Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-07
2002-08-20
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S031000, C324S073100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06438470
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a plurality of types of control units which output control signals to electrical components to be mounted on a vehicle, to an inspection device for testing operation of the control unit before shipment, and to an inspection method.
2. Related Art
An automobile or a like vehicle is equipped with a control unit for controlling corresponding electrical components on the basis of the operating status of switches to be used for activating the various electrical components installed in the automobile. A control element having a predetermined control program installed therein beforehand is mounted on a board of the control unit. Further, the control unit is equipped with a plurality of input and output terminals. In response to a signal input to each input terminal, a predetermined control signal is output from an output terminal.
Related-art inspection means for such electrical components have performed the following operation in order to inspect whether or not an input perception function, an internal ROM checking function, and an output function of the control unit operate as designed without involvement of connection failures or a breakdown in a control element. Specifically, there is performed an operation of actually inputting, to each input terminal, a signal identical with a signal input at the time of a normal control operation (i.e., a dummy input signal) and of ascertaining a signal output from each output terminal in response to the input signal.
FIGS. 1 through 3
show the related art configurations of a plurality of types of control unit inspection devices. In each of the configurations, a custom-designed inspection machine is connected to each type of control unit.
As an example model of control unit to become an object of inspection,
FIG. 1
shows a control unit
30
a
. The control unit
30
a
controls locking/unlocking action of a door lock, ascending/descending action of a power window, and a dome lamp. Moreover,
FIG. 2
shows a control unit
30
b
for controlling right and left turn signals and a dome lamp; and
FIG. 3
shows a control unit
30
c
for controlling a wiper motor, a washer motor, and a dome lamp.
The control unit
30
a
shown in
FIG. 1
for controlling opening/closing action of the door lock, ascending/descending action of the power window, and the dome lamp has input/output terminals provided in Table 1.
TABLE 1
INPUT
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
INPUT CIRCUIT
TERMINAL
CIRCUIT
TERMINAL
POWER SOURCE
2s
DOME LAMP
3s
ACCESSORY
ACC
IG
a
POWER WINDOW
b
POWER WINDOW
3b
UP
UP
POWER WINDOW
c
POWER WINDOW
3c
DOWN
DOWN
DOOR LOCK
d
DOOR LOCK
3d
DOOR UNLOCK
e
DOOR UNLOCK
3e
DOOR
f
(OPEN/CLOSE)
The control unit
30
b
shown in
FIG. 2
for controlling the right/left turn signals and the dome lamp has input/output terminals provided in Table 2.
TABLE 2
INPUT
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
INPUT CIRCUIT
TERMINAL
CIRCUIT
TERMINAL
POWER SOURCE
2s
DOME LAMP
3s
ACCESSORY
ACC
IG
a
LEFT TURN
b
LEFT TURN
3e
SIGNAL
SIGNAL
RIGHT TURN
c
RIGHT TURN
3c
SIGNAL
SIGNAL
HAZARD
d
DOOR
f
(OPEN/CLOSE)
The control unit
30
c
shown in
FIG. 3
for controlling the wiper motor, the washer motor, and the dome lamp has input/output terminals provided in Table 3.
TABLE 3
INPUT
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
INPUT CIRCUIT
TERMINAL
CIRCUIT
TERMINAL
POWER SOURCE
2s
DOME LAMP
3s
ACCESSORY
ACC
IG
a
INTERMITTENT
b
INTERMITTENT
3e
WIPER
WIPER MOTOR
WASHER
d
WASHER MOTOR
3c
DOOR
f
(OPEN/CLOSE)
The control unit has a built-in control circuit. The control circuit produces a predetermined output signal in response to the dummy input signal and outputs the signal, to thereby control each type of electrical component. Of control operations, specific examples of time control performed by a timer will now be described.
(1) A room lamp illumination signal is output from a room lamp terminal for 15 seconds from the time of activation of the signal input to the door switch input terminal (i.e., for 15 seconds from when a door is opened).
(2) From a point in time when the signal input to a switch input terminal of the intermittent wiper is activated, an intermittent wiper motor drive signal is output from an intermittent wiper motor output terminal at intervals of 12 seconds.
(3) A room lamp illumination signal is output from a room lamp terminal for 15 seconds from the time of activation of a signal input to a switch input terminal of the door lock (i.e., for 15 seconds from when the door is locked).
[Problem to be Solved]
Under circumstances where a signal output from a certain specific control unit is inspected through use of the vehicle-mounted control unit inspection apparatus described above, if a signal to be input to the input terminal must be produced by combination of complicated switch logic circuits, the switch logic circuits are actually produced. By means of providing the inspection apparatus with the switch logic circuits, a signal is input to the control unit. Therefore, there has been a necessity for limiting each inspection apparatus to inspection of a specific one type of control unit.
However, a plurality of types of control units are used. If a custom-designed inspection apparatus is installed for each type of control unit, there arises a problem of an increase in inspection costs associated with an increase in the number of pieces of inspection apparatus. Further, if specific control units are manufactured in small number, there arises a problem of an increase in “idle time” during which the inspection apparatus for the control unit is not used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at enabling a single inspection apparatus to inspect a plurality of types of control units without use of an inspection apparatus specifically designed for each type of control unit.
[Means for Solving the Problem]
The present invention provides a control unit which is provided in a vehicle, such as an automobile, and outputs a control signal to a corresponding vehicle-mounted electrical component upon being subjected to a user's switching action, the unit comprising: input terminals for receiving control switch signals; output terminals for outputting control signals to respective electrical components; an inspection program having set therein procedures for inspecting the control unit; and an inspection program storage section for storing the inspection program.
By means of the foregoing configuration, an inspection program to be used for inspecting a control unit is stored in a control unit. At the time of inspection of the control unit, the only requirement is that the inspection program be invoked. There is no necessity of preparing an inspection apparatus corresponding to each type of control unit. More specifically, a plurality of types of control units can be inspected through use of a common inspection apparatus.
When a control unit according to the present invention is inspected by means of a time characteristic for normal use (i.e., in a normal control mode), an inspection result is not obtained until output of a signal is completed in the case of a circuit, such as a time control circuit constituted of a timer, which involves a long time interval from when a signal is input until a response signal is output or a long time interval at which a control signal is to be output. This results in an increase in the time required for inspection.
Preferably, the control unit further comprises two types of control modes; that is, a normal control mode in which the control unit performs operation for normal use after having been shipped and mounted on a vehicle, and an inspection mode in which an output signal is output from an output terminal in response to a signal input to an input terminal prior to shipping of the control unit, with a response time shorter than that in the normal control mode. In a normal control mode, the control unit performs a normal control operation, which is to be performed when the control unit is mounted on a vehicle. In the inspection mode, a signal is output, by means of shortening, from that in the norma
Autonetworks Technologies Ltd.
Camby Richard M.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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