Method and arrangement for performing an exhaust gas analysis on motor vehicles having an on-board engine control and diagnostic system

• US 20030182994A1
• Filed: 02/19/2003
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Ludwig, Michael, Huller, Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 6,785,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/118.1
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 11/00 Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus , e.g. for catalytic activity safety, indicating or supervising devices for internal combustion engines F02B77/08; testing of machines G01M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0235 in relation with the state of the exhaust gas treating apparatus control of exhaust gas treating apparatus per se F01N
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1495 Detection of abnormalities in the air/fuel ratio feedback system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

An exhaust gas analysis is to be performed, in a manner that is largely automatic, on motor vehicles having an on-board engine control and diagnostic system (OBD 2) and equipped with a diagnostic interface (3). To this end, control commands (15) are generated, preferably in an exhaust gas tester (12), and are transmitted via the diagnostic interface (3) to the engine control and diagnostic system (2). The engine control and diagnostic system (2), in accordance with the control commands (15), adjusts the operating states of the motor vehicle (1) that are prescribed for the exhaust gas analysis.

Claims

1. A method of emissions testing for a motor vehicle that has an on-board engine control and diagnostic system and a diagnostic interface, comprising:

performing the emissions test using an emissions tester,

executing a program external to the on-board engine control and diagnostic system to control the emissions test, wherein the program generates control commands during the execution, and

transmitting the control commands via the diagnostic interface to the on-board engine control and diagnostic system, which sets operating states of the motor vehicle, which are predetermined for the emissions test, as a function of the control commands.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the program is executed within the emissions tester.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the program is executed in a controller that controls the emissions tester.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically documenting the operating states of the motor vehicle which are set during the exhaust gas test.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

registering exhaust gas values concurrently with said documenting.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering data of the operating states of the motor vehicle,

wherein at least one step of the emissions test is triggered by detecting one of the operating states from the registered data.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein commencement of the emissions test is triggered by detecting one of the operating states from the registered data.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering respective data characteristic for plural ones of the operating states of the motor vehicle,

wherein the generated control commands adaptively change as a function of the registered data.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the control commands adaptively change to bring a current operating state of the vehicle to a predetermined set-point operating state of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

reading out at least a part of the data from the engine control and diagnostic system via the diagnostic interface.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

reading out at least a part of the data from the engine control and diagnostic system via the diagnostic interface.

12. An emissions test apparatus for a motor vehicle having an on-board engine control and diagnostic system and a diagnostic interface, said apparatus comprising:

a unit, arranged outside the engine control and diagnostic system, that generates control commands and transmits the control commands via the diagnostic interface to the engine control and diagnostic system, wherein the control commands are configured to control the engine control and diagnostic system to set operating states of the motor vehicle predetermined for the emissions test.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said unit is integrated into an emissions tester.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said unit is integrated into a controller which controls an emissions tester external to the controller.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said emissions tester comprises an output unit to output data regarding the operating states of the motor vehicle set during the emissions test.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said output unit outputs additional data regarding registered emissions test values.

17. System for performing an emissions analysis of a motor vehicle, comprising:

an on-board engine control and diagnostic system provided in the motor vehicle;

an emissions testing station provided external to the motor vehicle; and

an electronic interface between said on-board engine control and diagnostic system and said emissions testing station;

wherein said emissions testing station comprises a program that generates a plurality of control commands that are relayed to said on-board engine control and diagnostic system via said interface and cause said on-board engine control and diagnostic system to place the motor vehicle in a plurality of mutually distinct operating states.

18. System according to claim 17, wherein said on-board engine control and diagnostic system generates a plurality of information signals, indicative of the operating states of the motor vehicle, that are relayed to said emissions testing station via said interface.