Diagnostic method for an electronic systems unit

• US 7,418,321 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Boutin, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/539,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/34, 701/35, 701/1, 702/59, 702/185, 714/25, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0251 Abstraction hierarchy, e.g. "complex systems", i.e. system is divided in subsystems, subsystems are monitored and results are combined to decide on status of whole system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0278 Qualitative, e.g. if-then rules; Fuzzy logic; Lookup tables; Symptomatic search; FMEA
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/10 Complex mathematical operations function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04

Abstract

A diagnostic method for the default operation of an electronic systems unit, including components producing and using data, at least one datum of which can take a pre-determined fixed value, after occurrence of an erroneous functioning of at least one of the components of the unit. The method classifies, during a design phase of the architecture of the systems, the particular values following the corresponding fault and records the classification in a computer memory, for example in a form of a consultation table.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing functional faults of an assembly of electronic systems, the systems being composed of components that produce and consume data, at least one of the data configured to assume a predetermined particular value following development of a functional fault of at least one of the components of the assembly, the method comprising:

i) classifying, during a phase of design of architecture of the assembly of systems, the particular values according to associated types of faults, and the classification being recorded in a computer memory;

ii) connecting, during a diagnostic phase, a diagnostic tool to the assembly of electronic systems, the tool having access to the classification;

iii) suppressing the particular values corresponding to types of faults of components predefined in the classification as particularly reliable;

iv) selecting data that have assumed a particular value;

v) automatically calculating, for each datum selected in the selecting, a group of data configured to be responsible for the particular values assumed by the datum;

vi) automatically establishing a list of the data contained in an intersection of the groups of data; and

vii) recording the particular values and their propagation on a memory for a tool provided for diagnosis of the assembly of electronic systems.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein faults for which consequences have not been observed are excluded from the list.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein, if no fault remains in the automatically establishing (vi), the method is restarted at the connecting (ii), by taking into account classes of fault that had been removed previously.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein, if a fault remains in the automatically establishing (vi), it is verified that one of the faults identified is the cause of the problem that led to initiation of the diagnostic phase and, if such is not the case, the connecting (ii) is recommenced.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the list is analyzed to identify that component or those components of the assembly in which a functional fault is responsible for the particular values assumed by the data.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein fault types belong to at least one of categories listed below:

values created following unavailability of a datum emitted by a function,

particular values created following detection of a fault of a sensor or actuator,

particular values created following a fault of the connection system, at a level of a connector or wire,

particular values created following a fault of a calculator,

particular values created following a fault of execution of a program on a microcontroller, and

particular values created following a fault at the level of a communication network.

7. A diagnostic method according to claim 1, wherein there is automatically determined a probability that each datum will assume a particular value as a function of the category to which it belongs, and wherein the suppressing (iii) is modified by first taking into account classes of faults that had been removed previously.

8. A diagnostic method according to claim 1, wherein the assembly of electronic systems is composed of an assembly of systems for equipping a vehicle.

9. A diagnostic method according to claim 1, further comprising analysis of feasibility and/or susceptibility to failure of the assembly of electronic systems and of establishment of an output indicating the feasibility and/or susceptibility to failure.

10. A data-processing tool programmed for the diagnosis of an assembly of electronic systems using the method according to claim 1.

11. A commercial article provided with a computer-readable memory, program executable by a computer being recorded in the memory for diagnosis of functional faults of an assembly of electronic systems, the program including encoding for:

i) classifying, during a phase of design of architecture of the assembly of systems, particular values according to associated types of faults, and the classification is recorded in a computer memory;

ii) connecting, during a diagnostic phase, a diagnostic tool to the assembly of electronic systems, the tool having access to the classification;

iii) suppressing the particular values corresponding to types of faults of components predefined in the classification as particularly reliable;

iv) selecting the data that have assumed a particular value;

v) automatically calculating, for each datum selected in an selecting (iv), a group of data configured to be responsible for the particular values assumed by the datum;

vi) automatically establishing a list of the data contained in an intersection of the groups of data, and

vii) recording the particular values and their propagation on a memory for a tool provided for the diagnosis of the assembly of electronic systems.

12. A data-processing tool programmed for the diagnosis of an assembly of electronic systems using the commercial article according to claim 11.