Vehicle diagnostic system, vehicle diagnostic method, and external diagnostic device

• US 9,245,393 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yagi, Kensuke, Doi, Katsuhisa, Endo, Wataru, Kawahara, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Kelly D
• Application Number:
  US14/364,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/022 Actuator failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/041 Built in Test Equipment [BITE]
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/108 for diagnosis of the starter or its components
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/023 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/061 Battery state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0802 Transmission state, e.g. gear ratio or neutral state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0808 Steering state, e.g. state of power assisted steering
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0814 Bonnet switches
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/101 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/103 Clutch pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/106 Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/122 Atmospheric temperature
• 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 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

In a vehicle diagnostic system and a vehicle diagnostic method, malfunction codes recorded in each ECU in a vehicle include idle stop malfunction codes that disallow idle stop, and a non-idle stop malfunction code that does not disallow idle stop. The idle stop malfunction codes include: a first idle stop malfunction code that operates a warning light provided corresponding to a specific ECU; and a second idle stop malfunction code that does not operate the relevant warning light. An external diagnostic device extracts, from the plurality of ECUs, only the second idle stop malfunction codes, among the first idle stop malfunction codes and the second idle stop malfunction codes, when performing malfunction diagnosis for non-execution of idle stop.

Claims

1. A vehicle diagnosing system for performing a fault diagnosis of a vehicle by performing communication between a plurality of electronic control units in the vehicle and an external diagnosing apparatus and reading out fault codes recorded in the electronic control units into the external diagnosing apparatus, wherein the vehicle comprises:

a plurality of warning lamps associated with specific ones of the electronic control units, and configured to demand an inspection or repair of a failure which has occurred in the vehicle; and

an idling stop controller configured to automatically execute an idling stop for stopping a drive source of the vehicle from idling when a predetermined condition is satisfied;

wherein when the electronic control units detect a fault in target ranges controlled thereby, the electronic control units record the fault codes;

the fault codes include idling stop fault codes defined as inhibiting the idling stop, and non-idling stop fault codes not defined as inhibiting the idling stop;

the idling stop fault codes include first idling stop fault codes defined as energizing the warning lamps and second idling stop fault codes not defined as energizing the warning lamps; and

for performing a fault diagnosis with respect to non-execution of the idling stop, the external diagnosing apparatus extracts only the second idling stop fault codes, among the first idling stop fault codes and the second idling stop fault codes, from the electronic control units.

2. The vehicle diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein the external diagnosing apparatus:

inquires of the electronic control units which may possibly have the second idling stop fault codes recorded, for recorded second idling stop fault codes; and

displays answers from the electronic control units on a display unit of the external diagnosing apparatus in association with the electronic control units.

3. The vehicle diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein the external diagnosing apparatus:

comprises a database having the second idling stop fault codes registered in association with the electronic control units which may possibly have the second idling stop fault codes recorded; and

reads out the second idling stop fault codes and other fault codes from the electronic control units which may possibly have the second idling stop fault codes recorded, compares the read fault codes with the fault codes registered in the database in association with the electronic control units which may possibly have the second idling stop fault codes recorded, and extracts the second idling stop fault codes.

4. The vehicle diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes:

separately from the warning lamps, an idling stop failure indicator configured to indicate an idling stop fault corresponding to one of the second idling stop fault codes when the idling stop fault which records the one of the second idling stop fault codes in any of the electronic control units has occurred.

5. A vehicle diagnosing method of performing a fault diagnosis of a vehicle by performing communication between a plurality of electronic control units in the vehicle and an external diagnosing apparatus and reading out fault codes recorded in the electronic control units into the external diagnosing apparatus, wherein the vehicle comprises:

a plurality of warning lamps associated with specific ones of the electronic control units, and configured to demand an inspection or repair of a failure which has occurred in the vehicle; and

an idling stop controller configured to automatically execute an idling stop for stopping a drive source of the vehicle from idling when a predetermined condition is satisfied;

wherein when the electronic control units detect a fault in target ranges controlled thereby, the electronic control units record the fault codes;

the fault codes include idling stop fault codes defined as inhibiting the idling stop, and non-idling stop fault codes not defined as inhibiting the idling stop;

the idling stop fault codes include first idling stop fault codes defined as energizing the warning lamps and second idling stop fault codes not defined as energizing the warning lamps; and

for performing a fault diagnosis with respect to non-execution of the idling stop, the external diagnosing apparatus extracts only the second idling stop fault codes, among the first idling stop fault codes and the second idling stop fault codes, from the electronic control units.

6. An external diagnosing apparatus for performing a fault diagnosis of a vehicle by communicating with a plurality of electronic control units in the vehicle and reading out fault codes recorded in the electronic control units into the external diagnosing apparatus, wherein

the fault codes are recorded when the electronic control units detect a fault in target ranges controlled thereby;

the fault codes include idling stop fault codes defined as inhibiting an idling stop for stopping a drive source of the vehicle from idling, and non-idling stop fault codes not defined as inhibiting the idling stop;

the idling stop fault codes include;

first idling stop fault codes defined as energizing warning lamps of the vehicle, the warning lamps being associated with specific ones of the electronic control units and configured to demand an inspection or repair of a failure which has occurred in the vehicle; and

second idling stop fault codes not defined as energizing the warning lamps; and

for performing a fault diagnosis with respect to the non-execution of the idling stop, the external diagnosing apparatus extracts only the second idling stop fault codes, among the first idling stop fault codes and the second idling stop fault codes, from the electronic control units.