Control device

Abstract

To provide a control device which controls a drive apparatus.SOLUTION: A control device 1 comprises: a drive section 10 which drives a drive apparatus 4; a control section 20 which controls the drive section 10; a substrate 30 including a control ground part 31 which is connected with a ground line 69A and to which a ground terminal 21 of the control section 20 is connected and a drive ground part 32 which is connected with a ground line 61B without having a mutually common portion with the ground line 69A and to which a ground terminal 14 of the drive section 10 is connected; and a state switch section 40 which is provided over the control ground part 31 and the drive ground part 32, brought into a potential difference maintenance state where a potential difference between the control ground part 31 and the drive ground part 32 is equal to or less than a preset value in a case where a current value of a current flowing between the control ground part 31 and the drive ground part 32 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and brought into a cutoff state where the current is cut off in a case where the current value of the current is greater than the predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for controlling a drive device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, control devices have been used to control driving devices such as motors. Some of these control devices include a frequency conversion unit (e.g., an inverter or bridge) that has multiple switching elements and converts the frequency of a DC power supply output to a predetermined frequency by switching the on / off states of these switching elements, and a control unit that controls the on / off states of the switching elements in the frequency conversion unit. For example, to improve efficiency, the current consumption of the frequency conversion unit and the control unit has been reduced. However, functionally, the current consumption of the frequency conversion unit is significantly larger than the current consumption of the control unit. Therefore, if a common ground is formed by connecting the ground terminal of the frequency conversion unit and the ground terminal of the control unit, the potential of the common ground rises in response to the return current returning from the frequency conversion unit to the DC power supply. This raises the potential of the ground terminal of the control unit, which may cause the control unit or the frequency conversion unit to malfunction. Therefore, technologies to prevent such malfunctions have been studied (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the following description of this background art, the names and symbols in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are quoted in parentheses.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a power supply system (100) mounted on a vehicle. The power supply system (100) includes a first power supply device having a secondary battery (E1) that outputs 12V and supplies voltage to a 12V load (200), a second power supply device having secondary batteries (E2-E5) that output 48V and supplies voltage to a 48V load (300), and a battery management device (10) that manages the secondary batteries (E2-E5) of the second power supply device. The first power supply device, the second power supply device, and the battery management device (10) share a common ground line. This ground line is connected to a grounded first chassis earth (CE1) in the circuit on the first voltage system side, and to a grounded second chassis earth (CE2) in the circuit on the second voltage system side. A PTC thermistor (T1) is also provided in the ground line, and is configured to limit the current by increasing its resistance in response to self-heating when a large current flows.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes an electronic control device (200) provided in an electric power steering (100) mounted on a vehicle. The electronic control device (200) includes a first power connector (208A) and a first ground connector (210A) connected to a battery (220), a second power connector (208B) and a second ground connector (210B) connected to the battery (220), a first inverter (204A) connected to the first power connector (208A) and the first ground connector (210A) and driving an electric motor (180), a second inverter (204B) connected to the second power connector (208B) and the second ground connector (210B) and driving the electric motor (180), a first control circuit (206A) connected to the first power connector (208A) and the first ground connector (210A) and controlling the first inverter (204A), and a second power connector (208B). The first inverter (204A), the second inverter (204B), the first ground connector (210A), and the second ground connector (210B) are connected to a common ground, and a first PTC element (400A) is provided in a first electrical circuit (366A) connecting the first ground connector (210A) and the common ground (216) to limit the current flowing through the first electrical circuit (366A). A second PTC element (400B) is provided in a second electrical circuit (366B) connecting the second ground connector (210B) and the common ground (216) to limit the current flowing through the second electrical circuit (366B). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-187730 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-48371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology described in Patent Document 1 monitors and cuts off the power supply from the secondary battery (E1) of the first power supply device and the secondary batteries (E2-E5) of the second power supply device, which are different from each other. Therefore, it is not anticipated that, for example, the step-down circuit (13) and the control circuit (12) constituting the first power supply device will be independently monitored, or that the DC-DC converter (20) and the control circuit for the DC-DC converter (20) constituting the second power supply device will be independently monitored. In other words, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not anticipate separate monitoring of the drive unit constituting the drive circuit and the control unit constituting the control circuit.

[0007] In the technology described in Patent Document 2, a first PTC element (400A) is provided between a connection point (A) where the ground of a first inverter (204A) and the ground of a first control circuit (206A) are connected and a first ground connector (210A), and a second PTC element (400B) is provided between a connection point (B) where the ground of a second inverter (204B) and the ground of a second control circuit (206B) are connected and a second ground connector (210B). Therefore, current always flows through the first PTC element (400A) and the second PTC element (400B), and therefore, it is necessary to set them taking into consideration the component variations of the first inverter (204A) and the first control circuit (206A), as well as the component variations of the second inverter (204B) and the second control circuit (206B). Therefore, it is not easy to set the current value of the current limited by the first PTC element (400A) and the second PTC element (400B).

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a control device that can monitor the drive unit and the control unit separately and can easily set the current value at which current is limited. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The characteristic configuration of the control device according to the present invention to achieve the above object is as follows: a drive unit that drives the drive device based on power supplied from the power supply device; a control unit that receives the power from the power supply device and controls the drive unit; a ground line included in a power supply line on which the drive unit and the control unit are mounted and which supplies power from the power supply device to the control unit; Through the connector a control ground section to which a ground terminal of the control section is electrically connected, and a ground line of a power supply line used to supply power from the power supply device to the drive section, the ground line being formed separately from the control ground section and having no common portion with the ground line of the power supply line used to supply power from the power supply device to the control section; Through the connector a substrate having a drive ground section electrically connected to the ground terminal of the drive section; a state switching unit that is provided across the control ground unit and the drive ground unit, and that switches to a potential difference maintaining state in which a potential difference between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is kept below a preset value when a current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and switches to a cut-off state in which the current is cut off when a current value of the current is greater than the predetermined value; Equipped with The control ground section and the drive ground section each include: Different from the above connector The point is that the power supply line is connected to the ground line without using a resistor. The state switching unit may also include a current limiting element and a resistor connected in series across the control ground unit and the drive ground unit. Alternatively, the state switching section may be configured to make the potential of the control ground section and the potential of the drive ground section equal to each other in a steady state.

[0010] According to the above characteristic configuration, when the current value flowing between the control ground section and the drive ground section is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the potential difference between the control ground section and the drive ground section is set to a predetermined value or less, allowing current (return current to the power supply device) to flow through each ground section. Furthermore, when the current value flowing between the control ground section and the drive ground section exceeds the predetermined value due to an abnormality (e.g., a disconnection), the state switching section can separate the control ground section and the drive ground section. Therefore, deterioration of components constituting the control section and the drive section, as well as components of other functional sections, due to current flowing from one of the control ground section and the drive ground section to the other in an abnormality can be prevented. Furthermore, since the drive ground section connected to the ground terminal of the drive section and the control ground section connected to the ground terminal of the control section are configured in a separated state on the circuit board, the current flowing through the drive ground section and the current flowing through the control ground section can be monitored separately. Therefore, it is possible to easily set the current values ​​limiting the current flowing through each of the drive ground section and the control ground section.

[0011] Another characteristic feature of the control device according to the present invention is that the drive device is a motor for opening and closing a door of a vehicle.

[0012] According to the above characteristic configuration, even if a power cable connecting a motor that opens and closes a vehicle door or a bridge circuit that is a drive unit that drives the motor is broken, it is possible to prevent an overcurrent from flowing through the motor or the bridge circuit, thereby making it possible to protect the motor and the bridge circuit.

[0013] Another characteristic feature of the control device of the present invention is that when the state switching unit is in the interrupted state and the current value of the current becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, the state switching unit automatically transitions to the potential difference maintaining state.

[0014] According to the above characteristic configuration, when the cause of the disconnected state is eliminated, the state switching section can automatically electrically connect the control ground section and the drive ground section.

[0015] Another characteristic feature of the control device according to the present invention is that the state switching unit has a current limiting element whose conductive state switches depending on the current value of the current, and a resistor connected in series with the current limiting element.

[0016] According to the above characteristic configuration, for example, by appropriately setting the resistance value of the resistor, the current flowing between the control ground section and the drive ground section can be made very small (approximately zero) when there is no break in the power cable, etc. Therefore, even when there is no break, unexpected current does not flow through the components that make up the control section and drive section, and the components of other functional sections, so that deterioration of these components can be suppressed and their lifespans can be prevented from being shortened.

[0017] Another characteristic configuration of the control device according to the present invention is The drive device includes a first drive device and a second drive device, the drive unit includes a first drive unit that drives the first drive device and a second drive unit that drives the second drive device; the drive ground section includes a first drive ground section electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the first drive section and to which a ground terminal of the first drive section is electrically connected, and a second drive ground section electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the second drive section and to which a ground terminal of the second drive section is electrically connected, in a state in which the first drive ground section does not have a common portion with the ground line of the power supply line that is used to supply power from the power supply device to the first drive section; The state switching unit includes a first state switching unit that is provided across any two of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit, and a second state switching unit that is provided across one of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit that is different from any two of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit and one of the two of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit.

[0018] According to the above characteristic configuration, even when the drive unit includes two units, a first drive unit and a second drive unit, the potential difference between the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit is kept below a predetermined value, and even if an abnormality occurs, it is possible to prevent current from flowing from one of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit to the other two or to one of the other two. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a drive unit controlled by a control device of a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] 1. First embodiment The control device according to the present invention controls a drive device such as a motor. The control device 1 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 100 equipped with a control device 1. The control device 1 controls a drive device 4 that opens and closes a door 2 of the vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the door 2 corresponds to a back door (tailgate) as shown in FIG. 1, but the door 2 may be a sliding door provided on the side of the vehicle 100, or a hinged door. The sliding door and the hinged door may be on at least either the left or right side of the vehicle 100.

[0022] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control device 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 1 is configured to include a drive unit 10, a control unit 20, a substrate 30, and a state switching unit 40.

[0023] The drive unit 10 drives the drive unit 4 based on power supplied from the power supply unit 3. The power supply unit 3 is, for example, a battery mounted on the vehicle 100. When the battery output is converted to a voltage of a predetermined voltage value and supplied to the control unit 1, the voltage conversion unit corresponds to the power supply unit 3. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 3 is a battery, and therefore the power supplied from the power supply unit 3 corresponds to the power output from the battery. The drive unit 4 corresponds to a motor for opening and closing the door 2. Here, as shown in FIG. 1 , a damper 5 that supports the door 2 so that it can be opened and closed is provided on the left end side of the door 2 when viewed from the rear of the vehicle 100. The drive unit 4 corresponds to a power source that expands and contracts a drive mechanism in which the damper 5 is built. Therefore, the drive unit 10 drives the motor for opening and closing the door 2 based on the power output from the battery.

[0024] Although not particularly limited, a brushed DC motor, for example, is used as the motor for opening and closing the door 2. In this case, an H-bridge (H-bridge circuit) suitable for supplying electricity to a brushed DC motor is adopted as the drive unit 10. Of course, the drive unit 10 may be one suitable for the configuration of the drive device 4. For example, if the drive device 4 is a three-phase motor, the drive unit 10 may be an inverter (three-phase inverter).

[0025] In the example of FIG. 2, the drive unit 10 has five terminals 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 protruding from a main body portion (molded portion) 16. In this example, terminal 13, which corresponds to pin 3 of the drive unit 10, is connected to terminal 63A of a connector 63 mounted on the substrate 30 via a pattern P1 formed on the substrate 30. Terminal 14, which corresponds to pin 4 of the drive unit 10, is connected to terminal 63B of the connector 63 via patterns P2 and P3 formed on the substrate 30. Terminals 63A and 63B of the connector 63 are connected to one terminal of a positive line 61A and one terminal of a negative line 61B via a connector 62. The other terminals of the positive line 61A and the negative line 61B are connected to a positive terminal 3P and a negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3. The positive line 61A and the negative line 61B correspond to a power supply line 61 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control device 1.

[0026] Terminal 11 corresponding to pin 1 of drive unit 10 is connected to terminal 64B of connector 64 mounted on substrate 30 via pattern P4 formed on substrate 30, and terminal 12 corresponding to pin 2 of drive unit 10 is connected to terminal 64C of connector 64 via pattern P5 formed on substrate 30. Terminals 64B and 64C of connector 64 are connected to one terminal of cables 66B and 66C, respectively, via connector 65. The other terminals of cables 66B and 66C are connected to terminals 4B and 4C of drive device 4, respectively. In this embodiment, terminal 4A of drive device 4 is connected to terminal 64A of connector 64 via cable 66A and connector 65.

[0027] The control unit 20 receives power from the power supply device 3 and controls the drive unit 10. In this embodiment, the power supply device 3 is a battery mounted on the vehicle 100, and is the same as the battery that supplies power to the drive unit 10 described above. The control unit 20 controls the drive unit 10 by transmitting to the drive unit 10 control signals that control the open / closed states of multiple switching elements (not shown) that the drive unit 10 has.

[0028] 2, the control unit 20 has five terminals 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 protruding from a main body portion (molded portion) 26. In this example, terminal 25 corresponding to pin 5 of the control unit 20 and terminal 15 corresponding to pin 5 of the drive unit 10 are connected by a pattern P6 formed on the substrate 30, and a control signal is transmitted from the control unit 20 to the drive unit 10 via this pattern P6.

[0029] In this example, terminal 22 corresponding to pin 2 of control unit 20 is connected to terminal 67B of connector 67 mounted on substrate 30 via pattern P7 formed on substrate 30. Terminal 21 corresponding to pin 1 of control unit 20 is connected to terminal 67A of connector 67 via patterns P8 and P9 formed on substrate 30. Terminals 67A and 67B of connector 67 are connected to one terminal of negative line 69A and one terminal of positive line 69B via connector 68, respectively. The other terminals of negative line 69A and positive line 69B are connected to negative terminal 3N and positive terminal 3P of power supply device 3, respectively. Negative line 69A and positive line 69B correspond to power supply line 69 that supplies power from power supply device 3 to control device 1.

[0030] Terminal 23 corresponding to pin 3 of control unit 20 is connected to terminal 67C of connector 67 mounted on substrate 30 by pattern P10 formed on substrate 30. Terminal 67C of connector 67 is connected to, for example, a higher-level system (not shown) via connector 68 and cable 70. In this example, operational instruction information for opening and closing door 2 is input from the higher-level system to control unit 20 via cable 70.

[0031] Terminal 24 corresponding to pin 4 of control unit 20 is connected to terminal 64A of connector 64 by pattern P11 formed on substrate 30. This connects terminal 24 of control unit 20 to terminal 4A of drive unit 4, and information during operation (for example, rotation speed information indicating the rotation speed of drive unit 4, current value information indicating the current value of the current flowing through drive unit 4) is transmitted from drive unit 4 to control unit 20.

[0032] The above-described drive unit 10 and control unit 20 are mounted on the substrate 30. The drive unit 10 and control unit 20 each have a plurality of terminals as described above, and these terminals may be mounted to lands formed on the substrate 30 by soldering.

[0033] The substrate 30 has a control ground section 31 and a drive ground section 32. The control ground section 31 is electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line 69 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control unit 20, and is also electrically connected to a ground terminal of the control unit 20. The power supply line 69 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control unit 20 has a negative line 69A and a positive line 69B as described above. The ground line of the power supply line 69 corresponds to the negative line 69A. In this example, the ground terminal of the control unit 20 is terminal 21 of the control unit 20. Therefore, the control ground section 31 includes patterns P8 and P9 that are at the same potential as the negative line 69A and terminal 21 of the control unit 20.

[0034] 2, a pattern P11 is formed on the substrate 30, branching from the patterns P8 and P9 toward the state switching unit 40 (described later). The pattern P11 has the same potential as the patterns P8 and P9 (i.e., is formed as a continuous pattern) and is included in the control ground unit 31.

[0035] The drive ground section 32 is formed so as to be electrically separated from the control ground section 31. In this example, the control ground section 31 corresponds to patterns P8, P9, and P11. The drive ground section 32 is formed so as not to be directly connected to these patterns P8, P9, and P11. A state in which they are not directly connected refers to a state in which they are not connected by patterning, and in this example, a state in which they are connected via a component is excluded from the state in which they are not directly connected.

[0036] The drive ground section 32 is electrically connected to the ground line of the power supply line 61 used to supply power from the power supply device 3 to the drive unit 10, and is also electrically connected to the ground terminal of the drive unit 10, without sharing any common parts with the ground line of the power supply line 69 used to supply power from the power supply device 3 to the control unit 20. The ground line of the power supply line 69 used to supply power from the power supply device 3 to the control unit 20 is the negative line 69A of the power supply line 69. The state of not sharing any common parts means that there are no parts connected in series with each other, that is, they are connected in parallel with each other. The ground line of the power supply line 61 used to supply power from the power supply device 3 to the drive unit 10 corresponds to the negative line 61B. The ground terminal of the drive unit 10 is terminal 14 of the drive unit 10 in this example. Therefore, the drive ground section 32 includes patterns P2 and P3 that are at the same potential as the negative line 61B and terminal 14 of the drive unit 10.

[0037] 2, a pattern P12 is formed on the substrate 30, branching from the patterns P2 and P3 toward the state switching unit 40 (described later). The pattern P12 has the same potential as the patterns P2 and P3 (i.e., is formed as a continuous pattern) and is included in the driving ground unit 32.

[0038] The state switching unit 40 is provided across the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32. As described above, in this embodiment, the control ground unit 31 is made up of patterns P8, P9, and P11, and the drive ground unit 32 is made up of patterns P2, P3, and P12. The control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 are formed separately from each other. With the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 thus formed separately from each other, one end 40A of the state switching unit 40 is connected to the control ground unit 31, and the other end 40B is connected to the drive ground unit 32. In this embodiment, one end 40A is connected to the pattern P11, and the other end 40B is connected to the pattern P12.

[0039] The state switching unit 40 is configured to switch between a potential difference maintaining state and a cut-off state. The potential difference maintaining state is a state in which, when the value of the current flowing between the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the potential difference between the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 is kept equal to or less than a preset value. The current flowing between the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 is a current flowing from one of the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 to the other via the state switching unit 40.

[0040] The state switching unit 40 is configured to have an impedance higher than the impedance from the terminal 14 of the drive unit 10 to the negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3 and the impedance from the terminal 21 of the control unit 20 to the negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3. As a result, in a steady state (a state where no abnormality occurs), the current flowing out from the terminal 14 of the drive unit 10 hardly flows through the state switching unit 40, and most of the current flows to the negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3 via patterns P2, P3, and the negative line 61B, and the current flowing out from the terminal 21 of the control unit 20 hardly flows through the state switching unit 40, and most of the current flows to the negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3 via patterns P8, P9, and the negative line 69A. Therefore, almost no current flows through the state switching unit 40 in the steady state, and the state switching unit 40 functions to make the potential of the control ground unit 31 and the potential of the drive ground unit 32 equal (approximately equal) to each other and to make the potential difference between the control ground unit 31 and the drive ground unit 32 equal to or less than a preset value.

[0041] The cut-off state is a state in which a current flowing between the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 is cut off when the current value of the current flowing between the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 is greater than a predetermined value. As described above, the current flowing between the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 is a current flowing from one of the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 to the other via the state switching section 40. The predetermined value is at least greater than the current value of the current flowing through the state switching section 40 in the steady state described above. This predetermined value may be set, for example, based on the current value of the current flowing through the state switching section 40 when the steady state is deviated from, i.e., in an abnormal state.

[0042] Specifically, it is preferable to set the value to a value that is greater than the current value of the current flowing through the state switching unit 40 in the steady state and smaller than the current value of the current flowing through the state switching unit 40 when a break occurs in any of pattern P3, connector 63, connector 62, and negative line 61B, and that is greater than the current value of the current flowing through the state switching unit 40 in the steady state and smaller than the current value of the current flowing through the state switching unit 40 when a break occurs in any of pattern P9, connector 67, connector 68, and negative line 69A.

[0043] The state switching unit 40 preferably uses a component (overcurrent protection element) whose resistance increases as the flowing current increases. Specifically, a PTC thermistor whose resistance increases due to self-heating when an excessive current flows is preferably used. If a PTC thermistor is used, the resistance increases when an excessive current flows, causing the state switching unit 40 to shut off the current flowing through the state switching unit 40 and enter a shut-off state. In this shut-off state, if the current value falls below a predetermined value and self-heating ceases, the state switching unit 40 can automatically transition to a potential difference maintaining state.

[0044] In this embodiment, the state change unit 40 includes a current limiting element 41, such as a PTC thermistor, whose conduction state changes depending on the current value, and a resistor 42 connected in series with the current limiting element 41. The resistance value of the resistor 42 is preferably set so that, in a steady state, no current flows from one of the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 to the other, and the potential difference between the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In this configuration, one terminal 41A of the current limiting element 41 and one terminal 42A of the resistor 42 are connected by a pattern P13, the other terminal 41B of the current limiting element 41 corresponds to the end 40A of the state change unit 40 described above, and the other terminal 42B of the resistor 42 corresponds to the end 40B of the state change unit 40 described above.

[0045] 2, in addition to the drive unit 10 and the control unit 20, a unit 80 is mounted on the board 30. For example, the unit 80 may be a control unit that controls the driving of a motor that locks or releases the latch mechanism 6 (see FIG. 1) of the door 2.

[0046] In the example of FIG. 2, the unit 80 has five terminals 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85 protruding from a main body portion (molded portion) 86. In this example, the terminal 81 corresponding to pin 1 of the unit 80 is connected to a terminal 71A of a connector 71 mounted on the substrate 30 via a pattern P15 formed on the substrate 30. Furthermore, the terminal 82 corresponding to pin 2 of the unit 80 is connected to a terminal 71B of the connector 71 via a pattern P16 formed on the substrate 30. The terminals 71A and 71B of the connector 71 are connected to one terminal of a positive line 73A and one terminal of a negative line 73B via a connector 72. The other terminals of the positive line 73A and the negative line 73B are connected to a positive terminal 3P and a negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3. The positive line 73A and the negative line 73B correspond to the power supply line 73 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control device 1.

[0047] A terminal 83 corresponding to pin 3 of unit 80 is connected to terminal 71C of connector 71 by pattern P17 formed on substrate 30, and a terminal 84 corresponding to pin 4 of unit 80 is connected to terminal 71D of connector 71 by pattern P18 formed on substrate 30. Terminals 71C and 71D of connector 71 are each connected to a motor (not shown) of latch mechanism 6 via connector 72.

[0048] Furthermore, a terminal 85 corresponding to pin 5 of the unit 80 is connected to a terminal 71E of the connector 71 by a pattern P19 formed on the substrate 30. The terminal 71E of the connector 71 is connected to, for example, a higher-level system (not shown) via the connectors 71 and 72. As a result, a command to lock or unlock the latch mechanism 6 is input from the higher-level system to the unit 80.

[0049] In the example of Figure 2, no state switching unit 40 is provided between the pattern P16 and the control ground section 31 or the drive ground section 32, but it is also possible to provide a state switching unit 40 between the pattern P16 and at least one of the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32.

[0050] With the above configuration, in a steady state, the value of the current flowing from one of the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 to the other can be kept below a predetermined value, while the potential difference between the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 can be kept below a preset value. On the other hand, if for some reason the value of the current flowing from one of the control ground section 31 and the drive ground section 32 to the other exceeds a predetermined value, the current can be automatically shut off.

[0051] 2. Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the control device 1 will be described. In the first embodiment, the control device 1 controls one drive device 4, but in the second embodiment, the control device 1 controls two drive devices 4. Below, the control device 1 of the second embodiment will be described, focusing mainly on the differences from the first embodiment. Note that a description of the similarities between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0052] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control device 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the drive devices 4 controlled by the control device 1 correspond to a first drive device 104 and a second drive device 204. Accordingly, the control device 1 includes, as the drive unit 10, a first drive unit 110 that drives the first drive device 104 and a second drive unit 210 that drives the second drive device 204. When the first drive device 104 and the second drive device 204 are provided as the drive devices 4, dampers 5 that support the door 2 so that it can be opened and closed are provided on the left and right ends of the door 2, respectively, as viewed from the rear of the vehicle 100, and the first drive device 104 may be a motor that extends and retracts a drive mechanism that houses the damper 5 on the left end of the door 2, and the second drive device 204 may be a motor that extends and retracts a drive mechanism that houses the damper 5 on the right end of the door 2. Furthermore, when applied to the sliding door of the vehicle 100, for example, the first drive device 104 may be a left motor that opens and closes the left sliding door of the vehicle 100, and the second drive device 204 may be a right motor that opens and closes the right sliding door of the vehicle 100.

[0053] The first drive unit 110 has five terminals 111, 112, 113, 114, and 115 protruding from a main body portion (molded portion) 116. In this example, the terminal 113 is connected to a terminal 163A of the connector 163 by a pattern P101. Furthermore, the terminal 114 is connected to a terminal 163B of the connector 163 by a pattern P102 and a pattern P103. The terminals 163A and 163B of the connector 163 are connected to one terminal of a positive line 161A and a negative line 161B, respectively, via a connector 162. The other terminals of the positive line 161A and the negative line 161B are connected to a positive terminal 3P and a negative terminal 3N of the power supply device 3. In this example, the positive line 161A and the negative line 161B correspond to a power supply line 161 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control device 1.

[0054] Terminal 111 of the first driving unit 110 is connected to terminal 164B of connector 164 by pattern P104, and terminal 112 of the first driving unit 110 is connected to terminal 164C of connector 164 by pattern P105. Terminals 164B and 164C of connector 164 are connected to one terminal of cables 166B and 166C, respectively, via connector 165. The other terminals of cables 166B and 166C are connected to terminals 104B and 104C of the first driving device 104, respectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, terminal 104A of the first driving device 104 is connected to terminal 164A of connector 164 via cable 166A and connector 165.

[0055] The second drive unit 210 has five terminals 211, 212, 213, 214, and 215 protruding from a main body portion (molded portion) 216. In this example, the terminal 213 is connected to a terminal 263B of the connector 263 by a pattern P201. Furthermore, the terminal 212 is connected to a terminal 263A of the connector 263 by a pattern P202 and a pattern P203. The terminals 263A and 263B of the connector 263 are connected to one terminal of a negative line 261A and a positive line 261B, respectively, via a connector 262. The other terminals of the negative line 261A and the positive line 261B are connected to a negative terminal 3N and a positive terminal 3P of the power supply device 3, respectively. In this example, the negative line 261A and the positive line 261B correspond to a power supply line 261 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control device 1.

[0056] Terminal 215 of the second driving unit 210 is connected to terminal 264B of connector 264 by pattern P204, and terminal 214 of the second driving unit 210 is connected to terminal 264A of connector 264 by pattern P205. Terminals 264A and 264B of connector 264 are connected to one terminal of cables 266A and 266B, respectively, via connector 265. The other terminals of cables 266A and 266B are connected to terminals 204A and 204B of the second driving device 204, respectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, terminal 204C of the second driving device 204 is connected to terminal 264C of connector 264 via cable 266C and connector 265.

[0057] The control unit 120 has eight terminals 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, and 128 that protrude from a main body portion (molded portion) 129. In this example, terminal 121 of the control unit 120 and terminal 115 of the first driving unit 110 are connected by a pattern P106, and a control signal is transmitted from the control unit 120 to the first driving unit 110 via this pattern P106. Furthermore, terminal 125 of the control unit 120 and terminal 211 of the second driving unit 210 are connected by a pattern P206, and a control signal is transmitted from the control unit 120 to the second driving unit 210 via this pattern P206.

[0058] In this example, terminal 123 of control unit 120 is connected to terminal 167B of connector 167 by pattern P107. Furthermore, terminal 122 of control unit 120 is connected to terminal 167A of connector 167 by patterns P108 and P109. Terminals 167A and 167B of connector 167 are connected to one terminal of negative line 169A and one terminal of positive line 169B via connector 168, respectively. The other terminals of negative line 169A and positive line 169B are connected to negative terminal 3N and positive terminal 3P of power supply device 3, respectively. Negative line 169A and positive line 169B correspond to power supply line 169 that supplies power from power supply device 3 to control device 1.

[0059] Terminal 124 of control unit 120 is connected to terminal 167C of connector 167 by pattern P110. Terminal 167C of connector 167 is connected to, for example, a higher-level system (not shown) via connector 168 and cable 170. In this example, operation instruction information for opening and closing door 2 is input from the higher-level system to control unit 120 via cable 170.

[0060] Terminal 128 of control unit 120 is connected to terminal 164A of connector 164 by pattern P120. This connects terminal 128 of control unit 120 to terminal 104A of first driver 104, and information during operation (e.g., rotation speed information indicating the rotation speed of first driver 104, current value information indicating the current value of current flowing through first driver 104) is transmitted from first driver 104 to control unit 120. Furthermore, terminal 127 of control unit 120 is connected to terminal 264C of connector 264 by pattern P220. This connects terminal 127 of control unit 120 to terminal 204C of second driver 204, and information during operation (e.g., rotation speed information indicating the rotation speed of second driver 204, current value information indicating the current value of current flowing through second driver 204) is transmitted from second driver 204 to control unit 120. In this embodiment, the terminal 126 of the control unit 120 is a non-connection terminal and is used for soldering.

[0061] In this embodiment as well, the first driving section 110, the second driving section 210, and the control section 120 described above are mounted on the substrate 130 by soldering.

[0062] In this embodiment, the drive ground section 32 includes a first drive ground section 132 and a second drive ground section 232. Therefore, the substrate 130 has a control ground section 131 (corresponding to the "control ground section 31" in the first embodiment), the first drive ground section 132, and the second drive ground section 232. The control ground section 131 is electrically connected to a negative line 169A of a power supply line 169 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the control section 120, and is also electrically connected to a terminal 122 that is a ground terminal of the control section 120. Therefore, the control ground section 131 includes a pattern P108 and a pattern P109 that are at the same potential as the negative line 169A and the terminal 122 of the control section 120.

[0063] 3, a pattern P111 is formed on the substrate 130, branching from the patterns P108 and P109 toward the first state switching unit 140, which will be described later. This pattern P111 has the same potential as the patterns P108 and P109 (i.e., it is formed as a continuous pattern) and is included in the control ground unit 131. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a pattern P211 is formed on the substrate 130, branching from the pattern P108, passing below the main body portion 129 of the control unit 120, and extending toward the second state switching unit 240, which will be described later. This pattern P211 also has the same potential as the pattern P108 (i.e., it is formed as a continuous pattern) and is included in the control ground unit 131. In this embodiment, the control ground unit 131 is formed separately from the first drive ground unit 132 and the second drive ground unit 232.

[0064] The first drive ground section 132 is electrically connected to a negative line 161B, which is a ground line included in a power supply line 161 that supplies power from the power supply device 3 to the first drive section 110, and is also electrically connected to a terminal 114, which is a ground terminal of the first drive section 110. Therefore, the first drive ground section 132 includes a pattern P102 and a pattern P103 that are at the same potential as the negative line 161B and the terminal 114 of the first drive section 110.

[0065] 3, a pattern P112 that branches off from the patterns P102 and P103 toward the first state switching unit 140 (described later) is formed on the substrate 130. This pattern P112 has the same potential as the patterns P102 and P103 (i.e., is formed as a continuous pattern) and is included in the first drive ground unit 132.

[0066] The second drive ground section 232 is electrically connected to a negative line 261A, which is a ground line of the power supply line 261 used to supply power from the power supply device 3 to the second drive section 210, and is also electrically connected to a terminal 212, which is a ground terminal of the second drive section 210, in a state where it has no common portion with the negative line 161B, which is a ground line of the power supply line 161 used to supply power from the power supply device 3 to the first drive section 110. Therefore, the second drive ground section 232 includes a pattern P202 and a pattern P203 that are at the same potential as the negative line 261A and the terminal 212 of the second drive section 210.

[0067] 3, a pattern P212 that branches off from the patterns P202 and P203 toward the second state switching unit 240 (described later) is formed on the substrate 130. This pattern P212 has the same potential as the patterns P202 and P203 (i.e., is formed as a continuous pattern) and is included in the second drive ground unit 232.

[0068] In this embodiment, the state switching unit 40 includes a first state switching unit 140 and a second state switching unit 240. The first state switching unit 140 is provided across any two of the first drive ground unit 132, the second drive ground unit 232, and the control ground unit 131. In this embodiment, the first state switching unit 140 is provided across the first drive ground unit 132 and the control ground unit 131. As described above, in this embodiment, the control ground unit 131 is made up of patterns P108, P109, P111, and P211, and the first drive ground unit 132 is made up of patterns P102, P103, and P112. In addition, the control ground unit 131 and the first drive ground unit 132 are formed separately from each other. In the first state switching unit 140, one end 140A of the control ground unit 131 and the first drive ground unit 132 are connected to each other in this manner, and the other end 140B of the first state switching unit 140 is connected to the control ground unit 131 and the first drive ground unit 132. In this embodiment, one end 140A is connected to the pattern P111 and the other end 140B is connected to the pattern P112.

[0069] Furthermore, the second state switching unit 240 is provided across one of the first drive ground unit 132, the second drive ground unit 232, and the control ground unit 131, and a different one of any two of them. "Any two of the first drive ground unit 132, the second drive ground unit 232, and the control ground unit 131" refers to two ground units of the first drive ground unit 132, the second drive ground unit 232, and the control ground unit 131 on which the first state switching unit 140 is provided. In this embodiment, this corresponds to the first drive ground unit 132 and the control ground unit 131. Therefore, "a different one of the first drive ground unit 132, the second drive ground unit 232, and the control ground unit 131" corresponds to the second drive ground unit 232. Furthermore, "one of any two" refers to either the first drive ground section 132 or the control ground section 131, and in this embodiment, it corresponds to the control ground section 131. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second state switching section 240 is provided across the second drive ground section 232 and the control ground section 131. As described above, in this embodiment, the control ground section 131 is made up of patterns P108, P109, P111, and P211, and the second drive ground section 232 is made up of patterns P202, P203, and P212. Furthermore, the control ground section 131 and the second drive ground section 232 are formed separately from each other. In the second state switching unit 240, one end 240A is connected to the control ground unit 131 and the other end 240B is connected to the second drive ground unit 232, with the control ground unit 131 and the second drive ground unit 232 being formed separately in this manner. In this embodiment, one end 240A is connected to the pattern P211, and the other end 240B is connected to the pattern P212.

[0070] In the potential difference maintaining state, the first state switching unit 140 makes the potential difference between the control ground unit 131 and the first drive ground unit 132 equal to or less than a predetermined value when the current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit 131 and the first drive ground unit 132 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and in the cut-off state, cuts off the current when the current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit 131 and the first drive ground unit 132 is greater than a predetermined value. Furthermore, in the potential difference maintaining state, the second state switching unit 240 makes the potential difference between the control ground unit 131 and the second drive ground unit 232 equal to or less than a predetermined value when the current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit 131 and the second drive ground unit 232 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and in the cut-off state, cuts off the current when the current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit 131 and the second drive ground unit 232 is greater than a predetermined value.

[0071] In the example of Figure 3, the first state switching unit 140 is configured with a current limiting element 141 such as a PTC thermistor and a resistor 142 connected in series, and the second state switching unit 240 is configured with a current limiting element 241 such as a PTC thermistor and a resistor 242 connected in series.

[0072] 3, a unit 80 that functions as a control unit for locking or unlocking, for example, the latch mechanism 6 (see FIG. 1) of the door 2 is also mounted on the substrate 130. The connection between the unit 80 and the power supply device 3 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0073] In the example of Figure 3, no state switching unit 40 is provided between pattern P16 and the control ground section 131, the first drive ground section 132, or the second drive ground section 232, but it is also possible to provide a state switching unit 40 between pattern P16 and at least one of the control ground section 131, the first drive ground section 132, and the second drive ground section 232.

[0074] With the above configuration, in a steady state, the current value of the current flowing from one of the control ground section 131, the first drive ground section 132, and the second drive ground section 232 to the other can be kept below a predetermined value, while the potential difference between the control ground section 131, the first drive ground section 132, and the second drive ground section 232 can be kept below a preset value. On the other hand, if, for some reason, the current value of the current flowing from one of the control ground section 131 and the first drive ground section 132 to the other becomes larger than a predetermined value, or if the current value of the current flowing from one of the control ground section 131 and the second drive ground section 232 to the other becomes larger than a predetermined value, it becomes possible to automatically shut off the current whose current value has increased.

[0075] 3. Other embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, the drive unit 4 is described as a motor that opens and closes the door 2 of the vehicle 100, but this is merely an example, and the drive unit 4 may be another motor mounted on the vehicle 100, or may be a motor used for a vehicle other than the vehicle 100.

[0076] (2) In the above embodiment, a PTC thermistor is used as the state switching unit 40, but the state switching unit 40 may be a resettable fuse or a polyswitch that automatically resets.

[0077] (3) In the above embodiment, the state switching unit 40 is described as automatically transitioning to the potential difference maintaining state when the current value of the current becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value in the interrupted state, but the state switching unit 40 may be configured using, for example, a transistor or a relay, and configured to switch between the closed state and the open state depending on the magnitude of the current. Also, the state switching unit 40 may be configured not to automatically transition to the potential difference maintaining state even if the current value of the current becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value in the interrupted state.

[0078] (4) In the above embodiment, the state switching unit 40 has been described as having the current limiting element 41 and the resistor 42, but the state switching unit 40 may also be configured with the current limiting element 41 only.

[0079] (5) In the above embodiment, the patterns formed on the substrate 30 (including the substrate 130) have been described, but these patterns are merely examples and can be modified. For example, the width of the pattern connected to the ground terminal can be made wider, and the width of the pattern used to transmit various types of information can be made narrower. Furthermore, the arrangement of the terminals of each component shown in Figures 2 and 3 is merely an example and can be modified. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The present invention can be used in a control device that controls a drive device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1: Control device 2: Door 3: Power supply 4: Drive unit 10: Drive unit 14:Terminal (ground terminal) 20: Control unit 21:Terminal (ground terminal) 30: Circuit board 31: Control ground section 32: Drive ground section 40: State switching unit 41: Current limiting element 42:Resistor 61: Power line 61B: Negative line (ground line) 69: Power line 69A: Negative line (ground line) 100: Vehicle 104: First drive unit 110: First drive unit 114:Terminal (ground terminal) 132: First drive ground section 140: First state switching unit 161: Power line 161B: Negative line (ground line) 204: Second drive unit 210: Second drive unit 212: Terminal (ground terminal) 232: Second drive ground section 240: Second state switching unit 261: Power line 261A: Negative line (ground line)

Claims

1. a drive unit that drives the drive device based on power supplied from the power supply device; a control unit that receives the power from the power supply device and controls the drive unit; a substrate on which the drive unit and the control unit are mounted, the substrate having a control ground section which is electrically connected via a connector to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the control unit and to which a ground terminal of the control unit is electrically connected, and a drive ground section which is formed separately from the control ground section and is electrically connected via a connector to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the drive unit, without having a common portion with the ground line of the power supply line that is used to supply power from the power supply device to the control unit, and to which a ground terminal of the drive unit is electrically connected; a state switching unit that is provided across the control ground unit and the drive ground unit, and that switches to a potential difference maintaining state in which a potential difference between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is kept below a preset value when a current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and switches to a cut-off state in which the current is cut off when a current value of the current is greater than the predetermined value; Equipped with The control device in which the control ground section and the drive ground section are each connected to the ground line of the power supply line without passing through a resistor different from the connector.

2. a drive unit that drives the drive device based on power supplied from the power supply device; a control unit that receives the power from the power supply device and controls the drive unit; a substrate on which the drive unit and the control unit are mounted, the substrate having a control ground section electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the control unit and to which a ground terminal of the control unit is electrically connected, and a drive ground section formed separately from the control ground section and electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the drive unit, without having a common portion with the ground line of the power supply line that is used to supply power from the power supply device to the control unit, and to which a ground terminal of the drive unit is electrically connected; a state switching unit that is provided across the control ground unit and the drive ground unit, and that switches to a potential difference maintaining state in which a potential difference between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is kept below a preset value when a current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and switches to a cut-off state in which the current is cut off when a current value of the current is greater than the predetermined value; Equipped with The state switching unit is a control device having a current limiting element and a resistor connected in series across the control ground unit and the drive ground unit.

3. a drive unit that drives the drive device based on power supplied from the power supply device; a control unit that receives the power from the power supply device and controls the drive unit; a substrate on which the drive unit and the control unit are mounted, the substrate having a control ground section electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the control unit and to which a ground terminal of the control unit is electrically connected, and a drive ground section formed separately from the control ground section and electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the drive unit, without having a common portion with the ground line of the power supply line that is used to supply power from the power supply device to the control unit, and to which a ground terminal of the drive unit is electrically connected; a state switching unit that is provided across the control ground unit and the drive ground unit, and that switches to a potential difference maintaining state in which a potential difference between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is kept below a preset value when a current value of the current flowing between the control ground unit and the drive ground unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and switches to a cut-off state in which the current is cut off when a current value of the current is greater than the predetermined value; Equipped with The state switching unit is a control device that makes the potential of the control ground section and the potential of the drive ground section equal to each other in a steady state.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the drive device is a motor for opening and closing a door of a vehicle.

5. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the state switching unit automatically transitions to the potential difference maintaining state when the current value of the current becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value in the interrupted state.

6. 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the state switching unit includes a current limiting element whose conduction state is switched in accordance with the current value of the current, and a resistor connected in series with the current limiting element.

7. The drive device includes a first drive device and a second drive device, the drive unit includes a first drive unit that drives the first drive device and a second drive unit that drives the second drive device, the drive ground section includes a first drive ground section electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the first drive section and to which a ground terminal of the first drive section is electrically connected, and a second drive ground section electrically connected to a ground line of a power supply line that supplies power from the power supply device to the second drive section and to which a ground terminal of the second drive section is electrically connected, in a state in which the second drive ground section does not have a common portion with the ground line of the power supply line that is used to supply power from the power supply device to the first drive section; 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the state switching unit comprises: a first state switching unit provided across any two of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit; and a second state switching unit provided across one of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit that is different from any two of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit and one of the two of the first drive ground unit, the second drive ground unit, and the control ground unit.

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