Failure diagnosis system, and vehicle-mounted ECU for use in the failure diagnosis system

• US 7,865,281 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwai, Atsushi, Kato, Kiyonari
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/437,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures

Abstract

A failure diagnosis system that erases diagnostic information applied to a vehicle that includes an ECU for that stores a vehicle identification number (VIN) and diagnostic information (hereinafter, referred to as “VIN storage ECU”), and an ECU that does not store the vehicle identification number but stores the diagnostic information (hereinafter, referred to as “other ECU”) is characterized by being constructed so as to erase the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and also erase the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU in connection with the writing of the vehicle identification number stored in the VIN storage ECU.

Claims

1. A failure diagnosis system that is applied to a vehicle, comprising:

a VIN storage ECU that stores a vehicle identification number and diagnostic information; and

an other ECU that does not store the vehicle identification number but stores the diagnostic information, and which erases the diagnostic information,

wherein the VIN storage ECU execute erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU in connection with execution of writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU executes erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU upon receiving a diagnostic information erasure request.

2. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the other ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU, if the other ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request; and

the failure diagnosis system includes an erasure request portion that sends the diagnostic information erasure request to the other ECU.

3. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 2, wherein:

the erasure request portion is realized by the VIN storage ECU; and

the VIN storage ECU sends the diagnostic information erasure request to the other ECU in connection with the writing of the vehicle identification number in the VIN storage ECU.

4. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 2, wherein:

the erasure request portion is realized by a device that sends a vehicle identification number write request to the VIN storage ECU; and

the device is configured to send the vehicle identification number write request to the VIN storage ECU, and to send the diagnostic information erasure request to the other ECU.

5. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle identification number write request and the diagnostic information erasure request are realized by sending a same signal; and

the device broadcasts the same signal to the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU.

6. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, further comprising a device that has a function of sending a vehicle identification number write request to the VIN storage ECU, and a function of sending a diagnostic information erasure request to the VIN storage ECU,

wherein if the VIN storage ECU has received the vehicle identification number write request from the device, the VIN storage ECU executes provisional registration of the vehicle identification number relating to the write request,

wherein then, if the diagnostic information erasure request is received from the device, writing of the provisionally registered vehicle identification number is executed, and erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU is executed.

7. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 6, wherein:

the other ECU executes the erasure of the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU, if the other ECU has received the diagnostic information erasure request; and

the device broadcasts the diagnostic information erasure request to the VIN storage ECU and the other ECU.

8. The failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

the diagnostic information is diagnostic information related to emissions; and

the other ECU includes an ECU that has the diagnostic information related to emissions.

9. A vehicle-mounted ECU comprising:

a storing portion that stores a vehicle identification number and a diagnostic information;

a registering portion that, if a vehicle identification number write request is received, provisionally registers onto the storing portion the vehicle identification number relating to the write request; and

a writing portion that, if a diagnostic information erasure request is received from a device, carries out writing of the vehicle identification number by definitively registering onto the storing portion the vehicle identification number provisionally registered, and that erases the diagnostic information presently stored.

10. A vehicle-mounted ECU comprising:

a storing portion that stores a vehicle identification number and diagnostic information; and

a writing portion, if a vehicle identification number write request is received, carries out writing of the vehicle identification number onto the storing portion in accordance with the write request, and that erases the diagnostic information presently stored, and that requests an other ECU that does not store a vehicle identification number but stores diagnostic information to erase the diagnostic information presently stored.