JP2021187283A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device that can control a vehicle properly.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 1 includes a circuit constituted of: a DCDC converter 11; a switching device 14; a battery 12 for auxiliary machinery and a first controller 13 which are connected between the DCDC converter 11 and the switching device 14; and a battery 16 for auxiliary machinery and a second controller 17 which are connected to the DCDC converter 11 via the switching device 14. The switching device 14 switches the open/closed state thereof from ON to OFF when detecting that a circuit voltage exceeds a specified value while the vehicle is in an automatic operation, and keeps the open/closed state thereof ON when detecting that the circuit voltage exceeds the specified value while the vehicle is not in the automatic operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

Conventionally, a system that realizes advanced driving support when an abnormality occurs in the main power supply has been known (Patent Document 1). The invention described in Patent Document 1 operates an electric load that realizes an advanced driver assistance system by supplying electric power from a sub power source when an abnormality occurs in the main power source.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-2180113

The invention described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a load is sandwiched between two relays, but when the two relays are switched from on to off due to an unexpected cause, it becomes impossible to supply power to the load. , Proper control of the vehicle may be difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of appropriately controlling a vehicle.

The vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention switches the open / closed state of the switching device from on to off when it detects that the voltage of the circuit exceeds a predetermined value while the vehicle is in automatic driving. When it is detected that the voltage of the circuit exceeds a predetermined value when the vehicle is not in automatic driving, the open / closed state of the switching device is kept on.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a time chart diagram showing an operation example of the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a time chart diagram showing another operation example of the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 1 includes a drive battery 10, a DCDC converter 11, an auxiliary battery 12 (first auxiliary battery), a first controller 13, a switching device 14, and a relay. A 15 is provided, an auxiliary battery 16 (second auxiliary battery), and a second controller 17.

The vehicle control device 1 is mounted on a vehicle having an automatic driving function. The automatic driving in the present embodiment will be described as assuming that all the operations related to acceleration, steering, and deceleration are automatically performed regardless of the user's operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the automatic driving, at least two of the operations related to acceleration, steering, and deceleration may be automatically performed, and the remaining operations may be performed by the user.

The drive battery 10 is a drive battery mainly used as a power source for a motor (not shown). The drive battery 10 is a large-capacity secondary battery composed of a plurality of battery modules. The drive battery 10 may be referred to as a high-power battery.

A DCDC converter 11 is connected between the drive battery 10 and the switching device 14. The DCDC converter 11 steps down the power of the drive battery 10 to supply power to the auxiliary battery 12 and the auxiliary battery 16. The arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the direction in which power is supplied.

An auxiliary battery 12 and a first controller 13 are connected between the DCDC converter 11 and the switching device 14. The auxiliary battery 12 is used as a power source for electrical components mounted on the vehicle. The auxiliary battery 12 is a lead storage battery (LAB: Lead Acid Battery) that operates at a voltage of 12 V to 15 V. The electrical components to which the auxiliary battery 12 is supplied with electric power are, for example, a navigation device, an audio device, and the like. Further, the auxiliary battery 12 supplies electric power not only to the electrical components but also to the first controller 13.

The first controller 13 is a so-called ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. Various functions are realized by executing the software embedded in the first controller 13.

One of the functions is the function of starting the vehicle. Specifically, the first controller 13 has a function of activating the vehicle when it receives a signal transmitted from the intelligence key possessed by the user before the user gets on the vehicle. As an example, starting up here means making electrical components available. By activating the vehicle before the user gets on the vehicle, the user can use the navigation device, the audio device, and the like immediately after the ride. In addition, starting the vehicle using the signal transmitted from the intelligence key may be called AUTOACC.

The definition of activation is not limited to the above. Starting a vehicle may be defined as making the vehicle runnable. When the user presses the power switch while depressing the brake pedal, a predetermined signal is transmitted to the first controller 13. Upon receiving this signal, the first controller 13 puts the vehicle in a runnable state. The first controller 13 has a function of maintaining the activated state.

Another function is to control electrical components. Specifically, the first controller 13 has a function of controlling a navigation device, an audio device, and the like in response to user input.

Another function is an automatic driving function. Specifically, the first controller 13 has a function of controlling various actuators such as an accelerator actuator, a steering actuator, and a brake actuator by using information acquired by a camera or the like so as to automatically travel along a preset route. Has. As a result, automatic operation is realized.

Another function is an emergency stop function. Specifically, when the first controller 13 detects some abnormality, it has a function of setting a route different from the preset route and automatically stopping the vehicle on the shoulder or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary battery 16 and the second controller 17 are connected to the DCDC converter 11 via the switching device 14. The auxiliary battery 16 is used as a power source for electrical components in the same manner as the auxiliary battery 12. The auxiliary battery 16 is the same as the auxiliary battery 12 in that it operates at a voltage of 12 V to 15 V, but the auxiliary battery 16 is not a lead storage battery but a lithium ion battery (LiB: Lithium-ion Battery). The auxiliary battery 16 supplies electric power not only to the electrical components but also to the second controller 17. The auxiliary battery 12 and the auxiliary battery 16 may be referred to as a light electric battery.

The second controller 17 is an electronic control unit like the first controller 13. In the present embodiment, the second controller 17 has few functions to be realized as compared with the first controller 13. In other words, the number of software embedded in the second controller 17 is smaller than the software incorporated in the first controller 13. As a function common to the second controller 17 and the first controller 13, both controllers have an emergency stop function. However, unlike the first controller 13, the second controller 17 does not have a function of activating the vehicle.

The auxiliary battery 12 and the first controller 13 are arranged on the upstream side of the auxiliary battery 16 and the second controller 17.

A relay 15 is connected between the switching device 14 and the auxiliary battery 16. The on / off of the relay 15 is controlled by an arbitrary controller. That is, the ECU that controls the on / off of the relay 15 may be the first controller 13, the second controller 17, or another ECU.

The switching device 14 incorporates an ECU different from that of the first controller 13 and the second controller 17, and this ECU monitors the voltage of the circuit on the downstream side when viewed from the DCDC converter 11 (hereinafter, simply referred to as circuit voltage). .. The circuit on the downstream side means a circuit arranged in a direction in which power is supplied from the DCDC converter 11. Further, the ECU incorporated in the switching device 14 has a function of determining whether or not the vehicle is in automatic driving. This determination method will be described. If the user selects automatic driving, the user presses a switch to start automatic driving. This switch is installed near the driver's seat. When this switch is pressed, a signal indicating that the switch has been pressed is transmitted to the ECU incorporated in the switching device 14. By receiving this signal, the ECU can determine that the vehicle is in automatic driving.

Next, an operation example of the vehicle control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The initial state shown in FIG. 2 indicates that the vehicle is running, but the user is driving manually. In the initial state shown in FIG. 2, the DCDC converter 11 is operating, the automatic operation is off, the circuit voltage on the downstream side is normal, and the open / closed state of the switching device 14 is on.

It is assumed that the time advances and the user presses the switch for starting the automatic operation at the time T1. At this time, the vehicle starts automatic driving, and the ECU incorporated in the switching device 14 determines that the vehicle is in automatic driving. Further, it is assumed that the circuit voltage on the downstream side exceeds the threshold value at the time T2 as the time advances. In this case, it is considered that some abnormality has occurred, so the switching device 14 switches its opening / closing state from on to off as shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that some abnormality occurs in the first controller 13 during automatic operation and the circuit voltage on the downstream side exceeds the threshold value (time T2). At this time, as described above, the switching device 14 is switched from on to off, and the auxiliary battery 16 and the second controller 17 are disconnected from the circuit on the downstream side. The second controller 17 has an emergency stop function, and the power consumed by the second controller 17 is supplied from the auxiliary battery 16. In the present embodiment, a redundant configuration is provided by configuring two controllers having an emergency stop function. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in one controller in this way, the vehicle can be automatically stopped by the other controller, so that the vehicle can be controlled appropriately and reliability in automatic driving is guaranteed. To. The threshold value may be set from the viewpoint of fail-safe.

Next, another operation example of the vehicle control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The initial state shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the user is manually driving as in FIG. 2.

It is assumed that the user presses the power switch because the time advances and the operation is completed at the time T1. In the present embodiment, when the power switch is pressed after the operation is completed, the state transitions to the above-mentioned state called AUTOACC. This is because there is a need to use an audio device or the like even after the operation is completed. When the power switch is pressed after the end of operation, the relay 15 switches from on to off. As a result, the auxiliary battery 16 is disconnected from the circuit. Therefore, power is not supplied from the auxiliary battery 16 to the electrical components, and the power consumption of the auxiliary battery 16 is suppressed. In this case, electric power is supplied to the electrical components from the auxiliary battery 12. Further, the switching device 14 keeps its open / closed state on.

(Action effect)
When the switching device 14 detects that the voltage of the circuit exceeds a predetermined value (threshold value in FIG. 2) while the vehicle is in automatic driving, the switching device 14 switches its opening / closing state from on to off, while the vehicle moves. When it is detected that the voltage of the circuit exceeds a predetermined value during non-automatic operation, it keeps its open / closed state on. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in one controller during automatic driving, the vehicle can be automatically stopped by the other controller, so that the vehicle can be controlled appropriately and the reliability in automatic driving is improved. Be secured.

Further, in the present embodiment, a redundant configuration is provided by configuring two auxiliary batteries. Furthermore, different types of batteries (lead-acid battery and lithium-ion battery) were used for the two auxiliary batteries. This increases the possibility of avoiding a situation in which an abnormality occurs in two auxiliary batteries at the same time.

Further, the vehicle control device 1 switches the relay 15 from on to off based on a signal indicating that the vehicle has finished traveling. As a result, the auxiliary battery 16 is disconnected from the circuit. Therefore, power is not supplied from the auxiliary battery 16 to the electrical components, and the power consumption of the auxiliary battery 16 is suppressed. The signal indicating that the vehicle has finished running is a signal indicating that the power switch has been pressed by the user after the running has ended. The main body that controls the on / off of the relay 15 may be the first controller 13, the second controller 17, or another ECU.

As mentioned above, embodiments of the invention have been described, but the statements and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the invention. This disclosure will reveal to those skilled in the art various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques.

1 Vehicle control device 10 Drive battery 11 DCDC converter 12, 16 Auxiliary battery 13 1st controller 14 Switching device 15 Relay 17 2nd controller

Claims (2)

A vehicle control device installed in a vehicle equipped with an automatic driving function.
DCDC converter and
Switching devices and
A first auxiliary battery and a first controller connected between the DCDC converter and the switching device.
A circuit including a second auxiliary battery and a second controller connected to the DCDC converter via the switching device is provided.
When the switching device detects that the voltage of the circuit exceeds a predetermined value while the vehicle is in automatic driving, the switching device switches its opening / closing state from on to off, while the vehicle is in automatic driving. A vehicle control device, characterized in that, when it is detected that the voltage of the circuit exceeds a predetermined value at other times, the open / closed state of the circuit itself is maintained on. The circuit includes a relay connected between the switching device and the second auxiliary battery.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the relay is switched from on to off based on a signal indicating that the vehicle has finished running.

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