Vehicle mounted failure information system

• US 8,155,823 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Itoh, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Jayne, Darnell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Varghese, Sasha T
• Application Number:
  US12/407,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33
• US Class Current: 701/31.7
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A failure information system that transmits various kinds of failure information of a vehicle to an outside diagnosis service center is disclosed. The failure information system includes a signal receiving unit that receives a signal indicating a failure of a vehicle-mounted system, a vehicle-run judging unit that judges that the vehicle is running, a run-distance calculation unit that calculates a run-distance of the vehicle since the signal indicating a failure is received, a reliability judging unit that judges that the signal indicating a failure is reliable if the signal receiving unit continuously receives the signal indicating a failure until the run-distance exceeds a preset distance level, and an over-vehicle communication unit that transmits the failure information that includes the signal indicating a failure when the reliability judging means judges that the signal indicating a failure is reliable.

Claims

1. A failure information system for transmitting failure information of a vehicle to an outside diagnosis center comprising:

signal receiving means for receiving a signal indicating a failure of a vehicle-mounted system;

vehicle-run judging means for judging that the vehicle is running;

run-distance calculation means for;

calculating a run-distance of the vehicle since the signal receiving means received the signal indicating a failure in response to a judgment of the vehicle-run judging means that the vehicle is running at a time point when the signal receiving means receives the signal indicating a failure, and

not calculating the run-distance of the vehicle in response to the judgment of the vehicle-run judging means that the vehicle is not running at a time point when the signal receiving means receives the signal indicating a failure, on the basis of a judgment that the signal indicating a failure is not reliable;

reliability judging means for judging that the signal indicating a failure is reliable instead of not reliable, if the signal receiving means continuously receives the signal indicating a failure until the run-distance exceeds a preset distance level; and

over-vehicle communication means for transmitting failure information that includes the signal indicating a failure to an outside station when the reliability judging means judges that the signal indicating a failure is reliable.

2. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle-run judging means judges that:

the vehicle is running when an engine rotation speed of the vehicle detected by an engine speed sensor is higher than or equal to a preset speed; and

the vehicle is not running when the engine rotation speed is less than the preset speed.

3. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle-run judging means judges that:

the vehicle is running when an engine rotation speed of the vehicle indicated on a tachometer is higher than or equal to a preset speed; and

the vehicle is not running when the engine rotation speed indicated on the tachometer is less than the preset speed.

4. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the run-distance calculation means starts calculating the run-distance when the vehicle-run judging means judges that the vehicle is running based on detection of a total running distance of the vehicle indicated on an odometer.

5. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the run-distance calculating means starts calculating the run-distance when the vehicle-run judging means judges that the vehicle is running based on a vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by a vehicle speed sensor and a time elapsed after of the vehicle-run judging means judges that the vehicle is running.

6. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

maintenance-service detecting means for detecting that the vehicle is undergoing a maintenance service, wherein

the reliability judging means that the signal indicating a failure is reliable when the signal receiving means receives the signal indicating a failure and when the maintenance-service detecting means does not detect that the vehicle is undergoing the maintenance service.

7. A failure information system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the maintenance service detecting means comprises means for detecting a maintenance key used for the maintenance service.

8. A failure information system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the maintenance service detecting means comprises means for detecting a maintenance switch being turned on.

9. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the failure information includes a time at which the signal receiving means receives the signal indicating a failure.

10. A failure information system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the failure information further includes a vehicle license number.

11. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

time information acquisition means for acquiring time information indicating a time, wherein the over-vehicle communication means transmits the time information acquired by the time information acquisition means with the failure information to the outside diagnosis center when the reliability judging means judges that the signal indicating a failure is reliable.

12. A failure information system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information about the vehicle, wherein the over-vehicle communication means transmits the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition means with the failure information to the outside diagnosis center when the reliability judging means judges that the signal indicating a failure is reliable.