Vehicle-borne electronic control device

• US 20070016337A1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Manabu, Hashimoto, Kohji, Iwagami, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/907 Temperature compensation of semiconductor

Abstract

A constant-voltage power supply circuit unit that is fed from a vehicle-borne battery via a power switch and generates a predetermined constant-voltage output Vcc includes a power transistor and an output voltage regulating circuit unit. The output voltage regulating circuit unit includes a reference voltage generating circuit, a comparison amplifying circuit, a resistance circuit network, a non-volatile second data memory that selectively continues plural open/close elements provided in the resistance circuit network, and a temperature detector. The quantity of variation of output voltage with respect to ambient temperature detected by the temperature detector is estimated, and a setting voltage is corrected to be approximate to a predetermined output voltage, or conversion correction of AD conversion data is performed on the basis of voltage variation characteristics of an analog sensor.

Claims

1. A vehicle-borne electronic control device comprising a microprocessor containing a non-volatile program memory storing a control program and a control constant transferred and written thereto via an external tool, a non-volatile first data memory in which learning data is stored and saved, and a RAM memory for arithmetic processing, the vehicle-borne electronic control device further comprising a constant-voltage power supply circuit unit including a power transistor and an output voltage regulating circuit unit that cooperates with a non-volatile second data memory, a multi-channel AD converter, and a temperature detector, the program memory containing a program to realize a temperature calibration information reading and storing unit, an output voltage estimating unit, and an error correcting unit, and the second data memory containing output voltage correction data,

wherein the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit is feed-controlled by a vehicle-borne battery via the power transistor, generates a predetermined constant-voltage output Vcc, and feeds at least the microprocessor, the multi-channel AD converter, and an analog sensor group connected to the multi-channel AD converter,

the output voltage regulating circuit unit includes a reference voltage generating circuit that generates a reference voltage Vs, a comparison amplifying circuit that compares the magnitude of a voltage proportional to the output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit and the magnitude of the reference voltage Vs, a resistance circuit network that is added to at least one input of the comparison amplifying circuit and fine-tunes a comparison input voltage, and plural open/close elements that are selectively continued in accordance with the contents of the second data memory and change a combined resistance value of the resistance circuit network, the continuity of the power transistor being controlled by the output of the comparison amplifying circuit, and the output voltage being negative-feedback-controlled to be a predetermined constant-voltage output Vcc proportional to the reference voltage Vs,

a detection voltage of the analog sensor group is inputted to the multi-channel AD converter, and when the analog input voltage of the AD converter becomes equal to a reference voltage Vref supplied from the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit, the multi-channel AD converter generates a maximum digital output of predetermined resolution and selectively inputs digitally converted values of many analog inputs to the microprocessor,

the temperature detector is formed by a thermosensitive element that is installed near the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit and that is fed from the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit to generate a temperature detection voltage corresponding to the temperature near the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit, and the output voltage correction data decides the combined resistance of the resistance circuit network so as to reduce the difference between the output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit and a target voltage due to characteristic variation of components applied,

the temperature calibration information reading and storing unit is a unit that writes and saves a digitally converted value of the detection voltage of the temperature detector at least at the time of transfer of the output voltage correction data, as calibration reference temperature data into the first or second data memory,

the output voltage estimating unit is a unit that estimates the current output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit by comparing the current detection output of the temperature detector with the calibration reference temperature data stored in the first or second data memory, and

the error correcting unit is either an AD conversion value correcting unit that corrects the AD conversion value on the basis of the estimated output voltage and thus corrects an error of AD conversion output data, or an output voltage correcting unit that restrains variation of the output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit itself on the basis of the estimated output voltage.

2. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the program memory or the first data memory contains voltage variation rate data,

the voltage variation rate data is data of average voltage variation rate that is statistically calculated by actually measuring, in advance, the variation characteristics of output voltage in the case where the ambient temperature is changed with respect to many products, and the voltage variation rate data is stored from the external tool to the program memory or the first data memory, and

the output voltage estimating unit estimates the current output voltage on the basis of the current output of the temperature detector and the voltage variation rate data.

3. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the program memory further contains a program that provide an abnormal-temperature output voltage storing unit and an abnormal-temperature environment temperature data storing unit for an abnormal-temperature environment of a higher or lower temperature than the calibration reference temperature,

the abnormal-temperature output voltage storing unit writes and saves the value of the externally measured voltage in the abnormal-temperature environment to the first or second data memory as an abnormal-temperature output voltage,

the abnormal-temperature environment temperature data storing unit writes and saves the digitally converted value of the detected voltage of the temperature detector at the time when the abnormal-temperature output voltage is measured, to the first or second data memory, as an abnormal-temperature environment temperature, and

the output voltage estimating unit calculates the output voltage at the current detected temperature from the correlation between the target output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit or the externally measured voltage at the calibration reference temperature and the externally measured voltage at the abnormal-temperature environment temperature.

4. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claims 1, wherein the program memory or the first data memory contains conversion processing data,

the program memory also contains a program that provides an AD conversion value correcting unit, which is one of the error correcting units,

the conversion processing data is average variation characteristic data that is statistically calculated by actually measuring, in advance, the variation characteristics of power supply voltage versus detected output voltage for a part or all of the analog signals inputted to the multi-channel AD converter, with respect to many analog sensors, and the variation characteristic data is stored from the external tool to the program memory or the first data memory, and

the AD conversion value correcting unit is a detected value correcting unit that corrects the value of at least a part of the digitally converted voltages of the multi-channel AD converter on the basis of the current output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit estimated by the output voltage estimating unit and the conversion processing data.

5. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claims 1, wherein the output voltage regulating circuit unit has a mediate setting memory, and the program memory further contains a program that provides an output voltage correcting unit, which is one of the error correcting units,

the mediate setting memory, instead of the second data memory, performs continuity control of the open/close elements that perform variable control of the combined resistance of the resistance circuit network, and the output voltage correction data stored in the second data memory is transferred as an initial value to the mediate setting memory, and as a result, when the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit is at a reference ambient temperature, the open/close elements are selectively continued to generate a predetermined constant-voltage output Vcc, and

the output voltage correcting unit calculates modified output voltage correction data corresponding to a differential voltage between the output voltage estimated by the output voltage estimating unit and a target output voltage, and performs algebraic addition of the modified output voltage correction data to the output voltage correction data stored in the mediate setting memory.

6. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output voltage regulating circuit unit has a variable setting memory and a variable resistance circuit network, in addition to the second data memory and the resistance circuit network,

the program memory further contains a program that provides an output voltage correcting unit, which is one of the error correcting units,

the variable setting memory is a non-volatile memory storing modified output voltage correction data for the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit to generate a predetermined constant-voltage output Vcc at a current ambient temperature,

the variable resistance circuit network is added to at least one input of the comparison amplifying circuit and fine-tunes the comparison input voltage, and the variable resistance circuit network has plural open/close elements that change a combined resistance value of the resistance circuit network, and the open/close elements are selectively continued in accordance with the contents in the variable setting memory, and

the output voltage correcting unit calculates modified output voltage correction data corresponding to a differential voltage between the output voltage estimated by the output voltage estimating unit and a target output voltage, and stores the modified output voltage correction data into the variable setting memory.

7. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output voltage regulating circuit unit is formed as a single integrated circuit device including at least a communication control circuit unit and a second multi-channel AD converter,

the communication control circuit unit is serially connected with the microprocessor, and at the stage of component inspection of the integrated circuit device, the communication control circuit unit is serially connected with an external calibration tool,

the external calibration tool is an inspection facility to write the output voltage correction data and at least the calibration reference temperature data at the time of calibration to the second data memory, and

the second multi-channel AD converter is an AD converter that digitally converts the temperature near the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit detected by the temperature detector and inputs the digitally converted temperature to the communication control circuit unit.

8. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the communication control circuit unit further includes an auxiliary program memory and an auxiliary RAM memory that cooperate with an auxiliary microprocessor, and all or a part of programs that provide the temperature calibration information reading and storing unit, output voltage estimating unit, and AD conversion value correcting unit or output voltage correcting unit, are stored in the auxiliary program memory, and these programs are executed by the auxiliary microprocessor instead of the microprocessor.

9. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the program memory or the auxiliary program memory further contains a program that provides an externally measured voltage reading and storing unit, a calibration confirming unit, and correction data calculating and transfer units,

the externally measured voltage reading and storing unit causes a highly accurate voltmeter provided outside of the vehicle-borne electronic control device to measure the output voltage of the constant-voltage power supply circuit unit, and transfers and temporarily stores the measured voltage into the RAM memory in the vehicle-borne electronic control device via the external tool or the external calibration tool,

the calibration confirming unit reads out an externally measured voltage V10 measured by the highly accurate voltmeter and confirms whether the difference between the externally measured voltage V10 and a target value of the output voltage is corrected to fall within an allowable error range,

when the result of the judgment by the calibration confirming unit shows that the difference is too large, the correction data calculating and transfer units are executed, and these units calculate correction data in response to a differential voltage between the externally measured voltage V10 and the target value of the output voltage, and transfer and rewrite the output voltage correction data into the second data memory, and

the externally measured voltage reading and storing unit, the calibration confirming unit, and the correction data calculating and transfer unit constitute a calibration control unit executed in the inspection of components including at least the output voltage regulating circuit unit or in the adjustment operation of the vehicle-borne electronic control device.

10. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the highly accurate voltmeter, which is the test inspection facility, is a voltmeter having accuracy equivalent to or higher than a minimum unit of the output voltage that can be regulated by the second data memory, and the measured voltage measured by the highly accurate voltmeter is read out and temporarily stored as digital data into the RAM memory by the externally measured voltage reading and storing unit via the external tool or the external calibration tool.

11. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the calibration confirming unit further includes a re-transfer unit, at least one control unit of either a correction value limiting unit or a number-of-times-of-correction limiting unit, and an anomaly notifying unit,

the re-transfer unit acts when the target difference confirmed by the calibration confirming unit is too large, and the re-transfer unit calculates correction data again in accordance with the differential voltage between the externally measured voltage V10 updated, read out and temporarily stored by the externally measured voltage reading and storing unit and the target value of the output voltage, and rewrites and transfers the new output voltage correction data to the second data memory,

the correction value limiting unit stops the calibration operation when the correction value calculated by the correction data calculating unit exceeds a predetermined allowable value, and the number-of-times-of-correction limiting unit stops the calibration operation when the difference between the externally measured voltage V10 and the target value of the output voltage is not corrected to fall within the allowable error range even if the number of times of correction processing, update and transfer by the re-transfer unit exceeds a predetermined number of times, and

the anomaly notifying unit acts when the correction value limiting unit or the number-of-times-of-correction limiting unit has stopped the calibration operation, and the anomaly notifying unit gives a warning and display of a calibration-disabled state to the external tool or the external calibration tool.

12. The vehicle-borne electronic control device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the correction data calculating unit transfers first and second output voltage correction data Daj1 and Daj2 to the second data memory as a tentative value, calculates differential voltages Δ

V1=V01−

Vcc and Δ

V2=V02−

Vcc between externally measured voltages V01 and V02 read out and stored by the externally measured voltage reading and storing units and the target value Vcc of the output voltage corresponding to the correction data Daj1 and Daj2, and calculates output voltage correction data Daj for a differential voltage of 0 by interpolation calculation based on the differential voltages Δ

V1 and Δ

V2 corresponding to the correction data Daj1 and Daj2.