Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-09
2001-02-20
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S001000, C701S029000, C701S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192303
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle diagnosing apparatus which diagnoses a vehicle via an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted on the vehicle by using a portable diagnosing unit which is connected to the electronic control unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As this kind of vehicle diagnosing apparatus, there has hitherto been known, in the Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 15095/1996, an apparatus comprising a host computer which wirelessly communicates with a portable diagnosing unit. The data obtained as a result of diagnosing (hereinafter called diagnosing data) of the vehicle are transmitted to the host computer to thereby perform such a processing of the data as the totalization, control, etc.
In the diagnosing apparatus of this prior art, diagnosing programs which have been prepared exclusively to suit each kind (or type) of electronic control unit are contained inside different read-only memory (ROM) cartridges. Each of the ROM cartridges is detachably mounted on the portable diagnosing unit. When the kind of the electronic control unit is changed, the ROM cartridge is replaced to another one to cope with the change in the kind of the electronic control unit.
Further, in Published Examined Japanese Patent Application No. 76724/1995, there is known the following. Namely, diagnosing programs which have been prepared exclusively to suit each kind of portable diagnosing unit are all contained in a memory portion (or a memory module) of the portable diagnosing unit. When the portable diagnosing unit is connected to the electronic control unit, the data on the kind of the electric control unit are read out to thereby call up a diagnosing program which corresponds to the data on the kind of the electronic control unit.
If the diagnosing programs are all contained in the memory portion of the portable diagnosing unit as in the above-described latter example of the conventional art, a large capacity is required in the memory portion. As a result, the portable diagnosing unit becomes large in size and the ease with which the portable diagnosing unit can be carried is impaired.
On the other hand, if the ROM cartridges are used as in the former example of the conventional art, a large memory is not required. However, with the increase in the number of kinds of the electronic control units, the number of the ROM cartridges correspondingly increases. As a result, their control becomes troublesome and the selection of the ROM cartridges must be done by the operator himself. There is, therefore, a possibility that the wrong ROM cartridge is selected, resulting in a failure in diagnosing.
In view of the above-described points, the present invention has an object of providing a vehicle diagnosing apparatus which can cope with the change in kind of the electronic control unit without using ROM cartridges and without impairing the ease with which the portable diagnosing unit can be carried.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain the above and other objects, the present invention is a vehicle diagnosing apparatus comprising: a portable diagnosing unit which is connected to an electronic control unit mounted on a vehicle; and a host computer which wirelessly communicates with the portable diagnosing unit such that the vehicle is diagnosed by the portable diagnosing unit via the electronic control unit according to a diagnosing program corresponding to the kind of electronic control unit and that diagnosing data are transmitted from the portable diagnosing unit to the host computer for processing the diagnosing data therein. The diagnosing apparatus is characterized in: that the host computer comprises a memory means for storing therein a diagnosing program of each kind of electronic control unit; and that a diagnosing program corresponding to those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by the portable diagnosing unit connected to the electronic control unit of the vehicle is transmitted from the host computer to the portable diagnosing unit.
According to the present invention, the diagnosing program corresponding to the kind of electronic control unit is transmitted from the host computer to the portable diagnosing unit. Therefore, there is no need of providing the portable diagnosing unit with a memory portion of a large capacity. As a result, the ease with which the portable diagnosing unit can be carried is not impaired.
The diagnosing program is prepared by combining plural kinds of diagnosing function programs, which are the constituting elements of the diagnosing program, corresponding to the kind of electronic control unit. Many of the diagnosing function programs can be used in common with each other even if the kinds of electronic control units are different. Therefore, preferably, flag data which determine the combination of the diagnosing function programs are prepared for each kind of electronic control unit. These flag data and the various kinds of diagnosing function programs are stored in memory. A diagnosing program is then prepared at any arbitrary time by calling up those plural kinds of required diagnosing function programs which are designated by the flag data, out of the various kinds of diagnosing function programs. Then, it is not necessary to store in memory the common diagnosing function programs, as constituting elements, in each of the diagnosing programs for respective kinds of electronic control units. In addition, since the flag data are far smaller in size than the diagnosing function program, the entire memory capacity remains to be small.
In this case, the following arrangement is conceivable. Namely, each kind of diagnosing function program and flag data prepared for each kind of electronic control unit are contained in the memory means of the host computer. The flag data corresponding to the kind of electronic control unit are selected by the host computer, and the diagnosing function programs which are designated by the flag data are called up to thereby prepare a diagnosing program. This diagnosing program is then transmitted to the portable diagnosing unit. This arrangement, however, requires a long time for one round of transmission. It is, therefore, preferable to make the following arrangement. Namely, the memory means of the host computer contains therein various kinds of diagnosing function programs which are constituent elements of the diagnosing program, and the portable diagnosing unit further comprises a memory means for storing therein flag data which determine the combination of diagnosing function programs and which are prepared for each kind of electronic control unit. Diagnosing function programs which are designated by the flag data corresponding to the data on the kind of electronic control unit are transmitted as the diagnosing program from the host computer to the portable diagnosing unit. By employing the above-described arrangement, the time for one round of communication becomes advantageously short. Even if the flag data of each kind of electronic control unit are stored in the memory means of the portable diagnosing unit, the memory capacity remains to be small, and the ease with which the potable diagnosing unit can be transported is not impaired.
There is a case in which a plurality of portable diagnosing units are provided and each of the portable diagnosing units is sequentially connected to the electronic control unit of each vehicle which is transported in sequence to thereby perform diagnosing. In this case, if the diagnosing program is transmitted from the host computer to each of the portable diagnosing units, there will occur an occasion in which the host computer must simultaneously perform both the receiving of the diagnosing data from any one of the portable diagnosing units and the transmission of the diagnosing program to another portable diagnosing unit. In practice, while the diagnosing data are being received, the transmission of the diagnosing program must be suspended. As a result, it takes much time
Aiba Hiroyuki
Takakura Keiji
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Mancho Ronnie
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