Diagnostic tester for electronic control devices in a variety of motor vehicle types

• US 6,407,554 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Godau, Ralf, Rowedder, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KERVEROS, DEMETRIOS C
• Application Number:
  US09/119,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 324/503, 324/402, 324/379, 324/556, 701/33
• US Class Current: 324/503
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00

Abstract

In a diagnostic tester for electronic control devices in a variety of different motor vehicles, a universal plug connection is provided that is identical for the various types of motor vehicles. The tester can be connected through the plug connection to a diagnostic plug connection in each motor vehicle that is linked with the control devices to be diagnosed. The connection is standardized mechanically with a fixed number of plug contacts but not in terms of the signal assignments of the plug contacts and the electrical properties of the signals to be transmitted. The universal plug connection is mechanically adapted to the standardized diagnostic plug connection. In addition, an adapter unit is connected to the diagnostic device side of the universal plug connection. The adapter unit automatically creates the necessary electrical connections between the plug contacts of the universal plug connection and a CPU of the diagnostic tester in accordance with the signal assignments of the plug contacts associated with each type of motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A diagnostic tester for electronic control devices in various types of motor vehicles each of said various types of motor vehicles having a different requirement for diagnostic testing than others of said various types of motor vehicles wherein said tester is connectable via a plug connection in a motor vehicle to a diagnostic plug connection coupled with the electronic control devices to be diagnosed, the plug connection being standardized mechanically and having a predetermined number of plug contacts but not being standardized in terms of signal assignments of the plug contacts and electrical properties of signals to be transmitted over the plug contacts, wherein the plug connection is a universal plug connection identical for the various types of motor vehicles, said universal plug connection being mechanically adapted to the standardized diagnostic plug connection, said tester comprising:

an adapter unit coupled at a diagnostic tester side of the universal plug connection; and

a central processing unit;

said adapter unit automatically creating correct electrical connections between the plug contacts of the universal plug connection and ports of the central processing unit in accordance with signal assignments of the plug contacts that are made for each of said types of motor vehicle.

2. The diagnostic tester according to claim 1, wherein the electrical properties of the signals to be transmitted between the CPU and the universal plug connection are switchable as a function of the type of motor vehicle via the adapter unit.

3. The diagnostic tester according to claim 1, wherein the adapter unit comprises:

a programmable module capable of being reprogrammed with respect to functions and/or pin assignments thereof; and

a plurality of drivers, one of which is associated with each of the plug contacts, said drivers being universal transmitter and/or receiver units and being connectable on one hand directly to the universal plug connection and on the other hand via the programmable module in order to produce the correct electrical connections corresponding to the signal assignments of the plug contacts for each type of vehicle, said drivers also being configurable for switching the electrical properties of the signals to be transmitted.

4. The diagnostic tester according to claim 2, wherein the adapter unit comprises:

a programmable module capable of being reprogrammed with respect to functions and/or pin assignments thereof; and

a plurality of drivers, one of which is associated with each of the plug contacts, said drivers being universal transmitter and/or receiver units and being connectable on one hand directly to the universal plug connection and on the other hand via the programmable module in order to produce the correct electrical connections corresponding to the signal assignments of the plug contacts for each type of vehicle, said drivers also being configurable for switching the electrical properties of the signals to be transmitted.

5. A diagnostic tester interface for interfacing between different types of motor vehicles having a mechanically standard plug connection and a central Processing unit having input/output ports, each of said different types of motor vehicles having a different requirement for diagnostic testing than others of said different types of motor vehicles, the interface comprising:

an adapter unit universally coupling at one side to the mechanically standardized plug connection in the different types of motor vehicles ;

and, on the other side, to the input/output ports of the central processing unit;

wherein said adapter unit automatically configures correct electrical connections between plug contacts of the mechanically standardized plug connection and the input/output ports of the central processing unit in accordance with signal assignments of the plug contacts defined for each different type of motor vehicle.

6. The interface according to claim 5, wherein electrical properties of signals transmittable between the central processor unit and the standardized plug connection are switched via the adapter unit as a function of the type of motor vehicle.

7. The interface according to claim 5, wherein the adapter unit further comprises:

a programmable logic array having ports coupled with the input/output ports of the central processing unit; and

a plurality of drivers coupled between other ports of the programmable logic array and the plug contacts of the standard plug connection, one of said plurality of drivers being coupled with one of the plug contacts in order to function as a universal transmitter and/or receiver unit.

8. The interface according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of drivers are configured to produce the correct electrical connections corresponding to the signal assignments of the plug contacts for each of the different types of vehicles and/or for switching electrical properties of the signals to be transmitted for each of the different types of vehicles.

9. A method for coupling a diagnostic tester with different types of motor vehicles having electronic control devices to be diagnosed each of said different types of motor vehicles having a different requirement for diagnostic testing than others of said different types of motor vehicles, the method comprising the acts of:

providing an adapter unit coupled at one end to a central processing unit and at the other end to a diagnostic plug connector by using a universal plug connection which is mechanically standardized in the different types of motor vehicles with respect to the arrangement of plug contacts thereof;

determining the type of motor vehicle plugged into the adapter unit; and

automatically configuring a programmable logic array of the adapter unit to establish correct electrical connections of the signal assignments provided over the plug contacts by the motor vehicle with the ports of the central processing unit.