Diagnosis function evaluation system for evaluating a fault diagnosis function, computer product, and computer readable storage medium

• US 7,117,081 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sawaoka, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Johnny H.
• Application Number:
  US10/687,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 701/102, 701/107, 701/114, 701/115, 701/31, 701/113, 731/16, 731/173, 731/181, 702/113
• US Class Current: 701/114
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/04 Testing internal-combustion engines

Abstract

An evaluation system for a fault diagnosis function has an engine ECU. The ECU is connected to an engine, sensors, and a MIL. The ECU diagnoses the sensors. The ECU also determines whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function for the sensors is completed. A memory stores a plurality of the completion result. When at least one of the diagnosis processes is completed in the last ten completion result, it is determined that the diagnosis function is in a normal condition. Otherwise, it is determined that the diagnosis function is in an abnormal condition, and the MIL indicates the abnormal condition.

Claims

1. A diagnosis function evaluation system for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses a certain equipment, comprising:

a completion status determination part that determines whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed; and

a diagnosis function evaluation part that determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition when the diagnosis process is not completed a predetermined number of time(s) during the plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed.

2. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number is a continuous term.

3. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory that stores a determination result of the diagnosis function evaluation part.

4. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 3, wherein the determination result is deleted from the memory when the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in the normal condition.

5. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification part that notifies a determination result of the diagnosis function evaluation part.

6. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in the normal condition when all of the plurality of timings of the diagnosis process are continuously not completed in the plurality of timings of the diagnosis process.

7. A diagnosis function evaluation system for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses a certain equipment, comprising:

a completion status determination part that determines whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed;

a ratio calculation part that calculates at least one of a completion ratio in which the diagnosis process is completed and an incompletion ratio in which the diagnosis process is not completed based on a determination result of the completion status determination part within the plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed; and

a diagnosis function evaluation part that evaluates the fault diagnosis function based on one of the completion ratio and the incompletion ratio.

8. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 7, wherein the diagnosis function evaluation part does not determine that the fault diagnosis function is in the normal condition one of when the completion ratio is less than a first predetermined value and the incompletion ratio is not less than a second predetermined value.

9. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a memory that stores a determination result of the diagnosis function evaluation part.

10. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 9, wherein the determination result is deleted from the memory when the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition.

13. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a memory that stores a determination result of the diagnosis function evaluation part.

14. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 13, wherein the determination result is deleted from the memory when the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition.

11. A diagnosis function evaluation system for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses a certain equipment, comprising:

a completion status determination part that determines a completion status relating to a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function in each of a plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed;

a status memory that stores the completion status;

a deletion part that deletes the completion status stored in the status memory in response to a request signal from an external device;

a ratio calculation part that calculates at least one of a completion ratio in which the diagnosis process is completed and an incompletion ratio in which the diagnosis process is not completed based on determination results of the completion status determination part in the plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed after deleting the completion status stored in the status memory by the deletion part; and

a diagnosis function evaluation part that evaluates the fault diagnosis function based on one of the completion ratio and the incompletion ratio.

12. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 11, wherein the diagnosis function evaluation part does not determine that the fault diagnosis function is in a normal condition one of when the completion ratio is less than a first predetermined value and the incompletion ratio is not less than a second predetermined value.

15. A computer program product for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses certain equipment, said computer program product having a computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied in said medium, said computer readable program code having:

a computer readable program part for causing the computer to determine whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed; and

a computer readable program part for causing the computer to evaluate the diagnosis function by determining that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition when the diagnosis process is not completed a predetermined number of time(s) during the plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed.

16. A computer readable storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses certain equipment, the method steps comprising:

determining whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed; and

evaluating the diagnosis function by determining that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition when the diagnosis process is not completed a predetermined number of time(s) during the plurality of times the diagnosis process is performed.

17. A diagnosis function evaluation system for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses certain equipment, comprising:

a completion status determination part that determines whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of driving cycles; and

a diagnosis function evaluation part that determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition when the diagnosis process is not completed a predetermined number of cycle(s) during the plurality of driving cycles.

18. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined driving cycle is a predetermined time period from a previous startup of an engine to a current startup of the engine.

19. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 17, wherein the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is in a normal condition when the diagnosis process is completed at least once in the plurality of driving cycles.

20. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined driving cycle is a continuous term.

21. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a memory that stores a determination result of the diagnosis function evaluation part.

22. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 21, wherein the determination result is deleted from the memory when the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in the normal condition.

23. A diagnosis function evaluation system for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses certain equipment, comprising:

a completion status determination part that determines whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of driving cycles;

a ratio calculation part that calculates at least one of a completion ratio in which the diagnosis process is completed and an incompletion ratio in which the diagnosis process is not completed based on a determination result of the completion status determination part within the plurality of driving cycles; and

a diagnosis function evaluation part that evaluates the fault diagnosis function based on one of the completion ratio and the incompletion ratio.

24. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 23, wherein the diagnosis function evaluation part does not determine that the fault diagnosis function is in the normal condition one of when the completion ratio is less than a first predetermined value and the incompletion ratio is not less than a second predetermined value.

25. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 23, further comprising:

a memory that stores a determination result of the diagnosis function evaluation part.

26. The diagnosis function evaluation system according to claim 25, wherein the determination result is deleted from the memory when the diagnosis function evaluation part determines that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition.

27. A computer readable storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for evaluating a fault diagnosis function that diagnoses certain equipment, the method steps comprising:

determining whether a diagnosis process of the diagnosis function is completed or not in each of a plurality of driving cycles; and

evaluating the diagnosis function by determining that the fault diagnosis function is not in a normal condition when the diagnosis process is not completed a predetermined number of cycle(s) during the plurality of driving cycles.