CONFIGURABLE TEST SUITE

• US 20110302472A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Van Eikema Hommes, Onno R., Thomas, James K., Schupbach, Richard L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2236 to test CPU or processors

Abstract

A system and method for testing a control module includes a microprocessor, where the microprocessor has a programming environment. The programming environment has a test data structure, a configuration data structure, and a monitor data structure each containing data. At least one test data instance is associated with the test data structure and at least one configuration data instance is associated with the configuration data structure. The configuration data instance is a diagnostic test that monitors a parameter of the microprocessor, and the monitor data structure creates the test data instance such that each test data instance corresponds to one of the configuration data instances. The program includes a first control logic for associating the test data structure, the configuration data structure and the monitor data structure as part of a core infrastructure portion of the programming environment, where the core infrastructure portion of the program is static.

Claims

1. A control module having a microprocessor, comprising:

a programming environment having a test data structure, a configuration data structure, and a monitor data structure each containing data; and

at least one test data instance that is associated with the test data structure and at least one configuration data instance that is associated with the configuration data structure, wherein the configuration data instance is a diagnostic test that monitors a parameter of the microprocessor, and the monitor data structure creates the test data instance such that each test data instance corresponds to one of the configuration data instances, and wherein the program includes;

a first control logic for associating the test data structure, the configuration data structure and the monitor data structure as part of a core infrastructure portion of the programming environment, wherein the core infrastructure portion of the program is static;

a second control logic for associating the configuration data instance in a deployment-specific portion of the program, wherein the deployment-specific portion of the program is dynamic;

a third control logic for executing the configuration data instance that is the diagnostic test to monitor one of the parameters of the microprocessor;

a fourth control logic for monitoring the microprocessor for a data signal indicating that an error code has been generated, wherein the error code is generated by executing the configuration data instance; and

a fifth control logic for storing the results of the diagnostic test in the test data instance.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein each diagnostic test is deployed at an offset, wherein the offset represents a delay in time.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein the delay in time is about 1000 milliseconds.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the test data structure includes thirty-two diagnostic tests.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the configuration data structure includes up to thirty-two diagnostic tests.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the system includes an execution mode, wherein the execution mode determines if a specific diagnostic test executes depending on if the microprocessor is in one of startup, run time mode and shutdown.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the microprocessor is one of an airbag control module, a body control module, a battery contactor module, an engine control module, a powertrain control module, a vehicle integration control module, and a transmission control module.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein a DTC ID (diagnostic trouble code identification) is associated with each error code.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of fault severity levels are associated with the error code.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein multiple configuration data instances that are diagnostic tests are used to monitor different parameters of the microprocessor.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein one of the diagnostic tests is a stack usage test that indicates a percentage of stack utilized.

12. A method of testing a control module having a microprocessor having a program including a test data structure, a configuration data structure, and a monitor data structure, where at least one test data instance is associated with the test data structure and at least one configuration data instance is associated with the configuration data structure, and the configuration data instance is a diagnostic test that monitors a parameter of the microprocessor, and the monitor data structure creates the test data instance such that each test data instance corresponds to one of the configuration data instances, comprising:

associating the test data structure, the configuration data structure, the monitor data structure with a core infrastructure portion of the program and associating the configuration data instance with a deployment-specific portion of the program, wherein the core infrastructure portion of the program is static and the deployment-specific portion of the program is dynamic;

executing the configuration data instance, where the configuration data instance is the diagnostic test that monitors one of the parameters of the microprocessor;

monitoring the microprocessor for a data signal indicating that an error code has been generated by the diagnostic test being executed, wherein the error code is generated by executing the configuration data instance; and

storing results of the diagnostic test in the test data instance.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of determining if the control module will continue monitoring the microprocessor for data signals indicating that the error code has been generated.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of deploying each diagnostic test at an offset, wherein the offset represents a delay in time.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the delay in time is about 1000 milliseconds.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of executing a specific diagnostic test depending on an execution mode, wherein the execution mode determines if the specific diagnostic test executes depending on if the microprocessor is in one of startup, run time mode and shutdown.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of establishing a first fault severity level associated with the configuration data structure, wherein the first fault severity level indicates a level of severity of one of the diagnostic tests if the error code is generated by the microprocessor, and wherein there are eight levels of severity for the first fault severity level.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of establishing a second fault severity level associated with the monitor data structure, wherein the second severity level indicates which of the eight levels of severity the first fault severity level is generated.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of establishing an eight-bit set that is associated with the second fault severity level of the monitor data structure, and wherein each bit of the eight-bit set corresponds to one of the eight levels of severity for the first fault severity level.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of establishing multiple configuration data instances that are diagnostic tests are used to monitor different parameters of the microprocessor.