Vehicle diagnosis system and method

• US 10,371,074 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ohsaki, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Testardi, David A
• Application Number:
  US15/587,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20170241360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/192 Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0825 related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/904 Component specially adapted for hev

Abstract

A vehicle diagnosis system determines whether a vehicle has an abnormality in a temporal engine stop function or a power regeneration function that negates a greenhouse gas reduction effect of the engine. When the vehicle diagnosis system determines an abnormality, the vehicle diagnosis system provides a notification of the abnormality.

Claims

1. A vehicle diagnosis system for performing a diagnosis for a vehicle having a temporal engine stop function that temporarily stops an engine of the vehicle in a certain condition satisfied state, the vehicle diagnosis system comprising:

a sensor detecting a parameter associated with the vehicle;

a controller, including a computer processor and memory, the controller being configured at least to;

determine an occurrence of a specific abnormality of the vehicle based on the detected parameter, the specific abnormality being an abnormality that cancels a greenhouse gas reduction effect by the temporal engine stop function, wherein

the specific abnormality is an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a satisfaction of a condition of a temporal stop of the engine or (ii) a determination of satisfaction of the condition of the temporal stop of the engine; and

even though an accumulated value of an input power to a battery installed in the vehicle in a current trip is greater than a specified value, the specific abnormality includes an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a reaching of a remaining charge amount of the battery installed in the vehicle to a standard amount as the satisfaction of the condition or (ii) a detection of the reaching of the remaining charge amount to the standard amount as the determination of the satisfaction of the condition; and

provide an output, via a communicator of the vehicle, to a device, that is external from the vehicle, based on the determined occurrence of the specific abnormality.

2. The vehicle diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein

the specific abnormality includes an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a reaching of an engine cooling water temperature to a standard temperature as the satisfaction of the condition or (ii) a detection of the reaching of the engine cooling water temperature to the standard temperature as the determination of the satisfaction of the condition.

3. The vehicle diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein

the specific abnormality includes an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a reaching of a sensor temperature of a sensor that is disposed in an exhaust passage of the engine to a standard temperature as the satisfaction of the condition or (ii) a detection of the reaching of the sensor temperature to the standard temperature as the determination of the satisfaction of the condition.

4. The vehicle diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein

the specific abnormality includes an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a reaching of an inter-terminal voltage of a battery disposed in the vehicle to a standard voltage as the satisfaction of the condition or (ii) a detection of the reaching of the inter-terminal voltage to the standard voltage as the determination of the satisfaction of the condition.

5. The vehicle diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein

the specific abnormality includes an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a reaching of an oil temperature of a transmission disposed in the vehicle to a standard temperature as the satisfaction of the condition or (ii) a detection of the reaching of the oil temperature to the standard temperature as the determination of the satisfaction of the condition.

6. A vehicle diagnosis method for performing a diagnosis for a vehicle having a temporal engine stop function that temporarily stops an engine of the vehicle in a certain condition satisfied state, the vehicle diagnosis method comprising:

detecting, using a sensor, a parameter associated with the vehicle;

determining, using a controller including a computer processor and memory,

an occurrence of abnormality of the vehicle based on the detected parameter, which includes determining whether a specific abnormality is occurring, and

whether the specific abnormality is an abnormality that cancels a greenhouse gas reduction effect by the temporal engine stop function;

wherein

the specific abnormality is an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a satisfaction of a condition of a temporal stop of the engine or (ii) a determination of satisfaction of the condition of the temporal stop of the engine; and

even though an accumulated value of an input power to a battery installed in the vehicle in a current trip is greater than a specified value, the specific abnormality includes an abnormality that hinders or delays (i) a reaching of a remaining charge amount of the battery installed in the vehicle to a standard amount as the satisfaction of the condition or (ii) a detection of the reaching of the remaining charge amount to the standard amount as the determination of the satisfaction of the condition; and

providing an output, via a communicator of the vehicle, to a device, that is external from the vehicle, based on the determined occurrence of the specific abnormality.