Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-19
2002-06-11
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S031000, C307S010100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06405110
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This nonprovisional application incorporates by reference the subject matter of application Ser. Nos. 2000-238356 and 2000-238355 filed on Sep. 19, 2000, on which a priority claim is based under 35 U.S.C. §119(a).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a failure diagnosis apparatus and a failure diagnosis method for diagnosing failure of a vehicular electronic control system constituted by a plurality of electronic control related members mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and a multiple communication line connected with the electronic control related members as communication elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in a vehicle such as an automobile, with improvements in basic functions and increases in high functions of the vehicle, the number of electronic control apparatus mounted on the vehicle are increased. As a result, the number of harnesses connected to the electronic control apparatus are considerably increased, increase in size and weight of harnesses are brought about, and thus attachment of harnesses and items surrounding the harnesses has become more difficult.
As a countermeasure, there has been developed a technology for carrying out multiple communication by connecting respective electronic control apparatus by a bus communication line (multiplex communication line) to thereby enable to resolve the above-described drawback. Further, since such a communication line is capable of sharing a large amount of information among the respective electronic control apparatus, more elaborate, control can be achieved.
For example,
FIG. 9
is a schematic diagram showing such a vehicular electronic control system constituted by connecting a plurality of electronic control apparatus by a bus communication line. As shown by
FIG. 9
, there are provided a plurality of ECU (electronic control unit, controller)
101
through
104
as electronic control apparatus, all of the ECU
101
through
104
are connected to a bus communication line
110
, and information can be transmitted and received among respective ECU
101
through ECU
104
by multiple communication by way of the bus communication line
110
.
The ECU
101
through
104
are front ECU for controlling lamps, wipers and the like at a surrounding of a front portion of a vehicle body, sun roof ECU for controlling operation of a sun roof and so on. Therefore, the ECU
101
through
104
are connected to sensors or switches related to mechanism or control of control objects. In this case, first ECU
101
and second ECU
102
are respectively connected to switches
105
and
106
, and third ECU
103
and fourth ECU
104
are respectively connected to motors
107
and
108
.
According to such a vehicular electronic control system, when respective ECU (communication element)
101
through
104
are subjected to failure diagnosis, a diagnosis tester
120
is connected to a specific one of a communication element (here, second ECU)
102
and to ECU
102
as a gateway, and failure diagnosis information, transmitted from ECU
102
and ECU
101
,
103
, and
104
connected to ECU
102
by way of the bus communication line
110
, is inputted to the diagnosis tester
120
.
That is, when some drawback is caused in the electronic control apparatus related to ECU
101
through
104
constituting communication elements of the vehicular electronic control system, the diagnosis tester
120
is connected to ECU
102
, self diagnosis information from the respective communication elements (ECU)
101
through
104
is inputted to the diagnosis tester
120
by way of ECU
102
as the gateway and based on the self diagnosis information, and it is diagnosed at which of the communication elements (ECU) failure is caused.
Further, when respective ECU is not provided with a self-diagnosis function, ECU
102
as the gateway is collectively provided with the self-diagnosis function.
Meanwhile, according to the above-described conventional failure diagnosis method of the vehicular electronic control system, the following problems are posed.
First, the diagnosis tester
120
is transmitted with the self diagnosis information by way of ECU
102
as the gateway and therefore, there is a case in which depending on diagnosis information, it is difficult to find at which of the communication elements (ECU), connected to ECU
102
as the gate way, the failure is present and whether the failure is present in ECU
102
as the gateway, and it is difficult to make clear cause of failure.
Further, although failure includes failure of the communication element (ECU) as well as failure of a signal transmitting system such as disconnection of a signal line or contact failure of a connection terminal, for example, when self diagnosis information is not transmitted, there is a case in which it is difficult to find whether the failure is in the communication element or in the signal transmitting system, and it is difficult to make clear the cause of failure.
Further, according to the conventional failure diagnosis method, the failure diagnosis is carried out based on the transmitted self-diagnosis information. Therefore, failure diagnosis cannot be carried out with regard to a communication element that is not provided with the self-diagnosis function. That is, the bus communication line
110
is connected not only to ECU having the self-diagnosis function, but also to a communication element that is not provided with the self-diagnosis function such as a switch or a sensor. The self-diagnosis information is not outputted from the communication element and therefore, the failure diagnosis cannot be carried out.
Further, when control is carried out based on a large amount of information provided by multiple communication, although finer control can be carried out, when failure is caused, combinations of cause of failure and phenomena of failure become complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare trouble shooting with regard to a very large number of phenomena.
Therefore, not only an increase in a number of pages of an instruction manual of maintenance in cost for generating the instruction manual of maintenance are brought about, but also such a composite drawback per se becomes difficult to deal with.
Further, relationships between failure phenomena and failure causes are complicated and numerous. Therefore, an operator cannot memorize the relationships between failure phenomena and failure causes, and thus operational efficiency with regard to failure diagnosis is significantly deteriorated.
For example, using
FIG. 9
as an example, when operation of the motor
107
has failed, the cause can be derived from failure of the motor
107
per se as well as failure of ECU
103
, failure of ECU
101
route (including switch
105
), failure of ECU
102
route (including switch
106
), and failure of other communication system. Actually, relationships between failure phenomena and failure causes are extremely numerous. Further, there are a number of more complicated relations and operational burden is significantly applied to an operator conducting a failure diagnosis.
Therefore, the present invention has been conceived in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object thereof to provide a failure diagnosis apparatus and a failure diagnosis method of a vehicular electronic control system capable of diagnosing failure of a communication element (electronic control related member) which is not provided with self diagnosis function and failure of a signal transmitting system, and capable of analyzing a temporary drawback by instantaneous disconnection of a signal line or the like to thereby enable examination of failure cause more clearly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a failure diagnosis apparatus for diagnosing a failure in a vehicular electronic control system, includes: a plurality of electronic control related members including electronic control app
Abe Toshiyuki
Hara Yusuke
Yasuda Akira
Camby Richard M.
Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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