Method of operation of internal combustion engine with permanent fault code implementation

• US 7,739,028 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Golub, Tomislav I., Groer, Frank S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Jr., Willis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Johnny H
• Application Number:
  US11/940,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 701102-104, 701/108, 701/111, 701/112, 701/114, 701/115, 701 29- 35, 701/101, 701/109, 123/479, 123/488, 123/688, 123/690, 602/74, 602/76, 602/77, 602/85, 602/86, 702182-187, 340/438, 340/439, 340/441
• US Class Current: 701/115
• 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: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method to operate an internal combustion engine with electronic control wherein fault codes indicative of emissions levels may be stored in permanent memory.

Claims

1. A method to operate an internal combustion engine with electronic control and sensors for transmitting data signals indicative of operational parameters to said electronic control;

said electronic control unit having memory with at least one region with Random Access Memory (RAM) only;

said method comprising;

sensing exhaust emissions levels and transmitting data signals indicative of said emissions levels to region of memory in said electronic control unit;

comparing said data signals indicative of emissions levels to calibratable values resident in memory in said electronic control unit indicative of engine exhaust emission levels at various engine speed and engine torque values to determine whether a fault condition exists; and

logging said fault in said region of memory with RAM memory only;

said region inaccessible to unauthorized access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said memory is accessible to service tools with appropriate security access.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said appropriate security access is a password.

4. The method of claim 3, further including logging access to the region of memory to identify users by time and password to determine whether authorized access resulted in changes to said faults.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein when said electronic controller is replaced, the fault codes in permanent memory are copied into said electronic control replacement.