Mobile body control device, mobile body control method, and mobile body control program

Abstract

This moving body control device is provided with a control unit that performs control such that the installation or activation of a power conversion device program for controlling a power conversion device mounted in a moving body is executed while no input voltage is applied to electrical equipment driven by the power conversion device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mobile object control device, a mobile object control method, and a mobile object control program.

[0002] This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from patent application serial number 2022-158841, filed September 30, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-24287 discloses a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle, the vehicle control device including: a storage device that stores multiple types of vehicle control software used for multiple types of control of the vehicle; a vehicle control execution unit that controls the vehicle using the vehicle control software; a rewrite processing unit that performs a rewrite process for the vehicle control software to be rewritten among the multiple types of vehicle control software when there is a request to rewrite the vehicle control software; and a state determination unit that determines whether the control processing of the vehicle using the vehicle control software to be rewritten will be executed in conjunction with the rewrite process, and the vehicle control execution unit, when it is determined that the control processing will be executed in conjunction with the rewrite process, changes the control state of the vehicle prior to the rewrite process so that the control processing will not be executed in conjunction with the rewrite process. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, when installing or activating a program for a power conversion device to control a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body, there is a possibility that the switching element driven by the power conversion device may operate unintentionally, resulting in unintended power being supplied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a mobile body control device, a mobile body control method, and a mobile body control program that can prevent unintended power supply to electrical equipment driven by a power conversion device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A mobile body control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit that controls the installation or activation of a power conversion device program that controls a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body when no input voltage is applied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device.

[0007] A second aspect of the mobile body control method includes at least one processor performing a process that includes controlling the installation or activation of a power conversion device program that controls a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body when no input voltage is applied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device.

[0008] The mobile body control program according to the third aspect causes at least one processor to execute processing including controlling the installation or activation of a program for a power conversion device that controls a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body when no input voltage is applied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent unintended power supply to an electrical device driven by a power conversion device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control system according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle control ECU according to the first embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a vehicle control process according to the first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a modified example of the vehicle control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control system according to a second embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a vehicle control process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the technology of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] First Embodiment

[0013] 1, a vehicle control system 10 of this embodiment includes a server 12 and a vehicle 14. The server 12 and the vehicle 14 are connected via a network 16.

[0014] The vehicle 14 includes a vehicle control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 18, an inverter ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20, an inverter 22, a drive battery 24, a DC-DC converter 26, a relay unit 28, and a motor generator 30. The vehicle 14 is an example of a moving body according to the present disclosure. The vehicle control ECU 18 is an example of a moving body control device according to the present disclosure. The motor generator 30 is an example of an electrical device according to the present disclosure. The inverter 22 is an example of a power conversion device according to the present disclosure.

[0015] The vehicle control ECU 18 controls the inverter 22 and the relay unit 28. The vehicle control ECU 18 also acquires an inverter program 20A to be executed by the inverter ECU 20 from the server 12 via the network 16, and instructs the inverter ECU 20 to install or activate the acquired inverter program 20A. Here, installing the inverter program 20A means storing the inverter program 20A in a non-volatile memory (not shown) of the inverter ECU 20 to make it executable. Activating the inverter program 20A means enabling a function realized by executing the inverter program 20A. The inverter program 20A is an example of a power conversion program.

[0016] The inverter ECU 20 controls the inverter 22 by executing an inverter program 20A that has been installed or activated.

[0017] The inverter 22 includes a switching circuit 32, a gate drive circuit 34, and a gate drive power supply 36. The gate drive circuit 34 is an example of a drive circuit of the present disclosure.

[0018] The switching circuit 32 includes a plurality of switching elements 38. In this embodiment, the switching circuit 32 includes, for example, six switching elements 38. As the switching elements 38, for example, IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are used, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0019] The gate drive circuit 34 turns on or off each of the multiple switching elements 38 in response to instructions from the inverter ECU 20. This causes the switching circuit 32 to output a drive voltage for driving the motor generator 30, thereby driving the motor generator 30.

[0020] The gate drive power supply 36 supplies power to the gate drive circuit 34 in response to an instruction from the vehicle control ECU 18 .

[0021] The drive battery 24 is a power source that supplies DC voltage to drive electrical devices mounted on the vehicle 14, such as the motor generator 30. The drive battery 24 is charged with electric power generated by a generator driven by the driving force of an engine (not shown), for example.

[0022] A relay unit 28 is connected to the drive battery 24. The relay unit 28 includes a relay 28A connected to the positive side of the drive battery 24 and a relay 28B connected to the negative side of the drive battery 24.

[0023] The on / off of relays 28A, 28B is controlled by vehicle control ECU 18. When relays 28A, 28B are turned on by vehicle control ECU 18, a DC voltage is applied from drive battery 24 to DC-DC converter 26. On the other hand, when relays 28A, 28B are turned off by vehicle control ECU 18, no DC voltage is applied from drive battery 24 to DC-DC converter 26.

[0024] The DC-DC converter 26 converts the DC voltage applied from the drive battery 24 into a DC voltage of a predetermined voltage value and supplies it to the switching circuit 32 .

[0025] 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the vehicle control ECU 18. As shown in FIG.

[0026] 2, the controller 40 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 40A, a read-only memory (ROM) 40B, a random access memory (RAM) 40C, and an input / output interface (I / O) 40D. The CPU 40A, ROM 40B, RAM 40C, and I / O 40D are connected to each other via a bus 40E. The bus 40E includes a control bus, an address bus, and a data bus. A communication unit 41 and a storage unit 42 are connected to the I / O 40D. The CPU 40A is an example of a control unit.

[0027] The communication unit 41 is an interface for performing data communication with external devices such as the server 12 and other ECUs of the vehicle 14 such as the inverter ECU 20 .

[0028] The storage unit 42 is configured with, for example, a nonvolatile memory. As shown in Fig. 2, the storage unit 42 stores a vehicle control program 42A and the like. The vehicle control program 42A is an example of a mobile object control program of the present disclosure.

[0029] The CPU 40A is an example of a computer. The term "computer" here refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU) or a dedicated processor (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, etc.).

[0030] The vehicle control program 42A may be stored in a non-volatile non-transitory recording medium or distributed via a network and installed in the vehicle control ECU 18 as needed.

[0031] Examples of non-volatile non-transitory recording media include CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), magneto-optical disks, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), flash memories, memory cards, etc.

[0032] Next, a flowchart of the vehicle control process executed by the CPU 40A of the vehicle control ECU 18 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The process of Fig. 3 is repeatedly executed.

[0033] In step S100, the CPU 40A determines whether to install or activate the inverter program 20A. Whether to install the inverter program 20A is determined based on, for example, whether an instruction to update the inverter program 20A has been received from the server 12. Whether to activate the inverter program 20A is determined based on, for example, whether an instruction to activate the inverter program 20A has been received from the server 12.

[0034] If it is determined that the inverter program 20A is to be installed or activated, the process proceeds to step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined that neither the inverter program 20A is to be installed nor activated, the process ends this routine.

[0035] In step S101, the CPU 40A determines whether an input voltage is being applied to the inverter 22, i.e., whether a voltage from the drive battery 24 is being applied to the input terminal of the switching circuit 32 of the inverter 22. Specifically, the CPU 40A determines whether the relays 28A, 28B are on, and determines that an input voltage is being applied to the inverter 22 if the relays 28A, 28B are on, and determines that an input voltage is not being applied to the inverter 22 if the relays 28A, 28B are off.

[0036] If it is determined that an input voltage is being applied to the inverter 22, the process proceeds to step S102, and if it is determined that an input voltage is not being applied to the inverter 22, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0037] In step S102, the CPU 40A cuts off the input voltage to the inverter 22. Specifically, the CPU 40A turns off the relays 28A and 28B. As a result, the input voltage from the drive battery 24 to the inverter 22 is not applied.

[0038] In step S103, the CPU 40A installs or activates the inverter program 20A. Specifically, if it is determined in step S100 that the inverter program 20A is to be installed, the CPU 40A acquires the inverter program 20A from the server 12 and causes the acquired inverter program 20A to be installed in the inverter ECU 20. If it is determined in step S100 that the inverter program 20A is to be activated, the CPU 40A causes the inverter ECU 20 to activate the inverter program 20A that has already been installed in the inverter ECU 20.

[0039] In step S104, the CPU 40A determines whether the installation or activation of the inverter program 20A has been completed. If the installation or activation of the inverter program 20A has not been completed, the CPU 40A waits until the installation or activation is completed. If the installation or activation of the inverter program 20A has been completed, the CPU 40A ends this routine.

[0040] As described above, in this embodiment, the inverter program 20A is controlled to be installed or activated when no input voltage is applied to the inverter 22. That is, the inverter program 20A is controlled to be installed or activated when no input voltage is applied to the motor generator 30 driven by the inverter 22. This makes it possible to prevent the motor generator 30 from generating an unintended driving force.

[0041] In the present embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 18 executes the process shown in FIG. 2 . However, the inverter ECU 20 may execute the process shown in FIG. 2 . In this case, the inverter ECU 20 serves as the mobile object control device of the present disclosure. In this case, for example, if the inverter ECU 20 receives a drive command from the vehicle control ECU 18 as a higher-level control unit and drives the inverter 22, the inverter 22 may be unintentionally driven if the vehicle control ECU 18 outputs a drive command to the inverter ECU 20 while the inverter program 20A is being installed or activated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , the vehicle control ECU 18 may be notified in step S103A before the inverter program 20A is installed or activated in step S103 that the inverter 22 drive command cannot be accepted. Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 18 may be notified in step S104A after it is determined in step S104 that the inverter program 20A has been installed or activated. Permission to output a drive command for the inverter 22 may be granted to the vehicle control ECU 18.

[0042] Second Embodiment

[0043] A second embodiment will be described below. Note that the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0044] Figure 5 shows vehicle 14 according to the second embodiment. Vehicle 14 differs from vehicle 14 according to the first embodiment in that vehicle 14 is provided with charging ports 44A, 44B to which external power sources (not shown) can be connected, and is configured so that drive battery 24 can be charged with power from the external power sources connected to charging ports 44A, 44B, and in that relay unit 28 is composed of four relays 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D.

[0045] Relay 28C is connected between charging port 44A and relay 28A, and relay 28D is connected between charging port 44B and relay 28B.

[0046] Power for, for example, rapid charging or normal charging is supplied to charging ports 44A, 44B from an external power source (not shown). Drive battery 24 is charged with power supplied to charging ports 44A, 44B from an external power source (not shown). When charging drive battery 24, vehicle control ECU 18 turns on relays 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D. This allows drive battery 24 to be charged with power supplied from the external power source (not shown).

[0047] Next, a description will be given of a flowchart of the vehicle control process executed by the CPU 40A of the vehicle control ECU 18 shown in Fig. 6. Note that a description of steps that perform the same processes as those in Fig. 3 will be omitted.

[0048] The processing in steps S200 and S201 is the same as the processing in steps S100 and S101 in FIG. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] In step S202, the CPU 40A determines whether it is possible to cut off the input voltage applied to the inverter 22. Examples of cases in which the input voltage to the inverter 22 can be cut off include, but are not limited to, when the parking brake of the vehicle 14 is on, when the shift position is in parking, when the vehicle 14 is stopped rather than running, and when the charging mode is normal charging.

[0050] If the input voltage to the inverter 22 can be cut off, the process proceeds to step S203, and if the input voltage to the inverter 22 cannot be cut off, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0051] In step S203, CPU 40A turns off relays 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D, thereby cutting off the input voltage from drive battery 24 to inverter 22.

[0052] In step S204, the CPU 40A determines whether or not it is possible to cut off the output voltage to the motor generator 30. Here, the case where the output voltage to the motor generator 30 can be cut off includes, but is not limited to, when the charging mode is a rapid charging mode.

[0053] If the output voltage to the motor generator 30 can be cut off, the process proceeds to step S205, and if the output voltage to the motor generator 30 cannot be cut off, the present routine is ended.

[0054] In step S205, the CPU 40A cuts off the output voltage to the motor generator 30. Specifically, for example, the CPU 40A turns off the gate drive power supply 36. This stops the power supply to the gate drive circuit 34. As a result, the gate drive circuit 34 becomes inoperable and cannot drive the switching elements, so the input voltage to the gate of the switching circuit 32 is cut off and the output voltage to the motor generator 30 is cut off.

[0055] Alternatively, the inverter ECU 20 may be instructed to stop outputting the drive signal to the gate drive circuit 34. This causes the inverter ECU 20 to stop outputting the drive signal and to be unable to drive the gate drive circuit 34, so that the input voltage to the gate of the switching circuit 32 is cut off and the output voltage to the motor generator 30 is cut off.

[0056] In addition, for example, the power supply via the power supply line 46 connecting the switching circuit 32 and the motor generator 30 may be configured to be cut off, and the output voltage to the motor generator 30 may be cut off by cutting off the path from the switching circuit 32 to the motor generator 30 and cutting off the power supply.

[0057] The processing in steps S206 and S207 is the same as the processing in steps S103 and S104 in FIG. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0058] In this way, in this embodiment, the inverter program 20A is controlled to be installed or activated in a state where no output voltage is output from the inverter 22 to the motor generator 30. This makes it possible to prevent the motor generator 30, which is driven by the inverter 22, from generating an unintended driving force.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 18 executes the process shown in FIG. 6. However, the inverter ECU 20 may execute the process shown in FIG.

[0060] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0061] For example, in each of the above embodiments, the electric device driven by the inverter 22 mounted on the vehicle 14 is the motor generator 30, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the electric device driven by the inverter 22 mounted on the vehicle 14 may be a motor that drives the tires of the vehicle 14, a motor that drives a compressor for an inverter of an air conditioner, or a motor that serves as a drive source for air mobility (aircraft) or a ship. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the electric device is the vehicle 14, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the electric device may be an air mobility or a ship. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the electric power conversion device is the inverter 22 for driving the vehicle 14, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the electric power conversion device may be an inverter for an air conditioner, a DC-DC converter, a rapid charger, or a normal charger.

[0062] In addition, the configuration of the vehicle control system 10 described in the above embodiment (see Figures 1 and 5) is one example, and it goes without saying that unnecessary parts may be deleted or new parts may be added within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] Furthermore, the processing flow of the vehicle control program 42A described in the above embodiment (see Figures 3, 4, and 6) is also an example, and it goes without saying that unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] The controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer having a processor programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer having a processor configured with dedicated hardware logic circuitry. Alternatively, the apparatus and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor executing a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.

[0065] <Additional Notes> (Appendix 1) A control unit that controls the installation or activation of a power conversion device program that controls a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body when no input voltage is applied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device. A mobile object control device comprising: (Appendix 2) The control unit controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device to be executed in a state where no input voltage is applied to the electric device and in a state where no input voltage is applied to the power conversion device. 2. A mobile object control device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The control unit cuts off an input voltage to the power conversion device and controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device. 3. The mobile object control device according to claim 2. (Appendix 4) The control unit controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device in a state in which the switching elements constituting the power conversion device cannot be driven. 2. A mobile object control device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 5) The control unit stops the supply of power to a drive circuit that drives the switching element, and controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device to be executed. 5. The mobile object control device according to claim 4. (Appendix 6) The control unit includes a stop unit for stopping output of a drive signal to a drive circuit that drives the switching element, and the control unit controls installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device in a state in which the drive signal is stopped by the stop unit. 5. The mobile object control device according to claim 4. (Appendix 7) a cutoff unit that cuts off a path from the power conversion device to the electrical device, and the control unit controls so that installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device is executed in a state in which the cutoff unit cuts off the power supply from the power conversion device to the electrical device. 2. A mobile object control device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 8) The control unit receives a drive command from a host control unit (18) to drive the power conversion device, and notifies the host control unit that the drive command cannot be accepted while the program for the power conversion device is being installed or activated. 8. A mobile object control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7. (Appendix 9) At least one processor (40A) When an input voltage is not applied to an electrical device driven by a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body, control is performed so that installation or activation of a program for the power conversion device that controls the power conversion device is executed. A mobile object control method that executes a process including the steps of: (Appendix 10) At least one processor has When an input voltage is not applied to an electrical device driven by a power conversion device mounted on a mobile body, control is performed so that installation or activation of a program for the power conversion device that controls the power conversion device is executed. A mobile object control program that executes a process including the above.

Claims

1. When an instruction to install or activate a power conversion device program (20A) that controls a power conversion device (22) mounted on a moving body (14) is received, a control unit (40A) that, when an input voltage is not applied to an electric device (30) driven by the power conversion device, controls to execute installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device, and, when an input voltage is applied to the electric device, stops power supply to the electric device and controls to execute installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device; A mobile object control device (18) comprising:

2. The control unit controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device when an input voltage is not applied to the power conversion device. The mobile object control device according to claim 1.

3. When an input voltage is applied to the power conversion device, the control unit cuts off the input voltage to the power conversion device and controls so that installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device is performed. The mobile object control device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device when a drive circuit that drives a switching element (38) constituting the power conversion device is in a state in which the switching element cannot be driven. The mobile object control device according to claim 1.

5. When the drive circuit is in a state where it can drive the switching element, the control unit stops the supply of power to the drive circuit and controls the installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device to be executed. The mobile object control device according to claim 4.

6. When the drive circuit is in a state where it can drive the switching element, the control unit stops outputting a drive signal to the drive circuit and controls so that installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device is executed. The mobile object control device according to claim 4.

7. The control unit cuts off a path from the power conversion device to the electrical device, cuts off power supply from the power conversion device to the electrical device, and controls so that installation or activation of the program for the power conversion device is performed. The mobile object control device according to claim 1.

8. The control unit receives a drive command from a host control unit to drive the power conversion device, and notifies the host control unit that the drive command cannot be accepted while the program for the power conversion device is being installed or activated. The mobile object control device according to claim 1.

9. At least one processor When receiving an instruction to install or activate a program for a power conversion device that controls a power conversion device mounted on a mobile object, When an input voltage is not applied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device, control is performed so that installation or activation of a program for the power conversion device is executed, and when an input voltage is applied to the electrical device, control is performed so that power supply to the electrical device is stopped and installation or activation of a program for the power conversion device that controls the power conversion device is executed. A mobile object control method that executes a process including the steps of:

10. At least one processor When receiving an instruction to install or activate a program for a power conversion device that controls a power conversion device mounted on a mobile object, When an input voltage is not applied to an electrical device driven by the power conversion device, control is performed so that installation or activation of a program for the power conversion device is executed, and when an input voltage is applied to the electrical device, control is performed so that power supply to the electrical device is stopped and installation or activation of a program for the power conversion device that controls the power conversion device is executed. A mobile object control program that executes a process including the above.

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