Vehicle control system

• US 8,645,022 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshimura, Kentaro, Sakurai, Kohei, Kanekawa, Nobuyasu, Morita, Yuichiro, Takahashi, Yoshiaki, Kurosawa, Kenichi, Minowa, Toshimichi, Hoshino, Masatoshi, Nakatsuka, Yasuhiro, Shimamura, Kotaro, Tsunedomi, Kunihiko, Sasaki, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US12/575,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 701/48, 701/29, 701/53, 701/201, 701/29.2, 701/33.5, 701/33.7, 701/36, 701/4, 701/34.3, 701/31.4, 701/32.8, 707/101, 700/89, 710/34, 743/35, 340/438, 340/426.2, 714/30, 714/E11.63
• US Class Current: 701/32.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/20 angular
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/24 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0076 relating to braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 : Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/202 : Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 : Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 : Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 : Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 : Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 : Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 : Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 : related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 : related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 : Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0225 : Failure correction strategy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 : Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/046 : Controlling the motor
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0481 : monitoring the steering system, e.g. failures
• 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: G06F 11/0796 : Safety measures, i.e. ensuring safe condition in the event of error, e.g. for controlling element
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle control system which can ensure high reliability, real-time processing, and expandability with a simplified ECU configuration and a low cost by backing up an error through coordination in the entire system without increasing a degree of redundancy of individual controllers beyond the least necessary level. The vehicle control system comprises a sensor controller for taking in sensor signals indicating a status variable of a vehicle and an operation amount applied from a driver, a command controller for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller, and an actuator controller for receiving the control target value from the command controller and operating an actuator to control the vehicle, those three controller being interconnected via a network. The actuator controller includes a control target value generating unit for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller and received by the actuator controller via the network when the control target value generated by the command controller is abnormal, and controls the actuator in accordance with the control target value generated by the control target value generating unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising a plurality of actuator driving nodes that control actuators in accordance with a driver'"'"'s demand and a vehicle status, and communication means for interconnecting said plurality of actuator driving nodes, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a control program selecting function that selects one of a plurality of control programs based on an operation state of itself and operation states of the other actuator driving nodes,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a failure detecting function that detects its own failure and notifies the occurrence of the failure to the other actuator driving nodes via said communication means, and said control program selecting function selects a control program for safely stopping control based on the failed state of itself and the failed states of the other actuator driving nodes.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator driving nodes select the control program independent of the driver'"'"'s demand and the vehicle status.

3. A vehicle control system comprising a plurality of actuator driving nodes that control actuators in accordance with a driver'"'"'s demand and a vehicle status, and communication means for interconnecting said plurality of actuator driving nodes, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a control program selecting function that selects one of a plurality of control programs based on reception states of messages sent from the other actuator driving nodes via said communication means,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes sends a message notifying its own operation state to the other actuator driving nodes via said communication means, and said control program selecting function selects a control program for safely stopping control based on whether the messages have been received from the other actuator driving nodes.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the actuator driving nodes select the control program independent of the driver'"'"'s demand and the vehicle status.

5. A vehicle control system comprising at least one operation amount generating node that computes operation amount command values based on a driver'"'"'s demand and a vehicle status, a plurality of actuator driving nodes that control actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating node, and communication means for interconnecting said operation amount generating node and said plurality of actuator driving nodes, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a control program selecting function that selects one of a plurality of control programs based on an operation state of itself, operation states of the other actuator driving nodes, and an operation state of said operation amount generating node.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 5, wherein said operation amount generating node has a failure detecting function that detects its own failure and notifies the occurrence of the failure to said actuator driving nodes or said operation amount generating node via said communication means;

and

each of said actuator driving nodes has a failure detecting function that detects its own failure and notifies the occurrence of the failure to the other actuator driving nodes or said operation amount generating node via said communication means, and said control program selecting function selects a control program for safely stopping control based on the failed state of itself, the failed states of the other actuator driving nodes, and the failed state of said operation amount generating node.

7. A vehicle control system comprising at least one operation amount generating node that computes operation amount command values based on a driver'"'"'s demand and a vehicle status, a plurality of actuator driving nodes that control actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating node, and communication means for interconnecting said operation amount generating node and said plurality of actuator driving nodes, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a control program selecting function that selects one of a plurality of control programs based on reception states of messages sent from the other actuator driving nodes or said operation amount generating node.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 7, wherein said operation amount generating node sends the operation amount command values to said actuator driving nodes via said communication means;

and

each of said actuator driving nodes sends, upon receiving the operation amount command value, a response message to said operation amount generating node or the other actuator driving nodes via said communication means, and selects a control program for safely stopping control based on whether the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node or the response messages from the other actuator driving nodes have been received.

9. A vehicle control system comprising sensor means for detecting a driver'"'"'s demand and a vehicle status, at least one operation amount generating node that computes operation amount command values based on information from said sensor means, a plurality of actuator driving nodes that control actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating node or the information from said sensor means, and communication means for interconnecting said sensor means, said operation amount generating node and said plurality of actuator driving nodes, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a control program selecting function that selects one of a plurality of control programs using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on an operation state of itself, operation states of the other actuator driving nodes, and an operation state of said operation amount generating node.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 9, wherein said operation amount generating node has a failure detecting function that detects its own failure and notifies the occurrence of the failure to said actuator driving nodes or said operation amount generating node via said communication means;

and

each of said actuator driving nodes has a failure detecting function that detects its own failure and notifies the occurrence of the failure to the other actuator driving nodes or said operation amount generating node via said communication means, and said control program selecting function selects one of a control method using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on the failed state of itself, the failed states of the other actuator driving nodes, and the failed state of said operation amount generating node.

11. A vehicle control system comprising sensor means for detecting a driver'"'"'s demand and a vehicle status, at least one operation amount generating node that computes operation amount command values based on information from said sensor means, a plurality of actuator driving nodes that control actuators in accordance with the operation amount command values from said operation amount generating node or the information from said sensor means, and communication means for interconnecting said sensor means, said operation amount generating node and said plurality of actuator driving nodes, thereby controlling at least one of driving, steering and braking of a vehicle,

wherein each of said actuator driving nodes has a control program selecting function that selects one of a plurality of control programs using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on reception states of messages sent from the other actuator driving nodes or said operation amount generating node.

12. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein said operation amount generating node sends the operation amount command values to said actuator driving nodes via said communication means;

and

each of said actuator driving nodes sends, upon receiving the operation amount command value, a response message to said operation amount generating node or the other actuator driving nodes via said communication means, and selects one of a control method using the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node, a control method using the information from said sensor means, and a control method of bringing said actuator into a predetermined state based on whether the operation amount command value from said operation amount generating node or the response messages from the other actuator driving nodes have been received.