Vehicle control apparatus

• US 5,012,414 A
• Filed: 11/13/1989
• Issued: 04/30/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Masaaki, Ishii, Mitsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/434,574
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.05, 364/424.03, 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/431.01, 371/8.1, 73/117.3, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/001 Proportional integral [PI] controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0604 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus includes a condition detection device for detecting output information of at least one of the sensors having a predetermined condition which is improbable in practical use, a read only memory having data stored therein which identifies control specifications of the apparatus, and a data read out device for reading out the identifying data as a control signal for an object to be controlled.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle comprising:

sensor means (2) for sensing conditions at various parts of the vehicle, and for outputting information in accordance with the sensed conditions;

an object (31-33) which is to be controlled;

control determination means (14-16), coupled to said sensor means, for storing predetermined control specifications, and for generating a first control signal for said object in accordance with the output information from said sensors means and said stored predetermined control specifications;

condition detection means (11), coupled to said sensors, for detecting output information therefrom, and for outputting a predetermined control signal when the detected output information from said sensor means represents a predetermined sensed condition which is improbable in practical use;

storage means (12) for storing identifying data which corresponds to the predetermined control specifications stored in said control determination means, said storage means including means for reading out said stored identifying data as a second control signal for said object; and

selection means (13), in response to said condition detection means, for selectively applying one of said first and second control signals to said object, whereby an operator who applies the predetermined condition which is improbable in practical use can ascertain the predetermined control specifications stored in said control determination means by observing the operation of said object which will be controlled by said second control signal.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said selection means is connected to receive an output from said condition detection means, and wherein said selection means applies the second control signal to said object in response to said predetermined control signal.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor means comprises a plurality of sensors.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control determination means is a ROM.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of objects to be controlled, and wherein there are a plurality of control determination means for the plurality of objects, respectively.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said second control signal is a duty-factor control signal.