Electronic control system and method for vehicle diagnosis

• US 20100292892A1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Enomoto, Hiroyuki, Shimizu, Kokichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A vehicle diagnosis system includes an electronic control unit, which executes a diagnosing process for determining whether any abnormality is present in a vehicle based on signals from vehicle devices. When any abnormality is detected, the electronic control unit stores in an EEPROM a diagnosis result indicative of the abnormality when a storage permission flag in the EEPROM is in the on-state. The storage permission flag is turned on from the off-state when receiving a storage permission command from an external unit. Thus, the storage of the diagnosis result into the EEPROM may be permitted at the time of transmitting the storage permission command externally to the ECU.

Claims

1. An electronic control unit for vehicle diagnosis comprising:

a rewritable nonvolatile memory;

diagnosing means for diagnosing a vehicle device mounted in the vehicle based on a signal from the vehicle device and store in the rewritable nonvolatile memory a diagnosis result indicating abnormality of the vehicle device;

control data storing means for storing control data indicating whether storage of the diagnosis result in the rewritable nonvolatile memory is permitted;

permission switching means for changing the control data from non-permission to permission upon detecting that the vehicle has moved out of a specified region; and

storage permitting means for permitting the diagnosing means to store the diagnosis result in the rewritable nonvolatile memory only when the control data within the control data storing means is indicative of the permission.

2. The electronic control unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a standby RAM continuously supplied with electric power to maintain storage of data,

wherein the diagnosing means stores the diagnosis result in the standby RAM irrespective of the control data.

3. The electronic control unit according to claim 1,

wherein the rewritable nonvolatile memory includes a first storage area as the control data storing means for storing the control data and a second storage area for storing the diagnosis result.

4. The electronic control unit according to claim 2,

wherein the rewritable nonvolatile memory includes a first storage area as the control data storing means for storing the control data and a second storage area for storing the diagnosis result.

5. The electronic control unit according to claim 1,

wherein the specified region is a region, in which the vehicle is present before being used by a user of the vehicle.

6. The electronic control unit according to claim 2,

wherein the specified region is a region, in which the vehicle is present before being used by a user of the vehicle.

7. The electronic control unit according to claim 3,

wherein the specified region is a region, in which the vehicle is present before being used by a user of the vehicle.

8. An electronic control unit for vehicle diagnosis comprising:

a rewritable nonvolatile memory; and

a processing unit configured to diagnose a vehicle device mounted in the vehicle based on a signal from the vehicle device and store in the rewritable nonvolatile memory a diagnosis result indicating abnormality of the vehicle device,

wherein the processing unit is further configured to change a control data from non-permission to permission upon detecting that the vehicle has moved out of a specified region, the control data indicating whether storage of the diagnosis result in the rewritable nonvolatile memory is permitted, and

wherein the processing unit is further configured to permit storing of the diagnosis result in the rewritable nonvolatile memory only when the control data is indicative of the permission.

9. The electronic control unit according to claim 8, further comprising:

a standby RAM continuously supplied with electric power to maintain storage of data,

wherein the processing unit is further configured to store the diagnosis result in the standby RAM irrespective of the control data.

10. The electronic control unit according to claim 8,

wherein the rewritable nonvolatile memory includes a first storage area for storing the control data and a second storage area for storing the diagnosis result.

11. The electronic control unit according to claim 8,

wherein the specified region is a region, in which the vehicle is present before being used by a user of the vehicle.

12. A method for controlling storage of data in a rewritable nonvolatile memory of an electronic control unit for a vehicle, the method comprising:

diagnosing a vehicle device mounted in the vehicle based on a signal from the vehicle device;

storing control data indicating whether a diagnosis result indicating abnormality of the vehicle device is permitted to be stored in the rewritable nonvolatile memory;

changing the control data from non-permission to permission upon detecting that the vehicle leaves a specified region to be used by a user; and

storing the diagnosis result in the rewritable nonvolatile memory, only when the control data is indicative of the permission.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

storing the diagnosis result in a standby RAM irrespective of the control data, the standby RAM continuously supplied with electric power to maintain storage of data.

14. The method according to claim 12,

wherein the control data is stored in a first storage area of the rewritable nonvolatile memory and the diagnosis result is stored in a second storage area of the rewritable nonvolatile memory.