KR102178211B1 - Apparatus and method for controlling locking state of steering device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The steering lock control device according to the present invention includes a main microcontroller unit (MCU) provided to output a locking signal for locking the operation of the steering device based on an external input signal, and a motor for locking the operation of the steering device. And a motor control unit that controls the motor to rotate when the locking signal is received, and when an error detection signal is received from the main MCU, the rotation of the motor is blocked to lock the steering device. It includes a blocking portion to prevent.

Description

Device and method for controlling the locking of the vehicle's steering system {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING LOCKING STATE OF STEERING DEVICE OF VEHICLE}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the lock of a steering device of a vehicle, and more particularly, to detect a malfunction of an ESCL device, which is a device that controls lock / unlock of a steering device for the purpose of preventing theft of a vehicle. Accordingly, it relates to an apparatus and method for preventing an unintended lock state of a steering device.

The steering device of the vehicle adjusts the steering of the vehicle according to the driver's steering wheel manipulation. Recently, an ESCL (Electronic Steering Column Lock) device for locking the rotation of a steering device for the purpose of preventing theft of a vehicle is provided. The ESCL device physically blocks the rotation of the steering wheel when the vehicle is parked, thereby controlling the steering operation of the steering device to be performed.

The ESCL device locks the steering device while parking, based on an external input signal, and unlocks the steering device when driving by a legitimate user starts by authentication of a smart key system.

However, since a conventional ESCL device locks or unlocks a steering device according to an electrical signal, a malfunction may occur due to an error in an external/internal electrical input signal or a defect in the ESCL device itself.

If a malfunction of the ESCL device occurs while driving, the driver cannot manipulate the steering wheel as intended, so despite the high risk of an accident, the conventional ESCL device provides a way to reliably solve such malfunction. I couldn't.

An object of the present invention is a steering lock control device that detects a malfunction in an ESCL device that locks a steering device of a vehicle and prevents unintended locking of the steering device electrically and mechanically, and a lock control of the steering device for a vehicle. In providing a way.

The above object is a main MCU (Micro Controller Unit) provided to output a locking signal for locking the operation of the steering device based on an external input signal according to the present invention; A motor control unit for controlling an operation of a motor to lock an operation of the steering device, and transmitting a driving signal for rotating the motor to the motor when the locking signal is received; And, when receiving an error detection signal indicating that an error has occurred, it may be achieved by a steering lock control device including a blocking unit for preventing the rotation of the motor in spite of the driving signal to prevent the steering device from being locked. . When receiving the error detection signal, the blocking unit may prevent rotation of the motor by providing a friction force greater than the rotational force of the motor according to the driving signal to the motor.

Here, the motor control unit provides a signal input from the main MCU to the main MCU through a status check line, and the main MCU outputs a signal input through the status check line and the main MCU to the motor control unit. When the signals are different, it is determined that an error has occurred and the error detection signal may be output to the blocking unit.

Here, a sub-MCU electrically connected to the main MCU and the motor control unit may be further included, and the sub-MCU may be provided to output the same signal as the main MCU to the motor control unit based on the external input signal.

Here, when the blocking unit is connected to the ground terminal and receives the error detection signal, in addition to providing the friction force, the driving signal output from the motor controller to the motor may be switched to flow to the ground terminal.

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Here, when it is determined that the vehicle is running according to an external input signal, the blocking unit may prevent the rotation of the motor to prevent the steering device from being locked.

Here, by moving horizontally according to the rotation of the motor and meshing with the steering device, the locking unit prevents the rotation of the steering device; A sensor unit sensing the position of the locking unit; And a blocking unit for preventing the steering device from being locked by preventing the rotation of the motor despite the driving signal, when receiving an error detection signal indicating that an error has occurred, and as a result of the detection of the sensor unit, the blocking unit When the locking unit attempts to prevent rotation of the steering device despite a negative operation, power supplied to the motor is cut off so that the motor does not operate, thereby controlling the locking unit to not engage with the steering device.

In addition, the object according to the present invention, the step of receiving a lock command for the steering device from the outside; Transmitting a driving signal to a motor that locks the operation of the steering device during rotation; Checking whether an error has occurred in the lock command or the steering lock control device; When an error occurs, stopping rotation of the motor despite the driving signal; And when the operation of the steering device is to be locked despite the control for preventing the rotation of the motor, turning off power supplied to the motor may be achieved.

According to the present invention described above, when a malfunction occurs in the ESCL device that locks the steering device of the vehicle, the steering lock control device and the steering device for the vehicle are configured to detect this and electrically and mechanically prevent unintended locking of the steering device. A lock control method can be provided.

1 is a block diagram of a steering lock control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is related to the operation of the blocking unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a lock control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that the technical terms used in the present specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical terms used in the present specification should be interpreted as generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined in the present specification, and excessively comprehensive It should not be construed as a human meaning or an excessively reduced meaning. In addition, when a technical term used in the present specification is an incorrect technical term that does not accurately express the spirit of the present invention, it will be replaced with a technical term that can be correctly understood by those skilled in the art to be understood. In addition, general terms used in the present invention should be interpreted as defined in the dictionary or according to the context before and after, and should not be interpreted as an excessively reduced meaning.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are intended to make the spirit of the present invention easier to understand, and should not be construed as limiting the spirit of the present invention by the accompanying drawings. The spirit of the present invention should be construed as extending to all changes, equivalents or substitutes in addition to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a steering lock control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the steering lock control device according to the present invention includes a main microcontroller unit (MCU) 110, a sub-MCU 120, a motor control unit 130, a power supply unit 140, a blocking unit 150, and a sensor unit. It includes 160, a motor 200, and a locking unit 300, and includes an electrical or physical configuration for locking the steering device 400 connected to the rear. Meanwhile, even if some of the configurations shown in FIG. 1 are omitted, there will be no problem in implementing the spirit of the present invention.

The steering device 400 is a device that controls steering of a vehicle according to a driver's steering wheel manipulation, and a detailed steering operation is a known technique and a description thereof will be omitted.

The main MCU 110 overall controls the locking operation of the steering lock control device according to an external input signal. The main MCU 110 is a locking signal for locking the operation of the steering device 400 when a lock command is received from the outside, for example, when the vehicle's ignition off state is confirmed from the smart key system provided in the vehicle. Prints. In addition, the main MCU 110 serves to control power supply to each component of the steering lock control device by the power supply unit 140. The main MCU 110 may be provided with a known processor, and there is no limitation in hardware implementation.

The sub-MCU 120 is for assisting the function of the main MCU 110 and outputs the same locking signal as the main MCU 110 when a lock command is received from the outside. As shown in FIG. 1, signals output from the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 may be supplied to the motor control unit 130 and the power supply unit 140, and logic such as an AND gate is provided on each line. An element (not shown) may be provided. If any one of the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 cannot operate due to a failure, a control operation such as outputting a locking signal may be performed through the other.

Meanwhile, the steering lock control apparatus may include two or more MCUs, and in this case, it may be composed of one main MCU 110 and a plurality of sub MCUs 120. In addition, each MCU can be directly connected through a known serial or parallel interface, and can communicate with an external device such as a smart key system through a controller area network (CAN).

The power supply unit 140 is connected to a battery (not shown) of the vehicle and serves to supply power to each component of the steering lock control device.

The motor 200 rotates under the control of a motor controller 130 to be described later, and may be provided with a known brushless direct current (BLDC) motor 200. The rotational force of the motor 200 is transmitted to the locking unit 300 to be described later, and when the motor 200 rotates, the locking unit 300 moves to the rear to lock the rotation of the steering device 400. That is, when the motor 200 rotates, the operation of the steering device 400 is locked, and when the steering device 400 is normally operated, the motor 200 is not rotated. This will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 2.

The motor controller 130 controls the operation of the motor 200 to lock the operation of the steering device 400. More specifically, when a locking signal is input from the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120, power is supplied to the motor 200 to rotate the motor 200. The motor control unit 130 may be provided with a known motor 200 and an inverter.

The locking part 300 is located between the motor 200 and the crankshaft (not shown) of the steering device 400, and may move in a horizontal direction to engage or separate from the teeth of the crankshaft. More specifically, when the motor 200 does not rotate, it is separated from the teeth of the crankshaft, and when the motor 200 rotates, it moves horizontally and meshes with the teeth of the crankshaft, so that the crankshaft of the steering device 400 rotates. You can stop doing it.

A brief summary of the operation when the steering lock control device operates normally is as follows. The main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 output an unlocking signal, for example, a low level signal to the motor controller 130 while the vehicle is running normally. In this case, the motor controller 130 Do not drive 200. When the motor 200 is not rotated, the locking unit 300 is separated from the crankshaft of the steering device 400, so that the steering device 400 is in the unlocked state and performs a steering operation according to the driver's steering wheel manipulation. do.

Thereafter, when steering operation is not required, such as when the vehicle's gear lever is adjusted to the P stage, the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the smart key system is transferred to the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 of the steering lock control device. It sends a lock command. At this time, the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 output a locking signal to the motor controller 130, and the motor controller 130, which normally outputs the locking signal, rotates the motor 200. Control. As the motor 200 rotates, the locking part 300 moves in the horizontal direction and engages with the teeth of the crankshaft of the steering device 400, and thus the rotation of the crankshaft of the steering device 400 is prevented, so that the steering device 400 ) Is changed to the locked state.

The steering lock control apparatus according to the present invention is intended to prevent malfunction due to an error of an external input signal or an internal error of the apparatus, and a configuration for this will be described in more detail later.

As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the line through which signals output from the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 are input to the motor control unit 130, the main MCU 110 and the motor control unit 130 are in separate states. It is connected through a confirmation line. The motor controller 130 feeds back signals input from the main MCU 110 and the sub MCU 120 to the main MCU 110 through the status check line. At this time, if there is a defect in the sub-MCU 120 itself or a line output to the motor control unit 130 or a logic element (not shown) provided on the line is defective, the main MCU 110 A signal and a signal input from the motor control unit 130 may be different from each other as a locking signal and an unlocking signal.

In this way, as a result of checking through the status check line, if the signals are different from each other, the main MCU 110 may determine that an error has occurred. This corresponds to one embodiment in which the main MCU 110 determines whether an error has occurred, and there is no signal input through the status check line, or that the vehicle is currently running from the smart key system or the ECU of the powertrain side. Or, there may be various cases such as directly receiving whether an error has occurred from an external device.

The steering lock control apparatus according to the present invention includes a blocking unit 150 for preventing the steering device 400 from being locked by blocking rotation of the motor 200 when an error occurs. The main ECU transmits an error detection signal to the blocking unit 150 through a separate line from the motor control unit 130, and when the blocking unit 150 receives the error detection signal, the rotation of the motor 200 is forcibly stopped. do. At this time, when the motor control unit 130 is supplying the driving signal to the motor 200 according to the previously input locking signal, the blocking unit 150 prevents the rotation of the motor 200 according to an electrical or mechanical method. It is provided to, and a more specific embodiment is as follows.

An embodiment in which the blocking unit 150 blocks an electrical signal transmitted from the motor control unit 130 to the motor 200 is as shown in FIG. 2. As described above, when the motor 200 rotates, the locking part 300 moves horizontally and contacts the teeth of the crankshaft of the steering device 400 so that the crankshaft of the steering device 400 does not rotate.

In this embodiment, the blocking unit 150 may be implemented as a switching unit 152 that is connected to the ground terminal and switches the signal output from the motor controller 130 to the motor 200 or the ground terminal. That is, in a state in which an error generation signal is not transmitted from the main MCU 110, the switch 152 is kept in an off state and an open state with the ground terminal, and the driving signal output from the motor controller 130 is a motor ( As input to 200), the motor 200 rotates according to the driving signal.

Thereafter, when the main MCU 110 detects an error and transmits the error detection signal to the blocking unit 150, the blocking unit 150 changes the switch 152 in the off state to on to short the ground terminal ( short). Accordingly, all of the driving signals output from the motor control unit 130 flow to the ground and do not flow to the motor 200 having a high load, so that the motor 200 does not rotate.

In another embodiment, when receiving an error detection signal, the blocking unit 150 may mechanically prevent rotation of the motor 200 through frictional force. In other words, it is possible to prevent the motor 200 from being forcibly rotated by applying a frictional force of a force greater than the rotational force of the motor 200.

In addition to the above-described embodiments, all known means capable of electrically or mechanically stopping the rotation of the motor 200 can be applied to the present invention despite the driving signal being supplied to the motor 200 from the motor control unit 130. There will be.

In addition, the blocking unit 150 may be directly connected to an external device through CAN communication, and may directly receive the driving state of the vehicle. In this case, the blocking unit 150 is determined that the vehicle is running according to a signal input from an external device, but when the steering device 400 is about to be locked, the rotation of the motor 200 is forcibly performed as in the above-described embodiment. You can stop it.

As a result of preventing the steering device 400 from being locked by preventing the rotation of the motor 200 even when an error occurs in the existing system operating according to the electric signal according to the operation of the blocking unit 150 described above, an accident Can be prevented in advance.

On the other hand, the steering lock control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a sensor unit 160 for detecting the position of the locking unit 300. The sensor unit 160 can check whether the locking unit 300 is in contact with the crankshaft of the steering device 400, and transmits the confirmation result to the main MCU 110. When the main MCU 110 outputs an error detection signal to the blocking unit 150, the rotation of the motor 200 is prevented and the locking unit 300 must be separated from the crankshaft of the steering device 400, but internal connection If an error occurs due to a problem such as a line, it cannot be ruled out that the blocking unit 150 does not operate correctly.

Accordingly, as a result of detection by the sensor unit 160, when the locking unit 300 is still unintentionally trying to stop the rotation of the steering device 400, the main MCU 110 supplies power supplied by the power supply unit 140 Control to block. When the power is cut off, as a result of the motor 200 driving unit and the motor 200 not operating, the locking unit 300 does not engage with the crankshaft of the steering device 400, and accordingly, the locked state of the steering device 400 is Can be prevented.

According to the steering lock control apparatus of the present invention described above, when an unintended locking operation of the steering device 400 is performed due to an error in an external input signal or an internal error in the device, rotation of the motor 200 is forcibly blocked. Thus, by preventing the steering device 400 from being locked, a possibility of an accident due to the unintended locking of the steering device 400 may be prevented in advance.

3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a lock of a steering device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of controlling the lock of the steering device may be performed by the steering lock control device described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and descriptions of the same technical features as previously described will be omitted below.

The main MCU of the steering lock control device receives a lock command from the outside (S11), and drives the motor according to the lock command to lock the operation of the steering device by preventing the rotation of the motor and the movement of the locking part and rotation of the steering device. (S12). Detailed operations for this are as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

After that, the steering lock control device checks whether a signal received from the outside or an internal error of the steering lock control device has occurred (S13). At this time, if the signals output from the main MCU and the sub MCU of the steering lock control device are different, it can be confirmed that an error has occurred.

As a result of the check, when an error occurs, the motor is controlled to block rotation (S14).

Here, separate from the input line from the motor control unit driving the motor, the main MCU transmits an error generation signal to the blocking unit, and the blocking unit may block the rotation of the motor through an electrical or mechanical method.

For example, the blocking unit may be implemented as a switching unit that is connected to the ground terminal and switches a signal output from the motor control unit to the motor or the ground terminal. When the main MCU detects an error and transmits the error detection signal to the blocking unit, the blocking unit changes the switch in the off state to on to make it a short with the ground terminal. Accordingly, all driving signals output from the motor control unit flow to the ground and do not flow to the motor with a high load, so that the motor does not rotate.

In another embodiment, when receiving an error detection signal, the blocking unit may mechanically block the rotation of the motor through frictional force. In other words, it is possible to prevent the motor from being forcibly rotated by applying a frictional force greater than the rotational force of the motor.

Thereafter, if it is determined that the locking unit is still unintentionally trying to block the rotation of the steering device despite the operation of the blocking unit (S15), the main MCU controls to cut off the power supplied by the power supply unit (S16). When the power is cut off, as a result of the motor driving unit and the motor not operating, the locking unit does not engage with the crankshaft of the steering device, and thus the locked state of the steering device can be prevented.

According to the above-described lock control method of a steering device for a vehicle according to the present invention, when an unintended locking operation of the steering device is performed due to an error in an external input signal or an internal error in the device, the rotation of the motor is forcibly blocked and the steering device By preventing the lock, it is possible to prevent the possibility of an accident due to the unintended locking of the steering device.

Meanwhile, the method for controlling the lock of a vehicle steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded in the medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. -A hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The above-described hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operation of the present invention, and vice versa.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but those of ordinary skill in the relevant technical field can add, change, delete or add components within the scope not departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. Accordingly, the present invention can be variously modified and changed, and it will be said that this is also included within the scope of the present invention.

100: steering lock control device 110: main MCU
120: sub MCU 130: motor control unit
140: power supply unit 150: cut-off unit
160: sensor unit 200: motor
300: locking part 400: steering device

Claims (8)

In the steering lock control device,
A main MCU (Micro Controller Unit) provided to output a locking signal for locking an operation of the steering device based on an external input signal;
A motor control unit for controlling an operation of a motor to lock an operation of the steering device, and transmitting a driving signal for rotating the motor to the motor when the locking signal is received; And
In case of receiving an error detection signal indicating that an error has occurred, including a blocking unit for preventing the steering device from being locked by preventing rotation of the motor despite the driving signal,
The blocking unit, when receiving the error detection signal, by providing a frictional force greater than the rotational force of the motor by the driving signal to the motor to prevent rotation of the motor steering lock control device.
The method of claim 1,
The motor control unit provides a signal input from the main MCU to the main MCU through a status check line,
The main MCU determines that an error has occurred and outputs the error detection signal to the blocking unit when the signal input through the status check line and the signal output from the main MCU to the motor control unit are different. Lock control device.
The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a sub-MCU electrically connected to the main MCU and the motor control unit,
The sub-MCU is provided to output the same signal as the main MCU to the motor control unit based on the external input signal.
The method of claim 1,
The cut-off unit is connected to the ground terminal, and when receiving the error detection signal, in addition to providing the friction force, steering, characterized in that switching the driving signal output to the motor from the motor control unit to flow to the ground terminal Lock control device.
delete The method of claim 1,
When it is determined that the vehicle is running according to an external input signal, the blocking unit prevents the rotation of the motor to prevent the steering device from being locked.
In the steering lock control device,
A main MCU (Micro Controller Unit) provided to output a locking signal for locking an operation of the steering device based on an external input signal;
A motor control unit for controlling an operation of a motor to lock an operation of the steering device, and transmitting a driving signal for rotating the motor to the motor when the locking signal is received;
A locking unit that blocks rotation of the steering device by moving horizontally according to the rotation of the motor and engaging with the steering device;
A sensor unit sensing the position of the locking unit; And
When receiving an error detection signal indicating that an error has occurred, it includes a blocking unit for preventing the steering device from being locked by preventing rotation of the motor despite the driving signal,
As a result of the detection of the sensor unit, when the locking unit attempts to prevent rotation of the steering device despite the operation of the blocking unit, the locking unit does not engage with the steering unit by blocking power supplied to the motor to prevent the motor from operating. Steering lock control device, characterized in that to control to prevent.
In the locking control method of the steering device,
Receiving a lock command for the steering device from the outside;
Transmitting a driving signal to a motor that locks the operation of the steering device during rotation;
Checking whether an error has occurred in the lock command or the steering lock control device;
When an error occurs, stopping rotation of the motor despite the driving signal; And
And shutting off power supplied to the motor when the operation of the steering device is about to be locked despite a control that prevents rotation of the motor.

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