FAILURE DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM, AND VEHICLE-MOUNTED ECU FOR USE IN THE FAILURE DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM

• US 20090287370A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwai, Atsushi, Kato, Kiyonari
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures

Abstract

A failure diagnosis system that erases diagnostic information applied to a vehicle that includes an ECU for that stores a vehicle identification number (VIN) and diagnostic information (hereinafter, referred to as “VIN storage ECU”), and an ECU that does not store the vehicle identification number but stores the diagnostic information (hereinafter, referred to as “other ECU”) is characterized by being constructed so as to erase the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and also erase the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU in connection with the writing of the vehicle identification number stored in the VIN storage ECU.

Claims

1. A failure diagnosis system that erases diagnostic information, comprising:

a VIN storage ECU that stores a vehicle identification number and diagnostic information; and

an other ECU that does not store the vehicle identification number but stores the diagnostic information,

wherein the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU execute erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU in connection with execution of writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU.

2. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, further comprising an erasure request portion that sends a diagnostic information erasure request to the other ECU,

wherein if the other ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request, the other ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU.

3. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 2, wherein:

the erasure request portion exists in the VIN storage ECU; and

the erasure request portion sends the diagnostic information erasure request to the other ECU in connection with the writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU.

4. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the VIN storage ECU executes the writing of the vehicle identification number when the VIN storage ECU has received a vehicle identification number write request;

the VIN storage ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU if the VIN storage ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request;

the other ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU if the other ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request; and

the vehicle identification number write request, the erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU, and the erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU are simultaneously sent.

5. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle identification number write request, the erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU, and the erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU are realized by sending a same signal; and

the same signal is broadcast to the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU.

6. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the VIN storage ECU has received a vehicle identification number write request, the VIN storage ECU erases the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU; and

when the other ECU has received a vehicle identification number write request, the other ECU erases the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU.

7. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 6, wherein:

the VIN storage ECU includes a first erasure request portion that, when having received the vehicle identification number write request, sends to the VIN storage ECU an erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU; and

the other ECU includes a second erasure request portion that, when having received the vehicle identification number write request, sends to the other ECU the erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU.

8. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, further comprising an erasure request portion that sends a diagnostic information erasure request to the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU,

wherein if the VIN storage ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request from the erasure request portion, the VIN storage ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU, and

wherein if the other ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request from the erasure request portion, the other ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU.

9. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

if the VIN storage ECU has received write request on a vehicle identification number, the VIN storage ECU executes provisional registration of the vehicle identification number; and

if an erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU is received, the writing of the provisionally registered vehicle identification number is executed, and the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU is executed.

10. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 9, wherein:

the erasure request on the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU is realized by sending a same signal; and

the same signal is broadcast to the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU.

11. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU is diagnostic information related to emissions; and

the other ECU includes an ECU that has the diagnostic information related to emissions.

12. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU is diagnostic information related to emissions; and

the VIN storage ECU includes an ECU that has the diagnostic information related to emissions.

13. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU, and the writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU are carried out simultaneously with or prior to the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU and the writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU.

14. A vehicle-mounted ECU characterized in that:

the vehicle-mounted ECU stores a vehicle identification number and a diagnostic information;

if a vehicle identification number write request is received, the vehicle-mounted ECU provisionally registers the vehicle identification number in accordance with the write request; and

then, if an erasure request on the diagnostic information is received, the vehicle-mounted ECU carries out writing of the vehicle identification number by definitively registering the vehicle identification number provisionally registered, and erases the diagnostic information presently stored, and requests an other ECU that does not store a vehicle identification number but stores diagnostic information to erase the diagnostic information presently stored.

15. A vehicle-mounted ECU characterized in that:

the vehicle-mounted ECU stores a vehicle identification number and diagnostic information; and

if a vehicle identification number write request is received the vehicle-mounted ECU carries out writing of the vehicle identification number pursuantly to the write request, and erases the diagnostic information presently stored, and requests an other ECU that does not store a vehicle identification number but stores diagnostic information to erase the diagnostic information presently stored.

16. A failure diagnosis method of erasing diagnostic information from a VIN storage ECU that stores a vehicle identification number and diagnostic information, and from an other ECU that does not store the vehicle identification number but stores the diagnostic information, the method comprising:

executing erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU, in connection with execution of writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU.