Electrical equipment control system for a vehicle utilizing one central processing unit

• US 5,673,192 A
• Filed: 08/27/1996
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sato, Morio
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fiul, Dan
• Application Number:
  US08/703,834
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 364/431.12, 364/550, 364/559, 364/424.045, 364/423.098, 80/79.1, 324/381
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2016/0322 Temporary code for documents to be reclassified to G08C, H04L or H04Q

Abstract

A centralized electrical equipment control system controls the electrical equipment of a vehicle and provides the capability of reducing the manufacturing cost while facilitating the modification and development of the electrical system of the vehicle. The electrical equipment control system has a central control unit including a microcomputer and a communication circuit. The microcomputer exchanges data through the communication circuit via a communication network with respective communication circuits of an ignition I/O unit, a meter I/O unit and a flasher I/O unit to control the I/O units. The electrical equipment control system utilizes only a single microcomputer and a simple I/O port and is thus capable of reducing the manufacturing costs of the electrical equipment.

Claims

1. An electrical equipment control system for controlling electrical equipment of a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of input/output means, wherein each of said input/output means includes

sensor output read means for reading outputs of sensors of the electrical equipment,

input data producing means for producing input data on the basis of outputs of said sensor output read means,

first communication means for transforming outputs of said input data producing means into signals of a predetermined transmission format, for delivering the transformed signals of the predetermined transmission format to a data communication network and for extracting electrical equipment driving signals from input signals delivered thereto via the data communication network, and

driving means for driving the electrical equipment on the basis of the electrical equipment driving signals extracted by said first communication means; and

central control means having

second communication means respectively connected through the data communication network to said first communication means for mutual data communication with said first communication means, and

control means for controlling respective electrical equipment by sending electrical equipment driving signals through said second communication means to respective, first communication means, said control means initially processing ignition control of an engine in the vehicle.

13. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of input/output means includes an ignition input/output means and other input/output means;

and

wherein said central control means initially communicates with said ignition input/output means.

14. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 13 wherein said central control means communicates, initially after the start of the engine, with said ignition input/output means for processing the ignition control and then communicates successively with said other input/output means.

15. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 13 wherein said central control means reads, initially after the start of the engine, a crank position of the engine from a crank position sensor connected with said ignition input/output means and then calculates an ignition time and delivers the ignition time to the ignition input/output means.

16. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 14 wherein said central control means reads, initially after the start of the engine, a crank position of the engine from a crank position sensor connected with said ignition input/output means and then calculates an ignition time and delivers the ignition time to the ignition input/output means.

17. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 13 wherein said ignition input/output means includes a timing signal generator for receiving signals from a crank position sensor and an ignition timer for applying ignition signals to an ignition coil,

wherein said ignition timer applies the ignition signals on the basis of an ignition timing signal provided by the timing signal generator and, after the engine has been started, on the basis of an ignition time calculated by said central control means and transmitted through the data communication network.

18. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 17 wherein said ignition input/output means includes a timing signal generator for receiving signals from a crank position sensor and an ignition timer for applying ignition signals to an ignition coil,

wherein said ignition timer applies the ignition signals on the basis of an ignition timing signal provided by the timing signal generator and, after the engine has been started, on the basis of an ignition time calculated by said central control means and transmitted through the data communication network.

19. The electrical equipment control system according to claim 13 wherein said central control means, initially after the start of the engine, calculates an ignition time datum and transmits the calculated ignition time datum to said ignition input/output means and then calculates and transmits other calculated data to said other input/output means.

2. A vehicle control system comprising:

a control unit for controlling a plurality of electrical equipment through a system data network, said control unit including

control means for generating command signals for controlling the plurality of electrical equipment in accordance with sensor data, and

first communication means, coupled to said control means, for transmitting the command signals along the system data network and for receiving the sensor data from the system data network; and

a plurality of I/O units, each coupled to a respective one of the plurality of electrical equipment, each of said plurality of I/O units including

sensor data generating means, coupling to a respective sensor, for generating sensor data of the respective electrical equipment in accordance with a sensor input signal from the respective sensor,

driving means, coupled to the respective electrical equipment, for generating a respective driving signal for driving the respective electrical equipment in accordance with the command and signals, and

second communication means, coupled to a respective sensor data generating means and a respective driving means, for transmitting the sensor data along the system data network and for receiving the command signals from the system data network.

3. The vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein each of said second communication means comprises:

receiving means, coupled to the system data network, for receiving the command signals from the system data network; and

transmitting means, coupled to the system data network, for transmitting the sensor data along the system data network,

wherein the command signals include command data and address destination data, the address destination data indicative of a respective one of the I/O units for which a particular command signal is intended.

4. The vehicle control system of claim 3, wherein each of said receiving means comprises:

comparator means for comparing the address destination data of the command signals with a designated address of the respective I/O means and for generating and delivering a transmission start signal to a respective transmitting means upon coincidence thereof to initiate transmission of the sensor data.

5. The vehicle control system of claim 4, wherein each of said transmitting means comprises:

transmission clock generating means for generating a transmission clock for synchronizing transmission of the sensor data upon receipt of the transmission start signal from a respective receiving means; and

data select means, coupled to said transmission clock means, for generating and delivering a receive inhibit signal to each of the respective receiving means to inhibit reception of the command signals during transmission of the sensor data.

6. The vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of I/O units is an ignition I/O unit, one of the electrical equipment is an ignition coil, one of the sensors is a crankshaft position sensor for sensing a position of a crankshaft of the vehicle, one of the sensor data generating means is a rotational frequency measuring timer for generating sensor data of a predetermined format indicative of the rotational frequency of the crankshaft, and one of the driving means is an ignition timer for generating an ignition signal as a driving signal to control said ignition coil.

7. The vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of I/O units is a speedometer I/O unit, one of the electrical equipment is a speedometer, one of the sensors is a speed sensor for sensing a traveling speed of the vehicle, one of the sensor data generating means is a traveling speed measuring timer for generating sensor data of a predetermined format indicative of the traveling speed of the vehicle, and one of the driving means is a digital/analog converter for converting a command signal into an analog deflection signal for driving said speedometer.

8. The vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of I/O units is a flasher I/O unit, one of the electrical equipment is a flasher relay, one of the sensors is a steering angle sensor for sensing a steering angle of a vehicle steering wheel, one of the sensor data generating means is an analog/digital converter for converting an output of said steering angle sensor into sensor data, and one of the driving means is a flasher driver for generating a flasher signal as a drive signal to control said flasher relay.

9. The vehicle control system of claim 3, wherein each of the receiving means further comprises:

data check means for checking the command data received from the system data network.

10. The vehicle control system of claim 3, wherein each of the receiving means further comprises register means for temporarily storing command signals received from the system data network.

11. The vehicle control system of claim 3, wherein each of the transmitting means further comprises means for generating a data check signal that is transmitted with the respective sensor data along the system data network.

12. The vehicle control system of claim 3, wherein each of the transmitting means further comprises register means for temporarily storing respective sensor data before transmission of the respective sensor data along the system data network.