WO2002035298A2

WO2002035298A2 - System for controlling operational sequences

Info

Publication number: WO2002035298A2
Application number: PCT/DE2001/003978
Authority: WO
Inventors: Volker Geissinger; Bernd Illg
Original assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date: 2000-10-23
Filing date: 2001-10-23
Publication date: 2002-05-02
Also published as: WO2002035298A3; DE10052552A1; JP2004517244A; DE10194726A5

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling operational sequences, especially in a motor vehicle, comprising a first control unit and a second control unit. Said control units are connected to each other and exchange information via said connection. The second control unit contains registers in which exchanged information or information to be exchanged is stored. The second control unit or the registers thereof are simulated in the first control unit and the first control unit exchanges information with the second simulated controlled unit. The exchanged information is transferred from the simulated second control unit to the second control unit and the information to be exchanged is transferred from the second control unit to the simulated second control unit via said connection.

Description

System for controlling operations

State of the art

The invention relates to a system for controlling operating processes, in particular in a vehicle, according to the preambles of the independent claims.

In addition to the microcontroller, hardware ICs are used for control units. In these ICs, individual functionalities (e.g. several output stages) are summarized. The controller is connected to the ICs via lines for information exchange.

The speed at which this information is accessed via the lines with the ICs is slower by a factor than the internal speed in the controller. If information that is recorded in these ICs must now be accessed within an application, the information is not immediately available.

This shows that the prior art is not always able to provide optimal results, which means that the situation mentioned above should be improved. Advantages of the invention

The invention relates to a system for controlling operating processes, in particular in a vehicle, wherein a first control unit and a second control unit are included and the control units are connected to one another and exchange information via this connection, at least the second control unit containing registers in which the exchanged and / or exchanged information are stored

Advantageously, the second control unit or its register is simulated in the first control unit and the first control unit exchanges information with the simulated second control unit, the information exchanged from the simulated second control unit to the second control unit and the information to be exchanged from the second control unit to the simulated second Control unit are transmitted over the connection.

The connection can expediently be wired as well as wireless, which means that e.g. an SPI, CAN or also e.g. a radio bus can be used for this. The connection used is therefore not to be understood as restrictive in the sense of the invention.

In the new concept, the ICs in the controller are now advantageously reproduced virtually. That In regular

Intervals are now fetched from the registers via the connecting lines between the controller and the ICs and the register values are stored 1: 1 in the RAM of the controller. If information that is captured in these ICs now has to be accessed within an application, the values previously stored in RAM are advantageously accessed instead of via the slow controller hardware connection.

Another advantage is that the procedure is the same for values that have to be transferred to the ICs. The application writes the values to virtual registers in RAM. In the background, these values are then cyclically transferred to the hardware ICs.

By emulating the blocks in RAM, the information of the hardware ICs can advantageously be accessed very quickly. In addition, the

Information is exchanged cyclically in the background or when the controller is idle. The cyclical communication in the background can predictably influence the controller load and optimize it accordingly.

Description of the embodiments

The invention is explained below on the basis of the description and the figures, from which further advantages and advantageous refinements, as well as from the claims, result in addition to the mentioned.

For example, the control unit shown in FIG. 1 is used as hardware, which e.g. to

Engine control, transmission control, brake control, etc. can be used in a vehicle.

Modern digital technology offers a wide range of control and regulation options in motor vehicles. Many influencing factors can be included at the same time so that the systems can be operated optimally. The control unit receives the electrical signals from the sensors, evaluates them and calculates the control signals for the actuators. The control program is stored in a memory. A microcontroller executes the program. The components of the control unit are called "hardware".

In addition to the actuators, sensors form as

Peripherals the interface between the vehicle and the control unit as a processing unit. The electrical signals from the sensors are fed to the control unit via the wiring harness and plug connector. These signals can take different forms:

Analog input signals can assume any voltage value within a certain range. Examples of physical quantities that are available as analog measured values are the intake air mass,

Battery voltage, intake manifold and boost pressure, cooling water and intake air temperature. They are converted by analog / digital converters (A / D converters) in the microcontroller of the control unit into digital values with which the microprocessor can calculate. The maximum resolution of these signals is in 5 mV steps / bit (approx. 1000 steps).

Digital input signals have only two states, "High" (logical 1) and "Low" (logical 0). Examples of digital input signals are switching signals (on / off) or digital sensor signals such as speed pulses from a Hall or field plate sensor. They can be processed directly by the microcontroller Pulse-shaped input signals from inductive sensors with information about speed and reference mark are processed in a separate circuit section in the control unit. Interference pulses are suppressed and the pulse-shaped signals are converted into digital square-wave signals.

signal conditioning

The signals are processed in blocks SA1, SA2 and SA3 depending on the respective input signal. The

Protective circuits limit input signals to permissible voltage levels. The useful signal is largely freed of superimposed interference signals by filtering and, if necessary, adjusted to the permissible input voltage of the microcontroller by amplification (0 ... 5 V). Depending on the level of integration, some or all of the signal processing can take place in the sensor.

signal processing

The control unit is the control center for the functional sequences of the engine control. The control and regulation algorithms run in the microcontroller. The input signals provided by the sensors and the interfaces to other systems serve as input variables. You are again checked for plausibility in the computer. The output signals are calculated using the program.

microcontroller

The microcontroller is the central component of a control unit. It controls its functional sequence. In addition to the CPU (central processing unit), there are also input and output channels, timer units, RAM, ROM, serial in the microcontroller Interfaces and other peripheral assemblies integrated on a microchip. A quartz clocks the microcontroller.

Program and data storage

The microcontroller needs a program for the calculations - the so-called "software". It is stored in the form of binary numerical values, which are divided into data records, in a program memory. The CPU reads these values, interprets them as commands and executes these commands The program is stored in a read-only memory (ROM, EPROM or Flash-EPROM). Variant-specific data (individual data, characteristic curves and maps) are also available in this memory. These are unchangeable data that do not change during vehicle operation They influence the control and regulation processes of the program. The program memory can be integrated in the microcontroller and, depending on the application, can also be expanded in a separate component (eg by an EPROM or Flash EPROM).

ROME

Program memories can be designed as ROMs (Read Qnly Memory). This is a read-only memory, the content of which is determined during production and cannot be changed afterwards. The memory capacity of the ROM integrated in the microcontroller is limited. Additional memory is required for complex applications.

EPROM

The EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM, ie erasable and programmable ROM) can be erased by exposure to UV light and re-created with a programming device to be discribed. The EPROM is usually designed as a separate component. The CPU addresses the EPROM via the address / data bus.

Flash EPROM (FEPROM)

The flash EPROM is often only called "flash". It can be erased electrically. This means that the control units can be reprogrammed in the customer service workshop without having to open them. The control unit is connected to the reprogramming station via a serial interface. If the microcontroller also contains a ROM, the programming routines for flash programming are stored there. Flash ΞPROMs can now also be integrated on a microchip together with the microcontroller. Because of its advantages, the flash EPROM has largely replaced the conventional EPROM.

Variable or working memory

Such a read / write memory is necessary to change data (variables) such. B. to save calculated values and signal values.

R.A.M.

All current values are stored in RAM (Random Access Memory, ie read / write memory). The memory capacity of the RAM integrated in the microcontroller is not sufficient for complex applications, so an additional RAM module is required. It is connected to the microcontroller via the address / data bus. When the control unit is switched off via the ignition lock, the RAM loses all of its data (volatile memory). EEPROM (also called E ² PROM)

The RAM loses its information if it is disconnected from the power supply (e.g. when the ignition is switched off). Data that must not be lost (e.g.

Immobilizer codes and fault memory data) must be permanently stored in a non-volatile permanent memory. The EEPROM is an electrically erasable EPROM, in which, unlike the Flash EPROM, each memory cell can be erased individually. It is also designed for a higher number of write cycles. The EEPROM can thus be used as a non-volatile read / write memory.

ASIC

Due to the increasing complexity of the control unit functions, the standard microcontrollers available on the market are not sufficient. This can be remedied by ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) modules. These ICs

(Integrated Circuit) are designed and manufactured according to the specifications of the control unit development. For example, they contain additional RAM, input and output channels and they can generate and output PWM signals (see below).

monitoring module

The control unit has a monitoring module. The microcontroller and the monitoring module monitor one another by means of a so-called “question and answer game”. The question and answer game and the question and answer communication are carried out as part of a program monitoring Monitoring grid. On the basis of a test site or test date, the question that is transmitted by redundant hardware such as the monitoring module, a partial response is calculated by the program sequence monitoring, which together with the partial response of the command test, which monitors the processor close to the hardware, results in an overall response to the redundant hardware is linked. The response is then checked by the redundant hardware, in particular the monitoring module. In the event of an error, the error debouncing is activated and an error reaction is triggered after it has expired. In the event of a correct partial response, the program sequence monitoring ensures that individual partial functions have all been called up with the intended frequency and all have been terminated. If an error is detected, both can, that is

Microcontroller and monitoring module switch off the injection independently of each other.

output signals

The microcontroller controls output stages with the output signals, which usually provide enough power for the direct connection of the actuators. It is also possible that the output stage controls a relay. The output stages are protected against short circuits against ground or battery voltage and against destruction due to electrical or thermal overload. These errors as well as disconnected lines are recognized by the output stage IC and reported to the microcontroller.

switching signals

Actuators can be switched on and off using the switching signals (e.g. motor fan). PWM signals

Digital output signals can be output as PWM signals. These "pulse-width-modulated" signals are square-wave signals with a constant frequency but a variable switch-on time. With these signals, actuators (actuators) can be brought into any working position (e.g. exhaust gas recirculation valve, fan, heating elements, boost pressure controller).

Communication within the control unit

The peripheral components that support the microcontroller in its work must be able to communicate with it. This is done via the address / data bus. The

Microcontroller are on the address bus z. B. the RAM address whose memory content is to be read. The data associated with the address is then transmitted via the data bus. Earlier developments in the automotive sector used an 8-bit bus structure. This means that the data bus consists of eight lines over which 256 values can be transmitted. With the 16-bit address bus common in these systems, 65 536 addresses can be addressed. Complex systems nowadays require 16 or even 32 bits for the data bus. In order to save pins on the components, the data and address bus can be combined in a multiplex system, ie the address and data are transmitted at different times and use the same lines. For data that does not have to be transferred as quickly (e.g. fault memory data), serial interfaces with only one data line are used. EOL programming

The large number of vehicle variants that require different control programs and data sets requires a method for reducing the types of control device required by the vehicle manufacturer. For this purpose, the entire memory area of the Flash EPROM can be programmed with the program and the variant-specific data set at the end of vehicle production (EOL, End Of Line Programming). Another possibility is that in the

Several data variants (e.g. transmission variants) can be stored in the memory, which are then selected by coding at the end of the line. This coding is stored in the EEPROM.

According to the invention, such an exemplary hardware according to FIG. 1 results in a system for controlling operating processes, in particular in a vehicle, a first control unit and a second control unit being contained and the control units being connected to one another and via this connection

Exchange information, at least the second control unit containing register R, in which the exchanged and / or exchanged information is stored. The first control unit can be, for example, the microcontroller and the second one or more power amplifier circuits (ICs) e.g. shown in block IC.

The second control unit IC or its register R in the first control unit, the

Replicated microcontroller. This is only symbolically represented by ICMC, since existing resources and hardware components of the microcontroller can be used for the simulation. The first control unit swaps with the simulated second one Control unit ICMC information, wherein the exchanged information is transmitted from the simulated second control unit to the second control unit IC and the information to be exchanged from the second control unit to the simulated second control unit ICMC via the connection V.

The connection V can be wired or wired, which means that e.g. an SPI, CAN or also e.g. a radio bus can be used for this. The

The connection used is therefore not to be understood as restrictive in the sense of the invention.

In the new concept, the power amplifiers ICs are now simulated virtually in the controller. That The information from the registers is now fetched at regular intervals via the connecting lines V between the microcontroller or controller and the ICs and the register values are stored 1: 1 in the RAM of the controller.

If information that is recorded in these ICs must now be accessed within an application, the values previously stored in RAM are accessed instead of via the slow controller hardware connection.

Values that have to be transferred to the ICs are handled accordingly. The application writes the values to virtual registers in RAM. In the background, these values are then cyclically transferred to the hardware ICs.

By simulating the blocks in RAM, the information of the hardware ICs can be accessed very quickly. In addition, the information can be exchanged in the background cyclically or when the controller is idle. Due to the cyclical communication in the background the controller load can be predictably influenced and optimized accordingly.

Instead of the final stage circuits IC, the monitoring module or intelligent, bidirectionally connected sensors could also be used as a second control means.

Another hardware as a more specific embodiment is shown in FIG. 2 in the labeled block diagram.

Claims

Expectations

1. System for controlling operating processes, in particular in a vehicle, wherein a first control unit and a second control unit are included and the control units are connected to one another and exchange information via this connection, at least the second control unit containing registers in which the exchanged and / or information to be exchanged is characterized in that the second control unit or its register is simulated in the first control unit and the first control unit exchanges information with the simulated second control unit, the exchanged information from the simulated second control unit to the second control unit and the information to be exchanged are transmitted from the second control unit to the simulated second control unit via the connection.

2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the registers of the second control unit are simulated as virtual registers in a volatile memory of the first control unit.

3. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection is formed without wires.

4. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection is formed with a line.

5. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the entire second control unit is simulated with the registers virtually in the first control unit.