Vehicle diagnosis system having transponder for OBD III

• US 6,225,898 B1
• Filed: 05/03/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kawabata, Norichika, Matsuura, Yuuichirou, Furusawa, Kenzo, Kamiya, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US09/303,438
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 340/505, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439, 340/539, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/10.1, 340/10.51, 701/29, 701/33, 701/35, 701/2, 702/57, 702/62, 702/183, 702/188, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 340/505
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A vehicle diagnosis system can handle with OBD III as well as OBD II by only adding a transponder to an OBD II system. The vehicle diagnosis system includes an engine ECU for controlling an engine device such as injector and storing a diagnosis data, a K-line connected to the engine ECU, a transponder connected to the K-line, and a connector connected to the K-line for detachably connecting an external scan tool that reads the diagnosis data stored in the engine ECU. The transponder receives a request from a receiver system by radio, reads the diagnosis based on the request, and sends the read diagnosis data to the receiver system.

Claims

1. A vehicle diagnosis system, comprising:

an ECU that controls an operation of an electronic device mounted on a vehicle, and stores operation data related to an operation condition of the electronic device;

a communication line connected to the ECU;

a transponder that receives a request signal from an external radio communication device by radio, reads the operation data concerning the operation condition in response to the request signal, and sends the operation data to the external radio communication device by radio; and

a connector connected to the communication line, for detachably connecting an external scan tool that reads the operation data stored in the ECU;

wherein the communication line is a line which is compatible with OBDII; and

wherein the ECU communicates with the transponder and the external scan tool via the communication line.

2. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the external scan tool connected to the connector sends a request message to the transponder so that the transponder operates as a slave of the external scan tool.

3. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the transponder sends the operation data after adding a vehicle code to the read operation data.

4. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the transponder has a memory to store the operation data;

the transponder reads the operation data from the ECU every predetermined time to store in the memory, reads the operation data stored in the memory upon receipt of the request signal from the external radio communication device, and send the read operation data to the external radio communication device.

5. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the transponder stops reading the operation data from the ECU when the external scan tool accesses to the ECU.

6. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the external scan tool sends a stop request signal to the transponder so that the transponder stops reading the operation data from the ECU.

7. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 5, wherein the transponder stops reading the operation data during a predetermined trip number period.

8. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 5, wherein the transponder restarts reading the operation data when a stop interval, in which the external scan tool does not access to the communication line after the transponder stops reading the operation data, exceeds a predetermined upper limit.

9. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the transponder operates as a slave of the external scan tool when the external scan tool connected to the connector accesses to the ECU.

10. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 9, wherein the transponder stop operating as the slave when a stop interval, in which the external scan tool does not access to the communication line after the transponder starts operating as the slave of the external scan tool, exceeds a predetermined upper limit.

11. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 9, wherein the transponder operates as the slave of the external scan tool during a predetermined trip number period.

12. A vehicle diagnosis system, comprising:

an ECU that controls an operation of an electronic device mounted on a vehicle, and stores operation data related to an operation condition of the electronic device;

a communication line connected to the ECU;

a transponder that receives a request signal from an external radio communication device by radio, reads the operation data concerning the operation condition in response to the request signal, and sends the operation data to the external radio communication device by radio; and

a connector connected to the transponder, for detachably connecting an external scan tool that reads the operation data stored in the ECU.

13. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 12, wherein the transponder sends the operation data after adding a vehicle code to the read operation data.

14. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 12, wherein:

the communication line is a K-line which is compatible with OBD II; and

the transponder communicates with the ECU and the external scan tool via the communication line.

15. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 12, wherein when the transponder reads the operation data from the ECU in response to the request signal from the external radio communication device, the transponder sends a stop signal to the external scan tool connected to the transponder via the connector so that the external scan tool stops sending the request signal to the transponder.

16. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 13, wherein when the transponder reads the operation data from the ECU in response to the request signal from the external scan tool connected to the transponder via the connector, the transponder sends a stop signal to the external radio communication device so that the external radio communication device stops sending the request signal to the transponder.

17. A vehicle diagnosis system according to claim 12, wherein:

the transponder includes a memory to store the operation data; and

the transponder reads the operation data from the electronic unit every predetermined time to store in the memory, reads the operation data stored in the memory upon receipt of the request signal from one of the external radio communication device and the external scan tool connected to the transponder via the connector, and send the read operation data.

18. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus, comprising:

a first terminal for connecting an ECU that controls an operation of an electronic device mounted on a vehicle and stores operation data related to an operation condition of the electronic device;

a second terminal for connecting an external scan tool that reads the operation data stored in the ECU; and

a transponder connected by electric wires to both the first and the second terminal, that receives a request signal from an external radio communication device by radio, reads the operation data concerning the operation condition in response to the request signal, and that sends the operation data to the external radio communication device by radio.

19. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the external scan tool sends a request message to the transponder so that the transponder operates as a slave of the external scan tool.

20. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

a first connector connected to the first terminal for connecting a third terminal of the ECU; and

a second connector connected to the second terminal for connecting a fourth terminal of the external scan tool.

21. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the transponder is connected between the ECU and the external scan tool via the first and the second connector.

22. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the transponder stops reading the operation data from the ECU when the external scan tool accesses to the ECU.

23. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the external scan tool sends a stop request signal to the transponder so that the transponder stops reading the operation data from the ECU.

24. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the transponder stops reading the operation data during a predetermined trip number period.

25. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the transponder restarts reading the operation data when a stop interval, that the external scan tool does not access to the ECU after the transponder stops reading the operation data, exceeds a predetermined upper limit.

26. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the transponder operates as a slave of the external scan tool when the external scan tool accesses to the ECU.

27. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the transponder stop operating as the slave when a stop interval, that the external scan tool does not access to the ECU after the transponder starts operating as the slave of the external scan tool, exceeds a predetermined upper limit.

28. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the transponder operates as the slave of the external scan tool during a predetermined trip number period.

29. A vehicle diagnosis method using a vehicle diagnosis system, in which an external scan tool is connected to one of an ECU and a transponder connected to the ECU, comprising steps of:

receiving a request signal from an external radio communication device by radio by the transponder;

reading an operation data concerning the operation condition in response to the request signal;

sending the operation data to the external radio communication device by radio;

detecting an access of the external scan tool accesses to the ECU;

stopping reading the operation data from the ECU by the transponder when the external scan tool accesses to the ECU.

30. A vehicle diagnosis method according to claim 29, wherein the detecting step includes a sending a stop request signal from the external scan tool to the transponder so that the transponder stops reading the operation data from the ECU.

31. A vehicle diagnosis method according to claim 29, further comprising steps of:

detecting whether a stopping interval, in which the external scan tool does not access to the communication line after the transponder stops reading the operation data, exceeds a predetermined trip number period; and

restarting reading the operation data when the stopping interval exceeds the predetermined trip number period.

32. A vehicle diagnosis method according to claim 29, further comprising steps of:

detecting whether a stopping interval, in which the external scan tool does not access to the communication line after the transponder stops reading the operation data, exceeds a predetermined upper limit; and

restarting reading the operation data when the stopping interval exceeds the predetermined upper limit.

33. A vehicle diagnosis method using a vehicle diagnosis system, in which an external scan tool is connected to one of an ECU and a transponder connected to the ECU, comprising steps of:

receiving a request signal from an external radio communication device by radio by the transponder;

reading an operation data concerning the operation condition in response to the request signal by the transponder;

sending the operation data to the external radio communication device by radio;

detecting an access of the external scan tool accesses to the ECU;

changing an operation of the transponder from a master operation to a slave operation of the external scan tool when the external scan tool accesses to the ECU.

a connector connected to the communication line, for detachably connecting an external scan tool that reads the operation data stored in the ECU.

34. A vehicle diagnosis method according to claim 33, wherein the detecting step includes a sending a request message to the transponder so that the transponder operates as a slave of the external scan tool.

35. A vehicle diagnosis method according to claim 33, further comprising steps of:

detecting whether a slaving interval exceeds a predetermined trip number period; and

changing the operation of the transponder from a slave to a master when the slaving interval exceeds the predetermined trip number period.

36. A vehicle diagnosis method according to claim 33, further comprising steps of:

detecting whether a slaving interval, in which the external scan tool does not access to the communication line after the transponder starts operating as the slave of the external scan tool, exceeds a predetermined upper limit; and

changing the operation of the transponder from a slave to a master when the slaving interval exceeds the predetermined upper limit.