The present invention relates to a system for performing an electronic control in open or closed loop. Moreover, the present invention relates to a corresponding method and a control unit performing an electronic control in open or closed loop.
In automotive control, different functions may be performed via different controller arrangements, which each have individually adapted control units. Examples may include anti-lock brake and/or vehicle dynamics control systems. One may endeavor to use universally applicable control units which may be used within the scope of different functions. The individual control units may have connected thereto, for example, suitable actuators and/or sensors which, in turn, may include electronics.
A further example may include a power-window motor with integrated anti-pinch protection electronics. The connection of the actuators or sensors to the respective control units may be accomplished via specific interfaces which may be generally implemented by suitable driver circuits within the control unit. Moreover, control units may contain further components such as microcontrollers, voltage regulators, and memory devices.
A universally usable control unit for control systems is discussed in German Published Patent Application No. 37 38 915. In this context, a universal control unit may be used which may identify the existing system design only after installation because of an external command so as to then store the system design. It may be considered a disadvantage of such a universal control unit that, for ensuring a larger number of control functions, it may need to have correspondingly designed circuit elements and individualized interfaces via which, for example, sensors or actuators may interact with the control unit. The integration of such variant-determining circuit elements and interfaces in one control unit may require a relatively large effort. Due to the potential need for a plurality of connections, moreover, universal control units of that kind may have a relatively large structural size.
German Patent No. 42 03 704 discusses the use of a plurality of control units which communicate via a bus. In this connection, a plurality of control units which may be identical in their hardware design may be installed in a vehicle, their specific functions being determined only from outside, depending their specific use. This publication may relate, in particular, to a method for initializing such control units.
An object of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electrical system architecture for motor vehicles, in which standardized control units may be largely used, even for implementing different closed-loop and open-loop control functions so as to better ensure in this manner, for example, cost savings and a high flexibility in the use of such control units.
According to the exemplary embodiment and/or exemplary method of the present invention, standard control units may now be used even for implementing complex systems to be controlled, and the standard control units may be individualized for specific control functions using externally arranged, variant-determining circuit elements. A high flexibility may be achieved in the design of vehicle electrics architectures since hardware modification may not be required within a control unit, for example, when changing or replacing an actuator or sensor which may interact with the control unit. In this connection, circuit elements which may be understood to be variant-determining may include, in particular, driver circuits or driver modules which may determine the type of the actuator or sensor which may be connected, respectively.
The control units may be scalable with respect to the number of their interfaces, their computing power and/or their memory capacity. This measure may permit, in a simple manner, for example, adaptation to the control requirements of a small car which may require about twenty control inputs or outputs, or to those of a more complex vehicle in which about eighty such inputs or outputs may be needed.
In an exemplary embodiment of the system according to the present invention, the interfaces may have a standardized section which may be formed in or on the control unit and an individualized section which may be formed such that it may be externally arranged with respect to the control unit. Using this measure, an essentially completely standardized control unit may be provided which may be individualized by connection to suitable individualized interface sections or variant-determining circuit elements such as power drivers, etc.
In another exemplary embodiment of the system according to the present invention, the individualized section of the respective interfaces and/or the variant-determining circuit element may be arranged within a cable harness which may. connect the control unit with an actuator or sensor. This measure may permit use of individualized cable harnesses for adapting a control unit to actuators or sensors as a result of which the effort for making available the actual control unit may be reduced.
According to another exemplary embodiment, the individualized section of the interfaces may be expediently provided in or on a sensor or actuator. For this purpose, the sensor or actuator may include corresponding plugs.
In another exemplary embodiment of the system according to the present invention, provision may be made for at least two control units which may be interconnected via a multiplex line. Via such a multiplex line, different control units may be interconnected in a simple and effective manner.