Electrically actuatable module of a motor vehicle and method for identifying an electrically actuatable module of a motor vehicle

• US 9,449,434 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Powertrain AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Powertrain AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hofmann, Maik, Mullner, Gerhard, Reisinger, Karl, Schwarz, Ralf, Meissner, Tim-Christopher, Ferstl, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDMAN, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US14/144,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20140114543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 701/51, 701/36, 701/37, 701/41, 701/45, 701/29.1, 701/29.6, 701/29.7, 701/33.1, 701/34.4, 701/29.9, 701/59, 701/60, 701/63, 701/66, 701/67, 701/69, 701/81, 701/84, 701/85, 701/87, 701/89, 477/5, 477/8, 477/13, 477/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrically actuatable assembly of a motor vehicle having at least one component comprising a non-volatile memory. The component has base functionality characteristic for the component and required for the operation of the assembly. The memory comprises a memory region not utilized for realizing the base functionality of the component, in said memory region is stored a characteristic value that identifies the assembly with a predetermined probability. Furthermore, the characteristic value can be read out from the memory region of the component. Finally, the invention describes a method for identifying such an electrically actuatable assembly.

Claims

1. An electrically actuatable module of a motor vehicle comprising:

at least one component including a non-volatile memory,

wherein the component has a basic functionality characteristic that is required for the operation of the module, the non-volatile memory includes a memory region not used for the realization of the basic functionality of the component, and an identifier identifying the module is stored in the memory region that can be read out of the memory region,

wherein the electrically actuatable module is a torque transfer clutch or an actuator for a torque transfer clutch or

the electrically actuatable module is configured as a transfer case, and

wherein the component is configured as a sensor to measure a value.

2. The module in accordance with claim 1, wherein a control unit for actuating the module is provided and is connected to the module, and wherein the module is configured for transferring the identifier stored in the memory region to the control unit.

3. The module in accordance with claim 2, wherein the control unit includes a non-volatile memory for storing the identifier transferred by the module in a teach-in mode.

4. The module in accordance with claim 3, wherein the control unit includes a comparison section for comparing the identifier stored in the teach-in mode with an identifier transferred to the control unit by the module in an operating mode.

5. The module in accordance with claim 4, wherein the control unit includes an evaluation unit by which an error signal can be generated when a difference is found by the comparison section between the identifier stored in the memory of the control unit and the currently transferred identifier.

6. The module in accordance with claim 5, wherein the module can be deactivated by the error signal.

7. The module in accordance with claim 1, wherein the component is configured as a pressure sensor.

8. The module in accordance with claim 1, wherein the module is configured for automatically transferring the identifier at a preset time, in particular after at least one of switching on the module and receiving a preset request signal.

9. The module in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the component is configured as a pressure sensor.

10. The module in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the identifier is stored distributed in different memory regions of different components of the module, with none of the memory regions being used for the realization of the basic functionality of the respective component.

11. The module in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the module is configured for automatically transferring the identifier at a preset time, in particular after at least one of switching on the module and receiving a preset request signal.

12. The module in accordance with claim 1, wherein the component includes an application specific integrated circuit, and wherein the non-volatile memory including the memory region not used for the realization of the basic functionality of the component is present on the application specific integrated circuit.

13. A method for identifying an electrically actuatable module of a motor vehicle, comprising:

providing the module with at least one component including a non-volatile memory and having a basic functionality characteristic that is required for the operation of the module; and

reading out an identifier identifying the module from a memory region of the non-volatile memory that is not used for the realization of the basic functionality of the component,

wherein the electrically actuatable module is a torque transfer clutch or an actuator for a torque transfer clutch or

the electrically actuatable module is configured as a transfer case, and

wherein the component is configured as a sensor to measure a value.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising:

connecting a control unit to the module for controlling actuation of the module; and

in an operating mode, the identifier is read out of the memory region, is transferred to the control unit, and is compared by the control unit with an identifier stored in the control unit in a teach-in mode.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein, in the teach-in mode, the identifier is read out of the memory region, is transferred from the module to the control unit, and is stored by the control unit.

16. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein an error signal is generated by the control unit when a difference is found between the identifier transferred in the operating mode and the identifier stored in the teach-in mode.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the module is deactivated when the error signal is generated.

18. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the identifier is repeatedly read out of the memory region and transferred to the control unit at preset points in time, in particular after at least one of switching on the module and receipt of a preset request signal.

19. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein respective stored part identifiers are read out of memory regions of different components of the module and the identifier is generated from the part identifiers, with none of the memory regions being used for the realization of the basic functionality of the respective component.

20. An electrically actuatable module of a motor vehicle comprising:

a component with a basic functional characteristic required for operation of the module, the component includes memory having a memory region that is not used for the realization of the basic functionality of the component and where an identifier identifying the module is stored, the identifier can be read out of the memory region of the component and transferred to a control unit connected to the module and provided for actuating the module; and

wherein the electrically actuatable module is a torque transfer clutch or an actuator for a torque transfer clutch or

the electrically actuatable module is configured as a transfer case, and

wherein the component is configured as a sensor to measure a value.

21. The module in accordance with claim 20 wherein the control unit includes a non-volatile memory for storing the identifier transferred by the module during a teach-in mode, and a comparison section for comparing the identifier stored during the teach-in mode with an identifier transferred to the control unit by the module in a subsequent operating mode.

22. An electrically actuatable module in combination with a control unit for use in a motor vehicle and which is assigned one of a plurality of predefined classifications, the module includes a component required for basic functionality of the module and which has memory required for realization of the basic function of the component, the memory including a memory region not used for the basic function of the component and which stores a numeric identifier used to identify the module, wherein the control unit controls actuation of the module and stores a plurality of operational characteristics which correspond to the plurality of predefined classifications, wherein upon connection of the control unit to the module the specific classification assigned to the module is taught into the control unit and the corresponding operation characteristic to be used by the control unit in controlling actuation of the module is selected, the identifier is read out of the memory region of the component and is stored in a non-volatile memory of the control unit during a teach-in mode, and during a subsequent operating mode the identifier is read out of the memory region of the component and transferred to the control unit for comparison to the identifier stored in the non-volatile memory from the teach-in mode,

wherein the electrically actuatable module is a torque transfer clutch or an actuator for a torque transfer clutch or

the electrically actuatable module is configured as a transfer case, and

wherein the component is configured as a sensor to measure a value.