Electrical control unit and control system comprising plural electrical control units

• US 20040162653A1
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ban, Yoshinori, Shimizu, Koukichi, Sato, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,203,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0005 Processor details or data handling, e.g. memory registers or chip architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0045 using databus protocols
• 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: F16H 2061/1208 with diagnostic check cycles; Monitoring of failures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

When ENG frames created in an ENG transceiver unit and ECT frames subjected to gateway processing in an ECT gateway processor are transmitted around the same time, a transmission mediating unit alternately transmits each of the ENG frames and the ECT frames. Therefore, as compared with a case where one type of frames are preferentially transmitted, transmission of both types of frames can be started at the earliest timing.

Claims

1. An electrical control unit comprising:

a communication frame creating unit for creating a communication frame to be transmitted in response to a request;

a storage unit for temporarily storing another communication frame transmitted from another electrical control unit, the another communication frame being subjected to gateway processing; and

a transmission mediating unit for alternately transmitting the communication frame created in the communication frame creating unit and the another communication frame stored in the storage unit through an externally connected bus.

2. The electrical control unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication frame creating unit sets a code representing an abnormality content detected by abnormality diagnosis and creates a communication frame corresponding to the abnormality content.

3. The electrical control unit according to claim 2, wherein the electrical control unit controls in-vehicle mount equipment mounted in a vehicle, and the communication frame creating unit sets a signal representing a state of the in-vehicle mount equipment as a message and creates a communication frame corresponding to the message.

4. The electrical control unit according to claim 1, wherein the electrical control unit controls in-vehicle mount equipment mounted in a vehicle, and the communication frame creating unit sets a signal representing a state of the in-vehicle mount equipment as a message and creates at least one communication frame corresponding to the message.

5. A control system comprising:

a first electrical control unit for responsively creating a first communication frame to be transmitted upon receiving an external request and for transmitting the first communication frame through a first bus; and

a second electrical control unit connected to the first electrical control unit through a second bus, wherein the second electrical control unit is for creating a second communication frame to be transmitted in response to the request from the exterior unit and transmitting the second communication frame through the first bus,

wherein the first electrical control unit includes a transmission mediating unit for alternately transmitting the first and second communication frame when the first electrical control unit transmits the first communication frame on the first bus at approximately a same time as the second electrical control unit transmits the second communication frame on the first bus.

6. The control system according to claim 5, wherein each of the first and second electrical control units creates the first and second communication frames based upon the external request, wherein the external request is received from an exterior unit from the first bus.

7. The control system according to claim 6, wherein each of the first and second electrical control units transmits a code representing an abnormality content detected through abnormality diagnosis as a message upon receiving the external request.

8. The control system according to any one of claim 7, wherein the first and second electrical control units are constructed as an electrical control unit for controlling the driving state of an engine of a vehicle and an electrical control unit for controlling an automatic transmission of the vehicle.

9. The control system according to any one of claims 6, wherein the first and second electrical control units are constructed as an electrical control unit for controlling the driving state of an engine of a vehicle and an electrical control unit for controlling an automatic transmission of the vehicle.

10. The control system according to any one of claim 5, wherein the first and second electrical control units are constructed as an electrical control unit for controlling the driving state of an engine of a vehicle and an electrical control unit for controlling an automatic transmission of the vehicle.