Good checking for vehicle longitudinal acceleration sensor

• US 8,738,219 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert Bosch LLC (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Bechtler, Henrik, Bhadange, Ravi, Patil, Nachiket, Tokonaga, Takeshi, Mallmann, Stefan, Schwab, Michael, Stapel, Dietmar, Klier, Willy, Eesmann, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEIN, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US12/860,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 73/13.7, 701 297- 317
• US Class Current: 701/31.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/06 Sensor zero-point adjustment; Offset compensation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/406 Test-mode; Self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/411 Offset failure
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 using electrical circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

A controller for indicating whether a previously-detected, acceleration-sensor malfunction no longer exists. The controller includes an electronic memory and an electronic processing unit connected to the electronic memory. The electronic processing module includes a malfunction monitoring module, a failure handling module, and a signal checking module. The signal checking module performs a signal check after the malfunction monitoring module generates the fault signal. The signal check includes executing a signal check function with a longitudinal acceleration signal. Also disclosed is a vehicle including the controller, and a method executed by the controller.

Claims

1. A controller for indicating whether a previously-detected, acceleration-sensor malfunction no longer exists, the controller comprising:

an electronic memory; and

an electronic processing unit connected to the electronic memory, the electronic processing module including,

a malfunction monitoring module configured to monitor the operation of an acceleration sensor and generate a fault signal when an absolute value of an offset value of the acceleration sensor is greater than a first predetermined threshold, the fault signal containing fault information and causing at least one of a tell-tale indicator to be activated or a vehicle control module to modify its operation from a first operating state to a second operating state,

a failure handling module configured to cause drive cycle information and the fault information to be stored in the electronic memory, and

a signal checking module configured to perform a signal check after the malfunction monitoring module generates the fault signal, the signal check including

retrieving drive cycle information from the electronic memory,

determining whether to execute a signal check function based on the drive cycle information,

executing the signal check function with a longitudinal acceleration signal including the offset value, the signal check function including comparing the absolute value of offset value with a second predetermined threshold smaller than the first predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold based on a distance traveled which exceeds a predetermined threshold distance,

determining the longitudinal acceleration signal passes the signal check function when the absolute value of the offset value is less than the second predetermined threshold,

generating a reset signal when the longitudinal acceleration signal passes the signal check function, the reset signal causing at least one of the tell-tale indicator to be deactivated and the vehicle control module to resume operation in the first operating state.

2. A controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the malfunction monitoring module monitors the operation of the acceleration sensor by detecting a fault with the longitudinal acceleration signal and generates the fault signal in response to the detection of the fault.

3. A controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein executing the signal check function includes comparing the longitudinal acceleration signal with a predetermined threshold.

4. A controller as set forth in claim 3, wherein comparing the longitudinal acceleration signal with the predetermined threshold further includes applying a value of the longitudinal acceleration signal to a filter to generate a filtered value, adjusting the filtered value by an offset to generate an adjusted value, and comparing the adjusted value to the predetermined threshold.

5. A controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein executing the signal check function further includes performing a plausibility check with the longitudinal acceleration signal.

6. A controller as set forth in claim 5, wherein the plausibility check includes comparing a longitudinal acceleration value with a value having a relation to a velocity signal.

7. A controller as set forth in claim 6, wherein the value having the relation to the velocity signal is based on a first order derivative value of the velocity signal, and wherein the comparison includes comparing the longitudinal acceleration value and the first order derivative value.

8. A vehicle including an acceleration sensor connected to the controller of claim 1.

9. A vehicle as set forth in claim 8, wherein the acceleration sensor includes a longitudinal acceleration sensor generating the longitudinal acceleration signal.

10. A method executed by a controller, including an electronic processing unit and an electronic memory, for determining whether a previously-detected, acceleration-sensor malfunction no longer exists, the method comprising:

monitoring the operation of an acceleration sensor with a malfunction monitoring module executed by the electronic processing unit;

generating a fault signal containing fault information with the malfunction monitoring module when the acceleration sensor an absolute value of an offset value of the acceleration sensor is greater than a first predetermined threshold;

causing, at least partially in response to the fault signal, at least one of a tell-tale indicator to be activated or a vehicle control module to modify its operation from a first operating state to a second operating state;

storing drive cycle information and the fault information in the electronic memory with a failure handling module executed by the electronic processing unit; and

performing a signal check after generating the fault signal with a signal checking module executed by the electronic processing unit, including

retrieving drive cycle information from the electronic memory,

determining whether to execute a signal check function based on the drive cycle information,

executing the signal check function with a longitudinal acceleration signal having longitudinal acceleration information including the offset value, executing the signal check function including comparing an absolute value of the offset value with a second predetermined threshold, the second predetermined threshold less than the first predetermined threshold and based on a distance traveled which exceeds a predetermined threshold distance,

determining the longitudinal acceleration signal passes the signal check function when the absolute value of the offset value is less than the second predetermined threshold, and

generating a reset signal when the longitudinal acceleration signal passes the signal check, the reset signal causing at least one of the tell-tale indicator to be deactivated and a vehicle control module to resume operation in the first operating state.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the monitoring the operation of the acceleration sensor includes detecting a fault with the longitudinal acceleration signal and generating the fault signal based on the detection of the fault.

12. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein executing the signal check function includes comparing the longitudinal acceleration signal with a predetermined threshold.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12, wherein comparing the longitudinal acceleration signal with the predetermined threshold further includes applying a longitudinal acceleration value of the longitudinal acceleration signal to a filter to generate a filtered value, adjusting the filtered value by an offset to generate an adjusted value, and comparing the adjusted value to the predetermined threshold.

14. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein executing the signal check function further includes performing a plausibility check with the longitudinal acceleration signal.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the plausibility check includes comparing a longitudinal acceleration value with a value having a relation to a velocity signal.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the value having the relation to the velocity signal is a derivative of the velocity signal, and wherein the comparison includes comparing the longitudinal acceleration value and the derivative.