Circuit for motor vehicles with coding plug

• US 7,129,716 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2006
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Schroeder, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Deb, Anjan
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOAI AN D
• Application Number:
  US11/336,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 324/691, 324/649, 324/600, 324/538, 701/600, 701/59, 701/58, 701/51, 701/36, 439/638
• US Class Current: 324/691
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/665 with built-in electronic circuit H01R13/70, H01R13/719 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles

Abstract

A circuit arrangement for motor vehicles for characterizing one of several variants of an electrically controllable subassembly is provided. A subassembly is connectable to a coding plug. The coding plug has at least one electric terminal which is directly or indirectly connectable to a measurement input of an analyzer unit. The coding plug has fixed electric wiring by means of which a defined electric state may be generated at the measurement input in the analyzer unit. The electric state is detected in the analyzer unit and compared with stored data, by means of which a defined electric state that can be differentiated from all other states is assigned to each possible variant of the subassembly.

Claims

1. A system for a motor vehicle for characterizing one of multiple variants of an electrically controllable subassembly, the system comprising:

a coding plug connectable to the subassembly; and

an analyzer unit with a measurement input connectable directly or indirectly to at least one electric terminal of the coding plug,

wherein the coding plug has a fixed electric wiring arranged such that a defined electric state is generable at the measurement input of the analyzer unit,

wherein the electric state is detected by the analyzer unit and compared with stored data such that the defined electric state differentiable from all other states is assigned to each possible variant of the subassembly, and

wherein the electric wiring of the coding plug is an ohmic resistor having a defined value, said resistor being connectable to the terminal of the coding plug assigned to the measurement input of the analyzer circuit, and a resistance value differentiable from all other resistance values being assigned to each possible variant of the subassembly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle has four-wheel drive at least temporarily, an electronic control unit by means of which the drive torque of a drive unit is variably distributable to primary driving wheels which are permanently connected to the drive unit and to secondary driving wheels which are connectable on demand to the drive unit via a transmission clutch, wherein the control unit determines a setpoint clutch torque which is to be set by an actuator device on the transmission clutch, said control unit containing the analyzer unit and said actuator device being the electrically controllable subassembly.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coding plug is an adapter plug between the electric terminals of the subassembly and the electric terminals of the analyzer unit or an electronic control circuit containing the analyzer unit for controlling the subassembly.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coding plug is an adapter plug between the electric terminals of the subassembly and the electric terminals of the analyzer unit or an electronic control circuit containing the analyzer unit for controlling the subassembly.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coding plug is an adapter plug between the electric terminals of the subassembly and the terminals of a cable tree, which is connectable to the analyzer unit or to an electronic control unit containing the analyzer unit for controlling the subassembly.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coding plug is an adapter plug between the electric terminals of the subassembly and the terminals of a cable tree, which is connectable to the analyzer unit or to an electronic control unit containing the analyzer unit for controlling the subassembly.

7. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the coding plug is an adapter plug between the electric terminals of the subassembly and the terminals of a cable tree, which is connectable to the analyzer unit or to an electronic control unit containing the analyzer unit for controlling the subassembly.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coding plug is an extra plug which is attached by a mechanical connection to the subassembly and has at least one electric terminal which is connectable directly or indirectly by a cable or by a cable tree to the electric terminal of the analyzer unit assigned to the measurement input or to an electronic control unit containing the analyzer unit for controlling the subassembly.

9. A method for a motor vehicle for determining a variant of an electrically controllable subassembly, the method comprising the acts of:

connecting an analyzer unit with a measurement input to at least one electric terminal of a coding plug;

assigning a defined electric state differentiable from all other states to each possible variant of the subassembly;

detecting a generated defined electric state;

comparing the detected defined electric state with the assigned defined electric states to determine a variant of the subassembly; and

providing electric wiring of the coding plug with an ohmic resistor having a defined value, said resistor being connectable to the terminal of the coding plug assigned to the measurement input of the analyzer circuit, and a resistance value differentiable from all other resistance values being assigned to each possible variant of the subassembly.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the acts of:

storing the assigned defined electric states.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the motor vehicle has four-wheel drive at least temporarily, an electronic control unit by means of which the drive torque of a drive unit is variably distributable to primary driving wheels which are permanently connected to the drive unit and to secondary driving wheels which are connectable on demand to the drive unit via a transmission clutch, wherein the control unit determines a setpoint clutch torque which is to be set by an actuator device on the transmission clutch, said control unit containing the analyzer unit and said actuator device being the electrically controllable subassembly.