Abstract:
A first processing circuit determines a collision of a vehicle based on an output from a sensor for detecting a collision of the vehicle. A second processing circuit outputs a signal to deploy an airbag based on an output from the first processing circuit. A communication unit controls information communication between the first processing circuit and an electronic control unit outside the airbag system. A first power supply unit generates a first driving voltage for driving the first and second processing circuits based on a voltage of an outside power supply. The first power supply unit includes backup power supply unit that supplies a backup voltage when the voltage of the outside power supply falls. A second power supply unit supplies a second driving voltage to the communication unit based on an output of the first power supply unit. A power supply control unit stops the supply of the second driving voltage from the second power supply unit to the communication unit on detection of a fall in the voltage of the outside power supply.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an airbag system for securing the safety of an occupant of a vehicle by deploying an airbag when the vehicle is involved in a collision or the like, and more particularly to an airbag system which includes a communication unit which makes up a network together with other electronic control units within the vehicle. 
     A controller area network (hereinafter, referred to as CAN) is a seal bus system which is standardized for vehicles for interchanging information and data between a plurality of electronic control units (hereinafter, referred to as ECU). A CAN driver which controls a CAN communication is normally provided as an independent IC, which is incorporated in an ECU for airbags or the like as an independent part for use. However, CAN driver IC&#39;s themselves are expensive and therefore constitute one of main causes for an increase in the ECU cost. Due to this, it has been desired that a CAN driver is incorporated in a single integrated circuit together with other electronic units in the ECU so as to make up an ASIC, whereby the necessity of an independent CAN driver IC is obviated to realize a reduction in the ECU cost. 
     A CAN driver IC is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. P10-105309, and the incorporation of a CAN driver in an ASIC is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. P2004-286029. 
       FIG. 1  shows the configuration of a related-art airbag ECU in which a CAN driver is incorporated. An airbag ECU  100  includes a main G-sensor (an acceleration sensor)  1  for detecting a collision of a vehicle, a safety G-sensor  2 , a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a main microcomputer)  3  for determining on a colliding state in software based on an output of the main G-sensor, a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a sub-microcomputer)  4  for performing a safety collision determination in software based on an output of the safety G sensor  2  and output circuits  5  ( 5   a ,  5   b , . . . ,  5   n ) for outputting airbag ignition signals based on a collision determination signal from the main microcomputer  3  and a safety determination signal from the sub-microcomputer  4 . The output circuits  5  outputs a driving signal to airbags  6  ( 6   a ,  6   b , . . . ,  6   n ) which is mounted on the vehicle. Each of the airbags  6  includes a squib (not shown) for exploding by being electrically connected so that the airbag is deployed, and a switching transistor (not shown) for controlling supply of power to the squib. A system power supply circuit  7  supplies power to the squib. The output circuits  5  are connected to a base of the switching transistor. In a case where the output circuits  5  outputs the airbag ignition signals, the switching transistor is turned on and power is supplied to the squib. 
     Normally, the output circuits  5  are incorporated in a single IC as an ASIC  8  together with a power supply circuit (hereinafter, referred to as a system power supply circuit)  7  which forms a voltage needed to drive individual parts within the airbag ECU from an outside power supply. 
     The system power supply circuit  7  receives the supply of power by being connected to an onboard batter  10  via an ignition switch and forms a voltage which is necessary to drive the output circuits, the main microcomputer, the sub-microcomputer and the like. Furthermore, the system power supply circuit  7  is connected to a capacitor  11  which functions as a backup power supply and charges the capacitor  11  while power is being supplied thereto from the onboard battery  10 , so that when the ignition switch  9  is turned off to thereby stop the supply of power from the onboard battery  10  to the system power supply circuit  7 , the capacitor  11  supplies power to the system power supply circuit  7 . 
     The airbag ECU  100  needs to operate properly to deploy the airbags, for example, even when the ignition switch  9  becomes off due to the vehicle being involved in a collision, whereby no power is supplied to the system power supply system  7  from the onboard battery. The backup power supply is such as to be provided to supply power that is necessary for the whole system in such a case. 
     The airbag ECU  100  includes further an input circuit  12  and inputs outputs from other acceleration sensors  13 ,  14  which are provided outside the ECU  100  into the main microcomputer  3  and the sub-microcomputer  4  via the input circuit  12 . The acceleration sensors  13  are, for example, front sensors for frontal collision which are provided at the front of a vehicle body to detect a frontal collision, and the acceleration sensors  14  are satellite sensors for side collision which are provided on sides of the vehicle body to detect a side collision. 
     The airbag ECU  100  includes further a CAN driver  15  for performing a CAN communication between the main microcomputer  3  and other outside ECU&#39;s such as an electronic fuel injection (hereinafter, referred to as EFI) ECU  200  and a door ECU  300 . The CAN driver  15  is provided as an single independent IC. As is described above, since the airbag ECU  100  needs to operate properly even when the outside power supply is cut off, the airbag ECU  100  has the backup power supply, but the CAN driver  15  does not have to continue to operate any longer when the outside power supply is cut off. Due to this, in the event that the system power supply is also used as a power supply for the CAN driver  15 , it results that the CAN driver  15  continues to consume current from the backup power supply when the outside power supply is cut off. When the backup power supply is consumed by the CAN driver  15 , the backup power supply needs to be configured by a capacitor having a large capacity, and this not only affects badly the miniaturization of the airbag ECU  100  but also constitutes one of main causes of an increase in costs. 
     Consequently, a power supply for the CAN driver  15  is provided as a separate line in the airbag ECU  100  so that the supply of power to the CAN driver  15  is stopped in the event that the ignition switch  9  becomes off. Reference numeral  16  denotes a power supply circuit for supplying a drive power to the CAN driver  15  (a CAN driver power supply circuit), and a commercially available power supply IC is used for this. 
     As described above, in the related-art airbag system, in order to secure the necessary backup power supply, the power supply for the communication unit such as the CAN driver needed to be provided as the separate line from the power supply for the airbag system. Due to this, in order to incorporate the communication unit in the processing circuit which outputs an airbag deployment signal, a separate power supply circuit which is connected to the outside power supply by way of a separate line from the power supply circuit for the airbag system, and this complicates the construction of the whole power supply circuit, and in order to realize such a power supply circuit, an IC chip having a large area is necessary. As a result, even in the event that the communication unit, which is configured by the independent IC is incorporated in the processing circuit to omit the communication IC, there still remains a problem that an extensive cost reduction cannot be expected as the whole airbag system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an airbag system which can realize an extensive cost reduction by incorporating an communication IC within a processing circuit for outputting an airbag deployment signal in an efficient manner. 
     In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention, there is provided an airbag system comprising a first processing circuit for determining on a collision of a vehicle based on an output from a sensor for detecting a collision of the vehicle and a second processing circuit for outputting a signal to deploy an airbag based on an output from the first processing circuit, wherein 
     the second processing circuit further comprises: 
     a communication unit that controls information communication between the first processing circuit and an electronic control unit outside the airbag system; 
     a first power supply unit that generates a first driving voltage for driving the first and second processing circuits based on a voltage of an outside power supply, the first power supply unit that includes backup power supply unit that supplies a backup voltage when the voltage of the outside power supply falls; 
     a second power supply unit that supplies a second driving voltage to the communication unit based on an output of the first power supply unit; and 
     a power supply control unit that stops the supply of the second driving voltage from the second power supply unit to the communication unit on detection of a fall in the voltage of the outside power supply. 
     With this configuration, in the second processing circuit, when the power supply control unit detects a fall in the outside power supply voltage, the supply of second drive voltage from the second power supply unit to the communication unit is stopped. Due to this, even when the backup power supply unit is activated due to a fall in the voltage of the outside power supply to supply power to the secondary processing circuit, the supply of power to the communication unit is cut off, so that the backup power is not consumed by the communication unit. Consequently, the second drive voltage for the communication unit can be formed by the second power supply unit based on an output of the first power supply unit, and the circuit configuration of the second power supply unit can be simplified by such an extent that the second drive voltage for the communication unit can be formed by the second power supply unit, whereby the communication unit can be incorporated within the second processing circuit only with a small chip area. As a result, it becomes possible to provide an airbag system at low production costs. 
     The outside power supply may be an onboard battery which is connected to the airbag system via an ignition switch. The second processing circuit may be made of one ASIC. The communication unit in the second processing circuit may be a CAN driver for controlling a controller area network. The first processing circuit may be made of a microcomputer. 
     The first power supply unit of the second processing circuit may further comprise a voltage monitoring unit that monitors an input voltage from the outside power supply. The power supply control unit may deactivate the second power supply unit in case where the monitored input voltage in the voltage monitoring unit reaches no more than a predetermined value. With this configuration, even in the event that the backup power supply is started up due to the fall in the voltage of the outside power supply, the second power supply unit is not activated, and consequently, the consumption of the backup power by the communication unit is prevented. 
     The first power supply unit in the second processing circuit may include a voltage fall detection unit for outputting a reset signal to the power supply control unit when the output of the first power supply unit reaches no more than a predetermined value, that is, when the output of the first power supply unit reaches no more than the first drive voltage of the first and/or second processing circuit, whereby the power supply control unit deactivates the second power supply unit when the reset signal is inputted thereinto. With this configuration, when the output of the first power supply unit lowers below the output level necessary to drive the first and/or second processing circuit, the communication unit is activated, so as to prevent the transmission of erroneous information to the outside electronic control units due to a malfunction of the first processing unit. 
     In a case where the first processing circuit is made up of a microcomputer, the second processing circuit may further include an overdrive detection circuit for detecting an overdrive of the microcomputer, whereby the power supply control unit may deactivate the second power supply unit when receiving an output of the overdrive detection circuit. With this configuration, in the event that there occurs an overdrive of the microcomputer, the communication unit is stopped so as to secure the reliability in communication. 
     The second processing circuit may further include a thermal shut-down circuit for stopping the drive of the communication unit on detection of an abnormal heat release from the communication unit. The power supply control unit switches off the second power supply circuit when receiving a detection signal which signals the abnormality of the thermal shut-down circuit. Furthermore, the second power supply unit of the second processing circuit includes a voltage fall detection circuit, whereby the second power supply unit switches off the communication unit based on an output of the voltage fall detection circuit. With this configuration, the reliability in communication by the communication unit is secured. In addition, information on thermal shut-down is transmitted to the microcomputer via the power supply control unit, whereby the microcomputer comes to know that the communication unit stops to be driven due to a thermal shut-down. 
     The first power supply unit in the second processing circuit may include a voltage increasing circuit for increasing an input voltage from the outside power supply, whereby the backup power supply unit generates a backup voltage based on an output of the voltage increasing circuit. In addition, the second processing circuit may comprise a voltage decreasing circuit in a rear stage of the voltage increasing circuit in the first power supply means, whereby the second power supply unit generates a voltage for the communication unit based on an output of the voltage decreasing circuit. With this configuration, since the second power supply unit can be made up of a low voltage circuit, the circuit configuration is simplified, and the chip area for realizing the whole power supply circuit is reduced. 
     In the airbag system of the invention, by the configuration that has been described heretofore, since the power supply for the communication unit can be made up of the same line as the power supply for the airbag system, the configuration of the power supply unit for the communication unit can be simplified. Due to this, even in the event that the communication unit is incorporated in the second processing circuit, there occurs no case where the processing circuit thereof becomes so complex as to increase the chip area. Consequently, it is possible to the airbag system which has high reliability at low costs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing the configuration of a related-art airbag ECU. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the configuration of an airbag ECU according an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a view showing a relation between the output circuit and the airbag which are shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing the construction of an ASIC shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing a detailed construction of the ASIC shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the configuration of an airbag ECU  20  according to an embodiment of the invention. Note that in the figures referred to below, like reference numerals to those shown in  FIG. 1  are such as to denote the same or similar constituent members to those shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , an airbag ECU  20  of this embodiment incorporates a CAN system circuit  25  within an ASIC  21 . The CAN system circuit  25  includes a CAN driver  22  as a communication unit, a CAN power supply circuit  23  and a power supply control unit  24 . The related-art CAN driver, which is made up of an independent IC, has a thermal shut-down circuit, and therefore, the CAN system circuit  25  similarly has a thermal shut-down circuit  26 , which will be described later on by reference to  FIG. 4 . 
     As with the ASIC  8  in  FIG. 1 , the ASIC  21  has further output circuits  5  ( 5   a ,  5   b , . . . ,  5   n ) for airbag ignition and a system power supply circuit  7 .  FIG. 3  is a view showing a relation between the output circuit  5  and the airbag  6 . In particular,  FIG. 3  representatively shows the output circuit  5   a  and the airbag  6   a . The other output circuits and the airbags have similar configuration. The airbag  6   a  has a switching transistor  60  connected in series between power B (an in-vehicle battery  10 ) and grand, and a squib  61 . The airbag is configured such that an output of the output circuit  6   a  is inputted to a base of the switching transistor  60  through resistance  62 . Therefore, in case where the output circuit  5   a  outputs an airbag ignition signal, the switching transistor  60  is turned on and current flows to the squib  61 . The squib  61  is heated and exploded by the current, thereby deploying the airbag  6   a.    
     In  FIG. 2 , The CAN drive circuit  23  incorporates therein a 5V circuit to generate a voltage of 5V for driving the CAN driver  22  based on an intermediate output of the system power supply circuit  7 . The power supply control unit  24  has a function to perform an ON/OFF control of the CAN power supply circuit  23  depending on the state of an outside power supply. Consequently, in the event that an onboard battery comes off a vehicle body due to, for example, the vehicle being involved in a collision, whereby no power is supplied to the airbag ECU  20  via an ignition switch  9 , the power supply control unit  24  detects this fact and switches off the CAN power supply circuit  23  to thereby prevent the consumption of backup power at the CAN driver  22 . The CAN driver  22  is originally such as to inform other ECU&#39;s that the vehicle has been involved in a collision. Since a collision signal is transmitted to the airbag microcomputer by way of a different line from this communication line at the time of an actual collision, even in case the power supply for the CAN driver is cut off, the communication of the collision signal is cut off in no case. 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram showing in detail the ASIC  21  in the airbag ECU  20  shown in  FIG. 2  and shows detailed constructions of, in particular, the CAN system circuit  25  and the system power supply circuit  7 . As shown in the figure, the system power supply circuit  7  includes an ignition voltage (hereinafter, referred to as an IG voltage) monitoring circuit  71 , a voltage increasing circuit  72 , a voltage decreasing circuit  73  and the 5V circuit  74 . The IG voltage monitoring circuit  71  is connected to an IG input terminal  30  of the airbag ECU  20 , and the IG input terminal  30  is connected, in turn, to the onboard battery  10  via the ignition switch  9 . An input end of the voltage increasing circuit  72  is connected to the IG input terminal  30 . A backup power supply  11  is connected between the voltage increasing circuit  72  and the voltage decreasing circuit  73 . 
     An IG voltage of, for example, 12V which is inputted into the airbag ECU  20  via the IG input terminal  30  is increased to 23V by the voltage increasing circuit  72  in order to change the backup power supply  11  in an efficient fashion. Thereafter, the IG voltage is decreased to, for example, 7V by the voltage decreasing circuit  73 , so as to be supplied to the 5V circuit  74 . The 5V circuit  74  is such as to generate a system voltage for driving the microcomputer  3  and the like and includes a voltage fall detection circuit so as to output a reset signal to prevent a malfunction of the microcomputer  3  in case a voltage fall occurs. 
     The ASIC  21  also includes output circuits  5  for igniting airbags, an overdrive detection circuit  31  for detecting an overdrive of the main microcomputer  3  and a serial communication circuit  32  for controlling a communication between the main microcomputer  3  and the ASIC  21 . Note that in the output circuits  5 , current that is supplied to squibs (not shown) for deploying the airbags  6  is supplied by way of a different line from the line for the system power supply circuit  7 . 
     In  FIG. 4 , only the ASIC  21 , the CAN system circuit  25 , the backup power supply  11  and the main microcomputer  3  are shown within the airbag ECU  20 , and the other circuits shown in  FIG. 1  such as a sub-microcomputer  4 , G-sensors  1 ,  2  and an input circuit  12  are omitted therein. 
     The CAN system circuit  25  includes a thermal shut-down circuit  26  in addition to the CAN driver  22 , the CAN power supply circuit  23  and the power supply control unit  24  made up of a digital circuit, which have been described above. The power control unit  24  includes a CAN power supply control circuit  27 , a CAN driver mode control circuit  28  and an input logic circuit  29 . An output indicating a monitored result (a voltage fall detection signal) of the IG voltage monitoring circuit  71 , a reset signal from the voltage fall detection circuit contained in the 5V circuit  74  and a reset signal from the overdrive detection circuit  31  are inputted into the CAN power supply control circuit  27 , and the CAN power supply control circuit  27  outputs a signal signaling to switch off the CAN power supply circuit  23  based on any of the signals so inputted thereinto. 
     The CAN power supply circuit  23  prepares a drive voltage for the CAN driver  22  based on an output of the voltage decreasing circuit  73  in the system power supply unit  7 . The CAN power supply circuit  23  includes the same 5V circuit as the 5V circuit  74  contained in the system power supply circuit  7 . A reset signal outputted from this voltage fall detection circuit is inputted into the CAN driver  22  via the CAN driver mode control circuit  28  and the input logic circuit  29 . 
     As described above, the CAN power supply circuit  23  generates the drive voltage of 7V for the CAN driver  22  based on the output of the voltage decreasing circuit  73  in the system power supply unit  7 . This depends on the following reason. For example, in a case where the CAN power supply circuit  23  is connected between the voltage increasing circuit  72  and the voltage decreasing circuit  73 , and generates the drive voltage of 5V for the CAN driver  22  based on the output of 23V of the voltage increasing circuit  72 , a voltage of 18V which is a difference between 23V and 5V is supplied to the CAN power supply circuit  23 , thereby causing significant power loss. As a result, the CAN power supply circuit can not be incorporated in the ASIC  21 . In a case where the CAN power supply circuit is connected to an input side (16V) of the voltage increasing circuit  72 , a voltage of 11V which is a difference between 16V and 5V is supplied to the CAN power supply circuit  23 , thereby causing significant power loss. Therefore, it is preferable to connect the CAN power supply circuit to an output side of the voltage decreasing circuit  73 . 
     The CAN driver mode control circuit  28  transmits a stand-by mode setting signal, a normal mode setting signal and a receiving mode setting signal to the CAN driver  22  in response to various commands inputted from the microcomputer  3  by the serial communication circuit  32 . When a stand-by setting signal is outputted from the CAN driver mode control circuit  28  or a power supply resetting signal is outputted from the CAN power supply circuit  23 , the input logic circuit  29  outputs a stand-by setting signal to the CAN driver  22 . Furthermore, when a normal mode setting signal is outputted from the CAN driver mode control circuit  28  and a power supply resetting signal is not outputted from the CAN driver power supply unit  23 , the input logic circuit  29  outputs a normal mode setting signal to the CAN driver  22 . Furthermore, when a receiving mode setting is outputted from the CAN driver control unit  28  and a power supply resetting signal is not outputted from the CAN power supply circuit  23 , the input logic circuit  29  outputs a receiving mode setting signal to the CAN driver  22 . 
     When a release of abnormal heat from the CAN driver  22  occurs, the thermal shut-down circuit  26  detects this fact and outputs a thermal shut-down (TSD) signal to the CAN driver mode control circuit  28 . The CAN driver mode control circuit  28  transmits TSD information to the main microcomputer  3  via the CAN power supply control circuit  27  and the serial communication circuit  32 . When receiving the TDS information, the CAN power supply control circuit  27  outputs a power supply off signal to the CAN power supply circuit  23 , so as to switch off the CAN power supply circuit  23 . By receiving the TSD information, the microcomputer  3  comes to know that the CAN driver  22  is in a thermal shut-down state and can make use of the information for control within the airbag ECU  20  or communication control. 
     Functions of the ASIC  21  to control the CAN power supply will be summarized below. 
     (1) The voltage fall in the outside input power supply is monitored by the IG voltage monitoring circuit  71 , and when the input voltage reaches or lowers below a predetermined value, the CAN power supply circuit  23  is switched off by the CAN power supply control circuit  27 , so as to stop the driving of the CAN driver  22 . 
     (2) When a voltage fall is detected in the 5V circuit  74  in the system power supply circuit  7 , a power supply resetting signal is outputted to the CAN power supply circuit  27  so as to switch off the CAN power supply circuit  23 , so that the supply of power to the CAN driver  22  is stopped. 
     (3) Since the microcomputer  3  is reset when the overdrive detection circuit  31  for detecting an overdrive of the microcomputer detects an overdrive of the microcomputer, an overdrive detection signal is outputted to the CAN power supply control circuit  27  so as to switch off the CAN power supply circuit  23 , so that the supply of power to the CAN driver  22  is stopped. 
     (4) When a voltage generated in the CAN power supply circuit  23  reaches or lowers below a predetermined value, the CAN power supply circuit  23  outputs a power supply resetting signal and sets the CAN driver  22  to a stand-by mode via the input logic circuit  29 . This is done to prevent the loss of a communication guarantee provided by the CAN driver  22  which would otherwise be the case due to the voltage fall of the CAN power supply. 
     (5) The main microcomputer  3  monitors the output of the IG voltage monitoring circuit  71 , and when the main microcomputer  3  determines as a result of the monitoring so carried out that the CAN driver  22  in the ASIC  21  is in an activated state, a CAN command is transmitted from the main microcomputer  3  to the CAN driver mode control circuit  28 , so as to set the CAN driver  22  to a normal mode. 
     (6) When the main microcomputer  3  sets the ASIC  21  to an initializing mode, an initializing command is outputted to the CAN driver mode control circuit  28 , so as to set the CAN driver to the stand-by mode. 
     (7) The thermal shut-down circuit  26  transmits information on the thermal shut-down of the CAN driver  22  to the main microcomputer  3  via the CAN driver mode control circuit  28  and the serial communication circuit  32 . The main microcomputer  3  makes use of the information for controlling the other electronic equipment within the airbag ECU  20  and communication control. 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example of a detailed construction of the ASIC  21  shown in  FIG. 4 . A corresponding relation between individual parts shown in  FIG. 5  and the constituent members shown in  FIG. 4  is indicated by areas indicated by broken lines and reference numerals imparted to the areas. In addition, although the backup capacitor is connected to a leading end of Vback, which is an output of the voltage increasing circuit  72 , in reality, the backup capacitor is omitted in this diagram. The CAN power supply circuit  23  generates a voltage for driving the CAN driver  22  based on an output voltage Voo which is set lower than the IG voltage by the voltage decreasing circuit  73 . Due to this, an input to the CAN power supply circuit is lowered in voltage, and when being attempted to be incorporated in the ASIC  21 , the CAN power supply circuit  23  can be realized by a small chip area. Since the related-art CAN driver is made up of the independent IC, in the event that the CAN driver is designed to share the power supply with the airbag ASIC or to use the power of the airbag ASIC, when the IG becomes off, the CAN driver continues to consume current from the backup power supply for the airbag system. Due to this, power continues to be consumed wastefully even when the IG is off, however, according to the embodiment, since the CAN power supply can be switched off when the IG is off, the wasteful consumption of power can be suppressed.