Electronic control unit

Abstract

To provide an electronic control device for monitoring whether each peripheral device of control components is failed without increasing costs, especially an electronic control device including control components of a microcomputer or the like and the peripheral devices.SOLUTION: An electronic control device 100 includes control components (MCU 110) for controlling a plurality of peripheral devices (power circuit U1, motor driver U2, sensor U3 and display driver U4) in a normal operation mode, and on the other hand, diagnosing whether a failure occurs in at least one peripheral device among the plurality of peripheral devices in a monitor mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic control device, and more particularly to an electronic control device including control parts such as a microcomputer and peripheral devices thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, efforts have been made to electronically control the electrical components of vehicles in order to ensure safe driving, comfortable interior spaces, and driving assistance. In this regard, an ECU (electronic control unit) is provided as a dedicated microcomputer for controlling devices such as the vehicle's air conditioning, engine, transmission, brakes, and driving assistance device.

[0003] Furthermore, with the trend toward electronic control of vehicles as described above, an electronic control unit has been proposed that includes a monitoring device that monitors whether an abnormality (failure) has occurred in the operation of the ECU or its peripheral devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This electronic control unit includes a monitoring unit that is provided outside the microcomputer that controls the peripheral devices and monitors the microcomputer and the peripheral devices for operational abnormalities. The monitoring unit monitors a watchdog timer clear signal (WDC signal) output from the microcomputer, and if the cycle of this WDC signal fluctuates, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the microcomputer or the peripheral devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-38620 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, an electronically controlled vehicle is provided with a dedicated ECU for each device to be controlled (for example, engine, brakes, air conditioning equipment, etc.) Furthermore, in controlling each device, the ECU actually controls peripheral devices such as drivers for driving motors and displays, various sensors, and power supply circuits.

[0006] Therefore, if the monitoring unit described in Patent Document 1 is provided for each of the multiple ECUs installed in a vehicle in order to individually monitor the operational abnormalities (failures) of each of the above-mentioned peripheral devices, the overall system size will become large, resulting in problems such as increased costs.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control device that can monitor whether each of multiple peripheral devices connected to a control component such as a microcomputer has a malfunction without incurring high costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electronic control device according to the present invention comprises: An electronic control device configured to be able to control a plurality of peripheral devices, comprising: a memory in which pseudo input data is stored; a direct memory access circuit that reads the pseudo input data from the memory; and a pseudo signal generation unit that generates a pseudo signal for fault testing based on the pseudo input data read from the memory by the direct memory access circuit. a control part that is set to a normal operation mode or a monitoring mode, and that controls the plurality of peripheral devices in the normal operation mode, and that diagnoses whether or not a failure has occurred in at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in the monitoring mode; the control part comprises a peripheral interface unit that inputs a control signal for normal operation to the plurality of peripheral devices in the normal operation mode, and inputs the pseudo signal to the at least one peripheral device in the monitoring mode and receives an output signal output by the at least one peripheral device in response to the pseudo signal, and a fault diagnosis unit that obtains a fault diagnosis result based on whether the output signal received by the peripheral interface unit matches a predetermined expected value. .

[0009] The electronic control device according to the present invention is also a device for controlling a plurality of peripheral devices each of which outputs in response to an input signal. vessel and, a memory storing pseudo input data; a direct memory access circuit for reading the pseudo input data from the memory; and a pseudo signal generating unit for generating a pseudo signal for fault testing based on the pseudo input data read from the memory by the direct memory access circuit; a control function that is set to a normal operation mode or a monitoring mode, and that controls the plurality of peripheral devices in the normal operation mode, and diagnoses whether or not a failure has occurred in at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in the monitoring mode, and the control function outputs a control signal for normal operation in the normal operation mode; In front and inputting the plurality of peripheral devices, and in the monitoring mode, The aforementioned pseudo signal In frontThe pseudo signal is input to the at least one peripheral device, and an output signal output from the at least one peripheral device in response to the pseudo signal is captured, and a fault diagnosis result is obtained based on whether the captured output signal matches a predetermined expected value.

[0010] In addition, the present invention system The control device is a control device that controls a plurality of peripheral devices, a memory storing pseudo input data; a direct memory access circuit for reading the pseudo input data from the memory; and a pseudo signal generating unit for generating a pseudo signal for fault testing based on the pseudo input data read from the memory by the direct memory access circuit; a first control that supplies a plurality of control signals to the plurality of peripheral devices, each of the plurality of peripheral devices; Before and a second control for supplying the pseudo signal, capturing an output signal output from the at least one peripheral device in response to the pseudo signal, and obtaining a fault diagnosis result based on whether the captured output signal matches a predetermined expected value. cormorant . [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In the electronic control device according to the present invention, the diagnosis of whether each of the multiple peripheral devices connected to the control component has a fault can be performed within the control component. This allows the device size to be smaller than in a conventional configuration in which a monitoring unit for fault monitoring is provided for each peripheral device outside the control component. Furthermore, the device size can be reduced by having the MCU collectively monitor whether multiple peripheral devices have a fault.

[0012] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to monitor whether or not each of the peripheral devices connected to the control component has failed without incurring an increase in cost.

[0013] Furthermore, in the electronic control device according to the present invention, a monitoring unit for monitoring failures is not provided for each peripheral device, so the configuration of the peripheral device 120 is simplified.

[0014] Therefore, according to the present invention, the peripheral device 120 can be easily assembled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the input / output configuration of a motor driver U2. [Figure 3] 10 is a time chart showing an example of a monitoring sequence. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control device 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the input / output configuration of a motor driver U2a. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control device 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the input / output configuration of the motor driver U2b. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control device 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the input / output configuration of the motor driver U2c. [Figure 10] 10 is a time chart showing an example of timing for switching from a normal operation mode to a monitoring mode or from the monitoring mode to the normal operation mode in each of a motor driver and a sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [Example]

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control unit 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] The electronic control device 100 is provided for each electrical component of the vehicle to control that electrical component, and is connected to an in-vehicle network CN such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a Local Interconnect Network (LIN).

[0019] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an electronic control device 100, for example, by extracting a portion that controls a motor MT and a display device DS included in one of a plurality of electrical components mounted on a vehicle.

[0020] The electronic control device 100 includes a microcomputer 110 (hereinafter referred to as MCU 110) as a control component, and a peripheral device 120 connected to the MCU 110.

[0021] The MCU 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 connected to a CPU bus, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, an interface (IF) 13, a sequencer 14, a port switching circuit 19, and a control signal generation unit 30. The MCU 110 further includes a timer 15, a pseudo signal generation unit 16, a fault diagnosis unit 17, and a DMA (Direct Memory Access) circuit 18.

[0022] The peripheral device 120 includes a power supply circuit U1, a motor driver U2, a sensor U3, and a display driver U4, each of which functions as a peripheral device. The peripheral devices perform peripheral functions that produce output in response to an input signal.

[0023] The ROM 11 of the MCU 110 stores in advance a program for controlling the operation of the electronic control device 100, pseudo input data for fault testing, expected value data, etc. The program, pseudo input data, and expected value data stored in the ROM 11 are read out to the CPU bus when the power is turned on, and are then stored in the RAM 12, respectively.

[0024] The CPU 10 executes the programs stored in the RAM 12 to control the interface unit 13 , the sequencer 14 , the port switching circuit 19 and the control signal generating unit 30 .

[0025] In response to an instruction from the CPU 10, the interface unit 13 takes in data on the intra-vehicle network CN and sends it to the CPU bus, or sends data on the CPU bus to the intra-vehicle network CN.

[0026] The sequencer 14 sets the pseudo signal generator 16, the fault diagnosis unit 17, and the port switching circuit 19 to one of the normal operation mode and the monitoring mode in response to an execution command from the CPU 10. The sequencer 14 periodically switches from the normal operation mode to the monitoring mode and from the monitoring mode to the normal operation mode.

[0027] Furthermore, the sequencer 14 performs sequence control on the pseudo signal generator 16, the fault diagnosis unit 17, and the port switching circuit 19 to execute respective internal processes in predetermined processing procedures corresponding to the normal operation mode and the monitoring mode, respectively, in accordance with a plurality of timing signals supplied from the timer 15. The sequencer 14 executes control functions corresponding to the normal operation mode and the monitoring mode, respectively.

[0028] The DMA circuit 18 reads the pseudo input data from the RAM 12 without going through the CPU 10 or the CPU bus, and supplies it to the pseudo signal generator 16 and the fault diagnostic unit 17 .

[0029] The control signal generating unit 30 generates a group of control signals for individually operating the motor driver U2, the sensor U3, and the display driver U4 in a normal manner under the control of the CPU 10, and supplies these to the port switching circuit 19.

[0030] The pseudo signal generating unit 16 includes a DA converter (hereinafter referred to as a DAC) and a pulse width modulation circuit (hereinafter referred to as a PWM circuit).

[0031] When set to the monitoring mode, the pseudo signal generation unit 16 performs the following operation. That is, first, the pseudo signal generation unit 16 receives pseudo input data via the DMA circuit 18. Next, the pseudo signal generation unit 16 uses a DAC or PWM circuit to generate pseudo signals k1 to k4 for monitoring the operation of the power supply circuit U1, motor driver U2, sensor U3, and display driver U4 based on the pseudo input data. For example, the pseudo signals are analog signals output via a DAC. Furthermore, the pseudo signal generation unit 16 receives pseudo input data via the DMA circuit 18 and generates the pseudo signals k1 to k4, but may also have an internal storage unit for storing data for generating the pseudo signals. The pseudo signal generator 16 generates the pseudo signals k1 to k4 one by one in sequence according to sequence control corresponding to the monitoring mode by the sequencer 14. The pseudo signal generator 16 supplies the pseudo signals k1 to k4 to the port switching circuit 19 in the order in which they were generated.

[0032] The fault diagnosis unit 17 includes an AD converter (hereinafter referred to as ADC) and a comparator (hereinafter referred to as CMP).

[0033] When the fault diagnosis unit 17 is set to the monitoring mode, it performs the following operations. Specifically, first, the fault diagnosis unit 17 acquires expected value data via the DMA circuit 18. Next, the fault diagnosis unit 17 acquires analog output signals c1 to c4 output from the power supply circuit U1, motor driver U2, sensor U3, and display driver U4 via the port switching circuit 19. The fault diagnosis unit 17 converts the output signals c1 to c4 into first to fourth output digital signals, each represented by a digital value, using an ADC. Then, the fault diagnosis unit 17 determines, using a CMP, whether the expected values ​​corresponding to the first to fourth output digital signals indicated by the expected value data match the output digital signals. The fault diagnosis unit 17 stores the fault diagnosis result data, which indicates no fault if the two match, and indicates the presence of a fault if they do not match, for each of the power supply circuit U1, motor driver U2, sensor U3, and display driver U4 in the RAM 12 via the DMA 18. At this time, the CPU 10 reads out the fault diagnosis result data stored in the RAM 12 and sends it to the in-vehicle network CN via the CPU bus and the interface unit 13.

[0034] While the port switching circuit 19 is set to the normal operation mode, it receives a group of control signals supplied from the control signal generating unit 30. At this time, the port switching circuit 19 supplies a motor control signal included in the group of control signals to the motor driver U2, a sensor control signal to the sensor U3, and a display control signal to the line L3 display driver U4.

[0035] On the other hand, while the monitoring mode is set, the port switching circuit 19 receives pseudo signals k1 to k4 supplied from the pseudo signal generator 16. At this time, the port switching circuit 19 supplies the pseudo signal k1 to the power supply circuit U1 for monitoring the operation of the power supply circuit U1, and supplies the pseudo signal k2 to the motor driver U2 for monitoring the operation of the motor driver U2. Furthermore, the port switching circuit 19 supplies the pseudo signal k3 to the sensor U3 for monitoring the operation of the sensor U3, and supplies the pseudo signal k4 to the display driver U4 for monitoring the operation of the display driver U4.

[0036] Furthermore, while the monitoring mode is set, the port switching circuit 19 receives the output signal c1 output from the power supply circuit U1 in response to the pseudo signal k1 and the output signal c2 output from the motor driver U2 in response to the pseudo signal k2. Furthermore, during this period, the port switching circuit 19 receives the output signal c3 output from the sensor U3 in response to the pseudo signal k3 and the output signal c4 output from the display driver U4 in response to the pseudo signal k4. The port switching circuit 19 supplies the output signals c1 to c4 thus received to the fault diagnosis unit 17.

[0037] As described above, the power supply circuit U1 generates various power supply voltages to operate the functional modules (10-19, 30, U1-U4) included in the electronic control device 100, and supplies the corresponding power supply voltages to each of the functional modules. In the monitoring mode, the power supply circuit U1 receives a pseudo signal k1, generates an output signal c1 having a voltage value corresponding to the pseudo signal k1, and supplies this to the port switching circuit 19.

[0038] In normal mode, the motor driver U2 receives a motor control signal included in the group of control signals output from the control signal generator 30 via the port switching circuit 19, and supplies a motor drive voltage corresponding to the motor control signal to the motor MT as a load. The motor MT rotates its rotor in response to the motor drive voltage.

[0039] On the other hand, in the monitoring mode, the motor driver U2 receives the pseudo signal k2, generates a motor drive voltage having a voltage value corresponding to the pseudo signal k2, and then generates an output signal c2 indicating the voltage value of the generated motor drive voltage and supplies this to the port switching circuit 19.

[0040] In the normal mode, the sensor U3 receives a sensor control signal included in the group of control signals output from the control signal generating unit 30 via the port switching circuit 19. Then, the sensor U3 detects physical and chemical phenomena such as temperature, acceleration, and pressure in response to the sensor control signal, and outputs a detection signal obtained by converting the detected amount into an electrical signal.

[0041] On the other hand, in monitoring mode, the sensor U3 receives the pseudo signal k3 and supplies the port switching circuit 19 with an output signal c3 indicating the level of the detection signal obtained by detecting the physical and chemical phenomena as described above in response to the pseudo signal k3.

[0042] In the normal mode, the display driver U4 receives a display control signal included in the control signal group output from the control signal generation unit 30 via the port switching circuit 19, and supplies a display drive voltage corresponding to the display control signal to the display device DS as a load. The display device DS displays an image or emits light (including blinking) based on the display drive voltage.

[0043] On the other hand, in the monitoring mode, the display driver U4 receives the pseudo signal k4, generates a display drive voltage having a voltage value corresponding to the pseudo signal k4, and then generates an output signal c4 indicating the voltage value of the generated display drive voltage and supplies this to the port switching circuit 19.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the input / output configuration of each peripheral device, in which the motor driver U2 is selected from the power supply circuit U1, motor driver U2, sensor U3, and display driver U4 included in the peripheral device 120, each of which serves as a peripheral device.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, the motor driver U2 is made up of input terminals T1 and T2, output terminals T3 and T4, and a main function unit 200 that performs the main function of the motor driver U2.

[0046] The motor driver U2 receives a motor control signal for normal operation at an input terminal T1, and receives a pseudo signal k2 used in the monitoring mode at an input terminal T2.

[0047] The main function unit 200 receives the motor control signal at its input terminal T1, generates a motor drive voltage based on the motor control signal, and outputs the generated voltage. At this time, the motor driver U2 supplies the motor drive voltage output from the output terminal of the main function unit 200 to the motor MT via the output terminal T3.

[0048] The main function unit 200 also receives the pseudo signal k2 received at the input terminal T2 or a pseudo signal k2 after a desired level adjustment has been performed on the pseudo signal k2 at the input terminal, and generates a motor drive voltage based on the pseudo signal k2. At this time, the motor driver U2 supplies an output signal c2 having the voltage value of the motor drive voltage to the port switching circuit 19 of the MCU 110 via its own output terminal and output terminal T4.

[0049] The operation of the electronic control device 100 will be described below.

[0050] The MCU 110 of the electronic control device 100 operates in the following normal operation mode or monitoring mode. [Normal operation mode] In the normal operation mode, the MCU 110 supplies motor control signals generated by the control signal generating unit 30 to the motor driver U2, supplies sensor control signals to the sensor U3, and supplies display control signals to the display driver U4. [Monitoring Mode] In the monitoring mode, the MCU 110 sequentially monitors whether or not a failure has occurred in the peripheral devices, namely the power supply circuit U1, the motor driver U2, the sensor U3, and the display driver U4, in accordance with the monitoring sequence shown in Fig. 3. In the monitoring sequence shown in Fig. 3, the input / output of the port switching circuit 19 and the output of the failure diagnosis result data to the RAM 12 are switched over with time. When performing such time-division driving, for example, control using a timer 15 connected to the sequencer 14 may be performed.

[0051] That is, first, the port switching circuit 19 of the MCU 110 outputs a pseudo signal k1 for fault testing to the power supply circuit U1 and supplies it to the power supply circuit U1. As a result, the power supply circuit U1 generates an output signal c1 corresponding to the pseudo signal k1. At this time, the port switching circuit 19 inputs the output signal c1 generated by the power supply circuit U1 and supplies it to the fault diagnosis unit 17. The fault diagnosis unit 17 then determines whether this output signal c1 matches an expected value corresponding to the output signal c1. Here, the fault diagnosis unit 17 acquires fault diagnosis result data indicating the fault diagnosis result of the power supply circuit U1, which indicates no fault if the two match, and indicates the presence of a fault if they do not match, and stores this in the RAM 12 via the DMA 18.

[0052] Next, the port switching circuit 19 outputs a pseudo signal k2 for fault testing to the motor driver U2 and supplies it to the motor driver U2. As a result, the motor driver U2 generates an output signal c2 corresponding to the pseudo signal k2. At this time, the port switching circuit 19 inputs the output signal c2 generated by the motor driver U2 and supplies it to the fault diagnosis unit 17. The fault diagnosis unit 17 then determines whether this output signal c2 matches an expected value corresponding to the output signal c2. Here, the fault diagnosis unit 17 acquires fault diagnosis result data indicating the fault diagnosis result of the motor driver U2, which indicates no fault if the two match, and indicates the presence of a fault if they do not match, and stores this in the RAM 12 via the DMA 18.

[0053] Next, the port switching circuit 19 outputs a pseudo signal k3 for fault testing to the sensor U3 and supplies it to the sensor U3. As a result, the sensor U3 generates an output signal c3 corresponding to the pseudo signal k3. At this time, the port switching circuit 19 inputs the output signal c3 generated by the sensor U3 and supplies it to the fault diagnosis unit 17. The fault diagnosis unit 17 then determines whether the output signal c3 matches an expected value corresponding to the output signal c3. Here, the fault diagnosis unit 17 acquires fault diagnosis result data indicating the fault diagnosis result of the sensor U3. If the two match, it indicates no fault, and if they do not match, it indicates the presence of a fault. The fault diagnosis unit 17 then stores this data in the RAM 12 via the DMA 18.

[0054] Next, the port switching circuit 19 outputs a pseudo signal k4 for fault testing to the display driver U4 and supplies it to the display driver U4. This causes the display driver U4 to generate an output signal c4 corresponding to the pseudo signal k4. At this time, the port switching circuit 19 inputs the output signal c4 generated by the display driver U4 and supplies it to the fault diagnosis unit 17. The fault diagnosis unit 17 then determines whether the output signal c4 matches an expected value corresponding to the output signal c4. The fault diagnosis unit 17 acquires fault diagnosis result data indicating the fault diagnosis result of the display driver U4, which indicates no fault if the two match, and indicates a fault if they do not match, and stores this in the RAM 12 via the DMA 18.

[0055] In this way, in the electronic control device 100, the diagnosis of whether or not each of the power supply circuit U1, motor driver U2, sensor U3, and display driver U4, which are peripheral devices of the MCU 110, has failed is performed in a time-sharing manner by the internal circuitry of the MCU 110. That is, as described above, the RAM 12, sequencer 14, timer 15, pseudo signal generator 16, failure diagnosis unit 17, DMA 18, and port switching circuit 19 determine whether or not the peripheral devices have failed.

[0056] Therefore, according to the electronic control device 100, the device size can be reduced compared to a conventional configuration in which a monitoring unit for fault monitoring is provided for each peripheral device outside the MCU. Also, the device size can be reduced by having the MCU collectively monitor whether multiple peripheral devices have faults. This makes it possible to monitor whether each of the multiple peripheral devices of the MCU 110 has faults without incurring high costs.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the electronic control device 100, a monitoring unit for fault monitoring is not provided for each peripheral device, which simplifies the configuration of the peripheral device 120. This makes it possible to easily assemble the peripheral device 120. [Example]

[0058] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control unit 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] In addition, the electronic control device 200 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 1 except that a port switching circuit 19a is used instead of the port switching circuit 19 shown in FIG. 1, and a power supply circuit U1a, a motor driver U2a, a sensor U3a, and a display driver U4a are used instead of the power supply circuit U1, the motor driver U2, the sensor U3, and the display driver U4.

[0060] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the input / output configuration of each peripheral device, with the motor driver U2a selected from the power supply circuit U1a, motor driver U2a, sensor U3a, and display driver U4a, which are peripheral devices.

[0061] In the configuration shown in Fig. 5, the dedicated input terminal T2 for inputting the pseudo signal is omitted from the configuration shown in Fig. 2, and the input terminal T1 receives the control signal in normal mode or the pseudo signal in monitoring mode. In other words, in monitoring mode, the port switching circuit 19a supplies the pseudo signals k1 to k4 to the input terminal T1 of each of the power supply circuit U1a, motor driver U2a, sensor U3a, and display driver U4a, just like the control signals in normal mode.

[0062] In normal operation mode, the port switching circuit 19a supplies a motor control signal to the input terminal T1 of the motor driver U2a via the input line L1, and in monitoring mode, supplies a pseudo signal k2 to the input terminal T1 of the motor driver U2a via the input line L1. In addition, in normal operation mode, the port switching circuit 19a supplies a sensor control signal to the input terminal T1 of the sensor U3a via the input line L2, and in monitoring mode, supplies a pseudo signal k3 to the input terminal T1 of the sensor U3a via the input line L2. In addition, in normal operation mode, the port switching circuit 19a supplies a motor control signal to the input terminal T1 of the display driver U4a via the input line L3, and in monitoring mode, supplies the pseudo signal k3 to the input terminal T1 of the display driver U4a via the input line L3.

[0063] In addition, the port switching circuit 19a performs operations other than those described above in the same manner as the port switching circuit 19 described above.

[0064] That is, when it is possible to use a signal having the same waveform and amplitude as the control signal for normal operation as the pseudo signal for fault testing, by adopting the configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as the electronic control device, it is possible to reduce the number of wires and terminals compared to the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Example]

[0065] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control unit 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] The electronic control device 300 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 4, except that a motor driver U2b and a display driver U4b are used instead of the motor driver U2a and the display driver U4a shown in FIG.

[0067] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal input / output configuration of the motor driver U2b selected from the motor driver U2b and the display driver U4b.

[0068] 7, the dedicated output terminal T4 for outputting an output signal is omitted from the configuration shown in Fig. 5, and instead the output terminal T3 outputs a signal indicating the motor drive voltage generated by the main function unit 200 in normal mode or the voltage value of the motor drive voltage generated by the main function unit 200 in monitoring mode. As a result, in monitoring mode, the port switching circuit 19a receives the signal indicating the voltage output from the output terminal T3 of the motor driver U2b (display driver U4b) as the output signal c2 (c4).

[0069] In other words, if the waveform and amplitude of the voltage output by the main function unit 200 in response to a pseudo signal for fault testing during monitoring mode can be the same as the waveform and amplitude of the drive voltage for normal operation, then by adopting the configurations shown in Figures 6 and 7 as the electronic control device, it is possible to simplify the motor driver and display driver. [Example]

[0070] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control unit 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] The electronic control device 400 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 1 except that a port switching circuit 19b is used instead of the port switching circuit 19 shown in FIG. 1, and a motor driver U2c and a display driver U4c are used instead of the motor driver U2 and the display driver U4.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the internal input / output configuration of the motor driver U2c selected from the motor driver U2c and the display driver U4c.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 9, the motor driver U2c has a main function unit 200, input terminals T1 and T2, output terminals T3 and T4, and an output switching circuit 210. Fig. 9 also shows a circuit network Z1 included in the path between the input terminal T1 and the main function unit 200, a circuit network Z2 included in the path between the input terminal T2 and the main function unit 200, a circuit network Z3 included in the path between the main function unit 200 and the output terminal T3, and a circuit network Z4 included in the path between the main function unit 200 and the output terminal T4. Note that the circuit networks Z1 and Z2 are either identical to each other or have such a small difference that the difference between them does not significantly affect the operation of the main function unit 200 (for example, different internal resistance values ​​or different gains).

[0074] Here, the operation of the port switching circuit 19b in each of the normal mode and the monitoring mode is the same as the operation of the port switching circuit 19 described above.

[0075] However, the port switching circuit 19b has a failure avoidance function that enables normal operation to continue even if a failure (disconnection, short circuit, etc.) occurs in the path of the circuit network Z1 between the input terminal T1 of the peripheral device and the input end of the main function unit 200, or in the path of the circuit network Z2 between the input terminal T2 and the input end of the main function unit 200. Furthermore, the port switching circuit 19b has a failure avoidance function that enables normal operation to continue even if a failure (disconnection, short circuit, etc.) occurs in the path of the circuit network Z3 or the path of the circuit network Z4 shown in Figure 9.

[0076] 9, when a fault occurs in the path including the circuit network Z1 between the input terminal T1 and the main function unit 200, the port switching circuit 19b supplies a control signal for normal operation to the input terminal T2 in the normal operation mode, and supplies a pseudo signal for fault testing to the input terminal T2 in the monitoring mode. In other words, when a fault occurs in the path including the circuit network Z1 between the input terminal T1 and the main function unit 200, the port switching circuit 19b supplies both the control signal for normal operation and the pseudo signal for fault testing to the input terminal T2.

[0077] 9, the port switching circuit 19b supplies a control signal for normal operation to the input terminal T1 in the normal operation mode, and supplies a pseudo signal for fault testing to the input terminal T1 in the monitoring mode. In other words, when a fault occurs in the path including the circuit network Z2 between the input terminal T2 and the main function unit 200, the port switching circuit 19b supplies both the control signal for normal operation and the pseudo signal for fault testing to the input terminal T1.

[0078] Furthermore, for example, when a fault occurs in the path of circuit network Z3 of the paths of circuit networks Z3 and Z4 connected to the output end of main function unit 200 shown in Fig. 9, port switching circuit 19b controls output switching circuit 210 to connect the output of circuit network Z4 to output terminals T3 and T4. When a fault occurs in the path of circuit network Z4 shown in Fig. 9, port switching circuit 19b controls output switching circuit 210 to connect the output of circuit network Z3 to output terminals T3 and T4. When no fault occurs in the paths of either circuit networks Z3 or Z4, port switching circuit 19b controls output switching circuit 210 to connect the output of circuit network Z3 to output terminal T3 and the output of circuit network Z4 to output terminal T4.

[0079] Therefore, according to the configuration of the electronic control device 400 shown in Figures 8 and 9, even if a failure occurs in the input path or output path within the peripheral device, it is possible to continue operation in both the normal operation mode and the monitoring mode.

[0080] Incidentally, the above-mentioned electronic control devices 100, 200, 300, or 400 may be set to a monitoring mode when power is turned on, and may be fixed to a normal mode after a series of processes are executed according to the monitoring sequence shown in FIG. 3, or may be configured such that after power is turned on, the sequencer 14 alternately switches between the normal mode and the monitoring mode.

[0081] Furthermore, when switching between the normal mode and the monitoring mode alternately in this manner, the timing of the switching may be different for each of the peripheral devices (U1 to U4).

[0082] FIG. 10 is a time chart showing an example of the mode switching timing of each of the motor drivers U2 (U2a to U2c) and the sensor U3 (U3a) executed by the sequencer 14 in consideration of the above points.

[0083] In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, by controlling the timing of mode switching from normal operation mode to monitoring mode or from monitoring mode to normal operation mode to be different for each of the multiple peripheral devices (e.g., U2, U3), and by executing the monitoring sequence shown in FIG. 3 in the sequencer 14, it is possible to secure resources of the CPU 10.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the peripheral devices connected to the MCU 110 are the power supply circuit U1, the motor driver U2, the sensor U3, and the display driver U4, but the number of peripheral devices connected to the MCU 110 may be n or more (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2). Also, peripheral devices with different configurations may be applied.

[0085] In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which multiple peripheral devices (U1 to U4) are controlled by MCU 110, but instead of MCU 110, a control component such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) that performs the same operation as MCU 110 may be used.

[0086] In short, the electronic control device (100, 200, 300, 400) of the present invention may include the following control components and a plurality of peripheral devices, each of which receives a signal output from the control component and produces an output in response to the received signal:

[0087] The control part (MCU 110) includes the following peripheral interface unit and fault diagnosis unit.

[0088] The peripheral interface units (16, 19, 19a, 19b, 30) output control signals for normal operation in a normal operation mode and input these signals to a plurality of peripheral devices, and output pseudo signals for fault inspection in a monitoring mode and input these signals to at least one peripheral device, and also capture an output signal output by the at least one peripheral device in response to this pseudo signal. The fault diagnosis unit (17) obtains a fault diagnosis result based on whether or not the output signal captured by the peripheral interface units matches a predetermined expected value. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 CPU 14 Sequencer 16 Pseudo signal generation section 17. Fault diagnosis section 19 Port switching circuit 100 Electronic control device 110 MCU 120 Peripheral Devices 200 Main function section U2 motor driver U3 Sensor U4 display driver

Claims

1. An electronic control device configured to be able to control multiple peripheral devices, a memory in which pseudo input data is stored; a direct memory access circuit that reads the pseudo input data from the memory; a pseudo signal generating unit that generates a pseudo signal for fault testing based on the pseudo input data read from the memory by the direct memory access circuit; a control component that is set to a normal operation mode or a monitoring mode, and that controls the plurality of peripheral devices in the normal operation mode, and that diagnoses whether or not a failure has occurred in at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in the monitoring mode; The control component is a peripheral interface unit that inputs a control signal for normal operation to the plurality of peripheral devices in the normal operation mode, and inputs the pseudo signal to the at least one peripheral device in the monitoring mode and captures an output signal output by the at least one peripheral device in response to the pseudo signal; a fault diagnosis unit that obtains a fault diagnosis result based on whether the output signal received by the peripheral interface unit matches a predetermined expected value.

2. 2. The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein the pseudo signal generating unit includes a DA converter or a pulse width modulation circuit, and generates the pseudo signal from a signal output from the DA converter or the pulse width modulation circuit.

3. 3. The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral interface unit outputs a plurality of pseudo signals for fault testing corresponding to each of the plurality of peripheral devices one by one in sequence, inputs the pseudo signals to the corresponding peripheral devices, and also takes in the output signals output in sequence from the plurality of peripheral devices and supplies them to the fault diagnosis unit.

4. The control component is A ROM in which the program is stored, a CPU that controls the plurality of peripheral devices in accordance with a program stored in the ROM; 4. The electronic control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a sequencer that controls operations of the peripheral interface unit and the fault diagnosis unit.

5. The at least one peripheral device is a first input terminal to which the control signal output from the peripheral interface unit is input; a second input terminal to which the pseudo signal output from the peripheral interface unit is input; a first output terminal for outputting the output signal to a load; 5. The electronic control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second output terminal for outputting the output signal to the peripheral interface unit.

6. a plurality of input wirings for individually connecting the peripheral interface unit and the plurality of peripheral devices, The peripheral interface unit An electronic control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein while set to the normal operation mode, a plurality of the control signals are input to the plurality of peripheral devices via the plurality of input wirings, while while set to the monitoring mode, the pseudo signal is input to at least one of the peripheral devices via the input wirings.

7. The at least one peripheral device is A main function part that is responsible for the main operation; a first input terminal connected to an input end of the main function unit via a first circuit network; a second input terminal connected to the input end of the main function unit via a second circuit network; a first output terminal connected to an output end of the main function unit via a third circuit network; a second output terminal connected to the output end of the main function unit via a fourth circuit network; The electronic control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the peripheral interface unit has a configuration capable of selectively inputting each of the control signal and the pseudo signal to the first input terminal or the second input terminal, and has a configuration capable of selectively outputting each of the outputs of the third circuit network and the fourth circuit network to the first output terminal or the second output terminal.

8. the sequencer alternately switches the peripheral interface unit and the fault diagnosis unit from the normal operation mode to the monitoring mode or from the monitoring mode to the normal operation mode; The electronic control device according to claim 4 , wherein timings for switching from the normal operation mode to the monitoring mode or from the monitoring mode to the normal operation mode are made different for at least two of the plurality of peripheral devices.

9. A plurality of peripheral devices each of which outputs in response to an input signal; a memory in which pseudo input data is stored; a direct memory access circuit that reads the pseudo input data from the memory; a pseudo signal generating unit that generates a pseudo signal for fault testing based on the pseudo input data read from the memory by the direct memory access circuit; a control function that is set to a normal operation mode or a monitoring mode, and controls the plurality of peripheral devices in the normal operation mode, and diagnoses whether or not a failure has occurred in at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices in the monitoring mode; The control function of the electronic control device is characterized in that, in the normal operation mode, a control signal for normal operation is input to the plurality of peripheral devices, and in the monitoring mode, the pseudo signal is input to at least one of the peripheral devices and an output signal output by the at least one peripheral device in response to the pseudo signal is captured, and a fault diagnosis result is obtained based on whether the captured output signal matches a predetermined expected value.

10. A control device for controlling a plurality of peripheral devices, a memory in which pseudo input data is stored; a direct memory access circuit that reads the pseudo input data from the memory; a pseudo signal generating unit that generates a pseudo signal for fault testing based on the pseudo input data read from the memory by the direct memory access circuit; a first control that supplies a plurality of control signals to the plurality of peripheral devices, respectively; a control device that performs second control to supply the pseudo signal to at least one peripheral device among the plurality of peripheral devices, and to acquire an output signal output by the at least one peripheral device in response to the pseudo signal, and to obtain a fault diagnosis result based on whether the acquired output signal matches a predetermined expected value.

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