Vehicle control system

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle control system which suppresses output of an alarm when power supply from an auxiliary power supply unit is cut off. A vehicle control system capable of being supplied with power by an auxiliary power supply unit is provided with: an alarm unit that outputs an alarm when an abnormality of the auxiliary power supply unit is detected; an acquisition unit that acquires, from the auxiliary power supply unit, a cut-off request signal for cutting off power supply; a mediation processing unit that executes mediation processing for performing interruption of the auxiliary power supply unit when the interruption request signal is acquired; and a control unit that transmits, to the auxiliary power supply unit, information indicating whether or not cutoff is possible in accordance with the result of the mediation process. The control unit stops the alarm output of the alarm unit during a period from the acquisition of the cut-off request signal to the transmission of the information indicating whether the cut-off is possible to the auxiliary power supply unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system mounted on a vehicle and capable of being powered by an auxiliary power supply unit. Background Technology

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a vehicle anti-theft device that prevents the internal combustion engine from running and thus prohibits the vehicle from driving when it detects improper operation of the vehicle, such as cutting off the electrical system.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61-30452 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the user intentionally cuts off the power supply, the cutting-off operation may be detected as an improper operation.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vehicle control system that suppresses alarm output when power is cut off from the auxiliary power supply unit.

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control system capable of being powered by an onboard auxiliary power supply unit, comprising: an alarm unit that outputs an alarm when an abnormality is detected in the auxiliary power supply unit; an acquisition unit that acquires a cut-off request signal from the auxiliary power supply unit for cutting off power supply; a mediation processing unit that, upon acquiring the cut-off request signal, performs mediation processing for cutting off the auxiliary power supply unit; and a control unit that sends information corresponding to the mediation processing result, indicating whether the cut-off can be performed, to the auxiliary power supply unit. During the period from acquiring the cut-off request signal to sending the information indicating whether the cut-off can be performed to the auxiliary power supply unit, the control unit stops the alarm output of the alarm unit.

[0007] Invention Effects

[0008] According to the present invention, a vehicle control system is provided that suppresses alarm output when power supply from the auxiliary power supply unit is cut off. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the cut-off process performed by the vehicle control system of the embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0011] Figure 1This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of a vehicle control system 1 according to an embodiment. The functions of the vehicle control system 1 can be implemented in hardware by circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs, and in software by system software or application programs loaded into memory. Therefore, the functions of the vehicle control system 1 can be implemented in various ways, either solely by hardware, solely by software, or through a combination thereof, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, and are not limited to any one method.

[0012] The vehicle control system 1 includes a vehicle control unit 10, an auxiliary power supply unit 12, on-board sensors 14, a display unit 16, and a cut-off switch 18. The vehicle control system 1 is powered by the auxiliary power supply unit 12 and controls it so that no alarm is output when the user intentionally cuts off the auxiliary power supply unit 12. Vehicles equipped with the vehicle control system 1 can have autonomous driving control functions.

[0013] The vehicle-mounted sensor 14 includes sensors for detecting user operations, sensors for detecting the vehicle's driving status, and sensors for detecting the operation of vehicle functions. For example, a sensor for detecting user operations is installed in the locking mechanism of a vehicle door. If the user activates the locking mechanism, the alarm function switches from an on state to an off state. Thus, the alarm function switches states in tandem with the user's operation of the vehicle-mounted device.

[0014] Display unit 16 is a vehicle display or warning light that shows information to the user. In particular, display unit 16 displays a notification that the auxiliary power unit 12 has been shut down.

[0015] The disconnect switch 18 is, for example, a mechanical switch that can be operated by a user. Upon receiving a user operation, the disconnect switch 18 sends a signal indicating whether it is on or off to the auxiliary power supply unit 12. When receiving an on operation, the disconnect switch 18 sends an on signal indicating that the disconnection has ended to the auxiliary power supply unit 12; when receiving a off operation, it sends an off signal indicating that the disconnection has ended to the auxiliary power supply unit 12. The disconnect switch 18 may only be capable of performing an on operation and only send an on signal.

[0016] The auxiliary power supply unit 12 is separate from the main power supply for driving. The auxiliary power supply unit 12 may be composed of, for example, a lithium-ion battery. The auxiliary power supply unit 12 includes a communication unit 30, an acquisition unit 32, and a cut-off unit 34.

[0017] The communication unit 30 is capable of communicating with the vehicle control unit 10 and the display unit 16. The communication unit 30 is connected to the vehicle communication system and periodically receives alarm setting information. Furthermore, the communication unit 30 sends a cut-off request signal to the vehicle control unit 10 and receives information from the vehicle control unit 10 indicating whether cut-off is possible.

[0018] The acquisition unit 32 acquires an on or off signal from the cut-off switch 18. If the acquisition unit 32 acquires an on signal from the cut-off switch 18, the communication unit 30 sends a cut-off request signal to the vehicle control device 10. When the cut-off unit 34 receives an on signal from the cut-off switch 18, it performs a power cut-off process. During the cut-off process, the cut-off unit 34 determines whether to perform a cut-off or abort the cut-off based on alarm setting information. When the cut-off unit 34 receives an off signal from the cut-off switch 18, it starts supplying power.

[0019] In the event of aborted cutting, the cutting unit 34 instructs the display unit 16 to display information indicating that cutting has been aborted. The communication unit 30 sends an instruction message indicating that cutting has been aborted to the display unit 16. For example, the cutting unit 34 displays "Cutting has been aborted. Alarm activated." on the display unit 16. Thus, the user can recognize that they instructed to cut off via the cutting switch 18, but the cutting has been aborted. If the user performs an operation such as unlocking the door's locking mechanism, the alarm function can be set to the off state to perform cutting off.

[0020] The vehicle control unit 10 includes a communication unit 20, an acquisition unit 22, a control unit 24, a dispatch processing unit 26, and an alarm unit 28. The alarm unit 28 outputs an alarm when it detects an abnormality in the auxiliary power supply unit 12. In particular, the alarm unit 28 outputs an alarm as an abnormality when it detects that the power supply to the auxiliary power supply unit 12 has been cut off. The alarm unit 28 can be at least one of a speaker, a buzzer, a lamp, and an in-vehicle display. The lamp can be a headlight or a backlight, etc.

[0021] The alarm unit 28 can be switched between an on state (enabled to output alarm) and a off state (disabled from outputting alarm) according to user settings. Users can perform predefined operations to enable / disable the alarm. In the off state, the alarm unit 28 will not output an alarm even if the auxiliary power supply 12 is cut off; conversely, in the on state, it will output an alarm even if the auxiliary power supply 12 is cut off. The alarm unit 28 periodically sends alarm setting information indicating whether it is on or off from the communication unit 20.

[0022] The communication unit 20 can communicate with the auxiliary power unit 12 and the vehicle-mounted sensor 14 via vehicle-mounted communication. The acquisition unit 22 acquires the detection results from the vehicle-mounted sensor 14 via the communication unit 20, and acquires the cut-off request signal from the auxiliary power unit 12.

[0023] If a cut-off request signal is received, the mediation processing unit 26 executes mediation processing to cut off the auxiliary power supply unit 12. As a mediation process, the mediation processing unit 26 processes the termination of systems of each vehicle function receiving power from the auxiliary power supply unit 12. If a vehicle function system is currently providing service, the mediation processing unit 26 determines that it cannot be cut off and sends information indicating that it cannot be cut off to the control unit 24. If each vehicle function system can be terminated, the mediation processing unit 26 determines that it can be cut off and sends information indicating that it can be cut off to the control unit 24. Upon receiving information indicating whether each vehicle function powered by the auxiliary power supply unit 12 is currently operating, the mediation processing unit 26 determines that it cannot be cut off if any vehicle function is operating. If the process of terminating systems of each vehicle function is completed, the mediation processing unit 26 can send information indicating that it can be cut off to the control unit 24. The control unit 24 receives the result of the mediation processing from the mediation processing unit 26 and sends information corresponding to the mediation processing result indicating whether it can be cut off to the auxiliary power supply unit 12 via the communication unit 20.

[0024] Since the mediation process takes time, the user may accidentally switch the alarm setting to the on state during the mediation process by operating the on-board equipment. Therefore, the control unit 24 stops the alarm output of the alarm unit 28 during the period from receiving the cut-off request signal to sending information indicating whether the cut-off is possible to the auxiliary power unit 12. The control unit 24 stops the alarm output of the alarm unit 28 by instructing the alarm unit 28 to be fixed in the off state. As a result, no alarm output by the alarm unit 28 will be output until the result of the mediation process is obtained. The control unit 24 sends an on / off fixed flag to the alarm unit 28, fixing the alarm unit 28 in the off state.

[0025] If the mediation process performed by the mediation processing unit 26 indicates that the circuit cannot be cut off, the control unit 24 deactivates the output stop of the alarm unit 28 and sends information indicating that the circuit cannot be cut off to the auxiliary power supply unit 12. The control unit 24 deactivates the output stop of the alarm unit 28 by instructing the alarm unit 28 to release the fixed shutdown state. If the mediation process performed by the mediation processing unit 26 indicates that the circuit can be cut off, the control unit 24 sends information indicating that the auxiliary power supply unit 12 can be cut off. Thus, the control unit 24 sends the result of the mediation process performed by the mediation processing unit 26 to the auxiliary power supply unit 12.

[0026] If the cut-off unit 34 of the auxiliary power supply unit 12 receives a cut-off instruction from the cut-off switch 18, it confirms the setting state of the alarm unit 28. If the alarm unit 28 is in the on state, the cut-off unit 34 stops the cut-off, thus violating the instruction of the cut-off switch 18. Therefore, by cutting off the auxiliary power supply unit 12, the alarm unit 28 is prevented from outputting an alarm. In the case of stopping the cut-off after receiving a cut-off instruction from the cut-off switch 18, the cut-off unit 34 indicates that the cut-off has been stopped on the display unit 16.

[0027] After receiving information from the vehicle control device 10 indicating whether cutting is possible, the cutting unit 34 completes the cutting or aborts the cutting. If the result of the adjustment process indicates that cutting is not possible, the cutting unit 34 aborts the cutting request signal and ends the cutting process of the auxiliary power supply unit 12.

[0028] If the mediation process indicates that the circuit can be cut off, the cut-off unit 34 completes the cut-off. Before cutting off the power supply from the auxiliary power supply unit 12, the alarm unit 28 stops outputting the alarm, so no alarm is output. After the cut-off, the vehicle control unit 10 is not powered, so no alarm is output. When the auxiliary power supply unit 12 resumes power supply and the vehicle control unit 10 is restarted, the control unit 24 stops the output of the alarm unit 28 from being reset, and the alarm unit 28 returns to the state where it has not stopped outputting.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the cut-off process performed by the vehicle control system 1 of the embodiment. The user turns on the cut-off switch 18 and sends a cut-off signal from the cut-off switch 18 to the auxiliary power supply unit 12 (S10).

[0030] The cut-off unit 34 of the auxiliary power supply unit 12 receives alarm setting information periodically sent from the alarm unit 28 and confirms the latest setting status of the alarm unit 28 (S12). The cut-off unit 34 determines whether to set the alarm output to off (S14). If the alarm unit 28 is set to on (S14 "No"), the cut-off unit 34 stops the cut-off (S28) and displays a message indicating that the cut-off has been stopped on the display unit 16 (S30).

[0031] When the alarm unit 28 is set to off (S14 "Yes"), the auxiliary power unit 12 sends a cut-off sign to the vehicle control unit 10 as a signal requesting the vehicle control unit 10 to cut off (S16).

[0032] The acquisition unit 22 of the vehicle control device 10 acquires a cut-off request signal from the auxiliary power supply unit 12, and the control unit 24 fixes the alarm unit 28 in the off state and stops the alarm output (S18). When the cut-off request signal is received, the mediation processing unit 26 performs mediation processing (S20) and sends the result of the mediation processing to the control unit 24, which in turn sends the result of the mediation processing to the auxiliary power supply unit 12 (S22).

[0033] If the result of the mediation process is that the power can be cut off (S24 "Yes"), the cutting-off unit 34 of the auxiliary power supply unit 12 cuts off the power supply from the auxiliary power supply unit 12, and the process ends (S26). If the result of the mediation process is that the power cannot be cut off (S24 "No"), the cutting-off unit 34 cancels the cutting-off flag that serves as a cutting-off request signal (S32), and the control unit 24 of the vehicle control device 10 releases the alarm from the fixed off state, thereby enabling the alarm to be output (S34).

[0034] The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes and modifications can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0035] Symbol Explanation

[0036] 1-Vehicle control system, 10-Vehicle control device, 12-Auxiliary power supply unit, 14-On-board sensor, 16-Display unit, 18-Disconnect switch, 20-Communication unit, 22-Acquisition unit, 24-Control unit, 26-Mediation processing unit, 28-Alarm unit, 30-Communication unit, 32-Acquisition unit, 34-Disconnect unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, which is a vehicle control system capable of being powered by an onboard auxiliary power supply, characterized in that, have: An alarm unit that outputs an alarm when it detects an abnormality in the auxiliary power supply unit; The acquisition unit acquires a cut-off request signal for cutting off power supply from the auxiliary power supply unit; If the mediation processing unit receives the cut-off request signal, it performs mediation processing to cut off the auxiliary power supply unit. and The control unit sends information corresponding to the mediation process result, indicating whether the circuit can be cut off, to the auxiliary power supply unit. The control unit stops the alarm output of the alarm unit from the time it receives the cut-off request signal until it sends the information indicating whether the cut-off can be performed to the auxiliary power unit.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is equipped with a cut-off switch that can be operated by the user to indicate that the auxiliary power supply unit is cut off. A signal indicating whether the cut-off switch is on or off is sent to the auxiliary power supply unit.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the mediation result indicates that the alarm cannot be cut off, the control unit will deactivate the output of the alarm unit.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The alarm unit can be switched to an on state where it can output an alarm and a off state where it cannot output an alarm. If the alarm unit is in the on state when the auxiliary power supply unit receives a cut-off instruction from the cut-off switch, the cut-off will be stopped.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, characterized in that, If the cutting-off is aborted after receiving a cutting-off instruction from the cut-off switch, the auxiliary power unit instructs the vehicle-mounted display unit to display information indicating that the cutting-off has been aborted.

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