Electric control system and electric control unit

• US 20090262000A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanazawa, Akira, Matsumoto, Tatsuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• 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 plurality of electric control units are connected to perform data-communication through a communication line. Each electric control unit comprises a recording means for recording data and a communication means, to control an operation of an object to be controlled. One of the plurality of electric control units determines whether it is possible to record data in the recording means, and records the data in the recording means when it determines that it is possible to record the data in the recording means. The “one of the plurality of electric control units” transmits the data to other electric control unit when it determines that it is not possible to record the data in the recording means. The “other electric control unit” receives the transmitted data and records it in own recording means.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An electric control system comprising:

a plurality of electric control devices that are connected each other to perform data communication through a communication line for controlling an operation of an object to be controlled, wherein

one electric control device among the plurality of electric control devices comprises;

a recording unit that records data;

a transmitting unit that transmits data to another electric control device among the plurality of electric control devices;

a receiving unit that receives data from the another electric control device; and

a determining unit that determines whether the recording unit can record data or not,

wherein, the recording unit records data determined to be recordable by the determining unit; and

the transmitting unit transmits data determined to be non-recordable by the determining unit.

22. The electric control system of claim 21, further comprising:

an information communicating unit that transmits and receives information representing a possibility of alternative record of the determined data to be non-recordable, between the plurality of electric control devices, wherein

the plurality of electric control devices consist of more than three electric control devices; and

the determined data to be non-recordable is transmitted to an electric control device that represents to be possible to record alternatively, among the plurality of electric control devices excluding the one electric control device, on the basis of the information of the information communicating unit.

23. The electric control system of claim 21, further comprising:

a table that registers an electric control device to which the determined data to be non-recordable should be transmitted.

24. The electric control system of claim 21, further comprising:

an identification information storing unit that stores an identification information to identify an electric control device that has properly recorded the determined data to be non-recordable which is transmitted by the transmitting unit.

25. The electric control system of claim 21, wherein

each of the plurality of electric control devices comprises an abnormality detecting unit that detects an abnormality with respect to the operation of the object to be controlled, and

the data recorded by the recording unit represents to have detected the abnormality.

26. The electric control system of claim 21, wherein

each of the plurality of electric control devices comprises a diagnostic unit that performs self-diagnosis whether functioning properly or not, and

the data recorded by the recording unit is related to a diagnostic result by the diagnostic unit.

27. The electric control system of claim 22, wherein

the information communicating unit comprises:

an obtaining section that obtains a data amount of the data transmitted by the transmitting unit; and

an alternative record determining section that determines the possibility of alternative record, on the basis of the data amount.

28. The electric control system of claim 22, wherein

the information communicating unit comprises:

a request receiving section that receives a request for alternative record from the one electric control device; and

a transmitting section that transmits data amount information which is required to record alternatively to the plurality of electric control devices excluding the one electric control device, on the basis of the request.

29. The electric control system of claim 22, wherein

the one electric control device comprises a record information obtaining unit that obtains an information whether the determined data to be non-recordable has been properly recorded in the electric control devices which represents to be possible to record alternatively, and

when the record information obtaining unit obtains an information that the determined data to be non-recordable has not been recorded properly in the electric control device which represents to be possible to record alternatively, the determined data to be non-recordable is transmitted to an electric control device among the plurality of electric control devices excluding the electric control device that has not recorded properly the determined data to be non-recordable and the one electric control device.

30. The electric control system of claim 22, wherein

each of the plurality of electric control devices comprises:

a record determining unit that determines whether the data received by the receiving unit has been recorded properly or not; and

a transferring unit that transfers the information representing a possibility of alternative record to an electric control device among the plurality of electric control devices excluding the electric control device that has not recorded properly the determined data to be non-recordable and the one electric control device, when the record determining unit determines that the data received by the receiving unit has been recorded properly.

31. The electric control system of claim 23, wherein

the table registers an electric control device to which the determined data to be non-recordable is prevented from being transmitted.

32. The electric control system of claim 23, wherein

the table registers a priority level of transmitting the determined data to be non-recordable, with respect to each of the electric control devices to which the determined data to be non-recordable should be transmitted.

33. The electric control system of claim 23, wherein

each of the plurality of electric control devices comprises the table.

34. The electric control system of claim 23, wherein

a predetermined electric control device among the plurality of electric control devices comprises the table, and

the one electric control devices accesses the table when the determining unit determines the recording unit cannot record.

35. The electric control system of claim 27, wherein

the information communicating unit transmits and receives the information representing a possibility of alternative record, between the plurality of electric control devices excluding an electric control device that is determined to be impossible to record alternatively.

36. The electric control system of claim 27, wherein

the transmitting unit transmits the determined data to be non-recordable to an electric control device which is first to transmit information representing that alternative record is possible.

37. The electric control system of claim 28, wherein

the transmitting unit transmits the determined data to be non-recordable to an electric control device which transmits information representing the largest data capacity for alternative record.

38. An electric control device that controls an operation of an object to be controlled, comprising:

a determining unit that determines whether a recording unit for recording data can record the data or not;

a record controlling unit that allows to record the data when the determining unit determines the recording unit can record the data; and

an outputting unit that externally outputs the data, when the determining unit determines the recording unit cannot record the data.

39. The electric control device of claim 38, further comprising:

an abnormality detecting unit that detects an abnormality of the operation of the object to be controlled;

wherein

the data recorded by the recording unit represents to have detected the abnormality of the operation of the object to be controlled.

40. The electric control device of claim 38, further comprising:

a self-diagnosing unit that diagnoses itself whether functioning properly, wherein

the data recorded by the recording unit represents information corresponding to a diagnostic result by the self-diagnosing unit.