Good checking for vehicle pressure sensor
First Claim
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1. A controller for determining whether a previously-detected, vehicle pressure-sensor malfunction still exists, the controller comprising:
- an electronic, non-volatile memory; and
an electronic processing unit connected to the electronic, non-volatile memory, the electronic processing module including,a malfunction monitoring module configured to monitor the operation of a pressure sensor and generate a first fault signal if the pressure sensor outputs a signal that is outside of a first pre-determined range, thefirst fault signal containing first fault information and configured to cause at least one of a first tell-tale indicator to be activated and a first vehicle control system to modify its operation from a first operating state to a second operating state,a failure handling module configured to cause first drive cycle information and the first fault information to be stored in the electronic, non-volatile memory, anda signal checking module configured to retrieve the first drive cycle information and the first fault information from the electronic, non-volatile memory and perform a first signal check on information from the pressure sensor by comparing an output of the pressure sensor to a second pre-determined range narrower than the first pre-determined range, the pressure sensor passing the first signal check if the output of the pressure sensor is within the second pre-determined range.
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Abstract
A mechanism for determining whether a malfunctioning pressure sensor has returned to a normal or acceptable operating range. The mechanism includes controllers and methods that perform a “good check” on the sensor to determine whether the sensor has returned to normal or acceptable operation after a malfunction has been detected. When a previously-malfunctioning sensor passes the “good check,” warning lights (or tell-tale) indicators are shut off and systems that relied upon information from the malfunctioning sensor return to normal operation.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A controller for determining whether a previously-detected, vehicle pressure-sensor malfunction still exists, the controller comprising:
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an electronic, non-volatile memory; and an electronic processing unit connected to the electronic, non-volatile memory, the electronic processing module including, a malfunction monitoring module configured to monitor the operation of a pressure sensor and generate a first fault signal if the pressure sensor outputs a signal that is outside of a first pre-determined range, the first fault signal containing first fault information and configured to cause at least one of a first tell-tale indicator to be activated and a first vehicle control system to modify its operation from a first operating state to a second operating state, a failure handling module configured to cause first drive cycle information and the first fault information to be stored in the electronic, non-volatile memory, and a signal checking module configured to retrieve the first drive cycle information and the first fault information from the electronic, non-volatile memory and perform a first signal check on information from the pressure sensor by comparing an output of the pressure sensor to a second pre-determined range narrower than the first pre-determined range, the pressure sensor passing the first signal check if the output of the pressure sensor is within the second pre-determined range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method, executed by a controller including an electronic processing unit and an electronic, non-volatile memory, for determining whether a previously-detected, vehicle-sensor malfunction still exists, the method comprising the steps of:
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monitoring the operation of at least one of a pressure sensor and a brake light switch with a malfunction monitoring module executed by the electronic processing unit; generating a fault signal containing fault information with the malfunction monitoring module when at least one of the pressure sensor and the brake light switch malfunctions, the malfunction being determined based on a first set of parameters; causing at least one of a tell-tale indicator to be activated or a vehicle control system to modify its operation from a first operating state to a second operating state in response to the fault signal; storing drive cycle information and the fault information in the electronic, non-volatile memory with a failure handling module executed by the electronic processing unit; retrieving the drive cycle information and the fault information from the electronic, non-volatile memory; performing a signal check on information from at least one of the pressure sensor and the brake light switch with a signal checking module executed by the electronic processing unit, the signal check using a second set of parameters more stringent than the first set of parameters; and generating, in response to at least one of the pressure sensor and the brake light switch passing the signal check, a reset signal with the signal checking module that causes at least one of the tell-tale indictor to be deactivated and the vehicle control system to resume operation in the first operating state. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification