Failure diagnostic system and electronic control unit for use in diagnosing failure of vehicle

• US 20030050747A1
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kamiya, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 6,728,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A center stores functional modification information and failure information, which are associated with each other. The modification information is used to store specified vehicle data at specified time. A terminal device transmits failure information to the center and receives analytic information, which includes the corresponding modification information, from the center. Then, the terminal device inquires a software product number of a control program, which includes a diagnostic program, to an ECU and receives a corresponding data assignment table, which corresponds to the software product number, from the center. The terminal device converts the modification information to a form, which is interpretable by the control program, through use of the assignment table and transmits it to the ECU. In the ECU, the modification information is stored in a form of tables, and the diagnostic program is executed to store the vehicle data based on the modification information.

Claims

1. A failure diagnostic system comprising:

an electronic control unit installed in a vehicle, wherein the electronic control unit includes;

a control program for controlling the vehicle; and

a diagnostic program for diagnosing each predetermined part of the vehicle and for storing vehicle operation information of the vehicle in the electronic control unit; and

a terminal device, which is communicatable with the electronic control unit, wherein;

the terminal device is capable of obtaining the vehicle operation information from the electronic control unit;

the terminal device is capable of transmitting functional modification information to the electronic control unit, wherein the functional modification information is usable to achieve functional modification of the diagnostic program and is prepared in association with failure information of the vehicle; and

the electronic control unit is capable of changing at least one of the vehicle operation information to be stored in the electronic control unit and a condition for storing the vehicle operation information in the electronic control unit by executing the diagnostic program to store the vehicle operation information in the electronic control unit based on the functional modification information transmitted from the terminal device.

2. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the failure information includes at least one of:

a diagnostic fault code; and

a trouble description, which describes a trouble of the vehicle.

3. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the functional modification information includes at least one of:

subject information, which specifies the vehicle operation information to be stored in the electronic control unit; and

condition information, which specifies the condition for storing the vehicle operation information in the electronic control unit.

4. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 3, wherein the terminal device is capable of newly creating the functional modification information when a user specifies the at least one of the subject information and the condition information.

5. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 3, wherein:

the electronic control unit creates at least one of;

a subject table, which corresponds to the subject information; and

a condition table, which corresponds to the condition information; and

when the at least one of the subject table and the condition table is created, the diagnostic program is executed to store the vehicle operation information based on the at least one of the subject table and the condition table.

6. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising a center, which performs data communication with the terminal device through a communication network, wherein:

the center includes a database of the functional modification information; and

the terminal device is capable of obtaining the functional modification information from the center.

7. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 6, wherein the center is capable of searching the corresponding functional modification information stored in the database based on the failure information transmitted from the terminal device and is capable of transmitting the corresponding function modification information to the terminal device.

8. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 6, wherein the terminal device stores the functional modification information based on a relationship between the functional modification information and the failure information.

9. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal device stores the functional modification information together with the vehicle operation information, which is obtained through use of the functional modification information.

10. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal device stores one of the followings in the database of the center:

the functional modification information; and

the functional modification information and the vehicle operation information.

11. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 6, wherein:

the terminal device converts the functional modification information to an interpretable form, which is interpretable by the diagnostic program of the electronic control unit; and

the terminal device transmits the interpretable form of the functional modification information to the electronic control unit.

12. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 11, wherein:

the terminal device inquires information about the diagnostic program to the electronic control unit and obtains a corresponding conversion table based on the information about the diagnostic program; and

the terminal device converts the functional modification information to the interpretable form through use of the corresponding conversion table.

13. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 12, wherein:

the center stores the conversion table;

the terminal device transmits the information about the diagnostic program to the center and obtains the corresponding conversion table, which corresponds to the information about the diagnostic program, from the center.

14. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 6, wherein the terminal device is capable of obtaining a size of a storage space of the electronic control unit, which is available for storing the vehicle operation information, from the electronic control unit.

15. A failure diagnostic system according to claim 14, wherein the terminal device is capable of obtaining the size of the storage space of the electronic control unit, which is available for storing the vehicle operation information, from the center.

16. An electronic control unit for use in a vehicle, wherein the electronic control unit includes:

a control program for controlling the vehicle; and

a diagnostic program for diagnosing each predetermined part of the vehicle and for storing vehicle operation information of the vehicle in the electronic control unit, wherein;

when the electronic control unit externally receives functional modification information that includes at least one of subject information, which specifies the vehicle operation information to be stored in the electronic control unit, and condition information, which specifies a condition for storing the vehicle operation information in the electronic control unit, the electronic control unit creates at least one of a subject table, which corresponds to the subject information, and a condition table, which corresponds to the condition information; and

the electronic control unit is capable of changing at least one of the vehicle operation information to be stored in the electronic control unit and the condition for storing the vehicle operation information in the electronic control unit by executing the diagnostic program to store the vehicle operation information in the electronic control unit based on the at least one of the subject table and the condition table.

17. An electronic control unit according to claim 16, wherein the electronic control unit externally transmits information about the diagnostic program when the electronic control unit externally receives an inquiry about the diagnostic program.