JP2010116165A - Vehicle control system and automobile using the system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control system and an automobile using the system reducing the cost of heat dissipation components by facilitating heat dissipation of actuator drivers, and reducing cost by carrying out improvement of miniaturization and versatility of a central control unit. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle control system is equipped with the central control unit, and a plurality of actuators. The control system is equipped with the actuator drivers driving the actuators in actuator sides, and the actuator drivers are made self-independent by having self-diagnosis parts, self-protection parts, and communication control parts, and they are decentrally disposed in correspondence to each actuator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control system in a vehicle such as an automobile and an automobile using the system, and more particularly to a vehicle control system capable of reducing the cost of the control system and an automobile using the system.

  FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a conventional vehicle control system in an automobile or the like. The vehicle control system 60 'includes a central control unit (ECU) 1', a plurality of sensors 2 ', and a plurality of actuators 3a'. The sensor 2 'provided in the engine room of the vehicle or the like. On the basis of these signals, a predetermined calculation is performed by the central control device 1 'provided in the passenger compartment to drive the actuator 3a'.

  The central control unit 1 'includes an input interface (input I / F) 11', an arithmetic processing unit 10 ', and an actuator driver 4'. The input I / F 11 'processes a signal from the sensor 2'. Is output to the arithmetic processing unit 10 ', the arithmetic processing unit 10' performs a predetermined calculation and outputs an optimal control signal to the actuator driver 4 ', and the actuator driver 4' is connected via the connector 3b '. Then, the actuator 3a 'as a load is driven. The actuator driver 4 'is centrally arranged in the central control device 1'.

  Among such vehicle control systems, an automobile engine control system is a microcomputer that is an arithmetic processing unit in an engine control unit that is a central controller based on signals from an engine rotation sensor, a water temperature sensor, an intake air amount sensor, and the like. Performs a predetermined calculation, outputs an ignition signal to a driver that drives an ignition coil, outputs a fuel injection signal to a driver that drives an injector, and opens and closes to a driver that drives various valves and relay switches. This system optimally controls the engine by outputting a signal and a valve opening amount adjustment signal.

  Here, in the vehicle control system 60 ′ of FIG. 11, the actuator driver 4 ′ is centrally arranged in the central controller 1 ′. On the other hand, there is a known example in which actuator drivers are distributed in correspondence with the actuators to be driven instead of inside the central control unit. In order to improve the versatility of the actuators, the actuator drivers distributed in this way are used as actuators. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology of a communication connector of a vehicle electronic control device built in a connector to be connected. In addition, as other conventional techniques for control systems in vehicles and the like, various techniques such as Patent Document 2 have been proposed.

JP-A-8-79841 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-275801

  In general, in a vehicle control system, a relatively large current (several amperes) flows through an actuator driver when the actuator is driven. The actuator driver often uses a power transistor or a power MOS, and a Joule heat is generated due to an on-resistance during energization when a relatively large current flows.

  Therefore, when the actuator driver 4 'is centrally arranged in the central controller 1' as in the conventional vehicle control system 60 'of FIG. 11, the actuator driver 4' that is a heat generating component is arranged. As a result, the amount of heat generated by the central control device 1 'as a whole increases, which can adversely affect the control.

  In particular, in recent automobiles, in order to reduce harness costs and assembly man-hours, the central control device tends to be mounted not in the vehicle interior but in the engine room. In order to avoid this because it is exposed to a severer temperature environment, it is necessary to provide heat-dissipating parts such as heat sinks and heat-dissipating fins as a heat dissipating measure, which increases the manufacturing cost and thus the overall cost of the vehicle control system. Will occur.

  In this case, as in the control system described in the above-mentioned JP-A-8-79841, it is possible to disperse the actuator drivers, which are heat-generating components, on the actuator side in correspondence with the actuators to be driven. It is not sufficient to distribute actuator drivers in a distributed manner. This is because the current engine control system has a self-diagnostic function for diagnosing faults such as disconnection or short-circuiting of the actuator and notifying the operation processing unit of the central control unit, and overcurrent and overheat in such a fault. In addition to the self-protection function to prevent actuator driver failure due to, the timer circuit for PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control of actuators distributed in a multiplex communication system via serial communication lines is essential. Because it becomes.

  That is, the present inventor, in a vehicle control system provided with a central control device and a plurality of actuators, in order to reduce the cost of the vehicle control system, actuator drivers are distributed on the actuator side, In order to maintain the reliability and functionality of the system even in a distributed arrangement, we obtained new knowledge that it is necessary to have a self-diagnosis unit, a self-protection unit, a communication control unit, etc. In the prior art, the actuator driver is not dispersedly arranged with respect to each actuator side away from the inside of the central control device, or even if the actuator driver goes out of the central control device, heat dissipation is easy. Is not a distributed driver, and is not a self-independent driver that can build an actual system. Special consideration is given to reducing the cost of heat dissipating parts of the vehicle control system by reducing heat generation in the central control unit and maintaining the reliability and functionality of the control system even if the actuator drivers are distributed. Has not been made.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the cost of the control system by suppressing the heat generation in the central control device by distributing actuator drivers in a distributed manner. It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control system capable of maintaining the reliability and functionality of the control system even when the actuator drivers are distributed and arranged, and an automobile using the system.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle control system according to the present invention is basically a vehicle control system including a central control device and a plurality of actuators, and the control system is arranged on the actuator side. An actuator driver for driving the actuator, and the actuator driver has a self-diagnosis unit, a self-protection unit, and a communication control unit, and is self-independent and distributedly arranged corresponding to each actuator. It is a feature.

  In the vehicle control system of the present invention configured as described above, the actuator driver is disposed on the actuator side away from the central control device and is distributed corresponding to the plurality of actuators. The control system cost can be reduced by suppressing the heat generation of the actuator, and since the actuator driver is self-independent as a system, the reliability and function of the control system can be achieved even if the actuator drivers are distributed. Can keep sex.

  A specific aspect of the vehicle control system according to the present invention is characterized in that the actuator driver includes a timer unit.

  Furthermore, in another specific aspect of the vehicle control system according to the present invention, the actuator driver is built in a connector or an adapter connected to the actuator, and the actuator driver is a connector connected to the actuator or It is detachably mounted on the outer surface of the adapter, and is electrically connected to the connector or a terminal of the adapter, or the actuator driver is built in the actuator.

  Furthermore, another specific aspect of the vehicle control system according to the present invention is characterized in that the communication control unit of the actuator driver includes a serial communication control unit or a wireless communication control unit.

  In addition, the actuator driver is manufactured on a semiconductor substrate to be an IC, or the actuator driver is directly mounted on a metal member without a substrate, and is connected to the actuator by mold mounting. It is formed integrally with a connector or an adapter, or formed integrally with the actuator.

  Further, the central control device is mounted in an engine room of a vehicle or is an automobile using the vehicle control system.

  In the vehicle control system according to the present invention, since the actuator drivers are distributed on the actuator side and are independent of each other, the heat generation in the central control device is suppressed to reduce the cost of the control system. Even in a distributed arrangement, the reliability and functionality of the control system can be maintained.

  Further, by using the vehicle control system as described above, a low-cost automobile can be produced.

The block diagram of the vehicle control system of 1st embodiment of this invention. The circuit block diagram of the actuator driver which comprises the vehicle control system of FIG. The figure which shows the relationship between the connector which connects the actuator which comprises the vehicle control system of FIG. 1, and a central control apparatus. FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a timer circuit built in the actuator driver of FIG. 1. The block diagram of the vehicle control system of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the vehicle control system of 3rd embodiment of this invention. The circuit block diagram of the actuator driver which comprises the vehicle control system of FIG. The top view of the motor vehicle using the vehicle control system of FIG. Sectional drawing of the connector which mounted the actuator driver of this embodiment on the outer surface. Sectional drawing of the connector incorporating the actuator driver of this embodiment. The block diagram of the conventional vehicle control system.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle control system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show a vehicle control system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of the vehicle control system.

  The vehicle control system 60 includes a central control unit (ECU) 1, a plurality of sensors 2, a plurality of actuators 3a, and a plurality of actuator drivers 4, and is provided in an engine room of the vehicle. Based on each signal of the sensor 2, a predetermined calculation is performed in the central control device 1 mounted in the engine room, and the actuator 3 a as a load is driven via the actuator driver 4.

  The central controller 1 includes an input interface (input I / F) 11 and an arithmetic processing unit 10. The actuator 3a is driven by an actuator driver 4. The actuator driver 4 is provided on the actuator 3a side away from the central control device 1, and is distributed in correspondence with the plurality of actuators 3a. ing.

  As will be described later, the actuator driver 4 is built in a connector 3b connected to the actuator 3a, and is connected to the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central controller 1 by a single serial communication line 5. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 10 takes in a signal from the input I / F 11 obtained by processing the signal of the sensor 2, and the microcomputer as the arithmetic processing unit 10 performs a predetermined calculation and outputs an optimal control signal to the actuator driver 4. The actuator driver 4 drives the actuator 3a.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the actuator driver 4.
The actuator driver 4 has a self-diagnosis unit, a self-protection unit, a timer unit, and a communication control unit, and is self-independent so that an actual system can be constructed even if it is out of the central controller 1. That is, the actuator driver 4 incorporated in the connector 3b includes an N-type power MOS transistor 20, a zener diode 21, a load disconnection or drain D ground short circuit diagnostic circuit 23, an overcurrent as shown in the figure. Alternatively, the drain D power supply short circuit diagnosis circuit 24, the overheat diagnosis circuit 25, the diagnosis output control circuit 26, the gate protection circuit 22 as a self-protection unit, the serial communication control unit 27 as a communication control unit, and the timer circuit 28 as a timer unit. Each is built in.

  The N-type power MOS transistor 20 is manufactured using a power semiconductor process, and the transistor 20 is turned on / off by controlling the gate G of the transistor 20, and the load 3aa connected to the drain D is connected. To drive.

  The Zener diode 21 is provided between the drain D and the gate G, and when an inductive load is connected to the drain D, the MOS transistor 20 is prevented from being destroyed by a back electromotive voltage when the gate G is turned off. .

  The load disconnection or drain D ground short circuit diagnosis circuit 23, the over current or drain D power supply short circuit diagnosis circuit 24, and the overheat diagnosis circuit 25 self-diagnosis circuit as the self-diagnosis unit detected an abnormal state corresponding to each circuit. Sometimes, the diagnostic output control circuit 26 outputs a signal corresponding to each abnormal state to the central control device 1 via the serial communication control unit 27.

  The self-diagnosis unit turns off the MOS transistor 20 by transmitting each abnormality detection signal to the gate protection circuit 22 which is a self-protection unit when overheating is detected or an overcurrent / power supply short circuit is detected. The destruction of the transistor 20 is prevented.

  The serial communication control unit 27 performs serial communication with the central control device 1, and includes a controller that controls signal transmission / reception timing according to a serial communication protocol, and a transceiver that transmits / receives signals in accordance with this control. The driving control signal of each actuator 3a is received from the central controller 1 while the diagnostic signal from the diagnostic output control circuit 26 is transmitted to the central controller 1. The arithmetic processing unit 10 on the central controller 1 side incorporates a serial communication control unit (not shown) similar to the serial communication control unit 27.

  The timer circuit 28 can drive not only a relay switch but also an actuator that requires PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) driving and pulse driving. In other words, the actuator 3a is not only one that performs on / off control like the relay switch, but also one that requires PWM drive such as a proportional solenoid used for adjusting the valve opening amount of various valves, and a pulse like an injector. In some cases, such as those that require driving, and when using one serial communication line 5 to transmit drive signals for various types of actuators 3a in a time-sharing manner, for example, a PWM signal is always transmitted to a specific actuator driver 4 It is difficult. Therefore, the actuator driver 4 of this embodiment can drive not only a relay switch but also an actuator that requires PWM driving and pulse driving.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the actuator 3 a and the serial communication line 5.
As shown in the figure, the connector 3b connected to the actuator 3a includes power supply lines 9a and 9b that connect the serial communication line 5 connecting the actuator driver 4 and the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central controller 1 and the vehicle battery. The actuator drivers 4 that are distributed are incorporated in a connector 3b that is connected to the actuator 3a.

  As described above, the configuration of the present embodiment in which multiplex communication is performed by the serial communication line 5 is reduced in wiring compared to the configuration (see FIG. 11) in which the central controller 1 ′ and the actuator driver 4 ′ are individually connected. It is illustrated. The power supply for the actuator driver 4 is not limited to the power supply lines 9a and 9b, but may be supplied from the actuator 3a side.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of the timer circuit 28.
The timer circuit 28 includes a clock generation circuit 30, a frequency dividing circuit 31 that divides the clock, a frequency setting register 32, a duty setting register 33, and a PWM output circuit 34.

  As described above, when performing PWM driving of an actuator in a multiplex communication system, first, the central controller 1 sends a PWM frequency setting signal and a duty setting signal to the actuator driver 4 via the serial communication line 5. Transmit to the timer circuit 28. These signals are respectively stored in the frequency setting register 32 and the duty setting register 33. The frequency setting register 32 divides the internal clock to a predetermined PWM frequency, and the duty setting register 33 converts the divided signal to a desired duty. Is modulated into a PWM signal. As a result, when it is desired to change the valve opening amount by changing the current flowing through the solenoid, the actuator driver 4 itself sends the duty setting signal to the solenoid according to the signal only by sending a duty setting signal from the central controller 1. The energization amount can be controlled.

  Further, the clock generation circuit 30 is capable of self-correcting the oscillation frequency at any time according to the waveform pattern sent from the central control device 1, and is realized as an inexpensive circuit without using a crystal oscillator.

  When a serial communication system having a sufficiently high signal transmission speed is used, an actuator having a built-in timer circuit 28 for an actuator 3a that needs to accurately control fuel injection timing, such as the injector. The driver 4 can be used for time division control. When the signal transmission speed is low, only the actuator 3a whose timing needs to be accurately controlled is controlled from the central control device 1 through a dedicated communication line.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram of the vehicle control system of the second embodiment.
The vehicle control system 60A is the same as the configuration of the vehicle control system 60 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of signal lines between the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central control unit (ECU) 1A and the actuator driver 4A. From here on, this difference will be mainly described.

  The actuator driver 4A of the vehicle control system 60A is provided on the actuator 3a side away from the central control device 1A, and is distributed in the connector 3b corresponding to the plurality of actuators 3a. Further, the actuator driver 4A has a self-diagnosis unit, a self-protection unit, and a communication control unit, and is self-independent so that an actual system can be constructed even if the actuator driver 4A goes out of the central control device 1A.

  The arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central control device 1A and the actuator driver 4A are connected by the serial communication line 5 and the parallel communication line 6, and the central control device 1A is based on each signal of the sensor 2. A predetermined calculation is performed, and a control signal from the central controller 1A to the actuator driver 4A is transmitted to each actuator driver 4A through the parallel communication line 6 to drive the actuator 3a. On the other hand, only the diagnostic signal of the actuator 3a from the actuator driver 4A to the central controller 1A is bundled by the serial communication line 5 and transmitted to the central controller 1A. With this configuration, the actuator driver 4A according to the present embodiment does not necessarily include the timer circuit 28.

6 and 7 show a vehicle control system according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows a configuration diagram of the vehicle control system.
The vehicle control system 60B is the same as the configuration of the vehicle control system of the first and second embodiments except for the configuration of signal transmission / reception between the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central control unit (ECU) 1B and the actuator driver 4B. In the following, this difference will be mainly described.

  The actuator driver 4B of the vehicle control system 60B is provided on the actuator 3a side away from the central control device 1B, and is distributed in the connector 3b corresponding to the plurality of actuators 3a. Further, the actuator driver 4B includes a self-diagnosis unit, a self-protection unit, a timer unit, a wireless communication control unit, and an antenna. Be independent.

  Signal communication is performed wirelessly between the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central control device 1B and the actuator driver 4B. That is, the central control device 1B includes an input interface (input I / F) 11, an arithmetic processing unit 10, a wireless communication control unit 12, and an antenna 13, and the arithmetic processing unit 10 receives signals from the sensor 2. Is input to the actuator driver 4 via the wireless communication control unit 12 and the antenna 13, and the actuator driver 4B receives the antenna 8 and the like. The actuator 3a is driven by receiving the signal via.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the actuator driver 4B includes an N-type power MOS transistor 20, a Zener diode 21, and a self-diagnostic unit such as a load disconnection or drain D ground short circuit diagnosis circuit 23, an overcurrent or drain D. Power supply short-circuit diagnosis circuit 24, overheat diagnosis circuit 25, diagnosis output control circuit 26, gate protection circuit 22 as a self-protection unit, wireless communication control unit 29 as a communication control unit, antenna 8, and timer circuit 28 as a timer unit Built in. The load disconnection or drain D ground short-circuit diagnosis circuit 23, the overcurrent or drain D power supply short-circuit diagnosis circuit 24, and the overheat diagnosis circuit 25 self-diagnosis circuit as the self-diagnosis unit have an abnormal state corresponding to each circuit. When detected, it outputs to the diagnostic output control circuit 26, and the diagnostic output control circuit 26 outputs a signal corresponding to each abnormal state to the central controller 1 via the wireless communication control unit 29.

  As described above, the timer circuit 28 is indispensable when performing multiplex communication by time division. However, the timer circuit 28 is connected between the central controller 1B and each actuator driver 4B using separate wireless communication lines having different frequencies. This is not always necessary when communicating individually.

  FIG. 8 shows an automobile 50 using the vehicle control system 60 of the first embodiment in which the self-independent actuator driver 4 is dispersedly arranged corresponding to the actuator 3a to be driven.

  In the automobile 50, the engine control unit, which is the central controller 1, is mounted not in the passenger compartment 52 but in the engine room 51 having a more severe temperature environment in order to reduce the harness cost and the number of automobile assembly steps. Based on the output signals of various sensors 2 such as an engine rotation sensor, a water temperature sensor, and an intake air amount sensor, the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the central control device 1 performs various calculations to drive an ignition coil, an injector, and various valves. 4 outputs a drive signal via the serial communication line 5 to perform optimum control of the engine. Note that the vehicle may be an automobile using the vehicle control systems 60A and 60B of the second and third embodiments, and in this case, the engine can be optimally controlled as described above.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention exhibits the following functions by the above configuration.

  That is, in the vehicle control systems 60, 60A, 60B of the first to third embodiments, the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B are arranged away from the central control devices 1, 1A, 1B. Since heat generation in the control devices 1, 1A, 1B can be suppressed, the central control devices 1, 1A, 1B do not require heat radiation parts such as heat sinks and heat radiation fins, and the cost of the central control device is reduced. Can do.

  This can exert a greater effect in an automobile in which the specification of the temperature environment for the central control device is particularly strict.

  Further, since the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B having a large heat generation amount are distributed corresponding to the respective actuators 3a driven by themselves, the individual heat generation amounts of the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B are relatively small. In addition to facilitating heat dissipation measures for the actuator driver on the actuator 3a side, the central control devices 1, 1A and 1B can be downsized, and even when different actuators are used depending on the system, the central control device is the same. Therefore, the versatility of the central control devices 1, 1A, 1B can be improved.

  Since the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B are arranged on the actuator 3a side, a large current does not flow through the signal line between the central control devices 1, 1A, 1B and the actuator 3a. , 60A, 60B can reduce radiation noise.

  And by using self-independent actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B that have self-diagnosis and self-protection functions, etc., and can actually construct a system even if they are out of the central control unit, a distributed actuator driver system It can be constructed reliably, and the reliability and functionality of the vehicle control systems 60, 60A, 60B can be maintained even if actuator drivers are distributed.

  Further, since the area occupied by the individual actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B can be relatively small even if a self-diagnosis / self-protection function, a timer circuit, a communication control unit, and the like are built in, the actuator drivers 4 are arranged in a distributed manner. , 4A, 4B without changing the size, the cost of the entire vehicle control system can be reduced and the size of the vehicle control system can be reduced as the central control device becomes smaller.

  Furthermore, the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B are built in the connector 3b, and by configuring the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B separately from the actuator 3a, the actuator 3a can be shared for different systems, The versatility of the actuator 3a can be improved.

  Moreover, in view of the fact that there are actuators of various shapes, the driver 4 on the side of the connector 3b is relatively simple and has fewer variations than the case where the housing 4 is changed for each type and the driver 4 is incorporated. It can be said that it is more productive to build in. Furthermore, in general, it is considered that the temperature around the actuator driver 4 is lower when incorporated in the connector 3b than when incorporated in the actuator 3a, and the heat radiation countermeasure becomes easier.

  The vehicle control system 60 according to the first embodiment is an actuator driver distributed system using serial communication, and reduces wiring, thereby reducing wiring cost, wiring weight, and body assembly man-hours. it can. Furthermore, the vehicle control system 60A of the second embodiment is an actuator driver distributed system using the serial communication line 5 and the parallel communication line 6, and can sufficiently cope with a case where real-time processing is required. Furthermore, the vehicle control system 60B of the third embodiment is an actuator driver distributed system by wireless communication, can reduce signal lines, and can further reduce the cost of the vehicle control system.

  In the automobile 50 using the vehicle control systems 60, 60A, 60B, the engine driver 51, 4A, 4B, which are heat-generating parts, are dispersed although the engine room 51 is hotter than the vehicle compartment 52. In addition to facilitating heat dissipation measures, the versatility of the central control devices 1, 1 </ b> A, and 1 </ b> B is increased, so that a low-cost automobile can be produced.

  Although three embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various designs can be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

  For example, in each of the embodiments described above, the actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B are built in the connector 3b. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the adapter drivers 4, 4A, 4B are connected to the actuator 3a. In this case, the control system can be constructed simply by connecting the adapter to the existing actuator 3a, and the productivity of the system can be improved. The actuator drivers 4, 4 </ b> A, 4 </ b> B may be incorporated in the actuator 3 a, and the same effect can be obtained in this case.

  The actuator drivers 4, 4A, 4B are not limited to those built in the connector 3b or the like, but are detachably mounted on the outer surface of the connector 3b connected to the actuator 3a or the adapter, and the connector 3b or adapter The terminal may be electrically connected.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the distributed actuator driver 4 is detachably mounted on the outer surface of the connector 3b, and the signal line 5 or signal line 6 from the central control device 1 is connected to the connector terminal 42. The connector terminal 43 is connected to the connector on the actuator 3a side.

  The connector terminals 42 and 43 protrude from the upper surface of the connector 3b. By fitting the actuator driver 4 provided with a self-diagnosis unit or the like to the connector terminals 42 and 43, the actuator driver 4 and the connector terminals 42 and 43 are connected. Connect electrically and mechanically. In this way, by mounting the actuator driver 4 on the outer surface of the connector 3b in a detachable manner, when changing the actuator driver 4 or the like, it is possible to replace only the actuator driver 4 without changing the connector 3b. There is an effect that it is excellent in productivity and maintainability.

FIG. 10 shows a mounting form when the actuator driver 4 is built in the connector 3b, and is a sectional view of the driver built-in connector using a lead frame.
The connector terminal 42 is connected to the signal line 5 or the signal line 6 from the central controller 1, and the connector terminal 43 is connected to the connector on the actuator 3 a side.

  The actuator driver 4 having a self-diagnosis unit or the like is a one-chip IC manufactured on a silicon wafer as a semiconductor substrate using a BCD process that combines a bipolar process, a power semiconductor process (DMOS process), a CMOS process, or the like. This is a multi-chip IC composed of several ICs.

  This IC is mounted by adhering onto a metal member (metal base) 40 of the lead frame without using a substrate with a conductive adhesive or the like. Between the IC which is the driver 4 and the connector terminals 42 and 43, wire bonding is performed with an aluminum wire or a gold wire 41, and then transfer molding is entirely performed using a resin 44, thereby integrally forming the driver built-in connector 3b.

  The metal base 40 is exposed toward the outside of the connector 3b, and also functions as a heat radiating plate of the IC that is the driver 4, and the heat radiation performance is not deteriorated by the mold mounting. Further, by integrally forming the actuator driver 4 and the connector 3b by transfer molding, the manufacturing process can be shortened and the driver built-in connector 3b can be realized at low cost. The actuator driver 4 may be formed integrally with the adapter or formed integrally with the actuator.

1, 1A, 1B Central control unit (ECU)
3a Actuator 3b Connector 4, 4A, 4B Actuator driver 22 Gate protection circuit (self-protection part)
23 Load disconnection or drain ground short circuit diagnosis circuit (self-diagnosis unit)
24 Overcurrent or drain power supply short circuit diagnosis circuit (self-diagnosis unit)
25 Overheat diagnosis circuit (self-diagnosis unit)
26 Diagnostic output control circuit (Self-diagnosis unit)
27 Serial communication control unit (communication control unit)
28 Timer circuit (Timer part)
29 Wireless communication control unit (communication control unit)
40 Metal member 42, 43 Connector terminal 50 Automobile 51 Engine room 60, 60A, 60B Vehicle control system

Claims (11)

In a vehicle control system including a central control device and a plurality of actuators, the control system includes an actuator driver that drives the actuator on the actuator side. The actuator driver includes a self-diagnosis unit, a self-protection unit, And a vehicle control system comprising a communication control unit and being self-independent and being distributed in correspondence with the actuators. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator driver includes a timer unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator driver is built in a connector or an adapter connected to the actuator. 3. The vehicle control according to claim 1, wherein the actuator driver is detachably mounted on an outer surface of a connector or adapter connected to the actuator, and is electrically connected to a terminal of the connector or adapter. system. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator driver is built in the actuator. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit of the actuator driver includes a serial communication control unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit of the actuator driver includes a wireless communication control unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator driver is manufactured on a semiconductor substrate and is an IC. The actuator driver is mounted directly on a metal member without a substrate, and is molded integrally with a connector or adapter connected to the actuator by mold mounting.
6. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle control system is formed integrally with the actuator. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the central control device is mounted in an engine room of the vehicle. An automobile using the vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images