Redundant system

Abstract

Provided is a redundant system capable of sharing terminal settings of two systems of microcomputers. This redundant system 1 comprises: a first microcomputer 10 that has a first communication channel 110 and a second communication channel 120 and controls a motor M in a first system L1; and a second microcomputer 20 that has a first communication channel 210 and a second communication channel 220 in which terminals are arranged in the same manner as the first microcomputer 10, controls the motor M by a second system L2 configured in parallel with the first system L1, and is connected to the first microcomputer 10 by terminals. The first communication channel 110 of the first microcomputer 10 and the first communication channel 210 of the second microcomputer are both set as masters, and the second communication channel 120 of the first microcomputer 10 and the second communication channel 220 of the second microcomputer 20 are both set as slaves. The first communication channel 110 of the first microcomputer 10 and the second communication channel 220 of the second microcomputer 20 are connected, and the first communication channel 210 of the second microcomputer 20 and the second communication channel 120 of the first microcomputer 10 are connected.

Description

Redundant Systems

[0001] The present invention relates to redundant systems.

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a redundant system in which a target device such as a motor is controlled by a plurality of control units, and if one system stops, the other system detects this and operates on the other system alone. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a two-system redundant system in which two drive control units capable of communicating with each other control two motor windings, respectively.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-035075

[0004] Incidentally, for communication between two control units (microcomputers), serial communication known as SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) communication is used, for example. When bidirectional communication between microcomputers is performed using SPI communication, if the same channel is set as master and slave, different terminal settings are required for one microcomputer and the other microcomputer.

[0005] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a redundant system that allows the terminal settings of two systems of microcomputers to be standardized.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a redundant system comprising: a first microcontroller having a first communication channel and a second communication channel and controlling a controlled device in a first system; and a second microcontroller having a first communication channel and a second communication channel whose terminals are arranged in the same manner as the first microcontroller, and controlling the controlled device in a second system configured in parallel with the first system, and connected to the first microcontroller by their terminals, wherein the first communication channel of the first microcontroller and the first communication channel of the second microcontroller are both set as masters, and the second communication channel of the first microcontroller and the second communication channel of the second microcontroller are both set as slaves, the first communication channel of the first microcontroller and the second communication channel of the second microcontroller are connected, and the first communication channel of the second microcontroller and the second communication channel of the first microcontroller are connected.

[0007] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a redundant system according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of terminal connections of the microcomputer shown in Fig. 1.

[0008] (Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, those that are substantially identical, or those that are equivalent. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments can be variously omitted, replaced, or modified without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. In the following embodiments, components necessary for illustrating the embodiments will be described, and other components will be omitted. The same components will be assigned the same reference numerals, and different components will be assigned different reference numerals.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a redundant system according to this embodiment. The redundant system 1 shown in FIG. 1 controls the drive of a motor M, which is a controlled device. The redundant system 1 and the motor M are used, for example, in an electric steering device of a vehicle, to provide a steering assist force to the steering shaft of the vehicle. That is, the redundant system 1 drives the motor M, and the driving force of the motor M provides the steering assist force to the steering shaft. Note that the redundant system of the present disclosure is not limited to one that controls the drive of the motor M, but is also applicable to a redundant system that controls a controlled device by coordinating two systems configured in parallel.

[0010] The redundant system 1 includes a first microcomputer 10, a first motor driver 12, a first sensor group 14, and a first CAN interface 16, as well as a second microcomputer 20, a second motor driver 22, a second sensor group 24, and a second CAN interface 26. The motor M has a first winding 18 and a second winding 28. The redundant system 1 is controlled by a central control device 30 of an apparatus in which the redundant system 1 and the motor M are installed.

[0011] Hereinafter, the combination of the first microcomputer 10, first motor driver 12, first sensor group 14, first CAN interface 16, etc., which are involved in the energization control of the first winding 18, will be referred to as the first system L1. Furthermore, the combination of the second microcomputer 20, second motor driver 22, second sensor group 24, second CAN interface 26, etc., which are involved in the energization control of the second winding 28, will be referred to as the second system L2. The first system L1 and the second system L2 are arranged in parallel and equally spaced apart.

[0012] The first microcomputer 10 constitutes a control unit of the first system L1. The first microcomputer 10 controls each component of the first system L1, thereby energizing a first winding 18 of the motor M and driving the motor M. The first microcomputer 10 includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory circuits such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), input / output circuits, and the like.

[0013] The first microcomputer 10 energizes a first winding 18 of the motor M via a first motor driver 12 to control the driving of the motor M. The first microcomputer 10 acquires various measurement data from a first sensor group 14. The first microcomputer 10 acquires predetermined control signals from a central control device 30 via a first CAN interface 16. The first microcomputer 10 is wired to a second microcomputer 20 via their ports (terminals) to perform bidirectional communication.

[0014] The second microcomputer 20 constitutes the control unit of the second system L2. The second microcomputer 20 controls each component of the second system L2, thereby energizing the second winding 28 of the motor M and driving the motor M. The second microcomputer 20 includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU, memory circuits such as RAM and ROM, input / output circuits, etc. The second microcomputer 20 has the same configuration as the first microcomputer 10 and can be arranged in place of the first microcomputer 10.

[0015] The second microcomputer 20 energizes a second winding 28 of the motor M via a second motor driver 22, thereby controlling the driving of the motor M. The second microcomputer 20 acquires various measurement data from a second sensor group 24. The second microcomputer 20 acquires predetermined control signals from a central control device 30 via a second CAN interface 26. The second microcomputer 20 is connected to the first microcomputer 10 via a wired connection via ports (terminals) to perform bidirectional communication.

[0016] In order to control the motor M, the first motor driver 12 controls the amount, direction, timing, etc. of current flowing through the first winding 18 of the motor M, thereby controlling the direction and number of rotations of the motor M. The first motor driver 12 controls the motor M based on a predetermined control signal sent from the first microcomputer 10.

[0017] The second motor driver 22 controls the direction and speed of rotation of the motor M by controlling the amount, direction, timing, etc. of current flowing through the second winding 28 of the motor M in order to control the motor M. The second motor driver 22 controls the motor M based on a predetermined control signal sent from the second microcomputer 20. The second motor driver 22 has the same configuration as the first motor driver 12, and can be arranged in place of the first motor driver 12.

[0018] The first sensor group 14 includes various sensors. The first sensor group 14 includes, for example, an angular displacement sensor that detects the rotation angle of the motor M, a temperature sensor that detects the temperatures of the first winding 18 and the surface of the motor M, and the like, in order to control the motor M. The various sensors output their respective measurement data to the first microcomputer 10.

[0019] The second sensor group 24 includes various sensors. In order to control the motor M, the second sensor group 24 includes, for example, an angular displacement sensor that detects the rotation angle of the motor M, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the second winding 28 and the surface of the motor M, and the like. The various sensors output their respective measurement data to the second microcomputer 20. The second sensor group 24 has the same configuration as the first sensor group 14, and can be arranged in place of the first sensor group 14.

[0020] The first CAN interface 16 is a communication terminal connected to the communication network of the redundant system 1 and the device in which the motor M is mounted in order to control the motor M. Although the first CAN interface 16 is illustrated as being compliant with the CAN (Controller Area Network) standard, interfaces compliant with other standards may also be used.

[0021] The second CAN interface 26 is a communication terminal connected to the communication network of the redundant system 1 and the device in which the motor M is installed in order to control the motor M. Although the second CAN interface 26 is illustrated as being CAN standard, interfaces conforming to other standards may also be used. The second CAN interface 26 has the same configuration as the first CAN interface 16 and can be arranged in place of the first CAN interface 16.

[0022] The motor M is a multi-phase AC motor and includes a rotor, a stator, a first winding 18, a second winding 28, and a housing that accommodates these. The stator is fixed to the housing and is wound with the first winding 18 and the second winding 28. The rotor is rotatable relative to the stator and rotates integrally with the output shaft.

[0023] The first winding 18 and the second winding 28 of the motor M have the same electrical characteristics and are wound on a common stator with a mutual cancel winding offset of 30 degrees electrical angle. Accordingly, the first winding 18 and the second winding 28 are controlled so that phase currents with a phase offset of 30 degrees are passed through them.

[0024] In the redundant system 1, when both the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 are operating normally and the inter-microcomputer communication is normal, the first system L1 and the second system L2 cooperate to control the drive of the motor M. In the redundant system 1, the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 request each other to send a normal operation signal indicating that they are operating normally. Upon receiving the request from each other, the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 each send a normal operation signal.

[0025] In the redundant system 1, for example, if an abnormality occurs in the first microcomputer 10, the first system L1 is stopped, and the second microcomputer 20 controls the drive of the motor M using only the second system L2. Also, in the redundant system 1, for example, if an abnormality occurs in the second microcomputer 20, the second system L2 is stopped, and the first microcomputer 10 controls the drive of the motor M using only the first system L1.

[0026] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a general configuration of port (terminal) connections of the microcomputers shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 have a plurality of ports. Different channels are assigned to each port. The first microcomputer 10 of this embodiment has a first communication channel 110, a second communication channel 120, and a device connection channel group 130. The second microcomputer 20 of this embodiment has a first communication channel 210, a second communication channel 220, and a device connection channel group 230.

[0027] The first communication channel 110 of the first microcomputer 10 and the first communication channel 210 of the second microcomputer 20 are equivalent in terms of physical configuration and functionality, and the port arrangements in each microcomputer are the same. The first communication channels 110 and 210 function as masters. The second communication channel 120 of the first microcomputer 10 and the second communication channel 220 of the second microcomputer 20 are equivalent in terms of physical configuration and functionality, and the port arrangements in each microcomputer are the same. The second communication channels 120 and 220 function as slaves. The first communication channel 110, which is the master of the first microcomputer 10, connects to the second communication channel 220, which is the slave of the second microcomputer 20. The first communication channel 210, which is the master of the second microcomputer 20, connects to the second communication channel 120, which is the slave of the first microcomputer 10.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first communication channel 110 of the first microcomputer 10 includes a first port 112, a second port 114, and a third port 116. The first communication channel 210 of the second microcomputer 20 includes a first port 212, a second port 214, and a third port 216. The second communication channel 120 of the first microcomputer 10 includes a fourth port 122, a fifth port 124, and a sixth port 126. The second communication channel 220 of the second microcomputer 20 includes a fourth port 222, a fifth port 224, and a sixth port 226.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first ports 112, 212 are assigned to SDO (Serial Data Out). The sixth ports 126, 226 are assigned to SDI (Serial Data In). The first ports 112, 212 as masters connect to the sixth ports 226, 126 as slaves. The first ports 112, 212 transmit data to the sixth ports 226, 126, and the sixth ports 226, 126 receive data from the first ports 112, 212. The first ports 112, 212 request, for example, the transmission of a normal operation signal indicating that they are operating normally.

[0030] The second ports 114, 214 and the fourth ports 122, 222 are assigned to SCL (Serial CLK). The second ports 114, 214 functioning as masters connect to the fourth ports 222, 122 functioning as slaves. The second ports 114, 214 send clock signals to the fourth ports 222, 122 to achieve synchronization.

[0031] The third port 116, 216 is assigned to SDI. The fifth port 124, 224 is assigned to SDO. The third port 116, 216 as a master connects to the fifth port 224, 124 as a slave. The fifth port 224, 124 transmits data to the third port 116, 216, and the third port 116, 216 receives data from the fifth port 224, 124. The fifth port 224, 124 transmits, for example, a normal operation signal indicating that it is operating normally.

[0032] The device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 is a channel different from both the first communication channel 110 and the second communication channel 120. The device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20 is a channel different from both the first communication channel 210 and the second communication channel 220. The device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 and the device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20 are equivalent in physical configuration and functionality, and the port arrangements in each microcomputer are the same. The device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 and the device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20 are connected to various peripheral devices for controlling the motor M, which is a controlled device. The peripheral devices connected to the device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 are equivalent in physical configuration and functionality to the peripheral devices connected to the device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20.

[0033] The device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 includes one or more channels. The device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20 includes one or more channels. The channels in the device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 and the channels in the device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20 are the same in number and arrangement. In this embodiment, the device connection channel group 130 of the first microcomputer 10 includes a first connection channel 132, a second connection channel 134, and a third connection channel 136. The device connection channel group 230 of the second microcomputer 20 includes a first connection channel 232, a second connection channel 234, and a third connection channel 236.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first connection channels 132, 232 are connected to first devices 142, 242 as peripheral devices. The second connection channels 134, 234 are connected to second devices 144, 244 as peripheral devices. The third connection channels 136, 236 are connected to third devices 146, 246 as peripheral devices. The first devices 142, 242, the second devices 144, 244, and the third devices 146, 246 may be separate devices or may represent different ports of a single device.

[0035] The first device 142, the second device 144, and the third device 146 are arranged on the first system L1. The first device 142, the second device 144, and the third device 146 may include, for example, the first motor driver 12, the first sensor group 14, or the first CAN interface 16 shown in FIG. 1 , and are composed of devices other than the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 that are connected to each other. The first device 242, the second device 244, and the third device 246 are arranged on the second system L2. The first device 242, the second device 244, and the third device 246 may include, for example, the second motor driver 22, the second sensor group 24, or the second CAN interface 26 shown in FIG. 1 , and are composed of devices other than the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 that are connected to each other.

[0036] The first devices 142 and 242 are devices of the same type, have the same configuration, and are equally arranged in the first system L1 and the second system L2. The second devices 144 and 244 are devices of the same type, have the same configuration, and are equally arranged in the first system L1 and the second system L2. The third devices 146 and 246 are devices of the same type, have the same configuration, and are equally arranged in the first system L1 and the second system L2.

[0037] The above provides an example of the number of channels and terminal settings in an embodiment, but as long as they are common to the first microcontroller 10 and the second microcontroller, the number of channels and the assignment to each port (terminal settings) can be changed depending on the equipment to be controlled and the control, and are not limited to this embodiment.

[0038] (Operation and Effect of the Embodiment) The redundant system 1 described in the embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0039] The redundant system 1 includes a first microcomputer 10 having a first communication channel 110 and a second communication channel 120 and controlling a control target device (a motor M in this embodiment) via a first system L1, and a second microcomputer 20 having a first communication channel 210 and a second communication channel 220 with terminals arranged in the same manner as the first microcomputer 10, controlling the control target device (a motor M) via a second system L2 configured in parallel with the first system L1, and connected to the first microcomputer 10 via terminals. The first communication channel 110 of the icon 10 and the first communication channel 210 of the second microcontroller 20 are both set as masters, the second communication channel 120 of the first microcontroller 10 and the second communication channel 220 of the second microcontroller 20 are both set as slaves, the first communication channel 110 of the first microcontroller 10 and the second communication channel 220 of the second microcontroller 20 are connected, and the first communication channel 210 of the second microcontroller 20 and the second communication channel 120 of the first microcontroller 10 are connected.

[0040] In the redundant system 1, the same ports (terminals) are assigned to the same channels in the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20. Since the first microcomputer 10, which is the microcomputer used for the first system L1, and the second microcomputer 20, which is the microcomputer used for the second system L2, have the same terminal settings, the same software can be used to assign terminals, and products can be standardized. This reduces errors in terminal assignment and shortens the assignment work. Furthermore, because the first microcomputer 10 and the second microcomputer 20 are essentially identical, arrangement errors due to mis-assignment of microcomputers can be avoided.

[0041] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Redundant system 10 First microcomputer 12 First motor driver 14 First sensor group 18 First winding 20 Second microcomputer 22 Second motor driver 24 Second sensor group 28 Second winding 110, 210 First communication channel 120, 220 Second communication channel 130, 230 Device connection channel group L1 First system L2 Second system M Motor (device to be controlled)

Claims

1. A redundant system comprising: a first microcomputer having a first communication channel and a second communication channel, and controlling a controlled device through a first system; and a second microcomputer having a first communication channel and a second communication channel whose terminals are arranged in the same manner as the first microcomputer, and controlling the controlled device through a second system configured in parallel with the first system, and connected to the first microcomputer through their terminals, wherein the first communication channel of the first microcomputer and the first communication channel of the second microcomputer are both set as masters, and the second communication channel of the first microcomputer and the second communication channel of the second microcomputer are both set as slaves, the first communication channel of the first microcomputer and the second communication channel of the second microcomputer are connected, and the first communication channel of the second microcomputer and the second communication channel of the first microcomputer are connected.

Images