Relay control device

Abstract

To provide a relay control device which can be used in common independent of a relay characteristic as a driving object.SOLUTION: Driving circuits 21 to 23 perform power conduction to driving coil of relays 81 to 83 provided at a path for supplying power. A driving instruction part 41 performs an instruction of power conduction or non-power conduction to the driving circuits 21 to 23. An early cutting circuit 3 forms a closed circuit with the driving coil of the relay 81, 82 when the power conduction by the driving circuit 21, 22 is brocked. The early cutting circuit 3 limits both-end voltage of the driving coil generated by a counter electromotive force of the driving coil. A setting storage part 43 stores a setting value corresponded to a characteristic of the relay. A circuit selection part 42 variably sets a clamp voltage of the early cutting circuit 3 in accordance with the setting value stored in the setting storage part 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for controlling the driving of a high-voltage relay.

Background Art

[0002] When the contact movement during the OFF operation of a high-voltage relay for supplying power from a high-voltage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc. to an inverter or the like is too fast, abnormal noise occurs, and when the contact movement is too slow, welding due to arc discharge may occur.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a relay control device that adjusts the speed of contact movement by adjusting the falling waveform of the energizing current of a high-voltage relay using a circuit in which a diode and a Zener diode known as a surge protection circuit are connected in series.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, as a result of the inventors' detailed examination, the following problems were found. Since the prior art needs to optimize the Zener voltage according to the characteristics of the high-voltage relay to be driven, when applying to multiple types of vehicles equipped with high-voltage relays with different characteristics, the hardware of the relay control device cannot be made common.

[0006] Also, in the prior art, when the high-voltage relay is replaced after market shipment, it is necessary to replace the relay control device according to the characteristics of the replaced high-voltage relay. One aspect of the present disclosure provides a relay control device that can be commonly used regardless of the characteristics of the relay to be driven.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a relay control device, which includes a drive circuit (2), a drive instruction unit (41), a snubber circuit (3, 3a, 3b), a setting storage unit (43), and a circuit selection unit (42, 42c). The drive circuit is configured to energize a drive coil included in a relay (8) provided in a path for supplying power. The drive instruction unit is configured to instruct the drive circuit to be energized or de-energized. The snubber circuit is configured to form a closed circuit together with the drive coil of the relay when the energization by the drive circuit is cut off, limit the voltage across both ends of the drive coil generated by the back electromotive force of the drive coil to a clamp voltage, and be configured such that the clamp voltage is variably set. The setting storage unit is configured to store setting values associated with the characteristics of the relay. The circuit selection unit is configured to variably set the clamp voltage of the snubber circuit according to the setting values stored in the setting storage unit.

[0008] According to such a configuration, even if the characteristics of the relay change due to the replacement of the relay to be driven after shipment or the like, it is possible to achieve both noise suppression and welding suppression when the relay is off without replacing the relay control device. Further, according to such a configuration, the relay control device can be commonly applied to various vehicles in which relays with different characteristics are adopted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration] The relay control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 drives and controls a relay unit 8 provided in a path for supplying power from a battery 6 mounted on an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc. to an inverter 7 or the like. Further, the relay control device 1 acquires a monitoring result from a battery monitoring device 9 that monitors the state of the battery 6.

[0011] The battery 6 is an in-vehicle battery whose output voltage is set to a high voltage (for example, about several tens of V to 200 V). The inverter 7 receives power supply from the battery 6, drives a rotating shaft connected to wheels or the like, generates electricity by the power of the rotating shaft, and charges the battery 6 with the generated electricity.

[0012] The relay unit 8 includes a positive electrode relay 81, a negative electrode relay 82, and a pre-charge relay 83. The positive electrode relay 81, the negative electrode relay 82, and the pre-charge relay 83 are so-called high-voltage relays having characteristics that can withstand a surge voltage that can be superimposed on the output voltage of the inverter 7. Each relay 81 to 83 has a drive coil 81a to 83a and a contact switch 81b to 83b, respectively.

[0013] The contact switch 81b of the positive electrode relay 81 is provided in the power supply path L1 that connects the inverter 7 and the positive electrode of the battery 6. When a drive current is supplied from the relay control device 1 to the drive coil 81a, the contact switch 81b turns on and the power supply path L1 becomes conductive.

[0014] The contact switch 82b of the negative electrode relay 82 is provided in the power supply path L2 that connects the inverter 7 and the negative electrode of the battery 6. When a drive current is supplied from the relay control device 1 to the drive coil 82a, the contact switch 82b turns on and the power supply path L2 becomes conductive.

[0015] The contact switch 83b of the precharge relay 83 is provided in the power supply path L3 that connects the inverter 7 and the negative electrode of the battery 6. That is, the power supply path L3 is provided in parallel with the power supply path L2. When a drive current is supplied to the drive coil 83a from the relay control device 1, the contact switch 83b turns on and the power supply path L3 becomes conductive. The power supply path L3 includes a limiting resistor R. The limiting resistor R limits the magnitude of the current flowing through the power supply path L3.

[0016] The battery monitoring device 9 measures the inflow current and outflow current to the battery 6, the voltage across both ends of the battery 6, etc., monitors the charge state of the battery 6, and provides the monitoring result to the relay control device 1.

[0017] The relay control device 1 includes a drive unit 2, a fast cut circuit 3, and a main processor 4. The drive unit 2 includes three drive circuits 21 to 23. The drive circuit 21 drives the positive electrode relay 81. The drive circuit 22 drives the negative electrode relay 82. The drive circuit 23 drives the precharge relay 83. When turning on each relay 81 to 83 according to an instruction from the main processor 4, the drive circuits 21 to 23 energize the drive coils 81a to 83a by outputting an on voltage applied to the drive coils 81a to 83a of the relays 81 to 83. When turning off each relay 81 to 83, the drive circuits 21 to 23 stop energizing the drive coils 81a to 83a by setting the output to high impedance.

[0018] The early cut-off circuit 3 includes a voltage generation circuit 31 and a backflow prevention circuit 32. The voltage generation circuit 31 includes N + 1 unit circuits C connected in parallel. i Here, N is an integer of 1 or more, and i = 0 to N. Each unit circuit C i has one end grounded and the other end connected to the backflow prevention circuit 32.

[0019] The 0th unit circuit C 0 includes a switch SW. 0 Assuming k = 1 to N, the kth unit circuit C k includes a switch SW k connected in series and a Zener diode ZD. k The cathode of the Zener diode ZD k is grounded, and the anode is connected to the backflow prevention circuit 32 via the switch SW. k

[0020] The Zener diode ZD k is set such that the Zener voltage VZ k increases as k increases. The switches SW 0 ~SW N are selectively turned on according to an instruction from the main processor 4.

[0021] The backflow prevention circuit 32 includes two diodes D1 and D2. The anode of the diode D1 is connected to the voltage generation circuit 31, and the cathode is connected to the first line from the drive circuit 21 to the positive electrode relay 81. The anode of the diode D2 is connected to the voltage generation circuit 31, and the cathode is connected to the second line from the drive circuit 22 to the negative electrode relay 82.

[0022] When the positive electrode relay 81 and the negative electrode relay 82 change from on to off, the early cut-off circuit 3 consumes the energy stored in the drive coils 81a and 82a by passing a current through the closed circuit formed by the drive coils 81a, 82a and the early cut-off circuit 3.

[0023] In the drive coils 81a and 82a, a back electromotive force proportional to the amount of current change is generated. The back electromotive force is clamped by the fast cut-off circuit 3. When the switch SW i is turned on and the unit circuit C i is enabled, the clamp voltage Vclamp by the fast cut-off circuit 3 is Vf + VZ i becomes. Vf is the forward voltage of the diodes D1 and D2, and VZ i is the Zener voltage of the Zener diode ZD i . However, VZ 0 = 0.

[0024] Therefore, the fast cut-off circuit 3 operates so as to satisfy equation (1).

[0025]

Equation

[0026] When equation (1) is transformed, equation (2) is obtained.

[0027]

Equation

[0028] As can be seen from equation (2), the larger the clamp voltage Vclamp determined by the Zener voltage VZ i , the larger the amount of current change, and the current flowing in the closed loop decreases rapidly. The main processor 4 includes a CPU and memories such as a ROM and a RAM.

[0029] When the functions realized by the main processor 4 are shown by functional blocks, the main processor 4 includes a drive instruction unit 41, a circuit selection unit 42, a setting storage unit 43, and a monitoring unit 44. The drive instruction unit 41, the circuit selection unit 42, and the monitoring unit 44 are realized by the processes executed by the CPU of the main processor 4. The setting storage unit 43 is a memory of the main processor 4 and is prepared in an area where the stored content can be rewritten.

[0030] The monitoring unit 44 outputs a system start instruction, a system stop instruction, a system abnormality notification, etc. to the circuit selection unit 42 according to the information received from an external device including the battery monitoring device 9. The monitoring unit 44 may be configured to receive information related to the operation of the drive unit 2 from the drive instruction unit 41. When the monitoring unit 44 detects that an operation to normally start and stop the in-vehicle system has been performed by the vehicle user based on the information received from the external device, the monitoring unit 44 may output a system start instruction and a system stop instruction to the circuit selection unit 42. When detecting overcharge, overdischarge, overcurrent, etc. based on the information obtained from the battery monitoring device 9, the monitoring unit 44 may output a system abnormality notification to the circuit selection unit 42. When detecting an operation abnormality of the drive unit 2 based on the information obtained from the drive instruction unit 41, the monitoring unit 44 may output a system abnormality notification to the circuit selection unit 42. The monitoring unit 44 corresponds to the main monitoring unit in the present disclosure.

[0031] According to the start permission notification and the stop permission notification from the circuit selection unit 42, the drive instruction unit 41 turns on and off the relays 81 to 83 by giving an instruction to energize or de-energize the drive circuits 21 to 23. In the initial state immediately after the system starts, the positive electrode relay 81, the negative electrode relay 82, and the pre-charge relay 83 are all off.

[0032] When the drive instruction unit 41 receives a start permission notification from the circuit selection unit 42, first, the positive electrode relay 81 and the pre-charge relay 83 are turned on (hereinafter referred to as pre-charge drive), and the battery 6 and the inverter 7 are connected via the power supply paths L1 and L3. At this time, the inrush current from the battery 6 to the inverter 7 is suppressed by the limiting resistor R inserted in the power supply path L3. That is, the pre-charge of the inverter 7 is executed by the current whose magnitude is suppressed.

[0033] Thereafter, when a certain period of time required for the voltage applied to the inverter 7 to stabilize elapses, the drive instruction unit 41 turns off the precharge relay 83 and, instead, turns on the negative electrode relay 82 (hereinafter, normal drive). Thereby, the battery 6 and the inverter 7 are connected via the power supply paths L1 and L2. Thereafter, the drive instruction unit 41 continues this normal drive until it receives a stop permission notification from the circuit selection unit 42.

[0034] When the drive instruction unit 41 receives a stop permission notification from the circuit selection unit 42, it electrically disconnects the inverter 7 from the battery 6 by turning off the positive electrode relay 81 and the negative electrode relay 82. The setting storage unit 43 stores the circuit number i as a setting value that designates any one of the unit circuits C 0 ~C N The circuit number i is associated with a clamp voltage Vclamp determined according to the characteristics of the relays 81 to 83. The circuit number i is stored in the setting storage unit 43 at the time of shipment. When the relays 81 to 83 are replaced due to repair or the like after shipment, the circuit number i stored in the setting storage unit 43 is rewritten according to the characteristics of the replaced relays 81 to 83.

[0035] The circuit selection unit 42 executes a selection process of switching the unit circuit C i to be operated when the relay is off according to the system start instruction, system stop instruction, system abnormality notification from the monitoring unit 44, and the circuit number i stored in the setting storage unit 43. By switching the unit circuit C i , the clamp voltage Vclamp generated by the fast cut-off circuit 3 is variably set.

[0036] [1-2. Transition of Clamp Voltage and Method of Setting Zener Voltage] As shown in FIG. 2, the clamp voltage Cclamp = Vf + VZ of the unit circuit Ci i is set to be a larger value as i increases.

[0037] Let the welding threshold Vweld be the upper limit value of the voltage at which relay welding may occur, and let the noise threshold Vnoise be the lower limit value of the voltage at which the sound when the relay is cut off is determined to exceed the allowable range. Vweld and Vnoise are determined by the characteristics of relays 81 to 83. Vweld and Vnoise are defined in advance by the evaluator, and Vweld < Vnoise.

[0038] The setting storage unit 43 stores the clamp voltage Vf + VZ i for the unit circuit C that satisfies equation (3) i One or more are selected from among them, and the setting value corresponding to the selected unit circuit C i is stored.

[0039]

Equation

[0040] For the unit circuit C that satisfies equation (3) i If there are multiple, the unit circuit C whose clamp voltage is closest to (Vweld + Vnoise) / 2 i may be selected. Also, emphasizing more the suppression of welding, the unit circuit C with the maximum clamp voltage i may be selected. Also, emphasizing more the suppression of noise, the unit circuit C with the minimum clamp voltage i may be selected.

[0041] [1-3. Selection process] The selection process executed by the main processor 4 to realize the function as the circuit selection unit 42 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 3.

[0042] The selection process is executed by receiving a system startup instruction from the monitoring unit 44. Immediately after the main processor 4 is started up, for the unit circuits C 0 ~C N the switches SW 0 ~SW N are all set to off.

[0043] When the selection process starts, in S110, the main processor 4 reads the circuit number i, which is a set value, from the setting storage unit 43. In the subsequent S120, the main processor 4 determines whether the read circuit number i is N. If the circuit number i is N, the process proceeds to S130; if the circuit number i is other than N, the process proceeds to S140.

[0044] In S130, in order to indicate that it is necessary to switch the setting of the quick cut-off circuit 3 when the system is stopped due to a system abnormality (hereinafter referred to as an abnormal stop), the main processor 4 sets the switching flag F to 1 and advances the process to S150.

[0045] In S140, in order to indicate that it is not necessary to switch the setting of the quick cut-off circuit 3 when stopping abnormally, the main processor 4 sets the switching flag F to 0 and advances the process to S150. In S150, the main processor 4 sets the switch SWi of the unit circuit Ci to on according to the circuit number i read in S110.

[0046] In the subsequent S160, the main processor 4 sends a start permission notification to the drive instruction unit 41. Thereafter, the drive instruction unit 41 that has received the start permission notification performs precharge driving to turn on the positive electrode relay 81 and the precharge relay 83, and after a certain period of time, switches to normal driving in which the precharge relay 83 is turned off and the negative electrode relay 82 is turned on.

[0047] In the subsequent S170, the main processor 4 determines whether it has received a system stop instruction from the monitoring unit 44. If it has received a system stop instruction, the process proceeds to S210; if it has not received a system stop instruction, the process proceeds to S180.

[0048] In S180, the main processor 4 determines whether it has received a system abnormality notification from the monitoring unit 44. If it has received a system abnormality notification, the process proceeds to S190; if it has not received a system abnormality notification, the process returns to S170.

[0049] In S190, the main processor 4 determines whether the switching flag F is set to 1. If F = 1 is set, the process proceeds to S200. If F = 1 is not set, the process proceeds to S210.

[0050] In S200, the main processor 4 turns off the switch SW i of the unit circuit C i and turns on the switch SW N of the unit circuit C N to switch the setting of the fast cut-off circuit 3 to the maximum value of the adjustable clamp voltage Vclamp, and the process proceeds to S210. The process of S200 corresponds to the switching process in the present disclosure. In S210, the main processor 4 sends a stop permission notification to the drive instruction unit 41 and ends the process. The drive instruction unit 41 that has received the stop permission notification turns off the relays 81, 82. When the relays 81, 82 are turned off, the energy accumulated in the drive coils 81a, 82a by the action of the fast cut-off circuit 3 is consumed.

[0051] [1-4. Operation] At the time of system startup, the relay control device 1 sets the fast cut-off circuit 3 according to the characteristics of the relays 81, 82 (that is, the unit circuit C i is selected). When the system is normally terminated, the relays 81, 82 are turned off using the fast cut-off circuit 3 set at the time of system startup as it is. Thereby, both the generation of noise and welding at the time of relay turn-off are suppressed.

[0052] When the system is forced to stop (that is, abnormally stopped) due to detection of a system abnormality during system startup, the setting of the fast cut-off circuit 3 is switched so that the relays 81, 82 are turned off at the fastest speed. Thereafter, the energization of the drive coils 81a, 82a by the drive circuits 21, 22 is stopped, and the relays 81, 82 are turned off. Thereby, instead of allowing the generation of noise at the time of relay turn-off, the interruption of the relays 81, 82 is more reliably executed.

[0053] [1-5. Effect] According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained. (1a) According to the relay control device 1, even if the characteristics of the relays 81 to 83 to be driven change, such as when the relays 81 to 83 are replaced after shipment, it is possible to achieve both noise suppression and welding suppression when the relays 81 and 82 are off without replacing the relay control device 1.

[0054] (1b) According to the relay control device 1, since the characteristics of the fast cut circuit 3 can be switched according to the characteristics of the relays 81 to 83, it can be commonly applied to various vehicles that employ relays 81 to 83 with different characteristics.

[0055] (1c) According to the relay control device 1, since the drive instruction unit 41 and the circuit selection unit 42 are realized by the processing of the main processor 4, the desired functions can be realized with a minimum of hardware.

[0056] [2. Second Embodiment] [2-1. Differences from the First Embodiment] Since the basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the differences will be described below. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment indicate the same configurations, and reference is made to the previous description.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4, in the relay control device 1a of the second embodiment, the configuration of the voltage generation circuit 31a in the fast cut circuit 3a is different from that of the first embodiment. The voltage generation circuit 31a includes N Zener diodes ZD 1 ~ZD N connected in series. The Zener diodes ZD 1 ~ZD N may all have the same Zener voltage VZ i or may each be different.

[0058] The cathode of the Zener diode ZD i is connected to the anode of the Zener diode ZD i+1 The Zener diode ZD1 The anode of 0 is connected to the backflow prevention circuit 32 and grounded through the switch SW. The cathode of each Zener diode ZDi is grounded through the switch SWi respectively.

[0059] The switch SW 0 ~SW N is alternatively turned on, and the clamp voltage VC when SW i is turned on is expressed by Equation (4). However, let VZ 0 = 0.

[0060] [Equation]

[0061] [2-3. Effect] According to the second embodiment described in detail above, the effects (1a) to (1c) of the first embodiment described above are achieved, and furthermore, the following effects are achieved.

[0062] (2a) When using the same type of Zener diode that generates the same Zener voltage VZ as the Zener diodes ZD 1 ~ZD N constituting the voltage generation circuit 31a, the types of components can be reduced.

[0063] [3. Third Embodiment] [3-1. Differences from the First Embodiment] Since the basic configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the differences will be described below. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment indicate the same configurations, and refer to the previous description.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 5, in the relay control device 1b of the third embodiment, the configuration of the voltage generation circuit 31b in the early cut-off circuit 3b is different from that of the first embodiment. The voltage generation circuit 31b includes N unit circuits C connected in parallel 1 ~C NIt includes a PNP transistor Tr and a bias resistor RB, forming a so-called active clamp circuit. Note that N unit circuits C connected in parallel 1 ~C N correspond to the variable voltage circuit in the present disclosure.

[0065] The unit circuit C 1 ~C N is connected between the collector and the base of the transistor Tr. The emitter of the transistor Tr is grounded, and the base of the transistor Tr is grounded via the bias resistor RB. The collector of the transistor Tr is connected to the reverse current prevention circuit 32.

[0066] [3-2. Operation] In the fast cut-off circuit 3b, the larger the clamp voltage Vf + VZ i generated when the unit circuit C i is selected, the larger the potential difference between the collector and the emitter of the transistor Tr, and the larger the power consumed by the transistor Tr. As a result, the change amount of the current flowing through the drive coils 81a and 82a when the relays 81 and 82 are turned off becomes larger. Therefore, by switching the switch SWi, the operating speed of the contacts at the time of relay cut-off is regulated.

[0067] [3-3. Effect] According to the third embodiment described in detail above, the effects (1a) to (1c) of the first embodiment described above are achieved, and further, the following effects are achieved.

[0068] (3a) By using the voltage generation circuit 31b as an active clamp, not only can Zener diodes ZD 1 ~ZD N with a smaller current tolerance be used, but also the energy stored in the drive coils 81a and 82a can be consumed more quickly.

[0069] [4. Fourth Embodiment] [4-1. Differences from the First Embodiment] The basic configuration of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the differences will be described below. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment denote the same components, and reference is made to the previous description.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 6, the relay control device 1c of the fourth embodiment is different in that a part of the function of the circuit selection unit 42c in the main processor 4c is different, and further, a sub-processor 5 is provided separately from the main processor 4c.

[0071] The circuit selection unit 42c is added with a function of notifying the sub-processor 5 of the setting information representing the setting of the circuit number i and the switching flag F read from the setting storage unit 43. Similar to the main processor 4, the sub-processor 5 includes a CPU and memories such as a ROM and a RAM.

[0072] When the functions realized by the sub-processor 5 are shown by functional blocks, the sub-processor 5 includes a sub-monitoring unit 51. The sub-monitoring unit 51 is realized by the processing executed by the CPU of the sub-processor 5.

[0073] The sub-monitoring unit 51 receives the monitoring result from the battery monitoring device 9 and the setting information from the circuit selection unit 42. The sub-monitoring unit 51 has a function of forcibly stopping the drive circuits 21 to 23 and also has a function of turning on and off the switches SW 0 ~SW N in the early cut-off circuit 3.

[0074] [4-2. Processing] The selection process executed by the main processor 4c to realize the function as the circuit selection unit 42c will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 7, it is different from the first embodiment in that S155 is added between S150 and S160. In S155, the main processor 4c notifies the sub-processor 5 of the circuit number i read in S110 and the setting information indicating the setting of the switching flag F set in S130 or S140.

[0076] Next, in order to realize the function as the sub-monitoring unit 51, the monitoring process executed by the sub-processor 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8. The monitoring process is executed when the sub-processor 5 receives a system startup instruction from an external device.

[0077] In S310, the sub-processor 5 determines whether setting information has been notified from the main processor 4c. If it has been notified, the process proceeds to S320. If it has not been notified, the sub-processor 5 waits by repeating the same step.

[0078] In S320, the sub-processor 5 stores the notified setting information, that is, the circuit number i and the switching flag F. In the subsequent S330, the sub-processor 5 determines whether a system stop instruction has been received from the external device. If a system stop instruction has been received, the process ends. If no system stop instruction has been received, the process proceeds to S340.

[0079] In S340, the sub-processor 5 determines whether a system abnormality has been detected. If a system abnormality has been detected, the process proceeds to S350. If no system abnormality has been detected, the process returns to S330. The sub-processor 5 may detect a system abnormality in the same manner as the monitoring unit 44 of the main processor 4c. The sub-processor 5 may further detect an abnormality of the main processor 4c using a watchdog timer or the like.

[0080] The processes of S350 to S360 are the same as the processes of S190 to S200 described in the first embodiment. In the subsequent S370, the sub-processor 5 forcibly stops the drive circuits 21 to 23 and ends the process.

[0081] [4-3. Effects] According to the fourth embodiment described in detail above, the effects (1a) to (1c) of the first embodiment described above are achieved, and further, the following effects are achieved.

[0082] (4a) According to the relay control device 4c, even when an abnormal situation occurs in which the main processor 4c cannot control the relays 81 to 83, the sub-processor 5 that executes control independently of the main processor 4c quickly shuts off the relays 81 to 83. Therefore, the safety of the system can be improved.

[0083] [5. Other Embodiments] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented with various modifications.

[0084] (3a) In the above embodiment, the setting storage unit 43 is prepared on the memory of the main processor 4, but a plurality of switches configured to be able to read the on / off state may be used.

[0085] (3b) The main processor 4, the sub-processor 5, and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer configured by a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the main processor 4, the sub-processor 5, and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer configured by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Or, the main processor 4, the sub-processor 5, and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Further, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executable by a computer. The method for realizing the functions of each part included in the main processor 4 and the sub-processor 5 does not necessarily include software, and all of its functions may be realized using one or more hardware.

[0086] (3c) A plurality of functions of one component in the above embodiment may be realized by a plurality of components, or one function of one component may be realized by a plurality of components. Also, a plurality of functions of a plurality of components may be realized by one component, or one function realized by a plurality of components may be realized by one component. Further, a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Also, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of another above embodiment.

[0087] (3d)In addition to the relay control device described above, the present disclosure can also be realized in various forms such as a system including the relay control device as a component, a program for causing a computer to function as the relay control device, a non-transitory tangible recording medium such as a semiconductor memory recording this program, and a relay control method.

Explanation of Signs

[0088] 1, 1a to 1c... relay control device, 2... drive unit, 3... quick cut circuit, 4... main processor, 6... battery, 7... inverter, 8... relay unit, 9... battery monitoring device, 21 to 23... drive circuit, 31... voltage generation circuit, 32... reverse current prevention circuit, 41... drive instruction unit, 42... circuit selection unit, 43... setting storage unit, 44... monitoring unit, 81... positive electrode relay, 82... negative electrode relay, 83... pre-charge relay, 81a to 83a... drive coil, 81b to 83b... contact switch, 81 to 83... relay, C 0 ~C N … unit circuit, D1, D2... diode, L1 to L3... power supply path, R... limiting resistor, SW 0 ~SW N … switch, ZD 1 ~ZD N … Zener diode.

Claims

1. A drive circuit (2) configured to energize a drive coil included in a relay (8) provided in a path for supplying power, and A drive instruction unit (41) configured to instruct energization or non-energization of the drive circuit, and When the energization by the drive circuit is interrupted, a closed circuit is formed together with the drive coil of the relay, and the voltage across both ends of the drive coil generated by the back electromotive force of the drive coil is limited to a clamp voltage, and a quick cut-off circuit (3b) configured such that the clamp voltage is variably set, and A setting storage unit (43) configured to store a set value associated with the characteristics of the relay, and A circuit selection unit (42, 42c) configured to variably set the clamp voltage of the quick cut-off circuit according to the set value stored in the setting storage unit, and Comprising The quick cut-off circuit is A variable voltage circuit (C1 to CN) configured to generate a voltage according to a setting by the circuit selection unit when a current flows through the closed circuit, and A transistor having the variable voltage circuit connected between the base and the collector, the emitter grounded, and the base grounded via a resistor, and forming an active clamp together with the variable voltage circuit Comprising Relay control device.

2. The relay control device according to claim 1, wherein The setting storage unit is configured to be rewritable in terms of stored content Relay control device.

3. The relay control device according to claim 1, further comprising A monitoring unit (44, 51) configured to detect an abnormality in a system in which power supply is controlled by the relay, and When an abnormality is detected by the monitoring unit, the circuit selection unit executes a switching process of switching the setting of the quick cut-off circuit to the maximum value of the clamp voltage that can be set, and After the execution of the switching process by the circuit selection unit, the drive instruction unit instructs the relay to be cut off Relay control device.

4. The relay control device according to claim 3, wherein The monitoring unit includes a main monitoring unit (44) configured to execute control integrally with the drive instruction unit and the circuit selection unit Relay control device.

5. The relay control device according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein The monitoring unit includes a sub-monitoring unit (51) configured to execute control independently of the drive instruction unit and the circuit selection unit When the sub-monitoring unit detects an abnormality in the system, it executes the switching process and, after the execution of the switching process, instructs the relay to be cut off. Relay control device. **Claim 6**: A relay control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the relay is provided in a power supply path of an in-vehicle battery, and the monitoring unit determines an abnormality in the system based on information notified from a battery monitoring device (9) that monitors the state of the in-vehicle battery. Relay control device.

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