Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1993-07-15
2001-03-13
Teska, Kevin J. (Department: 2763)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C703S001000, C703S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202017
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a circuit configuration for controlling a major number of electric or electromechanical consumers such as the electrically driven hydraulic pumps, the electromagnetically operable multi-directional valves etc. of an automotive vehicle control system where the control signals are generated by means of a control unit, such as a microprocessor or microcomputer, and can be delivered to the consumers via amplifier stages. Such control circuits are needed for anti-lock control systems, traction slip control systems and for suspension control systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
German Published Patent Application (DE-OS) No. 32 34 637 discloses a circuit configuration of this type for controlling an anti-lock-controlled brake system. Microprocessors or microcontrollers serve to derive braking pressure control signals from sensor signals containing the required information. To this end, via amplifier stages, the output signals of the microprocessors are delivered to electromagnetically operable valves influencing the pressure medium flow and, hence, the braking pressure.
Eight and more multi-directional valves are needed for known systems of this type. The appertaining valve drivers or amplifier stages are actuated in parallel by the microcomputer via an interface module or via discrete electronic systems. This implies a considerable amount of wiring, all the more so since there are additional actuating and feedback lines in each case.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is now an object of this invention to reduce considerably this amount of wiring, the required pins and required interfaces, in particular at the integrated circuits, and thus to reduce considerably the cost of manufacture of such a circuitry.
This object can be solved by a circuit configuration of the present invention, wherein the amplifier stages are designed as so-called “intelligent” power drivers and essentially consist of a power amplifier with integrated electronic controls and monitors. The amplifier stages of the present invention are interconnected as well as, via a synchronous serial interface, connected to the control unit so that a data transfer flows in a closed loop or chain from the control unit, via the amplifier stages and back to a serial entry of the control unit, for controlling the data transfer connections of an operating cycle and an activation instruction or a transfer instruction.
According to this invention, the described disadvantages of known circuit configurations of this type are overcome. The amount of manufacturing cost is reduced by means of the special design of the power ICs and by a serial data transfer via the amplifier stages interconnected to form a closed loop. Data are transferred back to a serial entry of the control unit via this loop. The comparison of the serial output signals of the control unit with the input signals of this control unit allows conclusions with regard to proper operation of all the circuits.
According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the amplifier stages for receiving and transferring the data to the following amplifier stages or back to the control unit are equipped with shift registers. In this embodiment, each of the amplifier stages are assigned a position in the serial data word by means of which data transfer takes place from the control unit via the closed loop formed by the amplifier stages.
A further example of an embodiment of this invention consists in that each of the amplifier stages is equipped with a nominal value memory. In this embodiment, after data transfer into the shift registers, the instructions stored in the shift register are transferrable into the nominal value memory by means of a common transfer instruction and are implementable by means of corresponding actuation of the power amplifiers. Further, it is suggested to equip each of the amplifier stages with an actual value memory to which the level at the outlet of the power amplifier can be fed as actual value via a voltage monitoring circuit. Also, it is suggested to rate the circuit configuration such as to ensure that, by means of the common transfer instruction, the actual values are transferrable into the shift registers and get back from the same to the control unit during data transfer in the closed loop. Evaluation of the actual values permits the existence of any defects to be directly detected.
Finally, according to this invention, it is provided to accommodate one, two or three complete amplifier stages in one integrated circuit at a time.
Further characteristics, advantages and applications of this invention will become evident from the following description of an example of an embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.
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Kamal Majeed, “Dual Processor Automotive Controller,” IEEE, 1988, pp. 39-44.
Bleckmann Hans Wilhelm
Fey Wolfgang
Jones Peter
Loreck Heinz
Zydek Michael
Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG
Phan T.
Ratner & Prestia
Teska Kevin J.
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