Automotive water valve actuator control system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of automobile water valve actuator control systems, including control module and executing mechanism, the control module includes power module, microprocessor, sensor and LIN communication port, the microprocessor is connected with LIN communication port, power module, sensor, sensor sends different angle information to microprocessor according to the gear rotation induction of executing mechanism, and microprocessor controls the motor rotation of executing mechanism according to angle instruction.The utility model utilizes the water valve of three-dimensional hall sensor, can realize 360 ° position detection, and sensor and water valve are detected position by magnetic induction signal, without physical contact, high reliability, can be widely applied in automobile water valve control system, meet the requirement of new energy automobile electronic water valve high precision, high reliability, high integration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of water valve control technology, specifically relating to a control system for an automotive water valve actuator. Background Technology

[0002] New energy vehicles are rapidly developing towards intelligence, integration, and lightweighting, placing higher demands on various subsystems. The automotive thermal management system, primarily comprising battery thermal management, motor and electronic control system thermal management, and passenger compartment thermal management, is the energy regulation center of the entire vehicle, playing a decisive role in its safety, energy efficiency, and comfort. In recent years, with Tesla pioneering the introduction of its integrated thermal management module, major OEMs and component manufacturers have conducted extensive research on such modules. As a crucial component of the integrated thermal management module, the performance of the multi-way valve directly determines the overall performance of the module. Therefore, researching a high-precision, high-reliability multi-way valve control system is particularly important.

[0003] To achieve precise control of water valves, an angle position sensor needs to be installed on the valve actuator to detect the valve's real-time position. Currently, two main types of sensors are widely used: relative and absolute position sensors. Relative position sensors use Hall effect switches to monitor the number of steps the valve has moved to calculate its real-time angle. Their advantages are simple circuitry and low cost; their disadvantage is the need for power-on self-learning. Absolute position sensors provide real-time feedback on the valve's current position and do not require self-learning. Commonly used absolute position sensors include potentiometers and carbon film resistors. Both of these are contact sensors, and their common disadvantages are low accuracy and poor reliability. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem solved by this utility model is to address the issues of low accuracy and poor reliability of contact sensors.

[0005] Technical solution: To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0006] A control system for an automotive water valve actuator includes a control module and an actuator. The control module includes a power module, a microprocessor, a sensor module, and a LIN communication port. The microprocessor is connected to the LIN communication port, the power module, and the sensor. The sensor senses different angle information based on the rotation of the gears in the actuator and sends it to the microprocessor. The microprocessor controls the rotation of the motor in the actuator according to the angle command, outputting torque to control the action of the water valve.

[0007] Furthermore, the actuator includes a motor, a gear system, and a sensing magnet. The sensing magnet is located in the gear system, the motor drives the gear system to rotate, and the sensor senses different angle information based on the gear rotation and sends it to the microprocessor.

[0008] Furthermore, the sensor employs a three-dimensional Hall sensor, which interacts with the microprocessor via SPI communication, converting 0-360 degree angle signals into digital signals and transmitting them to the microprocessor.

[0009] Furthermore, the three-dimensional Hall sensor chip integrates a raw signal processing module, a DSP processor, and an SPI output module. It performs AD conversion on the sensed magnetic flux in a single direction, processes the data through the DSP processor, and then outputs it through the SPI output module.

[0010] Furthermore, the microprocessor uses the MLX81332 chip.

[0011] Furthermore, the LIN communication port directly uses the LIN driver circuit integrated within the MLX81332 chip, including switch S1, TVS diode D3, resistor R1, and capacitors C13 and C14.

[0012] Furthermore, the sensor is connected to the microprocessor via an SPI bus, and the SPI bus is connected to the microprocessor's SPI module to exchange data.

[0013] Furthermore, the power module uses the built-in power module of the microprocessor to provide power to the sensor.

[0014] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0015] This invention relates to an automotive water valve actuator control system. The system uses an MLX90363 Hall sensor for position signal acquisition and a LIN-based motor-specific driver chip, MLX81332, for position signal processing and logic control. Results show that the system has advantages of high control accuracy and reliable operation, and can be widely applied in automotive water valve control systems, meeting the requirements of high precision, high reliability, and high integration for electronic water valves in new energy vehicles.

[0016] The three-dimensional Hall sensor used in this invention is a non-contact sensor with the advantages of high reliability, strong anti-interference ability and high accuracy. This is of great significance to the research of water valve control system. The water valve using this sensor can achieve 360° position detection. Moreover, the sensor and the water valve are detected by magnetic induction signal, without physical contact, which is highly reliable. In addition, its 14-bit resolution can control the angle accuracy within 1 degree. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the control system structure of an automotive water valve actuator;

[0018] Figure 2This is a block diagram of the control module of an automotive water valve actuator control system.

[0019] Figure 3 This is the circuit schematic of the power module;

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a microprocessor circuit;

[0021] Figure 5 This is the circuit schematic of the sensor module;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a LIN communication port circuit. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will be further illustrated below with reference to specific embodiments. The embodiments are implemented on the premise of the technical solution of the present invention. It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1-6 As shown, the automotive water valve actuator control system of this utility model includes an upper cover 1, a lower cover 2, a motor 3, a PCB circuit board 5, a gear system, a sensing magnet 10, and a control module. The upper cover 1 and the lower cover 2 enclose a closed housing. The motor 3, the PCB circuit board 5, the gear system, the sensing magnet 5, and the control module are all installed inside the housing. The motor 3, the gear system, and the sensing magnet 10 constitute the actuator.

[0025] The gear system includes a worm gear 4, a first combination gear 6, a second combination gear 7, an output gear 8, and a DC motor 3. The output end of the motor 3 is connected to the worm gear 4. The worm gear 4 meshes with the first combination gear 6, the first combination gear 6 meshes with the second combination gear 7, and the second combination gear 7 meshes with the output gear 8, forming a gear transmission system. The output shaft of the output gear 8 extends through the upper cover 1 and is used to control the water valve. A sealing ring 10 is installed between the output shaft of the output gear 8 and the upper cover 1. An inductive magnet 5 is embedded in the output gear 8 for use with a three-dimensional Hall sensor.

[0026] The metal shaft is installed in the mounting holes of the upper and lower housings and is the rotating shaft of gears 6 and 7. Gears 6 and 7 have through holes in their centers.

[0027] The control module is mainly mounted on PCB board 5. The hardware system block diagram is shown in Figure 2. The control module includes a power supply module, a microprocessor, sensors, a LIN communication port, and an SPI interface. The microprocessor is connected to the LIN communication port, the power supply module, and the SPI interface. The sensors are connected to the microprocessor via the SPI interface. The LIN communication port is used to receive position request signals and actuator status feedback sent by the vehicle's master node, while the SPI interface is used to read the angle position signals from the Hall sensors.

[0028] microprocessors such Figure 4 As shown, the microprocessor uses the Milaile MLX81332 motor driver chip, which includes a power module, an SPI module, a LIN module, and a motor driver module.

[0029] like Figure 4 The diagram shows the schematic of a microprocessor circuit using the MLX81332 chip and its peripheral circuitry. VBAT is the main power input; one path is connected to the chip's VSM pin through a filter circuit composed of capacitors C8 and C9, while the other path is grounded through capacitor C12, providing filtered power to the VS pin. The LIN signal input is filtered by resistor R1 and capacitor C14 before being connected to the chip's LININ pin. Capacitor C13 and TVS diode D3 (model SZMMBZ27VCLT1G) are connected in parallel between LIN and ground to suppress transient overvoltages and protect the LIN input signal.

[0030] The MLX81332 is a LIN-based automotive-grade motor driver chip from Melexico, designed for driving small motors up to 10W. It can drive various types of motors, including brushed, brushless, and stepper motors. This chip integrates abundant on-chip resources, including four FET half-bridge drivers, a LIN driver with auto-addressing, and a voltage regulator for direct connection to a 12V system. It also integrates over-temperature, over-voltage, under-voltage, and over-current protection functions. Furthermore, this chip is specifically designed for safety applications and complies with ASIL-B (ISO26262) standards.

[0031] The sensor uses a three-dimensional Hall sensor, which is mounted on the PCB circuit board 5. A sensing magnet 5 is embedded in the output gear 8 directly above it. The DC motor drives the gear system to rotate. The three-dimensional Hall sensor senses different angle information based on the gear rotation and sends it to the microprocessor. The microprocessor controls the motor 3 to rotate according to the angle command sent by the vehicle, so as to achieve precise control.

[0032] In this embodiment, the sensor module uses the MLX90363 three-dimensional Hall sensor, which can sense magnetic flux in three directions at a single point. The chip integrates a raw signal processing module, a DSP microprocessor, and an SPI output module. The sensed magnetic flux in a single direction is converted from analog to digital (AD) data, processed by the DSP, and then transmitted via SPI. In this system, the MLX90363 acts as a slave node of the SPI, and the microprocessor is the master node. Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the 3D Hall sensor interacts with the microprocessor via SPI communication, converting 0-360 degree angle signals into digital signals and transmitting them to the microprocessor. The VCC 5V power supply is grounded through capacitor C15 (100nF / 25V) and then connected to the chip's VDD pin, providing main power and filtering for the chip. The 3D Hall sensor's MISO pin is connected to the microprocessor's MISO signal node; the MOSI pin is connected to the microprocessor's MOSI signal node; the SCLK pin is connected to the microprocessor's SCLK signal node; and the / SS (CSB) pin is connected to the microprocessor's CSB signal node, forming the SPI communication interface for data interaction with external devices.

[0033] The LIN communication port is used to receive position request signals and actuator status feedback sent by the vehicle master node. In this embodiment, the LIN communication port directly uses the LIN driver circuit integrated inside the MLX81332 chip. The MLX81332 adopts a fully integrated LIN slave design method, integrates the LIN driver circuit, and designs ESD protection circuit at the bus interface to maintain the robustness of the system.

[0034] like Figure 6 The circuit shown is the LIN interface circuit, which includes switch S1, TVS diode D3, resistor R1, and two 100pF / 50V capacitors C13 and C14. The TVS diode is model SZMMBZ27VCLT1G, a bidirectional TVS diode used to suppress electromagnetic interference. It has a withstand voltage of 27V, a maximum current of 200mA, and a maximum operating temperature of 150℃.

[0035] The power module provides 5V power to the MLX90363. The power module uses a voltage regulator and can be directly connected to a 12V power supply. External features include reverse connection protection, voltage regulation, and filtering circuitry. Figure 3As shown, the circuit includes capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, and C7, diode D1, and TVS diode D2. KL30 is the power input node, and KL31 is the ground node. Capacitors C1 and C2, connected in series, are connected in parallel between KL30 and KL31, serving as filters. Capacitors C3, C4, C5, C6, and C7 are connected in parallel between VBAT and KL31, filtering and regulating the voltage at the VBAT terminal. Diode D1 (model B340AQ-13-F) has its anode connected to KL30 and its cathode connected to VBAT, providing unidirectional conduction and allowing current to flow from KL30 to VBAT. TVS diode D2 (model SMCJ24CA-AT / TR13) is a bidirectional transient voltage suppressor diode, with its two ends connected to the cathode of D1 and KL31 respectively, used to suppress transient overvoltages in the circuit and protect downstream circuitry. The IO3 (MOSI), IO2 (MISO), IO1 (SCLK), and IO0 (CSB) pins of the MLX81332 chip form an SPI communication bus for data exchange with external devices. The U, V, and W pins of the MLX81332 chip are drive output terminals, with V and W connected to the M+ and M- nodes of motor 3, respectively.

[0036] Reverse connection protection is mainly to prevent damage to hardware caused by reverse connection of positive and negative terminals. This system uses the unidirectional conductivity of diodes to design the reverse connection protection circuit.

[0037] The control system uses DC power supply. To prevent damage to the hardware from vehicle surge voltage, a current absorption circuit needs to be designed. This invention uses a TVS diode connected in parallel with the protected circuit. TVS diodes have a high surge absorption capability, achieving a fast response in the sub-nanosecond range. When the power supply is subjected to a momentary high-voltage surge, the TVS diode undergoes avalanche breakdown, instantly changing from a high-impedance state to a low-impedance state to absorb a large instantaneous current, clamping the voltage across the power supply to a predetermined value, thereby protecting the hardware from transient high-energy surges. Furthermore, after the instantaneous pulse ends, the TVS diode automatically returns to a high-impedance state, and the entire circuit returns to normal voltage conditions.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A control system for an automotive water valve actuator, characterized in that: It includes a control module and an actuator. The control module includes a power module, a microprocessor, a sensor, and a LIN communication port. The microprocessor is connected to the LIN communication port, the power module, and the sensor. The sensor senses different angle information based on the rotation of the gears in the actuator and sends it to the microprocessor. The microprocessor controls the actuator to output torque according to the angle command.

2. The automotive water valve actuator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator includes a motor, a gear system, and a sensing magnet. The sensing magnet is located in the gear system. The motor drives the gear system to rotate, and the sensor senses different angle information based on the gear rotation and sends it to the microprocessor.

3. The automotive water valve actuator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor uses a three-dimensional Hall sensor, which is connected to the microprocessor via the SPI bus to convert 0-360 degrees into 5-bit numbers and transmit them to the microprocessor.

4. The automotive water valve actuator control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The three-dimensional Hall sensor chip integrates a raw signal processing module, a DSP processor, and an SPI output module. It converts the sensed magnetic flux in a single direction into an analog-to-digital converter, processes the data through the DSP processor, and then outputs it through the SPI output module.

5. The automotive water valve actuator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microprocessor uses the MLX81332 chip.

6. The automotive water valve actuator control system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The LIN communication port uses the LIN driver circuit integrated within the MLX81332 chip, including switch S1, TVS diode D3, resistor R1, and capacitors C13 and C14.

7. The automotive water valve actuator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power module uses the built-in power module of the microprocessor to provide power to the sensor.

Images