Actuator Control Device

Abstract

To provide an actuator control device capable of monitoring a communication abnormality between a control section and an external device by using a simple configuration.SOLUTION: An actuator control device 200 includes: a drive section 210 for driving an actuator 100; a control section 220 for controlling the drive section; an abnormality determination section 230; a first communication circuit 240 for relaying communication between an external device 300 and the control section; a second communication circuit 250 for relaying communication between the external device and the abnormality determination section; and a signal processing section performing conversion processing of a signal communicated via the first communication circuit. The abnormality determination section compares a first reception signal RS1 received from the external device via the first communication circuit with a second reception signal RS2 received from the external device via the second communication circuit, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the communication with the external device on the basis of a comparison result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator control device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a shift-by-wire system that operates an object by controlling the drive of a manual shift based on a shift command from a management electronic control unit. In the shift-by-wire system of Patent Document 1, a monitoring CPU monitors whether an abnormality has occurred in the calculation CPU. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5158208 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above allows the monitoring CPU to monitor whether an abnormality has occurred in the calculation CPU, but it cannot monitor communication abnormalities that occur between the calculation CPU and the management electronic control unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the actuator control device of the present invention is an actuator control device that controls an actuator, comprising: a drive unit that drives the actuator; a control unit that controls the drive unit; an abnormality determination unit; a first communication circuit that relays communication between an external device and the control unit; a second communication circuit that relays communication between the external device and the abnormality determination unit; and a signal processing unit that performs conversion processing of signals communicated via the first communication circuit, wherein the abnormality determination unit compares a first received signal received from the external device via the first communication circuit with a second received signal received from the external device via the second communication circuit, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in communication with the external device based on the comparison result. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the above aspect of the present invention, an actuator control device is provided that is capable of monitoring communication abnormalities between the control unit and an external device with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a view of a drive device equipped with an electric actuator according to this embodiment, viewed from one side in the left-right direction of a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the electric actuator of this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram that schematically shows the configuration of the actuator control device of this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the shift position switching process executed by the main processor of the actuator control device of this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram that schematically shows how the contacted portion of the leaf spring member moves along the upper end surface of the detent plate while the shift position switching process is being performed. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an actuator control device in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a view of a drive unit 1 equipped with an electric actuator 100 of this embodiment, viewed from one side in the left-right direction of a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the electric actuator 100 of this embodiment. The drive unit 1 of this embodiment is mounted on an electric vehicle such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHV), or an electric vehicle (EV), and is used as its drive source.

[0009] As shown in Fig. 1, the drive unit 1 includes a housing 2, a drive motor 3, a reduction gear 4, a differential gear 5, a parking lock gear 6, and an electric actuator 100. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the electric actuator 100 includes a motor unit 10, a parking switch mechanism 70, and an output shaft 80. The electric actuator 100 switches the shift position in response to a shift operation of the vehicle. Although not shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the drive unit 1 also includes an actuator control device 200 that controls the electric actuator 100.

[0010] In the following description, the vertical direction is defined based on the positional relationship when the drive unit 1 is mounted on a vehicle positioned on a horizontal road surface. The drawings also show an XYZ coordinate system as a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system where appropriate. In the XYZ coordinate system, the Z axis direction is the vertical direction with the +Z side as the upper side and the -Z side as the lower side. The X axis direction is perpendicular to the Z axis direction and corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on which the drive unit 1 is mounted. In this embodiment, the +X side is one side of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction, and the -X side is the other side of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction. The Y axis direction is perpendicular to both the X axis direction and the Z axis direction and corresponds to the lateral direction of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the +Y side is one side of the vehicle in the lateral direction, and the -Y side is the other side of the vehicle in the lateral direction.

[0011] In this embodiment, the direction parallel to the Z-axis direction is called the "vertical direction Z," the direction parallel to the X-axis direction is called the "front-rear direction X," and the direction parallel to the Y-axis direction is called the "left-right direction Y." The positive side (+Z side) of the Z-axis direction is called the "upper side," and the negative side (-Z side) of the Z-axis direction is called the "lower side." The positive side (+X side) of the X-axis direction is called the "one side in the front-rear direction," and the negative side (-X side) of the X-axis direction is called the "other side in the front-rear direction." The positive side (+Y side) of the Y-axis direction is called the "one side in the left-right direction," and the negative side (-Y side) of the Y-axis direction is called the "other side in the left-right direction."

[0012] The output shaft 80 is connected to the motor unit 10 and rotated by the motor unit 10. In this embodiment, the output shaft 80 extends in the front-rear direction X around a central axis J1. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the radial direction around the central axis J1 will be simply referred to as the "radial direction," and the circumferential direction around the central axis J1, i.e., around the central axis J1, will be simply referred to as the "circumferential direction." As shown in FIG. 2, an end of the output shaft 80 on one side in the front-rear direction (+X side) is a connected portion 81 that is connected to the motor unit 10. The connected portion 81 has a plurality of spline grooves extending in the front-rear direction X along the circumferential direction.

[0013] The housing 2 accommodates the drive motor 3, the reduction gear 4, the differential gear 5, and the parking switch mechanism 70 inside. Although not shown in the figure, oil is contained inside the housing 2. The reduction gear 4 is connected to the drive motor 3. The differential gear 5 is connected to the reduction gear 4 and transmits the torque output from the drive motor 3 to the vehicle axles. The park lock gear 6 is fixed to a gear provided in the reduction gear 4. The park lock gear 6 is connected to the vehicle axles via the reduction gear 4 and the differential gear 5. The park lock gear 6 has a plurality of teeth 6a.

[0014] The parking switching mechanism 70 is driven by the motor unit 10 based on the shift operation of the vehicle. The parking switching mechanism 70 switches the parking lock gear 6 between a locked state and an unlocked state. The parking switching mechanism 70 locks the parking lock gear 6 when the vehicle's shift position is in the parking position (P range), and unlocks the parking lock gear 6 when the vehicle's shift position is in a non-parking position other than the parking position. The case where the vehicle's shift position is in a non-parking position includes, for example, the case where the vehicle's shift position is in the drive position (D range), the neutral position (N range), the reverse position (R range), or the like. As shown in FIG. 2 , the parking switching mechanism 70 has a movable part 70a, a parking lock arm 77, a support member 75, and a leaf spring member 76.

[0015] The movable part 70a moves in the left-right direction Y based on the shift operation of the vehicle. That is, in this embodiment, the left-right direction Y corresponds to the movement direction in which the movable part 70a moves. Furthermore, the vertical direction Z corresponds to the intersecting direction that intersects with the movement direction in which the movable part 70a moves, and the lower side corresponds to one side of the intersecting direction. In this embodiment, the movable part 70a is moved by the motor unit 10 via the output shaft 80. The position of the movable part 70a in the left-right direction Y is switched at least between a non-parking position and a parking position. That is, the movable part 70a is moved between the parking position and the non-parking position by the output shaft 80. The non-parking position is the position of the movable part 70a in the left-right direction Y when the shift position of the vehicle is other than the parking position. The parking position is the position of the movable part 70a in the left-right direction Y when the shift position of the vehicle is the parking position. The parking position is a position to one side in the left-right direction (+Y side) of the non-parking position. FIG. 2 shows a case where the movable portion 70a is located at the non-parking position.

[0016] The movable portion 70a includes a detent plate 71, a rod 72, a conical member 73, and a coil spring 74. The detent plate 71 is fixed to the output shaft 80. The detent plate 71 is rotated by the output shaft 80. The detent plate 71 extends radially outward from the output shaft 80. In this embodiment, the detent plate 71 extends upward from the output shaft 80. In this embodiment, the detent plate 71 is plate-shaped with its plate surface facing the front-rear direction X. The width of the detent plate 71 increases with increasing distance radially outward from the output shaft 80. The detent plate 71 has multiple valleys, including a first valley 71a located at one circumferential end of the detent plate 71 and corresponding to a parking position, and a second valley 71b located at the other circumferential end of the detent plate 71 and corresponding to a non-parking position. Although Figure 2 shows a case in which the detent plate 71 has only one second valley portion 71b as the second valley portion corresponding to the non-parking position, multiple second valley portions may be provided on the detent plate 71.

[0017] The first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b are provided at the radially outer end of the detent plate 71. The first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b are recessed downward from the upper end of the detent plate 71. The first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b penetrate the detent plate 71 in the front-rear direction X. The first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b are arranged side by side in the left-right direction Y. The first valley portion 71a is located on the other left-right side (-Y side) of the second valley portion 71b. By providing the first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b in the detent plate 71, a peak portion 71c protruding radially outward is provided in a portion of the detent plate 71 between the first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b in the circumferential direction.

[0018] The rod 72 is disposed so as to be movable in the left-right direction Y. The rod 72 has a connecting portion 72a and a rod main body 72b. The connecting portion 72a is rod-shaped and extends in the front-rear direction X. An end portion on one side in the front-rear direction (+X side) of the connecting portion 72a penetrates the detent plate 71 in the front-rear direction X and is fixed to the detent plate 71. This connects the rod 72 to the output shaft 80 via the detent plate 71. The rod main body 72b is rod-shaped and extends in the left-right direction Y. In this embodiment, the rod main body 72b extends from an end portion on the other side in the front-rear direction (-X side) of the connecting portion 72a to one side in the left-right direction (+Y side). The rod main body 72b has a protrusion 72c at a portion closer to the connecting portion 72a. A cylindrical member 72d extending in the left-right direction Y is fitted and fixed to an end portion on one side in the left-right direction Y of the rod main body 72b.

[0019] The conical member 73 has a conical shape through which the rod main body 72b passes. The conical member 73 extends in the left-right direction Y. The portion of the outer peripheral surface of the conical member 73 on one side in the left-right direction (+Y side) is a tapered surface 73a whose outer diameter decreases toward one side in the left-right direction. The conical member 73 is movable in the left-right direction Y relative to the rod main body 72b.

[0020] The coil spring 74 extends in the left-right direction Y. The coil spring 74 is disposed between the conical member 73 and the protrusion 72c in the left-right direction Y. The rod main body 72b is passed through the coil spring 74. An end of the coil spring 74 on the other left-right side (-Y side) contacts the protrusion 72c. An end of the coil spring 74 on one left-right side (+Y side) contacts the surface of the conical member 73 on the other left-right side. The coil spring 74 expands and contracts as the conical member 73 moves relative to the rod main body 72b in the left-right direction Y, and applies an elastic force in the left-right direction Y to the conical member 73.

[0021] The park lock arm 77 is located on the other side (-X side) in the front-rear direction of the movable part 70a. The park lock arm 77 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 78 that is centered on a rotation axis J2 that extends in the left-right direction Y. The park lock arm 77 has a park lock arm main body 77a and a meshing part 77b.

[0022] The park lock arm main body 77a extends from the support shaft 78 to one side in the front-rear direction (+X side). An end 77c on one side in the front-rear direction of the park lock arm main body 77a contacts the movable part 70a from above. The meshing part 77b protrudes upward from the park lock arm main body 77a. A coil spring (not shown) is attached to the support shaft 78. The coil spring (not shown) applies an elastic force to the park lock arm 77 in a clockwise direction when viewed from the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side) around the rotation axis J2.

[0023] The park lock arm 77 moves in accordance with the movement of the movable part 70a. More specifically, the park lock arm 77 rotates about the rotation axis J2 in accordance with the movement of the rod 72 and the conical member 73 in the left-right direction Y. When the detent plate 71 rotates from the non-parking position to the parking position in accordance with the rotation of the output shaft 80, the rod 72 and the conical member 73 move to one side in the left-right direction (+Y side).

[0024] The outer diameter of the tapered surface 73a of the conical member 73 increases from one side in the left-right direction (+Y side) to the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side). Therefore, when the conical member 73 moves to one side in the left-right direction, the end 77c of the parking lock arm 77 is lifted upward by the tapered surface 73a, and the parking lock arm 77 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation axis J2 as viewed from the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side). As a result, although not shown in the figure, the meshing portion 77b approaches the parking lock gear 6 and meshes with the teeth 6a of the parking lock gear 6.

[0025] When the park lock gear 6 and the park lock arm 77 mesh with each other, the cone-shaped member 73 is also positioned in the parking position, and the entire movable part 70a is positioned in the parking position. That is, when the movable part 70a is positioned in the parking position, the park lock arm 77 meshes with the park lock gear 6 connected to the axle. In the parking position, the cone-shaped member 73 is sandwiched in a state of contact between a contact part 75b (described later) of the support member 75 and the park lock arm 77. When the park lock arm 77 meshes with the park lock gear 6, the park lock gear 6 is locked.

[0026] When the park lock arm 77 approaches the parking lock gear 6, depending on the position of the teeth 6a of the parking lock gear 6, the meshing portion 77b may come into contact with the teeth 6a. In this case, the parking lock arm 77 may not be able to move to a position where the meshing portion 77b meshes with the teeth 6a. Even in such a case, in this embodiment, the conical member 73 is movable in the left-right direction Y relative to the rod 72, so that the rod 72 can move to the parking position while the conical member 73 is positioned on the other left-right side (-Y side) of the parking position. This makes it possible to prevent the rotation of the output shaft 80 from being hindered, and to prevent a load from being applied to the motor unit 10 that rotates the output shaft 80.

[0027] Furthermore, when rod 72 is located in the parking position and conical member 73 is located to the other left-right side (-Y side) of the parking position, coil spring 74 is in a compressed and deformed state. Therefore, an elastic force toward one side in the left-right direction (toward the +Y side) is applied to conical member 73 by coil spring 74. As a result, a rotational moment is applied from coil spring 74 to park lock arm 77 via conical member 73 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the other left-right side (-Y side) about rotation axis J2. Therefore, when parking lock gear 6 rotates and the position of toothed portion 6a shifts, park lock arm 77 rotates, and meshing portion 77b meshes between toothed portions 6a.

[0028] When the detent plate 71 rotates from the parking position to the non-parking position in accordance with the rotation of the output shaft 80, the rod 72 and the conical member 73 move to the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side). When the conical member 73 moves to the other side in the left-right direction, the end 77c of the parking lock arm 77, which had been lifted by the conical member 73, moves downward due to its own weight and the elastic force of a coil spring (not shown), and the parking lock arm 77 rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis J2 as viewed from one side in the left-right direction (+Y side). As a result, the meshing portion 77b of the parking lock arm 77 separates from the parking lock gear 6 and disengages from between the tooth portions 6a. FIG. 2 shows the parking lock arm 77 in a state where it has disengaged from the parking lock gear 6.

[0029] When the park lock arm 77 disengages from the park lock gear 6, the cone-shaped member 73 also becomes positioned in the non-parking position, and the entire movable part 70a becomes positioned in the non-parking position. In other words, the park lock arm 77 disengages from the park lock gear 6 when the movable part 70a is positioned in the non-parking position. In the non-parking position, the cone-shaped member 73 is positioned on the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side) of the park lock arm 77. When the park lock arm 77 disengages from the park lock gear 6, the park lock gear 6 becomes unlocked.

[0030] The support member 75 supports the movable portion 70a so that it can move in the left-right direction Y. In this embodiment, the support member 75 supports the movable portion 70a from below. The support member 75 is fixed to the inner surface of the housing 2. The support member 75 has a base portion 75a, a contact portion 75b, and a leaf spring fixing portion 75c.

[0031] In this embodiment, the base 75a is plate-shaped with its plate surface facing the vertical direction Z. The contact portion 75b protrudes upward from the base 75a. The contact portion 75b is a portion that contacts the movable portion 70a and supports it. In this embodiment, the contact portion 75b contacts the conical member 73 of the movable portion 70a from below and supports the movable portion 70a from below. The surface of the contact portion 75b facing the movable portion 70a is an arc-shaped curved surface that is concave on the side opposite to the movable portion 70a when viewed along the left-right direction Y. Therefore, the conical member 73 having the tapered surface 73a can be stably supported.

[0032] The leaf spring fixing portion 75c protrudes upward from the base portion 75a. The leaf spring fixing portion 75c is, for example, rectangular parallelepiped-shaped. The leaf spring fixing portion 75c is located on one side in the front-rear direction (+X side) of the contact portion 75b. The leaf spring component 76 is fixed to the leaf spring fixing portion 75c of the support member 75. In this embodiment, the leaf spring component 76 is fixed to the end of the upper surface of the leaf spring fixing portion 75c on the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side). The leaf spring component 76 has a leaf spring main body portion 76a and a contacted portion 76b.

[0033] The leaf spring main body 76a is plate-shaped with its plate surface facing the vertical direction Z. The leaf spring main body 76a extends from the leaf spring fixing portion 75c to the other left-right side (-Y side). The leaf spring main body 76a extends to the upper side of the detent plate 71. The leaf spring main body 76a has a slit 76c at its end on the other left-right side. The slit 76c penetrates the leaf spring main body 76a in the vertical direction Z. The slit 76c extends in the left-right direction Y. The slit 76c extends to the end on the other left-right side of the leaf spring main body 76a, dividing the end on the other left-right side of the leaf spring main body 76a into two.

[0034] The contacted portion 76b is provided at the end of the leaf spring main body 76a on the other side in the left-right direction (-Y side). In this embodiment, the contacted portion 76b is a roller attached to the leaf spring main body 76a so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the front-rear direction X. The contacted portion 76b is provided between the tip ends of the leaf spring main body 76a, which are bifurcated by the slit 76c. The contacted portion 76b comes into contact with either the first valley portion 71a or the second valley portion 71b due to an elastic force generated in the leaf spring member 76 as the detent plate 71 rotates. When the movable portion 70a is positioned in the parking position, the contacted portion 76b comes into contact with the first valley portion 71a and is hooked in the left-right direction Y on the inner surface of the first valley portion 71a. This allows the detent plate 71 and the rod 72 to be maintained in the parking position.

[0035] In particular, when the coil spring 74 is provided as in this embodiment, the meshing portion 77b comes into contact with the tooth portion 6a, causing the coil spring 74 to compress and deform, resulting in an elastic reaction force that is applied to the rod 72 and the detent plate 71 toward the other side in the left-right direction (toward the -Y side). According to this embodiment, even in such a case, the contacted portion 76b is caught in the first valley portion 71a, thereby preventing the detent plate 71 from moving toward the other side in the left-right direction (toward the -Y side). Therefore, the detent plate 71 and the rod 72 can be stably maintained in the parking position.

[0036] On the other hand, when the output shaft 80 is rotated by the motor unit 10 and the detent plate 71 moves from the parking position to the non-parking position, the leaf spring main body 76a is pushed upward by the peaks 71c of the detent plate 71 and elastically deforms. This causes the contacted portion 76b to disengage from the first valley portion 71a. When the movable portion 70a is located in the non-parking position, the contacted portion 76b comes into contact with the second valley portion 71b and is hooked in the left-right direction Y on the inner surface of the second valley portion 71b. This allows the detent plate 71 and the rod 72 to be maintained in the non-parking position.

[0037] In this embodiment, when the contacted portion 76b moves between the first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b, the contacted portion 76b moves from the inside of one valley portion over the peak portion 71c toward the other valley portion. When the contacted portion 76b moves over the peak portion 71c, the leaf spring member 76 receives an upward force from the peak portion 71c via the contacted portion 76b and elastically deforms. That is, in this embodiment, the leaf spring member 76 is an elastic member that is pushed upward by the peak portion 71c of the detent plate 71 and elastically deforms when the movable portion 70a moves between the non-parking position and the parking position. As such, the leaf spring member 76 in this embodiment is an elastic member having the contacted portion 76b that comes into contact with one of the valley portions due to an elastic force generated as the detent plate 71 rotates. In this embodiment, when the contacted portion 76b moves between the first valley portion 71a and the second valley portion 71b, the contacted portion 76b, which is a roller, moves while rolling on the upper end surface of the detent plate 71.

[0038] The motor unit 10 drives the parking switching mechanism 70 based on the shift operation of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the motor unit 10 drives the parking switching mechanism 70 by moving the movable part 70a in the left-right direction Y via the output shaft 80, and switches the parking lock gear 6 between a locked state and an unlocked state.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1 , the motor unit 10 includes a motor 20 and a reducer 30. The reducer 30 is connected to the motor 20. The motor 20 rotates an output shaft 80 via the reducer 30. The motor 20 is, for example, a three-phase brushless DC motor. The reducer 30 reduces the rotation of the motor 20. The output shaft 80 is connected to the reducer 30. The rotation of the motor 20, which has been reduced via the reducer 30, is transmitted to the output shaft 80. In other words, the output shaft 80 is driven by the motor 20 via the reducer 30.

[0040] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an actuator control device 200 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the actuator control device 200 includes a motor drive circuit 210, a main processor 220, a monitoring processor 230, a first CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit 240, and a second CAN communication circuit 250. The actuator control device 200 controls the electric actuator 100. The actuator control device 200 is communicably connected to a host control device 300 via a CAN communication bus 400. The host control device 300 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on a vehicle.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 3, the electric actuator 100 includes an output shaft angle sensor 40 that detects an output shaft rotation angle θ, which is the rotation angle of the output shaft 80. The output shaft angle sensor 40 outputs a signal indicating the detection result of the output shaft rotation angle θ to the actuator control device 200. The output shaft angle sensor 40 is, for example, a Hall sensor, an incremental encoder, or an absolute encoder. The actuator control device 200 controls the motor 20 of the electric actuator 100 based on the detection result of the output shaft rotation angle θ.

[0042] The motor drive circuit 210 is a drive unit that drives the motor 20 of the electric actuator 100. The motor drive circuit 210 is controlled by the main processor 220 to supply the motor 20 with a drive current required to rotate the motor 20. The motor drive circuit 210 is, for example, an inverter circuit.

[0043] The main processor 220 is a control unit that controls the motor drive circuit 210. An output signal from the output shaft angle sensor 40 is input to the main processor 220. The main processor 220 is connected to a CAN communication bus 400 via a first CAN communication circuit 240. The main processor 220 communicates with a higher-level control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240. The main processor 220 is communicably connected to a monitoring processor 230. The main processor 220 is, for example, a microprocessor such as an MCU (Microcontroller Unit) or a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0044] The main processor 220 has a signal processing unit 221. The signal processing unit 221 performs conversion processing of signals communicated via the first CAN communication circuit 240. More specifically, the signal processing unit 221 performs encryption processing of signals transmitted to the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240, and decrypts signals received from the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240. The signal processing unit 221 may be configured as software that runs on the main processor 220, or may be configured as hardware including analog circuits and digital circuits.

[0045] The monitoring processor 230 is an abnormality determination unit that monitors communication abnormalities that occur between the main processor 220 and the upper control device 300. The monitoring processor 230 is connected to the CAN communication bus 400 via a first CAN communication circuit 240. The monitoring processor 230 is also connected to the CAN communication bus 400 via a second CAN communication circuit 250. The monitoring processor 230 communicates with the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240 and the second CAN communication circuit 250. The monitoring processor 230 is communicably connected to the main processor 220. The monitoring processor 230 is, for example, a microprocessor such as an MCU or a CPU.

[0046] The first CAN communication circuit 240 is a first communication circuit that relays communication between the upper control device 300 and the main processor 220 in accordance with the CAN communication protocol. The second CAN communication circuit 250 is a second communication circuit that relays communication between the upper control device 300 and the monitoring processor 230 in accordance with the CAN communication protocol. The first CAN communication circuit 240 also relays communication between the upper control device 300 and the monitoring processor 230, but the second CAN communication circuit 250 does not relay communication between the upper control device 300 and the main processor 220.

[0047] The operation of the actuator control device 200 configured as above will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0048] The host control device 300 transmits a shift change instruction signal, which instructs the actuator control device 200 to change the shift position, via the CAN communication bus 400. The shift change instruction signal is an encrypted signal to ensure security. As shown in Fig. 3, the first CAN communication circuit 240 outputs the shift change instruction signal received via the CAN communication bus 400 to the main processor 220 and the monitoring processor 230 as a first received signal RS1. Meanwhile, the second CAN communication circuit 250 outputs the shift change instruction signal received via the CAN communication bus 400 to the monitoring processor 230 as a second received signal RS2.

[0049] The signal processing unit 221 of the main processor 220 performs a decoding process on the first received signal R1, which is a signal transmitted from the higher-level control device 300 to the main processor 220 via the first CAN communication circuit 240. The signal processing unit 221 performs a decoding process on the first received signal R1, allowing the main processor 220 to recognize the content of the shift change instruction signal.

[0050] The monitoring processor 230 compares the first received signal RS1 received from the host control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240 with the second received signal RS2 received from the host control device 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 based on the comparison result. Specifically, the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 when the first received signal RS1 and the second received signal RS2 are different from each other. On the other hand, the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 when the first received signal RS1 and the second received signal RS2 are the same from each other.

[0051] The shift change instruction signal is a digital signal in which a plurality of digital values ​​including "1" and "0" are arranged in a predetermined order. Therefore, in this embodiment, a case in which the first reception signal RS1 and the second reception signal RS2 are different from each other means that the arrangement order of the digital values ​​in the first reception signal RS1 and the second reception signal RS2 is different. Furthermore, a case in which the first reception signal RS1 and the second reception signal RS2 are identical to each other means that the arrangement order of the digital values ​​in the first reception signal RS1 and the second reception signal RS2 is identical. In this way, the monitoring processor 230 only determines whether the arrangement order of the digital values ​​in the first reception signal RS1 and the second reception signal RS2 is identical, and therefore there is no need to perform a decoding process on both signals before inputting them to the monitoring processor 230.

[0052] 3, when the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, i.e., when communication between the main processor 220 and the upper control device 300 has been performed normally, the monitoring processor 230 outputs a normal notification signal TS1 to the main processor 220 to notify the upper control device 300 that the shift change instruction signal has been received normally. When the signal processing unit 221 of the main processor 220 receives the normal notification signal TS1 from the monitoring processor 230, the signal processing unit 221 encrypts the normal notification signal TS1 to ensure security. Then, the main processor 220 transmits the normal notification signal TS1′ encrypted by the signal processing unit 221 to the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240.

[0053] After transmitting the encrypted normal notification signal TS1' to the upper control device 300, the main processor 220 executes the shift position switching process shown in Figure 4 based on the contents of the decrypted first received signal RS1, i.e., the shift change instruction signal.

[0054] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the shift position switching process executed by the main processor 220. As shown in Fig. 4, the main processor 220 first acquires the target output shaft angle θt corresponding to the shift position instructed by the higher-level control device 300 (step S1). For example, table data indicating the correspondence between the shift position and the target output shaft angle θt is stored in advance in the internal memory of the main processor 220. The main processor 220 acquires the target output shaft angle θt corresponding to the instructed shift position by referring to the table data stored in the internal memory.

[0055] Next, the main processor 220 starts position PID control of the motor 20 based on the target output shaft angle θt and the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 (step S2). Specifically, the main processor 220 calculates, by PID calculation, a manipulated variable that makes the deviation between the target output shaft angle θt and the output shaft rotation angle θ zero, and controls the motor drive circuit 210 in accordance with the calculated manipulated variable, thereby supplying a drive current corresponding to the manipulated variable to the motor 20. As a result, the output shaft 80 connected to the motor 20 via the speed reducer 30 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise toward the target output shaft angle θt that corresponds to the instructed shift position.

[0056] In this embodiment, "the output shaft 80 rotates clockwise" means that the output shaft 80 rotates clockwise about the central axis J1 when viewed from one side (+X side) in the front-rear direction. In other words, the clockwise direction is opposite to the direction of the arrow indicating the rotation angle θ of the output shaft 80 in FIG. 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, "the output shaft 80 rotates counterclockwise" means that the output shaft 80 rotates counterclockwise about the central axis J1 when viewed from one side (+X side) in the front-rear direction. In other words, the counterclockwise direction is the same direction as the direction of the arrow indicating the rotation angle θ of the output shaft 80 in FIG. 2.

[0057] For example, if the shift position before the shift position changing process is executed is a non-parking position, the contacted portion 76b of the leaf spring member 76 is located in the second valley portion 71b of the detent plate 71 before the shift position changing process is executed. In this case, if a command to change to the parking position is received from the higher-level control device 300, the main processor 220 calculates, by PID calculation, the manipulated variable that will result in zero deviation between the output shaft target angle θt corresponding to the parking position and the output shaft rotation angle θ, and controls the motor drive circuit 210 in accordance with the calculated manipulated variable to supply a drive current corresponding to the manipulated variable to the motor 20. As a result, the output shaft 80 rotates clockwise toward the output shaft target angle θt corresponding to the parking position.

[0058] In this manner, when the output shaft 80 rotates clockwise toward the target output shaft angle θt corresponding to the parking position, the detent plate 71, which shares the central axis J1 with the output shaft 80, also rotates clockwise toward the target output shaft angle θt corresponding to the parking position. When the detent plate 71 rotates clockwise toward the target output shaft angle θt corresponding to the parking position, the leaf spring main body 76a is pushed upward by the peaks 71c of the detent plate 71 and elastically deforms. As a result, as shown in "State A" in FIG. 5, the contacted portion 76b disengages from the second valleys 71b corresponding to the non-parking position and moves while rolling from the second valleys 71b toward the first valleys 71a along the upper end face of the detent plate 71. Furthermore, when the detent plate 71 rotates clockwise toward the target output shaft angle θt corresponding to the parking position, the rod 72 and the conical member 73 move in the left-right direction Y from the non-parking position toward the parking position.

[0059] While performing position PID control of the motor 20, the main processor 220 determines whether the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 satisfies the following conditional expression (1) (step S3). In other words, in step S3, the main processor 220 determines whether the output shaft rotation angle θ falls within a tolerance range in which the target output shaft angle θt is a reference value and the allowable error is ±1°. Note that in the following conditional expression (1), the allowable error is set to ±1° as an example, but the value of the allowable error is not limited to ±1°. θt-1°≦ θ ≦ θt+1° …(1)

[0060] If the answer to step S3 is "No," that is, if the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 does not satisfy conditional expression (1), it is estimated that the contacted portion 76b is not located within a range of ±1° around the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position among the multiple valleys of the detent plate 71. In this case, the main processor 220 repeats the processing of step S3 at regular time intervals while performing position PID control of the motor 20.

[0061] On the other hand, if the answer to step S3 is "Yes," that is, if the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 satisfies conditional expression (1), it is estimated that the contacted portion 76b is located within a range of ±1° around the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position among the multiple valleys of the detent plate 71. In this case, the main processor 220 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (1) (step S4). In other words, in step S4, the main processor 220 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the contacted portion 76b is located within a range of ±1° around the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position. As an example, the predetermined time in step S4 is 20 milliseconds, but the predetermined time is not limited to 20 milliseconds.

[0062] For example, as described above, if the commanded shift position is the parking position and the detent plate 71 continues to rotate clockwise toward the output shaft target angle θt corresponding to the parking position, the contacted portion 76b will climb over the peak portion 71c of the detent plate 71 and enter within a range of ±1° around the first valley portion 71a corresponding to the parking position, as shown in "State B" in Fig. 5. When the contacted portion 76b enters within a range of ±1° around the first valley portion 71a, that is, when the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 satisfies conditional expression (1), the main processor 220 starts counting time and determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the contacted portion 76b is positioned within the range of ±1° around the first valley portion 71a.

[0063] If the answer to step S4 is "No," i.e., if the predetermined time has not elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (1), the main processor 220 repeats the processing of step S4 at regular time intervals until the predetermined time has elapsed. On the other hand, if the answer to step S4 is "Yes," i.e., if the predetermined time has elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (1), the main processor 220 stops the supply of drive current to the motor 20 by stopping the position PID control of the motor 20 (step S5).

[0064] When the supply of drive current to the motor 20 is stopped, the torque of the motor 20 becomes zero, and the output shaft 80 and the detent plate 71 become freely rotatable. Meanwhile, the leaf spring main body 76a is pushed upward by the peaks 71c of the detent plate 71 and elastically deforms, generating a downward elastic force that presses the contacted portion 76b against the upper end surface of the detent plate 71. Therefore, when the detent plate 71 becomes freely rotatable while the contacted portion 76b is positioned within a range of ±1° around the valley corresponding to the commanded shift position, the downward elastic force generated in the leaf spring main body 76a rotates the detent plate 71, and as a result, the contacted portion 76b moves while rolling along the upper end surface of the detent plate 71 toward the valley.

[0065] For example, as described above, when the instructed shift position is the parking position, as shown in "State B" in Fig. 5, when the detent plate 71 is in a freely rotatable state while the contacted portion 76b is positioned within a range of ±1° around the first valley portion 71a corresponding to the parking position, the downward elastic force generated in the leaf spring main body 76a causes the detent plate 71 to rotate clockwise. As a result, as shown in "State C" in Fig. 5, the contacted portion 76b moves while rolling along the upper end face of the detent plate 71 toward the first valley portion 71a.

[0066] After stopping the supply of drive current to the motor 20, the main processor 220 determines whether the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 satisfies the following conditional expression (2) (step S6). In other words, in step S6, the main processor 220 determines whether the output shaft rotation angle θ falls within a tolerance range in which the target output shaft angle θt is a reference value and the allowable error is ±2°. In the following conditional expression (2), the allowable error is set to ±2° as an example, but the value of the allowable error is not limited to ±2°. However, for reasons described below, it is preferable to set the allowable error in conditional expression (2) to a value greater than the allowable error in conditional expression (1). θt-2°≦ θ ≦ θt+2° …(2)

[0067] If the answer to step S6 is "No," that is, if the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 does not satisfy conditional expression (2), it is estimated that the contacted portion 76b is not located within a range of ±2° around the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position among the multiple valleys of the detent plate 71. In this case, the main processor 220 returns to the processing of step S2 and starts the position PID control of the motor 20 again.

[0068] As described above, when the supply of drive current to the motor 20 is stopped, the output shaft 80 and the detent plate 71 are allowed to freely rotate. Therefore, after the supply of drive current to the motor 20 is stopped, the downward elastic force generated in the leaf spring main body 76a may cause the detent plate 71 to rotate significantly, potentially moving the contacted portion 76b to a position significantly deviated from the valley corresponding to the specified shift position. Therefore, if the output shaft rotation angle θ does not satisfy conditional expression (2) after the supply of drive current to the motor 20 is stopped, that is, if it is estimated that the contacted portion 76b has moved to a position significantly deviated from the valley corresponding to the specified shift position due to the stop of the supply of drive current to the motor 20, the main processor 220 resumes position PID control of the motor 20 to retry switching the shift position. The reason why the allowable error in conditional formula (2) is set to a value larger than the allowable error in conditional formula (1) is to accurately detect that the contacted portion 76b has moved to a position significantly deviated from the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position due to the supply of drive current to the motor 20 being stopped.

[0069] On the other hand, if the answer to step S6 is "Yes," that is, if the output shaft rotation angle θ detected by the output shaft angle sensor 40 satisfies conditional expression (2), it is estimated that the contacted portion 76b is located within a range of ±2° from the center of one of the multiple valleys of the detent plate 71 that corresponds to the instructed shift position. In this case, the main processor 220 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (2) (step S7). In other words, in step S7, the main processor 220 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the contacted portion 76b is located within a range of ±2° from the center of the valley that corresponds to the instructed shift position. As an example, the predetermined time in step S7 is 20 milliseconds, but the predetermined time is not limited to 20 milliseconds.

[0070] For example, when the commanded shift position is the parking position as described above, as shown in "State C" in FIG. 5, if the supply of drive current to the motor 20 is stopped while the contacted portion 76b is positioned within a range of ±1° around the first valley 71a corresponding to the parking position, the detent plate 71 rotates clockwise due to a downward elastic force generated in the leaf spring main body 76a. As a result, the contacted portion 76b moves while rolling along the upper end surface of the detent plate 71 toward the first valley 71a. Then, as shown in "State D" in FIG. 5, when the contacted portion 76b reaches the first valley 71a, the contacted portion 76b is hooked in the left-right direction Y on the inner surface of the first valley 71a, and the detent plate 71 stops. As a result, the detent plate 71 and the movable portion 70a (rod 72, conical member 73) are positioned in the parking position, and the parking lock gear 6 is locked by the parking lock arm 77. In other words, after the supply of drive current to the motor 20 is stopped, by determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (2), it is possible to determine whether the detent plate 71 and the movable part 70a are positioned at the instructed shift position.

[0071] If the answer to step S7 is "No," that is, if the predetermined time has not elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (2), it is assumed that the contacted portion 76b has not reached the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position, and that the detent plate 71 and the movable portion 70a are not positioned at the instructed shift position. In this case, the main processor 220 repeats the process of step S7 at regular intervals until the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0072] On the other hand, if the answer to step S7 is "Yes," that is, if the predetermined time has elapsed while the output shaft rotation angle θ satisfies conditional expression (2), it is estimated that the contacted portion 76b has reached the valley corresponding to the instructed shift position, and that the detent plate 71 and the movable portion 70a are also positioned at the instructed shift position. In this case, the main processor 220 determines that the shift position has been changed, and notifies the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240 that the shift position has been changed (step S8).

[0073] The above is an explanation of the shift position switching process executed by the main processor 220 when the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the host controller 300. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3, when the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host controller 300, the monitoring processor 230 transmits an abnormality notification signal TS2 to the host controller 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250 to notify the host controller 300 that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host controller 300. In this case, the main processor 220 does not receive the normality notification signal TS1 from the monitoring processor 230 and therefore does not execute the above-mentioned shift position switching process.

[0074] As described above, the actuator control device 200 of this embodiment includes a first CAN communication circuit 240 that relays communication between the host control device 300 and the main processor 220, and a second CAN communication circuit 250 that relays communication between the control device 300 and the monitoring processor 230. The monitoring processor 230 compares the first received signal RS1 received from the host control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240 with the second received signal RS2 received from the host control device 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 based on the comparison result. According to this embodiment, communication abnormalities occurring between the main processor 220 and the upper level control device 300 can be monitored with a simple configuration.

[0075] In this embodiment, when the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, it transmits an abnormality notification signal TS2 to the upper control device 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250. If the monitoring processor 230 were to transmit an abnormality notification signal TS2 to the upper level controller 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240, it would be necessary to stop signal transmission from the main processor 220 to the upper level controller 300, which would reduce the overall processing efficiency of the actuator control device 200. Therefore, by having the monitoring processor 230 transmit an abnormality notification signal TS2 to the upper level controller 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250, it is possible to prevent the overall processing efficiency of the actuator control device 200 from decreasing.

[0076] In this embodiment, the signal processing unit 221 of the main processor 220 performs a decryption process on the first received signal R1, which is a signal transmitted from the upper level control device 300 to the main processor 220 via the first CAN communication circuit 240. When the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper level control device 300, it outputs a normal notification signal TS1 to the main processor 220. The signal processing unit 221 performs an encryption process on the normal notification signal TS1. The main processor 220 transmits the normal notification signal TS1′ encrypted by the signal processing unit 221 to the upper level control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240. According to this embodiment, the decryption process of the first received signal R1 and the encryption process of the normal notification signal TS1 are performed only by the signal processing unit 221 provided in the main processor 220, so there is no need to provide a signal processing unit with similar functions in the monitoring processor 230. Therefore, an inexpensive processor can be used as the monitoring processor 230, and the overall cost of the actuator control device 200 can be reduced.

[0077] In this embodiment, the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300 when the first received signal R1 and the second received signal R2 differ from each other. This makes it possible to determine with simple processing that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, thereby reducing the processing load on the monitoring processor 230. Therefore, an inexpensive processor can be used as the monitoring processor 230, and the overall cost of the actuator control device 200 can be reduced.

[0078] In this embodiment, the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300 when the first received signal RS1 and the second received signal RS2 match each other. This makes it possible to determine with simple processing that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, thereby reducing the processing load on the monitoring processor 230. Therefore, an inexpensive processor can be used as the monitoring processor 230, and the overall cost of the actuator control device 200 can be reduced.

[0079] [Modification] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configurations described in this specification can be combined as appropriate within a range that does not contradict each other.

[0080] (1) For example, in the above embodiment, the main processor 220 has the signal processing unit 221, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Fig. 6, a signal processing IC 260 having the same function as the signal processing unit 221 may be provided between the main processor 220 and the first CAN communication circuit 240. The operation of the actuator control device 200 in the modified example shown in Fig. 6 is as follows.

[0081] 6, the first CAN communication circuit 240 outputs the shift change instruction signal received via the CAN communication bus 400 as a first received signal RS1 to the signal processing IC 260 and the monitoring processor 230. On the other hand, the second CAN communication circuit 250 outputs the shift change instruction signal received via the CAN communication bus 400 to the monitoring processor 230 as a second received signal RS2.

[0082] The signal processing IC 260 decodes the first received signal R1, which is a signal received from the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240, and outputs the decoded first received signal R1' to the main processor 220. The signal processing IC 260 decodes the first received signal R1, allowing the main processor 220 to recognize the content of the shift change instruction signal.

[0083] The monitoring processor 230 compares the first received signal RS1 received from the host control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240 with the second received signal RS2 received from the host control device 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 based on the comparison result. Specifically, the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 when the first received signal RS1 and the second received signal RS2 are different from each other. On the other hand, the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the host control device 300 when the first received signal RS1 and the second received signal RS2 are the same from each other.

[0084] 6, when the monitoring processor 230 determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, it transmits a normal notification signal TS1 to the main processor 220 to notify the upper control device 300 that the shift change instruction signal has been received normally. Upon receiving the normal notification signal TS1 from the monitoring processor 230, the main processor 220 transmits the received normal notification signal TS1 to the signal processing IC 260. Upon receiving the normal notification signal TS1 from the main processor 220, the signal processing IC 260 encrypts the normal notification signal TS1 to ensure security. The signal processing IC 260 then transmits the encrypted normal notification signal TS1′ to the upper control device 300 via the first CAN communication circuit 240.

[0085] After transmitting the normality notification signal TS1 to the signal processing IC 260, the main processor 220 executes the shift position switching process shown in Fig. 4 based on the contents of the decoded first received signal RS1, i.e., the shift change instruction signal. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 6, when the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, it transmits an abnormality notification signal TS2 to the upper control device 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250 to notify the upper control device 300 that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300. In this case, the main processor 220 does not receive the normality notification signal TS1 from the monitoring processor 230, and therefore does not execute the above-mentioned shift position switching process.

[0086] According to the above modification, the signal processing IC 260, which is independent of the main processor 220, functions as a signal processing unit, thereby reducing the processing load on the main processor 220. Therefore, an inexpensive processor can be used as the main processor 220.

[0087] (2) For example, in the above embodiment, when the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, the monitoring processor 230 transmits the abnormality notification signal TS2 to the upper control device 300 via the second CAN communication circuit 250. The present invention is not limited to this, and when the monitoring processor 230 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the upper control device 300, the monitoring processor 230 may transmit the abnormality notification signal TS2 to the upper control device 300 via both the first CAN communication circuit 240 and the second CAN communication circuit 250. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in one of the first CAN communication circuit 240 and the second CAN communication circuit 250, an abnormality notification signal TS2 can be sent to the upper control device 300 via the other normal communication circuit.

[0088] (3) For example, in the above embodiment, the signal processing unit 221 performs encryption and decryption as conversion processing of signals communicated via the first CAN communication circuit 240. The present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the signal processing unit 221 may perform other signal conversion processing such as modulation and demodulation as conversion processing of signals communicated via the first CAN communication circuit 240. The same applies to the signal processing IC 260 in the modified example.

[0089] (4) For example, in the above embodiment, the first and second CAN communication circuits 240 and 250 that communicate according to the CAN communication protocol are used as the first and second communication circuits, but the first and second communication circuits that communicate according to other communication protocols may also be used.

[0090] (5) For example, in the above embodiment, an actuator control device 200 that controls an electric actuator 100 that switches the shift position is exemplified, but the actuator control device of the present invention can be widely applied as a control device that controls various actuators other than the electric actuator 100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1... drive device, 2... housing, 3... drive motor, 4... reduction gear, 5... differential device, 6... parking lock gear, 10... motor unit, 20... motor, 30... reduction gear, 40... output shaft angle sensor, 70... parking switch mechanism, 71... detent plate, 71a... first valley portion, 71b... second valley portion, 76... leaf spring member, 76b... contacted portion, 80... output shaft, 100... electric actuator, 200... actuator control device, 210... motor drive circuit (drive unit), 220... main processor (control unit), 221... signal processing unit, 230... monitoring processor (abnormality determination unit), 240... first CAN communication circuit (first communication circuit), 250... second CAN communication circuit (second communication circuit), 260... signal processing IC (signal processing unit), 300... higher-level control device (external device), 400... CAN communication bus

Claims

1. An actuator control device that controls an actuator, a drive unit that drives the actuator; a control unit that controls the drive unit; an abnormality determination unit; a first communication circuit that relays communication between an external device and the control unit and also relays communication between the external device and the abnormality determination unit; a second communication circuit that relays communication between the external device and the abnormality determination unit; a signal processing unit that performs conversion processing of a signal communicated via the first communication circuit; Equipped with the first communication circuit outputs a signal received from the external device as a first received signal to the abnormality determination unit; the second communication circuit outputs the signal received from the external device as a second received signal to the abnormality determination unit; the abnormality determination unit compares the first reception signal received from the external device via the first communication circuit with the second reception signal received from the external device via the second communication circuit, and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in communication with the external device based on a comparison result. Actuator control device.

2. An actuator control device for controlling an actuator, a drive unit that drives the actuator; a control unit that controls the drive unit; an abnormality determination unit; a first communication circuit that relays communication between an external device and the control unit; a second communication circuit that relays communication between the external device and the abnormality determination unit; a signal processing unit that performs conversion processing of a signal communicated via the first communication circuit; Equipped with the abnormality determination unit compares a first reception signal received from the external device via the first communication circuit with a second reception signal received from the external device via the second communication circuit, and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in communication with the external device based on a comparison result; the signal processing unit performs a conversion process of a signal transmitted from the external device to the control unit via the first communication circuit; When the abnormality determination unit determines that no abnormality has occurred in the communication with the external device, the abnormality determination unit outputs a normality notification signal to the control unit; the signal processing unit performs a conversion process of the normal notification signal, the control unit transmits the normal notification signal converted by the signal processing unit to the external device via the first communication circuit. Actuator control device.

3. An actuator control device for controlling an actuator, a drive unit that drives the actuator; a control unit that controls the drive unit; an abnormality determination unit; a first communication circuit that relays communication between an external device and the control unit; a second communication circuit that relays communication between the external device and the abnormality determination unit; a signal processing unit that performs conversion processing of a signal communicated via the first communication circuit; Equipped with the abnormality determination unit compares a first reception signal received from the external device via the first communication circuit with a second reception signal received from the external device via the second communication circuit, and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in communication with the external device based on a comparison result; the signal processing unit converts a signal received from the external device via the first communication circuit and outputs the converted signal to the control unit; When the abnormality determination unit determines that no abnormality has occurred in the communication with the external device, the abnormality determination unit outputs a normality notification signal to the signal processing unit; the signal processing unit converts the normality notification signal and transmits the converted normality notification signal to the external device via the first communication circuit. Actuator control device.

4. When the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the communication with the external device, the abnormality determination unit transmits an abnormality notification signal to the external device via the second communication circuit. The actuator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the communication with the external device, the abnormality determination unit transmits an abnormality notification signal to the external device via both the first communication circuit and the second communication circuit. The actuator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the external device when the first received signal and the second received signal are different from each other. The actuator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the abnormality determination unit determines that no abnormality has occurred in communication with the external device when the first received signal and the second received signal match each other. The actuator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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