Configuration system of a vehicle and process for the configuration of at least one control unit of the configuration system

• US 9,694,767 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Suess, Christian, Schroeder, Astrid
• Primary Examiner(s): GILKEY, CARRIE STRODER
• Application Number:
  US11/924,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,540 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

A configuration system of a vehicle has at least one functional unit, a control unit pertaining to the functional unit, and a parametrizing unit provided in the vehicle, which is operatively connected with the control unit. The configuring system includes a storage device which can be read out by the parametrizing unit and which contains configuration information for the control unit, by which configuration information a parametrizing of the control unit can be carried out. The storage device additionally contains configuration information for the vehicle, in which case the storage device contains evaluation rules by which the parametrizing unit can determine configuration information for the configuration of the control unit from the configuration information for the vehicle and the configuration information for the control unit and can configure the control unit.

Claims

1. A process for configuring a plurality of control units of a configuration system of a vehicle, the plurality of control units configured as one or more processors for controlling a corresponding plurality of functional units of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of functional units are each operable in a plurality of different configurations, wherein the configuration process takes place independently of a manufacturing process of the vehicle by way of a parametrizing unit installed in the vehicle, wherein the parametrizing unit is configured as one or more processors, the process comprising the acts of:

reading, by the parametrizing unit, configuration information for the plurality of control units out of corresponding storage devices arranged in each of the plurality of control units and evaluating it by use of evaluation rules and vehicle context information, wherein said configuration information comprises sets of parameters which correspond to parametrizing and/or initializing possibilities of the plurality of control units;

identifying by the parametrizing unit the configuration information lacking for a parametrizing of at least one of the plurality of control units;

reading, by the parametrizing unit, the lacking configuration information out of the corresponding storage devices of the at least one of the plurality of control units; and

parametrizing the at least one plurality of control units via the parametrizing unit by evaluating the lacking configuration information by way of the evaluation rules such that the at least one plurality of control units operate associated ones of the plurality of functional units in a particular one of the plurality of different configurations in which each of the respective functional units is capable of operating.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the parametrization comprises a determination of parameter values of the plurality of control units to be set and the setting of corresponding parameter values.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the configuration is carried out individually for each of the plurality of control units.

4. The process according to claim 2, wherein the configuration is carried out by one of the plurality of control units, which reads the information lacking for a configuration out of a centrally available storage device and processes it.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the parametrization comprises an evaluation of conditions.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the parametrizing unit for initializing the plurality of control units further performs the acts of:

reading out and evaluating configuration information for the plurality of control units by way of evaluation rules from the corresponding ones of the plurality of storage devices of the configuration system;

identifying configuration information lacking for an initialization of the plurality of control units;

reading the lacking configuration information out of the corresponding ones of the plurality of storage devices; and

evaluating the lacking configuration information by way of the evaluation rules and carrying out an initialization of the plurality of control units.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the configuration is carried out individually for each of the plurality of control units.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein the configuration is carried out by one of the plurality of control units, which reads the information lacking for a configuration out of a centrally available storage device and processes it.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein the configuration and control takes place by a sequence control.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle context information comprises at least one of vehicle equipment information and country information for the vehicle.

11. A configuration system of a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of functional units which are each operable in a plurality of different configurations;

a plurality of control units, each configured as one or more processors, to control corresponding ones of the plurality of functional units according to any one of their respective plurality of different configurations;

a parametrizing unit, configured as one or more processors, arranged in the vehicle and operatively coupled with the plurality of control units;

wherein each of the plurality of control units further comprises a storage device arranged therein which is readable by the parametrizing unit and contains configuration information for a corresponding one of the plurality of control units in which said storage device is arranged, the configuration information comprising sets of parameters which correspond to parametrizing and/or initializing possibilities of the corresponding control unit in which said storage device is arranged;

wherein the parametrizing unit is further configured to utilize vehicle context information and evaluation rules, the evaluation rules being utilized by the parametrizing unit to determine configuration data for configuring the corresponding control unit from the vehicle context information and the configuration information for the control unit, whereby the parametrizing unit configures the plurality of control units, in accordance with the configuration data, to operate the corresponding plurality of functional units in a particular one of the plurality of different configurations in which each of the respective functional units is capable of operating.

12. The configuration system according to claim 11, further comprising a sequence control unit, which controls and monitors a sequence for configuring the plurality of control units.

13. The configuration system according to claim 12, wherein the sequence control is set up for recognizing states, conditions, and/or trigger signals of the configuration system.

14. The configuration system according to claim 11, wherein the configuration information for the plurality of control units, the vehicle context information, and the evaluation rules are stored in a generic format in the storage device for each of the corresponding control units.

15. The configuration system according to claim 11, wherein the configuration information comprises conditions with respect to a parameter value, a course of the plurality of control units, an initial operating step, and/or a presence of further control units, which conditions have to be met for carrying out at least one of a parametrizing and an initialization.

16. The configuration system according to claim 11, wherein the parametrizing unit is one of the plurality of control units.

17. The configuration system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle context information comprises at least one of vehicle equipment information and country information for the vehicle.

18. A configuration system of a vehicle,

comprising:

a plurality of functional units which are each operable in a plurality of different configurations;

a plurality of control units configured as one or more processors to control the plurality of functional units according to any one of their respective plurality of different configurations, wherein each of the plurality of control units includes a storage device arranged therein containing operating parameters corresponding to parametrizing and/or initializing possibilities of a corresponding one of the plurality of control units;

a parametrizing unit arranged in the vehicle and operatively coupled with the plurality of control units, wherein the parametrizing unit is configured as one or more processors, and wherein the parametrizing unit is configured to read the operating parameters from the storage devices of the plurality of control units, and wherein further the parametrizing unit is configured to use vehicle context information and the evaluation rules to configure the plurality of control units, in accordance with the corresponding operating parameters for each of the plurality of control units, to operate associated ones of the plurality of functional units in a particular one of the plurality of different configurations in which each of the respective functional units is capable of operating.