Integrated control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle

Abstract

The application discloses an integrated control device, a vehicle control method and a vehicle, and relates to the technical field of vehicle control devices. The integrated control device comprises: an airbag electronic control unit used for sending an unlocking instruction when a collision occurs; and a door driving unit integrated on a mainboard of the airbag electronic control unit and electrically connected with the airbag electronic control unit, the door driving unit being used for driving a door to be unlocked in response to the unlocking instruction. The device can drive the door to be unlocked directly by the airbag electronic control unit when the collision occurs, and can avoid the problem that the door cannot be unlocked due to communication delay, CAN bus failure or domain control driving abnormality, and can improve the safety protection effect of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to an integrated control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous evolution of automotive intelligent technology, users' demands for vehicle safety performance have expanded from traditional passive safety protection to a multi-dimensional comprehensive safety system. In the field of passive safety, mainstream vehicles currently generally adopt multi-airbag systems to improve occupant protection in collision events. However, although airbags can effectively buffer impact forces at the moment of collision, their function is limited to instantaneous protection and lacks emergency response capabilities after an accident. In particular, there is a problem that the doors may not be able to open after a collision due to CAN bus failure, domain control drive malfunction, or occupant injury, delaying rescue. Moreover, the door unlocking signal needs to pass through a multi-node path of "airbag ECU → CAN bus → body controller → door lock", relying on CAN bus communication, resulting in a large response delay. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. Therefore, one objective of this invention is to provide an integrated control device that, in the event of a collision, can directly drive the vehicle door to unlock using the airbag electronic control unit, avoiding the problem of door unlocking failure due to communication delays, CAN bus failures, or domain control drive anomalies, thereby improving the vehicle's safety protection effect.

[0004] The second objective of this invention is to provide a vehicle control method.

[0005] The third objective of this invention is to provide a vehicle.

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides an integrated control device, comprising: an airbag electronic control unit for sending an unlocking command upon the occurrence of a collision; and a door drive unit integrated on the main board of the airbag electronic control unit and electrically connected to the airbag electronic control unit, the door drive unit being used to drive the door to unlock in response to the unlocking command.

[0007] According to the integrated control device of the present invention, by directly integrating the door drive unit onto the main board of the airbag electronic control unit, the airbag electronic control unit sends an unlocking command to the door drive unit in the event of a collision, thereby directly driving the door to unlock. Thus, the method of directly driving the door to unlock using the airbag electronic control unit can, on the one hand, form a redundant solution with the method of unlocking the door by relying on the CAN bus, avoiding the problem that the door cannot be unlocked due to communication delay, CAN bus failure or domain control drive abnormality. On the other hand, the method of the present application does not rely on the CAN bus, resulting in a faster response speed and effectively improving the safety protection effect of the vehicle.

[0008] In some embodiments, the airbag electronic control unit includes an airbag drive module for deploying the airbag; the airbag electronic control unit is used to send an airbag deployment command to the airbag drive module to deploy the airbag in the event of a collision, and then send the unlock command to unlock the vehicle door.

[0009] In some embodiments, the device further includes a main power supply and a backup power supply; wherein the main power supply is used to power the integrated control device, and the backup power supply is used to power the integrated control device in the event of a failure of the main power supply.

[0010] In some embodiments, the airbag electronic control unit includes a power management unit connected to the main power supply and the backup power supply. The power management unit is used to control the main power supply and / or the backup power supply to form a power supply circuit with the airbag electronic control unit and the door drive unit.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle control method for use in the airbag electronic control unit of the integrated control device described in the above embodiments, the method comprising: sending an unlocking command in the event of a collision; and driving the vehicle door to unlock in response to the unlocking command.

[0012] According to the vehicle control method of the present invention, the airbag electronic control unit can directly drive the door to unlock when a collision occurs, avoiding the problem that the door cannot be unlocked due to communication delay, CAN bus failure or domain control drive abnormality, thereby improving the vehicle's safety protection effect.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further includes: upon a collision, first sending an airbag deployment command to the airbag drive unit to deploy the airbag, and then sending the unlock command to unlock the vehicle door.

[0014] In some embodiments, unlocking the vehicle door includes: determining the non-collision side door based on collision information; and unlocking the non-collision side door.

[0015] In some embodiments, the collision information includes at least one of collision direction and collision intensity.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether a vehicle has been involved in a collision based on at least one of a collision sensor signal, an inertial attitude sensor signal, a pressure sensor signal, and an acceleration sensor signal.

[0017] A third aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle including the integrated control device described in the above embodiments; or, including an airbag electronic control unit, the airbag electronic control unit being used to implement the vehicle control method described in the above embodiments.

[0018] According to embodiments of the present invention, in the event of a collision, the airbag electronic control unit can directly drive the door to unlock, avoiding the problem of the door being unable to unlock due to communication delay, CAN bus failure, or domain control drive abnormality, thereby improving the vehicle's safety protection effect.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an airbag electronic control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated control device according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

[0022] With the continuous evolution of automotive intelligent technology, users' demands for vehicle safety performance have expanded from traditional passive safety protection to a multi-dimensional comprehensive safety system. In the field of passive safety, mainstream vehicles currently generally adopt multi-airbag systems to improve occupant protection in collision events. However, existing technologies still have significant limitations: although airbags can effectively buffer impact forces at the moment of collision, their function is limited to instantaneous protection and fails to cover the full-cycle safety risks after an accident. Specifically, a vehicle involved in an accident may face the following types of safety threats after a collision.

[0023] (1) Functional limitation: Existing ECUs (Electronic Control Units) focus only on passive safety functions such as airbag deployment and seat belt pretensioning.

[0024] (2) Lack of emergency response function after accident: The design goal of the existing system is limited to passive safety, i.e. airbag protection, and does not cover active safety such as door unlocking.

[0025] (3) Reliance on Domain Control System: In existing technologies, when a vehicle collision occurs, the electronic airbag control unit first identifies the collision situation and deploys the airbags to protect the occupants. Then, the electronic airbag control unit sends a collision signal to the body control system, which then unlocks the doors upon receiving the collision signal. It can be seen that door unlocking typically relies on an independent mechanical or electrical system, requiring additional power supply and domain control modules, increasing system complexity and cost. Furthermore, this method relies on CAN / LIN bus communication, and multi-node arbitration causes delays, resulting in response delays (typically >50ms). The single-controller architecture, where the BCM controls all doors, has a high single-point failure rate, easily leading to system paralysis and low redundancy. Moreover, during a collision, if the CAN bus signal fails, hardware signal fails, or the power supply is short-circuited or open-circuited, unlocking will not be possible.

[0026] (4) Insufficient support for personnel evacuation: Existing technology does not take personnel evacuation as a core requirement of system design. After a collision, the doors may not be able to open due to power failure, or the occupants may be unable to evacuate on their own due to injury. Traditional ECUs are not linked with the door unlocking system and cannot automatically open the doors, thus delaying rescue time.

[0027] (5) Insufficient energy efficiency: The existing solution is highly dependent on the vehicle battery. If the battery fails after an accident, it may affect the execution of emergency functions.

[0028] To address the aforementioned issues, a first aspect of this invention provides an integrated control device. This device enables the airbag electronic control unit to directly drive the vehicle door to unlock in the event of a collision, avoiding the problem of the door being unable to unlock due to communication delays, CAN bus failures, or domain control drive anomalies, thereby improving the vehicle's safety protection effect.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the integrated control device 10 includes an airbag electronic control unit 1 and a door drive unit 2.

[0030] The airbag electronic control unit 1 is used to send an unlocking command when a collision occurs; the door drive unit 2 is integrated on the main board of the airbag electronic control unit 1 and is electrically connected to the airbag electronic control unit 1. The door drive unit 2 is used to drive the door to unlock in response to the unlocking command.

[0031] Specifically, this application provides an integrated linkage unlocking ACU (Airbag Control Unit) solution based on the cascaded unlocking scheme of "Airbag ECU → Domain Controller → Door Lock". This solution integrates the door unlocking function onto the mainboard of the Airbag Control Unit 1, providing redundant backup for the door unlocking function. In the event of a collision, the Airbag Control Unit 1 directly controls the door to unlock. In other words, in addition to the airbag deployment function during a collision, the Airbag Control Unit 1 adds a physical-level synchronous triggering function for door unlocking. This creates a redundant door unlocking scheme in the vehicle, resolving the timing delays present in the existing cascaded unlocking scheme of "Airbag ECU → Domain Controller → Door Lock", as well as the problem of doors failing to unlock due to power failure during a collision or abnormal domain controller motor drive. This effectively provides valuable time for drivers and passengers to escape after an accident. Meanwhile, this application adopts a hardware interrupt direct triggering mechanism, that is, the airbag electronic control unit 1 directly drives the door to unlock, which does not rely on the CAN bus and has a faster response speed. The response time can be shortened from 100ms-200ms in the existing solution to less than 20ms, effectively improving the vehicle's safety protection effect and improving the vehicle's safety reliability.

[0032] In some embodiments, the airbag electronic control unit 1 determines whether a collision has occurred based on at least one of collision sensor signals, inertial attitude sensor signals, pressure sensor signals, and acceleration sensor signals. For example, as... Figure 1As shown, multiple peripheral sensors are installed on the vehicle, including collision sensors, inertial attitude sensors, pressure sensors, and acceleration sensors. For example, these peripheral sensors include two frontal collision acceleration sensors installed on the left and right sides of the front bumper, two rear collision acceleration sensors on both sides of the rear bumper, and four side collision acceleration sensors installed under the B-pillars and C-pillars on both sides of the vehicle. The acceleration sensors are directly connected to the airbag electronic control unit 1, which provides power and communication. Therefore, by integrating multi-dimensional data from the collision sensors, inertial attitude sensors, pressure sensors, and acceleration sensors, it is possible to determine whether a collision has occurred, facilitating accurate collision detection.

[0033] In some embodiments, considering that the airbag electronic control unit 1 is a high-sensitivity, high-reliability system with safety as the priority, while the door drive unit 2 is a high-noise, high-interference system driven by power, the door drive unit 2 is the main source of electromagnetic compatibility emissions. After integration, it will bring the risk of enhanced conducted interference to the power line of the ACU. In addition, the door drive unit 2 is a power ground with large and sudden current peaks, while the airbag simulation circuit is a signal ground or sensor ground, which is extremely sensitive to noise. Therefore, during the integration setup, the door drive unit 2 needs to be placed far away from the sensor circuit, and the door drive unit 2 and the airbag electronic control unit 1 are isolated on the PCB layout to prevent interference from causing false triggering. When the door drive unit 2 is operating, it generates high transient currents (peak values ​​can reach tens of amperes) and reverse electromotive force from the switching of inductive loads. Transient interference may couple to the airbag ignition circuit through the power supply ground plane or spatial radiation. The airbag ignition circuit is high-impedance and sensitive to low energy (typically the ignition current threshold is around 1.2A-2A, with timing accuracy required at the microsecond level). If interference is misinterpreted as an ignition command, it can cause the airbag to deploy in a non-accident state. Therefore, the two need to be strictly isolated to avoid interference and excessive ground bounce noise. Furthermore, dual independent power supplies or isolated DC-DC converters can be used to power both parts to ensure that voltage drops in the door lock do not affect airbag deployment.

[0034] It is understood that in this application, only the integrated control device 10 can be installed in the vehicle. That is, in the event of a collision, the vehicle only supports the airbag electronic control unit 1 to drive the door unlocking. Therefore, there is no need to configure an independent power supply, domain controller, and complex communication lines for the door unlocking function, reducing system complexity and cost. Alternatively, in this application, the original "airbag ECU → domain controller → door lock" cascaded unlocking scheme can be retained in the vehicle, while also installing the integrated control device 10. This forms a redundant scheme for the door unlocking function, thereby avoiding the problem of high vulnerability due to over-reliance on a single path and improving safety and reliability.

[0035] According to the integrated control device 10 of the present invention, the door drive unit 2 is directly integrated into the main board of the airbag electronic control unit 1. In the event of a collision, the airbag electronic control unit 1 sends an unlocking command to the door drive unit 2 to directly drive the door to unlock. Thus, the method of the airbag electronic control unit 1 directly driving the door to unlock can, on the one hand, form a redundant solution with the method of unlocking the door by relying on the CAN bus, avoiding the problem that the door cannot be unlocked due to communication delay, CAN bus failure or domain control drive abnormality. On the other hand, the method of the present application does not rely on the CAN bus, and the response speed is faster, effectively improving the safety protection effect of the vehicle.

[0036] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the airbag electronic control unit 1 includes an airbag drive module 3 for deploying the airbag and a seatbelt drive module 4 for driving the seatbelt to deform. Both the airbag drive module 3 and the seatbelt drive module 4 are integrated on the main board. Specifically, in the event of a collision, the airbag electronic control unit 1 first sends an airbag deployment command to the airbag drive module to deploy the airbag, and then sends the unlock command to unlock the vehicle door.

[0037] Specifically, considering that the airbag electronic control unit 1 is a highly sensitive and reliable system prioritizing safety, while the door drive unit 2 is a power-driven system with high noise and strong interference, the door drive unit 2, as the main source of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) emissions, poses a risk of increased conducted interference to the ACU power lines after integration. Furthermore, the door drive unit 2 wiring harness is typically long, extending from the ACU wiring harness to the door. These harnesses act as efficient antennas, generating strong low-frequency magnetic field interference and radiated emissions when the door is unlocked. Therefore, if door unlocking and airbag deployment occur simultaneously, the resulting EMC emissions may worsen the entire frequency band. To avoid these problems, this application, considering actual operating conditions and safety, proposes that in the event of a collision, the airbag electronic control unit 1 deploys the airbag first, and then the door is unlocked. This avoids the problem of false airbag deployment caused by strong transient electromagnetic interference from high-current operation.

[0038] The airbag drive module 3 includes airbags for driving the driver's airbag, passenger's airbag, seat side airbag, curtain airbag, knee airbag and remote airbag. The airbag drive unit 3 is driven and monitored by the ACU to ensure that it can deploy quickly in the event of a collision.

[0039] Furthermore, the airbag electronic control unit 1 is also used to send a seatbelt tightening command to the seatbelt drive module 4 in the event of a collision, so as to tighten the seatbelt. Specifically, high-pressure gas is generated by igniting a gas-generating agent, which pushes the seatbelt webbing to contract, thus effectively preventing secondary injuries by tightening the seatbelt in advance.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the integrated control device 10 also includes a main power supply 5 and a backup power supply 6; wherein, the main power supply 5 is used to power the integrated control device 10, and the backup power supply 6 is used to power the integrated control device 10 in the event of failure of the main power supply 5. Therefore, adopting a backup power supply drive scheme helps to avoid excessive reliance on the vehicle battery and ensures the reliability of functional implementation after an accident.

[0041] Specifically, the integrated control device 10 also includes a main power supply 5 (ON position) and an independent backup power supply 6, see reference. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, under normal conditions, the integrated control unit 10 is powered by the vehicle battery (VBAT) through the main power supply 5. Simultaneously, the reserve power module 202 of the airbag electronic control unit 1 manages the charging of the backup power supply 6, keeping it fully charged. When the airbag electronic control unit 1 detects an anomaly in the main power supply 5, such as a breakage of the power supply harness due to a collision, the reserve power module 202 can seamlessly switch within milliseconds to allow the backup power supply 6 to power the entire integrated control unit 10. This parallel supply of ON and constant power ensures that even in the worst-case collision power failure scenario, at least one power source is available, allowing the airbag electronic control unit 1 to continue operating normally and unlocking the doors. This intelligent power redundancy, enabling real-time monitoring and seamless hot-switching, significantly improves the device's ASIL-D safety level.

[0042] Among them, the main power supply 5 and the backup power supply 6 need to be managed simultaneously and interconnected yet independent. When the main power supply 5 malfunctions, the backup power supply 6 can automatically take over to ensure that the airbag electronic control unit 1 can work normally.

[0043] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the airbag electronic control unit 1 includes a power management unit 7, which is connected to the main power supply 5 and the backup power supply 6. The power management unit 7 is used to control the main power supply 5 and / or the backup power supply 6 to form a power supply circuit with the airbag electronic control unit 1 and the door drive unit 2.

[0044] Specifically, the power management unit 7 is used to process the power provided by the main power supply 5 and / or the backup power supply 6 into the power voltage, logic voltage and reference voltage required by each module inside the airbag electronic control unit 1 through power management such as energy storage and filtering, and to monitor the input and output voltage in real time to ensure stable operation of the device.

[0045] For example, the power management unit 7 can supply power to the device 10 with the main power supply 5 when the output level is high, and switch to the backup power supply 6 to supply power to the device when the output level is low.

[0046] For example, the power management unit 7 can be divided into a power supply module 201 and a reserve power module 202. Specifically, the airbag electronic control unit 1 is the core component of the integrated control device 10. It can receive detection data from peripheral sensors, monitor the operating status of all components, perform post-calculation of collision acceleration and execution of the drive algorithm, and also handle information interaction with other systems outside the device. (Reference) Figure 2 As shown, the airbag electronic control unit 1 consists of seven functional modules: power supply module 201, reserve power supply module 202, central sensor 203, central computing module 204, information storage module 205, communication module 206, and drive control module 207.

[0047] The power supply module 201 processes the power supplied by the vehicle battery through energy storage filtering and other power management methods to obtain the required power voltage, logic voltage, and reference voltage for each module within the airbag electronic control unit 1, and monitors the input and output voltages in real time to ensure stable operation of the device. The backup power supply module 202 processes the power supplied by the standby power supply through energy storage filtering and other power management methods to obtain the required power voltage, logic voltage, and reference voltage for each module within the airbag electronic control unit 1. For example, the door drive unit 2 is powered by the backup power supply 6, which is responsible for quickly unlocking the door in collisions or other dangerous scenarios, providing a physical passage for passenger escape or rescue. The backup power supply 6 serves as a backup for the power input of the integrated control device 10. When the device is powered on, the power supply module 201 converts part of the main power supply energy to the backup power supply module 202 to power the backup power supply 6; when the power supply module 201 is disconnected, the backup power supply module 202 outputs energy in reverse to the power supply module 201, ensuring that the drive control module 207 can drive all actuators multiple times and completely record accident data. At the same time, dual power input can also avoid excessive surge impact and prevent the ACU from malfunctioning due to a single power supply failure.

[0048] Furthermore, the central sensor 203 receives and processes signals from multiple peripheral sensors to provide raw data to the central processing module 204. The central processing module 204 is responsible for data reception, processing, command issuance, and monitoring and diagnostics of all modules. The information storage module 205 can use non-volatile memory, supporting high-speed read / write and ensuring data integrity even after power failure. The storage capacity of the information storage module 205 is large enough to record configuration information of the airbag electronic control unit 1, monitoring and diagnostic results, and complete data on the vehicle's status during a collision event, such as dynamic parameters like vehicle speed, accelerator pedal position, and braking status, as well as key information like collision time, peak acceleration, and direction. Based on the settings of the information storage module 205, accident information can still be read even after vehicle damage, providing crucial data for accident analysis. The communication module 206 is responsible for information exchange between the airbag electronic control unit 1 and other vehicle systems such as the body controller and the vehicle networking platform. The communication module 206 supports multi-rate communication protocols to ensure real-time and reliable data transmission. It can also transmit accident data to a remote server or rescue center via communication networks such as 5G and GPS, supporting accident analysis and emergency response. The drive control module 207 includes the airbag drive module 3 and the seatbelt drive module 4. The drive control module 207 is responsible for monitoring and driving the system's peripheral components, receiving instructions from the central processing module S204, and controlling the execution of the door drive unit, airbag drive module, and seatbelt drive module.

[0049] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, in the event of a collision, on the one hand, the airbag electronic control unit 1 sends a collision signal to the body controller of the body control system via the CAN bus, so that the body controller can make a collision determination based on the collision signal. After determining that a collision has occurred, the body controller unlocks the doors. On the other hand, the integrated control device 10 can also be equipped with a signal interaction interface with external modules such as the body controller. In the event of a collision, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the airbag electronic control unit 1 sends the collision detection result to this interface. This interface is responsible for converting the collision detection result into a physical signal, namely a collision hardware signal, which triggers the relevant safety mechanism. The signal is transmitted to the body controller via a hardwired connection or a dedicated bus, thereby ensuring the real-time performance and reliability of the signal transmission. It also forms a redundant channel with the CAN bus to avoid the problem of a single signal transmission failure causing the safety mechanism to fail.

[0050] In this embodiment, the two components that originally required external wiring harnesses—the airbag electronic control unit and the airbag drive module—are integrated onto a single circuit board (PCBA) in terms of hardware structure. Communication between the two can be achieved using SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) and enable / sleep control signals. Therefore, the control process is entirely completed within the PCBA, eliminating the need for external wiring harnesses and effectively solving the reliability problem of wiring harness breakage due to collisions in traditional designs. Furthermore, CAN bus communication is a vehicle-level communication protocol used for standardized data exchange between different electronic control units. This application retains the original CAN bus communication function for unlocking the doors.

[0051] It is understood that the door driving mechanism of the integrated control device 10 differs from the existing CAN bus communication mechanism for unlocking doors. In the integrated control device 10, the airbag electronic control unit 1 directly controls the door driving unit 2 to unlock the door. In contrast, in the existing CAN bus communication scheme, the airbag electronic control unit 1 only sends a collision signal, and the body controller independently determines and executes door unlocking based on the collision signal. In other words, the control logic of the integrated control device 10 is a functional-level closed-loop control, while the control logic of the existing CAN bus communication is a signal-level hierarchical control. Furthermore, the airbag electronic control unit 1 in this application directly detects collision impacts, such as acceleration thresholds, and triggers autonomously. In the latter case, the airbag electronic control unit 1 only sends a collision signal, and the body controller makes secondary determinations, such as collision intensity, vehicle speed, and door status. Therefore, the airbag electronic control unit 1 in this application is a redundant design that can solve the problem of unlocking failure due to successful signal transmission but body controller malfunction, thereby improving the overall vehicle safety performance level.

[0052] Furthermore, in this application, the airbag electronic control unit 1 directly drives the door lock to unlock via its own drive chip; the body controller itself has multiple unlocking methods, such as driving the door lock motor with a pulse signal, or sending commands to each door control module, namely the driver's side door module / front passenger side door module / rear door module, via the CAN / LIN bus. In other words, the airbag electronic control unit 1 does not control the body controller, but only needs to ensure that the door can be unlocked normally.

[0053] A second aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle control method for use in the airbag electronic control unit of the integrated control device described in the above embodiments, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes at least step S1 and step S2.

[0054] Step S1: In the event of a collision, send an unlock command.

[0055] Step S2: In response to the unlock command, the door is unlocked.

[0056] Specifically, the airbag electronic control unit receives a collision signal from at least one peripheral sensor. If the collision signal reaches or exceeds a preset threshold, it is determined that a collision has occurred. The airbag electronic control unit then sends an unlocking command to the door drive unit. In response to the unlocking command, the door drive unit releases the door lock and automatically unlocks the door.

[0057] According to the vehicle control method of the present invention, the airbag electronic control unit can directly drive the door to unlock when a collision occurs, avoiding the problem that the door cannot be unlocked due to communication delay, CAN bus failure or domain control drive abnormality, thereby improving the vehicle's safety protection effect. At the same time, the unified control of multiple emergency functions by the airbag electronic control unit also helps to reduce the dependence on the vehicle body domain control module and improve the integration.

[0058] In some embodiments, the method of this application further includes: upon a collision, first sending an airbag deployment command to the airbag drive unit to deploy the airbag, and then sending an unlock command to unlock the vehicle door. This separates the airbag deployment action and the door unlocking action in timing, avoiding the problem of false airbag deployment caused by strong transient electromagnetic interference generated by high-current operation.

[0059] In some embodiments, unlocking a vehicle door includes: determining the non-collision side door based on collision information; and unlocking the non-collision side door.

[0060] Specifically, considering the issue of doors becoming deformed after a collision, rendering them unopenable even when unlocked, this application addresses the problem that, when unlocking the doors, the airbag electronic control unit intelligently selects the door to unlock first based on collision information. For example, if the collision is determined to be a left-side collision, an unlocking command can be generated first for the right-side door (the non-collision side door) to unlock it. Therefore, in a side collision, the non-collision side door is less prone to deformation. By prioritizing unlocking the non-collision side door, a more reliable escape route can be provided for occupants, achieving intelligent adaptive unlocking strategy.

[0061] In some embodiments, the collision information includes at least one of the collision direction and the collision intensity.

[0062] Specifically, in side-impact collisions, the door on the side of the collision directly bears the enormous impact force. The door and door frame structure on this side are highly susceptible to mechanical deformation, causing the door lock mechanism to jam and the door to be unable to open normally. Therefore, if the ACU issues unlock commands to all doors simultaneously without distinction after a collision, the door on the side of the collision is likely to be unable to open, and may even waste valuable power and response time due to the motor forcibly executing the command. Therefore, to ensure that occupants can evacuate quickly and safely after an accident, the door on the non-collision side, being far from the point of impact, usually remains intact or has minimal deformation, making it a more reliable escape route. Based on the above considerations, this application determines the non-collision side door based on two parameters: collision direction and collision intensity. For example, in the case of minor scratches or low-speed collisions (i.e., collision intensity below a certain threshold), the door on the side of the collision may not be damaged and requires no special treatment; however, in the case of severe collisions (i.e., collision intensity above a certain threshold), the non-collision side is unlocked first, so as to allocate the most critical function to the most likely intact path.

[0063] In some embodiments, the method of this application further includes determining whether a vehicle collision has occurred based on at least one of collision sensor signals, inertial attitude sensor signals, pressure sensor signals, and acceleration sensor signals. Therefore, the collision determination algorithm, which fuses signals from multiple peripheral sensors, can provide the airbag electronic control unit with more comprehensive and accurate judgment criteria, improving the timeliness and accuracy of emergency response.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the peripheral sensors and the central sensor in the airbag electronic control unit simultaneously detect collision signals, the central processing module in the airbag electronic control unit will dynamically compare and analyze the magnitude and direction of the acceleration. If it is determined that the collected signal reaches or exceeds a preset threshold, the airbag electronic control unit sends a detonation drive command to the airbag drive module. After receiving the detonation command, the airbag drive module can also verify the signals of the central sensor and at least one peripheral sensor to ensure the accuracy of the collision determination.

[0065] The following is for reference. Figure 5 The vehicle control method of this application is illustrated with an example, and the specific process is as follows.

[0066] Step S3: The integrated control device performs a cyclic self-test every 0.5ms (the period is adjustable). Specifically, this may include: cyclic self-test of the airbag module circuit; when an abnormal connection such as a disconnection or short circuit is detected in the airbag module circuit, the ACU triggers an airbag module circuit connection abnormality warning; cyclic self-test of the sensors; when an abnormality such as a disconnection or short circuit occurs in the sensor module circuit, the ACU issues a sensor module circuit connection abnormality warning; VBAT power supply (main power detection circuit); when an abnormality such as a disconnection or short circuit occurs in the VBAT power supply circuit, the ACU triggers a VBAT module circuit connection abnormality warning and activates the backup power supply; SVBAT power supply (backup power management): under normal conditions, VBAT remains fully charged; when the SVBAT power level drops below 80%, charging mode is activated, and VBAT charges the backup power supply; if VBAT malfunctions, the system immediately switches to the backup power supply to power the ACU. Step S4: The accelerometer detects the acceleration signal in real time, and then proceeds to step S7.

[0067] Step S5: The inertial attitude sensor detects the angular velocity signal in real time, and then proceeds to step S7.

[0068] Step S6: The pressure sensor detects the pressure signal in real time and executes step S7.

[0069] Step S7: Determine the threshold conditions for the sensor signals. If the conditions are met, proceed to step S8. For example, determine whether the acceleration signal reaches the first preset threshold, whether the angular velocity signal reaches the second preset threshold, and whether the pressure signal reaches the third preset threshold.

[0070] Step S8: When the device collects peripheral sensor signals exceeding the threshold, the ACU initiates the collision algorithm. The threshold adjustment incorporates vehicle dynamics model calibration to prevent false triggering. After a collision is confirmed based on the collision algorithm, the drive control module is activated, continuously monitoring sensor data until an ignition threshold is reached (e.g., peak acceleration or duration). At this point, the airbags are deployed, seatbelts are locked, and doors are unlocked. A collision signal is then sent to the domain controller via the CANFD network.

[0071] Step S9: Tighten the seat belt.

[0072] Step S10: Deploy the airbag.

[0073] Step S11, Information Storage: Specifically, collision event-related data, including data from peripheral acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, and the ACU's built-in accelerometer and angle offset measurements from 3 seconds before to 5 seconds after the collision, are collected and stored in local memory. Collision signals are sent to other vehicle modules via the CANFD network, and EDR data is transmitted to the backend. If no collision occurs, the collision algorithm exits, and the data is stored in local memory as a collision risk event. The recorded data is then sent to the intelligent assisted driving system via the CANFD network to remind the user and to provide raw data for algorithm optimization.

[0074] In step S12, when a collision occurs, the ACU calculates the vehicle status after 10-20ms. If the unlocking conditions are met, the motor is directly driven to unlock the door.

[0075] Step S13: Issue a collision signal.

[0076] In step S14, the vehicle controller receives the collision signal and makes a collision determination.

[0077] Step S15: Unlock the car door.

[0078] The mechanism described above, which directly unlocks the vehicle door via the airbag electronic control unit, effectively avoids the risk of door unlocking failure due to power failure, communication interruption, or domain control motor malfunction, meeting the highest safety integrity level requirements of ISO 26262. Furthermore, this application supports a dual-redundancy architecture, providing dual protection at critical control nodes, significantly improving the safety redundancy and fault tolerance of the door unlocking system.

[0079] A third aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle 20, the vehicle 20 including the integrated control device 10 described in the above embodiments, such as... Figure 6 As shown; or, the vehicle 20 includes an airbag electronic control unit 1, which is used to implement the vehicle control method of the above embodiments.

[0080] According to embodiments of the present invention, in the event of a collision, the airbag electronic control unit can directly drive the door to unlock, avoiding the problem of the door being unable to unlock due to communication delay, CAN bus failure, or domain control drive abnormality, thereby improving the vehicle's safety protection effect.

[0081] In the description of this specification, any process or method described in the flowcharts or otherwise herein may be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the invention includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order according to the functions involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain.

[0082] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0083] It should be understood that various parts of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any of the following techniques known in the art, or a combination thereof: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0084] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods described in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0085] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0086] The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc. Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0087] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0088] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An integrated control device, characterized in that, include: The airbag electronic control unit is used to send an unlock command in the event of a collision; A door drive unit is integrated on the main board of the airbag electronic control unit and electrically connected to the airbag electronic control unit. The door drive unit is used to drive the door to unlock in response to the unlocking command.

2. The integrated control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The airbag electronic control unit includes an airbag drive module for deploying the airbag; The airbag electronic control unit is used to send an airbag deployment command to the airbag drive module to deploy the airbag in the event of a collision, and then send the unlock command to unlock the vehicle door.

3. The integrated control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further includes a main power supply and a backup power supply; wherein the main power supply is used to power the integrated control device, and the backup power supply is used to power the integrated control device in the event of failure of the main power supply.

4. The integrated control device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The airbag electronic control unit includes: A power management unit is connected to the main power supply and the backup power supply. The power management unit is used to control the main power supply and / or the backup power supply to form a power supply circuit with the airbag electronic control unit and the door drive unit.

5. A vehicle control method, characterized in that, The method comprises: an airbag electronic control unit for an integrated control device according to any one of claims 1-4; and the method further comprises: In the event of a collision, send an unlock command; In response to the unlock command, the door is unlocked.

6. The vehicle control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: In the event of a collision, an airbag deployment command is first sent to the airbag drive unit to deploy the airbag, and then the unlock command is sent to unlock the vehicle door.

7. The vehicle control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The unlocking of the drive door includes: The non-collision side door is determined based on collision information; Drive the non-collision side door to unlock.

8. The vehicle control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The collision information includes at least one of the collision direction and collision intensity.

9. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Whether a vehicle has been involved in a collision is determined based on at least one of the following: collision sensor signals, inertial attitude sensor signals, pressure sensor signals, and acceleration sensor signals.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the integrated control device as described in any one of claims 1-4; Alternatively, it may include an airbag electronic control unit for implementing the vehicle control method according to any one of claims 5-9.

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