Vehicle control system and automobile using the same

• US 20030195669A1
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fumio Murabayashi, Kohei Sakurai, Mitsuru Watabe, Nobuyasu Kanekawa, Toshio Hayashibara
• Original Assignee: Fumio Murabayashi, Kohei Sakurai, Mitsuru Watabe, Nobuyasu Kanekawa, Toshio Hayashibara
• Inventors: Murabayashi, Fumio, Hayashibara, Toshio, Kanekawa, Nobuyasu, Sakurai, Kohei, Watabe, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 6,999,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/406 Test-mode; Self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 using electrical circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/18 Packaging of the electronic circuit in a casing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3005 Details not otherwise provided for

Abstract

To provide a low-cost vehicle control system and a car using the system by making radiation of an actuator driver easy and thereby reducing the radiation component cost and moreover, downsizing an electronic control unit and improving the versatility.

The vehicle control system is provided with the electronic control unit and a plurality of actuators. The vehicle control system has actuator drivers for driving the actuators at the actuator side. The actuator drivers respectively have a self-diagnosis section, a self-protection section, and a communication control section and are made independent and dispersed correspondingly to the actuators.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising an electronic control unit and a plurality of actuators, wherein the control system has actuator drivers for driving the actuators at the actuator side and the actuator drivers are independent by respectively including a self-diagnosis section, self-protection section, and communication control section, and are dispersed correspondingly to the actuators one-to-one.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator drivers respectively have a timer.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuator drivers are built in connectors or adapters connected to the actuators.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuator drivers are removably mounted on outsides of connectors or adapters connected to the actuators and electrically connected with terminals of the connectors or adapters.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuator drivers are built in the actuators.

6. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the communication control section of the actuator drivers respectively have a serial communication section.

7. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the communication control section of each of the actuator drivers has a radio communication control section.

8. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the actuator drivers are fabricated on a semiconductor substrate and respectively used as an IC.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 3 or 5, wherein the actuator drivers are directly mounted on a metallic member not through a substrate and formed integrally with connectors or adapters connected to the actuators or integrally with the actuators.

10. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic control unit is set in the engine room of a vehicle.

11. A car using the vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.