Vehicular accessory diagnostic system

• US 7,136,766 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yasuda, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEIXEIRA MOFFAT, JONATHAN CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US11/001,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 702/73
• US Class Current: 702/73
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods

Abstract

A control unit receives a sensor output and performs signal processing on the sensor output to produce an internal signal. The control unit produces internal data by adding time data to an internal signal and transmits the internal data to an in-vehicle network. A diagnostic unit receives the internal data from the in-vehicle network and stores the internal data in an internal data storing device. The diagnostic unit also receives a measurement signal produced based on the sensor output. The diagnostic unit produces external data by adding time data containing time at which the second timer resets a time count when an ignition switch is closed and stores the external data. The diagnostic unit reproduces the internal data and the external data and extracts the internal signal and the measurement signal. The diagnostic unit displays or stores the internal signal and the measurement signal according to the time data.

Claims

1. A vehicular accessory diagnostic system for diagnosis of an accessory device of a vehicle using an in-vehicle network, comprising:

a control unit that controls operation of the accessory device;

a sensor that generates an output for the diagnosis; and

a diagnostic unit that diagnoses an operating condition of the control unit, wherein

the control unit and the diagnostic unit are connected to the in-vehicle network,

the control unit transmits data to the in-vehicle network,

the diagnostic unit receives the data transmitted by the control unit via the in-vehicle network,

the control unit has data transmitting means that transmits data to the diagnostic unit via the in-vehicle network, the data being produced by time-stamping first time data to any one of internal data, data of an instantaneous value of the sensor output, and data of an instantaneous value of an output of the control unit,

the diagnostic unit has transmitted data storing means and measurement data storing means,

the transmitted data storing means receives and stores the data transmitted by the data transmitting means of the control unit, and

the measurement data storing means stores measurement data, the measurement data being produced by time-stamping second time data to data of an instantaneous value of any one of the sensor output, and the control unit output that is measured without using the in-vehicle network,

the diagnostic unit has a signal processing unit that arranges a plurality of data transmitted by the data transmitting means and a plurality of measurement data in chronological order based on the first time data and the second time data, respectively, to form chronologically arranged data; and

the signal processing unit displays or stores the chronologically arranged, wherein;

the sensor is connected to the in-vehicle network,

the control unit has a first time resetting means that resets the first time data at a first time when power is supplied and internal data transmitting means, which is the data transmitting means, transmits the internal data to the in-vehicle network,

the diagnostic unit has a second time resetting means, internal data storing means, and external data storing means,

the second time resetting means resets the second time data at a second time when an ignition switch of the vehicle is closed,

the internal data storing means receives and stores the internal data on the in-vehicle network transmitted by the internal data transmitting means,

the external data storing means produces external data by stamping the second time data to a signal indicating the sensor output or the control unit output and stores the produced external data,

the signal processing means arranges the internal data stored by the internal data storing means in chronological order based on the first time data and displays or stores the chronologically arranged internal data, and

the signal processing means arranges the external data stored by the external data storing means in chronological order based on the second time data and displays or stores the chronologically arranged external data.

2. The vehicular accessory diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the second time resetting means detects the closure of the ignition switch based on a voltage measured at a cigar lighter socket of the vehicle.

3. The vehicular accessory diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle network controls data transmission of the control unit according to priority determined based on the communication traffic or a control condition of the vehicle;

the control unit transmits a data group containing the internal data and an error detection code by packet transmission;

the internal data storing means stores the internal data after error detection is performed for the internal data;

the data processing unit arranges the internal data in chronological order according to the first time data or the second time data after measurement of the sensor output or the control unit;

the data processing unit displays or stores the chronologically arranged internal data with a measurement data indicating the output of the sensor or the control unit.

4. The vehicular accessory diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising:

delay time storing means that stores a delay time between the first time data and the second time data; and

synchronizing means that synchronize the second time data to the first time data by using the delay time.

5. A vehicular accessory diagnostic system for diagnosis of an accessory device of a vehicle using an in-vehicle network, comprising:

a control unit that controls operation of the accessory device;

a sensor that generates an output for the diagnosis; and

a diagnostic unit that diagnoses an operating condition of the control unit, wherein

the control unit and the diagnostic unit are connected to the in-vehicle network,

the control unit has data receiving and transmitting means, internal data preparing means, first time counting means, and transmitting data preparing means,

the data receiving and transmitting means receives the sensor output and transmits transmitting data prepared by the transmitting data preparing means to the diagnostic unit,

the internal data preparing means prepares internal data based on the sensor output,

the first time counting means produces first time data,

the transmitting data preparing means prepares the transmitting data by stamping the first time data to the internal data,

the diagnostic unit has transmitted data storing means, second time counting means, measurement data preparing means, and measured data recording means,

the transmitted data storing means stores the transmitting data,

the second time counting means produces second time data,

the measurement data preparing means prepares measurement data by measuring the sensor output and by stamping the second time data to the sensor output,

the measurement data storing means stores the measurement data,

the diagnostic unit further includes signal processing means, which arranges the transmitting data in chronological order based on the first time data for display or storage when more than one transmitting data are stored by the transmitted data storing means;

the sensor is connected to the in-vehicle network;

the first time counting means restarts counting time upon starting power supply to the control unit;

the first time data contains a first reset time at which the first time counting means restarts;

the data receiving and transmitting means transmits the internal data to the in-vehicle network;

the second time counting means restarts counting time upon a closure of an ignition switch of the vehicle;

the transmitted data storing means receives the internal data from the in-vehicle network and stores the internal data;

the second time data contains a second reset time at which the second time counting means restarts;

the signal processing means arranges the internal data stored by the transmitted data storing means in chronological order for display or storage based on the first time data; and

the signal processing means arranges the external data stored by the measurement data recording means in chronological order for display or storage based on the second time data.

6. The vehicular accessory diagnostic system according to claim 5, wherein the second time counting means detects the closure of the ignition switch based on a voltage measured at a cigar lighter socket of the vehicle.

7. The vehicular accessory diagnostic system according to claim 5, wherein the internal data preparing means prepares the internal data by performing a signal processing on the sensor output and by stamping the first time data to the processed sensor output.

8. The vehicular accessory diagnostic system according to claim 5, further comprising:

delay time measuring means that measures a delay time between the first reset time and the second reset time; and

reset time adjusting means that adjusts the second reset time based on the delay time to synchronize with the first reset time.

9. A vehicular accessory diagnostic system for diagnosis of an accessory device of a vehicle using an in-vehicle network that controls data transmission based on priority determined based on one of communication traffic and vehicle controlling condition, comprising:

a control unit that controls operation of the accessory device;

a sensor that generates an output for the diagnosis; and

a diagnostic unit that diagnoses an operating condition of the control unit, wherein

the control unit and the diagnostic unit are connected to the in-vehicle network,

the control unit has data receiving and transmitting means, internal data preparing means, first time counting means, and transmitting data preparing means,

the data receiving and transmitting means receives the sensor output and transmits transmitting data prepared by the transmitting data preparing means to the in-vehicle network by packet transmission,

the internal data preparing means prepares the internal data based on the sensor output,

the first time counting means produces first time data,

the transmitting data preparing means prepares the transmitting data by stamping the first time data and an error detection code to the internal data,

the diagnostic unit has error detecting means, transmitted data storing means, second time counting means, measurement data preparing means, signal processing means, and measured data storing means,

the error detecting means determines whether an error is present in the internal data;

the transmitted data storing means stores the transmitting data,

the second time counting means produces second time data,

the measurement data preparing means prepares measurement data by measuring the sensor output and by stamping the second time data to the measured sensor output,

the signal processing means arranges the transmitting data in chronological order based on the first time data for display or storage when more than one transmitting data are stored by the transmitted data storing means, and

the signal processing means arranges the measurement data in chronological order based on the second time data for display or storage when more than one measurement data are stored by the measurement data storing means.