Integrated control method for electric seat

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated control method for an electric seat. In one embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized in that it includes: a signal input step, receiving an operation signal of the electric seat input by a user through a vehicle interface; a judgment step, judging an operation condition for operating a motor module built into the electric seat to move a specific area of ​​the electric seat; and an information transmission step, transmitting drive information for controlling the motor module according to the type of the operation signal, the motor module including a drive motor and a motor controller for controlling the drive motor, a LIN communication bus being arranged between the integrated controller and each electric seat, and in the information transmission step, the integrated controller transmits the drive information to the motor controller via the LIN communication bus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated control method for electric seats, and more particularly to a method for controlling electric seats using an integrated controller, wherein the integrated controller does not set a superior controller for each electric seat, but can control all electric seats. Background Art

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with various convenience devices, which are mainly used to improve the convenience of drivers or passengers. For example, a power seat can be cited. Generally, a passenger car seat is composed of a seat back that supports the back of the passenger and a seat cushion, headrest, leg rest, etc. for the passenger to sit on. A power seat refers to a seat that has a device that can electrically drive various parts of the seat using a motor.

[0003] At this time, as a device provided in the electric seat for changing the seat sitting posture of the passenger, for example, a reclining device installed at the connection point between the seat back and the seat cushion, and a release device that allows the seat back to be adjusted and the seat cushion to be moved forward and tilted at the same time, etc. are applied. In addition, the seats of some high-end vehicles may also have a leg rest device that can support the legs of the passengers. Not only that, in order to support the legs more comfortably, a leg rest extension device may also be included, which is driven in a manner that the leg rest is raised while extending its length toward the front of the seat in conjunction with the leg rest device. In addition to the above-mentioned devices, the electric seat may also include a device for driving a headrest that supports the head, so that as the driving device is gradually increased for the convenience of the passengers, the motor that provides the driving power also increases proportionally.

[0004] In the prior art, each seat is separately provided with a higher-level controller arranged outside the motor, and is electrically connected to each motor used to drive each part of the seat. When the passenger's operating intention is input through the vehicle's interface (buttons, etc.), the higher-level controller sends a signal to control each motor in the forward or reverse direction to control the movement of the seat.

[0005] However, as the specifications become higher, the number of motors increases, and the number of drive circuits in the upper controller increases, which increases the size of the upper controller. Therefore, since a large space for installing the upper controller is required for each seat, it is not conducive to space utilization.

[0006] Furthermore, in the prior art in which the motor is driven by a host controller, each time a motor is added, a line for transmitting a signal for driving the motor and a power line for connecting a Hall sensor must be connected between the host controller and the motor for the DC motor. Therefore, the wiring harness connecting the controller and the motor increases by 4 connecting lines corresponding to each added motor, while in the case of a BLDC motor, a total of 8 connecting lines, including the Hall sensor and the 3-phase power line, are added, resulting in a problem of increased volume of the wiring harness.

[0007] In addition, in the prior art, when linkage operation between seats is required, the linkage operation is implemented by using the vehicle's CAN (Controller Area Network) communication bus to communicate with each other and execute linkage logic at the same time. However, in this case, if an abnormality occurs in the CAN communication, the linkage operation may not be performed normally.

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Gazette No. 10-1619619 Summary of the invention

[0011] Technical issues to be solved

[0012] An object of the present invention is to enable a linkage operation between seats to be normally performed even when an abnormality occurs in a CAN communication bus of a vehicle.

[0013] In addition, the purpose of the present invention is to change the specifications related to the control of the power seat without replacing the motor module assembled in conjunction with the frame of the power seat, and the above-mentioned specification changes can be performed only by updating the integrated controller set outside the power seat.

[0014] Means of solving the problem

[0015] One embodiment of the present invention is an electric seat integrated control method, which is executed by an integrated controller connected to a plurality of electric seats. The electric seat integrated control method may include: a signal input step, receiving an electric seat operation signal input by a user through a vehicle interface; a judgment step, judging an operation condition for operating a motor module built into the electric seat to move a specific area of ​​the electric seat; and an information transmission step, transmitting drive information for controlling the motor module according to the type of the operation signal, the motor module including a drive motor and a motor controller for controlling the drive motor, a LIN communication bus being arranged between the integrated controller and each electric seat, and in the information transmission step, the integrated controller transmits the drive information to the motor controller via the LIN communication bus.

[0016] Here, the judgment step may include: a step of judging external conditions related to the operation of the electric seat; a step of judging the control target drive motor based on the operation signal; and a step of receiving an error state signal of the control target drive motor from the motor controller to judge whether the control target drive motor is in a drivable state.

[0017] In addition, the step of judging the external conditions can be constituted as follows: judging whether the operating power supply conditions, starting conditions and driving conditions are met; when the integrated controller meets the minimum voltage for operating the electric seat, it is judged that the operating power supply conditions are met; when the IGN1 signal and IGN2 signal of the vehicle are both in the on state or the off state, or the IGN1 signal is in the off state and the IGN2 signal is in the on state, it is judged that the starting conditions are met; when the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than a predetermined speed, it is judged that the driving conditions are met.

[0018] In addition, the step of determining whether the control target drive motor is in a drivable state can be constructed as follows: when the error state signal input from the motor controller of the control target drive motor is at least one of a Hall sensor error signal, an interference error signal and an overcurrent error signal, it is determined that the control target drive motor is in an undrivable state, the Hall sensor error signal indicates a state in which the Hall sensor signal is not input to the motor controller, the interference error signal indicates a state in which the control target drive motor interferes with an external object during operation and can no longer operate, the overcurrent error signal indicates an overcurrent flowing through the control target drive motor, and based on the Hall sensor signal input from the motor controller of the control target drive motor and the motor controller of the drive motor of the non-control object, it is further determined whether physical interference may occur between the electric seat of the control object and the electric seat as the control object, and it is determined whether the control target drive motor is in a drivable state.

[0019] In addition, the information transmission step can be constructed as follows: when the operation signal is a manual operation signal for the user to directly move the electric seat to the desired position, the driving direction of the electric seat input through the interface is confirmed, and the driving direction and the driving information corresponding to the manual operation driving speed preset in the integrated controller are transmitted to the motor controller that controls the target drive motor; when the operation signal is an automatic operation signal for moving the electric seat to a pre-stored target position, the Hall count value corresponding to the pre-stored target position and the driving information corresponding to the automatic operation driving speed preset in the integrated controller are transmitted to the motor controller that controls the target drive motor.

[0020] In addition, when the operation signal is an automatic operation signal for moving the power seat to a pre-stored target position, it can be determined from the motor controller that controls the target drive motor whether motor calibration for learning the maximum movable distance of the power seat in the front and rear directions has been completed.

[0021] On the other hand, before the signal input step, it may also include a step of receiving operating status information of the drive motor from the motor controller, the operating status information including at least one of an error status signal, a Hall sensor signal and an operating direction signal, the error status signal indicating whether the drive motor is in a drivable state, the Hall sensor signal indicating current position information of the drive motor, and the operating direction signal including information about a previous operating direction of the drive motor.

[0022] Effects of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, the integrated controller sends the driving information of the motor to the motor controller via the communication bus independent of the main CAN communication bus of the vehicle, so the interlocking operation between the seats can be normally performed even if an abnormality occurs in the main CAN communication bus.

[0024] In addition, according to the present invention, the driving information of the driving motor is stored in the integrated controller instead of the motor controller. If the integrated controller provides the driving information to the motor controller, the motor controller controls the driving motor based on the received driving information. Therefore, the motor module, which is combined with the frame of the power seat and is not easily replaced or updated, remains unchanged, and the driving information can be changed by simply updating the integrated controller.

[0025] The additional scope of possible applications of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention. However, various changes and modifications within the concept and scope of the present invention are clearly understood by those skilled in the art, and therefore it should be understood that the specific embodiments such as the embodiments included in the following detailed description of the present invention are given as examples only. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an existing electric seat control system.

[0027] Figure 2 The figure shows a state where the host controllers of the seats are connected via the main CAN communication bus of the vehicle in a conventional power seat control system.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing a conventional power seat control system including an internal block diagram of a host controller provided for each seat.

[0029] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of an electric seat integrated control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a block diagram of a motor controller in a power seat integrated control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6 is an internal block diagram of an integrated controller. Figure 4 Diagram of the integrated control system for electric seats.

[0032] Figure 7a-7b In the electric seat integrated control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 Flowchart of the operating flow of the integrated controller.

[0033] Figure 8a-8bIn the electric seat integrated control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 Flowchart of the operating flow of the motor controller.

[0034] Description of Reference Numerals

[0035] 10: Existing electric seats

[0036] 11: Existing host controller

[0037] 12: Existing DC motor

[0038] 20: Battery

[0039] 30: The vehicle's main CAN communication bus

[0040] 100: Electric seats

[0041] 110: Motor module

[0042] 111: Drive motor

[0043] 112: Motor controller

[0044] 1121: Controller

[0045] 1122: Inverter

[0046] 1123: Power Supply Department

[0047] 1124: Gate Driver

[0048] 1125: Motor module communication unit

[0049] 113: Connector

[0050] 114: Hall sensor

[0051] 200: Communication line

[0052] 300: Integrated controller

[0053] 310: First Department of Communications

[0054] 320: Second Department of Communications

[0055] 400: LIN communication bus DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and may have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and specifically described in the detailed description. This is not intended to limit the present invention to specific implementations, but should be interpreted as including all modifications, equivalents and substitutes within the contemplation and technical scope of the present invention.

[0058] When describing the present invention, the terms "first", "second" and the like may be used to describe a variety of constituent elements, but the constituent elements are not limited to the above terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish one constituent element from another constituent element. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first constituent element may be named as the second constituent element, and similarly, the second constituent element may also be named as the first constituent element.

[0059] The term "and / or" may include a combination of a plurality of related items or any one of the plurality of related items.

[0060] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being "connected" or "joined" to another component, it may be directly connected or joined to the other component, or other components may be present in between. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly joined" to another component, no other components may be present in between.

[0061] The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless clearly stated otherwise in the context, an expression in the singular may include an expression in the plural.

[0062] In the present application, terms such as "including" or "having" are used to specify the existence of features, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, parts or their combinations recorded in the specification, which can be understood as not excluding in advance the existence or additional possibilities of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, parts or their combinations.

[0063] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, may have the same meaning as those generally understood by ordinary technicians in the field to which the present invention belongs. Terms that are the same as words defined in commonly used dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same meaning as that in the context of the relevant technology, and unless clearly defined in this application, cannot be interpreted as an ideal or overly formal meaning.

[0064] In addition, the following embodiments are provided for a more complete description to persons skilled in the art, and the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for a clearer description.

[0065] Figures 1 to 3is a diagram for explaining a conventional electric seat control system. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an existing electric seat control system. Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the upper controllers of the seats are connected via the main CAN communication bus of the vehicle in a conventional electric seat control system. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing a conventional power seat control system including an internal block diagram of a host controller provided for each seat.

[0066] refer to Figures 1 to 3 In the existing power seats 10, each power seat 10 is provided with an upper controller 11, and the upper controller 11 is connected to the battery 20 of the vehicle. The upper controller 11 receives power from the battery 20 and sends a signal for driving the DC motors 12-1, 12-2, 12-3 and 12-4 through a drive circuit provided inside the upper controller 11. Each DC motor 12-1, 12-2, 12-3 and 12-4 is also connected to a drive unit (not shown), which is a power transmission component for moving the various parts of the power seat 10.

[0067] At this time, the above-mentioned driving unit can be set on the frame constituting the skeleton of the electric seat 10, and can have various shapes. As an example, the driving unit for driving the seat back can be connected to the frame of the seat back as an angle adjustment device that receives power from the DC motor 12-1, and performs the operation of tilting the seat back backward to a predetermined angle or restoring the tilted seat back forward again.

[0068] In addition, as an example, the driving unit for driving the seat cushion can be connected to the frame of the seat cushion as a release device that receives power from the DC motor 12-2, and can perform an operation of lifting the seat cushion upward or restoring the lifted seat cushion downward. On the other hand, considering the comfortable posture of the passenger, the release device can also be operated in a manner that only the front side of the seat cushion is lifted upward.

[0069] In addition, as an example, the driving unit for driving the leg rest can be a leg rest device and a leg rest extension device that receive power from DC motors 12-3 and 12-4 respectively. Each device is connected to the frame of the leg rest and works together to lift the leg rest while operating the leg rest in a manner that extends its length forward.

[0070] The detailed operation structure of the conventional electric seat 10 can be realized by various forms of power transmission components constituting the above-mentioned driving unit, which is well known and its description is omitted here.

[0071] On the other hand, as described above, the power seat 10 in which more parts are moved in order to guide a more comfortable sitting posture of a passenger may be developed. As a result, the number of motors included in the power seat 10 may gradually increase.

[0072] Between the existing upper controller 11 and a DC motor 12-1, a connection line for forward and reverse driving of the DC motor and a connection line for supplying power to the Hall sensor are required. Therefore, as the number of DC motors that need to be connected to the upper controller 11 increases by 1, the number of connection lines increases by 4. In the case of using a BLDC motor to drive the electric seat 10, as the number of BLDC motors that need to be connected to the upper controller 11 increases by 1, a total of 8 connection lines are added as the 3-phase connection lines (U, V, W) for driving the BLDC motor and the Hall sensor connection lines (2 power lines and 3 signal transmission lines corresponding to each of the 3 phases).

[0073] In addition, the existing upper controllers 11 are connected in a manner that they communicate with each other through the main CAN communication bus 30 of the vehicle. The Controller Area Network (CAN) is a standard communication standard designed for communication between microcontrollers or devices in a vehicle without the need for a host computer, and the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) in the vehicle communicates using the CAN protocol. At this time, the main CAN communication bus 30 of the vehicle mentioned in this specification may refer to an upper controller 11 of the electric seat 10 that enables the ECUs of various parts of the vehicle to communicate with each other. As described above, when the upper controllers 11 communicate with each other through the main CAN communication bus 30 of the vehicle to perform interlocking operations, if an abnormality occurs in the main CAN communication bus 30, the interlocking operation between the electric seats 10 cannot be performed normally (see Figure 2 ).

[0074] In addition, the existing upper controller has a built-in drive circuit for transmitting drive signals to the DC motors 12-1, 12-2, 12-3 and 12-4. As the number of DC motors to be connected to the upper controller 11 increases, the upper controller 11 should also be equipped with the above drive circuit to correspond to the increased number of DC motors (see Figure 3 ).

[0075] In other words, as the motor is added for the convenience of the passengers, there arises a problem that the volume of the wire harness connecting the host controller 11 and the motor increases excessively, and the volume of the host controller 11 itself increases.

[0076] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power seat integrated control system of the present invention proposed to solve these problems will be described.

[0077] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an electric seat integrated control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a diagram showing a block diagram of a motor controller in a power seat integrated control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is an internal block diagram of an integrated controller. Figure 4 Diagram of the integrated control system for electric seats.

[0078] The power seat integrated control system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a plurality of power seats 100 provided in a vehicle; and an integrated controller 300 for integratedly controlling the plurality of power seats 100 based on seating information.

[0079] At this time, each of the plurality of electric seats 100 may include at least one motor module 110 to receive the above-mentioned sitting information from the integrated controller 300 to move a specific area of ​​the electric seat 100. More specifically, the motor module 110 is configured to drive the above-mentioned angle adjustment device, release device, leg support device, leg support extension device, etc., respectively. In order to drive the above-mentioned devices, the motor module 110 may include a driving motor 111 and a motor controller 112 for controlling the driving motor.

[0080] The drive motor 111 can rotate based on the control signal of the motor controller 112 included in the motor module 110. The rotational force generated by the rotation of the drive motor 111 is transmitted to the power transmission unit (not shown) to enable the various parts of the electric seat 100 to move. At this time, the drive motor 111 can be composed of a BLDC (brushless DC motor) motor. Most of the motors 12 used in the existing electric seats 10 use DC motors. When the electric seats with DC motors are used for a long time, there will be problems such as the brushes being worn due to the continuous contact between the brushes and the electromagnets, thereby generating dust, and generating noise and vibration. When a BLDC motor is used as the drive motor 111 of the motor module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above problems will not occur.

[0081] The motor controller 112, as a structure for controlling the drive motor 111, may include: a controller 1121 for generating a drive signal for controlling the rotation of the drive motor 111; and an inverter 1122 for receiving the drive signal from the controller 1121 to operate the drive motor 111. Since the motor controller 112 is included in the motor module 110, the function of the drive circuit that is built into a separate housing outside the motor to control each motor is integrated into the motor module 110.

[0082] The connector 113 may be connected to the motor controller 112 . In this case, the connector 113 is a structure for connecting the integrated controller 300 that receives a drive command of the power seat and the motor controller 112 built in the motor module 110 .

[0083] On the other hand, the motor controller 112 may be composed of a PCB substrate on which circuit elements constituting the controller 1121, inverter 1122, etc., which will be described later, are mounted, and the connector 113 may be detachably coupled to such a PCB substrate.

[0084] The controller 1121 may send a drive signal to the drive motor 111 to the gate driver 1124. The controller 1121 may communicate with the integrated controller 300 through a motor module communication unit 1125 described later, and receive information related to the movement of the power seat 100 from the integrated controller 300. The controller 1121 may be composed of a micro control unit (MCU).

[0085] The motor controller 112 may further include a power supply unit 1123 directly connected to the battery 20 of the vehicle. The power supply unit 1123 may receive power from the battery 20 and provide it to the controller 1121. The power supply unit 1123 may be connected to the battery 20 through the connector 113. The power supply unit 1123 may appropriately distribute the power received from the battery 20 using a regulator, and apply it as an operating power supply to structures that require driving power, such as the controller 1121, the gate driver 1124, and the Hall sensor 114 described later. In addition, the power supply unit 1123 may provide the power received from the battery 20 to the drive motor 111 through the inverter 1122.

[0086] On the other hand, in the prior art, when the upper controller 11 is not integrated with the DC motor 12 but is provided as a separate component outside the DC motor 12, the connection line for applying power to the Hall sensor is included in the wiring harness between the upper controller 11 and the DC motor 12 (see Figure 3 ). However, in the motor module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the motor controller 112 integrated with the motor module 110 has a power supply unit 1123, and the power supply unit 1123 is configured in a manner to apply power received from the battery 20 to the Hall sensor 114, so there is no need to provide a connection line for applying power to the Hall sensor 114 between the integrated controller 300 and the motor module 110. That is, there is an advantage that the volume of the wiring harness between the integrated controller 300 and the motor module 110 can be reduced.

[0087] The inverter 1122 is connected to the gate driver 1124 and the drive motor 111, and can receive a drive signal from the gate driver 1124 to operate the drive motor 111. The inverter 1122 may include a plurality of semiconductor switching elements that are turned on / off to convert the DC power of the vehicle battery 20 into alternating current (AC) and sequentially apply current to each phase of the motor 111, and the drive signal from the gate driver 1124 may be a switch signal for controlling at least one of the plurality of semiconductor switching elements to be turned on / off.

[0088] The motor controller 112 may further include a motor module communication unit 1125 for receiving a command input from the integrated controller 300. Here, the command is drive information related to the control of the drive motor 111 (eg, rotation direction, rotation speed, etc.), which refers to information corresponding to the sitting information.

[0089] The integrated controller 300 and the motor controller 112 inside the motor module 110 may be connected only through the communication line 200. The motor module communication unit 1125 may be composed of one or more communication modules to receive commands from the integrated controller 300. For example, the above-mentioned communication module may perform LIN (local interconnect network) communication according to the configuration. Or, for example, the above-mentioned communication module may perform CAN (controller area network) communication according to the configuration. The motor module communication unit 1125 may also be built into the controller 1121.

[0090] The motor module 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may also include a Hall sensor 114. More specifically, the Hall sensor 114 is a structure provided to detect the rotational position of the rotor. The Hall sensor 114 is a sensor that utilizes the Hall effect generated in all conductive materials by current and magnetic field. When a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the conductor through which the current flows, the Hall sensor 114 can convert the voltage applied perpendicular to the direction of the current and the magnetic field into a digital signal and output it. The Hall sensor 114 can be composed of a Hall element and an integrated circuit for performing digital signal processing. In order to allow current to flow into the Hall sensor 114, power can be received from the power supply unit 1123 of the motor controller 112. The signal output by the Hall sensor 114 related to the position of the rotor can be input to the controller 1121. When the controller 1121 transmits a control signal to the gate driver 1124 based on the signal, the gate driver 1124 can transmit a drive signal for driving the drive motor 111 to the inverter 1122.

[0091] The integrated controller 300 is a configuration for integrated control of all the power seats 10 provided in the vehicle. According to the present invention, since the motor controller 112 including the drive circuit is integrated with the motor module 110, the existing upper controller 11 provided in each power seat 10 is no longer required. Therefore, the integrated controller 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention only performs the function of transmitting the control signal for integrated control of the controller 112 built into the motor module 110.

[0092] At this time, the integrated controller 300 may include a first communication unit 310 and a second communication unit 320 (see Figure 6 ). The first communication unit 310 is connected to the CAN (Controller Area Network) communication bus of the vehicle. Here, the CAN communication bus refers to the above-mentioned main CAN communication bus. The CAN communication bus is characterized by using twisted pair (CANH, CANL) for electrically distinguished communication. The first communication unit 310 may include one or more communication modules for performing CAN communication.

[0093] The second communication unit 320 is a transceiver provided for communicating with the motor controller 112. The second communication unit 320 transmits driving information for operating the driving motor 111 to the motor controller 112 based on the seating information, and transmits the information via a communication bus independent of the main CAN communication bus. The communication bus may be a LIN communication bus or a CAN communication bus. Figure 6 In the embodiment of the present invention, a LIN communication bus 400 is shown as an example of a communication bus. The LIN communication bus 400 has a feature of using a single line for communication, and the nodes connected to the LIN communication bus 400 may be composed of a master node and a plurality of slave nodes.

[0094] As described above, if the communication bus used to connect the integrated controller 300 and the electric seat 100 is constructed independently of the CAN bus which is the main communication bus of the vehicle, it has the following advantages: even if an abnormality occurs in the main communication bus of the vehicle, the linkage operation between the electric seats can be performed normally through a separate communication bus.

[0095] On the other hand, a communication bus may be provided between the second communication unit 320 and each electric seat 100. Figure 6In an embodiment, a LIN communication bus 410, 420 may be configured between the second communication unit 320 and each electric seat 100, for example, the second communication unit 321 and the first seat (driver's seat 100-1) are connected by the first LIN bus 410, the second communication unit 322 and the second seat (passenger seat 100-2) are connected by the second LIN bus 420, and the Nth seat (Nth seat) is connected by the Nth LIN bus. In other words, the second communication unit 320 provided in the integrated controller 300 may be configured to correspond to the number of electric seats 100 present in the vehicle, that is, the number of electric seats 100 that should be controlled.

[0096] As described above, when each seat 100 independently constitutes a communication bus, there is the following advantage: even if an abnormality occurs in the communication bus of a certain electric seat (driver's seat 100-1), the linkage operation between the various parts of another seat 100-2 (for example, the linkage operation between the leg rest device and the leg rest extension device of the passenger seat) can be performed normally.

[0097] The integrated controller 300 integrates and controls all the electric seats 100 arranged in the vehicle. In one embodiment of the present invention, it can be understood that the motor controller 112 is a slave controller, and the integrated controller 300 is a master controller (master) that controls multiple slave controllers.

[0098] Since the integrated controller 300 does not need to include a driving circuit for driving the driving motor 111, the volume of the integrated controller 300 does not increase significantly even if the number of driving motors 111 for driving the power seat 100 increases. The integrated controller 300 can receive the passenger's intention to move the power seat 100 through a user interface such as a seat button, and can transmit a digital signal as a control signal to the motor module 110 to be operated through the communication line 200.

[0099] On the other hand, as described above, the motor controller 112 built into the motor module 110 is connected to the integrated controller 300 only by the communication line 200 through the connector 113 (see Figure 5 ), the motor controller 112 is directly connected to the battery 20. That is, the line connected to the battery 20 and the communication line 200 connected to the integrated controller 300 are combined with the connector 113. According to this structure, the above-mentioned line for power supply and the above-mentioned communication line 200 for transmitting control signals do not need to be integrated into one wiring harness, so there is an advantage that when an abnormality occurs in one part, the faulty part can be easily identified and easily replaced.

[0100] Figure 7a-7b In the electric seat integrated control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 Flowchart of the operating flow of the integrated controller.

[0101] See also Figure 7a-7b According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electric seat integrated control method is an electric seat integrated control method executed by an integrated controller 300 connected to a plurality of electric seats 100, comprising: a signal input step S120, receiving an electric seat operation signal input by a user through an interface of the vehicle; a judgment step S130, judging an operating condition for operating a motor module 110 built into the electric seat 100 so as to move a specific area of ​​the electric seat 100; and an information transmission step S140, transmitting drive information for controlling the motor module 110 according to the type of the operation signal.

[0102] The method of this embodiment can be Figure 6 The MCU of the integrated controller 300 is shown to execute.

[0103] On the other hand, as described above, the plurality of motor modules 110 provided in the power seat 100 respectively include a drive motor 111 and a motor controller 112 for controlling the drive motor 111, and a LIN communication bus may be included between the integrated controller 300 and each of the power seats 100. That is, the information transmission step is characterized in that the integrated controller 300 transmits the driving information to the motor controller 112 through the LIN communication bus.

[0104] The beneficial effects of configuring a LIN communication bus between the integrated controller 300 and each power chip 100 and transmitting information through the LIN communication bus have been described in detail above, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0105] The detailed process of each step will be described in more detail below.

[0106] First, in the signal input step (S120), the interface of the vehicle may refer to a series of inputs such as switches and / or AVN of the power seat 100 for driving the power seat. The integrated controller 300 is electrically connected to the above interface, and the MCU of the integrated controller 300 receives an operation signal for driving the power seat 100 from the interface. The type of the operation signal may be at least one of a shutdown signal, a manual operation signal, an automatic operation signal, and a calibration operation signal.

[0107] At this time, the manual operation (also referred to as manual operation) is an operation in which the user directly moves the seat 100 to a desired position, and refers to the following operation: the electric seat 100 does not have a predetermined target position, and the electric seat 100 continues to move in a direction corresponding to the input signal while the input is maintained from the interface. For example, when an input is received from a direction button such as a front button or a rear button, the integrated controller 300 can determine that a manual operation signal is input.

[0108] In addition, the automatic operation refers to an operation in which, when an interface input for moving to a pre-stored position or a specific mode (e.g., release or return, etc.) is received, the power seat 100 moves until it reaches a target position corresponding to the pre-stored position or a target position corresponding to the specific mode. For example, when an input is received from a storage button storing a specific target position to which the power seat 100 is to move, the integrated controller 300 may determine that an automatic operation signal is input.

[0109] On the other hand, the calibration operation is an operation of learning the drivable range of the drive motor 111 to grasp the range (stroke distance) that can be mechanically moved without interference from other components, and may be performed in an initialization step before operating the power seat 100 for the first time.

[0110] Next, the judgment step S130 may include the following steps: step S131 of judging the external conditions related to the operation of the electric seat 100; step S132 of judging the control target drive motor 111 based on the operation signal; and step S133 of judging whether the control target drive motor 111 is in a drivable state by receiving an error state signal of the control target drive motor 111 from the motor controller 112.

[0111] At this time, step S131 of judging the external condition is a step of judging whether the power seat 100 can be operated, and is a step of judging whether the operation power supply condition, the start condition, and the travel condition are satisfied.

[0112] The operation power condition judgment is to judge whether the integrated controller 300 meets the minimum voltage for operating the electric seat 100. When the operation signal is input from the interface of the vehicle, the MCU of the integrated controller 300 monitors the power applied from the battery. When the voltage is within a predetermined normal range (e.g., 8.5V to 16.5V), it can be judged that the operation power condition is met. When the voltage is a low voltage (e.g., below 8.5V) or a high voltage (e.g., above 16.5V) outside the above normal range, it can be judged that the operation power condition is not met. At this time, in the case of the above judgment that it is not met, the judgment state of not meeting the judgment can also be maintained until the voltage is applied to a recovery voltage that is not in the above normal range (e.g., above 10V in the case of judging it as a low voltage, and below 15V in the case of judging it as a high voltage).

[0113] The start condition judgment means that when the MCU of the integrated controller 300 monitors the IGN1 signal and the IGN2 signal of the vehicle, when the above-mentioned IGN1 signal and the above-mentioned IGN2 signal are both in the on state or the off state, or the above-mentioned IGN1 signal is in the off state and the above-mentioned IGN2 signal is in the on state, it is judged that the start condition is met. In other states, it can be judged that the start condition is not met. The above-mentioned other state refers to the case where the above-mentioned IGN1 signal is on and the above-mentioned IGN2 signal is off. It is a state at the moment of starting. Considering safety issues, it is judged that the start condition is not met, and the movement of the electric seat 100 is not allowed.

[0114] The driving condition judgment means that when the MCU of the integrated controller 300 monitors the IGN1 power supply and the speed of the vehicle, when the speed of the vehicle is above the predetermined speed when the IGN1 is turned on, it is judged that the driving condition is not satisfied. That is, when the vehicle is driving at a high speed, the adjustment of the power seat 100 is prohibited due to safety issues, that is, if the vehicle is driving at a speed less than the predetermined speed, it can be judged that the driving condition is satisfied.

[0115] On the other hand, only when all external conditions for driving the power seat 100 are satisfied, the next step, i.e., the step of determining the control target drive motor 111 (S132), is executed. The integrated controller 300 can determine the control target drive motor 111 among the plurality of drive motors 111 using the operation signal received through the interface. For example, in the case where the interface is a button, the control target drive motor 111 corresponding to the button can be determined based on which button the operation signal is input from.

[0116] After determining the control target drive motor 111, an operation (S133) is performed to determine whether the control target drive motor 111 is currently in a drivable state. This step is a step of determining whether the drive motor 111 can work normally. The integrated control unit 300 can determine whether the control target drive motor 111 is currently drivable based on an error state signal input from the motor controller 112 of the control target drive motor 111.

[0117] The types of error status signals may include a Hall sensor error signal, an interference error signal, an overcurrent error signal, and a normal status signal.

[0118] The Hall sensor error signal is an error signal generated by the motor controller 112 when the input of the Hall sensor used to determine the rotor position of the drive motor 111 is not normally input to the motor controller 112. The interference error signal is an error signal generated by the motor controller 112 when the control target drive motor 111 interferes with an external object during operation and the drive motor 111 is in a state where it can no longer operate. The overcurrent error signal is an error signal generated by the motor controller 112 when current is flowing in the control target drive motor 111.

[0119] When the MCU of the integrated control unit 300 receives at least one of the above-mentioned Hall sensor error signal, interference error signal and overcurrent error signal, it can be determined that the control target drive motor 111 is in an undriveable state. In the case where the above-mentioned errors do not occur, the motor controller 112 generates a normal state signal and transmits it to the integrated controller 300. If the integrated controller 300 receives the normal state signal, it can be determined that the control target drive motor 111 is in a drivable state, and then the next step is executed.

[0120] In addition, the MCU of the integrated controller 300 can further determine the seat interference condition and determine whether the control target driving motor 111 is in a drivable state.

[0121] The seat interference condition judgment refers to judging the possibility of physical interference with the electric seat that is not the control object before driving the drive motor 111 of the electric seat that is the control object. For example, when the electric seat that is the control object is a two-row electric seat and the drive motor installed in the two-row electric seat that is the control object is a leg rest motor, when the sliding motor and the angle adjustment motor of the one-row electric seat are located at a position beyond a certain point to the rear (in the direction of the two-row electric seat), when the leg rest motor that is the control object is driven, the two-row electric seat and the one-row electric seat may interfere with each other. At this time, the MCU of the integrated controller 300 can judge that the seat interference condition is not satisfied, and can judge that the drive motor 111 that is the control object is in a non-driving state. That is, the MCU of the integrated controller 300 can receive the Hall sensor signal from each motor controller of all the drive motors (the motor controller of the drive motor that is the control object and the motor controller of the drive motor that is not the control object), and can use the Hall sensor signal to judge the current position of all the drive motors. When the drive motor 111 of the electric seat that is the control object is driven, it can be predicted and judged whether there is interference with other electric seats. To this end, the integrated controller 300 may pre-store information on conditional relationships between positions of respective driving motors that prevent interference.

[0122] When the control target driving motor 111 is in a drivable state, an information transmitting step (S140) is performed.

[0123] In the information transmission step, first, the MCU of the integrated controller 300 determines the type of the operation signal ( S141 ), and transmits driving information for driving the motor 111 to the motor controller 112 based on the determined operation signal.

[0124] When the operation signal is a manual operation signal, the MCU of the integrated controller 300 confirms the driving direction of the electric seat 100 input through the interface (S144), and sends the driving direction and driving information corresponding to the manual operation driving speed preset in the integrated controller 300 to the motor controller 112 that controls the target driving motor 111. For example, the driving direction of the driving motor 111 may be forward or backward. The above-mentioned manual operation driving speed may be stored in a memory (not shown) of the integrated controller 300.

[0125] When the operation signal is an automatic operation signal, the Hall count value corresponding to the pre-stored target position and the driving information corresponding to the automatic operation driving speed preset in the integrated controller 300 are confirmed (S143) and transmitted to the motor controller 112 that controls the target driving motor 111. The Hall count value corresponding to the target position and the automatic operation driving speed can be stored in the memory of the integrated controller 300 as information corresponding to each driving motor 111.

[0126] On the other hand, when the operation signal is an automatic operation signal, before confirming the Hall count value corresponding to the above-mentioned target position, it is necessary to first determine whether the calibration of the drive motor 111 is completed (S142). As described above, calibration is a process of learning the movable range of the drive motor 111 and setting the movable range. The motor controller 112 of the drive motor 111 that has completed the calibration sends a calibration completion (Limit Set) signal, and the motor controller 112 of the drive motor 111 that has not completed the calibration sends an incomplete calibration (Limit Not set) signal to the integrated controller 300. More specifically, the motor controller 112 performs calibration according to the calibration operation signal, and the motor controller 112 operates the drive motor 111 to the front and rear, thereby measuring the total travel distance and setting the movable range. When the motor controller 112 causes the drive motor 111 to continuously move to the front, the electric seat 100 reaches the movable front end, thereby generating a Hall sensor error. At this time, the motor controller 112 changes the driving direction of the drive motor 111 to make it continue to move to the rear, and the electric seat 100 reaches the movable rear end, and a Hall sensor error occurs. That is, the travel distance of the drive motor 111 (or the electric seat 100) can be set based on the count of the Hall sensor measured while driving the drive motor 111 from the front end to the rear end.

[0127] In summary, in the driving information transmitted through LIN communication in the information transmission step, the information related to the type of operation signal includes information related to the driving direction and manual operation driving speed when the operation signal is manual operation, and information related to the driving speed and the Hall count value for the target position when the operation signal is automatic operation.

[0128] On the other hand, the integrated controller 300 may further include a step (S110) of receiving operation status information of the drive motor 111 from the motor controller 112. At this time, the above-mentioned operation status information may include at least one of an error state signal indicating whether the drive motor 111 is in a drivable state, a Hall sensor signal indicating current position information of the drive motor 111, and an operation direction signal including information about the previous operation direction of the drive motor 111. After the motor controller 112 receives the driving information from the integrated controller 300 and operates the control target drive motor 111, the operation status information may be sent from the motor controller 112 according to the request of the integrated controller 300.

[0129] Figure 8a-8b In the integrated control method of the electric seat 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 Flow chart of the operational flow of the motor controller 112 .

[0130] The motor controller 112 may control the operation of the driving motor 111 based on driving information received from the integrated controller 300 .

[0131] First, the motor controller 112 receives the type of operation signal from the integrated controller 300, and determines whether the received operation signal is a shutdown signal (S210). If the operation signal is a shutdown signal, there is no need to control the drive motor 111, and the drive motor 111 stops and returns to the standby state (S270). If other operation signals (manual operation signal, automatic operation signal, calibration operation signal) are received other than this, it is necessary to operate the drive motor 111 in a manner corresponding to the operation signal, so the next step is executed. On the other hand, the standby state may refer to a state of waiting for an operation signal to be input from the integrated controller 300.

[0132] If the operation signal is not a shutdown signal, it is determined whether the operation signal is an automatic operation signal (S220). When the operation signal is an automatic operation signal, the current position of the drive motor 111 is compared with the target position by using the Hall counter value for the target position in the drive information sent from the integrated controller 300. The comparison between the current position and the target position can be performed by comparing the Hall counter value that changes according to the rotation of the rotor of the drive motor 111 with the Hall counter value for the target position.

[0133] When the current position is the same as the target position, there is no need to control the drive motor 111, so it returns to the standby state (S230, S270). When the current position is greater than the target position, the motor controller 112 drives the drive motor 111 forward (S241, S251). When the current position is less than the target position, the motor controller 112 drives the drive motor 111 backward (S241, S252). On the other hand, the control of the drive motor 111 can be performed by the controller 1121 of the motor controller 112, the forward drive control can represent the forward rotation of the drive motor 111, and the rear drive control can represent the reverse rotation of the drive motor 111.

[0134] When the operation signal is not an automatic operation signal, that is, when the operation signal is a manual operation signal or a calibration operation signal, the drive motor 111 is controlled according to the driving direction and speed received from the integrated controller 300. That is, when the driving direction received from the integrated controller 300 is forward, the drive motor 111 is driven and controlled forward (S242, 251), and when the driving direction received from the integrated controller 300 is backward, the drive motor 111 is driven and controlled backward (S242, 252).

[0135] After the drive motor 111 is driven and controlled forward or backward, it is determined whether an error occurs in the drive motor 111 (S260). As described above, the errors of the drive motor 111 include a Hall sensor error, an interference error, and an overcurrent error. When the motor controller 112 receives information about the above errors from the drive motor 111, it generates a corresponding error state signal. In addition, when the error state signal is generated, the motor controller 112 stops the drive motor 111 and returns to the standby state (S270). If no information about the error is received from the drive motor 111, the motor controller 112 generates a normal state signal (Not Fail) as the error state signal.

[0136] The motor controller 112 sends at least one of an error state signal, a Hall sensor signal indicating current position information of the drive motor 111, and an operation direction signal including information about the previous operation direction of the drive motor 111 to the integrated controller 300 (S280). The above-mentioned calibration completion signal of the drive motor 111 may be included, and at this time, the calibration completion signal may represent a signal generated after the drive motor 111 is operated until a Hall sensor error is generated at the frontmost and rearmost positions.

[0137] As described above, according to the present invention, the driving information of the driving motor is stored in the integrated controller instead of the motor controller, and the integrated controller provides the driving information to the motor controller. The motor controller only performs the function of controlling the driving motor based on the received driving information and the function of transmitting information about the current position and other states of the driving motor. Therefore, when it is necessary to change the software specifications related to the driving of the electric seat, the motor module that is combined with the frame of the electric seat and is not easy to replace and update remains unchanged, and only the integrated controller needs to be updated, so it has the advantage of being easy to change the specifications and being able to be performed at a low cost.

[0138] For example, when it is necessary to modify the set values ​​of external conditions related to the operation of the electric seat (the on / off conditions of the IGN signal, the speed conditions of the vehicle, the applied battery voltage conditions, etc.), the above purpose can be achieved by changing the settings of the integrated controller regardless of the motor module.

[0139] Alternatively, for example, even if it is necessary to modify the parameter setting value of the control target drive motor such as the moving speed of the electric seat, the purpose can be achieved by changing the setting of the integrated controller regardless of the motor module.

[0140] Although the present invention is described by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and deformations according to these records. Therefore, the technical idea of ​​the present invention should only be understood through the claims, and its equal or equivalent deformations belong to the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for integrated control of electric seats, executed by an integrated controller connected to a plurality of electric seats, characterized in that: The electric seat integrated control method comprises: A signal input step, receiving an operation signal of the electric seat input by a user through an interface of the vehicle; a determining step of determining an operating condition for operating a motor module built into the power seat so as to move a specific area of ​​the power seat; and an information transmission step of transmitting driving information for controlling the motor module according to the type of the operation signal, The motor module includes a drive motor and a motor controller for controlling the drive motor. A LIN communication bus is provided between the integrated controller and each electric seat. The motor controller is integrated with the motor module, and the motor controller has a power supply unit, which is configured to apply power received from a battery to the Hall sensor. In the information transmitting step, the integrated controller transmits the driving information to the motor controller through the LIN communication bus.

2. The electric seat integrated control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The judging step comprises: a step of determining an external condition related to the operation of the power seat; a step of determining a control target drive motor based on the operation signal; and An error state signal of the control target drive motor is received from the motor controller to determine whether the control target drive motor is in a drivable state.

3. The electric seat integrated control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of judging the external conditions is composed of: Determine whether the operating power supply conditions, starting conditions and driving conditions are met, When the integrated controller meets the minimum voltage for operating the electric seat, it is determined that the operating power supply condition is met, When the IGN1 signal and the IGN2 signal of the vehicle are both in the on state or the off state, or the IGN1 signal is in the off state and the IGN2 signal is in the on state, it is determined that the start condition is met, When the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than a predetermined speed, it is determined that the traveling condition is satisfied.

4. The electric seat integrated control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of judging whether the control target drive motor is in a drivable state is constituted as follows: When the error state signal input from the motor controller of the control target drive motor is at least one of a Hall sensor error signal, an interference error signal, and an overcurrent error signal, it is determined that the control target drive motor is in an undriveable state, the Hall sensor error signal indicates a state in which a Hall sensor signal is not input to the motor controller, the interference error signal indicates a state in which the control target drive motor interferes with an external object during operation and can no longer operate, and the overcurrent error signal indicates an overcurrent flowing in the control target drive motor. Based on the Hall sensor signal input from the motor controller of the control target drive motor and the motor controller of the non-control object drive motor, it is further determined whether physical interference may occur between the electric seat of the control object and the electric seat as the control object, and whether the control target drive motor is in a drivable state.

5. The electric seat integrated control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information transmission step is constituted as follows: when the operation signal is a manual operation signal for the user to directly move the electric seat to a desired position, confirming the driving direction of the electric seat input through the interface, and transmitting the driving direction and driving information corresponding to the manual operation driving speed preset in the integrated controller to the motor controller that controls the target driving motor, When the operation signal is an automatic operation signal that moves the electric seat to a pre-stored target position, the Hall count value corresponding to the pre-stored target position and the drive information corresponding to the automatic operation drive speed preset in the integrated controller are transmitted to the motor controller that controls the target drive motor.

6. The electric seat integrated control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the operation signal is an automatic operation signal for moving the electric seat to a pre-stored target position, A motor controller of the control target drive motor determines whether motor calibration for learning the maximum front-rear movable distance of the power seat has been completed.

7. The electric seat integrated control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the signal input step, The method further comprises the step of receiving operating status information of the drive motor from the motor controller, The operating status information includes at least one of an error status signal, a Hall sensor signal and an operating direction signal, wherein the error status signal indicates whether the drive motor is in a drivable state, the Hall sensor signal indicates current position information of the drive motor, and the operating direction signal includes information about a previous operating direction of the drive motor.

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