Control device for a networkable device

• US 6,757,600 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2002
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Eberspacher Exhaust Technology GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Bächle, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US10/080,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/29, 701/32, 701/33, 701/35
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2206 controlling the operation of burners control of burners in general F23N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/224 automatic operation, e.g. control circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2293 Integration into other parts of a vehicle

Abstract

A control device for a device that can be networked, in particular for a water or air heating device, operated with liquid fuel, of a motor vehicle, in the form of a supplementary heater or an auxiliary heater. The control device has a client-specific data interface by which the control device can be connected to a client-specific data network, in particular to a data bus in a motor vehicle. In order to reduce the expense on the maker'"'"'s part for programming, testing, and diagnosis for different client-specific data interfaces, the control device has an additional, maker-specific data interface constituted as a bidirectional wireless connection, of which the control device can be connected to a maker-specific data processing device for respective programming, testing or diagnosis.

Claims

1. A control device for a networkable device operated with liquid fuel, of a motor vehicle, comprising a supplementary heater or an auxiliary heater comprising a motor vehicle manufacturer-specific data interface (9) by means of which the control device (2) can be connected to a motor vehicle manufacturer-specific data network (10), in a motor vehicle,

wherein

the control device (2) comprises a heater-specific data interface (11) comprising a bidirectional wireless connection, by which the control device (2) can be connected to a heater-specific data processing device (13) for at least one of programming, testing and diagnosis.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the heater-specific data interface (11) is within the control device (2).

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein an antenna of the heater-specific data interface (11) comprises a printed circuit board loop antenna (12).

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein device-specific data can be interrogated, input and changed via the heater-specific data interface (11).

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein data which can be transmitted via the heater-specific data interface (11) for communication with the control device (2) have a heater-specific data. format, and wherein data which can be transmitted via the motor vehicle manufacturer-specific data interface (9) for communication with the control device (2) have a motor vehicle manufacturer-specific data format that differs from the heater-specific data format.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the networkable device comprises an air heating device.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle manufacturer-specific data network comprises a data bus.

8. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the networkable device comprises a water heating device.