Vehicle information communication system and method capable of communicating with external management station

• US 6,415,210 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kurokawa, Kazunori, Hattori, Atsushi, Tsuchiya, Akiyoshi, Enomoto, Hiroyuki, Osawa, Keiichi, Hozuka, Minoru, Nakagaki, Yoshio, Sano, Shinichi, Takaba, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/885,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20010037168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/31, 701/32, 701/33, 701/34, 701/35, 340/426, 340/988, 340/542, 340/539, 340/438, 340/825.32, 340/825.16, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

In a vehicle diagnosis information communication system, electric power is supplied from a battery to a vehicle control computer mounted on the vehicle during a period of vehicle operation, while the electric power is supplied to a radio communication unit mounted on the vehicle irrespective of the vehicle operation. The computer transmits a vehicle information such as engine diagnosis result to the radio communication unit through a communication line. The radio communication unit communicates the received vehicle information to an external site of communication in response to a request of the information form the external site of communication irrespective of the supply of the electric power to the computer. Preferably, the supply of the electric power from the battery to the computer is maintained for a predetermined period after the vehicle operation.

Claims

1. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication with an external management station, comprising:

a battery mounted on a vehicle for supplying electric power;

a control unit connectable to the battery for controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle and diagnosing the conditions of the various devices;

a communication unit held connected to the battery irrespective of whether the vehicle is in use or in non-use and connected to the control unit via a communication line for acquiring a diagnosis result from the control unit through the communication line, storing the acquired diagnosis result in a memory thereof and transmitting the stored diagnosis result to the management station in response to a transmission request from the management station; and

a supply state setting means for setting a state where the electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit when the vehicle is in use, and for setting a state where the electric power-necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied from the battery to the control unit when the vehicle is in non-use,

wherein the communication unit is constructed so as to transmit a latest diagnosis result stored therein, when the transmission request is received from the management station while the vehicle is in non-use.

2. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit outputs the diagnosis result to the communication unit when the vehicle is in use; and

the diagnosis result outputted last in the use of the vehicle is the latest diagnosis result transmitted from the communication unit.

3. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the vehicle is changed from the use state to the non-use state, the supply state setting means continues the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of the control unit is supplied for a predetermined period since a point in time that the change occurs and, after that, the supply state setting means switches the electric power supply state to the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is shut off;

the control unit is constructed so as to output the diagnosis result during the predetermined period since a point in time of a change to the vehicle non-use state; and

the diagnosis result outputted during the predetermined period is the latest diagnosis result transmitted by the communication unit.

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

when the control unit detects either a first improper period in which occurrence of noises on the communication line caused by starting of the engine is presumed or a second improper period in which a processing load required to control the various devices is larger than a predetermined value, and determines that it is in the improper periods, the control unit does not output the diagnosis result to the communication unit even at a time of output of the diagnosis result; and

when it is in proper periods, the control unit outputs the diagnosis result to the communication unit at the output timing of the diagnosis result.

5. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the vehicle is in use, the control unit outputs the diagnosis result to the communication unit in response to an output request from the communication unit; and

the communication unit repetitively sends the output request to the control unit until the diagnosis result is outputted from the control unit a plurality of times and contents of the diagnosis results of the plurality of times coincide with each other, and when the diagnosis results coincide with each other, the communication unit transmits the coincided diagnosis result to the management station.

6. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

although the diagnosis result is outputted more than a predetermined number of times in response to output requests from the communication unit, when the output request of the diagnosis result is received again, the control unit does not respond to the output request after that.

7. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

identification information unique to the vehicle is included in the diagnosis result of the vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the management station.

8. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of a travel distance of the vehicle and a vehicle position at a time of diagnosis is included in the diagnosis result of the vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the management station.

9. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

at least an engine which drives the vehicle is included in objects to be controlled by the control unit.

10. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication with an external management station, comprising:

a battery for supplying electric power;

a diagnosing unit connectable to the battery for diagnosing conditions of a vehicle-mounted device;

a position detecting unit connectable to the battery for detecting a present position of the vehicle;

a communication unit connected to the battery irrespective of whether said vehicle is in use or in non-use and connectable to the diagnosing unit via a communication line for acquiring a diagnosis result from the diagnosis unit through the communication line, storing the acquired diagnosis result in a memory thereof along with the present position of the vehicle and transmitting the stored diagnosis result along with the stored present position of the vehicle to the management station outside of the vehicle in response to a transmission request from the management station; and

supply state setting means, when a state in which the electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is supplied is changed to a state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied, for continuing the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of the diagnosing unit is supplied from the battery to the diagnosing unit for a predetermined period since a point in time at which the vehicle changes from use to non-use, and after that, for switching to the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied,

wherein the diagnosing unit acquires present position information from the position detecting unit at the point in time, and outputs the diagnosis result together with the acquired present position information to the communication unit in said predetermined period, and

the communication unit stores the present position information and diagnosis result outputted from the diagnosing unit into a memory unit in the communication unit and, when a transmission request is received from the management station in the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied, the communication unit transmits the diagnosis result and the present position information stored in the memory unit in the communication unit to the management station.

13. A diagnosis system according to claim 10, wherein:

the position detecting unit stores the present position information while updating it every predetermined time and outputs the updated and stored present position information in response to a request from the diagnosing unit.

14. A diagnosis system according to claim 10, wherein:

the supply state is switchable by an ignition switch between the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the diagnosing unit and the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied, and

the supply state is switchable by an accessory switch between the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the position detecting unit and the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied.

15. A diagnosis system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a key cylinder to which the key is inserted and which is capable of switching a key position at four stages in accordance with the order of an OFF position, an ACC position, an ON position, and a START position to start the engine,

wherein both of the ignition and accessory switches are OFF at the OFF position, the accessory switch is ON but the ignition switch is OFF at the ACC position, and both of the ignition and accessory switches are ON at the ON position.

16. A diagnosis system according to claim 10 wherein:

identification information unique to the vehicle is included in the diagnosis result of the vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the management station.

11. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of a radio communication with an external management station, comprising:

a battery for supplying electric power;

a diagnosing unit connectable to the battery for diagnosing conditions of a vehicle-mounted device;

a communication unit held connected to the battery irrespective of whether the vehicle is in use or in non-use and connected to the diagnosing unit via a communication line for acquiring a diagnosis result from the diagnosing unit, storing the acquired diagnosis result in a memory thereof and transmitting the stored diagnosis result to the management station outside of the vehicle in response to a transmission request from the management station; and

supply state setting means, when a state where the electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is supplied is changed to a state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied, for continuing the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of the diagnosing unit is supplied from the battery to the diagnosing unit for a predetermined period since a point in time at which the vehicle changes from use to non-use; and

after that, for switching the electric power supply state to the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied,

wherein during said predetermined period, the diagnosing unit stores engine operation condition information related to the diagnosis result into a memory unit in the diagnosing unit,

in the state where electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied, the diagnosing unit switches to a sleep state where only an interruption request can be received from the communication unit, when the interruption request is received from the communication unit, temporarily activates the whole unit to output the diagnosis result and the stored operation condition information to the communication unit, and then returns to the sleep state, and

the communication unit sends the interruption request to the diagnosing unit when a transmission request is received from the management station in the state where electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied, and transmits the stored diagnosis result and the stored engine operation condition information to the management station in response to the request.

12. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication with an external management station, comprising:

a battery for supplying electric power;

a diagnosing unit connectable to the battery for diagnosing conditions of a vehicle-mounted device;

a position detecting unit connectable to the battery for detecting a present position of the vehicle;

a communication unit held connected to the battery whether the vehicle is in use or in non-use and connected to the diagnosing unit via a communication line for acquiring a diagnosis result from the diagnosis unit through the communication line, storing the acquired diagnosis result in a memory thereof along with the present position of the vehicle and transmitting the stored diagnosis result and the stored present position of the vehicle to the management station outside of the vehicle in response to a transmission request from the management station; and

supply state setting means, when the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied is changed to the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied from the battery to the diagnosing unit, for continuing the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of the diagnosing unit is supplied from the battery for a predetermined time since a point in time at which the vehicle changes from use to non-use and after that, for switching to the state where electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied,

wherein during said predetermined period, the diagnosing unit acquires the present position information at the time point from the position detecting unit, and stores the diagnosis result together with the acquired present position information into a memory unit in the diagnosing unit,

in the state where electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied, the diagnosing unit switches the state to a sleep state where only an interruption request can be received from the communication unit, when the interruption request is received from the communication unit, temporarily activates the whole unit to output the diagnosis result stored in the memory unit in the diagnosing unit together with the present position information to the communication unit, and returns to the sleep state, and

the communication unit sends the interruption request to the a diagnosing unit when a transmission request is received from the management station in the state where electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied, and transmits the diagnosis result and the present position information outputted from the diagnosing unit to the management station in response to the request.

17. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication with an external management station, comprising:

a battery for supplying electric power;

a control unit including a computer and connectable to the battery for controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle, diagnosing conditions of the various devices, and storing diagnosis result;

a communication unit including another computer connectable to the battery, and connected to the control unit via a communication line for transmitting the diagnosis result acquired from the control unit to the management station outside of the vehicle; and

supply state setting means which switches between a state where the electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the communication unit and a state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied to the communication unit;

wherein the supply state setting means sets the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied to the communication unit when the diagnosis result which shows an abnormality and has not been outputted is stored in the control unit and sets the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied to the communication unit when the diagnosis result which indicates an abnormality and has not been outputted is not stored in the control unit.

18. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein the communication unit further includes a power circuit connected to the battery irrespective of whether the vehicle is in use or in non-use, and wherein the power circuit controls supply of the electric power to the another computer in correspondence with the states switched by the supply state setting means.

19. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein:

the communication unit is constructed so that when there is a transmission request of the diagnosis result from the management station, the communication unit instructs the control unit to output the stored diagnosis result and transmits the diagnosis result outputted from the control unit in response to the output instruction to the management station, and

when there is a transmission request from the management station in a state where the vehicle is in non-use and the diagnosis result which shows an abnormality and has not been outputted is stored in the control unit, by controlling the supply state setting means from the communication unit, the communication unit temporarily sets the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit and sends an instruction to the control unit to output the diagnosis result.

20. A diagnosis system according to claim 19, wherein:

when the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit is temporarily set, the communication unit acquires the diagnosis result from the control unit according to the output instruction to the control unit, after that, by controlling the supply state setting means, returns to the state where the electric power necessary for ordinary operation is not supplied from the battery to the control unit, and sets the state where electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied to the communication unit itself.

21. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein:

the battery is chargeable when an engine is driven;

the supply state setting means sets the state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied with respect to the electric power supply from the battery to the communication unit while the engine is driven irrespective of whether the diagnosis result which shows an abnormality and has not been outputted is stored in the control unit.

22. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein:

when the control unit detects at least one of a first improper period in which occurrence of noises on the communication line caused by starting of the engine is presumed and a second improper period in which it is presumed that a processing load required to control various devices is larger than a predetermined value and determines that it is in the improper periods, the control unit does not output the diagnosis result even at a time the diagnosis result is output to the communication unit, and

when it is not in the improper period, the control unit outputs the diagnosis result to the communication unit at the timing to output the diagnosis result.

23. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein:

at least one of a travel distance of the vehicle and a vehicle position at the time of diagnosis is included in the diagnosis result of the vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the management station.

24. A method of communication between a vehicle and an external site of communication outside of the vehicle, the vehicle having a first computer supplied with electric power from a battery of the vehicle when the vehicle is in use and a radio communication unit including a second computer separate from the first computer and supplied with the electric power irrespective of whether the vehicle is in use or in non-use, the method comprising steps of:

setting a state where the electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the first computer when the vehicle is in use, and a state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied from the battery to the first computer when the vehicle is in non-use;

transmitting a vehicle information from the first computer to the radio communication unit through a communication line when the first computer is supplied with the electric power from the battery;

storing the transmitted vehicle information in a memory of the radio communication unit irrespective of whether the first computer is supplied with the electric power from the battery; and

communicating at least a latest one of the stored vehicle information from the radio communication unit to the external site of communication in response to a request of the information from the external site of

communication irrespective of whether the first computer is supplied with the electric power from the battery.

25. A method of communication according to claim 24, further comprising steps of:

executing calculation operation for controlling operations of various devices of the vehicle and diagnosis operation of the devices by the first computer when the electric power is supplied to the first computer from the battery; and

storing the calculation result and diagnosis result in a memory of the first computer so that at least the diagnosis result is transmitted from the first computer to the second computer of the radio communication unit as the vehicle information through the communication line and stored in the memory of the radio communication unit.