ELECTRONIC CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20130018543A1
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: TOHYAMA, Naohiro
• Application Number:
  US13/540,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018543A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33.4
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

In an electronic control apparatus in a vehicle, while an operational state where an engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than a determination value continues during a vehicle stop state where an accelerator of the vehicle is in an OFF state, a condition satisfying counter is incremented. In cases that (i) a value of the condition satisfying counter becomes longer than a determination period, and (ii) a storage history flag indicates “0”, an additional value is added to the determination period. This lengthens the determination period that is used for comparing with the condition satisfying counter. Further, travel information at this time is stored in a storage portion; the storage history flag is set to “1”. While the storage history flag indicates “1”, another travel information is not stored into the storage portion.

Claims

1. An electronic control apparatus for a vehicle, the electronic control apparatus comprising:

a behavior determination section to determine whether an anomalous vehicle behavior, which satisfies a determination condition, continuously arises for a continued period that is longer than a determination period;

a travel information storage section to store, in a storage portion, travel information of the vehicle at a time when the behavior determination section determines that the anomalous vehicle behavior continuously arises for the continued period longer than the determination period; and

a period change section to change the determination period to a lengthened determination period by lengthening the determination period in cases that the behavior determination section determines that the anomalous vehicle behavior continuously arises for the continued period longer than the determination period.

2. The electronic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the period change section lengthens the determination period by a predetermined fixed value.

3. The electronic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the period change section defines, as the lengthened determination period, the continued period for which the anomalous vehicle behavior satisfying the determination condition continuously arises actually longer than the determination period.

4. The electronic control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the period change section defines an upper limit value as the lengthened determination period when the lengthened determination period exceeds the upper limit value.

5. The electronic control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a condition change section to change a threshold value of the determination condition such that it is more difficult for the vehicle behavior to satisfy the determination condition, in cases that the behavior determination section determines that the anomalous vehicle behavior continuously arises for the continued period longer than the determination period.

6. The electronic control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the condition change section defines an upper limit value as the threshold value in cases that the threshold value that is changed exceeds the upper limit value.