Patent ID: 8451091

Claim:
A control system having a plurality of sensor units and an electronic control unit, each of the sensor units including a sensor and a communication device, the electronic control unit being connected to communication devices included in the sensor units via a common communication line, and the electronic control unit being connected to sensors included in the sensor units via signal lines individually provided for the sensor units, wherein the electronic control unit comprises a transmission controlling means which sets a signal line connected to a sensor unit, which is a destination of communication data, to a first state, sets the signal line connected to the sensor unit, which is not the destination of the communication data, to a second state, and transmits the communication data to the sensor unit, which is the destination, via the communication line, each of the sensor units comprises a reception controlling means which determines a state of the signal line connecting the sensor included in the sensor unit to the electronic control unit, when the reception controlling means determines that the signal line of the sensor unit is in the first state, the reception controlling means receives communication data received by the communication device and performs a predetermined process based on the communication data, and when the reception controlling means determines that the signal line of the sensor unit is in the second state, the reception controlling means discards the communication data received by the communication device; the electronic control unit further comprises a stop requiring means which transmits, via the communication line, stop requiring data for requiring the sensor unit to stop outputting a sensor signal to the signal line before the transmission controlling means operates, each of the sensor units comprises an output stopping means which stops outputting the sensor signal from the sensor to the signal line when the communication device receives the stop requiring data, and the transmission controlling means of the electronic control unit operates after the electronic control unit receives the sensor signal via the signal line corresponding to the sensor unit.