DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING CONTINUOUS AND INTERMITTENT FAULTS

• US 20110190973A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Giles, Peter John
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/005 Sampling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24047 Count certain number of errors, faults before delivering alarm, stop
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2637 Vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair

Abstract

A diagnostic system diagnoses a device and includes fault declaring module that selects one of a normal control mode, a temporary default action and a permanent default action. A counter module tracks a first number of successive test samples, a second number of failed samples that occur during the successive test samples, a third number of successive failed samples, a fourth number of failed samples, and a fifth number of samples since a last failed sample. The fault declaring module transitions to a temporary default action when at least one of the third number of successive failed samples is greater than a first value and the fourth number of failed samples is greater than a second value. The fault declaring module transitions to a permanent default action that is different than the temporary default action when the second number of failed samples is greater than a third value.

Claims

1. A diagnostic system for diagnosing a device in a vehicle control system during a plurality of diagnostic tests, comprising:

a fault declaring module that selects one of a normal control mode, a temporary default action and a permanent default action for the vehicle based on the plurality of the diagnostic tests; and

a counter module that tracks a first number of successive test samples, a second number of failed samples that occur during the successive test samples, a third number of successive failed samples, a fourth number of accumulated failed samples, and a fifth number of samples since a last failed sample;

wherein the fault declaring module;

transitions from the normal control mode to the temporary default action and takes a temporary default action when at least one of the third number of successive failed samples is greater than a first value and the fourth number of failed samples is greater than a second value; and

transitions to a permanent default action and takes a permanent default action that is different than the temporary default action when the second number of failed samples is greater than a third value.

2. The diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the fault declaring module transitions from the temporary default action to the normal control mode when the fifth number of samples is greater than a fourth value.

3. The diagnostic system of claim 1, further comprising a metric tracking module that calculates metrics when the number of test samples is greater than a fourth value.

4. The diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the fault declaring module transitions from the permanent default action to the normal control mode when the first number of successive test samples is greater than a fourth value, the second number of failed samples is less than a fifth value, and the third number of successive failed samples and the fourth number of failed samples are equal to zero.

5. The diagnostic system of claim 3, wherein the metric tracking module generates a first metric that is based on a ratio of the second number of failed samples and the third value.

6. The diagnostic system of claim 5, wherein the metric tracking module generates a second metric that is based on a number of times that the temporary default action is entered during a predetermined period.

7. The diagnostic system of claim 6, wherein the metric tracking module generates a third metric that is based on an amount of time that the vehicle operates in the temporary default action during the predetermined period.

8. The diagnostic system of claim 7, wherein the metric tracking module generates a fourth metric that is based on a ratio of the fourth number of failed samples and the second value.

9. A method for diagnosing a device in a vehicle control system during a plurality of diagnostic tests, comprising:

selecting one of a normal control mode, a temporary default action and a permanent default action for the vehicle based on the plurality of the diagnostic tests; and

tracking a first number of successive test samples, a second number of failed samples that occur during the successive test samples, a third number of successive failed samples, a fourth number of accumulated failed samples, and a fifth number of samples since a last failed sample;

transitioning from the normal control mode to the temporary default action and taking a temporary default action when at least one of the third number of successive failed samples is greater than a first value and the fourth number of failed samples is greater than a second value; and

transitioning to a permanent default action and taking a permanent default action that is different than the temporary default action when the second number of failed samples is greater than a third value.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transitioning from the temporary default action to the normal control mode when the fifth number of samples is greater than a fourth value.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising calculating metrics when the number of test samples is greater than a fourth value.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising transitioning from the permanent default action to the normal control mode when the first number of successive test samples is greater than a fourth value, the second number of failed samples is less than a fifth value, and the third number of successive failed samples and the fourth number of failed samples are equal to zero.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a first metric that is based on a ratio of the second number of failed samples and the third value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating a second metric that is based on a number of times that the temporary default action is entered during a predetermined period.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating a third metric that is based on an amount of time that the vehicle operates in the temporary default action during the predetermined period.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a fourth metric that is based on a ratio of the fourth number of failed samples and the second value.