ELECTRICALLY ACTUATABLE MODULE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING AN ELECTRICALLY ACTUATABLE MODULE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20110301820A1
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Magna Powertrain AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated), Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Magna Powertrain AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated), Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Reisinger, Karl, Schwarz, Ralf, Meissner, Tim Christopher, Hofmann, Maik, Müllner, Gerhard, Ferstl, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/999,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20110301820A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/67
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrically actuatable assembly of a motor vehicle having at least one component comprising a non-volatile memory. The component has base functionality characteristic for the component and required for the operation of the assembly. The memory comprises a memory region not utilized for realizing the base functionality of the component, in said memory region is stored a characteristic value that identifies the assembly with a predetermined probability. Furthermore, the characteristic value can be read out from the memory region of the component. Finally, the invention describes a method for identifying such an electrically actuatable assembly.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. An electrically actuable module of a motor vehicle having at least one component including a non-volatile memory, wherein the component has a basic functionality characteristic for the component and required for the operation of the module,

wherein

the memory includes a memory region not used for the realization of the basic functionality of the component;

in that an identifier identifying the module with a preset probability is stored in the memory region; and

in that

the identifier can be read out of the memory region of the component.

25. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

a control unit for actuating the module is provided and is connected to the module;

and in that the module is configured for transferring the identifier stored in the memory region to the control unit.

26. The module in accordance with claim 25,

wherein

the control unit includes a non-volatile memory for storing the identifier transferred by the module in a teach-in mode.

27. The module in accordance with claim 26,

wherein

the control unit includes a comparison section for comparing the identifier stored in the teach-in mode with an identifier transferred to the control unit by the module in an operating mode.

28. The module in accordance with claim 26,

wherein

the control unit includes an evaluation unit by which an error signal can be generated when a difference is found by the comparison section between the identifier stored in the memory and the currently transferred identifier.

29. The module in accordance with claim 28,

wherein

the module can be deactivated by the error signal.

30. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the module is made as a torque transfer clutch or as an actuator for a torque transfer clutch.

31. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the module is configured as a transfer case.

32. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the component is configured as a sensor, in particular as a measured value sensor.

33. The module in accordance with claim 32,

wherein

the component is configured as a pressure sensor.

34. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the identifier is stored distributed in different memory regions of different components of the module, with none of the memory regions being used for the realization of the basic functionality of the respective component.

35. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the module is configured for automatically transferring the identifier at a preset time, in particular after at least one of switching on the module and receiving a preset request signal.

36. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the identifier is transferred as a digital number.

37. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the identifier is formed by a random number.

38. The module in accordance with claim 24,

wherein

the identifiers of different assemblies are formed by running numbers.

39. A method for identifying an electrically actuable module of a motor vehicle, wherein the module includes at least one component including a non-volatile memory and having a basic functionality characteristic for the component and required for the operation of the module,

wherein

an identifier identifying the module with a preset probability is read out of a memory region not used for the realization of the basic functionality of the component.

40. The method in accordance with claim 39,

wherein,

in an operating mode, the identifier is read out of the memory region, is transferred to a control unit connected to the module for actuating it and is compared by the control unit with an identifier stored in the control unit in a teach-in mode.

41. The method in accordance with claim 40,

wherein,

in the teach-in mode, the identifier is read out of the memory region, is transferred from the module to the control unit and is stored by the control unit.

42. The method in accordance with claim 40,

wherein

an error signal is generated by the control unit when a difference is found between the identifier transferred in the operating mode and the identifier stored in the teach-in mode.

43. The method in accordance with claim 42,

wherein

the module is deactivated when the error signal is generated.

44. The method in accordance with claim 39,

wherein

the identifier is repeatedly read out of the memory region and transferred to the control unit at preset points in time, in particular after at least one of switching on the module and receipt of a preset request signal.

45. The method in accordance with claim 39,

wherein

respective stored part identifiers are read out of memory regions of different components of the module and the identifier is generated from the part identifiers, with none of the memory ranges being used for the realization of the basic functionality of the respective component.

46. The method in accordance with claim 39,

wherein

the identifier is transferred to the control unit as a digital number.