Configuration System of a Vehicle and Process for the Configuration of at Least One Control Unit of the Configuration System

• US 20080109237A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: SUESS, Christian, Schroeder, Astrid
• Granted Patent: US 9,694,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

A configuration system of a vehicle has at least one functional unit, a control unit pertaining to the functional unit, and a parametrizing unit provided in the vehicle, which is operatively connected with the control unit. The configuring system includes a storage device which can be read out by the parametrizing unit and which contains configuration information for the control unit, by which configuration information a parametrizing of the control unit can be carried out. The storage device additionally contains configuration information for the vehicle, in which case the storage device contains evaluation rules by which the parametrizing unit can determine configuration information for the configuration of the control unit from the configuration information for the vehicle and the configuration information for the control unit and can configure the control unit.

Claims

1. A configuration system of a vehicle, comprising:

at least one functional unit;

a control unit pertaining to the at least one functional unit;

a parametrizing unit arranged in the vehicle and operatively coupled with the control unit;

a storage device, which is readable by the parametrizing unit and contains configuration information for the control unit, the configuration information being utilized for parametrizing the control unit;

wherein the storage device further comprises configuration information for the vehicle and evaluation rules, the evaluation rules being utilized by the parametrizing unit to determine configuration data for configuring the control unit from the configuration information for the vehicle and the configuration information for the control unit, whereby the parametrizing unit configures the control unit.

2. The configuration system according to claim 1, further comprising a sequence control unit, which controls and monitors a sequence for configuring the control unit.

3. The configuration system according to claim 2, wherein the sequence control is set up for recognizing states, conditions, and/or trigger signals of the configuration system.

4. The configuration system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information for the control unit, the configuration information for the vehicle, and the evaluation rules are stored in a generic format in the storage device.

5. The configuration system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises conditions with respect to a parameter value, a course of the control unit, an initial operating step, and/or a presence of a further control unit, which conditions have to be met for carrying out at least one of a parametrizing and initialization.

6. The configuration system according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a memory arranged in the control unit for receiving at least one of the configuration information for the control unit and the evaluation rules.

7. The configuration system according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a memory arranged in the parametrizing unit for receiving at least one of the configuration information for the vehicle and the evaluation rules.

8. The configuration system according to claim 1, wherein the parametrizing unit is constructed as at least one central control unit.

9. The configuration system according to claim 1, wherein the parametrizing unit is formed by the control unit.

10. A process for configuring at least one control unit of a configuration system of a vehicle, the control unit pertaining to a functional unit of the vehicle, wherein the configuration process takes place independently of a manufacturing process of the vehicle by way of a parametrizing unit installed in the vehicle, the process comprising the acts of:

reading with the parametrizing unit configuration information for the control unit out of a storage device of the configuration system and evaluating it by use of evaluation rules contained in the storage device;

identifying by the parametrizing unit the configuration information lacking for a parametrizing of the control unit;

reading by the parametrizing unit the lacking configuration information out of the storage device; and

parametrizing the control unit via the parametrizing unit by evaluating the lacking configuration information by way of the evaluation rules.

11. The process according to claim 10, wherein the parametrization comprises a determination of parameter values of the control unit to be set and the setting of corresponding parameter values.

12. The process according to claim 10, wherein the parametrization comprises an evaluation of conditions.

13. The process according to claim 10, wherein the parametrizing unit for initializing the control unit further performs the acts of:

reading out and evaluating configuration information for the control unit by way of evaluation rules from the storage device of the configuration system;

identifying configuration information lacking for an initialization of the control unit;

reading the lacking configuration information out of the storage device; and

evaluating the lacking configuration information by way of the evaluation rules and carrying out an initialization of the control unit.

14. The process according to claim 10, wherein the configuration is carried out individually for each control unit.

15. The process according to claim 11, wherein the configuration is carried out individually for each control unit.

16. The process according to claim 10, wherein the configuration of the control unit is carried out by a central control unit, which comprises the storage device that stores at least configuration data for the vehicle.

17. The process according to claim 11, wherein the configuration of the control unit is carried out by a central control unit, which comprises the storage device that stores at least configuration data for the vehicle.

18. The process according to claim 10, wherein the configuration is carried out by the control unit itself, which reads the information lacking for a configuration out of a centrally available storage device and processes it.

19. The process according to claim 11, wherein the configuration is carried out by the control unit itself, which reads the information lacking for a configuration out of a centrally available storage device and processes it.

20. The process according to claim 10, wherein the configuration and control takes place by a sequence control.