Fault diagnosis data recording system and method

• US 7,711,461 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokogawa, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohebbi; Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US11/793,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• 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

In a fault diagnosis data recording system including a plurality of nodes interconnected by a multiplex communication line, a first node is provided to perform fault detection of the first node, and a second node connected to the first node via the multiplex communication line is provided to have a storage unit. The first node and the second node are configured to store at least a part of result data of the fault detection performed by the first node, into the storage unit of the second node.

Claims

1. A fault diagnosis data recording system for use in an automotive vehicle, which includes a plurality of nodes of the vehicle interconnected by a multiplex communication line, the fault diagnosis data recording system comprising:

a first node of the vehicle configured to perform a fault detection of the first node; and

a plurality of second nodes of the vehicle connected to the first node via the multiplex communication line, each of the plurality of second nodes configured to perform a fault detection of the second node and including a storage unit to store at least a part of result data of the fault detection performed by the first node,

wherein the first node comprises a data transmitting unit configured to transmit result data of the fault detection performed by the first node to the plurality of second nodes via the multiplex communication line, and

wherein each of the plurality of second nodes comprises a storage declaration frame transmitting unit configured to transmit, after a temporary storage of the result data, received via the multiplex communication line, in the storage unit of the second node is performed, a storage declaration frame, indicating that the second node has completed the temporary storage of the result data, to other nodes of the plurality of second nodes via the multiplex communication line.

2. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 1, wherein identification information of the first node is associated with the result data of the fault detection performed by the first node, and the identification information is further stored in the storage units of the second nodes.

3. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nodes of the vehicle is configured to receive a request from an external diagnostic device connected to the multiplex communication line, and to transmit to the external diagnostic device the result data stored in a storage unit of that node via the multiplex communication line, in response to the received request.

4. A fault diagnosis data recording system for use in an automotive vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of nodes of the vehicle interconnected by a multiplex communication line in the vehicle, each of the plurality of nodes being configured to perform a fault detection of the respective node and including a storage unit to store at least a part of result data of the fault detection performed by another node among the plurality of nodes;

a first node among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle comprising a data transmitting unit configured to transmit result data of the fault detection performed by the first node to other nodes of the plurality of nodes via the multiplex communication line; and

a plurality of second nodes among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle, each of the plurality of second nodes comprising a storage declaration frame transmitting unit configured to transmit, after a temporary storage of the result data, received via the multiplex communication line, in the storage unit of the second node is performed, a storage declaration frame, indicating that the second node has completed the temporary storage of the result data, to other nodes of the plurality of second nodes via the multiplex communication line.

5. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 4, wherein identification information of the first node is associated with the result data of the fault detection performed by the first node, and the identification information is further stored in the storage units of the second nodes.

6. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 4, wherein the second nodes among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle other than the first node are set up beforehand in correspondence with the first node.

7. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 4, wherein the first node is configured to transmit the result data of the fault detection to the second nodes among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle via the multiplex communication line, and the second nodes of the vehicle other than the first node are configured to receive the result data of the fault detection via the multiplex communication line and store the received result data into the storage units of the second nodes.

8. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 4,

wherein the first node is configured to transmit the result data of the fault detection to two or more other nodes of the plurality of nodes of the vehicle via the multiplex communication line, and

wherein each of said other nodes of the plurality of nodes of the vehicle is configured to receive the result data of the fault detection via the multiplex communication line and temporarily store the received result data into the storage unit of that node of the vehicle, respectively, and

wherein each of said other nodes of the plurality of nodes of the vehicle is configured to perform, after the temporary storage, arbitration of the temporarily stored result data according to a predetermined rule, so that one of said other nodes which is chosen by the arbitration finally stores the temporarily stored result data in the storage unit of that node of the vehicle.

9. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 8, wherein the remaining nodes of said other nodes which are not chosen by the arbitration are configured to erase the result data temporarily stored in the storage units of the remaining nodes respectively.

10. The fault diagnosis data recording system according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of nodes of the vehicle is configured to receive a request from an external diagnostic device connected to the multiplex communication line, and to transmit to the external diagnostic device the result data stored in a storage unit of that node via the multiplex communication line, in response to the received request.

11. A fault diagnosis data recording method for use in an automotive vehicle, which records diagnosis data in a plurality of nodes of the vehicle interconnected by a multiplex communication line, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first node among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle;

providing a plurality of second nodes among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle connected to the first node via the multiplex communication line, each of the plurality of second nodes configured to perform a fault detection of the second node and including a storage unit;

performing, by the first node, a fault detection of the first node;

transmitting, by a data transmitting unit of the first node, result data of the fault detection performed by the first node to the plurality of second nodes via the multiplex communication line;

storing, by each of the second nodes, at least a part of the result data of the fault detection performed by the first node in the corresponding storage unit,

transmitting, by a storage declaration frame transmitting unit of each of the plurality of second nodes, after a temporary storage of the result data, received via the multiplex communication line, in the storage unit of the second node is performed, a storage declaration frame, indicating that the second node has completed the temporary storage of the result data, to other nodes of the plurality of second nodes via the multiplex communication line.

12. A fault diagnosis data recording method for use in an automotive vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of nodes of the vehicle interconnected by a multiplex communication line in the vehicle, each of the plurality of nodes being configured to perform a fault detection of the respective node and including a storage unit to store at least a part of result data of the fault detection performed by another node among the plurality of nodes;

transmitting, by a data transmitting unit of a first node among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle, result data of the fault detection performed by the first node to other nodes of the plurality of nodes via the multiplex communication line; and

transmitting, by a storage declaration frame transmitting unit of each of a plurality of second nodes among the plurality of nodes of the vehicle, after a temporary storage of the result data, received via the multiplex communication line, in the storage unit of the second node is performed, a storage declaration frame, indicating that the second node has completed the temporary storage of the result data, to other nodes of the plurality of second nodes via the multiplex communication line.