Method for self-diagnosis of a system

• US 20060042853A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wagner, Roland, Stielow, Arnd, Hofbeck, Klaus, Rosel, Birgit
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/272
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01184 Fault detection or diagnostic circuits in power circuits B60R2021/01129
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 using ultrasonic waves

Abstract

In a method for self-diagnosis of a system for seat occupancy detection, in particular for self-diagnosis of a HOBBIT system, a self-diagnosis signal that has been modulated in a predetermined manner is transmitted by the transmit unit to the receive unit of the base station and analyzed, preferably with the reflectors deactivated. From the analysis it is possible to make deductions about the operational integrity of the base station.

Claims

1. A method for self-diagnosis of a system containing at least one base station having a transmit unit for transmitting signals and a receive unit for receiving the signals reflected by at least one associated reflector for detecting a respective seat occupancy, which comprises the steps of:

transmitting, via the transmit unit of the base station, a modulated self-diagnosis signal having been modulated in a predetermined manner;

receiving the modulated self-diagnosis signal being a cross-talking modulated self-diagnosis signal in the receive unit of the base station; and

evaluating the cross-talking modulated self-diagnosis signal received for determining a self-diagnosis of operational integrity of the base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises deactivating a reflection function of the at least one reflector during the diagnostic method by a central control device connected to the at least one reflector and the base station.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises modulating the modulated self-diagnosis signal in the predetermined manner by at least one of frequency-modulation and/or amplitude-modulation.

4. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises modulating the modulated self-diagnosis signal in the predetermined manner as an emulated signal of the at least one reflector.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises switching an operation of the system back and forth, via a central control device, between a seat occupancy detection mode and a self-diagnosis mode.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises transmitting an unmodulated seat occupancy detection signal by the transmit unit in the seat occupancy detection mode.

7. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises analyzing the cross-talking modulated self-diagnosis signal received in an evaluation device provided with the receive unit of the base station, the evaluation device being connected to the central control device or embodied as a component of the central control device.

8. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises outputting a fault signal to a motor vehicle user in a case of a diagnosed malfunction of the base station.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises calibrating the receive unit.

10. The method according to claim 9, which further comprises calibrating a high-frequency and digital section of the receive unit.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the system is a seat occupancy detector in an automotive vehicle.