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to multiple
higher voltages
ITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS,the electrical systems
in some luxury automobiles will be so changed as to
be almost unrecognizable Although they will
doubtless employ the old reliable 12-V lead-acid battery, their
loads will be driven by a variety of voltages, both ac and dc, perhaps derived from a single ac distribution network. Designers will
be able to match voltages to individual loads for best efficiency
and performance-lights perhaps at 6 V ac, electronics at 5 V dc,
active suspension at 350 V dc, and motors and actuators at 42 V
dc. The digital signals controlling those loads will be carried by a
separate communications network [Fig. 11
That, at least, is how a working group of engineers from makers of autos and automotive components envision the electrical
systems of luxury vehicles in the 2005-2015 time frame T h e
group, which gathered under the auspices of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology at the request of Mercedes-Benz AG,
expects the technology to spread to less opulent models as costs
drop [see "Planning for 2005,'' p. 271.
Semiconductors, of course, are the enabling technology that
will make it all possible (as well as making it all necessary). T h e
costs of solid-state power converters, switches, and logic devices
have been dropping steadily. T h e cost per watt today is less than
half what it was in 1990 and is fast arriving at a level that is practical for certain automotive applications.
JOHN G. KASSAKIAN Massachusetts lnstitute o f Technology,
HURTONGeneral Motors
Corp.
Iwo main forces are driving cars to multivoltage systemsthe quest for ever-greater fuel economy and the emergence of
new power-hungry automotive functions. Novel electrical equipment, like electromechanical valve actuators and active suspensions, will triple the aggregate electrical power demand in some
cars-from
800 W today to an average of 2500 W and a peak
value above 12 kW by perhaps as early as 2005. That power can
be more effectively distributed and utilized at voltages much
higher than today's I 2 V dc.
All the same, a large, complex infrastructure now supports the
12-V system with components and services Surmounting this
obstacle will require agreement within the industry on many new
system parameters, and reaching that agreement will take time.
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vide an interface between the alternator and the distribution system, making it unnecessary to overrate components T h e alternator in such a car can be allowed to generate an unregulated
output that varies with engine speed; power-conditioning circuitry will take that output and turn it into a constant, transientfree system voltage for distribution. It will then be unnecessary
to overrate either the load components or the semiconductor
devices that control them.
Semiconductor manufacturers are doing their part in developing advanced power devices for cars. For example, Siemens AC,
in Munich, now offers smart power switches expressly for automotive service. These MOSFET devices not only do high-side
switching, disconnecting the load from the supply voltage bus
instead of from ground, but they also shut down if their temperature rises excessively. They also can protect themselves against
overcurrents, and act as resettable fuses with the aid of associated logic, either monolithically integrated with the MOSFET or
packaged with it as a hybrid integrated circuit.
Until recently, a big impediment to acceptance of power
MOSFETs in automobiles has been their high on-state drain-tohas been
source resistance, known as RDs(on)Typically,
100 m n for a device switching 10 A, giving a 1 -V /orward drop
at a junction temperature of 125 "C and dissipating 10 W-not
particularly efficient. Now, however, Siliconix Inc., Santa Clara,
Calif., offers power MOSFETs, made by trench technology, that
have an R,,,(,,,of
, only 16 m a at a substantially higher junction
temperature, 175 "C.Other manufacturers are beginning to offer
similar devices.
Further, as noted, the cost of power electronic converters is
rapidly approaching the low levels that make them practical in
cars. From 50 cents per watt in 1990, the cost has dropped to
15-20 cents per watt for converters with 100-3000-w ratings.
When costs fall to 5-10 cents per watt, wide penetration of the
automotive market can be expected.
No timing chain
ther case in point is electromechanical valve control.
today's engines, a camshaft acts on the valve stems to
en and close the valves. As the crankshaft drives the
camshafts through gears or a chain or belt, the timing of the
valves' openings and closings is controlled by the cam design,
and is fixed relative to piston position. This means that engine
performance (in terms of emissions or fuel economy) is optimal
over only a narrow range of engine speed.
If the valves were electromechanically actuated, however,
they could be opened and closed without regard to crankshaft
position. They could operate optimally at all engine speeds,
torque levels, temperatures, and any other variables the designer includes. In fact, valve timing could be made part of a closedloop emission-control system
Moreover, an electromechanical system would eliminate the
heavy and complicated camshafts and timing chains or gears.
T h e valves would be actuated by sending current pulses through
spring-loaded solenoids with the valve stems as their cores.
Electromechanical valves offer other interesting possibilities.
For example, the valves can all be opened at the beginning of engine start-up, relieving compression and greatly reducing the
cranking torque needed, so that smaller batteries and starter motors could be used. In fact, the peak power of the starter motor
might be close to that of the alternator, so that a combined
startedalternator might become feasible. The starting torque
might even be so low that the engine could be turned over
IEEE SPECTRUM
AUGUST 1996
through the fan belt at start-up, and the combined starterlalternator could then simply be mounted in the place now occupied by
the alternator.
[2] The FTP (fur Federal Test Procedure) 75 driving cycle is a standard for measuring fuel economy. It subjects a car to a series of starts, runs at various speeds, and stops for prescribed periods. The only electrical loads marndalted during an FTP 75 test are those necessary to operate the vehicl-that
is, ignition
and engine control electronics. That may change, though; typical average operating loads may be added.
units
accelerometers
[3] An active suspension keeps passengers on an even keel by sensing accelerations and controlling
actuators at several points on the chassis. The suspension system demands high peak power-about
12 kW. Although its average power consumption is a modest 200400 W,the energy storage components and electrical distribution network must be able to handle the high peak load.
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[5]A hypothetical electrical distribution system of the future delivers power to loads over a high-voltage, medium-frequency bus. The alternator's ac output is converted to regulated ac for the bus and dc for the battery. Distribution boxes convert the ac bus voltage to whatever is needed by local loads.
security system+an
draw power when the engine i s offr but not
discharge the battery to the point where the car cannot be started.
Loads will be switched on and off by semiconductor switches controlled through a data bus of optical fiber o r copper. T h e
power MOSFET is the switching device of choice because i t is
efficient and rugged and its manufacturing technology is well
understood and widely practiced. Moreover, MOSFET power
switches can be driven directly by a car's electronic control units.
Whether the distribution is ac, dc, or a mixture of both will
depend on manufacturers' individual choices, and their assumptions about cost, performance, manufacturability, controllability,
repairability, adaptability, and reliability. Whatever the electrical
distribution architecture, it should be compatible with existing
12-V dc loads. This design will allow the present 12-V dc infrastructure to be used while new, more efficient, or functionally
improved loads at other voltages are introduced.
As happens now, lamps and motors will account for most of the
electrical load. Incandescent lamps will continue to be powered at
12 V,regardless of whether the power supply is ac or dc, because
tungsten filaments for low voltages are shorter and less fragile than
those that operate at higher voltages. In fact, short-filament 6-v
26
f these predictions prove correct, what will a "typical" top-ofthe-line automobile in 2005 look like?Although, certainly, variations among manufacturers can be expected, the model car
has an alternator, directly driven by the engine, that produces a
variable-frequency, variable-voltage output [Fig. 51. From the alternator, a front-end converter creates two outputs: 25 kHz ai3 at 48 V
nns for the main power bus and i 2 V dc for charging the battery.
The dc-ac portion of the converter is bidirectional so the battery
can supply essential loads when the key is off. The starter is still
i 2 V and gets its power from the battery; the power-hun;gryelectrically heated catalytic converter takes its power directly from the
alternator.
To minimize wiring complexity, the ac main power bus feeds distribution boxes located throughout the vehicle. Containing MOSFET switches and fuses, the boxes are controlled by a separate data
communication network that allows each box to convert the ac bus
voltage into the voltages needed by the loads it serves. For {example,
a distribution box near the trunk might provide appropriate voltages
to the tail lights, fuel pump, rear window defroster, retractable
antenna, and an audio system. Another distribution box in the passenger compartment might control door locks, windows, side-view
mirrors, compartment lights, and seat heaters.
Figure 5 can also be used t o visualize an exclusively sdc highvoltage architecture. In this case, the front-end Converter will be
an ac-dc-dc converter and dc-dc converters will replace the
transformer-rectifier combinations to provide voltages (different
from the bus voltage, which will probably be 42 V dc.
The details of the models of the future will of course varyJ and
some manufacturers may choose to eschew ac distribution altogether. But clearly the new models will b e more power hungry
than today's already complex high-end automobiles, with their
1500 wires, innumerable branch points, as many as threle dozen
To probe further
For a description of multiplexed digital communication buses in motor vehicles, see
"The Thick and Thin of Car Cabling," by
Mark Thompson, /E Spectrum, February
1996, pp. 42-45.
The authors will present their findings in detail in "The Future of Automotive Electrical Systems," at the IEEE Workshop on
Power Electronics in Transportation, to be
held in Dearborn, Mich., in October.
Two documents constitute the starting point
of the discussions of t h e working group at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
One is a seminal report by the Society of
Automotive Engineers' (SAE) DuallHigh
Voltage Study Group, "DuaVHigh Voltage
Vehicle Electrical System," by J. Vincent
Hellman and R. J. Sandel, SAE paper
911652. Another is a comprehensive paper
on high-voltage automotive systems,
"Design Consideration for Higher Voltage
Automotive Electrical Systems," by M. Matouka, SAE paper 911654. Both appear in
the Proceedings of the SA Future Transportation Technology Conference and Exposition, Portland, Ore., August 1991.
KASSAKIAN ET A L