Vehicle control system

• US 7,349,770 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Hori, Masashi, Matsuzaki, Haruki, Kashiwagi, Tomoyuki, Shinojima, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/441,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/23, 701/29, 701/31, 701/34, 701/36, 701/51, 701/63
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/115 with planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/038 Limiting the input power, torque or speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/045 Monitoring control system parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/326 Actuators for range selection, i.e. actuators for controlling the range selector or the manual range valve in the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/12 Detecting malfunction or potential malfunction, e.g. fail safe in control of hydrostatic gearing F16H61/4192; Circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/32 Electric motors actuators or related electrical control means therefor

Abstract

A vehicle control system is disclosed. The vehicle control system includes a by-wire system with an actuator for changing vehicle conditions and a by-wire control circuit that electrically controls the actuator according to a command for changing the vehicle conditions by a vehicle passenger. The vehicle control system further includes a monitoring control device having a control circuit that is different from the by-wire control circuit and that monitors the by-wire system on the basis of monitoring information received from the by-wire system. The vehicle control system also includes an inhibiting device that inhibits the control of the actuator by the by-wire control circuit on receiving a control command from the monitoring control device when the monitoring control device confirms a fault of the by-wire system.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a by-wire system including an actuator for changing vehicle conditions and a by-wire control circuit that electrically controls the actuator according to a command for changing the vehicle conditions by a vehicle passenger;

a monitoring control device that comprises a control circuit different from the by-wire control circuit and monitors the by-wire system on the basis of monitoring information received from the by-wire system, the control circuit of the monitoring control device being provided to control another actuator different from the actuator controlled by the by-wire control circuit; and

an inhibiting device that inhibits the control of the actuator by the by-wire control circuit on receiving a control command from the monitoring control device when the monitoring control device confirms a fault of the by-wire system.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the inhibiting device inhibits the control of the actuator by the by-wire control circuit by disconnecting a conduction passage between the by-wire control circuit and the actuator.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the monitoring control device acquires reference information used as reference to monitor the by-wire system, and determines a fault of the by-wire system on the basis of a result of comparison between the monitoring information and the reference information.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 3,

wherein both the monitoring information and the reference information include target condition information indicating vehicle conditions targeted on the basis of a change command.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 4,

wherein the by-wire control circuit and the monitoring control device are connected in parallel to a command input device to which the change command is inputted from a vehicle passenger, and which outputs a signal corresponding to the change command.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 4,

wherein the by-wire control circuit and the monitoring control device are connected in series to a command input device to which the change command is inputted from a vehicle passenger, and which outputs a signal corresponding to the change command.

7. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the monitoring control device includes an engine control circuit that electrically controls a vehicle engine.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 7,

wherein the monitoring control device, when confirming a fault of the by-wire system controls the vehicle engine by at least one of decreasing engine torque and stopping the vehicle engine.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the monitoring control device includes a brake control circuit that electrically controls an actuating device for actuating a vehicle brake.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 9,

wherein the monitoring control device controls the actuating device to actuate the vehicle brake when confirming a fault of the by-wire system.

11. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the monitoring control device includes an automatic transmission control circuit that electrically controls a switching device for switching friction elements to be engaged in an automatic transmission of a vehicle.

12. The vehicle control system according to claim 11,

wherein the monitoring control device realizes a neutral range by controlling the switching device when confirming a fault of the by-wire system.

13. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the actuator includes plural driving parts that individually generate a driving force to change the vehicle conditions,

wherein the by-wire control circuit controls the plural driving parts via individual conduction passages,

wherein the inhibiting device includes plural inhibiting parts individually corresponding to the plural driving parts, and the inhibiting parts receive a control command from the monitoring control device that confirms a fault of a corresponding driving part, and inhibits the control of the corresponding driving part by the by-wire control circuit.

14. The vehicle control system according to claim 13,

wherein the by-wire control circuit, when detecting a fault in at least one of the plural driving parts, sends the monitoring information indicating the relevant faulty driving part to the monitoring control device, and

wherein the monitoring control device inhibits the control of the faulty driving part by the by-wire control circuit by giving a control command to an inhibiting part corresponding to the faulty driving part indicated by the monitoring information of the plural inhibiting parts.

15. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the by-wire system is a shift-by-wire system that includes the actuator that mechanically drives a range switching module for changing a range of an automatic transmission of the vehicle, and the by-wire control circuit electrically controls the actuator according to a command for changing the range.

16. The vehicle control system according to claim 15,

wherein the by-wire control circuit electrically controls a switching device for switching friction elements to be engaged in the automatic transmission.

17. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein the by-wire system is a steer-by-wire system that includes the actuator that mechanically drives a steering angle change device for changing a steering angle of the vehicle, and the by-wire control circuit electrically controls the actuator according to a command for changing the steering angle.