Gateway control apparatus for vehicles and travel information recording method thereof

• US 8,321,086 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Min Woo, Kim, Doo Kyum
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US12/490,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33, 701/35, 701/36, 701/34.3, 701/34.4, 701/43, 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701/29.6, 701/29.9, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701 317- 319, 701/32.2, 701/32.3, 340/438, 713/193
• US Class Current: 701/34.3
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A gateway control apparatus for vehicles includes a receiver receiving travel state information sent from sensors and vehicle ECUs through interfaces, a first memory storing the travel state information, a determination unit determining occurrence of a vehicle accident or an ECU malfunction based on the travel state information, a second memory, and a controller allowing the second memory to store malfunction information of an associated ECU among the travel state information if the ECU malfunction has occurred, and allowing the first memory to store pre-accident travel state information and post-accident vehicle state information with reference to an accident occurrence time point if the vehicle accident has occurred. The gateway control apparatus enables not only data communication between the ECUs having different communication modes, but also accurate analysis of causes of the vehicle accident or the ECU malfunction. A travel information recording method of the gateway control apparatus is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A gateway control apparatus for an automobile that enables data communication and processing of travel state information from a plurality of electronic control units having different communication modes, the gateway control apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive through interfaces travel state information from a plurality of sensors and each electronic control unit for a brake control unit, a suspension control unit, a positioning control unit, a tire pressure control unit, and a steering control unit, the travel state information of each sensor or electronic control unit including unique identification information for that sensor or electronic control unit that transmitted the travel state information;

a first memory configured to store the received travel state information through the interfaces;

a determination unit configured to determine an occurrence of an automobile accident or an electronic control unit malfunction based on the travel state information stored in the first memory;

a second memory configured to store electronic control unit malfunction information; and

a controller configured to store the electronic control unit malfunction information in the second memory if the determination unit determines that the electronic control unit malfunction has occurred, the electronic control unit malfunction information including travel state information from the first memory that corresponds to the electronic control unit that malfunctioned, and if the determination unit determines an automobile accident has occurred, the controller is configured to store pre-accident travel state information and post-accident automobile state information in the first memory that includes an accident occurrence time point,

wherein the controller discriminates the type of malfunction through diagnosis or analysis of communication signals, and allows the malfunction information to be stored in the second memory, and the malfunction information of the electronic control unit stored in the second memory is transmitted to wireless terminals for telematics,

the malfunction information comprising the discriminated type of malfunction, a malfunction occurrence time point, a identification information of the electronic control unit, and the travel state information before and after occurrence of the electronic control unit malfunction.

2. The gateway control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to store in the first memory the pre-accident travel state information and the post-accident automobile state information, and is configured to stop storing the post-accident automobile state information when a predetermined period of time elapses after the automobile accident.

3. The gateway control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the travel state information stored in the first memory includes a time stamp associated with each transmitted travel state information from each sensor or electronic control unit.

4. The gateway control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the time stamp is calculated by a timer and corrected with reference to satellite time received through a GPS receiver.

5. The gateway control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein if it is determined that the electronic control unit malfunction has occurred, the controller is configured to store in the second memory travel state information of the electronic control unit that malfunctioned before and after occurrence of the electronic control unit malfunction by determining a malfunction occurrence time point based on the time stamp.

6. The gateway control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first memory is configured to allocate a designated storage space for each of the plurality of electronic control units to store the received travel state information in the designated storage space according to a time sequence.

7. A travel information recording method of a gateway control apparatus for an automobile, comprising:

storing travel state information received through interfaces from sensors and a plurality of electronic control units for a brake control unit, a suspension control unit, a positioning control unit, a tire pressure control unit, and a steering control unit in a first memory;

determining based on the stored travel state information whether an automobile accident or an electronic control unit malfunction has occurred;

storing electronic control unit malfunction information in a second memory, and the travel state information in the first memory, if it is determined that the electronic control unit malfunction has occurred; and

storing pre-accident travel state information and post-accident automobile state information in the first memory with reference to an accident occurrence time point, if it is determined that an automobile accident has occurred,

wherein the storing electronic control unit malfunction information in the second memory discriminates the type of malfunction through diagnosis or analysis of communication signals, and allows the malfunction information to be stored in the second memory, and then the malfunction information of the electronic control unit stored in the second memory is transmitted to wireless terminals for telematics,

the malfunction information comprising the discriminated type of malfunction, a malfunction occurrence time point, a identification information of the electronic control unit, and the travel state information before and after occurrence of the electronic control unit malfunction.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the storing pre-accident travel state information and post-accident automobile state information in the first memory comprises:

performing a time count;

determining whether counted time exceeds a preset time;

receiving and storing the post-accident automobile state information in the first memory, if the counted time does not exceed the preset time; and

stopping the storing the post-accident automobile state information in the first memory, if the counted time exceeds the preset time.