JP4556712B2 - Vehicle inspection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle inspection apparatus that is miniaturized without imposing a burden on a vehicle-mounted battery during vehicle inspection.

With the recent digitization of vehicle-mounted equipment, vehicles are equipped with electronic control devices (hereinafter referred to as ECUs) that individually control various controls such as engine control, transmission control, steering control, and ABS control. In the vehicle assembly line, in order to inspect all the ECUs, a vehicle-mounted terminal (hereinafter referred to as an in-vehicle terminal) such as described in Patent Document 1 below is attached to the vehicle, and the inspection result is wirelessly transferred. ing.
JP 2004-132808 A

  However, in the conventional vehicle inspection apparatus, when wirelessly transferring the inspection result, the operating power of the in-vehicle terminal is acquired from the built-in battery, or from the battery mounted on the vehicle, The following problems occurred.

  First, when acquiring operating power from a built-in battery, wireless transmission of test results requires a large amount of power, so the capacity of the battery must be increased, and the in-vehicle terminal becomes larger, heavier, High costs will be incurred. Furthermore, there are problems that the in-vehicle terminal is large and heavy, so that the handling is bad, and the charging time is long, so that the usability is bad.

  Next, when operating power is acquired from a battery installed in a vehicle, it is not necessary to have a battery in the in-vehicle terminal, so the above problems are eliminated, but the battery before being put on the market is used too much It is not preferable to do so, and if the charging is insufficient, there is a concern that the battery will run out.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional vehicle inspection apparatus as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle inspection apparatus that can be downsized without burdening the vehicle-mounted battery during vehicle inspection. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle inspection apparatus according to the present invention is a vehicle inspection apparatus for inspecting the operability of equipment mounted on a vehicle, and the amount of charge to a battery mounted on the vehicle is determined. Whether the charge amount detection means to detect, the wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the operability test result of the device, and the power used in the vehicle inspection device are acquired from the battery mounted on the vehicle, or the vehicle Battery switching means for switching whether to acquire from the battery built in the inspection device, and when the amount of charge to the battery is a certain value or more when transmitting the inspection result wirelessly, the transmission is performed. While controlling the switching of the battery switching means so that the electric power used in the vehicle inspection device is obtained from the battery mounted on the vehicle, while the inspection result When the amount of charge to the battery is less than a certain value when wirelessly transmitting, the battery is configured such that electric power used by the vehicle inspection device is obtained from a battery built in the vehicle inspection device. And control means for controlling switching of the switching means and for preventing transmission by the wireless transmission means.

  According to the vehicle inspection apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above, at least during the wireless transmission of the inspection result that increases the power consumption of the battery, the power is generated by the alternator via the battery mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, the power consumption of the built-in battery can be suppressed, and the vehicle inspection apparatus can be reduced in size, weight, cost, and charging time. Therefore, the handling and usability of the vehicle inspection device can be improved.

  In addition, since the battery switching means is not switched during wireless transmission of inspection results, the operating voltage during transmission can be stabilized, communication reliability can be improved, and failure of the vehicle inspection apparatus can be avoided. Is also effective.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram including a vehicle inspection apparatus according to the present invention and its surrounding control system.

  In the figure, an alternator switch 10 is a switch for operating an alternator that is rotated by an engine, and is turned on when power generation is performed and turned off when power generation is not performed. The engine speed detection sensor 12 is a sensor that detects the speed of the engine of the vehicle. The ECUs 14A and 14B are electronic control devices that individually control the respective devices mounted on the vehicle, such as engine control, transmission control, steering control, and ABS control. For example, in the vehicle inspection device of the present invention, Check the operability of the equipment. The alternator switch 10, the engine speed detection sensor 12, and the ECUs 14 </ b> A and 14 </ b> B are connected to the connector 18 via the in-vehicle LAN line 16. Further, a positive terminal of a battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 22 mounted on the vehicle is connected to the connector 18 via a power line 20.

  The vehicle inspection device 30 according to the present invention includes a vehicle communication interface 32, a battery switching circuit 34, a battery (built-in battery) 36 built in the vehicle inspection device 30, a power circuit 38, a data buffer 40, a wireless communication unit 42, and a CPU 44. It has.

  The vehicle communication interface 32 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN line 16 via the connector 18, and inputs the state (ON, OFF) of the alternator switch 10 and the engine speed detected by the engine speed detection sensor 12, and the ECU 14A. Input and output information necessary for the 14B operability test. That is, the vehicle communication interface 32 functions as a receiving unit that receives signals from the alternator switch 10 and the engine speed detection sensor 12.

  The battery switching circuit 34 has one terminal 34a connected to the + terminal of the in-vehicle battery 22 via the connector 18 and the power supply line 20, the other terminal 34b connected to the + terminal of the built-in battery 36, and the common Terminal 34 c is connected to power supply circuit 38. The battery switching circuit 34 functions as a battery switching unit that switches whether the electric power used in the vehicle inspection device 30 is acquired from the in-vehicle battery 22 or the built-in battery 36.

  The data buffer 40 stores the inspection result to be transmitted.

  The wireless communication unit 42 wirelessly transmits the test results of the operability of the ECUs 14A and 14B, and functions as a wireless transmission unit.

  When the engine speed input via the vehicle communication interface 32 is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed (for example, 500 rpm) and the alternator switch 10 is in the ON state, the CPU 44 determines the amount of charge to the on-board battery 22. It has a function to determine that the value is above a certain value. When the CPU 44 is demonstrating this function, the CPU 44 operates as charge amount detection means for detecting the charge amount to the on-board battery 22. In the present embodiment, the charge amount is determined to be a certain value or more based on the state of the alternator switch 10 and the engine speed, but other than this, for example, the current value flowing into the in-vehicle battery 22 is It is also possible to carry out by detecting.

  Further, when the test result is transmitted wirelessly by the wireless communication unit 42, the CPU 44 transmits the test result by the wireless communication unit 42 when the charge amount to the on-board battery 22 is equal to or greater than a certain value. During this time, the battery switching circuit 34 has a function of switching the contact of the battery switching circuit 34 to the terminal 34 a side so that the electric power used by the vehicle inspection device 30 is supplied from the in-vehicle battery 22. By this switching, the power from the in-vehicle battery 22 is supplied to the power supply circuit 38, and the wireless transmission of the test result with high power consumption is performed using the power of the in-vehicle battery 22. When the CPU 44 performs this function, the CPU 44 functions as a control unit.

  Conversely, when the CPU 44 transmits the inspection result wirelessly by the wireless communication unit 42, if the charge amount to the on-board battery 22 is less than a certain value, the power used by the vehicle inspection device 30 is the internal battery 36. So that the contacts of the battery switching circuit 34 are switched to the terminal 34b side. By this switching, power from the built-in battery 36 is supplied to the power supply circuit 38. At the same time, the CPU 44 has a function of controlling the operation of the wireless communication unit 42 so that transmission by the wireless communication unit 42 is not performed. When the charge amount to the on-board battery 22 is less than a certain value, the inspection result is not transmitted. Even when the CPU 44 performs these functions, the CPU 44 functions as control means.

  Further, the CPU 44 checks whether or not data is present in the data buffer 40, and if the inspection result to be transmitted remains in the data buffer 40, the charge amount to the on-board battery 22 is a certain value or more. If the amount of charge is equal to or greater than a certain value, the contact of the battery switching circuit 34 is connected to the terminal 34a so that the electric power used by the vehicle inspection device 30 is supplied from the in-vehicle battery 22. The function to switch to the side. By this switching, power from the in-vehicle battery 22 is supplied to the power supply circuit 38, and wireless transmission of the remaining test results with high power consumption is performed using the power of the in-vehicle battery 22. Even when the CPU 44 performs this function, the CPU 44 functions as a control means.

  Further, the CPU 44 has a function of controlling the switching of the battery switching circuit 34 on the condition that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the previous switching except when the inspection result is transmitted. ing. Therefore, except when the inspection result is being transmitted, the switching between the terminal 34a side and the terminal 34b side of the contact by the battery switching circuit 34 is surely switched at intervals of a certain time interval or more. Even when the CPU 44 performs this function, the CPU 44 functions as a control means.

  Next, operation | movement of the vehicle inspection apparatus 30 which concerns on this invention is demonstrated in detail according to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the procedure shown in this flowchart is executed by the CPU 44.

  First, the state (ON, OFF) of the alternator switch 10 is input via the vehicle communication interface 32 (S1), and the engine speed detected by the engine speed detection sensor 12 is input (S2). Next, it is determined whether or not the alternator switch 10 is ON and the engine speed exceeds 500 rpm (S3). If the state of the alternator switch 10 is ON and the engine speed exceeds 500 rpm (S3: YES), the contact switching by the battery switching circuit 34 is performed for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) from the previous switching. It is determined whether or not it has elapsed (S4). If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous switching (S4: NO), the system waits until the predetermined time elapses. If the predetermined time has elapsed since the previous switching (S4: YES), the battery switching circuit 34 is instructed to switch the power source. Is output (S5). By this command, the contact of the battery switching circuit 34 is switched to the terminal 34a side (on-vehicle battery side), and the on-vehicle battery 22 and the power supply circuit 38 are connected. That is, when it is estimated that the engine is rotating and the power generation amount is a certain value or more, the power from the in-vehicle battery 22 is supplied to the power supply circuit 38. At the same time, the wireless communication flag is turned on so that the wireless communication unit 42 can wirelessly transmit the inspection result (S6). Then, a timer is started to maintain the switching interval between the terminal 34a side and the terminal 34b side of the contact by the battery switching circuit 34 for a predetermined time or more (S7). Finally, the wireless communication unit 42 is caused to wirelessly transmit the test results of the operability of the ECUs 14A and 14B (S8). Note that the contact switching by the battery switching circuit 34 is not performed during transmission of the inspection result.

  On the other hand, when the state of the alternator switch 10 is ON and the engine speed exceeds 500 rpm (S3: NO), the wireless communication unit 42 transmits the inspection result. The wireless status that is ON when the inspection result to be transmitted remains in the data buffer 40 is detected (S9), and it is determined whether or not the wireless status is ON (S10). When the wireless status is ON (S10: YES), the wireless communication unit 42 is in the middle of transmitting the inspection result, or the inspection result to be transmitted remains in the data buffer 40. Therefore, the process returns to the step of S1, and the process of confirming again whether or not the charge amount to the on-board battery 22 is equal to or greater than a certain value is performed. When the wireless status is OFF (S10: NO), the wireless communication unit 42 is not transmitting the inspection result, and there is no inspection result to be transmitted to the data buffer 40. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the switching of the contact by the battery switching circuit 34 has passed a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) from the previous switching (S11). If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous switching (S11: NO), the system waits until the predetermined time elapses. If the predetermined time has elapsed since the previous switching (S11: YES), the battery switching circuit 34 is instructed to switch the power source. Is output (S12). By this command, the contact of the battery switching circuit 34 is switched to the terminal 34b side (internal battery side), and the internal battery 36 and the power supply circuit 38 are connected. That is, when it is estimated that the engine does not rotate and the power generation amount is less than a certain value, the power from the built-in battery 36 is supplied to the power supply circuit 38 in order to avoid the power consumption of the in-vehicle battery 22. At the same time, the wireless communication flag is turned off to prevent wireless transmission of the inspection result by the wireless communication unit 42 (S13). Then, a timer count is started to maintain the switching interval between the terminal 34a side and the terminal 34b side of the contact by the battery switching circuit 34 over a certain time (S14).

  As described above, in the vehicle inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the wireless communication of the inspection result is performed only during the operation of the engine in which the in-vehicle battery is charged. For this reason, at the time of communication of a test result that consumes a large amount of power, the transmission can be performed with the generated power of the alternator, and there is no burden of power supply to the in-vehicle battery.

  In the steps of S4 and S11 in the above flowchart, the contact switching elapsed time by the battery switching circuit 34 is determined when the contact switching cycle becomes extremely short. This is because there is concern about deterioration of the switching circuit 34 and instability of the operating voltage of the vehicle inspection device. Note that the setting time of the timer for counting the elapsed switching time can be set to an optimum time in consideration of the use environment such as the communication frequency.

  The present invention can be used in the vehicle inspection sector.

It is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle inspection device according to the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the vehicle inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Alternator switch,
12 engine speed detection sensor,
14A, 14B ECU,
16 In-vehicle LAN line,
18 connectors,
20 power line,
22 Onboard battery,
30 Vehicle inspection device,
32 Vehicle communication interface,
34 battery switching circuit,
36 built-in battery,
38 power circuit,
40 data buffers,
42 wireless communication unit,
44 CPU.

Claims (4)

A vehicle inspection device for inspecting the operability of equipment mounted on a vehicle,
A charge amount detecting means for detecting a charge amount to a battery mounted on the vehicle;
Wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting a test result of the operability of the device;
Battery switching means for switching whether to acquire electric power used in the vehicle inspection device from a battery installed in the vehicle or from a battery built in the vehicle inspection device;
When the amount of charge to the battery is equal to or greater than a certain value when the inspection result is transmitted wirelessly, the vehicle uses the electric power used by the vehicle inspection device while the transmission is being performed. If the amount of charge to the battery is less than a certain value when the inspection result is transmitted wirelessly while controlling the switching of the battery switching means so as to be obtained from the battery in question, the vehicle inspection device Control means for controlling switching of the battery switching means so that transmission by the wireless transmission means is not performed so that the power used in is acquired from a battery built in the vehicle inspection device;
A vehicle inspection device characterized by comprising: The charge amount detection means includes
Receiving means for receiving signals from an engine speed detection sensor for detecting the engine speed of the vehicle and an alternator switch for operating an alternator rotated by the engine;
2. The vehicle inspection according to claim 1, wherein when the engine speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and the alternator switch is ON, it is determined that the charge amount is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. apparatus. The wireless transmission means includes
It has a data buffer that stores the test results to be transmitted,
The control means includes
When the inspection result to be transmitted remains in the data buffer, the charge amount detection unit is inquired whether the charge amount to the battery is equal to or greater than a certain value, and the charge amount is equal to or greater than a certain value. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein switching of the battery switching unit is controlled so that electric power used in the vehicle inspection device is acquired from a battery mounted on the vehicle. Inspection device. The control means includes
The control of switching of the battery switching means is performed on the condition that a predetermined time or more has passed since the previous switching except when the inspection result is transmitted. The vehicle inspection apparatus as described.

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