JP2008055956A - Feeding controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a feeding controller capable of detecting coupling of a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle on the basis of electricity amount related to feeding without a mistake, and preventing the waste of electric power in a feeding control circuit in non-coupling. <P>SOLUTION: The feeding controller comprises a socket 13 having a plurality of positive electrode female terminals 13a and a single negative electrode female terminal 13b for electrically connecting with the towed vehicle 2; an electric resistor 14 interposed between the negative electrode female terminal 13b and a ground 19; and a feeding control circuit 15 detecting an electric current passing through the towed vehicle 2 by detecting dropped voltage in the electric resistor 14, and giving a control signal controlling feeding to a load 17 on the towing vehicle 1 side to an ECU 16 according to the result of comparing the detected electric current with a threshold current. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply control device that detects an amount of electricity related to power supply from a towed vehicle to a towed vehicle and controls the amount of power supplied to a load of the towed vehicle according to the detection result.

The tow vehicle includes a plug and a plug holder for electrical connection to the towed vehicle. When the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle are not connected, the plug is accommodated and held in the plug holder. The plug holder includes a detection circuit that detects whether or not the plug is held, and the control circuit on the tow vehicle side is configured to switch the power supply processing method according to the detection result of the detection circuit. (For example, patent document 1).
JP-A-11-105519

However, when the plug is detached from the plug holder, the control device erroneously determines that it is connected even when the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle are not connected. There was a problem.
For example, the process of the electric quantity detection means for sequentially detecting the electric quantity related to the power supply to the towed vehicle side is not executed when the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle are disconnected, and continues to be executed endlessly. Incurs a waste of money.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and compares the amount of electricity related to power supply to the towed vehicle with a threshold value, and stops detection of the amount of electricity by the amount of electricity detecting means according to the comparison result. By configuring so that the power supply control device can detect the connection of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle without error based on the amount of electricity related to the power supply, and can prevent the waste of power in the electricity amount detecting means when disconnected. The purpose is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to detect a voltage drop in an electric resistor interposed between an electrode terminal for electrical connection to a towed vehicle and a ground terminal, thereby detecting an electric quantity related to power feeding. With this configuration, the amount of electricity related to power feeding to the towed vehicle is detected by a single electric resistor regardless of the number of electrode terminals on the positive electrode side, that is, the number of loads on the towed vehicle side. In addition, it is possible to prevent waste of electric power in the electric quantity detection means when disconnected.

  Another object of the present invention is to compare the load of the tow vehicle and the voltage of the power source for supplying power to the towed vehicle with the threshold voltage when the amount of electricity related to the power supply to the towed vehicle side is equal to or greater than the threshold. By configuring so as to limit the amount of power supplied to the load according to the result, even if the amount of electricity related to power supply to the towed vehicle is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the power to be supplied to the towed vehicle is ensured An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply control device that can perform the above operation.

  A power supply control device according to the present invention includes an electric quantity detection unit that sequentially detects an electric quantity related to power supply from a towed vehicle to a towed vehicle, and the tow vehicle has an electric quantity according to a detection result of the electric quantity detection unit. In a power supply control device configured to control a power supply amount to a load, a comparison unit that compares an electric amount detected by the electric amount detection unit and a threshold value, and the electric amount detection according to a comparison result of the comparison unit Stop means for stopping detection of the amount of electricity by the means.

In the present invention, the comparison means compares the threshold value with the amount of electricity related to the power supply detected by the amount of electricity detection means. If the detected amount of electricity is less than the threshold value, the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle are not connected, and if the amount of electricity is greater than or equal to the threshold value, it is determined that the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle are connected.
When the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle are not connected, it is not necessary to sequentially detect the amount of electricity by the amount of electricity detection means. The sequential detection is stopped.
Therefore, by stopping unnecessary detection processing when the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle are not connected, the power consumed by the electric quantity detection means is reduced.

  The power supply control device according to the present invention includes an electrode terminal that is electrically connected to the towed vehicle, and an electric resistor interposed between the electrode terminal and the ground, and the electric quantity detecting means is provided in the electric resistor. It is characterized in that the amount of electricity is detected by detecting the voltage drop.

  In the present invention, the electric quantity detecting means detects the voltage drop in the electric resistor interposed between the electrode terminal electrically connected to the towed vehicle and the ground, thereby moving the towed vehicle side. The amount of electricity related to the power supply is detected. Therefore, irrespective of the number of electrode terminals on the positive electrode side, that is, the number of loads on the towed vehicle side, the amount of electricity related to power feeding to the towed vehicle side can be detected by a single electric resistor.

  The power supply control device according to the present invention includes a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of a power source that supplies power to the load and the towed vehicle, and a voltage and a threshold voltage detected by the voltage detection unit when the amount of electricity is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Voltage comparison means for comparing, and means for limiting the amount of power supplied to the load according to the comparison result of the voltage comparison means are provided.

  In the present invention, the voltage detection means detects the load of the tow vehicle and the voltage of the power source that supplies power to the towed vehicle when the amount of electricity related to the power supply to the towed vehicle side is greater than or equal to the threshold value. The comparison means compares the detected voltage and the threshold voltage. The restricting means restricts the amount of power supplied to the load according to the comparison result of the voltage comparing means. Therefore, when the amount of electricity related to the power supply to the towed vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold, the power to be supplied to the towed vehicle side is ensured by limiting the amount of power supplied to the load according to the voltage of the power source. be able to.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the connection between the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle without error based on the amount of electricity related to the power supply to the towed vehicle side, and to prevent waste of electric power in the electricity amount detecting means when not connected. it can.

  According to the present invention, regardless of the number of positive electrode terminals that are electrically connected to the towed vehicle, that is, the number of loads on the towed vehicle side, power can be supplied to the towed vehicle side with a single electric resistor. It is possible to detect such an amount of electricity and prevent waste of electric power in the electricity amount detecting means when disconnected.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if the electric quantity which concerns on the electric power feeding to the towed vehicle side is more than a threshold value, the electric power which should be fed to the towed vehicle side is securable.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a tow vehicle 1 and a towed vehicle 2 provided with a power supply control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a top view which shows typically.

  The tow vehicle 1 includes electrical components such as a tail lamp 12a and a stop lamp 12b that are arranged in parallel at the rear of the vehicle, and a power source 10 that supplies power to the towed vehicle 2 side.

  The negative terminal of the power supply 10 is connected to the ground 19, and the positive terminal of the power supply 10 is connected to one end side of the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 16 and the first switch 11 a and the second switch 11 b, respectively.

  A load 17 such as a seat heater is connected to the ECU 16, and the ECU 16 is configured to control the amount of power supplied from the power supply 10 to the load 17.

  A tail lamp 12a and a stop lamp 12b are connected to the other ends of the first switch 11a and the second switch 11b, respectively. On / off of the first switch 11a and the second switch 11b is controlled by a system control circuit (not shown).

  The towing vehicle 1 includes a socket 13 that electrically connects the towing vehicle 1 and the towed vehicle 2, a voltage detection circuit 18, and a power supply control circuit 15. The power supply control circuit 15 constitutes a power supply control device together with the socket 13 and an electric resistor 14 described later.

  The socket 13 includes a plurality of positive female terminals 13a and a single negative female terminal 13b. The other positive terminals of the first and second switches 11a and 11b are connected to the two positive female terminals 13a, respectively. ing. The negative female terminal 13b is connected to one end of an electric resistor 14 for detecting the amount of electricity related to power feeding to the towed vehicle 2, that is, the current flowing through the towed vehicle 2 side. The other end of the device 14 is connected to the ground 19.

  The voltage detection circuit 18 is configured to detect the voltage of the power supply 10 included in the tow vehicle 1 and to supply the detected voltage to the power supply control circuit 15.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the power supply control circuit 15.
The power supply control circuit 15 includes a control unit 15a, and a ROM 15b, a RAM 15c, a timer unit 15d, a first input unit 15e, a second input unit 15f, and an output unit 15g are connected to the control unit 15a via a bus 15i. ing. An A / D conversion unit 15h is connected to the first input unit 15e, and a voltage drop in the electrical resistor 14 is input to the A / D conversion unit 15h. A voltage detection circuit 18 is connected to the second input unit 15f, and the detection result of the voltage detection circuit 18 is input. An ECU 16 is connected to the output unit 15g.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the towed vehicle 2 includes a plug 21 connected to the socket 13 on the front side of the vehicle body. The plug 21 includes a plurality of positive male terminals 21a and a single negative male terminal 21b. One end side of the tail lamp 20a and the stop lamp 20b is connected to the positive male terminal 21a, and the other end side of the tail lamp 20a and the stop lamp 20b is connected to the negative male terminal 21b of the plug 21.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the control unit 15a related to power supply control.
When the power supply 10 is turned on, that is, when the key position is set to the power supply position, the first switch 11a is turned on, and the control unit 15a detects the voltage drop in the electric resistor 14 so that the towed vehicle 2 is detected (step S11).
Specifically, the voltage drop is input to the A / D converter 15h, and the A / D converter 15h performs AD conversion on the input voltage drop. And the control part 15a acquires the voltage drop which A / D conversion part 15h AD-converted. Since the resistance value of the electrical resistor 14 is substantially constant and the voltage drop is proportional to the current flowing through the towed vehicle 2, the control unit 15a can specify the current.

  Next, the control unit 15a determines whether or not the detected current is greater than or equal to the first threshold current (step S12). The first threshold current is a value for detecting whether or not the tow vehicle 1 and the towed vehicle 2 are connected, and is stored in the ROM 15b. When it determines with it being less than 1st threshold current (step S12: NO), the control part 15a stops the electric power feeding control circuit 15 (step S13), and complete | finishes the process which concerns on electric power feeding control.

  When it determines with the detected electric current being more than 1st threshold current (step S12: YES), the control part 15a makes the time measuring part 15d start time measurement (step S14). Then, the control unit 15a determines whether 10 msec has elapsed after the start of timing (step S15). When it determines with 10 msec not having passed (step S15: NO), the control part 15a returns a process to step S15.

  When it determines with 10 msec having passed (step S15: YES), the control part 15a detects the electric current which flows through the towed vehicle 2 side (step S16), and whether the detected electric current is more than 2nd threshold current. Is determined (step S17). The second threshold current is a value for determining whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of power supplied to the load 17 on the towing vehicle 1 side, and is stored in the ROM 15b.

  When it determines with the detected electric current being less than 2nd threshold current (step S17: NO), the control part 15a returns a process to step S14. When it determines with the detected electric current being more than 2nd threshold current (step S17: YES), the control part 15a makes the voltage detection circuit 18 detect the voltage of the power supply 10 (step S18), and the detected voltage is 1st threshold value. It is determined whether or not the voltage is higher than the voltage (step S19). The first threshold voltage is a value for determining whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of power supplied to the load 17 on the tow vehicle 1 side in order to secure the power to be supplied to the towed vehicle 2 side. The ROM 15b is stored.

  When it determines with the detected voltage being more than 1st threshold voltage (step S19: YES), the control part 15a returns a process to step S14. When it determines with the detected voltage being less than 1st threshold voltage (step S19: NO), the control part 15a gives the signal which restrict | limits the electric power feeding amount to the load 17 to ECU16 (step S20).

  Next, the control unit 15a causes the voltage detection circuit 18 to detect the voltage of the power supply 10 (step S21), and determines whether or not the detected voltage is equal to or higher than the second threshold voltage (step S22). The second threshold voltage is a value for determining whether or not power can be supplied to the load 17 on the tow vehicle 1 side and the towed vehicle 2 side, and is stored in the ROM 15b.

  If it is determined that the detected voltage is less than the second threshold voltage (step S22: NO), the process returns to step S20. When it determines with the detected voltage being more than a 2nd threshold voltage (step S22: YES), the control part 15a returns a process to step S14.

  In the towing vehicle 1 equipped with the power supply control device configured as described above, the connection between the towing vehicle 1 and the towed vehicle 2 is detected without error by detecting the current flowing through the towed vehicle 2, and It is possible to prevent waste of power in the power supply control circuit 15 at the time of connection.

  Further, by interposing the electrical resistor 14 for current detection between the negative female terminal 13b and the ground 19, a single unit can be used regardless of the number of positive female terminals 13a, that is, the number of loads 17 on the towed vehicle 2 side. The electric current flowing through the towed vehicle 2 can be detected by the electric resistor 14, and the amount of power supplied to the load 17 can be controlled at a low cost.

  Furthermore, when the current flowing through the towed vehicle 2 is greater than or equal to the second threshold current and the voltage of the power source 10 is less than the first threshold voltage, that is, it is difficult to secure the power to be supplied to the towed vehicle 2 side. Even in this case, it is possible to secure the power to be supplied to the towed vehicle 2 side by limiting the amount of power supplied to the load 17 of the towing vehicle 1 in the process of step S20.

  Furthermore, since the power supply amount to the load 17 where it is difficult to recognize the fluctuation of the power supply amount is limited, the power to be supplied to the towed vehicle 2 side is ensured without causing discomfort to the user. can do.

  In the embodiment, the current is detected by detecting the voltage drop in the electric resistor. However, other configurations such as a current transformer can be used as long as the current flowing through the towed vehicle can be detected. You may comprise so that it may be provided.

  Moreover, although it comprised so that an electrical resistor may be interposed between a negative electrode female terminal and a ground, you may comprise so that it may interpose on the positive electrode side. However, when it is interposed on the negative electrode side, the current can be detected with a single electric resistor, so that it can be constructed at a lower cost.

  Furthermore, although the power supply control circuit is configured separately from other circuits, the power supply control circuit and other circuits such as an ECU may be configured integrally.

It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the tow vehicle and towed vehicle provided with the electric power feeding control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the external appearance of a tow vehicle and a towed vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a electric power feeding control circuit. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the control part which concerns on electric power feeding control.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Towing vehicle 2 Towed vehicle 10 Power supply 11a 1st switch 11b 2nd switch 12a Tail lamp 12b Stop lamp 13 Socket 13a Positive female terminal 13b Negative female terminal 14 Electrical resistor 15 Feed control circuit 15a Control part 15b ROM
15c RAM
15d Timekeeping unit 15e First input unit 15f Second input unit 15g Output unit 15h A / D conversion unit 15i Bus 16 ECU
17 Load 18 Voltage detection circuit 19 Ground

Claims (3)

An electric quantity detecting means for sequentially detecting an electric quantity related to power supply from the towed vehicle to the towed vehicle side is provided, and the electric power supplied to the load of the towing vehicle is controlled according to the detection result of the electric quantity detecting means. In the power supply control device,
Comparison means for comparing the amount of electricity detected by the amount of electricity detection means and a threshold value;
A power supply control device comprising: a stopping unit that stops detection of an electric quantity by the electric quantity detecting unit according to a comparison result of the comparing unit. An electrode terminal electrically connected to the towed vehicle;
An electrical resistor interposed between the electrode terminal and the ground,
The electric quantity detection means includes
The power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein an amount of electricity is detected by detecting a voltage drop in the electric resistor. When the amount of electricity is greater than or equal to a threshold, voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of the power source for supplying power to the load and the towed vehicle,
Voltage comparison means for comparing the voltage detected by the voltage detection means and a threshold voltage;
The power supply control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that limits a power supply amount to the load according to a comparison result of the voltage comparison unit.

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