JP2003175782A - Control method for on-vehicle electric equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method for on-vehicle electric equipment which can provide a comfortable environment to occupants in a compartment. <P>SOLUTION: According to this electric power steering device, when the revolution number of an engine reaches a predetermined number after a starter of the engine is started or the engine is started (Yes at Step S103), a power relay and a motor relay are operated (Steps S105, S107, S109 and S111). By this, even if an ECU is arranged in the neighborhood of the driver's seat in the compartment, operating noises of the power relay and the motor relay can be washed out by these operating noises occurring after starting of the starter or the engine, and the unpleasant operating noises of the power relay and the motor relay hardly gets to the occupants in the compartment. Thus, a comfortable environment can be provided for the occupants in the compartment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention is mounted on a vehicle,
The present invention relates to a method of controlling an on-vehicle electric device including an electromagnetic relay.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an electromagnetic relay comprises an electromagnet, a fixed contact, a movable contact, etc., and an electromagnetic force generated by passing a current through the electromagnet causes a mechanical switch to be turned on between the movable contact and the fixed contact. , Off operation is performed. Since such an electromagnetic relay is suitable for controlling conduction / interruption of a circuit in which a relatively large current flows, it is often used in an electric device mounted on a vehicle, that is, an electric device mounted on a vehicle, and is used as a switch circuit for a main power supply. Some are used.

In a vehicle-mounted electric device equipped with such an electromagnetic relay, it is often checked by a self-check sequence or the like whether or not the electromagnetic relay can operate normally. For example, when the vehicle is started, an ignition switch is turned off. Immediately after the switch is turned on, the self-check sequence or the like of the on-vehicle electric device is operated to check the operation of the electromagnetic relay or turn on the main power.

[0004]

However, in such an electromagnetic relay, the fixed contact and the movable contact mechanically come into contact with each other at the time of operation, so that an operation sound of "click" is emitted. Therefore, if an in-vehicle electric device equipped with such an electromagnetic relay is placed in the vehicle compartment, the electromagnetic relay itself may be damaged when checking the operation of the in-vehicle electric device or when the main power is turned on. There is a problem in that the operating sound is echoed in the vehicle compartment and becomes an offensive sound, which may give an occupant an unpleasant feeling.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device which can provide a comfortable environment for an occupant in a passenger compartment. The purpose is to

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems and Actions and Effects of the Invention]
In order to achieve the above object, the method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to claim 1 is a method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device mounted on a vehicle and provided with an electromagnetic relay, which can start an internal combustion engine of the vehicle. The technical feature is that the electromagnetic relay is operated after the starting means is started or after the internal combustion engine is started.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the electromagnetic relay is actuated after the starting means of the internal combustion engine is started or after the internal combustion engine is started. As a result, the operating noise of the electromagnetic relay itself can be drowned out by the operating noise generated after the starting means or the internal combustion engine is started, and it is difficult for the passenger in the vehicle interior to feel the annoying operating noise of the electromagnetic relay. You can Therefore, there is an effect that a comfortable environment can be provided to the passenger in the vehicle compartment.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to the first aspect, wherein the electromagnetic relay has a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine which is equal to or higher than a predetermined rotational speed. It is a technical feature that it operates when it is done.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the electromagnetic relay is actuated when the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine reaches or exceeds the predetermined rotational speed. That is, when the number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine reaches or exceeds the predetermined number of revolutions, the internal combustion engine can continue to operate thereafter, so that the operating sound of the internal combustion engine can drown out the operating sound of the electromagnetic relay itself. . Therefore, there is an effect that a comfortable environment can be provided to the passenger in the vehicle compartment.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to the first aspect, wherein the electromagnetic relay operates when the speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined value or more. This is a technical feature.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the electromagnetic relay is activated when the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined value or higher. That is, when the speed of the vehicle reaches or exceeds the predetermined value, the internal combustion engine is operating, so that the operating sound of the internal combustion engine can drown out the operating sound of the electromagnetic relay itself. Therefore, there is an effect that a comfortable environment can be provided to the passenger in the vehicle compartment.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the on-vehicle electric device is a steering shaft of the vehicle. Is a control unit of an electric power steering apparatus that supplements the steering force based on the steering torque generated in the
The control unit is technically characterized by including the electromagnetic relay.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control unit of the electric power steering apparatus has an electromagnetic relay provided therein according to the method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to any one of the first to third aspects. Activate. As a result, the operating noise of the electromagnetic relay itself of the control unit can be drowned out by the starting means of the internal combustion engine or these operating noises generated after the internal combustion engine is started, so that the harsh noise caused by the electromagnetic relay is occupant in the passenger compartment. You can make it hard to feel. Therefore, there is an effect that a comfortable environment can be provided to the passenger in the vehicle compartment.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following embodiments, an example in which the vehicle-mounted electric device of the present invention is applied to an electric power steering apparatus for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

First, the main structure of the electric power steering apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the electric power steering apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a steering wheel 11, a steering shaft 12, a pinion shaft 13,
Sensor group (torque sensor 14, vehicle speed sensor 17, rotation speed sensor 18, etc.), speed reducer 15, steering mechanism 16, ECU 2
0, a motor drive circuit 30, a motor M, and the like. In addition to this, FIG. 2 also shows the engine E, the starter S, and the ignition switch 19.

That is, one end of the steering shaft 12 is connected to the steering wheel 11, and the input side of the torque sensor 14 is connected to the other end of the steering shaft 12. Then, one end of the pinion shaft 13 is connected to the output side of the torque sensor 14, and the pinion shaft 1
A pinion gear (not shown) that constitutes the steering mechanism 16 is connected to the other end side of 3. A speed reducer 15 that transmits the driving force generated by the motor M at a predetermined reduction ratio is meshed with the pinion shaft 13 via a gear (not shown). The driving force, that is, the assisting force is transmitted to the pinion shaft 13. The driving force generated by the motor M is EC
It is calculated based on the torque signal from the torque sensor 14 input to U20. As a result, in the electric power steering apparatus 10, the steering state by the steering wheel 11 is detected by the torque sensor 14, and the assist force corresponding to the steering state is generated by the motor M to enable the steering assist.

On the other hand, the engine (internal combustion engine) E is provided with a starter (starting means) S connected to its crankshaft, and this starter S is connected to the ECU 20 so that the start control is possible. As a result, the ECU 20
When the ignition switch 19 connected to is turned on, the starter S is started. Therefore, by rotating the crankshaft of the engine E by the starter S, the engine E can be started.

Next, the main electrical construction of the electric power steering apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG.
The sensor group (torque sensor 14, vehicle speed sensor 17, rotation speed sensor 18, etc.) and the ignition switch 19 are
ECU 2 including interface 22 and CPU 24
0 is electrically connected, and the ECU 20 also contains a motor drive circuit 30. The motor drive circuit 30 is electrically connected to a power supply BATT via a power supply relay 32 and also electrically connected to a motor M via a motor relay 34.

The torque sensor 14 constituting the sensor group is
The steering torque by the steering wheel 11 is detected. The steering torque is detected between the steering shaft 12 and the pinion shaft 13 of the vehicle, and both shafts are rotatably connected by a built-in torsion bar (not shown). The steering torque detected based on the torsion amount of the torsion bar is used as a torque signal in the interface 2 of the ECU 20.
It is entered in 2.

The vehicle speed sensor 17 constituting the sensor group detects the vehicle speed, that is, the traveling speed of the vehicle, and the vehicle speed detected by this is input to the interface 22 of the ECU 20 as a vehicle speed signal.

The rotation speed sensor 18 constituting the sensor group is
The rotation number of the engine E is detected, and the rotation number is obtained by counting the rotation of the hub connected to the crankshaft with a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, or the like. The rotation speed detected by this is used as a rotation speed signal by the ECU 2
0 is input to the interface 22.

The ignition switch 19 starts the engine E by shifting from the off state to the on state.
That is, when the starter S is started, the information for requesting the forced rotation (cranking) of the crankshaft of the engine E is transmitted. As a result, the request to start the engine E by the ignition switch 19 is input to the interface 22 of the ECU 20 as a start request signal.

The ECU 20 includes an interface 22 and a CP.
It is composed of the U24, the motor drive circuit 30, the power supply relay 32, the motor relay 34, etc., and corresponds to the control unit of the electric power steering apparatus 10. The ECU 20 is housed in, for example, a box-shaped housing, and is arranged near the driver's seat in the passenger compartment.

The CPU 24 is a so-called microprocessor, and drives the motor based on the result of predetermined calculation based on the steering torque, vehicle speed and engine speed input via the interface 22 and a predetermined assist map. The current command value to be sent to the circuit 30 is determined and output to the motor drive circuit 30, and as will be described later, the power supply relay 32 and the motor relay are based on the start request signal from the ignition switch 19, the vehicle speed and the engine speed. 34 is controlled.

The interface 22 A / D-converts various sensor signals and the like sent from the sensor group and the ignition switch 19 and sends them to the CPU 24, and C
Motor control signal (current command value) output from PU24
Is sent to the motor drive circuit 30.

The motor drive circuit 30 outputs a drive current corresponding to the current command value sent from the CPU 24, for example, to PWM.
It is output to the motor M by a circuit. As a result, a desired assist torque for assisting the steering force,
A desired restoring torque for restoring the steering wheel can be generated in the motor M.

The power supply relay 32 is a so-called electromagnetic relay, which is composed of an electromagnet, a fixed contact, a movable contact, etc. (not shown), and mechanically acts between the movable contact and the fixed contact by an electromagnetic force generated by passing a current through the electromagnet. The switch can be turned on and off. Since such an electromagnetic relay is suitable for controlling conduction / interruption of a circuit in which a relatively large current flows, here, a power supply BATT capable of supplying electric energy to the motor drive circuit 30 and the motor drive circuit 30.
The presence or absence of power supply to the motor drive circuit 30 can be switched by interposing electrical wiring between the motor drive circuit 30 and the motor drive circuit 30.

The motor relay 34 is also an electromagnetic relay like the power supply relay 32, and has a motor drive circuit 30 and a motor M.
Intervenes in the electrical wiring between and. This makes it possible to control conduction or interruption of the motor drive pulse output from the motor drive circuit 30.

Next, the ECU 2 of the electric power steering apparatus 10
Control processing of the power relay 32 and the motor relay 34 by 0 will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 4. Note that this control processing is controlled by the CPU 24 of the ECU 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, this control process is started by first detecting that the ignition switch 19 is turned on in step S101, and then in step S10.
In step S3, it is determined whether or not the rotation speed of the engine E is equal to or higher than the predetermined rotation speed Na.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the ignition switch 19 shifts from the off state to the on state (see FIG. 4).
At t0), the starter S is started, so the rotation speed of the engine E begins to gradually increase. However, if the rotation speed has not reached the predetermined rotation speed Na (for example, about 470 rotations) or more, the engine E is still in the idling state. Since it is not possible to determine whether the predetermined rotation speed Na has been reached (No in S103), step S103 is looped and waited.

On the other hand, in step S103, the engine E
If it is determined that the engine speed E has reached the predetermined rotation speed Na (Yes in S103, t1 in FIG. 4), there is a high possibility that the engine E can reach the idling state.
Then, the power relay 32 is checked and the power relay 32 is turned on in step S107 (t2 in FIG. 4).

That is, after reaching the predetermined number of revolutions Na,
(1) There is a high possibility that the engine E may be started after the cranking period, and (2) Within the cranking period or after that, the power relay 32 and the motor relay 34 are on / off controlled. Since the operating noise peculiar to the electromagnetic relay generated thereby can be erased by the starting noise of the starter S and the engine E, each control of the power relay 32 is performed in steps S105 and 107. In addition, during the cranking period,
From the start-up of the starter S by t0 (transition of the ignition switch 19 to the ON state) shown in FIG. 4, t4 (rotation speed Nb)
Until.

The check process of the power supply relay 32 in step S105 is a process of checking whether the contacts of the power supply relay 32 are welded and fixed in the ON state. For example, the power supply relay 32 by the voltage detection means
The contact potential of the power relay 32 is determined to be welded if the voltage is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage, and the on / off control of the power relay 32 is forcibly repeated several times to weld the contact. The process of trying to eliminate the state is continuously performed.

If the contact is not welded by the check process in step S105, the process proceeds to step S107 to supply power to the motor drive circuit 30, so that the power relay 32 is turned on (in FIG. 4). t2). On the other hand, if contact welding or the like is detected on the power relay 32 by the check processing in step S105, the control processing is exited and another processing for displaying a warning or the like is performed.

When the on control of the power supply relay 32 in step S107 is completed, the process then proceeds to step S109 to check the motor relay 34, and in step S111 the on control of the motor relay 34 is performed (t3 in FIG. 4). .

That is, after the electric power is supplied to the motor drive circuit 30, the electric wiring between the motor drive circuit 30 and the motor M is provided so that the motor drive pulse can be applied to the motor M capable of generating the assist force. Intervening motor relay 34
Is required to be turned on, but before that, the checking process of the motor relay 34 is also performed here. The reason for this is to check whether the contacts of the motor relay 34 are welded and fixed in the ON state, as in the checking process of the power supply relay 32 in step S105.

Motor relay 34 in step S109
If the contact is not welded by the check process of step S111, the process proceeds to step S111, and the motor relay 34 is turned on so that the motor drive pulse can be applied to the motor M (t3 in FIG. 4). On the other hand, if contact welding or the like is detected on the motor relay 34 by the check processing in step S109, the control processing is exited and another processing for displaying a warning or the like is performed.

When the on control of the motor relay 34 in step S111 is completed, the motor M is turned on by the ECU 2
Since it can be controlled by 0, the original control of the electric power steering apparatus 10, that is, the control of assisting the steering by generating the assisting force according to the steering state by the motor M is performed by the processing after step S111. To do.

As described above, according to the electric power steering apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the engine E is the predetermined rotation speed after the starter S of the engine E is started or after the engine E is started. When Na or more is reached (Yes in step S103), the power relay 32 and the motor relay 34 are operated (steps S105 and S10).
7, S109, S111). As a result, even if the ECU 20 is arranged near the driver's seat in the passenger compartment, the operating noise of the power relay 32 and the motor relay 34 itself can be drowned out by the operating noise generated after the starter S or the engine E is started. It is possible to make it difficult for the occupant in the vehicle compartment to feel the offensive operation sound of the power relay 32 and the motor relay 34. Therefore, there is an effect that a comfortable environment can be provided to the passenger in the vehicle compartment.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, it is judged in step S103 "whether or not the number of revolutions of the engine E is a predetermined number of revolutions Na or more", but the present invention is not limited to this. However, it may be determined, for example, "whether or not the vehicle speed is a predetermined value (for example, 2 km / h) or more". Thus, when the speed of the vehicle reaches or exceeds the predetermined value, it can be determined that the engine E (internal combustion engine) is operating. Therefore, the power relay 32 and the motor are driven by the operating sound of the engine E (internal combustion engine). Relay 34
(Electromagnetic relay) The operation sound of itself can be drowned out.
Therefore, there is an effect that a comfortable environment can be provided to the passenger in the vehicle compartment. Furthermore, "whether or not the starter S is activated" may be determined. As a result, the operating noise of the power supply relay 32 and the motor relay 34 (electromagnetic relay) itself can be wiped out by the operating noise of the starter S (so-called cell motor), and the same effect can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of a power relay and a motor relay of an electric power steering apparatus which is an embodiment to which a control method for an on-vehicle electric device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an electric power steering apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main electrical configuration of the present electric power steering apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing control timings of a power supply relay and a motor relay of the electric power steering apparatus according to a relationship between turning on of an ignition switch and engine speed.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Electric power steering device 12 Steering shaft 14 Torque sensor 17 vehicle speed sensor 18 Revolution sensor 19 ignition switch 20 ECU (control unit) 30 motor drive circuit 32 power relay (electromagnetic relay) 34 Motor Relay (Electromagnetic Relay) E engine (internal combustion engine) S starter (starting means) M motor

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yasushi Yamada             1-1 Asahi-cho, Kariya city, Aichi             Machine Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kiyotaka Iwata             1-1 Asahi-cho, Kariya city, Aichi             Machine Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3D033 CA21

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method of controlling an on-vehicle electric device equipped with an electromagnetic relay, which is mounted on a vehicle, wherein after starting means for starting an internal combustion engine of the vehicle is started or after the internal combustion engine is started, A method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device, comprising operating an electromagnetic relay. 2. The method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic relay is activated when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine reaches or exceeds a predetermined rotation speed. 3. The method of controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic relay is activated when the speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined value or more. 4. The on-vehicle electric device is a control unit of an electric power steering apparatus that supplements a steering force based on a steering torque generated on a steering shaft of the vehicle, and the control unit includes the electromagnetic relay. The method for controlling an on-vehicle electric device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: