Method for diagnosis of functional faults in a functional architecture

• US 20060247872A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Boutin, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/58
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0227 Qualitative history assessment, whereby the type of data acted upon, e.g. waveforms, images or patterns, is not relevant, e.g. rule based assessment; if-then decisions

Abstract

A method for diagnosis of functional faults in a functional architecture, including a unit of functions connected to electronic components, producing and using data, at least one datum of which can adopt a fixed pre-determined value, following occurrence of an erroneous functioning of at least one of the components of the unit. The method, while having a unit of functions and carrying out a function for which the input and output data can be assigned to sensors or actuators, determines particular values during which the particular values corresponding to functional faults for the sensors and actuators are listed and generates the functional diagnostic for the function as a function of the lists determined during the determining.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method for diagnosing functional faults of a functional architecture composed of a set of functions associated with electronic components that produce and consume data, at least one of the data being able to assume a predetermined particular value following development of a functional fault of at least one of the electronic components of the set, the method, given a set of functions that performs a service, wherein input and output data can be associated with sensors or actuators, comprising:

i) determining particular values, during which particular values corresponding to functional faults of the sensors and actuators are listed;

ii) determining propagation, during which particular values that permit propagation of an information stream relating to defects across the functions are listed;

iii) diagnosis, during which a functional diagnosis of the service as a function of the lists obtained from the determining i) and ii) are formed; and

iv) recording the particular values and their propagation on a memory device for a tool provided for validation of the architecture.

13. A diagnostic method according to claim 12, wherein, after the diagnosis (iii), given the choice of an embodiment manifested by:

a hardware architecture composed of calculators, networks, signal lines, and connectors,

and mapping of functions onto the hardware architecture,

the particular values are listed according to the method, to deduce an operational diagnosis of the resulting electronic architecture.

14. A diagnostic method according to claim 12, wherein the particular values are classified after mapping of the functions onto the hardware architecture.

15. A diagnostic method according to claim 14, wherein the particular values are classified among at least one of classes of:

cut bus;

corrupted frame;

short circuit applied to a wire;

wrong contact applied to a connector of a strand, sensor, actuator or calculator; and

execution fault applied to a microcontroller.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein, given an operational diagnosis for a service, the functional particular values associated with sensors, actuators, and functions executing the service having been listed for at least one data flow between two functions, or between a sensor and a function, or between a function and an actuator, for which no functional particular value is defined for the flow, if an operational particular value is defined, then a new functional particular value is automatically determined for this at least one data flow.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein undiagnosed feared incidents are listed to construct an analysis of functional safety of the functional architecture.

18. A method according to claim 12, wherein, given the choice of an embodiment manifested by:

a hardware architecture composed of calculators, networks, signal lines, and connectors,

and mapping of functions onto the hardware architecture,

the particular values and feared incidents are listed according to the method, to deduce an analysis of functional safety of the resulting functional architecture.

19. A diagnostic method according to claim 12, wherein the architecture comprises an architecture with which a vehicle can be equipped.

20. A diagnostic method according to claim 12, further comprising analysis of feasibility and/or susceptibility to failure of functioning of the architecture and of establishment of an output indicating the feasibility and/or susceptibility to failure.

22. A data-processing tool programmed for the diagnosis of functional faults of a functional architecture using the method according to claim 12.

21. A commercial article provided with a computer-readable memory, a program executable by a computer being recorded in the memory for diagnosis of functional faults of a functional architecture, the program including encoding for:

i) determining and listing particular values corresponding to functional faults of sensors and actuators;

ii) determining and listing particular values permitting propagation of information relating to these faults across the functional architecture;

iii) forming the functional diagnosis of the service as a function of the lists obtained from the determining (i) and (ii); and

iv) recording the particular values and their propagation on a memory for a tool provided for validation of the architecture.

23. A data-processing tool programmed for the diagnosis of functional faults of a functional architecture by using the commercial article according to claim 21.