KR100402652B1 - Control device for the air flap of an automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air flap control device for an automobile air conditioner, and more particularly, to an automobile through an air flap control device in which a microcomputer and a direct actuator drive (DAD) circuit are embedded. The present invention relates to an air flap control device for an automotive air conditioner that seeks to reduce the number of wires between the air flap control device and the actuator and to miniaturize and reduce the cost by controlling the air flap actuator for the air conditioner. Air flap control device according to the present invention is characterized by consisting of a direct drive circuit (DAD) and a microcomputer consisting of a communication circuit, a position corrector, a protection circuit, a motor drive circuit, a motor brake circuit and the like.

Description

CONTROL DEVICE FOR THE AIR FLAP OF AN AUTOMOBILE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air flap control device for an automobile air conditioner, and more particularly, to an automobile through an air flap control device in which a microcomputer and a direct actuator drive (DAD) circuit are embedded. The present invention relates to an air flap control device for an automotive air conditioner that seeks to reduce the number of wires between the air flap control device and the actuator and to miniaturize and reduce the cost by controlling the air flap actuator for the air conditioner.

In general, a car can create a comfortable environment for the passengers such as maintaining the proper temperature, humidity, and clean air even in various climates and driving conditions, and at the same time prevents blurring and frost on the windows, thereby securing the driver's vision and driving safely. The air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air conditioner) is installed in the air conditioner, air conditioner for heating and cooling inside the vehicle, heater and air cleaner for maintaining clean air. air cleaners and the like, a blower assembly for introducing air cooled or warmed by an air conditioner or a heater into the vehicle through a duct, a damper for air circulation and exhaust in the vehicle, It is generally composed of an air inlet and outlet.

In the case of air conditioners, refrigerant gas is sucked from the evaporator into the compressor, compressed into a gas of high temperature and high pressure, and then sent to the condenser, where the refrigerant is forcibly cooled and liquefied. It moves to the evaporator and takes heat away from the air sucked into the vehicle.

However, in the case of the air inlet connected to the air conditioner and the cooler (or the heater), in order to prevent unnecessary air resistance other than the inlet air required for cooling, the air flap needs to be closed or controlled at an angle according to the operating state of the air conditioner. Also in the case of the air discharge port connected to the inside, it is necessary to control at a predetermined angle in accordance with the needs of the driver and the ride. The device for driving the air flap is referred to as an air flap actuator (20), generally the gears 22 connected to the air flap, the motor 21 and the printed circuit board 24 for operating the air flap actuator, Feedback sensor 23 or the like. In order to adjust the position of the air flap, in addition to the air flap actuator 20, the position controller 30 connected to the air flap actuator 20 by seven wires, and the microcomputer 11 for controlling the position controller 30 ( Or an air flap control device 10 having a built-in CPU or other central control device).

As a method that has been conventionally used to adjust the air flap, the air flap controller 10 instructs the position controller 30 in the microcomputer 11 for the specific position of the air flap position controller 30 Drive the motor 21 of the air flap actuator 20, the variable resistance for the feedback sensor 23 that rotates in conjunction with the output gear when the gears 22 of the actuator to the commanded position rotates (for position detection The value of) changes and sends a resistance value corresponding to the position to the position controller 30, whereby the position controller 30 turns off the driving power sent to the motor to stop the motor. Alternatively, the switch function is set in advance in the circular shape using the pattern of the printed circuit board 24 embedded in the actuator, and the brush connected to the lower end of the gear when the gear rotates to the commanded position ( A method in which a brush supplies power to the motor by rubbing the plated portion of the printed circuit board 24 pattern is also used.

By the way, here, between the position controller 30 and the air flap actuator 20, including the power supply line, the position sensing line, the drive signal line, etc., seven or more wires are complicated to have a length of at least 1 to 5 meters. Since the connection is high, there is a high risk of fire due to short circuit and disconnection, and there are disadvantages such as difficulty in miniaturization and cost increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the air flap control device for an automotive air conditioner according to the present invention incorporates various circuits including the functions of a microcomputer and a conventional position controller, thereby providing an air flap actuator. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air flap control device for an automotive air conditioner, which is advantageous in simplicity, miniaturization, and cost reduction by reducing the wire of about 7 wires connected to the wire of 2 wires.

1 is a schematic view of a conventional air flap actuator control device for a vehicle air conditioner;

2 is a schematic diagram of an air flap actuator control apparatus for a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention.

<Description of Drawing>

10 air flap controls, 11 microcomputers, 12 direct drive circuits,

121 communication circuit, 122 position corrector, 123 protective circuit,

124 motor drive circuit, 125 motor brake circuit,

20 air flap actuators, 21 motors, 22 gears,

23 ... feedback sensor, 24 ... printed circuit board, 30 ... position controller,

In order to achieve the object as described above, the air flap control apparatus according to the present invention is a direct drive circuit 12 (Direct Actuator Drive; DAD) consisting of a communication circuit, a position corrector, a protection circuit, a motor drive circuit, a motor brake circuit, etc. ) And a microcomputer (11).

The communication circuit, which forms part of the direct drive circuit 12 (DAD), inputs the rotational amount of the motor 21 in the air flap actuator 20 of the vehicle to the microcomputer 11 at the same time. A circuit serving to output the air flap actuator 20 driving signal commanded to the motor driving circuit, and is a circuit for inputting and outputting a communication signal between the air flap actuator 20 and the air flap control device. The amount of rotation of the motor 21 can be known by detecting the number of contacts between a brush and a commutator inside the motor, and the contact signal is inputted by the communication circuit 121 to generate microcontrolled data as the amount of rotation of the motor. Transfer to computer 11. The motor driving circuit 124 to be described later receives the air flap actuator 20 driving signal through the communication circuit 121 to drive the motor.

The position corrector 122 is a circuit for correcting the position by correcting an error related to the fixed value movement of the air flap actuator 20 and the like in the case of an overrun such that the motor rotates more than necessary. Circuitry assists with this position corrector. At this time, whether or not the motor 21 is rotated more than necessary is the amount of rotation of the motor, the signal received from the actuator 20 is input to the microcomputer 11 via the communication circuit 121, the microcomputer 11 Activates the positioner 122, which calculates the degree of error with respect to the position of the air flap actuator and additionally rotates the motor in the forward or reverse direction corresponding to the position where the error can be corrected. The signal is sent to the motor drive circuit 124 via the microcomputer 11. Whether the motor has rotated more or less than necessary is determined by detecting the contact number between the brush and the commutator in the motor and comparing it with the rotation speed set by the microcomputer 11.

The protection circuit 123 is a circuit that prevents damage to the air flap control device from a temperature rise resulting from a short circuit, overcurrent, overload, etc., between the air flap actuator 20 and the air flap control device. The protection circuit 123 can control the fluctuation of the substrate potential, and should be able to restart the air flap control device after preventing the destruction of the peripheral circuit or the memory cell, so that the external shock should be activated immediately. An example of a circuit that protects from a temperature rise is a resistor that is a positive thermal coefficient element whose resistance value increases in proportion to temperature. When the temperature of the circuit rises due to abnormal operation, the resistance increases due to temperature rise. There is a method of breaking the circuit in the switching means by increasing the value and increasing the voltage of the terminal to which the resistor is connected. In addition, as an example of a protection circuit 123 for protecting an integrated circuit from a short circuit or overload of a system, an integrated circuit protection circuit disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1993-0010605 ( 123).

The motor driving circuit 124 is a circuit that plays a substantial role for driving the motor. The motor driving circuit 124 changes a phase of a DC voltage or supplies power of a required waveform to cause the motor 21 inside the actuator to rotate forward or reverse. This circuit is supplied to the motor. The motor driving circuit 124 receives the command signal from the communication circuit 121 and rotates the motor by the rotation speed set in the microcomputer. In the same two-wire wire, the power supplied to the motor and the output signal (rotation speed) to enter the communication circuit 121 from the motor are used. As a method of sharing the same wire, for example, a time using a pulse is divided ( time-sharing). For example, in a case where the rotor takes 0.1 second to rotate one rotation and 100 pulses are required (1000 Hz), the communication circuit 121 may be connected to the communication circuit 121 from the motor for grasp the rotation speed without affecting the width of the pulse. The same incoming two wires can be shared by allowing a signal entering to occur every 0.05 seconds or 0.1 seconds (one sensing signal per 50 pulses or 100 pulses). For time division, it is necessary to use a fixed partition based on a period, so it is preferable to use a constant pulse that is not modulated rather than pulse phase modulation or pulse width modulation. . However, in the rotation of the motor required to move the air flap, high speed and high power are not required. Therefore, in the relatively high speed microcomputer 11, the pulse width is finely divided and the frequency is used as a power source by increasing the frequency. It is also possible to use the same wire for the pulse used for the transmission and reception for communication.

The motor brake circuit 125 serves to assist the position corrector 122. The communication circuit 121 detects an error related to the fixed run of the air flap actuator 20 and the like in case of an overrun such that the motor rotates more than necessary, and the microcomputer 11 receiving the input is located. Receives data for the calibration value and other position control corresponding to the degree of error through the calibrator 122, and operates the motor driving circuit 124 to correct the position of the air flap. This can be disturbed. The motor brake circuit 125 assists in correcting excessive overrun or under rotation of the motor, such as interrupting power input from the motor driving circuit 124 when continuous interference is detected. The microcomputer 11 operates the motor driving circuit 124 in proportion to the degree of error after a predetermined time elapses so as to correct overrun or under rotation of the motor.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 11 includes the communication circuit 121, the position corrector 122, the protection circuit 123, the motor drive circuit 124, and the motor brake circuit 125 of the direct drive circuit 12 (DAD). It refers to a CPU, a microprocessor, and other processing devices that act as brains of the air flap control device 10 by transmitting and receiving signals, and all the signals of the circuits that form the components of the direct drive circuit 12 are all the microcomputers 11. Under the direction of The microcomputer 11 includes the communication circuit 121, the position corrector 122, the protection circuit 123, the motor driving circuit 124, and the motor brake circuit 125 constituting the direct drive circuit 12 (DAD). ) May be manufactured in one chip, and the microcomputer should be designed to be robust against noise so that power pulses and communication signals do not affect the microcomputer 11.

In addition, the microcomputer should always know the current position and angle of the air flap, and the computer program should be configured in conjunction with other electromechanical devices in the vehicle. For example, by adjusting the position of the air flap according to the temperature, humidity, and driving speed of the vehicle, the amount of air flowing into the vehicle is adjusted. In addition, the flap of the discharge port from which the air conditioner air comes out can be reciprocated periodically according to the driver and the passenger comfort. As another example, by setting the angle of the air flap corresponding to the screen situation in conjunction with a TV, a video device, etc. in the vehicle, it may be configured to configure the vehicle interior system to produce air at a temperature and an angle in accordance with the screen situation. .

In the conventional air flap control apparatus, when a microcomputer or the like commands the position controller 30 to cause the position controller 30 to drive a motor, the gears of the actuator rotate to the commanded position and the feedback sensor 23 corresponding thereto. The resistance value of the variable resistor changes and sends a resistance value corresponding to the position to the position controller 30. According to this resistance value, the position controller 30 turns off the driving power sent to the motor and the motor In the process of stopping, 7 wires were needed. Or if the gear was rotated to the commanded position by setting the switch function to the conducting part and the non-conductive part in a circular shape, a brush connected to the lower part of the gear touched the plating part of the PCB pattern to supply power to the motor.

However, in the present invention, when the microcomputer 11 gives a command of the motor speed corresponding to a specific position, the direct drive circuit 12 calculates the power corresponding to the position already set by the motor in the air flap actuator 20. All processing is terminated by processing and driving. The position of the actuator may be stored in a nonvolatile memory device (ROM). However, since the position of the air flap actuator will be inversely proportional to the use time, the accuracy of the actuator will be reduced. It is desirable to drive the microcomputer 11 to readjust and store the entire moving range of the air flap.

As described above, the present application has described the air flap control device 10 mainly based on an air conditioner as an air conditioner for an automobile, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above. It can also be applied to all air flap drive control devices used in vehicles. It is also to be understood that modifications, changes and additions to the invention will also fall within the scope of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit of the invention described in the claims.

According to the present invention, the variable resistor for the position sensing feedback sensor 23 and the printed circuit board or the brush inside the actuator, which are required in the conventional air flap control device, are unnecessary, thereby reducing manufacturing costs, and the actuator and the air conditioner controller. By reducing the number of wires from 7 wires to 2 wires, the material cost can be reduced due to the reduction in the number of wires, the number of related work processes and the size of the connector can be reduced (from 7 pins to 2 pins). Preferably, the application and mounting of a custom IC as a direct drive circuit (DAD) as well as a microcomputer may double the advantages of miniaturization, mass production, and price reduction.

Claims (5)

In the air flap control device of the automotive air conditioner, which is connected to the air flap actuator and a wire to control the air flap actuator for adjusting the position of the air flap of the vehicle air conditioner, the microcomputer is built-in, A communication circuit for transmitting an amount of rotation of the motor inside the air flap actuator of the vehicle to a microcomputer, and for transmitting an air flap actuator drive signal commanded by the microcomputer to a motor drive circuit; A position corrector for correcting an error related to overrun of the motor and movement of a fixed value of the air flap actuator; A protection circuit for preventing damage to the air flap control device from a temperature rise resulting from a short circuit, overcurrent or overload between the air flap actuator and the air flap control device; A motor driving circuit for changing a phase of a DC voltage required for driving the motor or supplying a power of a required waveform to a motor inside the actuator; Air flap control device for a vehicle air conditioner, characterized in that it comprises a motor brake circuit to assist the position corrector. The method of claim 1, Air flap device for an automotive air conditioner, characterized in that the wire consists of two wires. delete delete delete