized includes: determining, via the system controller, that the electrical contact is receiving power.
  13. The method of claim 9, comprising: determining, via the system controller, that the pump is connected to a CAN bus.
  14. The method of claim 9, comprising: determining, via the system controller, that the electrical contact is electrically open; and identifying, via the system controller, the pump based on determining that the electrical contact is electrically open.
  15. The method of claim 9, comprising: determining, via the system controller, that the electrical contact is electrically connected to a power source terminal; and identifying, via the system controller, the pump based on determining that the electrical contact is electrically connected to the power source terminal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pump, and more specifically, a pump having electrical contacts. SUMMARY Pumps are used to control flow rate and pressure of a fluid and/or gas and direct the fluid and/or gas to other devices. Vehicles typically include a plurality of pumps to control the flow of various fluids throughout the vehicle. Pumps are configured to perform operations in the event an event occurs, for example if an error condition is detected. Pumps also may be assigned different addresses by a system controller vehicle. However, known designs may be met with cost and wiring savings constraints. CN 208502991 discloses a vacuum pump system connected with a vehicle control unit via electrical connections, including a vacuum pump motor. The system further includes a control module to obtain a control signal, which is used to export a second control signal containing preset drive information. The drive module is connected to both the control module and the vacuum pump motor to generate a driving voltage and drive the vacuum pump motor according to the second control signal. Additionally, a failure diagnosis module is provided, which exports failure diagnosis information based on the driving voltage produced by the drive module. This utility model features a self-diagnosis function for the vacuum pump system, enabling it to report failure information in real-time to the vehicle control unit, enhancing vehicle reliability and simplifying post-sales maintenance. EP 3 626 973 A1 a vacuum system includes at least one vacuum device, several electronic modules, and a connection device that establishes at least an electrical connection between the multiple modules. The connection device has an electrical contact point for each of the multiple modules, with each contact point comprising a unique identification feature. A method for identifying multiple electronic modules of such a vacuum system, each of which has a type identification associated with its respective module type, includes identifying the modules based on a combination of the unique identification feature of their contact point and their type identification. The disclosure provides, in one aspect, a vehicle system including a pump having a motor and a pinout configuration with an electrical contact. The electrical contact receives and transmits signals related to an operation of the pump and an address selection. The pump also includes a motor controller. The vehicle system includes a system controller bus communicatively connected to the pinout configuration and a system controller communicatively connected to the pump via the system controller bus. The system controller determines that the electrical contact is energized, determines that a resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact after determining that the electrical contact is energized, determines a resistance value of the resistor after determining that the resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact, identifies the pump based on the resistance value, and transmits a control signal to the motor controller to control the operation of the pump. The disclosure provides, in another aspect, a method for controlling a pump of a vehicle. The method includes receiving power at the pump, determining, via a system controller, that an electrical contact is energized, determining, via the system controller, that a resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact after determining that the electrical contact is energized, and determining, via the system controller, a resistance value of the resistor after determining that the resistor is electrically connected to the electrical contact. The method also includes identifying, via the system controller, the pump based on the resistance value, receiving, via a motor controller, a control signal from the system controller, and controlling, via the motor controller, an operation of a motor of the pump based on the control signal. Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a system including a pump and a valve, according to one embodiment.FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system for controlling a pump, according to one embodiment.FIG. 3 is a table of communication protocol and pinout configuration of the pump of FIG. 2, according to one embodiment.FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a pump of a vehicle, according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried