JPH09231341A - Exchanging time discriminating device for parts of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain the performance of a vehicle safety by integrating the using time and the using frequencies of the parts of the vehicle and discriminating an exchanging time when the integrated value exceeds a prescribed value so as to positively urging a user to exchange the parts. SOLUTION: An electronic control unit ECU is composed of a microcomputer, e.g. as an integration means and a discriminating means to store the using time of a power pump 8 and the using frequencies of first and second relays 9 and 10 in a memory. Then when the power pump 5 and the relays 9 and 10 are used again, ECU integrates the using time and frequencies with those of previously stored in the memory to store in the memory again. Then ECU compares them respectively with the regulated values showing the exchanging time stored in the memory, namely a durable using time and using frequencies, and when the integrated value reaches the regulated value, ECU displays that an exchanging time of the pump 5 and the relays 9 and 10 are reached. Thereby the exchanging time of the parts for the vehicle which can not be seen directly is informed to the user.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle part for notifying a user of an appropriate time to replace a vehicle part, actively urging the user to replace the vehicle part, and maintaining the performance of the vehicle safely. A replacement time determination device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vehicle parts have been replaced by visually checking the degree of deterioration in vehicle inspections, regular inspections, etc. For parts that cannot be visually checked, the replacement time is determined based on the distance traveled, or , They are replaced regularly at vehicle inspections.

[0003]

However, there are some vehicle parts whose life cannot be simply estimated by the mileage, and the method of periodically replacing the parts causes the driver to have a habit. Since the deterioration of the durability of the parts varies depending on the operation contents such as, if it is simply replaced, it will be abandoned even if it has not reached the end of its life, which is not economical.

The present invention appropriately informs the user of the replacement time of a vehicle part, such as a brush of a motor, which is incorporated as an assembly and cannot be directly visually inspected, and urges the user to proactively replace the part. Therefore, it is an object to prevent the performance of the vehicle from being defective.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a memory for storing the usage time or the number of times of use of a vehicle part, and the usage time or the time when the vehicle part is used. Means for integrating the number of times of use with the previously used time or number of times of use stored in the memory, and when the integrated value exceeds a specified value, it is time to replace the vehicle parts such as the electric pump or the relay. And a means for determining.

According to the above configuration of the present invention, when the vehicular component is, for example, an electric pump, the deterioration of durability thereof corresponds to its usage time, and when it is, for example, a relay, the number of times it is used. Therefore, when the vehicle parts are used, the time of use or the number of times of use is added to the previous time of use or the number of times of use stored in the memory by the means for integrating, and then the means for determining It is determined whether or not the integrated value exceeds a specified value which is a service life time or a service life number of times, that is, whether the vehicle part has reached the replacement time.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a schematic structure of a device replacement timing judging device for a vehicle of the present invention applied to a brake device for an electric vehicle proposed by the present applicant and a circuit thereof. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a brake pedal, and a booster 3 for boosting the pedaling force of the brake pedal 1 and transmitting the boosted force to the master cylinder 2 is provided between the brake pedal 1 and the master cylinder 2. The generated brake hydraulic pressure is transmitted to the front wheel brake calibers 4 ₁ , 4 ₁ and the rear wheel brake calibers 4 ₂ , 4 ₂ to brake the front and rear wheels. In an electric vehicle, since the intake negative pressure of the engine cannot be used as the negative pressure for operating the booster 3, an accumulator AC that stores the negative pressure is provided. The pipe connecting the booster 3 and the accumulator AC has an accumulator AC.
An electric pump 5 composed of a vacuum pump for reducing the pressure is connected, and the negative pressure of the accumulator AC is detected by a negative pressure switch 6 as a first pressure detecting means and a negative pressure sensor 7 as a second pressure detecting means. Based on the output signals of the negative pressure switch 6 and the negative pressure sensor 7, the control device C as the control means controls the operation of the electric pump 5, that is, the operation of the motor 8 that drives the electric pump 5, on / off. When the negative pressure of the accumulator AC falls below the lower limit value due to the operation of the booster 3, the electric pump 5 is driven to reduce the pressure of the accumulator AC. As a result, when the negative pressure of the accumulator AC rises above the upper limit value, the electric pump 5 Is stopped, whereby the negative pressure of the accumulator AC is maintained in a predetermined range between the lower limit value and the upper limit value.

The circuit configuration is as shown in FIG. A motor 8 for driving the electric pump 5 has contacts 9a, 1 of a first relay 9 and a second relay 10 connected in parallel.
0a is connected to the power supply terminal 11, the first relay 9 is connected to the electronic control unit ECU, and the electronic control unit ECU is operating the output signal of the negative pressure sensor 7 and the motor 8, that is, driving the electric pump 5. Check signal M input to
Based on the presence or absence of CK, the first relay 9 is turned on / off to control the operation of the motor 8 and thus the drive of the electric pump 5, and
The second relay 10 is connected to the negative pressure switch 6, and is turned on / off based on the presence or absence of an output signal of the negative pressure switch 6 to control the operation of the electric pump 5. still,
The negative pressure switch 6 has hysteresis and is turned off when the negative pressure becomes, for example, 500 mmHg or more.

In the above circuit configuration, the negative pressure of the accumulator AC drops to 500 mmHg (the pressure reduction is insufficient)
Then, when the negative pressure switch 6 is turned on, the second relay 10 is turned on to drive the electric pump 5, and when the electric pump 5 is driven, a check signal MCK is sent to the electronic control unit ECU.
Is input, and the electronic control unit ECU turns on the first relay 9 after a lapse of a short time after the signal MCK is input, and the electric pump 5 is driven by turning on the first relay 9. When the electric pump 5 is operated, the accumulator AC
When the negative pressure of is increased to, for example, 530 mmHg, the negative pressure switch 6 is turned off and the second relay 10 is turned off. However, since the first relay 9 remains on, the first relay 9
Since the motor 8 operates via the contact point c ₁ of the electric motor 8 and therefore the electric pump 8 continues to be driven, the negative pressure of the accumulator AC further rises to reach, for example, 600 mmHg (pressure reduction becomes sufficient). When the sensor 7 detects, the first relay 9 is turned off, and the driving of the electric pump 5 is stopped. After that, when the negative pressure of the accumulator AC is reduced to, for example, 500 mmHg by the braking operation, as described above, the negative pressure switch 6 is turned on, the second relay 10 is turned on, the electric pump 8 is driven, and again as described above. The operation is repeated.

The above structure is the vehicle brake device (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-251736) previously proposed by the applicant.

According to the present invention, in the brake device for an electric vehicle having the above structure, a memory for storing a usage time and a number of times of use of a vehicle part, and a usage time and a number of times of use of the vehicle part are described. And a means for accumulating the previously used time and the number of times of use stored in the memory, and a means for discriminating that it is time to replace the vehicle part when the integrated value exceeds a specified value. It has a feature.

When the target vehicle component is, for example, the electric pump 8, a DC motor having a brush is generally used as the motor 8 for driving the electric pump 8, and the brush is worn out depending on the use condition. Since it has a function as a pump until it completely wears out, the wear time is managed by controlling the use time, and the replacement time of the electric pump 8 is managed. When the vehicle parts are, for example, the first relay 9 and the second relay 10, they are managed by the number of times of opening and closing, that is, the number of times of use.

The electronic control unit ECU includes the memory, a unit for accumulating and a unit for discriminating, and is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer, and the operating time of the electric pump 8 and the first and second relays 9 and 10. Is stored in the memory, and when the electric pump 5 and the first and second relays 9 are used again, the usage time and the usage frequency are used as the previous usage time or the usage frequency stored in the memory. The accumulated operating time and the number of times of use are again stored in the memory, and the specified values indicating the replacement time stored in the memory, that is, the durable operating time and the number of times of use, are respectively compared and when the specified values are reached, The relays 9 and 10 are configured to indicate that it is time to replace them.

The operation will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 3. While the normal processing for keeping the negative pressure of the accumulator AC within the predetermined range between the lower limit value and the upper limit value is performed, the negative pressure value input in step S1 is performed. when Pin is detected to be missing from the negative pressure specified in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3, "1 a negative pressure flag P _FLG in step S4 when the negative pressure flag P _FLG is not" 1 " , The electric pump 5 is driven in step S5, 1 is added to the memory value Rc of the number of times of relay use, and the pump timer PTM is started. Negative pressure value Pi detected this time
When n is less than the specified negative pressure value like the previously detected negative pressure value (step S3), the negative pressure flag P _FLG is set to "1", and therefore the pump timer PTM performs the time counting process. The memory value Rc of the number of times the relay has been used continuously remains unchanged. When the negative pressure value Pin detected this time has reached a predetermined value, and when the negative pressure value is insufficient and the electric pump 5 is driven and the negative pressure flag P _FLG is “1” when detected last time, In step S7, the time P _TM measured by the pump timer PTM is added to the memory value TP _TM of the operating time of the electric pump 5, and in the next step S8 the pump timer PT
M is reset, the negative pressure flag P _{FLG is set} to "0", and the driving of the electric pump 5 is stopped in step S9. When the negative pressure value Pin is sufficient as in the previous detection (step S6), the electric pump 5 and the first and second relays 9 and 10 do not operate, and the memory value Rc of the number of times the relay has been used and the pump are detected. The memory value TP _TM of the usage time remains unchanged. If the memory value Rc of the number of times the relay has been used does not reach the specified service life in step S10, and the memory value TP _TM of the pump usage time does not reach the specified service life in step S11, the next Step S12
Then, the normal process of maintaining the negative pressure of the accumulator AC in a predetermined range between the lower limit value and the upper limit value is performed again. Step S1
If the memory value Rc of the number of times of relay use has reached 0, the relay replacement flag R _{Err is set} to "1" in step S13, and the memory value TP _TM of the pump use time becomes the life time in step S11. When it reaches, the electric pump replacement flag P is set in step S14.
_{After Err is set} to "1", an exchange request message, that is, an alarm sound is emitted and the message is displayed.

This exchange request message, for example, an electric pump exchange message has been issued, and when the electric pump is exchanged, the flow shifts to the exchange mode as shown in FIG.

The electronic control unit ECU records and manages the items shown in the following table in a memory.

[0018] In the table, "part name" is the part name for the target vehicle, "replacement date" is the date of replacement, and the factory assembly time is entered in the initial stage. “Serial No.” is a serial number of a vehicle part, and is entered to prevent the same part from being used later. The "current memory value" is the operation time from the start of use in the electric pump, and the number of operations from the start of use in the relay. The "lifetime value" is the service life or time of a vehicle component.

After switching the electronic control unit ECU to the replacement mode, in step S1, the serial NO. Enter Then, in step S2, the input serial NO. If it is a new part, the replacement date is input in step S3, and the memory value T of the pump usage time and the relay usage frequency is checked.
P _TM, a Rc reset, turn off the alarm sound and message. In step S2, when the vehicle part has been used in the past, it is determined that the old part has been reused and is not accepted.

As the vehicle parts, it is possible to apply to various parts such as an electric pump and a relay, as well as a combustion heater, and a means for accumulating the usage time or the number of times of use is used according to the mode of use.

[0021]

As described above, the present invention appropriately informs the user of the time to replace a vehicle part that cannot be directly visually inspected, and actively prompts the user to replace it, so that the life of the part does not cause a defect in vehicle performance. It has the effect of being able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a device component replacement timing determination device according to the present invention, which is applied to an electric vehicle brake device.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation when replacing a vehicle part.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 brake pedal 2 master cylinder 3 booster 5 electric pump 6 negative pressure switch 7 negative pressure sensor 8 motor AC accumulator C controller 9 first relay 10 second relay ECU electronic control unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasushi Aoki 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama Inside Honda R & D Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ken Ohba 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako, Saitama Incorporated Honda Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Ikuo Nonaga 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako, Saitama Incorporated Honda Research Laboratory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A memory for storing a usage time or a usage frequency of a vehicle part, and a usage time or a usage time before the usage time or the usage frequency of the vehicle part stored in the memory. A vehicle part replacement timing discriminating apparatus comprising means for accumulating the number of times and means for discriminating that the vehicle component is at the replacement timing when the integrated value exceeds a prescribed value. 2. The replacement time determination of the vehicle part according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle part is an electric pump, and it is determined from the integrated value of the usage time that the replacement time is reached. apparatus. 3. The vehicle part replacement time determination device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle part is a relay, and it is determined from the integrated value of the number of times of use that the replacement time is reached. .