Vehicle electronic controller

• US 7,020,550 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2004
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yasuhiro, Yokochi, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/956,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/43, 701/29, 701/33, 701/39, 714/736, 714/2, 395/182.08, 395/182.21, 700/2, 700/79, 700/21, 709/208, 709/211, 708/530, 708/490, 340/438, 123/396, 123/492, 180/79.1
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/105 characterised by the function converting demand to actuation, e.g. a map indicating relations between an accelerator pedal position and throttle valve opening or target engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0224 Process history based detection method, e.g. whereby history implies the availability of large amounts of data

Abstract

A vehicle electronic controller for checking a control microcomputer with a common monitoring IC, which is used in different vehicles. The vehicle electronic controller includes a control microcomputer, which calculates control data to control an actuator installed in a vehicle in accordance with a driving condition of the vehicle, and a monitoring IC, which is connected to the control microcomputer and checks whether or not the control data is normal based on a determination value. The control microcomputer provides the determination value to the monitoring IC. The monitoring IC includes a memory device, which stores the determination value in a rewritable manner. The monitoring IC receives the determination value and stores the determination value in the memory device.

Claims

1. An electronic controller for a vehicle having an actuator, the electronic controller comprising:

a control microcomputer for calculating control data to control the actuator in the vehicle in accordance with a driving condition of the vehicle; and

a monitoring IC connected to the control microcomputer to perform a check of whether a determination value used by the control microcomputer to check for abnormality of the control data is normal, and if the check indicates that the determination value is normal, storing the determination value;

wherein the control microcomputer has a plurality of determination values, calculates a plurality of mirror values, each of which is complement of a corresponding one of the determination values, calculates a sum of the plurality of determination values, and simultaneously sends either the mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC together with the determination values.

2. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring IC determines whether or not the determination values are normal with either the mirror values or the sum and requests the control microcomputer to resend the determination values and either the mirror values or the sum when the determination values are determined not to be normal.

3. The electronic controller according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring IC stores the determination values in the memory device when the plurality of determination values are determined to be normal.

4. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein the control microcomputer simultaneously resends the plurality of determination values and either the plurality of mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC in response to the request, the monitoring IC prestores a provisional determination value to check whether the control data is normal, and the monitoring IC determines whether the resent determination values are normal using either the mirror values or the sum and employs the provisional determination value when the resent determination values are determined not to be normal.

5. The electronic controller according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring IC stores the resent determination values in the memory device when the resent determination values are determined to be normal.

6. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring IC prestores a provisional determination value to check whether the control data is normal, and the monitoring IC determines whether the determination values are normal using either the mirror values or the sum and employs the provisional determination value when the determination values are determined not to be normal.

7. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes an ignition switch, a battery, and electric components and the control microcomputer sends the determination values to the monitoring IC only when the battery is initially connected to at least one electric component of the vehicle and the ignition switch is turned on.

8. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is a throttle valve motor, and the control microcomputer is a throttle control microcomputer controlling the throttle valve motor.

9. An electronic controller for a vehicle having an actuator, the electronic controller comprising:

a control microcomputer for calculating control data to control the actuator in the vehicle in accordance with a driving condition of the vehicle;

a monitoring IC connected to the control microcomputer to perform a check of whether a determination value used by the control microcomputer to check for abnormality of the control data is normal; and

a rewritable non-volatile memory connected to the monitoring IC, wherein the control microcomputer sends the determination value to the monitoring IC, and the monitoring IC receives the determination value and stores the determination value in the non-volatile memory if the check performed by the monitoring IC indicates that the determination value is normal;

wherein the control microcomputer has a plurality of determination values and calculates a plurality of mirror values, each of which is complement of a corresponding one of the determination values, calculates the sum of the determination values, and simultaneously sends either the mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC together with the determination values, the monitoring IC determines whether the determination values are normal with either the mirror values or the sum and requests the control microcomputer to resend the determination values and either the mirror values or the sum when the determination values are determined not to be normal, and the monitoring IC stores the determination values in the non-volatile memory when the determination values are determined to be normal.

10. The electronic controller according to claim 9, wherein the control microcomputer simultaneously resends the determination values and either the mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC in response to the request, the monitoring IC prestores a provisional determination value to check whether the control data is normal, the monitoring IC determining whether the resent determination values are normal with either the resent mirror values or the resent sum and employs the resent provisional determination value when the resent determination values are determined not to be normal, and the monitoring IC storing the resent determination values in the non-volatile memory when the resent determination values are determined to be normal.

11. The electronic controller according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle includes an ignition switch, a battery, and electric components and the control microcomputer sends the determination values to the monitoring IC when the battery is initially connected to at least one electric component of the vehicle and the ignition switch is turned on.

12. The electronic controller according to claim 9, wherein the actuator is a throttle valve motor, and the control microcomputer is a throttle control microcomputer for controlling the throttle valve motor.

13. A method for checking an electronic controller for a vehicle, the electronic controller including a control microcomputer, which calculates control data to control an actuator installed in the vehicle in accordance with a driving condition of the vehicle, and a monitoring IC, which is connected to the control microcomputer, the method comprising:

storing a determination value in the control microcomputer to check whether the control data is normal;

sending the determination value to the monitoring IC from the control microcomputer;

in the monitoring IC, performing a check of whether the determination value is normal; and

if the check indicates that the determination value is normal, storing the determination value;

wherein the control microcomputer includes a plurality of determination values and the monitoring IC includes a memory device for storing the determination values in a rewritable manner, the method further comprising;

calculating a plurality of mirror values, each of which is complement of a corresponding one of the determination values, and calculating a sum of the determination values;

simultaneously sending either the mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC together with the determination values;

determining whether the determination values are normal with the monitoring IC using either the mirror values or the sum;

requesting the control microcomputer to resend the determination values and either the plurality of mirror values or the sum from the monitoring IC when the determination values are determined not to be normal; and

storing the plurality of determination values in the memory device when the determination values are determined to be normal.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring IC prestores a provisional determination value to check whether the control data is normal, the method further comprising:

simultaneously resending the determination values and either the mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC from the control microcomputer in response to the request;

determining whether the resent determination values are normal with the monitoring IC using either the resent mirror values or the resent sum;

checking whether the control data is normal using the provisional determination value when the resent determination values are determined not to be normal; and

storing the resent determination values in the memory device when the resent determination values are determined to be normal.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle includes an ignition switch, a battery, and electric components and said sending determination value includes sending the determination values to the monitoring IC only when the battery is initially connected to at least one electric component in the vehicle and the ignition switch is activated.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the actuator is a throttle valve motor, and said checking includes sending control data to control the throttle valve motor.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle electronic controller includes a non-volatile memory, which is connected to the monitoring IC and rewritable, the method further comprising:

calculating a plurality of mirror values, each of which is a complement of a corresponding one of the determination values, and calculating a sum of the determination values;

simultaneously sending either the mirror values or the sum to the monitoring IC together with the determination values;

determining whether or not the determination values are normal with the monitoring IC using either the mirror values or the sum;

requesting the control microcomputer to resend the determination values and either the mirror values or the sum from the monitoring IC when the determination value is determined as not being normal; and

storing the determination values in the non-volatile memory when the determination values are determined to be normal.