Analysis of the most appropriate electrical architecture and communication bus for the new dual voltage 14/42 V system

In this paper we analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the basic electrical architecture of the dual voltage 14/42 V system for vehicles proposed up to date. Certain functions of management of the electrical power and protection of the electrical system are also discussed such as the circuit protection, battery management system and fusing. In our analysis of circuit protection we consider the problem of battery discharge and how to avoid the dump load. To control these functions of the electrical architecture, a data communications bus must be provided. In this paper we analyze 4 buses (CAN, TTP, LIN and RDbus) that comply with the appropriate requirements for this type of control. This new electrical system should perform at least the same as the previous one as far as security, reliability and robustness are concerned. Finally, we discuss the most appropriate electrical and communication architectures according to present day requirements.