Vehicle data gathering apparatus, and vehicle data gathering method

• US 9,047,720 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sumi, Ryuichiro, Nagata, Erito
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US14/376,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20140371977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A vehicle data gathering apparatus that implements a vehicle data gathering method includes: a bus use rate detection means connected to an in-vehicle network for detecting a bus use rate in the in-vehicle network; a selection setting means for selecting and setting a plurality of data request signals to be transmitted to at least one of a plurality of ECUs; a transmission interval setting means for setting a uniform transmission interval for each data request signal in a predetermined period on the basis of the number of the data request signals set by the selection setting means; and a request signal transmission means for transmitting each data request signal at the set uniform interval when it is determined that the bus use rate is lower than a first threshold value.

Claims

1. An external vehicle data collecting apparatus removably connected externally to an intravehicular network to which a plurality of electronic control units, hereinafter referred to as ECUs, are connected in a vehicle, for transmitting a plurality of data request signals for requesting driving parameter data representing operating states of various components of the vehicle while the vehicle is being driven, to at least one of the ECUs, receiving driving parameter data in response to the data request signals, and storing the received driving parameter data in a storage unit, the external vehicle data collecting apparatus comprising:

a bus usage rate detecting unit connected to the intravehicular network and configured to detect a bus usage rate of the intravehicular network;

a selecting and setting unit configured to select and set the data request signals to be transmitted to the at least one of the ECUs;

a transmission interval setting unit configured to set equal transmission intervals in a predetermined period with respect to each of the data request signals based on the number of the data request signals set by the selecting and setting unit; and

a request signal transmitting unit configured to transmit the data request signals at the equal transmission intervals if the bus usage rate is judged as being smaller than a first threshold value.

2. The external vehicle data collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bus usage rate detecting unit calculates the bus usage rate by detecting a communication volume on the intravehicular network at same intervals as the equal transmission intervals;

and

the request signal transmitting unit aborts transmission of the data request signals if the bus usage rate is judged as exceeding the first threshold value, judges at the equal transmission intervals whether the bus usage rate is smaller than a second threshold value that is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value, and resumes the transmission of the data request signals at the equal transmission intervals if the bus usage rate becomes smaller than the second threshold value.

3. The external vehicle data collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting and setting unit selects and sets data request signals for driving parameter data altogether with respect to each defect symptom.

4. A vehicle data collecting method in which a vehicle data collecting apparatus connected externally to an intravehicular network to which a plurality of electronic control units, hereinafter referred to as ECUs, are connected in a vehicle, transmits a plurality of data request signals for requesting driving parameter data representing operating states of various components of the vehicle while the vehicle is being driven, to at least one of the ECUs, receives driving parameter data in response to the data request signals, and stores the received driving parameter data in a storage unit, the vehicle data collecting method comprising:

a bus usage rate detecting step of detecting a bus usage rate of the intravehicular network by the vehicle data collecting apparatus connected to the intravehicular network;

a selecting and setting step of selecting and setting the data request signals to be transmitted from the vehicle data collecting apparatus to the at least one of the ECUs;

a transmission interval setting step of setting equal transmission intervals in a predetermined period with respect to each of the data request signals based on the number of the data request signals set by the selecting and setting step; and

a request signal transmitting step of transmitting the data request signals at the equal transmission intervals if the bus usage rate is judged as being smaller than a first threshold value.

5. A vehicle data collecting method for collecting intravehicular data for use in a vehicle diagnosis that is at least one of a fault diagnosis, a checkup, and a driving skill diagnosis to be performed externally on a vehicle having an intravehicular network to which a plurality of electronic control units, hereinafter referred to as ECUs, are connected, the vehicle data collecting method comprising:

an item setting step of setting a diagnostic item to be diagnosed by an external diagnosing machine;

a request signal identifying step of identifying data request signals with respect to a plurality of items for requesting any of the ECUs for the intravehicular data about the plurality of items corresponding to the diagnostic item;

a data requesting step of transmitting a plurality of the data request signals with respect to the plurality of items to at least one of the ECUs from the external diagnosing machine or a vehicle-mounted link which operates in response to a command from the external diagnosing machine;

an intravehicular data transmitting step of transmitting a plurality of the intravehicular data from each of the ECUs which have received the data request signals to the external diagnosing machine or the vehicle-mounted link; and

an intravehicular data storing step of storing the intravehicular data which have been received directly from the ECUs or the intravehicular data which have been received through the vehicle-mounted link, in the external diagnosing machine;

wherein the data requesting step comprises;

a transmission interval setting step of setting transmission intervals for the data request signals with respect to the plurality of items which are identified depending on the diagnostic item;

a bus usage rate detecting step of detecting a bus usage rate of the intravehicular network;

a bus usage judging step of judging whether the bus usage rate is smaller than a first threshold value or not; and

a request signal transmitting step of transmitting the data request signals at the transmission intervals if the bus usage rate is judged as being smaller than the first threshold value; and

wherein the transmission interval setting step sets the transmission intervals for transmitting the data request signals with respect to the plurality of items at equal intervals in a data collecting period which is a period established to acquire each piece of the intravehicular data with respect to the plurality of items.