Electronic control unit
AssigneeDenso Corporation
InventorYutaka KOYAMA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic control unit includes a first calculator and a second calculator. When the first calculator has an abnormality, even if a start switch of a vehicle is switched OFF by a driver of the vehicle, the second calculator is configured to maintain system main relays on a positive terminal side and a negative terminal side in a conductive state in case that a certain travel continuation condition is fulfilled. Therefore, even when the driver has erroneously switched OFF the start switch, an electric power is suppliable to an inverter via the system main relays kept in the conductive state, thereby the vehicle is travelable by using a vehicle travel-power motor.
Claims12
An electronic control unit used in a vehicle having a high voltage battery and an inverter that drives a vehicle travel-power motor for a travel of a vehicle, an electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the inverter switchable to be connected in a conductive state and disconnected in an interrupted state via a relay unit, the electronic control unit comprising:
- a first relay in the relay unit being kept in a conductive state while the vehicle is traveling;
- a second relay in the relay unit put in the conductive state when a start switch of the vehicle is switched ON, for flowing an electric current between the high voltage battery and the inverter, an amount of the electric current flowing via the second relay being restricted to be lower than an amount of the electric current flowing in the conductive state of the first relay;
- a first calculator
- (a) configured to enable a travel of the vehicle by outputting an inverter control signal to the inverter for driving the vehicle travel-power motor, and
- (b) configured to control the first and second relays to (i) put the second relay in the conductive state when the start switch of the vehicle is switched ON at a startup time, and thereafter (ii) put the first relay in the conductive state in place of the second relay and maintain the conductive state of the first relay;
- and
- a second calculator provided independently from the first calculator, configured to output the inverter control signal to the inverter when the first calculator is abnormal, and control the first relay to be kept in the conductive state, wherein
- the second calculator maintains the conductive state of the first relay even after switching OFF of the start switch when the start switch of the vehicle is switched OFF and a preset travel continuation condition is fulfilled, and switches the first relay to the interrupted state when the preset travel continuation condition is not fulfilled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.