Vehicle control apparatus having programs of object-oriented design

• US 6,236,910 B1
• Filed: 07/13/1999
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Iwai, Akihito, Kajioka, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/352,195
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/104, 701/102, 701/115, 123/480, 123/440
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23188 Software independent and dependent of hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs

Abstract

An engine control program is divided into an application layer and a platform layer. The application layer defines a program which is independent of a hardware and is provided under an object-oriented design. The platform layer defines a program which is dependent on the hardware and is provided under the object-oriented design, and divided into three layers, that is, an upper layer, an intermediate layer and a lower layer. The upper layer, intermediate layer and the lower layer includes a sensor/actuator layer, a device driver layer and a virtual MPU layer, respectively.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for vehicles comprising:

sensors for detecting operating conditions of a vehicle;

actuators for operating various parts of the vehicle;

an input circuit for receiving detection signals from the sensors;

a microcomputer having a control program, calculating optimum control values based on the conditions of the vehicle in response to signals from the input circuit to generate control signals for driving the actuators; and

a driving circuit for outputting drive signals for driving the actuators in response to the control signals, the sensors, the actuators, the input circuit, the microcomputer and the driving circuit being provided as hardware,

wherein the control program has a first layer defining control value calculation logic which is independent of the hardware and a second layer defining control value calculation logic which is dependent on the hardware, and

the second layer includes a modeled program which defines the physical construction of at least the sensors and the actuators of the hardware by modeling into a corresponding logic construction.

4. A control apparatus for vehicles as in claim 1, wherein the modeled program is provided as an object-oriented program.

5. A control apparatus for vehicles as in claim 1, wherein the programs existing in each layer are provided as object-oriented program.

2. A control apparatus for vehicles comprising:

sensors for detecting operating conditions of a vehicle;

actuators for operating various parts of the vehicle;

an input circuit for receiving detection signals from the sensors;

a microcomputer having a control program, calculating optimum control values based on the conditions of the vehicle in response to signals from the input circuit to generate control signals for driving the actuators; and

a driving circuit for outputting drive signals for driving the actuators in response to the control signals, the sensors, the actuators, the input circuits, the microcomputer and the driving circuits being provided as hardware,

wherein the control program has a first layer defining control value calculation logic which is independent of the hardware and a second layer defining control value calculation logic which is dependent on the hardware, and

the second layer is divided into an upper layer defining characteristics and operations of the sensors and the actuators by modeling, an intermediate layer defining characteristics and operations of the input circuit and the driving circuit by modeling, and a lower layer defining characteristics and operations of the microcomputer by modeling.

3. A control apparatus for vehicles comprising:

sensors for detecting operating conditions of a vehicle;

actuators for operating various parts of the vehicle;

an input circuit for receiving detection signals from the sensors;

a microcomputer having a control program, calculating optimum control values based on the conditions of the vehicle in response to the signals from the input circuit to generate control signals for driving the actuators; and

a driving circuit for outputting drive signals for driving the actuators in response to the control signals, the sensors, the actuators, the input circuits, the microcomputer and the driving circuits being provided as hardware,

wherein the control program has a first layer defining control value calculation logic which is independent of the hardware and a second layer defining control value calculation logic which is dependent on the hardware, and

the second layer is divided into an upper layer providing application software existing in the first layer with control information, an intermediate layer converting the control information into digital information for the microcomputer, and a lower layer outputting the digital information.

6. A control apparatus for vehicles comprising:

a microcomputer having a control program to control each condition of a vehicle;

a group of peripheral circuits for inputting detection data into the microcomputer and outputting control data from the microcomputer; and

a group of external parts for inputting detection signals into the peripheral circuits and operating to control each part of the vehicle in response to the control data,

wherein the control program has;

a sensor/actuator layer including a program provided as an object-oriented program modeling and defining characteristics and operations of each of the external parts,

a device driver layer including a program provided as an object-oriented program modeling and defining characteristics and operations of the circuits, and

a virtual MPU layer including a program provided as an object-oriented program modeling and defining characteristics and operations of the microcomputer.

7. A control apparatus for vehicles as in claim 6, wherein the external parts include sensors and actuators.

8. A control apparatus for vehicles as in claim 6, wherein the peripheral circuits include at least an A/D conversion circuit, a waveform shaper circuit and an injector driving circuit.

9. A control apparatus for vehicles as in claim 6, wherein the control program further includes an application layer which is independent of hardware, and the application layer is provided to receive various control information form the sensor/actuator layer.

10. A control apparatus for vehicles comprising:

sensors for detecting operating conditions of a vehicle;

actuators for operating various parts of the vehicle;

an input circuit for receiving detection signals from the sensors;

a microcomputer having a control program, calculating optimum control values based on the conditions of the vehicle in response to signals from the input circuit to generate control signals for driving the actuators; and

a driving circuit for outputting drive signals for driving the actuators in response to the control signals, the sensors, the actuators, the input circuits, the microcomputer and the driving circuits being provided as hardware,

wherein the control program has a first layer defining control value calculation logic which is independent of the hardware and a second layer defining control value calculation logic which is dependent on the hardware, and

the second layer includes, for each hardware part, a plurality of programs which are provided as object-oriented programs to hide hardware characteristics of the sensors and the actuators, for each hardware part.

11. A control apparatus for vehicles as in claim 10, wherein the hardware characteristics include at least one of:

(i) an ineffective injection period, (ii) a minimum energization period and (iii) a maximum energization period of an injector.