JP2001290510A - Control unit for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate an increase in the number of input/output points and the addition of a function even when a single-chip microcomputer is used and to facilitate program modification. SOLUTION: The control unit has an interface software storage means which incoporates interface software mediating between application software and an OS in an internal ROM, a CPU which runs the application software and interface software, a RAM which stores an arithmetic result, etc., an I/O for control unit extension, and an extending means which communicates with the memory, etc., through a bus or LAN, etc. Consequently, the control unit is easily adaptive to the increase in the number of input/output points and the addition of a function, the application software can permanently be used only by rewriting the interface software, and the need to remake a core unit is eliminated, so it is made easy to develop the control unit including programs.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile control unit, and more particularly to an automobile control unit for controlling an engine, a transmission, a brake, a suspension, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a control unit equipped with a single-chip microcomputer has been used for vehicle control. Single-chip microcomputer is a central processing unit (CPU)
(ROM, RAM, etc.) and A / D
The converter etc. are built in collectively. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size as a whole, and it is also advantageous in terms of ease of use, speed of processing time, and the like.

[0003]

However, in the prior art, when software and hardware are changed due to a change in control specifications or the like, there is a problem that the expansion is considerably limited. In addition, when a single-chip microcomputer is used for vehicle control, it is necessary to create software with restrictions on hardware,
In particular, when improving fuel efficiency, purifying exhaust gas, and the like, it is necessary to increase the number of input / output points and add functions, and it is necessary to recreate all hardware and software each time.

Further, since control software written in a ROM for performing various controls is expressed in an assembler language, the contents and creation method of the program can be interpreted only by experts, so to speak. It was human. Therefore, especially in the stage of creating the actual application software, not only the first programmer can not understand the details of the software content, but also when adding software of another function, it is necessary to create all from the beginning. I needed to fix it.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it easy to increase the number of input / output signals and add functions even when a single-chip microcomputer is used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control unit for a vehicle which makes it easy to change the program.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an automobile control unit according to the present invention basically includes application software and OS (Operating System) stored in an internal ROM.
interface software storage means incorporating interface software for mediating an operating system, a CPU (central processing unit) for executing the application software and the interface software, and a RAM (rewritable memory) for storing the operation results and the like. And I / O for control unit expansion, and expansion means for communicating a memory or the like via a bus or a LAN or the like,
The control unit has a structure that can respond immediately to an increase in the number of input / output points and addition of functions.

[0007]

According to the present invention configured as described above, even when a single-chip microcomputer is used for vehicle control, it is easy to cope with an increase in the number of input / output points and addition of functions.
The application software can be used permanently only by rewriting the interface software, and the core unit does not need to be rebuilt. Therefore, the development of the control unit including the program can be facilitated.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for describing the following embodiments, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a vehicle control unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic example of the core unit 1. The core unit 1 includes application software and an OS
Interface software for connecting an (Operating System), an interface software storage means built in the internal ROM 2 as the first memory, a central processing unit (CPU) 3 for executing the application software and the interface software, a calculation result, etc. The second to memorize
(A rewritable memory) 4 as an I / O (Input / Output) for extending the control unit, and an extension means 5 for communicating a memory or the like via a bus or a LAN.

The interface software in the internal ROM 2 includes an interrupt process, a task dispatcher, a debugging function, an automatic matching function such as learning control, a port assignment function, a standard vehicle I / O process, and the like (described later). The internal ROM 2 can also write application software created by an automobile manufacturer or the like. The expansion means 5 is for external I / O (to be described later), ROM, and the like accompanying an increase in the number of input / output points and addition of functions.

FIG. 2 is an example of a unit configuration diagram when expanded. In FIG. 2, the core unit 1 shown in FIG.
A bus or a LAN (Local Arear Neighbor)
A vehicle expansion I / O 6 and an external ROM 7 are additionally connected via communication lines such as twork). This extension I
/ O6 has a software timer or a hardware timer. The hardware timer is used for high-precision control when the time is precisely adjusted, for example, for ignition timing control or fuel control, and the software timer can be used for rough control such as a meter. The expansion I / O 6 is, for example, a programmable input / output device, and is a CPU 3 in the core unit 1.
To write the data to the register,
A signal such as M (Pulse Width Modulation) can be output. In addition, internal ROM, external ROM
Is an electrically rewritable memory (flash memory, E
EPROM) can also be used.

As described above, when the version of the core unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to, for example, a four-cylinder engine and then the control is increased to correspond to, for example, a six-cylinder engine, Control contents are input to the external ROM 7 and a signal of the increased control amount is output to an actuator (not shown) via the extended I / O 6.

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 show another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an example of a specific unit configuration diagram without extension. In FIG. 3, when there is no extension, the core unit 1 becomes the standard unit 8 as it is. The expansion means 5 is a part of the I / O port, and
Also, I / O of sensors A and B and actuators A and B
Can be used as a port. The control unit 9 includes a core unit 1 and a hard filter 10 for processing a sensor signal.
And a power circuit 11 for amplifying the actuator signal.

FIG. 4 is an example of a specific unit configuration diagram when there is an extension. In FIG. 4, when expanded, the expansion means 5 of the core unit 1 is used as a control bus, an address bus and a data bus. The expansion I / O 6 and the external ROM 7 are connected to the core unit 1 by the three buses, and a standard unit 12 is configured. In this case, since the expansion means 5 used as the I / O port is used for expansion, the I / O ports of the sensors A and B and the actuators A and B disappear. Therefore, the number of extended I / Os 6 needs to be the number of ports including the number of I / O ports reduced by the core unit 1. Here, as an example, assuming that the number of sensors C and D and the number of actuators C are increased, the number of I / O ports including the above three ports and the sensors A and B and the actuators A and B is prepared. The control unit 13 is provided for the standard unit 12, the sensors C and D, and the actuator C.
It comprises a HardFilter 14 and a power circuit 15, sensors A and B, and a Hard Filter 10 and a power circuit 11 for actuators A and B.

FIG. 5 is an example of an expanded configuration diagram of the core unit 1 itself. The core unit 1 includes a CPU 3 and an internal R
I / O 16 including OM 2, RAM 4, extension means 5, A
/ D17, a timer 18, a vehicle extended I / O 6, and a cache memory 19 for executing high-speed access from an external memory such as an external ROM 7. That is, the cache memory 19 stores the data to be read next from the external ROM 7 in advance, and the CPU 3 accesses the data to be read next from the cache memory 19 without having to access the external ROM 7. Can be external ROM
The time required to read the contents of No. 7 can be saved, and the responsiveness can be improved. These are all connected by a bus 20.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show an example of an extended configuration diagram according to each specification. FIG. 6 shows an example of a standard unit configuration for use in a four- or six-cylinder engine, for example. In FIG.
When the control target in the applicable vehicle is only the 4- or 6-cylinder engine control, since the control items and the number of I / Os are not so large, only the core unit 1 can cope with the control, and the core unit 1 is not changed. Standard unit. In this case, control is performed by writing application software and interface software to the internal ROM 2.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration obtained by adding a fault diagnosis to the configuration of FIG.
An example of a standard unit configuration for a cylinder engine or a six-cylinder engine with automatic transmission control is shown. FIG.
In the case where the target vehicle is a six-cylinder engine with failure diagnosis or a six-cylinder engine with automatic transmission control, the extended I / O 21 and the external ROM 7 (a) are extended to the core unit 1. (Extension unit 1) to secure the number of ports required for the specifications of the six-cylinder engine and to secure a memory in accordance with an increase in control items. In this case, the software may store the additional portion in the external ROM 7 (a), or may store the interface software in the internal ROM 2 and the application software in the external ROM 7 (a).

FIG. 8 shows an example of a standard unit configuration for performing six-cylinder integrated control. The target vehicle is a vehicle equipped with a six-cylinder engine to which a number of controls such as failure diagnosis, automatic transmission, constant-speed cruise control, instrument panel control, etc. are added, that is, an additional function of six-cylinder integrated control. In the case of an increased vehicle, as shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 7, the expansion I / O 22 and the external ROM 7 are further expanded (expansion unit 2). In the case of FIG. 8, similarly to FIG. 7, when the external ROMs 7 and 7 (a) are expanded, the additional parts are stored in the external ROMs 7 and 7 (a), or interface software is stored in the internal ROM 2. Can be stored in the external ROM 7 (a) and the external ROM 7. In the latter case, since the interface software and the application software are separated, debugging of the application software becomes easy.

As described above, it is a feature of the core unit 1 and the expanding means 5 that the increase in the number of input / output points and the addition of functions including software can be dealt with immediately. FIG. 9 shows an engine AT (Automatic Transmis- sion) using a core unit.
sion) is an example of a control unit configuration diagram. In FIG. 9, application software (for example, hardware interrupt processing such as ignition fuel control) and interface software that require high-speed calculation in engine and AT control are written in an internal ROM 2 in the core unit 1. Further, the core unit 1 is provided with a multiplexer (MPX) 23 for selecting a plurality of analog signals in accordance with the situation in order to effectively use the A / D 17, and the throttle opening TV
Signal processing such as O, the air flow rate signal Qa, and the water temperature Tw is performed.
Further, the switch signal (idle SW) and the vehicle speed Vs
A pulse signal such as p is input. A in core unit 1
As output signals of the T control, a line pressure PL for controlling the hydraulic pressure of the transmission, and a solenoid signal sol for controlling the shift position
A and solB are output. Further, since a large number of timers are used for engine control, an extended I / O 24 for engine control is required. The engine control extended I / O 24 incorporates many timers. Therefore, the engine rotation signal POS and the cylinder discrimination signal REF are input to the extended I / O 24, and the fuel injection amount INJ, the ignition timing IGN, and the idle control ISC are output. Further, application software (for example, shift point control, lock-up control) sufficient for low-speed calculation of engine AT control is written in the external ROM 7.

FIG. 10 shows AB in the case of using a core unit.
It is an example of an S (Antiskid Brake System) traction control unit configuration diagram. Internal ROM in core unit 1
2 includes application software for ABS control and AB
Interface software necessary for S control and traction control is written. In order to effectively use the A / D 17, a plurality of analog signals are selected according to the situation.
A PX (multiplexer) 23 is provided, and performs signal processing such as a G (acceleration) sensor for obtaining the absolute vehicle speed of the automobile. Further, the vehicle speed Vs, which is the speed on the driving wheel side,
Pulse signals such as p, the wheel speed (front right) and the wheel speed (front left), which are speeds on the non-driven wheel side, are input. Further, a PWM signal Dout for controlling the brake pressure is output as an output signal of the ABS control in the core unit 1. When the traction control function is added, the traction control expansion I / O 25 is used to output the throttle opening and the ignition timing retard amount for reducing the engine torque. Also, traction control application software is written in the external ROM 7. in this way,
In the illustrated example, a unit for ABS control is created and standardized, and the unit is extended to perform traction control.

Next, a LAN (Local Arrangement) is established between the control units.
ea Network) will be described. FIG. 11 is an example of a system configuration diagram in a case where both units are connected by a LAN in a vehicle using both the engine AT control unit and the ABS traction control unit. The engine AT control unit 27 and the ABS traction control unit 28 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are connected by a LAN (data communication line) 26. The LAN 26 and the bus 129 of the control unit 27 perform data communication with the communication connector 130 and the communication circuit 131. Also, the bus 132 of the LAN 26 and the control unit 28
Performs data communication with the communication connector 133 and the communication circuit 134. For example, data such as the engine torque calculated by the engine AT control unit 27 is transmitted to the ABS traction control unit 28, and the engine torque reduction control (reduction in throttle opening, ignition timing retard and fuel amount, etc.) when the wheels are idling is performed by the engine. Executes with torque feedback to improve control accuracy.

FIG. 12 is an example of a configuration diagram in the case where the arithmetic unit 33 and the I / O unit 32 are divided and these are communicated with each other by the LAN 126. The I / O unit 32 includes an I / O 16 including a CPU 3, an internal ROM 2, a RAM 4, an extension unit 5, an A / D 17, a timer 18, an MPX 23, and an extension I / O 124 for controlling an engine AT. I /
The O unit 32 performs a filtering process, an A / D conversion process, and the like on the signal input from the sensor, and transmits the processed data to the arithmetic unit 33 via the LAN 126. The engine AT calculation unit 33 calculates the fuel injection width INJ, the ignition timing IGN, the idle control amount ISC, the line pressure PL of the transmission, and the like using the transmitted data. It is transmitted to the O unit 32. The output signal is output from the I / O 16 in the core unit 1 including the interface software and the extended I / O 124 for controlling the engine AT.
In this case, since the arithmetic unit 33 uses the same core unit 1 as the I / O unit 32, it has the same function. However, only the application software used for the calculation is written in the internal ROM 2 of the calculation unit 33. The communication between the LAN 126 and the units 32 and 33 is performed by the communication connectors 136 and 139 and the communication circuit 13 respectively.
Execute at 7,140. In addition, the communication connector 13
6, 139 and the communication circuits 137, 140 operate according to the instructions of the CPU of each control unit.

As described above, in the illustrated example, I / O processing software called interface software is written in the internal ROM 2 and one unit constitutes the I / O unit 32. Therefore, for example, the ABS traction control unit and the The same signal (overlap signal) input to the engine AT control unit or the like can be unified and input to the I / O unit 32, so that I / O can be shared and the number of parts can be reduced. I do.

Hereinafter, an outline of the above-described interface software will be described with reference to embodiments. As described above, the interface software is software that mediates between the OS and the application software. Therefore, the manufacturer of the application software can create the application software without considering the OS, which facilitates software development.

FIGS. 13 to 17 show a comparison of input signal processing by the control unit. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show a processing configuration of a conventional air flow sensor signal. FIG. 13 shows a case where a hot wire (HW) type air flow meter is used for detecting and calculating the air flow rate Qa. The signal of the air flow meter is first subjected to noise removal by a hard filter 138 provided in the control unit 38, and is input to the A / D converter 240 of the single-chip microcomputer 140. The signal converted by the A / D converter 240 is a function A40
Is converted to an air flow rate Qa. When the pressure gauge in the intake pipe is used as shown in FIG. 14, signal noise is removed by a hard filter 139 different from a hot wire (HW) type air flow meter provided in the control unit 39, and a single chip microcomputer is used. 141 is input to the A / D converter 241. Then, the signal converted by the A / D converter 241 is converted into an air flow rate Qa by a function B41.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the input signal processing configuration of the standard unit 42 having the internal ROM 143 with built-in interface software. When the standard unit 42 is used, the pressure gauge in the intake pipe shown in FIGS.
Any sensor of the W-type air flow meter can be supported.
That is, the interface software of the internal ROM 143 executes the filtering and the function processing of the two sensors. First, the input signal is digitized by the A / D converter 142 of the standard unit 42 and the internal R
Processing by the interface software of the OM 143 is performed. Next, a digital filter 243 is used instead of the hard filters 138 and 139, and a cutoff frequency corresponding to each sensor signal is set by software. Further, instead of a function having different characteristics depending on each sensor signal, a higher-order function 43 (Qa = ΣKi
(* V Ki: order, V: digitized voltage signal), the order Ki corresponding to each signal is set, and a function corresponding to each signal is created and calculated to calculate the air amount Qa. This makes it possible to switch various sensor signal inputs in software. That is, the characteristics of the functions A and B are changed by the interface software to a higher-order function 43.
And Qa can be calculated by the same port in any method.

FIG. 16 shows an example of an input signal processing configuration using a variable hard filter. The control unit 144 includes a variable hard filter 44, A that changes the variable resistance or the like according to the type of the sensor signal and changes the cutoff frequency to execute filtering corresponding to the signal.
/ D converter 147, interface software (function A,
B etc.) are provided.
First, the input signal is converted into the variable hard filter 44.
Performs noise removal, and inputs the result to the standard unit 244. In the standard unit 244, a function corresponding to each sensor signal, for example, an arithmetic function such as a function A45 for an HW type air flow meter type and a function B46 for an intake pipe pressure gauge type is provided. An air amount Qa is calculated by selecting a function corresponding to the input sensor signal.

FIG. 17 shows an example of an input signal processing configuration having a hard filter for each sensor used. Control unit 1
At 48, input terminals for various sensors (HW type air flow meter, intake pipe pressure gauge) and hard filters 48 and 49 unique to each are provided, and the standard unit 1 is provided.
Function A 45, Function B 46, Selector 47 provided in 49
To calculate the air amount Qa.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a port assignment function by the interface software. FIG. 18 (a)
FIG. 18B shows an HW type air flow meter type 6-cylinder engine control using the standard unit 50, and FIG.
4 shows an example of an input / output port assignment configuration for cylinder engine control. In the case of FIG. 18A, signals such as the HW type air flow rate signal Qa, the engine speed signal Ne, the water temperature signal Tw, the oxygen sensor signal O2, etc. are input ports, and the fuel injection signals INJ, DIST (Distributor) for six cylinders are provided. ) -Type ignition signals IGN and signals such as ISC (Idle Speed Control) are assigned as output ports. This standard unit 50
Is used for a four-cylinder engine with the specifications in FIG.
Since the INJ pulse signal is reduced from six in six cylinders to four in four cylinders, two ports are left. However, in engine control using an intake pipe pressure gauge, intake air temperature correction and exhaust pressure correction are required when calculating the air flow rate. Therefore, if the remaining two output ports are used as the input ports for the intake air temperature and the exhaust pressure, the effective use of the standard unit 50 can be realized. In FIG. 18B, an intake pipe pressure signal Pm is assigned to the input port instead of the air flow rate signal Qa. Such a port assignment function is provided by the standard unit 5.
By using the interface software of No. 0, the unit can be effectively used. Regarding the intake air temperature and exhaust pressure signals, a multiplexer or the like is hard-wired into the standard unit 50 and switched, thereby providing flexibility. As described above, even when the engine specifications and the sensor specifications are different, the input / output signal can be changed efficiently by the port assignment function of the interface software.

FIG. 19 is an example of a configuration diagram of a process of combining input signals by the interface software. The combination process is a process of generating another signal by combining input signals from a sensor or the like, and this process is executed by the interface software 57. For example, from the engine speed 51 and the vehicle speed 52 through the process A, the gear ratio signal 53
And a turbine torque 55 and an output shaft torque 56 from the engine rotation 51 and the turbine rotation 54 via the process B.
Is calculated. By providing such processing functions to the interface software 57, if the user, that is, the application software development side, accesses the data such as the gear ratio signal stored in each address of the RAM, the contents can be freely viewed at any time. It becomes possible. By executing such combination processing, it is possible to cope with an increase in required parameters due to an increase in control items in the future without adding a new sensor.

FIG. 20 shows an example of an arithmetic processing function at the time of sensor input by the interface software. In the current engine control, a value obtained by performing signal processing such as signal A / D conversion or pulse number measurement of an air amount sensor, a water temperature sensor, a throttle opening sensor, and a crank angle sensor is not directly used by application software. For example, the signal from the air amount sensor is subjected to interpolation calculation with reference to a table once to obtain an intake air amount index QA usable by application software for the first time. As described above, the signals required by the application software, that is, the intake air amount index QA, the intake air amount constant QS, the water temperature TWN,
TWK for searching water temperature grid, throttle opening ADTVO, T
VO1S and engine speed LNRPM, HNRPM,
By providing the calculation of MNRPM in the interface software 58, software development becomes easy. The above-mentioned intake air amount index QA, intake air amount constant QS, water temperature TW
N, TWK for searching water temperature grid, throttle opening ADTV
O, TVO1S and engine speed LNRPM, HNR
By storing each data of PM and MNRPM in RAM, the data of these applications can be stored in RAM.
You can always see if you access.

Next, an embodiment of a description method of interface software, that is, a flow of a source list will be described. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of time allocation by interface software. The vehicle control has various control tasks and subroutines that are started at various timings, each of which operates at a certain fixed cycle. Since it is difficult to manage time and assign timing in the C language description, the interface software has an automatic assignment function. The engine control application software has various startup tasks such as crank angle interrupt, ignition pulse generation, interval interrupt, and engine speed capture processing.Each has a unique request timing, and each has its own required timing, and the rotation or time period according to it It is running. The same applies to other AT control and ABS control application software. In this way, the application software with various request timings and the internal tasks are determined automatically by the interface software's automatic allocation processing function, and the initial settings such as the timer necessary for setting the startup cycle of the microcomputer and further requests are made. Vector addresses are automatically assigned as processing contents at the timing.

FIG. 22 is an example of a detailed control flowchart of FIG. For example, in the case of the C language description application software, when the description format of the task activation timing is JOB = request timing, the discriminating program is executed for each activation task to determine what the contents of JOB are, and JOB = A (59 ) If it is 2ms to microcomputer
Initialization of the periodic processing timing is performed, and vector addresses are allocated 60 as 2 ms periodic processing. JOB
= B (61), the microcomputer performs the initial setting of the 4 ms cycle processing timing in the same manner as described above, and allocates the vector address 62 as the 4 ms cycle processing, and JOB = REF
If (65), the initialization of the rotation cycle process is performed by the microcomputer, and the vector address of the activation task is assigned (6).
6). Further, if JOB = X (63), if a unique timing requested by the user, for example, a period of 20 ms, initialization of the microcomputer and allocation of vector addresses 64 corresponding to the timing are performed. By providing such functions in the interface software, it is possible to avoid problems of time management and timing allocation when the vehicle control software shifts to C language description.

FIG. 23 is an example of a flowchart of interrupt level assignment by the interface software. Basically, similar to the time allocation flow, it determines what the label of the request interrupt level from the start task in each control is, assigns a priority to each task according to the label, and gives priority to the microcomputer. The initial setting of the ranking is performed automatically. Judge 67 whether the request level is L7, and
If s, each target JOB is set to the interrupt level 7 and the priority setting 68 is performed. Hereinafter, similarly, the request level is determined (6
9, 71, 73), and each level setting (70, 72, 7)
Perform 4). In each control application software,
While many tasks are activated at individual timings, setting the interrupt level for each task plays an important role in vehicle control where real-time performance is important, and is not possible if C language is used. The interrupt level can be described.

Table 1 shows a C language description specification for timing and priority assignment. The task start timing required for vehicle control is picked up and specified in advance, and the timing and priority required for the task when developing software for each control are selected from the specifications. For example, if the task has a priority of 7 for a task with a cycle of 2 ms, the labels A and L7 may be described. Also, several labels of the rotation period are provided. Further, by providing a label for user (application software development) setting, the request timing can be set freely. As described above, the interface software determines and assigns the initial setting values to the microcomputers without changing the application software. In other words, it is possible to easily cope with various microcomputers (CPUs) only by improving the interface software. it can.

[0036]

[Table 1]

Further, as a processing function of the interface software, an input / output port considered to be optimal for the corresponding microcomputer is assigned. When using a standard unit to control vehicles with different control targets, the number of input / output ports is limited by the standard unit, and separate input / output ports must be assigned for 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder control. Is done. For this reason, the optimal input / output port assignment pattern is set in advance, and the car control software determines which type is to be controlled, automatically selects the port assignment pattern, and sends the input / output signals to the microcomputer. Make a decision. The optimum allocation of input / output ports corresponding to the control target is prepared in a pattern.

FIG. 24 is an example of a flowchart for determining a pattern for optimal input / output port assignment. First, if the control target is a four-cylinder engine control, then the method of air amount measurement is determined and a pattern A is assigned if the air flow meter type is used, and a pattern B is assigned if the intake pipe pressure gauge type is used. In the above, the types of the respective measurement methods are determined for the patterns C, D, and the like, and are assigned in accordance with the determination. Thereby, by finitely assigning input / output ports using the common unit, the assignment corresponding to the control target can be automatically performed.

FIG. 25 shows an example of a collective data group arrangement in the RAM area. In the RAM area, independently developed data for engine, AT, and ABS control are secured, and among them, frequently used data used in two or more controls is collectively arranged as multipurpose data.
Thus, the ROM capacity of the program can be reduced by utilizing the base register. In addition, even when communication between control application softwares is provided, so-called data provision, collectively arranging the data as general data enables data reference in one block.

FIG. 26 is an example of a flowchart of the multiple data batch arrangement. Independently developed engine control, A
The flow will be described using C-language description application software of T control and ABS control. In FIG. 26, first, variables declared to be used for engine control are allocated to the RAM area in the order of declaration 75. Where R
The start address of the multiple data allocation area in the AM area is #
ADD is set, and a search is made 76 for variables declared under AT control that are the same as engine control variables. If the same variable is found, the data is stored at the address ADD, and the address ADD is incremented. Repeat until all AT control declaration variables are checked against engine control variables.

After searching the AT control variables 77, then
A search 78 is performed for variables declared in the ABS control for the same variables in the engine control and AT control variables, and
If found, it is first determined whether or not the data is already arranged in the heavily used data allocation area as the heavily used data.
The data is stored in the address D, and the process is repeated while incrementing the ADD until the collation of all variables is completed in the same manner as described above.

Through these procedures, the RAM
It becomes possible to collectively arrange as multiple data in the area. Further, only the engine control is made up of a number of activation tasks, and several variables are declared in each task. As described above, there is a possibility that a large amount of frequently used data is included in one control, and by using the same simple flow configuration, it is possible to frequently use not only between the controls but also between the tasks in each control. Data search and batch arrangement can also be performed.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment for finding an abnormal control point by a monitoring program. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an example of a schematic diagram of a flowchart for finding an abnormal part using a monitoring program. In FIG. 27, a specific error code is set for each control unit and each task of vehicle control. When an error code is generated, the monitoring program identifies the error to the engine control unit or the AT.
The control unit or the ABS control unit is determined, and the fail-safe measures set in each control unit are activated to perform fail-safe. In addition, by setting such an error code in each control unit and each task in the control unit, if the error code is identified when debugging a huge amount of application software for automobile control, It is possible to easily find a bug factor such as which task in which control application software has an abnormality.

Further, each task of each control application software independently developed in the interface software is provided with a flag operation program for setting an activation flag when the task is activated. Further, the interface software is provided with a monitoring program for monitoring a start flag by the flag operation program at a certain fixed cycle. This monitoring program calculates and manages the processing time of each task, and also diagnoses the CPU load factor. If the task processing is not completed within the specified processing time of each task set in the monitoring program, or if the CPU load factor assigned to each control is exceeded, a preset identifiable error occurs. Output the code and use it for fail-safe measures and debugging. As a method for finding an abnormal part using a monitoring program, for example, fail-safe software citing a software timer, a startup task monitoring program that extends monitoring contents, a macro processing time monitoring method using a watchdog timer And so on.

In the fail-safe software citing the software timer, for example, in the processing time monitoring task, a plurality of tasks are arranged in descending order of priority, and the operation time monitoring timer of the task being executed is incremented. To check whether the task being executed is completed within the specified processing time, and compare the specified processing time set in advance with the data of the timer.
If the specified time is exceeded, an error code unique to each task is output. Note that the specified processing time is determined by an integral multiple of the monitoring program startup cycle, and therefore, by changing the startup cycle,
It can also be set to s.

The startup task monitoring program with expanded monitoring contents includes, for example, programs for each control on one piece of software. When those tasks are executed, the monitoring program calculates and manages the processing time of the execution task, and The CPU load ratio can be monitored by each control. The activation task monitoring program includes, for example, a CPU by various controls such as engine control, AT control, and common control.
A program for monitoring the load factor is provided.
This program counts the load of each control on the CPU and negotiates a load factor error such that an error occurs when the task (work) related to each control exceeds 70% of the whole as the CPU load factor is over-occupied. Each control unit diagnoses whether the counter provided is 70 or more, and if there is an abnormality, diagnoses the processing time from the higher priority of each task in the control unit and outputs an error code indicating the abnormal task. Output. Even if no load factor error occurs, the CPU load factor is
It can be known from the counter of each control unit such as ENGINE, AT, COMMON.

In the method of monitoring the macro processing time using the watchdog timer, for example, if an abnormality occurs in the processing and the timer is not cleared within the overflow set time of the watchdog timer, a forced interrupt (NMI) is generated due to the overflow. Then, the monitoring program starts to operate, compares it with the address stored in each program based on the stack pointer (SP) immediately before the occurrence of the abnormality, and outputs an error code indicating the task in which the abnormality has occurred.
As described above, the watchdog timer method requires only a small program scale, but can only roughly monitor the status of each task. However, the watchdog timer method is more desirable in terms of the difficulty in generating a bug.

Next, an embodiment relating to a list described in the interface software will be described. FIG. 28 is an example of a configuration of a basic processing program incorporated into interface software. Engine rotation capture 90,
The vehicle speed calculation 91, the turbine speed 92, the throttle opening degree acquisition program 93, and the calculation program 94 for each filter used at various frequencies are converted into functions, and embedded software 95 for communication such as LAN is also converted into a function as interface software. I had it.

FIG. 29 shows an example of the functioning of the definition and declaration of general vehicle control variables. An enormous number of flag variables and I / O variables such as input / output signals are defined and declared in the interface software and functioned as a header file. Flag variables and the like are defined in consideration of a type declaration and a bit field so as to be in the optimal C language. FIG. 30 shows an example of the specification of the built-in function. By specifying the specifications, the control software development side can include the header file and configure the control using the defined variables.If the control process involves signal capture or calculation, the control What is necessary is just to call a necessary processing function from among the basic processing functions. The development of vehicle control software can be simplified by functionalizing these basic processing programs and functionalizing a header file defining I / O and variables for general vehicle control. That is, if the software is standardized by I / O processing or the like and presented to the application software development side (user) as a specification, the user adds or adds necessary functional software based on the specification by a subroutine or the like. It can be changed and the function can be improved.

FIG. 31 shows an example of the means of the processing selection function of the basic processing function. An example in which a processing condition is selected by an argument when a basic processing function is called from application software of each control will be described. For example, there are various means for the engine rotation capturing function, such as a rotational speed calculation method, a capturing sampling time, and a pulse measurement sensor. The interface software has programs corresponding to these means, and the developer selects the means by argument and describes this, so that the requirements of the developer can be achieved, and the versatility of the basic processing functions is improved. I do. Similarly, in the filter operation, the filter type,
If a cutoff frequency, an order, and the like are given, a filter corresponding to the cutoff frequency and the order can be set.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the appended claims. It is possible to do.

[0052]

As will be understood from the above description, according to the present invention, even when a single-chip microcomputer is used for vehicle control, it is easy to deal with an increase in the number of input / output points and addition of functions, and The application software can be permanently used only by rewriting the software, and the core unit does not need to be rewritten. This facilitates the development of the control unit including the program.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a core unit.

FIG. 2 is a unit configuration diagram in the case of expansion.

FIG. 3 is a specific unit configuration diagram without extension.

FIG. 4 is a specific unit configuration diagram when there is an extension.

FIG. 5 is an expanded configuration diagram of a core unit itself.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a standard unit when used in a 4, 6-cylinder engine.

FIG. 7 is a standard unit configuration diagram in the case of a six-cylinder engine to which a failure diagnosis is added or a six-cylinder engine to which automatic transmission control is added.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a standard unit in the case of six-cylinder integrated control.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an engine / AT control unit when a core unit is used.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an ABS / traction control unit when a core unit is used.

FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram when a LAN (Local Area Network) is used.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram when an arithmetic unit and an I / O unit are communicated via a LAN.

FIG. 13 is a processing configuration diagram of a conventional air flow rate (HW type) sensor signal.

FIG. 14 is a processing configuration diagram of a conventional air flow rate (intake pipe pressure type) sensor signal.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of an input signal processing of a standard unit equipped with an internal ROM with built-in interface software.

FIG. 16 is an input signal processing configuration diagram using a variable hard filter.

FIG. 17 is an input signal processing configuration diagram including a hard filter for a sensor to be used.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a port assignment function by interface software.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of a process of combining input signals by interface software.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a calculation processing function at the time of sensor input by interface software.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of time allocation by interface software.

FIG. 22 is a detailed control flowchart of time allocation.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of an interrupt level assignment program by the interface software.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of determining a pattern of optimal input / output port assignment.

FIG. 25 is a layout diagram of a collective data collective group in a RAM area.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of multiple data batch arrangement.

FIG. 27 is a simple flowchart of finding an abnormal part using a monitoring program.

FIG. 28 is a configuration diagram of a built-in function of a basic processing program.

FIG. 29 is a diagram of functionalization of definitions and declarations of general vehicle control variables.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing specifications of a built-in function.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a means of a processing selection function of a basic processing function.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Core unit, 2 ... Internal ROM, 3 ... CPU (Central Processing Unit), 4 ... RAM (rewritable memory), 5 ... Expansion means, 6 ... Expansion I / O, 7 ... External RO
M

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 7, 2001 (2001.3.7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a traction control unit according to the present invention basically comprises: an input section to which information from a sensor for detecting acceleration is input; An output unit for outputting a signal for controlling at least one of an actuator for controlling the ignition timing, an actuator for controlling the ignition timing, and an actuator for controlling the fuel injection amount; and controlling the traction by controlling the actuator. And a central processing unit for executing the program, wherein the program has interface software and application software, and the application software performs an operation for controlling the actuator. Having the function of performing the interface The software has a function for performing an operation of transmitting and receiving a signal between the application software and the input unit and a signal between the application software and the output unit. The transfer is performed using a function, and the memory and the central processing unit are traction control units configured as a single-chip microcomputer, and the control is capable of immediately responding to an increase in the number of input / output points and addition of functions. The unit configuration was adopted.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) (72) Inventor Jun Ishii 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Research, Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Shigeki Morinaga 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi Research Laboratories (72) Inventor Hiroshi Katayama 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Co., Ltd. Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi Research Laboratory

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. An automobile control unit in which various controls are performed by a microcomputer, wherein interface software for connecting application software and an operating system is incorporated in a first memory; And a central processing unit for executing and executing the interface software, and a second memory for storing data such as operation results. 2. A control unit for a vehicle in which various kinds of control are performed by a microcomputer, wherein interface software for connecting application software and an operating system is incorporated in a first memory; A central processing unit for executing and executing the interface software; a second memory for storing data such as operation results;
O, and a control unit for a vehicle, comprising: expansion means for communicating the processed data via communication means. 3. An automobile control unit according to claim 2, further comprising an extension I / O processing device. 4. An automobile control unit according to claim 2, further comprising an external storage means for extension. 5. An automobile control unit according to claim 2, further comprising an extension I / O processing device and an extension external storage unit. 6. A control unit for an automobile according to claim 2, further comprising a timer, an I / O, and an A / D converter. 7. A vehicle control unit according to claim 6, further comprising a cache memory. 8. The expansion I / O processing device according to claim 3 is reduced when the expansion I / O processing device and expansion external storage means are expanded to the control unit according to claim 2. A control unit for a vehicle, having a number of ports equal to or greater than the number of ports to be controlled. 9. The control unit for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein application software is stored in said external storage means for expansion. 10. A control unit having application software for executing at least two functions, wherein interface software for connecting an operating system and application software and application software are stored in an internal storage means, and an external storage means for expansion is provided. A control unit for a vehicle, wherein application software other than the application software is stored in the control unit. 11. An interface software storage means having at least interface software for connecting application software and an operating system built in a first memory; a central processing unit for executing the application software and the interface software; A plurality of control units each including a second memory for storing data such as calculation results, an I / O for control unit expansion, and expansion means for communicating the processed data via communication means; A control unit for a vehicle, wherein a communication circuit is provided between the at least two vehicle control units, and communication is performed via a LAN via the communication circuit. 12. An interface software storage means having at least interface software for connecting application software and an operating system built in a first memory; a central processing unit for executing the application software and the interface software; At least two control units including a second memory for storing data such as calculation results, an I / O for control unit expansion, and expansion means for communicating the processed data via communication means. A control unit for a vehicle, comprising a communication circuit for connecting the control units via a LAN, wherein one control unit is a unit dedicated to I / O processing in which interface software is stored in an internal ROM, and another control unit is provided. The unit is stored in the internal ROM Automotive control unit, characterized in that the arithmetic unit dedicated having stored Yonsofuto. 13. The interface software according to claim 1, wherein digital filter means for filtering the signal subjected to the A / D conversion processing, and I / O for converting the filtered signal into a function usable by application software. An automobile control unit comprising an O treatment means. 14. A control unit for an automobile according to claim 13, wherein the digital filter means is a variable hard filter. 15. A control unit for an automobile according to claim 13, wherein said digital filter means is a number of hard filters corresponding to the number of input filters. 16. A control unit for a vehicle, wherein the interface software according to claim 1 or 2 is provided with processing software for generating a new signal from signals of at least two sensors. 17. An automobile control characterized in that basic processing functions defined and declared by defining and declaring I / O variables are provided in interface software as specifications for development or modification of application software. unit. 18. An automobile control unit in which the same control is performed by at least two or more actuators, the same control signal among the at least two or more actuator control signals is output from the same timer. A control unit for a vehicle, characterized in that: 19. An automobile control unit according to claim 2, wherein the extension I / O comprises a software timer or a hardware timer.