JP2009073493A - Vehicular actuator control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle vehicular actuator control device simultaneously reducing the numbers of harnesses and connectors, protecting a control unit from the heat of an electronic apparatus, enhancing the versatility, the vehicle mountability, and the assembly workability, and reducing cost. <P>SOLUTION: A control unit CU comprises two units:, i.e., a main control unit 21 having a CPU for performing the computation, and a drive control unit 22 forming the driving signal for driving an actuator. The drive control unit 22 is integrally assembled to an actuator unit, both units 21, 22 are connected to each other via a serial communication wire 23 and separated from each other. The drive control unit 22 converts the communication signal received by the serial communication into the drive signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle actuator control device, and in particular, ABS control for preventing wheel lock at the time of braking, and behavior stability control for generating a braking force regardless of a driver's braking operation and directing the vehicle behavior in a stable direction. The present invention relates to a device suitable for application to a braking control device that executes

  Currently, in a braking control device for a vehicle, a brake circuit that communicates a master cylinder and a wheel cylinder of each wheel, a pressure increasing state that is provided in the brake circuit, and that communicates with the brake circuit, and a wheel cylinder that communicates with a drain circuit A hydraulic pressure control valve capable of forming three states, a depressurized state and a holding state in which the wheel cylinder is sealed with respect to the brake circuit and the drain circuit, and the drain circuit provided to be capable of accumulating the brake hydraulic pressure. A recirculation circuit for communicating the reservoir, the drain circuit and a position upstream of the hydraulic control valve of the brake circuit, a pump provided in the recirculation circuit for returning the brake liquid stored in the reservoir to the brake circuit, and the liquid A pressure control valve and a control unit for operating the pump, the control unit based on an input from a sensor. In order to prevent wheel lock during braking, the hydraulic pressure control valve is operated to at least reduce and maintain the wheel cylinder pressure, and the pump is operated to execute ABS control for returning the brake fluid in the reservoir to the brake circuit. The device is well known.

  In such a conventional apparatus, the control unit includes a control unit having a CPU mounted in the passenger compartment, and a signal connected to the control unit, for example, disposed in the engine room to drive the actuator. And a drive circuit to be formed. In this structure, considering the wiring for at least the number of actuators between the control unit and the drive circuit, and the feedback signal and fail-safe signal, the number of wirings and their connection is almost twice the number of actuators. In addition, a wiring and a connector for connecting the sensor and the control unit are necessary, which increases the number of wirings and the number of connectors. For this reason, there is a problem that assembly workability is poor because wiring work and connection work are troublesome, and a hole for wiring the wiring between the passenger compartment and the outside of the vehicle is provided in the vehicle body. There is a problem that the seal structure in this hole is expensive, and there is a problem that noise enters from this hole, and that this noise countermeasure is also costly.

  As a technique for solving such a problem, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. This prior art is a brake control device that executes ABS control for preventing wheel lock at the time of braking, a valve for reducing, maintaining and increasing the pressure of the wheel cylinder, a reservoir for storing brake fluid drained from the wheel cylinder, A pump that recirculates the brake fluid in the reservoir to the brake circuit and a motor that is a drive source of the pump are assembled in one actuator unit. A control unit having a control unit that performs the above-described processing and a drive unit that generates a drive signal for driving the valve, the motor, and the like according to the processing result of the control unit is integrally assembled.

  Therefore, in the technique described in the above publication, since the control unit and the actuator side are connected in advance in advance, the wiring for connecting the control unit and the external device only needs to be connected to the sensor and the power source. The number of wires and the number of connectors provided outside the unit can be greatly reduced.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-11692

  In recent years, in a braking control device, when a vehicle behavior falls into an unstable state such as an oversteer or understeer state, a desired braking force is generated on a desired wheel according to the behavior and the behavior is stabilized. Has been proposed. In such a brake control device, the number of switching valves is larger than that of a device that performs ABS control, and the pump has a large capacity so that sufficient brake fluid pressure can be obtained with high responsiveness. Or a plurality of pumps are provided in series, that is, the number of actuators is increased and the capacity of the motor is increased.

  In such a braking control device, when the technology described in the above-mentioned publication is applied, the actuator unit is enlarged and the control unit assembled to the actuator unit is also enlarged, so that the entire device is enlarged. There arises a problem that the degree of freedom of mounting the vehicle is lowered. In addition, the amount of heat generated in the actuator unit increases as the number of actuators and the capacity of the motor increase, and the amount of heat generated in the drive unit that drives the actuator increases, protecting the electronic devices such as the CPU constituting the control unit from heat. Becomes difficult. In addition, when the control unit and drive unit are configured as one unit, it is necessary to condense the entire configuration in order to attach it to one side of the actuator unit, which makes assembly work difficult and increases design constraints. The degree of freedom is reduced. Furthermore, in order to execute the behavior stabilization control described above, it is necessary to provide a yaw rate sensor for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle and an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle. These sensors are preferably provided integrally with the electronic control unit in terms of assembly work to the vehicle. However, in the case of the technique described in the publication, the control unit is disposed in the engine room together with the actuator unit. The room is not preferable in terms of the thermal environment, and it is not preferable for detecting the yaw rate because it is away from the vehicle center position. Moreover, the control unit is not preferable as an environment for detecting vehicle acceleration because vibrations of the motor and the like are transmitted. Therefore, the yaw rate sensor and the acceleration sensor need to be installed separately from the control unit, which is disadvantageous in assembling work. Moreover, due to differences in vehicle specifications, for example, differences in specifications such as 3-channel control and 4-channel control, the number of valves of the braking control device, that is, the number of actuators differs. It is also necessary to change the structure of the drive unit of the unit for each specification. For this reason, in the technology described in the official gazette in which the control unit and the drive unit are integrally assembled in the electronic control unit, it is necessary to manufacture a device for each specification, and the versatility is poor.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems. In an in-vehicle vehicle actuator control device, the number of harnesses and connectors is reduced, the control unit is protected from heat of electronic equipment, and the versatility is improved. The main objectives are to improve vehicle mountability, improve assembly workability, and reduce costs at the same time, and further improve information transmission, improve device reliability, improve noise resistance, The purpose is to improve detection performance.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the present invention includes a control unit that performs a preprogrammed process on an input signal, and a drive unit that forms a drive signal in accordance with the processing result of the control unit. In a vehicle actuator control device comprising: a control unit having a control unit; and an actuator driven by the drive signal, the control unit comprising: a main control unit having the control unit; and a drive control unit having the drive unit. The drive control unit is integrally assembled with an actuator unit constructed by assembling the actuator, while the main control unit is separated from the drive control unit of the vehicle. The main control unit and the drive control unit are arranged at desired positions And the main control unit is configured to output the processing result of the control unit through serial communication, and the drive control unit converts the communication signal received through serial communication into the drive signal. It is characterized by having comprised.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the first aspect, a CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol is used as the serial communication.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to the first aspect, an asynchronous protocol is used as the serial communication.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the input signal input by the main control unit is a signal sent from a sensor that detects a running state of the vehicle, and the actuator Is an actuator that is driven for brake control in a vehicle brake control device.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to the first to fourth aspects, the main control unit is disposed in a vehicle compartment partitioned from a vehicle engine, and the drive control unit is assembled. The actuator unit is arranged outside the passenger compartment.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect, at least one of the sensors is integrally assembled with the main control unit.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the first to sixth aspects, the communication signal is a binary signal of 0 and 1.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the binarized communication signal is a signal obtained by encoding the output time of the drive signal.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the fourth to eighth aspects, the communication signal includes a fail-safe signal corresponding to an abnormality determination in the main control unit.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to the ninth aspect, the main control unit and the drive control unit are connected by a second communication line for fail-safe communication separate from the communication line. The fail-safe signal is transmitted redundantly via the second communication line, and the drive control unit compares the data received by the communication signal with the fail-safe signal, and the comparison result is inconsistent. In such a case, the driving signal on the safe side is output.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to any one of the fourth to tenth aspects, the brake control device is provided in a brake circuit that communicates a master cylinder and a wheel cylinder of each wheel, and the brake circuit. Thus, a hydraulic pressure control valve capable of forming three states: a pressure increasing state in which the brake circuit is connected, a pressure reducing state in which the wheel cylinder is in communication with the drain circuit, and a holding state in which the wheel cylinder is sealed to the brake circuit and the drain circuit. A reservoir that is provided in the drain circuit and configured to be capable of accumulating brake fluid pressure, a reflux circuit that communicates the drain circuit with a position upstream of the fluid pressure control valve of the brake circuit, and a circuit provided in the reflux circuit. A main pump for returning the brake fluid stored in the reservoir to the brake circuit, and the actuator is A solenoid for switching the hydraulic pressure control valve and a motor for operating a pump, and the main control unit operates the hydraulic pressure control valve to prevent wheel lock during braking based on an input from a sensor. The cylinder pressure is at least reduced and held, and the pump is operated to perform ABS control for returning the brake fluid in the reservoir to the brake circuit.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to the eleventh aspect, a normally open out-side gate valve that opens and closes the brake circuit at a position upstream of the connection position of the return circuit in the brake circuit of the brake control device. And a supply circuit for providing communication between the brake fluid source and the suction side of the main pump. The supply circuit includes a supply means for supplying brake fluid from the brake fluid source to the main pump, and a supply circuit. A normally closed in-side gate valve that can be opened and closed, and as the actuator, a solenoid that switches between the two gate valves and an actuator that drives the supply means are additionally set. If the vehicle behavior is unstable or is moving toward an unstable state based on In this state, the out side gate valve is closed while the in side gate valve is opened, and the actuator and the motor are driven to operate the supply means and the main pump. In this state, the hydraulic pressure control valve is operated. It is configured to execute behavior stabilization control for generating a braking force on a desired wheel in a direction to stabilize the vehicle behavior.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the behavior stabilization control is such that the yaw moment acts in a direction in which the vehicle behavior becomes stable at least when the vehicle behavior becomes unstable during turning. And at least a yaw rate sensor for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle and an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle. The yaw rate sensor and the acceleration sensor are connected to the main control unit. It is characterized by being provided integrally.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control device according to the first to thirteenth aspects, a portion for performing the same function calculation is provided in a portion for performing the arithmetic processing in the main control unit and the drive control unit. The control unit sends numerical data from one unit to the other unit, performs the function operation on the other unit with respect to this numerical data, and then sends back the operation result to one unit. Compares the result of the function operation performed on the data with the returned operation result, and determines that the result is normal if the result of the operation is the same, and is determined to be abnormal if the result of the operation is not the same. Diagnostic control is executed.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the fourteenth aspect, the function calculation includes all addition / subtraction / multiplication / division / shift / overflow determination.

  The assembly work in the present invention will be described. A drive control unit that constitutes a part of the control unit is integrally assembled to the actuator unit to which the actuator is assembled. At the time of this assembly, the electrical connection between the drive control unit and the actuator can be completed. This actuator unit can be formed in a small size as compared with a unit in which a control unit including a control unit is integrally assembled. Even if the number of actuators and the design of the actuator unit change due to the difference in specifications for each vehicle, only the drive control unit with a drive unit is assembled to this actuator unit. Is easy. The actuator unit is attached to a desired position of the vehicle, and the main control unit constituting another part of the control unit is attached to another desired position of the vehicle. Thereafter, the main control unit and an input signal source such as a sensor are connected, the main control unit and the drive control unit are connected by a signal line, and the two units are connected to a power source. As described above, since the main control unit and the drive control unit are separated from each other, for example, the main control unit is disposed in a vehicle compartment partitioned from the engine, and the drive control unit is an actuator. It can be placed outside the passenger compartment with the unit. As a result, the main control unit can be protected from heat generated by the engine and the like, and can also be protected from the heat generated by the actuator and the drive unit. In addition, the main control unit and the actuator unit are arranged at arbitrary positions on the vehicle. Easy to do. In the vehicle actuator control apparatus of the present invention mounted on the vehicle as described above, the main control unit performs processing according to the input signal in the control unit, and then transmits the processing result via the communication line. It is transmitted to the drive control unit by serial communication. The drive control unit converts the communication signal received by serial communication into a drive signal and outputs it to the actuator. Thus, in the present invention, since communication is performed by serial communication, a single communication line connecting the main control unit and the drive control unit can send many types of signals, and the number of communication lines is small. That's it.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since communication is performed using the CAN protocol, information can be transmitted between the other units by using the CAN protocol. In the CAN protocol, error correction is included in itself, and high reliability can be obtained.

  In the invention according to the third aspect, since communication is performed by an asynchronous protocol, an error due to noise can be found, and high reliability can be obtained.

  In the invention of claim 5, the main control unit is installed in the vehicle interior, and the actuator unit assembled with the drive control unit is installed outside the vehicle interior. However, since the number of communication lines connecting the two is small, The hole opened in the vehicle body for tying can be made small, and the seal structure of this hole and the structure for preventing the entry of sound can be simplified. In the invention described in claim 6, since the sensor is provided in the main control unit, the wiring for connecting the sensor and the main control unit becomes unnecessary. In this structure, the arrangement of the main control unit is determined in consideration of the arrangement conditions of both the main control unit and the sensor. Since the main control unit can be arranged away from the engine / actuator / driving unit to protect against heat, the sensor can similarly protect against heat.

  In addition, when this sensor is a sensor for detecting the yaw moment of the vehicle as described in claim 13, the above-mentioned installation conditions differ depending on the sensor so that it is desirable to arrange the sensor at the center of the vehicle. Can be made as small as the drive unit is not included, so there are few restrictions on the size when determining the installation position.

  In the inventions according to claims 7 and 8, since the binarized signal is transmitted by serial communication, it is not necessary to change the drive control unit for each specification of the vehicle, and particularly in the invention according to claim 8. It is possible to send a lot of information by communication only for each control cycle, and the communication frequency can be lowered. According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, since the communication signal by serial communication includes the fail-safe signal, various processes such as transmitting the type of fail-safe are possible, and the fail-safe performance can be improved.

  In the invention according to claim 11, since the actuator unit for adjusting the brake fluid pressure, the drive control unit for driving the actuator, and the main control unit for performing the program processing are installed apart from each other, a solenoid provided in the actuator unit, The main control unit can be protected from heat generation in the motor and further in the drive unit of the drive control unit that outputs a drive signal to them.

  In the invention according to the twelfth aspect, in the brake control device that performs the behavior stabilization control that requires more actuators than the brake control device that executes the ABS control, the amount of heat generated by the actuator, the motor, and the drive unit is large. The present invention can protect the main control unit from this heat. In addition, the actuator unit can be reduced in size.

  In the invention according to claim 13, since the yaw rate sensor and the acceleration sensor are integrally provided in the main control unit, it is not necessary to separately install the sensors, and the assembly workability is excellent, and the yaw rate sensor is provided in the center of the vehicle. However, since the main control unit provided with the yaw rate sensor is separate from the actuator unit and is small in size, it can be easily installed in the center of the vehicle in this way.

  In the inventions according to claims 14 and 15, in the main control unit and the drive control unit configured by dividing the control unit, numerical data is sent from one unit to the other unit, and the numerical data is the same in both units. After performing the function calculation, the calculation results are compared, and if the two calculation results do not match, the diagnosis control is performed to determine that there is an abnormality. If an abnormality has occurred, this can be found.

FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram illustrating the vehicle actuator control apparatus according to the first embodiment. 1 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of a braking control device to which Example 1 is applied. 1 is a block diagram of Example 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a CAN protocol according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the communication data in Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the communication data in Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the asynchronous protocol of Example 2. 10 is a flowchart of a control flow in Embodiment 3. 10 is a flowchart illustrating calculation of the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a modified example of the control flow of the third embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing the actuator unit AU. This actuator unit AU is generally used as a braking control device for performing behavioral stability control, and its configuration will be described very simply. The actuator unit AU is provided in the middle of a brake circuit 1, 1 that connects the master cylinder MC and the wheel cylinder WC. The brake circuits 1 and 1 are provided with two systems as shown in the figure, and each brake circuit 1 and 1 is branched toward two wheel cylinders WC. Each brake circuit 1 is provided with an out-side gate valve 3 and an inflow valve 5 for opening and closing the brake circuit 1. Both valves 3 and 5 are constituted by electromagnetic valves that shut off the brake circuit 1 when energized. The out-side gate valve 3 is provided with a relief valve 1n and a one-way valve 1c in parallel, and the inflow valve 5 is provided with a one-side valve 1g in parallel.

  A drain circuit 10 is connected to a position downstream of the inflow valve 5 (on the wheel cylinder WC side) in the brake circuit 1. The drain circuit 10 is configured to be opened and closed by an outflow valve 6 comprising a normally closed electromagnetic valve. The drain circuit 10 is provided with a reservoir 7 capable of storing brake fluid. Further, the drain circuit 10 and the brake circuit 1 are connected to the position upstream of the outflow valve 5 (on the master cylinder MC side) by the reflux circuit 2. A main pump 4 for returning the brake fluid in the reservoir 7 to the brake circuit 1 is provided in the middle of the reflux circuit 2. The main pump 4 is provided with a suction valve 4k and a discharge valve 4b, and a one-way valve 4h is provided in the reflux circuit 2 at a position closer to the drain circuit 10 than the main pump 4.

  Further, a suction circuit 11 connects the suction side of the main pump 4 and a position upstream of the out-side gate valve 3 of the brake circuit 1. The supply circuit 11 is provided with a supply piston 8 for supplying the brake fluid of the master cylinder MC to the main pump 4. The supply circuit 11 is opened and closed at a position upstream of the supply piston 8. An in-side gate valve 9 comprising a closed electromagnetic valve is provided. The supply pump 8 is provided with a suction valve 8c.

  The operation of the valves 3, 5, 6 and 9 constituted by electromagnetic valves and the driving of the motor M for driving both pumps 4 and 8 are controlled by a control unit CU as shown in FIG. That is, the control unit CU is connected to a sensor group SG. The sensor group includes wheel speed sensors S1 to S4 that detect the wheel speed of each wheel, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate of the vehicle, and a steering angle. A steering angle sensor H for detecting the vehicle, a brake switch BS that is turned on by depressing the brake pedal BP, and a G sensor GS for detecting acceleration in the front-rear direction and the lateral direction of the vehicle are included.

  The control unit CU executes ABS control for preventing wheel lock at the time of braking, and behavior stability control for stabilizing the vehicle behavior at the time of traveling by generating a braking force.

  The above-described ABS control and behavior stabilization control are well-known techniques and will be described briefly. First, in the ABS control, the pseudo vehicle speed is obtained from the wheel speed obtained from the signals obtained from the wheel speed sensors S1 to S4, and further, for example, an ideal wheel speed during braking is determined from the pseudo vehicle speed. A value (decompression threshold) is obtained, and for each wheel, the wheel cylinder pressure of each wheel is reduced, held, and increased so that the wheel speed falls between the pseudo vehicle speed and the threshold. The operation of the actuator unit AU at this time will be described. During the ABS control, both the gate valves 3 and 9 are not energized, and the out-side gate valve 3 is opened and closed as shown by the circuit on the left side in FIG. The side gate valve 9 is closed. During decompression, the inflow valve 5 and the outflow valve 6 are energized to close the inflow valve 5 while opening the outflow valve 6. Accordingly, the brake fluid in the wheel cylinder WC is discharged to the drain circuit 10 to reduce the pressure. This amount of pressure reduction corresponds to the energization time for both valves 5 and 6. The drained brake fluid is stored in the reservoir 7 and then returned to the brake circuit 1 by the operation of the main pump 4. At the time of holding, only the inflow valve 5 is energized, the inflow valve 5 and the outflow valve 6 are closed, the brake circuit 1 and the drain circuit 10 are shut off, and the wheel cylinder pressure is maintained. Further, when the pressure is increased, the brake fluid in the brake circuit 1 is supplied to the wheel cylinder WC and is increased by opening only the inflow valve 5 without energizing either the inflow valve 5 or the outflow valve 6. .

  Next, the behavior stabilization control is a control for detecting a vehicle behavior based on an input from the sensor group SG and generating a braking force in a direction to stabilize the behavior when the behavior is unstable. Specifically, when it is determined that the vehicle is in an understeer state or an oversteer state based on an input from the sensor group SG, attitude control for generating a braking force so that a yaw moment is generated in a direction to suppress the vehicle. In addition, when slip occurs on the drive wheel during acceleration, the system is configured with torque slip control that generates a braking force to suppress the drive wheel slip.

  The operation of the actuator unit AU at this time will be described. During the behavior stabilization control, both the gate valves 3 and 9 are energized to close the out-side gate valve 3 as shown in the left circuit in FIG. While the circuit 1 is shut off, the in-side gate valve 9 is opened to allow the supply circuit 11 to communicate, and at the same time, the motor M is driven. Accordingly, the brake fluid in the master cylinder MC is sucked into the supply pump 8 and supplied to the suction side of the main pump 4, and the main pump 4 sucks this and discharges it to the brake circuit 1. Therefore, as in the ABS control, the inflow valve 5 and the outflow valve 6 are energized / de-energized and switched to the pressure increasing / holding / depressurizing state to generate a desired braking force on the desired wheel. The behavior stabilization control described above is executed. Incidentally, the flow shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2 is a flow when the hydraulic pressure of the brake circuit 1 becomes high due to the operation of both pumps 4 and 8, and thus the out-side gate valve in the brake circuit 1. When the pressure between the valve 3 and the inflow valve 5 becomes high, the relief valve 1n is opened, the brake fluid is returned upstream of the brake circuit 1, and the brake fluid is circulated. The brake circuit 1 is connected to the relief valve 1n. It will not be higher than the valve opening pressure.

  Next, the structure of the principal part of an Example is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the control unit CU. The control unit CU is divided into a main control unit 21 and a drive control unit 22.

  The main control unit 21 is connected to each sensor of the sensor group SG and converts an interface 21a, and a CPU (control unit) 21b that performs pre-programmed control arithmetic processing according to a signal sent from the interface 21a. And a communication element 21c that outputs the calculation result of the CPU 21b, a watchdog timer that monitors the operation of the CPU 21b, a power supply unit 21d that supplies power to each component, the G sensor GS, and the yaw rate sensor YR and a drive circuit 21g that performs output when an abnormality occurs are provided.

  The drive control unit 22 is provided integrally with the actuator unit AU. The drive control unit 22 includes a relay switch for driving the solenoid of each valve 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 9, 9 and the motor M, each of which is constituted by an electromagnetic valve. A drive unit 22a composed of the provided circuit and a drive signal that is a signal for operating the drive unit 22a, that is, a drive signal that drives the valves 3, 5, 6, and 9 and the motor M are formed. A circuit (drive unit) 22b, a lamp lighting circuit 22c for forming a signal for lighting the warning lamp 12, a communication element 22d for receiving communication data from the main control unit 21, and the communication input via the communication element 22d CPU 22g for converting the data into a signal for operating the drive circuit 22d and the lamp lighting circuit 22c; Includes a safety circuit 22e, and a power supply unit 22f for supplying power to each unit is configured to include a watchdog timer for monitoring the operation of CPU22g to.

  The main control unit 21 is arranged at a substantially central position of the vehicle in a vehicle compartment not shown, while the drive control unit 22 is arranged in an engine room not shown. The main control unit 21 and the drive control unit 22 penetrate two or three serial communication lines 23 and fail-safe communication lines 24 through a dash panel (not shown) that partitions the vehicle compartment and the engine room. Are connected by a communication line.

  Next, the content communicated from the main control unit 21 to the drive control unit 22 through the serial communication line 23 will be described. In the first embodiment, the CAN protocol specification serial communication is performed between the units 21 and 22. A signal transmitted at one time in this serial communication is divided into eight frames a1 to a8 as shown in FIG. In the figure, the frame a1 is a start frame and indicates that serial communication will be sent from now on. The frame a2 in the figure is an arbitration field and indicates an attribute. In the figure, a frame a3 is a control field, and indicates a division between the arbitration field a2 and the next frame a4. A frame a4 in the drawing is a data field and indicates an output to the drive circuit 22b. A frame a5 in the figure is a CRC field, and indicates the contents for backup of the contents of the data field. In the figure, a frame a6 is an Ack field and indicates the end of the CRC field a5. A frame a7 in the figure is an end-of-frame and indicates the end of one output of serial communication. The frame a8 in the figure is an inter frame space and is an empty space.

  Next, the configuration of the data field a4 will be shown in detail. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the data field a4 is composed of 8-bit 3-byte data. In this example, information of “0” and “1” is stored in each bit, and each bit corresponds to each actuator (solenoid, motor M, lamp). Each actuator is ON when the corresponding bit data is “1”, and is OFF when the data is “0”. In addition, some of all bits are empty.

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which the data field a4 is composed of 8-bit 5-byte data. This example shows an example in which PW control for controlling the opening / closing time of the inflow valve 5 and the outflow valve 6 is executed, and FIG. 9A shows the configuration of the data field a4. FIG. 4B shows the pulse width by this control.

  In the first embodiment, the drive control unit 22 compares the data received on the serial communication line 23 with the fail-safe signal received on the fail communication line 24, and outputs an output when the comparison result does not match. “0” is configured not to drive the solenoid or the like.

  a) The control unit CU includes a main control unit 21 that performs arithmetic processing based on signals from the sensor group SG, and the valves 3, 5, 6, and 9, the motor M and the lamp 12 as actuators based on the result of the arithmetic processing. The main control unit 21 is divided into a drive control unit 22 to be driven, and the main control unit 21 is disposed in the room, while the drive control unit 22 is integrally assembled with the actuator unit AU and disposed in the engine room. Since the unit 21 and the drive control unit 22 are connected by the serial communication line 23 and configured to transmit signals by serial communication, the following effects can be obtained.

  -Significantly reduce the number of communication lines and connectors to reduce costs and reduce assembly effort and costs.

  The main control unit 21 can be protected from heat in the engine room and the heat generating portion of the actuator unit AU.

  -The configuration of the drive control unit 22 can be made compact to facilitate the assembly to the actuator unit AU and the degree of design freedom can be improved.

  Even if the specifications of the actuator unit AU are different, the main control unit 21 only needs to change the program, and only the drive control unit 22 needs to change the assembly state with respect to the actuator unit AU. Easy to handle differences and high versatility.

  -Since only two communication lines (23, 24) are required to connect the units 21 and 22, the hole in the dash panel that penetrates the units 21 and 22 is made small to ensure a sealing property and to prevent noise from entering. The cost can be reduced by simplifying the configuration.

  In the drive control circuit 22, the communication line for driving the actuator can be shortened, so that the radiation noise from the communication line can be reduced and the influence of noise on other control devices can be reduced as much as possible.

  b) Since the G sensor GS and the yaw rate sensor YR are incorporated in the main control unit 21, it is possible to save the labor of assembling compared to separately assembling them, and to share the power supply circuit. Therefore, the wiring can be simplified. In addition, since the sensors GS and YR are assembled in the main control unit 21 out of the two control units CU and arranged in the passenger compartment, the sensors GS and YR are not easily affected by heat and engine vibration. In spite of being integrated with the control unit CU, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is easy to dispose in the center of the vehicle which is optimal as an installation position of the yaw rate sensor YR without taking up space.

  c) Since the CAN protocol is used in the serial communication, information can be exchanged with other units of the vehicle, and the efficiency of control can be improved.

  d) Since the configuration is such that 8-bit multiple-byte data is transmitted in serial communication, a large amount of information can be transmitted in one communication, and the communication frequency can be reduced.

  e) Since serial communication includes the fail-safe CRC field a5, an effect of high reliability can be obtained.

  f) A signal by serial communication including the CRC field a5 for fail-safe by the serial communication line 23 is compared with a signal sent by a fail communication line 24 separate from the serial communication line 23, and there is a mismatch between the two. In this case, since the fail-safe control is performed, high fail-safe performance can be obtained.

  Next, another embodiment will be described. First, a description will be given of a second embodiment in which communication using an asynchronous protocol is performed as the serial communication. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of serial communication based on the asynchronous protocol. In this example, a signal transmitted at one time includes a start bit (1), a data bit (2), and a stop bit (3). It consists of three frames. The start bit (1) indicates that a signal is to be sent from now on, the data bit (2) is composed of 8-bit data, and the stop bit (3) indicates the end of the signal. As described above, when an asynchronous protocol is used in serial communication, an error due to noise is known, and high reliability is obtained.

  Next, Example 3 will be described. In the third embodiment, the CPU 21b of the main control unit 21 and the CPU 22g of the drive control unit 22 are configured to execute diagnostic control for diagnosing whether or not the operation is normally performed.

  FIG. 8 is a flow showing the flow of this diagnostic control. The left side in the figure shows the flow in the main control unit 21, and the right side in the figure shows the flow in the drive control unit 22. This control is started when the ignition switch is turned on. First, the main control unit 21 obtains a random numerical value A from an A / D conversion value such as a power supply voltage in step S1, and then in step S2 The numerical value A is transmitted to the drive control unit 22. Further, the drive control unit 22 receives this numerical value A ′ in step S21.

  Based on steps S3 and S22, the following steps S4 and S23 are started every predetermined control cycle. On the main control unit 21 side, a result A is obtained by inputting a numerical value A into a predetermined function, while a result B ′ is obtained by substituting the received numerical value A ′ into the same function on the drive control unit 22 side. . This function will be described later.

  Next, in steps S5 and S24, the result B ′ of the drive control unit 22 is transmitted, and the main control unit 21 receives this as a value B ″. Further, the main control unit 21 receives its own result in step S6. If the result B is compared with the received value B ", and the two match, it is determined that all of its own program / other party's program / communication is normal, and the process proceeds to step S8. If it is determined that there is an abnormality, the process proceeds to step S7 to set an operation abnormality flag.

  Next, the calculation result B is substituted into the original numerical data A in step S8, the function calculation is performed again in step S9, and the newly obtained result B is transmitted in step S10.

  In the drive control unit 22, the result B ′ obtained in step S23 is substituted into the numerical data A ′ in step S25, and the function calculation is performed again in the subsequent step S26. In step S28, the value B "received from the main control unit 21 in step S27 is compared with the calculation result B 'in step S26. If they do not match, an operation abnormality flag is set in step S29.

  In the subsequent step S30, the calculation result B ′ in the drive control unit 22 is substituted into A ′, the control output amount is received in the next step S31, and it is determined whether or not the operation abnormality flag is set in step S32. If set, the process proceeds to step S33 and the output control amount is set to “0” to stop the control. On the other hand, if the operation abnormality flag is not set (clear), the process proceeds to step S34 and the valve is controlled according to the received control amount. Drive etc.

  In the main control unit 21, after the numerical data B is transmitted in step S10, the numerical data B is substituted into A, and in the subsequent step S12, it is determined whether or not the operation abnormality flag S12 is set. When the operation abnormality flag S12 is set, the process proceeds to step S13 to set the control output amount to “0”. On the other hand, when it is not set, the routine proceeds to step S14, where various control signals are taken in, and the control output amount is calculated (step S15). In step S16, the control output amount (the processing result of step S13 or S15) is transmitted.

  Next, the function calculation executed in steps S4, S9, S23, and S26 will be described. This function calculation includes “addition”, “multiplication”, “division”, “shift”, and “overflow determination”. By executing these processes, it is confirmed whether or not the register for executing the program is working correctly. A specific example is shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, numerical data is sent between the control units 21 and 22 by communication, the result of processing the data with a predetermined function is sent back, and the function processing result and the returned function are sent back. Since it is determined whether or not the system is normal by comparing the processing results, it can be confirmed that the CPUs 21b and 22g that perform the calculation in the respective units 21 and 22 operate normally, and the reliability is improved. be able to. In the third embodiment, since the function calculation processing includes “addition”, “multiplication”, “division”, “shift”, and “overflow determination”, it is possible to confirm all processing functions. FIG. 10 shows a modification of the diagnostic control shown in FIG. 8. Only step S40 and step S41 are different from the example of FIG. 8, and transmission / reception of the control output amount and data B is performed simultaneously. .

  While the embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. That is, although the example applied to the braking control device is shown in the embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to an actuator control device for other vehicles, for example, an engine control device or a variable damping characteristic suspension control device.

  As described above, the vehicle actuator control apparatus of the present invention has a main control unit having a control unit that performs program processing on the control unit, and a drive unit that forms a drive signal for driving the actuator. The drive control unit is divided into the drive control unit, the drive control unit is integrally assembled to the actuator unit, and the main control unit is configured to output serial communication to the drive control unit. Even though the main control unit is formed separately from the actuator unit as described above, one or two serial communications are performed by serial communication. The number of communication lines that can send more information to the line As a result, the wiring work and the assembly work can be facilitated, and the cost can be reduced. Further, the actuator unit can be reduced by configuring the main control unit separately. The size of the actuator can be reduced, and the degree of freedom of mounting on the vehicle body is improved. In addition, since only the drive control unit having the drive unit is assembled integrally with the actuator unit, the actuator It is easy to cope with the difference in unit specifications and the versatility is improved.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, since communication is performed using the CAN protocol, information can be transmitted to and from other units by using the CAN protocol also in other units, thereby improving information processing efficiency. In the CAN protocol, error correction is included in the CAN protocol, and high reliability can be obtained.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since communication is performed by the asynchronous protocol, an error due to noise can be found, and high reliability can be obtained.

  The device according to claim 4 can provide an actuator control device having the effects of the inventions according to claims 1 to 3.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, the main control unit is installed in the vehicle interior, and the actuator unit assembled with the drive control unit is installed outside the vehicle interior, so that the main control unit can be easily removed from engine heat, dust, and water. In this way, both units are separated by a wall that defines the interior and exterior of the vehicle, and both units transmit signals via serial communication. Since the number can be reduced and the hole opened in the vehicle body can be reduced, the effect of simplifying the seal structure of this hole and the structure for preventing the intrusion of sound can be obtained.

  In the invention described in claim 6, since the sensor is provided in the main control unit, the wiring for connecting the sensor and the main control unit is not required, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. The effect is obtained, and the effect that the sensor can be separated from the actuator to protect against heat can be obtained. Further, when this sensor is a sensor for detecting the yaw moment of the vehicle as described in claim 13, the above-mentioned installation conditions differ depending on the sensor, such that it is desirable to arrange in the center of the vehicle. Can be reduced in size so as not to include the drive unit, and therefore, there is an effect that there are few size restrictions in determining the installation position.

  According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the invention, since it is configured to transmit the binarized signal by serial communication, it is not necessary to change the drive control unit for each vehicle specification, and the versatility can be improved. In particular, in the invention according to claim 8, since the signal is binarized and the output time of the drive signal is encoded, a large amount of information can be obtained by communication only for each control cycle. It is possible to send, and the effect that the communication frequency can be reduced is obtained.

  According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, since the communication signal by serial communication is configured to include the fail-safe signal, various processes such as transmitting the type of fail-safe are possible, and the fail-safe performance can be improved. An effect is obtained.

  In the invention described in claim 11, in the braking control device that executes the ABS control, the actuator unit that regulates the brake fluid pressure, the drive control unit that drives the actuator, and the main control unit that performs the program processing are installed apart from each other. Since the configuration is adopted, it is possible to protect the main control unit from heat generation in the solenoid and the motor provided in the actuator unit, and also in the drive unit of the drive control unit that outputs a drive signal thereto.

  In the invention according to the twelfth aspect, since the present invention is applied to the braking control device that performs the behavior stabilization control that requires more actuators than the braking control device that executes the ABS control, the heat generation amount is larger than that of the braking control device that executes the ABS control. Thus, the main control unit can be protected from the heat of the actuator, motor, and drive unit that are large, and the actuator unit that tends to be large can be downsized.

  In the invention described in claim 13, since the yaw rate sensor and the acceleration sensor are integrally provided in the main control unit, it is not necessary to attach the sensors separately, and the assembly workability is excellent, and the yaw rate sensor is provided in the center of the vehicle. However, since the main control unit provided with the yaw rate sensor is separate from the actuator unit and is small in size, an effect that it is easy to install in the center of the vehicle is obtained.

  In the inventions of claims 14 and 15, in the main control unit and the drive control unit configured by dividing the control unit, numerical data is sent from one unit to the other unit, and the numerical data is the same in both units. After performing the function calculation, the calculation results are compared, and if the two calculation results do not match, the diagnosis control is performed to determine that there is an abnormality. If this occurs, this can be found, and the effect of improving reliability can be obtained.

AU Actuator unit MC Master cylinder WC Wheel cylinder CU Control unit SG Sensor groups S1 to S4 Wheel speed sensor YR Yaw rate sensor H Steering angle sensor BS Brake switch GS G sensor 1 Brake circuit 1c One valve 1g One valve 1n Relief valve 2 Reflux circuit 3 Out side gate valve 4 Main pump 4b Discharge valve 4h One valve 4k Suction valve 5 Inflow valve 6 Outflow valve 7 Reservoir 8 Supply pump 8c Suction valve 9 In side gate valve 10 Drain circuit 11 Supply circuit 12 Warning lamp 21 Main control unit 21a Interface 21b CPU
21c Communication element 21d Power supply unit 21g Drive circuit 22 Drive control unit 22a Drive unit 22b Drive circuit 22c Lamp lighting circuit 22d Communication element 22e Safety circuit 22f Power supply unit 22g CPU
23 Serial communication line 24 Fail communication line

Claims (4)

A control unit having a control unit that performs a pre-programmed process on an input signal related to the state of the vehicle, and a drive unit that receives a control output amount that is a processing result of the control unit;
An actuator driven according to the control output amount;
The control unit, the main control unit having the control unit and outputting the control output amount;
A drive control unit that includes the drive unit and drives an actuator based on the control output amount;
A first communication line connecting the two units;
A second communication line connecting the two units;
With
The control output amount is transmitted from the main control unit to the drive control unit via the first communication line,
A vehicle actuator control, wherein a fail-safe signal for limiting the drive of the drive control unit by the control output amount is transmitted from the main control unit to the drive control unit via the second communication line. apparatus.   2. The vehicle actuator control device according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit is integrally assembled with an actuator unit configured by assembling the actuator.   4. The diagnostic control for diagnosing whether the main control unit and the drive control unit are operating normally with each other via the first communication line. 5. The actuator control apparatus for vehicles described in 2.   5. The vehicle actuator control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the diagnostic control is executed every predetermined control cycle.

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