Vehicle information management system

• US 8,831,834 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujime, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/681,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20140015661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 701/4, 701/33.4, 701/67, 701/99, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/0076 Two-wheeled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

In a vehicle information management system, a storage includes a storage region arranged to store abnormality data that includes diagnostic data, type information indicating a type of an abnormality, and occurrence number information that indicates the number of occurrences of each abnormality specified by the type information. When the type of an abnormality is specified by an abnormality specifying unit and a new diagnostic data is produced and if the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is already stored in the storage region in the storage, an updating unit changes the occurrence number information to the latest information and overwrites and saves the diagnostic data in the storage region already stored with the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type.

Claims

1. A vehicle information management system that manages diagnostic data that indicates a vehicle state, the vehicle information management system comprising:

a plurality of parameter detectors each arranged to detect a parameter related to the vehicle state;

an abnormality specifying unit programmed to specify a type of an abnormality generated in the vehicle based on the parameters detected by the plurality of parameter detectors;

a diagnostic data producing unit programmed to produce the diagnostic data based on the parameters detected by the plurality of parameter detectors when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit;

a storage including a storage region arranged to store abnormality data including the diagnostic data, type information that indicates the type of the abnormality, and occurrence number information that indicates a number of occurrences of an abnormality specified by the type information; and

an updating unit programmed to change the occurrence number information to latest information and to overwrite and save new diagnostic data in the storage region when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit and the new diagnostic data is produced, if the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is already stored in the storage region.

2. The vehicle information management system according to claim 1, wherein when a main switch of the vehicle is turned on, the plurality of parameter detectors each start to detect a parameter of the vehicle;

the diagnostic data producing unit is programmed to produce the diagnostic data based on the parameters detected in a prescribed time period after the main switch is turned on; and

when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit based on the diagnostic data produced in the prescribed time period after the main switch is turned on and the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is already stored in the storage region, the updating unit is programmed to neither overwrite the diagnostic data in the storage region already stored with the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type nor change the occurrence number information to the latest information.

3. The vehicle information management system according to claim 1, wherein the storage includes a plurality of storage regions;

and

when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit and the new diagnostic data is produced, and when the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is not stored in any of the plurality of storage regions and there is an empty region among the plurality of storage regions, the updating unit is programmed to store a new abnormality data in the empty region.

4. The vehicle information management system according to claim 3, wherein when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit and the new diagnostic data is produced, and when the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is not stored in any of the plurality of storage regions and there is no empty region among the plurality of storage regions, the updating unit is programmed to delete an oldest abnormality data to produce an empty region and to store the new abnormality data in the empty region.

5. The vehicle information management system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an active time detector arranged to detect a time period during which an electronic control unit of the vehicle that is supplied with power in response to an operation of the main switch is active;

wherein

the abnormality data further includes time information related to an active time detected by the active time detector.

6. The vehicle information management system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an active number detector arranged to count a number of how many times the electronic control unit of the vehicle that is supplied with power in response to an operation of the main switch is active;

wherein

the abnormality data further includes number information related to an activation number detected by the active number detector.

7. A malfunction diagnostic system comprising:

a vehicle information management system that manages diagnostic data that indicates a vehicle state, the vehicle information management system comprising;

a plurality of parameter detectors each arranged to detect a parameter related to the vehicle state;

an abnormality specifying unit programmed to specify a type of an abnormality generated in the vehicle based on the parameters detected by the plurality of parameter detectors;

a diagnostic data producing unit programmed to produce the diagnostic data based on the parameters detected by the plurality of parameter detectors when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit;

a storage including a storage region arranged to store abnormality data including the diagnostic data, type information that indicates the type of the abnormality, and occurrence number information that indicates a number of occurrences of an abnormality specified by the type information; and

an updating unit programmed to change the occurrence number information to latest information and to overwrite and save new diagnostic data in the storage region when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit and the new diagnostic data is produced, if the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is already stored in the storage region;

a reader arranged to read the abnormality data stored in the storage from the vehicle information management system; and

a display that displays the abnormality data read from the vehicle information management system.

8. A saddle riding type vehicle comprising:

a vehicle information management system that manages diagnostic data that indicates a vehicle state, the vehicle information management system comprising;

a plurality of parameter detectors each arranged to detect a parameter related to the vehicle state;

an abnormality specifying unit programmed to specify a type of an abnormality generated in the vehicle based on the parameters detected by the plurality of parameter detectors;

a diagnostic data producing unit programmed to produce the diagnostic data based on the parameters detected by the plurality of parameter detectors when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit;

a storage including a storage region arranged to store abnormality data including the diagnostic data, type information that indicates the type of the abnormality, and occurrence number information that indicates a number of occurrences of an abnormality specified by the type information; and

an updating unit programmed to change the occurrence number information to latest information and to overwrite and save new diagnostic data in the storage region when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit and the new diagnostic data is produced, if the abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is already stored in the storage region.

9. The saddle riding type vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising a warning unit arranged to warn a rider about the abnormality, wherein the warning unit lights up when the type of the abnormality is specified by the abnormality specifying unit.

10. A vehicle information management method for managing diagnostic data that indicates a vehicle state, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a parameter related to the vehicle state;

producing the diagnostic data based on the detected parameter;

specifying a type of an abnormality generated in the vehicle based on the diagnostic data; and

changing occurrence number information to latest information and then overwriting and saving a new diagnostic data in a storage region when the new diagnostic data is produced and abnormality data of the same type as the specified type is already stored in the storage region.