Vehicle communication system and method for vehicles capable of automatic storing of vehicle identification code

• US 6,195,602 B1
• Filed: 01/14/1999
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Shigyo, Masakatsu, Hazama, Koji, Nomura, Hajime, Hozuka, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/229,752
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/32, 701/35, 701/36, 701/48, 701/53, 701/33, 340/853.2
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A plurality of electronic control units such as engine ECU, navigation ECU and meter ECU as well as a transponder unit is provided in a vehicle so that those control units communicate with each other through a communication line. Each unit stores therein a vehicle identification code which varies from vehicle to vehicle. Each unit checks whether the vehicle identification code is stored in response to a turn-on of power supply. One control unit which does not store the vehicle identification code, it requests a transmission of the vehicle identification code stored in other control units of the vehicle. The other control units responsively transmit the respective stored vehicle identification code to the one control unit. The one control unit, receiving the vehicle identification code writes the transmitted vehicle identification code into its non-volatile memory. Each unit not only controls a vehicle-mounted device, but also diagnoses the vehicle-mounted device. The diagnosis result is transmitted from the transponder unit to an external management station through a radio communication together with the stored vehicle identification code, so that the management station may determine to which a repair instruction should be issued.

Claims

1. A communication system for a vehicle having a plurality of electronic control units which communicate with each other through a communication line, each of the control units for a particular vehicle comprising:

storage means for storing therein vehicle identification information which is specific to said particular vehicle;

information request means for requesting transmission of the vehicle identification information stored in another control unit of the vehicle when the vehicle identification information is not stored in the storage means;

information response means for reading and transmitting the stored vehicle identification information to another control unit when a request for transmission of the vehicle identification information is received from said another control unit; and

information writing means for writing received vehicle identification information into the storage means when vehicle identification information is transmitted from another control unit and received in response to a request for transmission of vehicle identification information.

2. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the control units includes:

a device control unit for controlling and diagnosing a vehicle-mounted device; and

a communication control unit for transmitting to an external management station a diagnosis result of the device control unit together with the stored vehicle identification information.

3. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein:

the information request means is for checking for presence and absence of vehicle identification information in the storage means in response to supply of electric power, and for requesting transmission of vehicle identification information from another control unit when the vehicle identification information is absent.

4. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein:

the storage means is a non-volatile memory.

5. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein:

the number of control units is at least three; and

each of the control units further comprises check means for checking whether the therein stored vehicle identification information is the same as a majority of the vehicle identification information stored in other control units, and for executing predetermined abnormality processing when the checked vehicle identification information is different from the majority of the vehicle identification information stored in other control units.

6. A communication system as in claim 5, wherein:

the predetermined abnormality processing includes producing an alarm of abnormality.

7. A communication system as in claim 5, wherein:

the predetermined abnormality processing includes disabling operation of a vehicle-mounted device.

8. An electronic control unit for a communication system of a vehicle which unit communicates with at least one other electronic control unit through a communication line, the control unit comprising:

storage means for storing therein vehicle identification information which is specific to said vehicle;

information request means for requesting transmission of the vehicle identification information stored in at least one other control unit of the vehicle when the vehicle identification information is not stored in the storage means;

information response means for reading and transmitting stored vehicle identification information to another control unit when a request for transmission of the vehicle identification is received from another control unit; and

information writing means for writing received vehicle identification information into the storage means when vehicle identification information is transmitted from another control unit in response to a request for transmission of the vehicle identification information from another control unit.

9. A control unit as in claim 8, wherein:

the information request means includes checking for presence and absence of vehicle identification information in the storage means in response to supply of electric power, and for requesting transmission of vehicle identification information from another control unit when the vehicle identification information is absent.

10. A control unit as in claim 8, wherein:

the storage means is a non-volatile memory.

11. A control unit as in claim 8, further comprising:

check means for checking whether the stored vehicle identification information is the same as a majority of vehicle identification information stored in other control units, and for executing predetermined abnormality processing when the checked vehicle identification information is different from the majority of vehicle identification information stored in other control units.

12. A control unit as in claim 11, wherein:

the predetermined abnormality processing includes generating an alarm of abnormality.

13. A control unit as in claim 11, wherein:

the predetermined abnormality processing includes causing a restriction to operation of a vehicle-mounted device.

14. A communication method for a vehicle having a plurality of electronic control units which communicate with each other through a communication line and storing respectively a vehicle identification code specific to said vehicle, the method comprising:

checking in each of the control units whether the vehicle identification code is stored in response to a turn-on of a power supply;

requesting, from one control unit which is devoid of the vehicle identification code, transmission of the vehicle identification code stored in another control unit of the vehicle;

transmitting stored vehicle identification code from another control unit in response to the request for transmission of the vehicle identification code; and

writing the transmitted vehicle identification code into the control unit which requested and received the transmission of the vehicle identification code.

15. A communication method as in claim 14, further comprising:

diagnosing a vehicle-mounted device by at least one of the control units; and

transmitting to an external management station through radio communication diagnosis results of at least one of the control units together with the stored vehicle identification code.

16. A communication system as in claim 14, further comprising:

collecting by one control unit the vehicle identification codes stored in other control units;

determining a reference identification code which is the same as a majority of the collected vehicle identification codes; and

checking whether the stored vehicle identification code in the one control unit is the same as the reference identification code thereby to determine appropriateness of the vehicle identification code stored in the one control unit.