Abstract: Provided is a load drive slope control device that can reduce EMI noise, and power loss and heat generation when a drive transistor is turned on and off, and can prevent excessive high temperature-induced damage to the drive transistor at an excessive high temperature.

Abstract: Provided is a load drive slope control device that can reduce EMI noise, and power loss and heat generation when a drive transistor is turned on and off, and can prevent excessive high temperature-induced damage to the drive transistor at an excessive high temperature.

Abstract: There is provided an internal combustion engine controller that realizes a reduction in maximum current value and current regulation without sacrificing boost performance.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine controller, a clock trouble determination signal from a clock trouble determining circuit that diagnoses any clock input trouble is transmitted in parallel with an abnormality diagnosis signal outputted from an abnormality diagnosing circuit and causes it to be inputted to a trouble/abnormality signal output circuit, and the trouble/abnormality signal output circuit achieves logical summing to output one line of resultant trouble/abnormality output OR signals to a microprocessor (MP). The MP outputs to the trouble/abnormality signal output circuit a trouble/abnormality confirmation input signal, and makes definite any of an abnormal state, a clock trouble state and a normal state based on the result of switching control of the status level of the pertinent trouble/abnormality output OR signal.

Abstract: According to the present invention, the operation of a diagnostic circuit within a load drive circuit, which has been built into an electronic control device, is checked without modifying the electronic control device or the like. The load drive circuit, which drives a load such as a solenoid using a DC power supply as a power supply, includes a drive circuit and a diagnostic circuit which is independently provided within the drive circuit. Upon input of a drive-stop signal from a control circuit that controls the drive circuit, the operation of at least the drive circuit stops, so that whether the diagnostic circuit, which diagnoses the condition of the load, is normally operating or not is checked in a condition in which the load drive circuit has been built into the electronic control device.

Abstract: A layer short-circuit of a switch element such as a FET included in an electromagnetic load circuit is detected to accurately perform a failure diagnosis of the electromagnetic load circuit. A failure diagnosis circuit 101 is provided which detects a layer short-circuit in which a high-side switch element, a low-side switch element, or an electromagnetic load itself short-circuits with a power supply voltage terminal or a ground in a state of having a predetermined impedance to perform a failure diagnosis.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine controller comprises a current or voltage source for controlling a potential at a diagnosis position in order to ensure a high-precision fault diagnosis, even if the drive cycle of the electromagnetic load (such as a fuel injector), in the internal combustion engine is shorted. Diagnosis timing is optimally set or the number of determinations for averaging is increased in order to ensure high-precision fault diagnosis without being influenced by unexpected disturbance such as noises. In fault diagnosis of a regeneration circuit into a booster circuit, either an input/output voltage or the regeneration current of a driver of the electromagnetic load is detected.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine controller comprises a booster coil connected to a battery and a booster capacitor. A switch element is connected to the booster coil to control the passage of current through the booster coil and an interruption of the current. The booster capacitor accumulates electrical energy generated with an inductance of the booster coil at the time of the interruption of the passage of the current. A booster control circuit carries out control in a constant boost switching cycle so as to pass the current through the booster coil and the switch element until the current reaches a preset switching stop threshold value and then interrupt the current to charge the energy generated with the inductance of the booster coil into the booster capacitor. The booster control circuit is configured to ensure a minimum time period for the booster capacitor-charging of the energy within the boost switching cycle.

Abstract: A load driving and diagnosis system controls the feed and block of a load current flowing into an inductor such as a solenoid. The load driving and diagnosis system holds a counter-electromotive force, which is developed when the load current is blocked, at a voltage higher than a supply voltage so that the load current will decay for a short time. When an overcurrent condition is established in the load driving and diagnosis system because of a short circuit to a power supply, a malfunction of a circuit or destruction thereof may take place. In addition to a voltage holding means that holds a switching circuit output voltage at a predetermined voltage, a voltage holding means having a different predetermined voltage set therein is included. Moreover, a selection switch that switches the predetermined voltages according to a detected overcurrent condition is included.

Abstract: A control device 10 for an internal combustion engine 80 includes an injector drive circuit 90 that drives an injector 30 that injects fuel and a temperature detection device that at least detects timing when a temperature condition that the temperature of the injector drive circuit 90 exceeds predetermined temperature is satisfied. The control device 10 includes a heat-generation-suppression control means 104 that performs control for suppressing the heat generation of the injector drive circuit 90. The heat-generation-suppression control means 104 selects, on the basis of a driving state of a vehicle, at least one parameter among an electric current applied to the injector, fuel pressure supplied to the injector 30, the number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine, and voltage from a battery to be boosted and performs control for limiting a value of the selected parameter on the basis of the timing.

Abstract: A layer short-circuit of a switch element such as a FET included in an electromagnetic load circuit is detected to accurately perform a failure diagnosis of the electromagnetic load circuit. A failure diagnosis circuit 101 is provided which detects a layer short-circuit in which a high-side switch element, a low-side switch element, or an electromagnetic load itself short-circuits with a power supply voltage terminal or a ground in a state of having a predetermined impedance to perform a failure diagnosis.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a control system which is capable of building high-precision current detecting means in a single-chip LSI and can be realized at a lower cost, and a semiconductor device used in the control system. Drive circuits are provided inside the same semiconductor chip. The drive circuits are equipped with: current detecting shunt resistors each of which is provided in each of the drive circuits and detects a current flowing through a load, the current detecting shunt resistors being provided within a semiconductor chip by the same process; a dummy resistor provided within the semiconductor chip by the same process as the current detecting shunt resistors; and a calibration reference externally attached to the semiconductor chip and connected to the dummy resistor. A correcting means corrects the values of currents that flow through the current detecting shunt resistors, using the dummy resistor and the calibration reference.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine controller, a clock trouble determination signal from a clock trouble determining circuit that diagnoses any clock input trouble is transmitted in parallel with an abnormality diagnosis signal outputted from an abnormality diagnosing circuit and causes it to be inputted to a trouble/abnormality signal output circuit, and the trouble/abnormality signal output circuit achieves logical summing to output one line of resultant trouble/abnormality output OR signals to a microprocessor (MP). The MP outputs to the trouble/abnormality signal output circuit a trouble/abnormality confirmation input signal, and makes definite any of an abnormal state, a clock trouble state and a normal state based on the result of switching control of the status level of the pertinent trouble/abnormality output OR signal.

Abstract: There is provided an internal combustion engine controller that realizes a reduction in maximum current value and current regulation without sacrificing boost performance.

Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus is capable of reducing a minimum quantity of fuel injection without reducing a maximum quantity of injection. To open a fuel injector valve, a driving circuit supplies an electric current from a high-voltage power supply to the fuel injector. Then, after valve opening, the high-voltage power supply is switched to a low-voltage power supply, and an open state of the valve is retained. For opening the valve of the fuel injector, a microcomputer, after supplying current from the high-voltage power supply to the injector, discharges the current rapidly for a decrease below a first current level at which the open state of the valve cannot be retained. The microcomputer then controls the supply current to the injector so as to supply a current at a second current level at which the open state of the valve can be retained.

Abstract: There is proposed a control unit for an internal combustion engine, which comprises a boost circuit, a switching element, a current detecting resistor and a controller and is designed to be actuated such that the boost circuit is used to boost a power source voltage to create a boosted voltage and the controller is used to control the switching element so as to enable the boosted voltage to flow to the injector solenoid coil. This control unit is designed such that, when the boost circuit goes out of order, the injector solenoid coil is excited by making use of the power source voltage without using the boosted voltage and without creating a peak current to thereby generate a first holding current required for opening the injector and a second holding current required for retaining the opened state of the injector, the second holding current being lower in intensity than the first holding current.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine controller comprises a booster coil connected to a battery and a booster capacitor. A switch element is connected to the booster coil to control the passage of current through the booster coil and an interruption of the current. The booster capacitor accumulates electrical energy generated with an inductance of the booster coil at the time of the interruption of the passage of the current. A booster control circuit carries out control in a constant boost switching cycle so as to pass the current through the booster coil and the switch element until the current reaches a preset switching stop threshold value and then interrupt the current to charge the energy generated with the inductance of the booster coil into the booster capacitor. The booster control circuit is configured to ensure a minimum time period for the booster capacitor-charging of the energy within the boost switching cycle.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine controller has: a voltage booster circuit for boosting a battery power source; a booster side driver element for flowing a current through the injectors by using the boosted voltage; a battery side driver element disposed in parallel with the booster side driver element to flow a current through the injectors by using the battery power source; a first downstream side driver element provided by controlling currents flowing through the injectors; current regeneration diodes for flowing currents from the downstream side to the upstream side of the injectors; a booster side current detector resistor for detecting currents flowing via the current regeneration diodes; and an injector control circuit for controlling and driving the booster side driver element, battery side driver element and first downstream side driver element.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine controller that drives an electromagnetic load is provided for improving a fault diagnosis precision of the electromagnetic load and stabilizing a high-speed control without influence of noises even if the drive cycle of the electromagnetic load is short. The internal combustion engine controller has high reliability in a fault diagnosis for a circuit to regenerate counter electromotive energy. The internal combustion engine controller comprises a current source or a voltage source for controlling a potential of the diagnosis position in order to ensure a high-precision fault diagnosis even if the drive cycle of the electromagnetic load, such as the fuel injector, in the internal combustion engine is shortened. Diagnosis timing is optimally set or the number of determinations for averaging is increased in order to ensure the high-precision fault diagnosis without being influenced by unexpected disturbance such as noises.

Abstract: To provide a fuel injection control apparatus capable of reducing the minimum quantity of fuel injection without reducing the maximum quantity of injection. For fuel injector valve opening, a driving circuit 56 supplies an electric current from a high-voltage power supply VH to the fuel injector 53, then after valve opening, switches the high-voltage power supply VH to a low-voltage power supply LV, and retains the open state of the valve. A microcomputer 57 is adapted such that for opening the valve of the fuel injector, the microcomputer, after supplying the current from the high-voltage power supply to the injector 53, discharges the current rapidly for a decrease below a first current level Ihold1 at which the open state of the valve cannot be retained, and then controls the supply current to the injector 53 so as to supply a current of a second current level Ihold2 at which the open state of the valve can be retained.