JP2005170111A - Electric control system and power distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power distributor capable of detecting abnormality of a signal transmitted and received between controllers, and capable of stopping supply of the electric power to the controller transmitting the signal detected to be abnormal when abnormality of the signal is detected, and an electric control system with usage of it. <P>SOLUTION: The electric control system comprises a plurality of the controllers for controlling movement of an apparatus using the electric power as a drive source and mutually communicating, and the electric power distributor 2 for distributing the electric power to the controllers. The electric power distributor 2 is provided with a means for receiving the signal for controlling the movement of the apparatus from the one controller, a means for transmitting the signal received by the means to the other controller, a means for detecting abnormality of the received signal, and a means for stopping supply of the electric power to the one controller whose signal is detected to be abnormal when the means detects abnormality of the signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric power distributor that distributes electric power to a plurality of devices and at the same time includes a means for remedying communication abnormality between electronic control units, and an electric control system using the same.

  The X-by-Wire system, which has recently been rapidly put into practical use in automobiles, is an electric control system that electrically controls, for example, a steering device, a brake device, a shift device, and the like. In the X-by-Wire system, a plurality of electronic control units (ECU: hereinafter referred to as “controller”) are connected via a bus, and a steering device, a brake device, a shift device, etc. are connected to the controller via the bus. The operation is electrically controlled by multiplex transmission of various signals connected.

  As a bus, a control line connecting a steering device, a brake device, a shift device and the like of an automobile and a controller is often used, and multiplex communication between controllers is also performed through the control line.

  However, with the recent progress of computerization of various devices in automobiles, there are a wide variety of objects to be controlled using control lines, and various harnesses are mixed under the spring. In this case, it is assumed that the increase in the weight of the unsprung harness on the suspension characteristics is assumed to be a level that cannot be ignored, and there is a problem that it may be difficult to control the behavior of the automobile. From the viewpoint of the reliability of the harness, it is preferable that the number of unsprung harnesses, which is a part where vibrations are intense, be as small as possible in order to eliminate any fear of disconnection or the like.

Therefore, the power distribution device is installed in the engine room near the power supply device, the cowl near the driver's seat, and the trunk room behind the driver's seat, and each power distribution device inputs the signal generated in the vicinity, and other power distribution devices The signal line is simplified by transmitting to the device via the network, and the power line is greatly simplified by driving the load near the power distribution device with one power line and the signal obtained via the network. And a power distribution system has been devised to reduce the wire harness (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-146080

  However, in the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the harness can be reduced and a ground short occurs in any of the wirings of the power distribution device and an overcurrent flows, the corresponding power distribution device is reached. However, it is impossible to detect abnormality in signal transmission / reception between the controllers, particularly whether the transmitted / received signal is normal. Therefore, for example, an abnormal operation occurs in one controller, and it is impossible to prevent another controller from malfunctioning based on the signal by transmitting an incorrect signal.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to detect an abnormality in a signal transmitted and received between controllers and to stop supplying power to the controller that has transmitted the signal when an abnormality in the signal is detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric control system that can be used and a power distributor used therefor.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electric control system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of controllers that control operations of devices that use electric power as a power source and communicate with each other, and a power distributor that distributes electric power to the controllers. In the electric control system, the power distributor includes means for receiving a signal for controlling the operation of the device from one controller, means for transmitting the signal received by the means to another controller, and the received signal. And a means for stopping the supply of power to the one controller that detected the abnormality when the abnormality is detected by the means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electric control system according to the first aspect, wherein the means for stopping the supply of power to the one controller disconnects the connection of the power line that supplies the power.

  In the electric control system according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the signal for controlling the operation of the device from one controller has a predetermined frame structure, and detects an abnormality of the received signal. The means is characterized in that the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined by analyzing the frame of the received signal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a power distributor according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a power distributor that controls the operation of a device that uses power as a power source and distributes power to a plurality of controllers that communicate with each other. Means for receiving a signal for controlling the operation of the device from the above, means for transmitting the signal received by the means to another controller, means for detecting an abnormality of the received signal, and detecting an abnormality of the signal by the means And a means for stopping the supply of power to the one controller that detected the abnormality.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the power distributor according to the fourth aspect, wherein the means for stopping the supply of power to the one controller disconnects the connection of the power line that supplies the power.

  In the power divider according to the sixth invention, in the fourth invention or the fifth invention, the means for detecting an abnormality of the received signal determines the presence or absence of the abnormality by analyzing the frame of the received signal. It is characterized by being.

  In the first invention and the fourth invention, the power distributor includes means for detecting an abnormality of a signal transmitted / received between controllers, and when the abnormality of the signal is detected by the means, the signal detecting the abnormality is transmitted to another controller. Means for stopping the supply of power to the controller that has transmitted the signal that has detected the abnormality is provided so that the other controller does not malfunction by being transmitted. As a result, by stopping the supply of power to the controller that transmits an abnormal signal, it is possible to stop the controller from transmitting a signal, and it is possible to prevent a malfunction from occurring in another controller due to the abnormal signal. It becomes possible to prevent. In addition, by providing such a function to the power distributor, it is not necessary to separately provide a device for detecting an abnormality in the signal transmitted and received by the controller, so that the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, Reliability can be improved.

  In the second and fifth aspects of the invention, the means for stopping the supply of power to one controller is to disconnect the connection of the power line that supplies power, so that the controller is transmitting an abnormal signal. Make sure to stop the operation. Thus, by stopping the operation of the controller that is sending an abnormal signal, it is possible to prevent the abnormal signal from being transmitted to the other controller, and the error of the other controller based on the abnormal signal can be prevented. It becomes possible to prevent the operation.

  In the third and sixth aspects of the invention, the means for detecting the abnormality of the received signal determines the presence or absence of the abnormality by analyzing the frame of the received signal. It is detected whether it is transmitted or leaked. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect the presence or absence of signal abnormality by detecting whether essential information is correctly transmitted as a control signal for the controller, whether there is no leakage, etc., and abnormal signals to other controllers Can be prevented in advance.

  According to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention, the controller can stop transmitting signals by stopping the supply of power to the controller that transmits an abnormal signal. It is possible to prevent malfunctions from occurring. In addition, by providing such a function to the power distributor, it is not necessary to separately provide a device for detecting an abnormality in the signal transmitted and received by the controller, so that the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, Reliability can be improved.

  Further, according to the second and fifth inventions, by stopping the operation of the controller that is transmitting an abnormal signal, it is possible to prevent the transmission of an abnormal signal to another controller in advance. This makes it possible to prevent malfunctions of other controllers based on various signals.

  Further, according to the third and sixth inventions, it is possible to reliably detect the presence / absence of a signal abnormality by detecting whether essential information as a control signal of the controller is correctly transmitted or not leaking. This makes it possible to prevent abnormal signals from being transmitted to other controllers.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram when the electric control system using the power distributor according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied to an X-by-Wire system. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a power supply for supplying electric power, which is constituted by, for example, a lead storage battery having a voltage of 12 V, a nickel-hydrogen battery, a lithium ion battery, or the like.

  A power distributor 2 is connected to the power source 1 via a power line 31. The power distributor 2 distributes power to the plurality of controllers 3 and 3 via the other power distributors 2 and 2 and the power lines 31c and 31d connected via the power lines 31a and 31b. The plurality of controllers 3 and 3 control the brake device 4 and the steering device 5 connected via the in-vehicle LAN 32. Note that one controller is not limited to controlling one device, and one controller may control a plurality of devices.

  In the brake device 4, an operation signal from a brake pedal and a feedback signal from a braking actuator (not shown) are input to the controller 3, and the controller 3 outputs a braking signal to the braking actuator. A braking operation is performed based on the output braking signal.

  In the steering device 5, a steering operation signal and a feedback signal from a steering actuator (not shown) are input to the controller 3, the controller 3 outputs a steering signal to the steering actuator, and the steering actuator is output from the controller 3. A steering operation is performed based on the steering signal.

  The controller 3 monitors what control signals are transmitted to each other. That is, the control signal transmitted from one controller 3 is transmitted to another controller 3 via the in-vehicle LAN 32.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of power divider 2 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The power distributor 2 is connected to the power source 1 via the power line 31. The power distributor 2 is connected to the other power distributors 2 and 2 through the power lines 31a and 31b, and is connected to the plurality of controllers 3 and 3 through the power lines 31c and 31d. Control signals transmitted and received between the controllers 3 and 3 are also transmitted to the power distributor 2 via the in-vehicle LAN 32.

  The control unit 21 of the power distributor 2 includes an MPU 211 and stores a processing program in a ROM 212 connected to the MPU 211 via a bus. Control signals transmitted and received between the controllers 3 and 3 are received using the communication interface 214 via the in-vehicle LAN 32 and stored in the RAM 213.

  The output unit 215 protects an H level signal or an L level signal for each of the other power distributors 2, 2, and controllers 3, to which the power distributor 2 supplies power in accordance with an instruction from the MPU 211. 22 is output.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the protection circuit 22. The power line 31 from the power source 1 is divided into four, and one end of each of the power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 is connected to each. The other ends of the power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 are connected to the power distributors 2 and 2 and the controllers 3 and 3 via power lines 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, and 31 d, respectively. Signal lines 33a, 33b, 33c, and 33d from the output unit 215 are connected to the power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224, respectively. The power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 are not particularly limited as long as the power supply can be connected / disconnected by signals input from the signal lines 33a, 33b, 33c, and 33d. A switching element such as a transistor is used.

  In the protection circuit 22, when the signals input from the signal lines 33a, 33b, 33c, and 33d are L level signals, the corresponding power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 are connected, and the signal lines 33a, When the signals input from 33b, 33c, and 33d are H level signals, the corresponding power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 are disconnected.

  The operation of the power distributor 2 having the above configuration will be described. First, control signals transmitted and received between the controllers 3 and 3 are received using the communication interface 214 via the in-vehicle LAN 32 and stored in the RAM 213. The MPU 211 reads out the control signal stored in the RAM 213 and performs frame analysis on the control signal.

  In the frame analysis, regarding the control signal read from the RAM 213, whether or not the bit value is assumed to exceed the expected range when the signal is normal, whether the data length is abnormal, whether the destination address is This is a process of analyzing whether or not an input has been made. The control read when the bit analysis exceeds the expected range of each bit value when the signal is normal, the data length is abnormally long, or the destination address is not input. The MPU 211 determines that the signal is an abnormal signal.

  When the MPU 211 determines that the read control signal is an abnormal signal as a result of the frame analysis, the MPU 211 supplies power to the controller 3 that has transmitted the control signal determined to be abnormal to the output unit 215. A signal indicating that an H level signal indicating the stop is output is transmitted. When a signal indicating that an H level signal is to be output is transmitted, the signal temporarily stored in the RAM 213 is deleted.

  In accordance with the instruction signal from the MPU 211, the output unit 215 outputs the signal line connected to the power supply switch for the controller 3 that has transmitted the control signal determined to be abnormal among the signal lines to the protection circuit 22. A level signal is output, and an L level signal is output to the other signal lines.

  When an H level (L level) signal is input to the power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 from the signal lines 33 a, 33 b, 33 c, and 33 d, the power at which the H level (L level) signal is input Supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224 are disconnected (connected). As a result, the power line supplying power to the controller 3 that is sending an abnormal signal can be disconnected by the power supply switches 221, 222, 223, and 224, so that the controller 3 is supplied with power. Thus, the operation is stopped without being able to be performed, and it is possible to prevent a malfunction due to an abnormal signal being transmitted to the other controller 3.

  Next, processing in the power distributor 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the MPU 211 of the power distributor 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the MPU 211 of the power distributor 2 receives a control signal transmitted and received between the controllers 3 and 3 as needed via the in-vehicle LAN (step S401). The received control signal is temporarily stored in the RAM 213 (step S402). Then, the MPU 211 reads the signal temporarily stored in the RAM 213 and performs frame analysis (step S403).

  Specifically, the MPU 211 determines whether or not the control signal read from the RAM 213 exceeds the assumed range of each bit value assumed when the control signal is normal, whether or not the data length is abnormal, It is analyzed whether or not the transmission destination address is input, and it is determined whether or not the read control signal is normal.

  As a result of frame analysis, when the MPU 211 determines that the read control signal is an abnormal signal (step S404: YES), the output unit 215 indicates an H level indicating that the supply of power to the transmission source is stopped. An instruction signal for outputting the above signal is transmitted (step S405), and the control signal temporarily stored in the RAM 213 is deleted (step S406). As a result, an H level signal is transmitted from the output unit 215 to the protection circuit 22, and the power line supplying power to the controller 3 that is sending an abnormal control signal can be disconnected by the power supply switch. It is possible to prevent malfunction caused by the operation of the controller 3 being stopped without receiving power supply and the abnormal control signal being transmitted to the other controller 3.

  When the MPU 211 determines that the read control signal is normal (step S404: NO), it transmits an instruction signal for outputting an L level signal indicating that the supply of power is continued (step S407). The control signal temporarily stored in the RAM 213 is deleted (step S408).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent an abnormal control signal from being transmitted to another controller 3, and an abnormal control signal in a controller 3 other than the controller 3 in which the abnormality has occurred. It is possible to prevent malfunctions due to. Further, by providing the power distributor 2 with such a function, it is not necessary to separately provide a device for detecting an abnormality in a control signal transmitted / received between the controllers 3 and 3, thereby reducing the number of parts. It is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and improve the reliability.

  In the present embodiment, the case where two controllers 3 are connected to the power distributor 2 is described, but the same applies even when a plurality of controllers 3 are connected. Can be expected.

It is a block diagram at the time of applying the electric control system using the electric power distributor which concerns on embodiment of this invention to a X-by-Wire system. It is a block diagram of the power divider | distributor which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the protection circuit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of MPU of the power divider | distributor which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Power supply 2 Power distributor 3 Controller (ECU)
4 Brake device 5 Steering device 21 Control unit 22 Protection circuit 31, 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d Power line 32 In-vehicle LAN
211 MPU
212 ROM
213 RAM
214 Communication interface 215 Output unit

Claims (6)

In an electric control system comprising a plurality of controllers that control the operation of equipment using power as a power source and communicate with each other, and a power distributor that distributes power to the controllers,
The power distributor includes means for receiving a signal for controlling the operation of the device from one controller, means for transmitting a signal received by the means to another controller, means for detecting an abnormality of the received signal, An electric control system comprising: means for stopping power supply to one controller that detects an abnormality when the means detects a signal abnormality.   2. The electric control system according to claim 1, wherein the means for stopping the supply of electric power to the one controller disconnects the connection of the power line supplying the electric power.   The signal for controlling the operation of the device from one controller has a predetermined frame structure, and the means for detecting the abnormality of the received signal is to determine the presence or absence of the abnormality by analyzing the frame of the received signal. The electric control system according to claim 1, wherein the electric control system is provided. In a power distributor that controls the operation of equipment that uses power as a power source and distributes power to a plurality of controllers that communicate with each other.
Means for receiving a signal for controlling the operation of the device from one controller; means for transmitting a signal received by the means to another controller; means for detecting an abnormality of the received signal; A power distributor comprising: means for stopping supply of power to one controller that detects an abnormality when an abnormality is detected.   5. The power distributor according to claim 4, wherein the means for stopping the supply of power to the one controller disconnects the connection of the power line that supplies the power. 6. The power distributor according to claim 4, wherein the means for detecting an abnormality of the received signal is for determining whether or not there is an abnormality by analyzing a frame of the received signal.

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