Denso Corporation

Hirotsugu Katou

Naoto Sakai

A control apparatus is used for a power-supply apparatus with power-supply systems connected in parallel between a pair of power wires connected to a load. Each power-supply system has a series circuit of a battery and a contact of a relay. When the control apparatus determines that at least one relay suffers from a contact welding, the control apparatus performs a battery charge/discharge process to charge/discharge the batteries through the pair of power wires by turning ON one of possible relays while turning OFF the others of the possible relays. The possible relay is defined as having a possibility of suffering from the contact welding. After the battery charge/discharge process, the control apparatus identifies which possible relay actually suffers from the contact welding based on a change in a state of the battery connected in series with the contact of each possible relay.

Control apparatus

The vehicle-use electronic control device includes a main microcomputer and a sub microcomputer. The sub-microcomputer is configured to be in one of a normal operation mode, a sleep mode and a stop mode, and to learn a frequent use time period in which frequency of use of the vehicle is high. The sub-microcomputer continues to be in the sleep mode if the frequent use time period prevails, and changes from the sleep mode to the stop mode if the frequent use time period does not prevail in order to further reduce the dark current.

Growing community of inventors

Hekinan, Japan

Hirotsugu Katou