Electric control unit

• US 8,489,273 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kondoh, Masayoshi, Hozuka, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAYNE, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US13/473,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20120296544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 701/99, 701/33.4, 701/3, 701/22, 701/123, 701/36, 701/102, 701/29.3, 701/29.1, 701/31.9
• US Class Current: 701/33.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/041 Built in Test Equipment [BITE]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/045 Monitoring control system parameters

Abstract

An electric control unit may include a behavior check unit, a drive information store unit, a classify unit, a count unit and a condition set unit. The behavior check unit determines whether a vehicle behavior is generated by comparing the vehicle behavior with a detection condition. The drive information store unit stores information of the vehicle behavior in a memory unit drive when the vehicle behavior is generated. The classify unit classifies the vehicle behavior into one of a plurality of behavior classes. The behavior classes are arranged to classify the vehicle behavior according to a magnitude of the vehicle behavior. The count unit controls a counter for each behavior class according to the classification of the vehicle behavior. Based on the counters of each of the behavior classes, the condition set unit sets the detection condition as a boundary condition of one of the behavior classes.

Claims

1. An electric control unit comprising:

a behavior check unit determining whether a vehicle behavior is generated by comparing the vehicle behavior with a detection condition;

a drive information store unit storing information of the vehicle behavior in a memory unit drive when behavior check unit determines that the vehicle behavior is generated;

a classify unit classifying the vehicle behavior into one of plurality of predetermined behavior classes, the plurality of predetermined behavior classes being arranged to classify the vehicle behavior according to a magnitude of the vehicle behavior;

a count unit controlling a counter for each of the plurality of behavior classes according to classification of the vehicle behavior by the classify unit; and

a condition set unit setting the detection condition as a boundary condition of one of the plurality of behavior classes based on the counter of each of the plurality of behavior classes.

2. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein the condition set unit sets the detection condition as the boundary condition between a base behavior class that has an over-threshold count of the vehicle behavior and a higher limit behavior class next to the base behavior class, the vehicle behavior in the higher behavior class being less easily generable than the vehicle behavior of the base behavior class.

3. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein the count unit only increments the counter of the behavior class into which the vehicle behavior is classified by the classify unit.

4. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein the count unit increments the counter of the behavior class into which the vehicle behavior is classified by the classify unit and the counter of at least one other behavior class that is a lower limit behavior class.

5. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein when the condition set unit sets the detection condition upon detecting that at least one of the plurality of behavior classes has the over-threshold count, the count unit initializes the counter of all the behavior classes except the behavior class having the over-threshold count.

6. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein the count unit stores the counter of each behavior class in a rewritable memory unit that retains data while a vehicle driving operation is stopped.

7. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein the count unit stores the counter of each behavior class in a rewritable memory unit that discards data when a vehicle driving operation is stopped.

8. The electric control unit of claim 1, wherein

the vehicle behavior is an engine rotation number in an accelerator opening all-shut state, and

the detection condition is a range of the engine rotation number.