Method for the implementation of a fault diagnostic system and in-vehicle fault diagnostic system

• US 6,507,918 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1999
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Treinies, Stefan, Last, Bernd, Jehle, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Gabriel L.
• Application Number:
  US09/392,853
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31, 701/35, 714/31, 714/45, 714/25, 714/48, 706/49
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2273 Test methods

Abstract

In a method for implementation of a fault diagnostic system having a number of diagnostic modules and in an in-vehicle fault diagnostic system, a second diagnostic module whose diagnostic result depends on the result of the fault diagnosis of at least one first diagnostic module begins its diagnostic cycle without waiting for the diagnostic result of the first diagnostic module. The second diagnostic module writes its diagnostic result into a secondary fault memory. When the first diagnostic module has ended its diagnostic cycle without finding a fault, the diagnostic result of the second diagnostic module is transferred from the secondary fault memory into a primary fault memory.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a fault diagnostic system having a number of diagnostic modules that monitor sub-systems during a diagnostic cycle and provide a diagnostic result, said method comprising the steps of:

starting a diagnostic cycle of a second diagnostic module without waiting for a diagnostic result of a first diagnostic module, said second diagnostic module having a diagnostic result dependent on a result of a fault diagnosis of at least one first diagnostic module;

writing said diagnostic result of said second diagnostic module into a secondary fault memory when said diagnostic result of said first diagnostic module is not yet provided after an end of said diagnostic cycle of said second diagnostic module; and

writing said diagnostic result of said second diagnostic module into a primary fault memory when said first diagnostic module has not diagnosed a fault after an end of a diagnostic cycle of said first diagnostic module, said primary fault memory having entries for judging functionability of said sub-systems.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

writing said diagnostic result of said second diagnostic module into said secondary fault memory when said diagnostic cycle of said first diagnostic module ends prior to an ending of said diagnostic cycle of said second diagnostic module.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

controlling said writing of said diagnostic result of said second diagnostic module into said secondary fault memory by a central diagnostic module.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said writing of said diagnostic result of said second diagnostic module into said primary fault memory and into said secondary fault memory being under conditions prescribed in a matrix.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a diagnostic module with a marking when said diagnostic module diagnoses a fault and said fault diagnostic result being written into said secondary fault memory and not into said primary fault memory.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a mark being provided to control a transfer of a content of said primary fault memory into said secondary fault memory.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said secondary fault memory being provided with a second identifier and said primary memory being provided with a first identifier different than said second identifier;

and further comprising the step of;

transferring a diagnostic result from said secondary fault memory into said primary fault memory based on an exchange of said first and second identifiers.