Automotive electronic control system including communicably connected commanding unit and driving unit

• US 7,421,302 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kabune, Hideki, Makino, Nobuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas K
• Application Number:
  US11/078,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 700/3, 700/9, 700/12, 700/21, 700/26, 700/27, 700/78, 700/79, 700/80, 700/91, 714/48
• US Class Current: 700/9
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0493 detecting processor errors, e.g. plausibility of steering direction
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

Abstract

An electronic control system mounted on an automobile, such as a motor-assisted power steering system, includes a commanding unit for calculating a command value and a driving unit for driving an actuator according to the command value. The commanding unit and the driving unit are communicably connected to each other through a communication bus. The command value is calculated in response to an order to calculate sent from the driving unit and is transmitted to the driving unit. The driving unit detects abnormality or malfunction in the commanding unit by comparing the transmitted command value with data pre-stored in the driving unit. If a command value sent from one of the commanding units is found to be incorrect, the actuator is driven without using the incorrect command value.

Claims

1. An electronic control system for use in an automobile vehicle comprising:

at least one commanding unit including means for calculating a command value based on electrical signals supplied thereto; and

at least one driving unit for driving an actuator according to the command value received from the commanding unit, the driving unit being communicably connected to the commanding unit, wherein;

the driving unit transmits an order to calculate the command value to the commanding unit;

the commanding unit sends back a result value calculated in response to the order to calculate to the driving unit; and

the driving unit detects abnormality in the commanding unit based on a comparison between the result value sent back from the commanding unit and data stored in and expected by the driving unit.

2. The electronic control system as in claim 1, wherein:

the abnormality in the commanding unit is periodically detected at a predetermined interval.

3. The electronic control system as in claim 1, wherein:

the abnormality in the commanding unit is detected based on the command value before the driving unit drives the actuator according to the command value.

4. The electronic control system as in claim 1, wherein:

when the driving unit transmits the order to calculate to a plurality of the commanding units, an order and an interval of the transmission are set according to operating conditions of the driving unit.

5. The electronic control system as in claim 1, wherein:

the driving unit is an electric power steering unit for driving an electric motor that assists a steering torque of a driver.

6. In an electronic control system for use in an automobile vehicle, the system including at least one commanding unit for calculating a command value based on electrical signals supplied thereto and at least one driving unit for driving an actuator according to the command value received from the commanding unit, the driving unit being communicably connected to the commanding unit, a method of detecting abnormality in the commanding unit, the method comprising:

transmitting an order to calculate the command value from the driving unit to the commanding unit;

calculating a result value in response to the order to calculate in the commanding unit;

transmitting the result value from the commanding unit to the driving unit, and

detecting abnormality in the commanding unit by comparing the result value transmitted from the commanding unit to the driving unit and data stored in and expected by the driving unit.