Writing method of hardware performance information of unit in vehicle

• US 7,769,480 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsubara, Masato, Kano, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens; Thomas H
• Application Number:
  US11/135,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20050267618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/1, 701/35, 701/123, 701/215, 700/108, 707/1, 318/605, 702/183
• US Class Current: 700/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0068 Method or means for testing of transmission controls or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2342/00 Calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/00 Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0006 Electronic control units for transmission control, e.g. connectors, casings or circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/02 Gearings; Transmission mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

In an inspection procedure of a completed product of an automatic transmission main body at a unit factory, a control system transmits a control signal to an actuator to receive characteristic data (hardware performance information) output in response to operation of the automatic transmission main body according to the control signal. The hardware performance information of the automatic transmission main body is brought into correspondence with hardware identification information, and set in a database as learning value data. The learning value data of the automatic transmission main body is transferred to a vehicle factory to be aggregated in a database management system at the vehicle factory. When the automatic transmission main body is assembled with an electronic control device, learning value data of the automatic transmission main body is read out based on the hardware identification information from the database management system, and written into an AT_ECU during the inspection procedure of a completed vehicle at the vehicle factory.

Claims

1. A writing method of hardware performance information of a unit into a control device of said unit, comprising the steps of:

at a unit factory of said unit, when said unit is being manufactured, obtaining hardware performance information of said unit,

at the unit factory of said unit, when said unit is being manufactured, setting the obtained hardware performance information into correspondence with hardware identification information required to identify said unit in a database, and

at an assembly factory, when various units delivered from respective unit factories are assembled to complete a new vehicle, reading out the hardware performance information of said unit from said database, and writing the hardware performance information read out into said control device of said unit, based on said hardware identification information, the hardware performance information corresponds to learning value data that is unique to the unit assembled into the new vehicle

wherein said unit and said control device of said unit are shipped from different unit factories and assembled at said assembly factory.

2. The writing method of hardware performance information according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transferring the hardware performance information and hardware identification information in the database to a database management system at said assembly factory,

wherein said step of writing into a control device of a unit includes the step of, when said unit is assembled with the control device of said unit in said assembly factory, reading out the hardware performance information of said unit from the database management system at said assembly factory, and writing said hardware performance information into said control device of said unit based on said hardware performance information.

3. The writing method of hardware performance information according to claim 2, wherein said step of transferring to a database management system at said assembly factory employs an information recording medium or a telecommunication system as an information transmission medium.

4. The writing method of hardware performance information according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transferring the hardware performance information and hardware identification information in said database to a database management system at a repair factory, and

when at least one of said unit and the control device of said unit is exchanged at the repair factory, reading out the hardware performance information of said unit from the database management system at said repair factory and writing said hardware performance information into the control device of said unit, based on said hardware identification information.

5. The writing method of hardware performance information according to claim 4, wherein said step of transferring to a database management system at a repair factory employs an information recording medium or a telecommunication system as an information transmission medium.

6. The writing method of hardware performance information according to claim 1, wherein

said unit factory includes a control system corresponding to a control device of said unit, and

said step of obtaining hardware performance information of a unit includes the step of obtaining said hardware performance information through a performance checkup using said control system of said unit.