JP4924076B2 - Vehicle steering lock system - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, the first control unit outputs to the second control unit a command for switching the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and the second control unit receives the command and performs electric switching for the switching. The present invention relates to a vehicle steering lock system for driving and controlling an actuator.

  In a vehicle such as an automobile, an engaged part that rotates together with the steering shaft, a lock member that engages / disengages the engaged part and selectively switches the steering shaft between a locked state and an unlocked state, and engages / disengages the lock member An anti-theft steering lock device having an electric actuator for performing the operation and a lock control unit for driving and controlling the electric actuator is well known.

  Further, a control device electrically connected to the lock control unit of the steering lock device is provided, and the control device outputs a command for switching the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other to the lock control unit. A steering lock system is known in which the lock control unit controls the locked steering shaft to the unlocked state before starting the engine, and controls the unlocked steering shaft to the locked state after the engine stops (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  In this steering lock system, the steering shaft is switched from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other based on control information (for example, a lock completion signal, an unlock completion signal, etc.) received from the lock control unit. That is, the steering shaft lock state or unlock state is detected (determined).

  In a vehicle such as an automobile, a keyless entry device that starts an engine without using a general key is well known, and in a steering lock system in which the control device of this keyless entry device has the function of the control device, the control device includes: When a predetermined engine start command is received, the lock control unit controls the steering shaft from the locked state to the unlocked state, receives control information such as an unlock completion signal from the lock control unit, and the steering shaft is locked. It is determined that the engine has been switched to the unlocked state, and the engine is started.

  By the way, in this type of steering lock system, supply of electric power for driving the electric actuator is stopped in order to securely hold the steering shaft in the unlocked state when the engine is started (during operation) so as not to malfunction. However, above all, it is necessary for the control device to accurately detect whether the steering shaft is in the locked state or the unlocked state (whether the lock member is in the locked position or the unlocked position).

Therefore, in the technique of Patent Document 1, a position sensor for mechanically detecting the position of the lock member is further provided, and a control device directly monitors a signal from the position sensor.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-1865

  In the steering lock system, the control device detects (determines) whether the steering shaft is in a locked state or an unlocked state based only on control information (lock completion signal, unlock completion signal, etc.) received from the lock control unit. Then, when the lock control unit has an abnormality (runaway), the control information may become erroneous information, and thus the control device may erroneously detect the locked state or the unlocked state of the steering shaft.

  That is, if the control device uses only the control information received from the lock control unit as information for detecting the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft, the reliability is very low. In particular, in the steering lock system including the keyless entry device, the control device receives control information such as an unlock completion signal from the control unit, determines that the steering shaft has been switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, and starts the engine. However, although the steering shaft is in the locked state, the control device may erroneously detect the unlocked state and start the engine.

  Therefore, in the technique of Patent Document 1, a position sensor that mechanically detects the position of the lock member is provided, and the control device directly monitors the signal from the position sensor. However, the lock control unit is abnormal. If this happens, the control device cannot accurately detect the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft. In addition, since the position sensor is provided, the structure becomes complicated, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost.

  It is an object of the present invention to output a command for the first control unit to switch the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and the second control unit receives the command for the switching. In the steering lock system for a vehicle that controls the driving of the electric actuator, the first control unit determines whether the second control unit is normal or not through mutual communication of information between the first and second control units. For example, the reliability of the control information received from the second control unit is improved so that the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft can be accurately detected.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock member that selectively engages / disengages the engaged portion that rotates together with the steering shaft of the vehicle to selectively switch the steering shaft between a locked state and an unlocked state, and engages / disengages the lock member. An electric actuator, a first control unit that outputs a command to switch the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and a command from the first control unit that is electrically connected to the first control unit And a second control unit that drives and controls the electric actuator. The first control unit includes a storage unit that stores a locked state or an unlocked state of the steering shaft; Stops supplying power to drive the electric actuator when starting the engine Authentication determining means for causing the first control unit to determine whether or not the second control unit is normal through mutual communication of information between the control units. The authentication determination means is provided in the first control unit for transmitting the response request count and the response request interval to the second control unit, and is provided in the second control unit. Means for transmitting a reply to the first control unit at the number and interval requested by the unit, and whether or not the reply has been received at the requested number and interval from the second control unit provided in the first control unit And means for determining .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock member that engages / disengages with an engaged portion that rotates together with the steering shaft of the vehicle to selectively switch the steering shaft between a locked state and an unlocked state, and engages / disengages the lock member. An electric actuator, a first control unit that outputs a command to switch the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and a command from the first control unit that is electrically connected to the first control unit And a second control unit that drives and controls the electric actuator. The first control unit includes a storage unit that stores a locked state or an unlocked state of the steering shaft; Stops supplying power to drive the electric actuator when starting the engine Authentication determining means for causing the first control unit to determine whether or not the second control unit is normal through mutual communication of information between the control units. And connecting the plurality of ports of the first control unit and the plurality of ports of the second control unit, respectively, and the authentication judging means sets the response request port provided in the first control unit to the second Means for transmitting to the control unit, means for transmitting an answer to the first control unit at one or more ports requested by the first control unit, provided in the second control unit; And a means for determining whether or not an answer has been received at the port as requested from the second control unit.

  In this vehicle steering lock system, the lock member is engaged with the engaged portion, the steering shaft is locked, the lock member is disengaged from the engaged portion, and the steering shaft is unlocked. The first control unit outputs a command for switching the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and the second control unit that receives the command drives and controls the electric actuator. The lock member is engaged and disengaged by the electric actuator.

  In the first control unit, the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft is stored in the storage means, and whether the steering shaft is locked or unlocked is detected (determined) based on control information received from the second control unit. In addition, the power supply stopping means stops the supply of electric power for driving the electric actuator when the vehicle engine is started. Therefore, the malfunction occurs so that the lock member is engaged with the engaged portion during engine operation. This is reliably prevented and the steering shaft is securely held in the unlocked state.

  In the first and second control units, the authentication judgment means performs mutual communication of information between these control units, and the first control unit determines whether the second control unit is normal or not via this mutual communication. . In the first control unit, when it is determined that the second control unit is normal, the reliability of the control information received from the second control unit becomes high, and the storage unit also accurately locks or unlocks the steering shaft. The state is stored.

  When switching from one of the locked state and unlocked state of the steering shaft to the other is not performed, the power supply to the second control unit is stopped and the second control unit goes down. Even when the locked state or unlocked state is not monitored, the first control unit accurately detects the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft based on the stored information of the storage means.

Here, the following configuration can be adopted as a dependent claim of claims 1 and 2 .
The first control unit starts processing by the authentication determination unit when a predetermined engine start command is received from the outside, and determines that the second control unit is normal, and the second control unit when the steering shaft is switching control from the lock state to the unlock state, the unlock completion signal received from the second control unit stores the unlocked state of the steering shaft in the storage means (claim 3). The first control unit is electrically connected to an engine control unit, and the first control unit receives the unlock completion signal from the second control unit and activates the power supply stop means, and the engine control unit. An engine start command is output to the (Claim 4 ).

As a reference example, the following configuration may be adopted as the authentication determination unit.
The authentication judging means includes means for acquiring a random value, means for transmitting the random value to the second control unit, and a predetermined calculation from the random value and a predetermined eigenvalue. The second answer is obtained using a predetermined arithmetic expression from means for deriving the first answer using the formula, and a random value received from the first control unit and a predetermined eigenvalue provided in the second control unit. The means for deriving, the means for transmitting the second answer to the first control unit, and the first answer provided in the first control unit match the second answer received from the second control unit. or Ru and a whether determining means.

  Here, when the steering shaft is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, the unlock command signal and the random value serving as the command are simultaneously transmitted from the first control unit to the second control unit, and the second control unit An unlock control is executed based on the unlock command signal, and an unlock completion signal and a second answer as control information are simultaneously transmitted from the second control unit to the first control unit. In the first control unit, You may make it determine whether a 1st answer and a 2nd answer correspond.

  Alternatively, first, only the random value is transmitted from the first control unit to the second control unit, and only the second response is transmitted from the second control unit to the first control unit. In the first control unit, the first response is transmitted. And the second answer are determined to match, and if they match, an unlock command signal is transmitted from the first control unit to the second control unit, and the unlock command signal is transmitted in the second control unit. The unlock control may be executed on the basis of the control information, and an unlock completion signal may be transmitted from the second control unit to the first control unit.

According to the vehicle steering lock system of claims 1 and 2 , the first control unit outputs a command to the second control unit to switch the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and the second control unit In response to the command, the electric actuator is driven and controlled for the switching. In particular, the first and second control units are connected to the first control unit through the mutual communication of information between the control units. Since the authentication determining means for determining whether the control unit is normal or not is provided, if the first control unit determines that the second control unit is normal, the reliability of the control information received from the second control unit becomes high. Without the need for any mechanical switches or sensors, the steering shaft can be accurately locked or unlocked. Therefore, it is possible to store the exact locking or unlocking state of the steering shaft in the storage means, and to reliably prevent the engine from starting when the steering shaft is locked.

Further, in the first control unit, the power supply stopping means stops the supply of electric power for driving the electric actuator when the vehicle engine is started, so that the lock member is engaged with the engaged portion during engine operation. Thus, the second control is performed when the steering shaft can be securely held in the unlocked state without switching from one of the locked state and the unlocked state of the steering shaft to the other. Even when the power supply to the unit is stopped and the second control unit goes down, even if the steering shaft lock state or unlock state is not monitored, the storage state of the steering shaft is determined by the stored information of the storage means. Alternatively, the unlocked state can be accurately detected.
Furthermore, the authentication determination means can cause the first control unit to reliably determine whether or not the second control unit is normal through mutual communication of information between the first and second control units.

According to the vehicle steering lock system of the third aspect , when the first control unit receives a predetermined engine start command from the outside, the first control unit starts processing by the authentication determination means, and determines that the second control unit is normal. When the steering shaft is controlled to be switched from the locked state to the unlocked state by the second control unit, the unlock completion signal is received from the second control unit and the unlocked state of the steering shaft is stored. When the engine start command is received in the first control unit, the second control unit controls the steering shaft from the locked state to the unlocked state to determine whether the second control unit is normal. Can determine and start the engine when it is normal, steering Can be reliably stored in the storage means the exact unlocked state of Yafuto.

According to the vehicle steering lock system of the fourth aspect , the first control unit is electrically connected to the engine control unit, and the first control unit receives the unlock completion signal from the second control unit and stops power supply. And the engine start command is output to the engine control unit. When the first control unit determines that the second control unit is normal, the series of power supply stop and engine start command are determined. Can be reliably performed.

  In the steering lock system for a vehicle according to the present invention, the first control unit outputs a command for switching the steering shaft from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and the second control unit receives the command. The electric actuator is driven and controlled for the switching.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a steering lock system 1 for a vehicle has a keyless entry device 2 for starting an engine 5 without using a general key, and an antitheft for making a steering shaft 7 of a steering system impossible to rotate. A steering lock device 3 is provided. The engine 5 is controlled by an ECU 6 that is an engine control unit.

  The keyless entry device 2 includes a first control unit 10 and a first driver 11. The first control unit 10 includes a CPU 10a, a ROM 10b, a RAM 10c, and an EEPROM 10d. The EEPROM 10d corresponding to the storage means stores a locked state or an unlocked state of the steering shaft 5, and a unique ID that is a predetermined unique value. And a predetermined arithmetic expression f (rd, id) are preset and stored.

  The first control unit 10 is electrically connected to the first driver 11, the engine start SW 22, and the ECU 6, and configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the portable key end 21. Electric power is supplied from the battery 20 to the first control unit 10 and the first driver 11, the first driver 11 is controlled by the first control unit 10, and the second control unit 30 and the second control unit 30 of the steering lock device 3 are controlled by the first driver 11. The power is supplied to the two drivers 31 so that the supply can be stopped.

  The steering lock device 3 includes a second control unit 30, a second driver 31, a drive mechanism 32 having an electric motor 33 that is an electric actuator, and a lock member 34. The second control unit 30 includes a CPU 30a, a ROM 30b, a RAM 30c, and an EEPROM 30d, and the same unique ID and arithmetic expression f (rd, id) as those stored in the EEPROM 10d are preset and stored in the EEPROM 30d.

  The second control unit 30 is electrically connected to the first control unit 10, the first driver 11, and the second driver 31. The second driver 31 is controlled by the second control unit 30, and power is supplied from the second driver 31 to the electric motor 33 so that the supply can be stopped. The EEPROM 30d can also store the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft 5.

  The lock member 34 is engaged with and disengaged from the engaged portion 8 that rotates together with the steering shaft 7 to selectively switch the steering shaft 7 between a locked state and an unlocked state, and a drive mechanism 32 having an electric motor 33. Is for engaging and disengaging the lock member 34. The drive mechanism 32 may have a mechanism such as a gear that transmits the output of the electric motor 33 to the lock member 34.

  The first control unit 10 outputs to the second control unit 30 a command for switching the steering shaft 7 from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and the second control unit 30 receives the command and the second driver 31. Then, the electric motor 33 is driven and controlled to move the lock member 34 from one of the lock position and the unlock position to the other.

Next, processing executed by the first control unit 10 of the keyless entry device 2 and the second control unit 30 of the steering lock device 30 will be described.
Here, power is not supplied to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 until the engine start command is received by the first control unit 10 when the engine 5 is not operating, and the steering shaft 7 It is held locked.

  As shown in FIG. 2, first, in the first control unit 10, it is determined whether or not the engine start command is accepted (S1). For example, when wireless communication is performed between the mobile key terminal 21 with the IC held by the passenger and the first control unit 10, and the first control unit 10 authenticates it and receives the engine start SW 22 being turned on, S1 ; Yes.

  In the case of S1; Yes, next, the first driver 11 is controlled, and power supply from the first driver 11 to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 is started (S2). Here, the second control unit 30 Starts. Subsequently, a random value RD among a plurality of randomly generated values is acquired (S3), and the random value RD and the unlock command signal are simultaneously (for example, in one package), the second control unit. 30 (S4).

  Subsequently, the unique ID stored in the EEPROM 10d is read (S5), and the arithmetic expression f (rd, id) stored in the EEPROM 10d is obtained from the random value RD acquired in S3 and the unique ID read in S5. Using, the first answer AnsX = f (RD, ID) is calculated and derived (S6).

  On the other hand, when the second control unit 30 receives the random value RD and the unlock command signal from the first control unit 10 after startup (S20), the unlock control is executed based on the unlock command signal. Then, the electric motor 33 is driven and controlled, the lock member 34 is moved from the lock position to the unlock position, and the locked steering shaft 7 is switched to the unlock state.

  Subsequently, the unique ID stored in the EEPROM 30d is read (S23), and the arithmetic expression f (rd, id) stored in the EEPROM 30d is obtained from the random value RD received in S20 and the unique ID read in S23. Then, the second answer AnsY = f (RD, ID) is calculated and derived (S24), and then the second answer AnsY and the unlock completion signal are simultaneously transmitted to the first control unit 10 ( S25).

  In the first control unit 10, when the second answer AnsY and the unlock completion signal are received from the second control unit 30 (S7), the first answer AnsX calculated in the second answers AnsY and S6 And AnsX = AnsY is determined (S8). If the second control unit 30 is normal on the premise that the first control unit 10 is normal, S8; Yes.

  In the case of S8; Yes, the unlock state (for example, unlock flag) is stored and updated in the EEPROM 10a based on the unlock completion signal received from the second control unit 30 in S7 (S9). The driver 11 is controlled, the power supply from the first driver 11 to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 is stopped (S10), and the processing of the second control unit 30 ends here.

  Next, an engine start command is output to the ECU 6 (S11), and the process returns. The ECU 6 receives the engine start command and starts the engine 5. In the case of S8; No, error processing (S12) is performed. In this error processing, for example, error notification is performed by display or sound, and before that, processing from S3 onward is performed again.

  Here, S10 corresponds to power supply stop means for stopping the supply of power for driving the electric motor 33 when the engine 5 is started, and S3 to S8, S20, and S23 to S25 are the first and second controls. The units 10 and 30 correspond to authentication determination means for causing the first control unit 10 to determine whether or not the second control unit 30 is normal through mutual communication of information between the control units 10 and 30.

The steering lock system 1 has the following effects.
Authentication determination means (S3) that causes the first and second control units 10 and 30 to determine whether or not the second control unit 30 is normal through the mutual communication of information between the control units 10 and 30. To S8, S20, S23 to S25), the first control unit 10 determines that the second control unit 30 is normal and the reliability of the unlock completion signal received from the second control unit 30 is high. Therefore, it is possible to detect an accurate unlocking state of the steering shaft 7 without providing any mechanical switch or sensor. Therefore, the EEPROM 10d can also store the accurate unlocking state of the steering shaft 7, and the steering shaft 7 It is possible to reliably prevent the engine 5 from starting in the locked state.

  In the first control unit 10, the power supply stopping means (S <b> 10) stops the supply of electric power for driving the electric motor 33 when the engine 5 is started, so that the lock member 34 is engaged during the operation of the engine 5. The steering shaft 7 can be reliably held in the unlocked state by reliably preventing malfunctioning so as to engage with the joint 8, and power supply to the second control unit 30 is stopped while the engine 5 is operating. Although the second control unit 30 goes down, even when the unlocked state of the steering shaft 7 is not monitored, the unlocked state of the steering shaft 7 can be accurately detected from the stored information in the EEPROM 10d.

  The first control unit 10 starts processing by the authentication determination means (S3 to S8, S20, S23 to S25) when a predetermined engine start command is received from the outside, and determines that the second control unit 30 is normal. In the case where the steering shaft 6 is controlled to be switched from the locked state to the unlocked state by the second control unit 30, the unlock completion signal is received from the second control unit 30 and the steering shaft 7 is unlocked. Since the locked state is stored in the EEPROM 10d, the first control unit 10 controls the second control unit 30 to switch the steering shaft 7 from the locked state to the unlocked state before the engine 5 is started. Is normal, and if it is normal, the engine 5 is started. Rukoto can, accurate unlocked state of the steering shaft 7 can be reliably stored in EEPROM 10d.

  The first control unit 10 is electrically connected to the ECU 6, and the first control unit 10 receives the unlock completion signal from the second control unit 30, operates the power supply stop means (S10), and causes the ECU 6 to Since the start command is output, in the first control unit 10, when it is determined that the second control unit 30 is normal, it is possible to reliably perform a series of stoppage of the power supply and output of the engine start command. it can.

  Next, another embodiment in which the processing executed by the first and second control units 10 and 30 is changed will be described. However, steps similar to those in the processing of the first embodiment will be briefly described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the first control unit 10, when an engine start command is received (S30; Yes), power supply from the first driver 11 to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 is started ( S31), the second control unit 30 is activated. Subsequently, a random value RD is acquired (S32), and the random value RD is transmitted to the second control unit 30 (S33). Subsequently, the unique ID is read (S34), and the first answer AnsX = f (RD, ID) is calculated and derived (S35).

  On the other hand, when the second control unit 30 receives the random value RD from the first control unit 10 after activation (S50), the unique ID is read (S51), and the second answer AnsY = f (RD, ID ) Is derived (S52), and the second answer AnsY is transmitted to the first control unit 10 (S53).

  In the first control unit 10, when the second answer AnsY is received from the second control unit 30 (S36), it is determined whether AnsX = AnsY (S37). If S37; Yes, the unlock command signal is It is transmitted to the second control unit 30 (S38).

  In the second control unit 30, when an unlock command signal is received from the first control unit 10 (S54), unlock control is executed (S55), and then an unlock completion signal is sent to the first control unit 10. It is transmitted (S56).

  When the first control unit 10 receives the unlock completion signal from the second control unit 30 (S39), the unlock state (for example, unlock flag) is stored and updated in the EEPROM 10a based on the unlock completion signal. (S40), power supply from the first driver 11 to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 is stopped (S41). Here, the processing of the second control unit 30 is completed, and then the ECU 6 A start command is output (S11), and the process returns. S37: If No, error processing (S43) is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the first control unit 10, when an engine start command is accepted (S60; Yes), power supply from the first driver 11 to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 is started ( S61), the second control unit 30 is activated. Next, the response request count RC, the response request interval RT, and the unlock command signal are simultaneously transmitted to the second control unit 30 (S62).

  On the other hand, when the second control unit 30 receives the response request count RC, the response request interval RT, and the unlock command signal from the first control unit 10 after activation (S70), unlock control is executed (S71). Next, an unlock completion signal is transmitted to the first control unit 10 at the number of times RC and the interval RT requested from the first control unit 10 (S72, S73,...).

  In the first control unit 10, an unlock completion signal is received from the second control unit 30 (S63, S64...), And then unlocking is completed at the requested number of times RC and interval RT from the second control unit 30. It is determined whether or not a signal has been received (S65). If S65; Yes, S66 to S68, which are the same as S9 to S11 in the first embodiment, are sequentially performed. If S65; Done.

  As in the case of changing the first embodiment to the second embodiment, before executing the unlock control, first, it is determined whether or not the second control unit 30 is normal, and S65; Yes. The unlock control may be executed after it is determined to be normal. In this case, as a response used in S72, S73,..., S63, 64.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the first control unit 10 receives an engine start command (S80), power supply from the first driver 11 to the second control unit 30 and the second driver 31 is started (S81). Then, the second control unit 30 is activated. Next, the answer request port RP and the unlock command signal are simultaneously transmitted to the second control unit 30 (S82).

  On the other hand, when the response request port RP and the unlock command signal are received from the first control unit 10 after the activation in the second control unit 30 (S90), unlock control is executed (S91). Here, the plurality of ports of the first control unit 10 (CPU 11a) and the plurality of ports of the second control unit 30 (CPU 30a) are respectively connected, and then requested by the first control unit 10 in S90. An unlock completion signal is transmitted to the first control unit 10 through one or a plurality of ports RP (S92).

  In the first control unit 10, an unlock completion signal has been received from the second control unit 30 (S83), and then an unlock completion signal has been received from the second control unit 30 at one or more ports RP as requested. If the answer is NO (S84) and S84; Yes, S85 to S87, which are the same as S9 to S11 of the first embodiment, are sequentially performed, and if S84;

  As in the case of changing the first embodiment to the second embodiment, before executing the unlock control, first, it is determined whether or not the second control unit 30 is normal, and S65; Yes. The unlock control may be executed after it is determined to be normal. In this case, as a response used in S92, S83, and S84, some signal other than the unlock completion signal is adopted.

  In the first control unit 10, first, it is determined whether or not the authentication determination process is started (S100). If S100 is Yes, the same S101 to S107 as S31 to S37 in the second embodiment (FIG. 3) are performed, and S107; If Yes, the same S108 as S41 of the second embodiment is performed and the process returns, and if S107; No, the same S109 as S43 of the second embodiment is performed, and the second control unit 10 performs S50 of the second embodiment. S110 to S115, which are the same as S53, are performed.

  This process is not limited to the execution at the start of the engine 5 as in the first to fourth embodiments. For example, during the operation of the engine 5 or while the engine 5 is stopped, S100; Yes is started periodically. In this case, it is desirable that the power supply of S101 is performed only for the second control unit 30 in the steering lock device 3, not for the second driver 31.

  Further, this process may be executed when the engine 5 is stopped. In this case, when the engine stop command is received, S100 is set to Yes, and the unlock command signal and the unlock completion signal in the first to fourth embodiments become the lock command signal and the lock completion signal, and the unlock control is performed. After the lock control, the first control unit 10 receives the lock completion signal and stores the lock state in the EEPROM 10d.

  Accordingly, when the first control unit 10 determines that the second control unit 30 is normal, the reliability of the lock completion signal received from the second control unit 30 is high, and any mechanical switch or sensor is provided. Therefore, the accurate locking state of the steering shaft 7 can be detected, and therefore the accurate locking state of the steering shaft 7 can also be stored in the EEPROM 10d.

  When the engine 5 is stopped, the power supply to the second control unit 30 is stopped and the second control unit 30 goes down, but even if the lock state of the steering shaft 7 is not monitored, the stored information in the EEPROM 10d The locked state of the shaft 7 can be accurately detected.

  In addition, in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of the present invention, it is possible to carry out various changes and additions other than the matters disclosed in the first to fifth embodiments. For example, the start and stop of power supply are performed for the electric motor 33, but the second control unit 30 may be always activated without performing the second control unit 30. The present invention is suitable for vehicles such as automobiles, but can be applied to various vehicles such as other motorcycles.

It is a block diagram of a steering lock system. 3 is a flowchart of processing executed by first and second control units according to the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart of processing executed by first and second control units of Embodiment 2. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by the first and second control units of the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by first and second control units according to a fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by first and second control units of Embodiment 5.

1 Steering lock system 6 ECU
7 Steering shaft 8 Engaged portion 10 First control unit 30 Second control unit 33 Electric motor 34 Lock member

Claims (4)

A lock member that engages / disengages with an engaged portion that rotates together with a steering shaft of a vehicle to selectively switch the steering shaft between a locked state and an unlocked state, an electric actuator that engages and disengages the lock member, and a steering shaft A first control unit that outputs a command to switch from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and is electrically connected to the first control unit and receives the command from the first control unit to drive the electric actuator In a steering lock system for a vehicle comprising a second control unit for controlling,
The first control unit includes storage means for storing the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft, and electric power supply stopping means for stopping supply of electric power for driving the electric actuator when the engine of the vehicle is started. ,
The first and second control units are provided with authentication judgment means for causing the first control unit to judge whether or not the second control unit is normal through mutual communication of information between these control units ,
The authentication determination means is a request provided from the first control unit provided in the first control unit, a means for transmitting the number of answer requests and an answer request interval to the second control unit, and a first control unit provided in the second control unit. Means for transmitting an answer to the first control unit at the number of times and intervals received, and means for determining whether or not the answer is received at the number of times and intervals as requested from the second control unit provided in the first control unit. And a steering lock system for a vehicle. A lock member that engages / disengages with an engaged portion that rotates together with a steering shaft of a vehicle to selectively switch the steering shaft between a locked state and an unlocked state, an electric actuator that engages and disengages the lock member, and a steering shaft A first control unit that outputs a command to switch from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other, and is electrically connected to the first control unit and receives the command from the first control unit to drive the electric actuator In a steering lock system for a vehicle comprising a second control unit for controlling,
The first control unit includes storage means for storing the locked state or unlocked state of the steering shaft, and electric power supply stopping means for stopping supply of electric power for driving the electric actuator when the engine of the vehicle is started. ,
The first and second control units are provided with authentication judgment means for causing the first control unit to judge whether or not the second control unit is normal through mutual communication of information between these control units,
Connecting a plurality of ports of the first control unit and a plurality of ports of the second control unit, respectively;
The authentication judging means includes means for transmitting an answer request port provided in the first control unit to the second control unit, and 1 or requested by the first control unit provided in the second control unit. Means for transmitting responses to the first control unit at a plurality of ports, and means for determining whether or not responses have been received at the ports as requested from the second control unit provided in the first control unit. A vehicle steering lock system. The first control unit starts processing by the authentication determination unit when a predetermined engine start command is received from the outside, and determines that the second control unit is normal, and the second control unit 2. When the steering shaft is controlled to be switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, an unlock completion signal is received from the second control unit, and the unlocked state of the steering shaft is stored in the storage means. The steering lock system for a vehicle according to 1 or 2. The first control unit is electrically connected to an engine control unit;
4. The first control unit according to claim 3, wherein the first control unit receives the unlock completion signal from the second control unit, operates the power supply stop means, and outputs an engine start command to the engine control unit. A steering lock system for a vehicle as described.