JP2013071577A - Fuel pump controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel pump controller capable of preventing an unnecessary stop of a fuel pump by incorrect detection.SOLUTION: The fuel pump controller (100) includes: a collision detection means (11) for detecting whether or not a vehicle collides; a stopping means (17) which stops the fuel pump (4) for a period T1, when a collision signal is received from the collision detection means; and an operation means (16) which operates the fuel pump when an ignition switch (9) is turned on after the period T1. The operation means operates the fuel pump when a non-collision signal is received within a period T2 from the time when the collision signal is received.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a fuel pump control device that cuts fuel supplied from a fuel tank to an engine by stopping the fuel pump when a vehicle collision is detected.

  An engine mounted as a driving power source in a vehicle is driven by consuming fuel such as gasoline or light oil. This fuel is stored in a fuel tank in advance and is supplied to the engine via a fuel pipe by a fuel pump. Supplied by pumping. Fuel supply to the engine is continuously performed while the vehicle is running normally. However, there is a risk that the fuel supply system such as the fuel pipe may be damaged and the fuel leaks as in the case of a vehicle collision. When this occurs, it is necessary to stop the fuel pump and suppress the outflow of fuel.

  Such stop control of the fuel pump at the time of a vehicle collision is automatically performed by detecting a collision by a vehicle collision sensor using an acceleration sensor or the like. Here, when it is necessary to restart the engine after the collision, such as when the collision vehicle is moved from the site, it is necessary to operate the fuel pump once stopped. On the other hand, when operating the stopped fuel pump, it is necessary to confirm that the fuel supply system such as the fuel pipe is broken and no fuel leakage occurs. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, by detecting the fuel pressure (fuel pressure) in the fuel pipe, it is determined whether or not there is a fuel leak in the fuel pipe, and the fuel pump is allowed to operate only when there is no fuel leak. A pump control method is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 3612853

  As described above, stop control of the fuel pump is performed by collision detection using a sensor, but erroneous detection may occur in such collision detection by the sensor. For example, if erroneous information is included in the collision detection due to the influence of intermittent noise or the like, the fuel pump will be stopped based on the erroneous determination content, causing a significant hindrance to the normal vehicle running state There is. In Patent Document 1, no countermeasure is taken against such erroneous detection of collision by the sensor, and there is a problem in reliability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fuel pump control device having good reliability while stopping the fuel pump based on collision detection by a sensor.

  In order to solve the above problems, a fuel pump control device according to the present invention detects the presence or absence of a vehicle collision in a fuel pump control device that controls a fuel pump that supplies fuel from the inside of a fuel tank to a collision signal or A collision detecting means for transmitting a non-collision signal; a stopping means for stopping the fuel pump for a first predetermined period when the collision signal is received from the collision detecting means; and a driver after the first predetermined period has elapsed. Operating means for operating the fuel pump when the intention to start is confirmed, the operating means within the second predetermined period set shorter than the first predetermined period from when the collision signal is received. When the non-collision signal is received from the detection means, the fuel pump is operated.

  According to the present invention, when the collision signal is received from the collision detection means, the stop means quickly stops the fuel pump, so that it is possible to prevent the fuel from leaking from the fuel supply system such as the fuel pipe at the time of the collision. . Here, the stop period of the fuel pump is basically continued for the first predetermined period, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unexpected troubles such as fuel leakage during that period, but it is shorter than the first predetermined period. When a non-collision signal is detected in the second predetermined period, it is determined that the previously received collision signal is due to erroneous detection, and the fuel pump is operated. Thus, unnecessary continuation of the fuel pump stop can be avoided based on the erroneously detected collision signal. On the other hand, after the elapse of the first predetermined period, the fuel pump is activated only when the driver's intention to start can be confirmed (for example, when the ignition switch is started or the accelerator pedal is depressed). Allow. As a result, the fuel pump can be quickly stopped after receiving the collision signal, and the fuel pump can be operated as necessary to enable movement of the vehicle after the collision.

  Preferably, the first predetermined period is a period from when the stopping unit stops the fuel pump to when the engine stops. When the fuel pump is stopped, the pressure of the fuel remaining in the fuel pipe decreases with the passage of time, and it becomes gradually difficult to inject fuel from the fuel injection device (injector) that is the fuel supply destination. The engine will misfire due to fuel shortage. In this aspect, since the first predetermined period is set as a period from when the fuel pump is stopped to when the engine misfires, the engine can be stopped reliably at the time of a collision, and good reliability can be obtained. it can.

  In addition, after the second predetermined period has elapsed with the collision signal received from the collision detection unit, the fuel detection unit may receive the non-collision signal from the collision detection unit until the first predetermined period. It is good to keep the pump stopped. After the second predetermined period, even if a non-collision signal is received, it is difficult to determine whether or not the previously received collision signal is due to erroneous detection. Therefore, in this aspect, better reliability can be obtained by maintaining the stopped state of the fuel pump in such a case.

  In addition, it is preferable to further include an operation state detection unit that detects an operation state of the engine, and when the operation state detection unit detects an abnormality, the operation of the fuel pump by the operation unit is prohibited. According to this aspect, when an abnormality is detected in the engine state (for example, a fuel pressure drop due to fuel leakage occurring in the fuel pipe), the operation of the fuel pump is prohibited even if a non-collision signal is received. Therefore, better reliability can be obtained.

  The second predetermined period may be within a period in which the fuel pressure in the fuel pipe accompanying the stop of the fuel pump is a predetermined value. In this aspect, the second predetermined period is set as a period in which the fuel pressure in the fuel pipe becomes a predetermined value (that is, a period in which fuel capable of continuing the engine operation remains in the fuel pipe). Thus, even if the received collision signal is due to false detection, it can be recovered without stalling (misfire) the engine by operating the fuel pump later within the second predetermined period. As described above, since the fuel pump can be quickly stopped based on the collision signal, and when the erroneous detection is detected later, it can be recovered by operating the fuel pump, so that good reliability can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, when the collision signal is received from the collision detection means, the stop means quickly stops the fuel pump, so that it is possible to prevent the fuel from leaking from the fuel supply system such as the fuel pipe at the time of the collision. . Here, the stop period of the fuel pump is basically continued for the first predetermined period, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unexpected troubles such as fuel leakage during that period, but it is shorter than the first predetermined period. When a non-collision signal is detected in the second predetermined period, it is determined that the previously received collision signal is due to erroneous detection, and the fuel pump is operated. Thus, unnecessary continuation of the fuel pump stop can be avoided based on the erroneously detected collision signal. On the other hand, after the elapse of the first predetermined period, the fuel pump is activated only when the driver's intention to start can be confirmed (for example, when the ignition switch is started or the accelerator pedal is depressed). Allow. As a result, the fuel pump can be quickly stopped after receiving the collision signal, and the fuel pump can be operated as necessary to enable movement of the vehicle after the collision.

It is a block diagram which shows typically the whole structure of the fuel pump control apparatus which concerns on a present Example. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of engine ECU. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control content of the fuel pump control apparatus which concerns on a present Example. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the fuel pump control apparatus in the case where the vehicle actually collided. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the fuel pump control apparatus in the case where a collision signal is by misdetection. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of a fuel pump control apparatus when a collision signal interrupts between time t2-t3 by factors (for example, disconnection) other than noise.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, but are merely illustrative examples. Not too much.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a fuel pump control apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The engine 1 is a four-cylinder four-cycle engine using gasoline as fuel, and each cylinder is provided with an injector 2 for injecting fuel into the cylinder. Gasoline burned by the engine 1 is stored in a fuel tank 3, and a fuel supply system is configured so that the fuel pump 4 provided in the fuel tank 3 is pumped to the injector 2 through the fuel pipe 5. Has been. The fuel pipe 5 is provided with a fuel pressure sensor 6 for detecting the pressure of the fuel flowing inside.

  The fuel pump 4 is connected to a battery 8 as a power source via a relay 7. The relay 7 includes an exciting coil 7a and contacts 7b1 and 7b2. A voltage is applied to the excitation coil 7a from the battery 8 via the ignition switch 9 and the engine ECU 10, and the relay 7 is turned on by switching the electrical connection state between the contacts 7b1 and 7b2 by the electromagnetic action of the excitation coil 7a. / OFF can be switched.

  The ignition switch 9 is a rotary switch that can be switched between three points of “ON”, “OFF”, and “Start” by the operation of the driver. When the ignition switch 9 is set to “OFF”, electric power is not supplied from the battery 8 to the engine ECU 10 side, so the relay 7 is maintained in the OFF state. At this time, since no power is supplied to the fuel pump 4 from the battery 8, the fuel pump 4 is in a stopped state.

  When the ignition switch 9 is switched to “ON”, the electric power of the battery 8 is applied to the exciting coil 7 a via the ignition switch 9 and the engine ECU 10. Then, the contacts 7b1 and 7b2 are electrically connected by the electromagnetic action of the exciting coil 7a, the relay 7 is turned on, power from the battery 8 is supplied to the fuel pump 4, and the fuel pump 4 is activated. When the ignition switch 9 is switched to “start”, a start signal is transmitted to the engine ECU 10 and the engine 1 is started.

  The airbag ECU 11 is a control unit for controlling the operation of an airbag (not shown), and performs airbag control based on detection data of the airbag acceleration sensor 12. The airbag acceleration sensor 12 transmits measurement data related to the acceleration of the vehicle body to the airbag ECU 11, and the airbag ECU 11 determines the presence or absence of a collision based on the received measurement data. The airbag ECU 11 transmits a “collision signal” when it is determined that there is a collision, and a “non-collision signal” when it is determined that there is no collision. That is, the airbag acceleration sensor 12 and the airbag ECU 11 are examples of the “collision detection unit” in the present invention.

  The engine ECU 10 is a control unit that supervises the operation of the engine 1 and related parts, and the operation of the fuel pump control device 100 according to the present embodiment is also a control target of the engine ECU 10. Here, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the engine ECU 10.

  The engine ECU 10 receives a collision signal or a non-collision signal transmitted from the airbag ECU 11, determines whether the fuel pump 4 is activated / stopped based on the type of signal received by the reception unit 13, and the determination An instruction unit 14 that outputs an instruction signal corresponding to the result, a control signal output unit 15 that outputs a control signal for controlling operation / stop of the fuel pump 4 based on the instruction signal acquired from the instruction unit 14, and the control Based on a control signal acquired from the signal output unit 15, an operating means 16 and a stopping means 17 for operating / stopping the fuel pump 4 are provided. Further, the engine ECU 10 includes an operation state detection unit 18 that acquires the operation state of the engine 1. In this embodiment, the operation state detection unit 18 particularly acquires the measurement data from the fuel pressure sensor 6, thereby obtaining the fuel pipe 5. The operation state is detected by determining the presence or absence of fuel leakage.

  The engine ECU 10 and the air bag ECU 11 described above are electronic control units including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and are stored in the ROM. Various controls are executed according to the control program, but the physical, mechanical, and electrical configurations of these various controls are not limited thereto.

  Then, the control content of the fuel pump control apparatus 100 which has the said structure is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the fuel pump control apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

  First, the engine ECU 10 determines whether or not a collision signal has been received from the airbag ECU 11 by the receiving unit 14 (step S101). When the collision signal is received (step S101: YES), the engine ECU 10 switches the relay 7 to OFF and stops the fuel pump 4 (step S102). When the collision signal is received in this manner, the fuel pump 4 is stopped immediately, so that the fuel supply system can be prevented from being damaged and the fuel leaking to the outside at the time of the collision. When no collision signal is received (step S101: NO), that is, when a non-collision signal is received, the engine ECU 10 loops the process of step S101 and waits until the collision signal is received.

  The engine ECU 10 starts counting after stopping the fuel pump 4 in step S102, and determines whether or not the second predetermined period T2 has elapsed after receiving the collision signal (step S103). When the fuel pump 4 is stopped in step S102, the engine 1 can continue operation by consuming the fuel remaining in the fuel pipe 5, but the remaining fuel decreases as time passes (fuel pipe 5). The fuel pressure in the engine will decrease, and it will eventually become difficult to continue the operation, eventually resulting in a stall (misfire).

  Here, the second predetermined period T2 is set as a period in which the fuel pressure in the fuel pipe 5 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (that is, a period in which fuel capable of continuing the operation of the engine 1 remains in the fuel pipe 5). The That is, after the fuel pump 4 is stopped, the operation of the engine 1 can be continued for the second predetermined period T2. However, when the second predetermined period T2 has elapsed, the engine 1 stalls (misfires). The second predetermined period T2 is set to 100 ms, for example, but this value depends on the design of the engine 1 and the fuel supply system, and therefore may be set individually based on data acquired in advance through experiments or the like.

  If the second predetermined period T2 has not elapsed (step S103: NO), the engine ECU 10 determines whether or not a non-collision signal has been received from the airbag ECU 11 (step S104). When the collision signal output from the airbag ECU 11 is due to a true collision, the collision signal is continuously output for a predetermined period Ts (for example, 10 s). In other words, a collision signal indicating a true collision will continue to be output during the second continuation period T2, but if it is output due to noise from the outside, the collision signal is For example, a non-collision signal is output after being output only for a short period of time, for example, without being output continuously for a predetermined period Ts. That is, the collision signal caused by noise or the like is switched to the non-collision signal within the second predetermined period T2. In step S104, it is determined whether or not the received collision signal is due to a true collision by determining whether or not a non-collision signal is received within the second predetermined period T2.

  When the non-collision signal is received within the second predetermined period T2 (step S104: YES), the engine ECU 10 determines that the received collision signal is due to noise or the like and is due to erroneous detection. In this case, if the stop of the fuel pump 4 is continued, the fuel pressure in the fuel pipe 5 decreases as time passes, and the engine 1 eventually stalls (misfires) based on an erroneous collision determination. Therefore, in the present invention, when it is determined that the received collision signal is due to erroneous detection, the fuel pump 4 is operated (step S105). As described above, when the collision signal received in step S101 is due to false detection, the fuel pump is later activated within the second predetermined period T2 to restore the engine 1 without stalling (misfire). can do. In this way, the fuel pump 4 is operated to recover when an erroneous detection is detected later while suppressing the fuel from leaking from the fuel supply system such as the fuel pipe by the rapid stop of the fuel pump 4 based on the collision signal. Therefore, good reliability can be obtained.

  If a non-collision signal is not received within the second predetermined period T2 (step S104: NO), the process returns to step S103 and waits while repeating the loop process until the second predetermined period T2 elapses.

  When the second predetermined period T2 has elapsed (step S103: YES), the engine ECU 10 continues to stop the fuel pump 4 (step S106). When the second predetermined period T2 elapses, it is difficult to determine whether or not the collision signal is due to noise even if a non-collision signal is received. In addition, since the fuel pressure in the fuel pipe 5 decreases after the second predetermined period T2 has elapsed, it is impossible to know when the engine 1 is stopped (misfire). Therefore, after the second predetermined period T2 elapses and until the third predetermined period T3 elapses, the fuel pump 4 is stopped although there is a possibility that the received collision signal is due to noise. continue.

  Subsequently, the engine ECU 10 determines whether or not the first predetermined period T1 has elapsed from the start of stoppage of the fuel pump 4 (time t0) (step S107). The first predetermined period T1 is defined as a period until the engine 1 is stopped (misfired) when the fuel pressure in the fuel pipe 5 is reduced when the fuel pump 4 is stopped. In particular, it is set to 10 s (= predetermined period Ts). Until the first predetermined period T1 elapses, the fuel pump 4 is stopped by repeating step S106. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the fuel pump 4 from being inadvertently restarted in a state where it cannot be accurately determined whether or not the collision signal is erroneous detection.

  After elapse of the first predetermined period T1 (step S107: YES), the engine ECU 10 determines whether or not the ignition switch 9 has been switched to “start” (step S108). Since the engine 1 is in the stopped state after the first predetermined period T1, the engine ECU 10 is in the engine state only when the engine switch 10 can confirm that the ignition switch 9 is switched to “START” and the engine 1 is restarted. After determining the presence or absence of abnormality (step S109), the fuel pump 4 is operated (restarted) (step S110). As described above, the fuel pump 4 can be restarted only when the driver's intention to restart the engine can be confirmed by operating the ignition switch 9 and the operating state of the engine 1 can be confirmed to be normal. By doing so, the vehicle after the collision can be moved as necessary.

  When the operation of the ignition switch 9 is not detected (step S108: NO) or when an abnormality is detected in the engine state (step S109: YES), the fuel pump 4 is stopped (step S111). .

  Next, the operation of the fuel pump control apparatus 100 will be described in detail based on specific examples. First, FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing the operation of the fuel pump control apparatus 100 in the case where the vehicle actually collides. First, at time t0, the driver switches the ignition switch 9 of the vehicle to “ON” and “START” to start operation of the fuel pump 4 and the engine 1. At this time, since the vehicle is before the collision, the airbag ECU 11 does not output a collision signal and outputs a non-collision signal (in FIG. 4B, “ON” is set when the collision signal is output. The time when a non-collision signal is output is indicated by “OFF”).

  If the vehicle collides at time t1, the airbag ECU 11 determines the collision based on the measurement data from the airbag acceleration sensor 12, activates the airbag (not shown), and outputs a collision signal. The engine ECU 10 receives the collision signal at the receiver 14 and immediately stops the fuel pump 4 (see step S102).

  When the vehicle actually collides in this way, the collision signal continues to be output even after the time t2 when the second predetermined period T2 has elapsed from the collision time t1 (step S103: YES). Therefore, the fuel pump 4 continues to be stopped after the time t2, and the restart is prohibited until the time t3 when the first predetermined period T1 elapses. Then, after the time t3 when the first predetermined period T1 elapses, the restart of the fuel pump 4 is permitted only when the driver operates the ignition switch 9. In the example of FIG. 4, since the ignition switch 9 is switched to “start” at time t4, the fuel pump 4 is restarted at this timing.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the operation of the fuel pump control device 100 in the case where the collision signal is erroneously detected. Even if the collision signal received at time t1 is a false detection due to noise or the like, the engine ECU 10 stops the fuel pump 4 based on the received collision signal (see step S102 above).

  Here, in FIG. 5, the collision signal received at time t1 is turned off soon after time t1 (as in the case of FIG. 4, it is not continuously output for a predetermined period Ts). As described above, the collision signal resulting from the malfunction is output only for a short time, unlike the collision signal received when the vehicle actually collides. Therefore, when a non-collision signal is received within the second predetermined period T2, it is determined that the collision signal received at time t1 is due to erroneous detection, and the engine ECU 10 restarts the fuel pump 4 ( (See step S104: YES & S105). The fuel pump 4 is temporarily stopped while the collision signal is received. However, since this stop period is shorter than the second predetermined period T2, the engine 1 is activated by restarting the fuel pump 4. It is possible to recover to a normal state without causing a stall (misfire).

  FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the fuel pump control apparatus 100 when the collision signal is interrupted between times t2 and t3 due to factors other than noise (for example, disconnection). When the collision signal is caused by an actual collision, as shown in FIG. 4, the signal is continuously output for a predetermined period Ts after time t1, but in the case of FIG. The collision signal is interrupted. As a cause of such a case, for example, it is conceivable that the wiring between the airbag acceleration sensor 12 and the airbag ECU 11 or the wiring between the airbag ECU 11 and the engine ECU 10 is disconnected at the time of a collision. When such a collision signal is received, there is a possibility that some abnormality exists in the vehicle body, unlike the normal mode. Therefore, in this embodiment, restart of the fuel pump 4 is prohibited.

  In the case of FIG. 6 as well, when the ignition switch 9 is operated after time t3, restart of the fuel pump 4 is permitted as in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the collision signal is received, the stop means 17 quickly stops the fuel pump 4 so that the fuel leaks from the fuel supply system such as the fuel pipe 5 at the time of the collision. Can be suppressed. Here, when the fuel pump 4 detects a non-collision signal in the second predetermined period T2 shorter than the first predetermined period T, the fuel pump 4 determines that the previously received collision signal is due to erroneous detection, and operates the fuel pump 4. To do. Thereby, unnecessary stop of the fuel pump 4 can be avoided based on the erroneously detected collision signal. On the other hand, after the elapse of the first predetermined period T1, the operation of the fuel pump 4 is permitted only when the ignition switch 9 of the engine 1 is operated to the start position (when the driver's intention to start can be confirmed). As a result, the fuel pump 4 can be quickly stopped after receiving the collision signal, and the fuel pump 4 can be operated as necessary to enable movement of the vehicle after the collision.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is such that the driver's intention to start is determined when the ignition switch 9 is operated to the start position after the elapse of the first predetermined period T1, but this is not restrictive. For example, when the accelerator pedal is depressed again after time t3, it may be determined that the driver intends to start and the restart of the fuel pump 4 may be permitted.

  The present invention is applicable to a fuel pump control device that cuts fuel supplied from a fuel tank to an engine by stopping the fuel pump when a vehicle collision is detected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 2 Injector 3 Fuel tank 4 Fuel pump 5 Fuel piping 6 Fuel pressure sensor 7 Relay 8 Battery 9 Ignition switch 10 Engine ECU
11 Airbag ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Airbag acceleration sensor 13 Receiving part 14 Instruction part 15 Control signal output part 16 Actuation means 17 Stop means 18 Driving | running state detection means

Claims (5)

In a fuel pump control device that controls a fuel pump that supplies fuel to the engine from within the fuel tank,
Collision detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle collision and transmitting a collision signal or a non-collision signal;
Stop means for stopping the fuel pump for a first predetermined period when a collision signal is received from the collision detection means;
An operating means for operating the fuel pump when the driver's intention to start is confirmed after the elapse of the first predetermined period;
The operating means operates the fuel pump when receiving a non-collision signal from the collision detection means within a second predetermined period set shorter than the first predetermined period from the time of receiving the collision signal. Fuel pump control device.   2. The fuel pump control device according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined period is a period from when the stopping unit stops the fuel pump to when the engine stops.   After the second predetermined period has elapsed with the collision signal received from the collision detection means, even if a non-collision signal is received from the collision detection means until the first predetermined period, the fuel pump The fuel pump control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stopped state is maintained. An operation state detecting means for detecting an operation state of the engine;
4. The fuel pump control device according to claim 1, wherein when the operating state detecting unit detects an abnormality, the operation of the fuel pump by the operating unit is prohibited. 5.   5. The fuel according to claim 1, wherein the second predetermined period is set within a period in which a fuel pressure in the fuel pipe accompanying the stoppage of the fuel pump becomes a predetermined value. Pump control device.

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