CONTROL APPARATUS FOR VEHICULAR ELECTRIC COMPONENT

• US 20120078461A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Niterra Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited (Niterra Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: TOMIMATSU, Chihiro, YAZAWA, Katsunori
• Granted Patent: US 9,020,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/30.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/50 Testing of electric apparatus, lines, cables or components for short-circuits, continuity, leakage current or incorrect line connections testing of sparking plugs H01T13/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults

Abstract

A sensor control apparatus (1) connected to a gas sensor (2) includes a microcomputer (10) containing a ROM (12) (first storage section), and an EEPROM (30) (second storage section) independently of the ROM (12). The ROM (12) stores an anomaly diagnosis program containing at least one type of anomaly determination process. The EEPROM (30) stores one or more flags set so as to represent whether the corresponding anomaly determination process is valid or invalid. The states of the one or more flags can be readily changed from an externally connected PC (3). A CPU (11) executes a series of processing steps of the anomaly determination processes, and then obtains a determination result thereof when the CPU (11) determines that the anomaly determination process is valid, with reference to the one or more flags.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for controlling a vehicular electric component which executes at least one type of anomaly detection process, and which drives and controls the electric component mounted on a vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:

a first storage section which stores the anomaly detection process;

a second storage section which is provided independently of the first storage section and which stores a determinant that determines whether the at least one type of anomaly detection process is valid or invalid; and

a computation section for executing the anomaly detection process, wherein, when the computation section executes the at least one type of anomaly detection process, the computation section refers to the determinant stored in the second storage section, and obtains a detection result of the anomaly detection process when the anomaly detection process is determined to be valid.

2. The control apparatus for a vehicular electric component as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first storage section stores at least two types of anomaly detection processes;

the second storage section stores at least two determinants each being used to determine whether a corresponding one of the at least two types of anomaly detection processes is valid or invalid; and

the computation section is configured such that, when the computation section executes each of the anomaly detection processes, the computation section refers to the corresponding determinant stored in the second storage section, and obtains a detection result of the anomaly detection process when the anomaly detection process is determined to be valid.

3. The control apparatus for a vehicular electric component as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the at least two anomaly detection processes include:

a first checking process for checking whether or not the contents of the first storage section are normal; and

a second checking process for checking whether or not at least one of a short circuit and wire breakage has occurred at a connection line which electrically connects the control apparatus and the electric component.

4. The control apparatus for a vehicular electric component as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the computation section executes the at least one type of anomaly detection process, the computation section performs the determination with reference to the determinant after having executed a series of processing steps contained in the at least one type of anomaly detection process, and obtains, as a detection result of the at least one type of anomaly detection process, the result of the series of processing steps when the at least one type of anomaly detection process is determined to be valid.