U.S. patent application number 09/885070 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-01 for vehicle information communication system and method capable of communicating with external management station.
This patent application is currently assigned to DENSO CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Enomoto, Hiroyuki, Hattori, Atsushi, Hozuka, Minoru, Kurokawa, Kazunori, Nakagaki, Yoshio, Osawa, Keiichi, Sano, Shinichi, Takaba, Katsumi, Tsuchiya, Akiyoshi.
Application Number | 20010037168 09/885070 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27458212 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010037168 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hozuka, Minoru ; et
al. |
November 1, 2001 |
Vehicle information communication system and method capable of
communicating with external management station
Abstract
In a vehicle diagnosis information communication system,
electric power is supplied from a battery to a vehicle control
computer mounted on the vehicle during a period of vehicle
operation, while the electric power is supplied to a radio
communication unit mounted on the vehicle irrespective of the
vehicle operation. The computer transmits a vehicle information
such as engine diagnosis result to the radio communication unit
through a communication line. The radio communication unit
communicates the received vehicle information to an external site
of communication in response to a request of the information form
the external site of communication irrespective of the supply of
the electric power to the computer. Preferably, the supply of the
electric power from the battery to the computer is maintained for a
predetermined period after the vehicle operation.
Inventors: |
Hozuka, Minoru;
(Okazaki-city, JP) ; Nakagaki, Yoshio;
(Kariya-city, JP) ; Sano, Shinichi; (Nagoya-city,
JP) ; Takaba, Katsumi; (Obu-city, JP) ;
Kurokawa, Kazunori; (Nagoya-city, JP) ; Hattori,
Atsushi; (Kariya-city, JP) ; Tsuchiya, Akiyoshi;
(Kosai-city, JP) ; Enomoto, Hiroyuki;
(Kariya-city, JP) ; Osawa, Keiichi; (Obu-city,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NIXON & VANDERHYE P.C.
1100 North Glebe Road, 8th Floor
Arlington
VA
22201-4714
US
|
Assignee: |
DENSO CORPORATION
|
Family ID: |
27458212 |
Appl. No.: |
09/885070 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09885070 |
Jun 21, 2001 |
|
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09218498 |
Dec 22, 1998 |
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6285931 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
701/31.4 ;
340/439 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07C 5/008 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/29 ;
340/439 |
International
Class: |
G06F 019/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 5, 1998 |
JP |
10-24869 |
Feb 6, 1998 |
JP |
10-25393 |
Feb 18, 1998 |
JP |
10-36124 |
Jun 2, 1998 |
JP |
10-152888 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication
with an external management station, comprising: a battery mounted
on a vehicle for supplying electric power; a control unit
connectable to the battery for controlling various devices mounted
on the vehicle and diagnosing the conditions of the various
devices; a communication unit held connectable to the battery and
connected to the control unit via a communication line for
transmitting a result of diagnosis acquired from the control unit
to the management station in response to a transmission request
from the management station; and a supply state setting means for
setting a state where the electric power necessary for an ordinary
operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit when the
vehicle is in use, and for setting a state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied from the
battery to the control unit when the vehicle is in non-use, wherein
the communication unit is constructed so as to transmit a latest
diagnosis result acquired from the control unit when the
transmission request is received from the management station while
the vehicle is in non-use.
2. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: the control
unit outputs the diagnosis result to the communication unit when
the vehicle is in use; and the diagnosis result outputted last in
the use of the vehicle is the latest diagnosis result transmitted
from the communication unit.
3. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: when the
vehicle is changed from the use state to the non-use state, the
supply state setting means continues the state where the electric
power necessary for the ordinary operation of the control unit is
supplied for a predetermined period since the time point of the
change and, after that, the supply state setting means switches the
electric power supply state to the state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is shut off; the control unit
is constructed so as to output the diagnosis result during the
predetermined period since the time point of the change to the
vehicle non-use state; and the diagnosis result outputted during
the predetermined period is the latest diagnosis result transmitted
by the communication unit.
4. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: when the
control unit detects either a first improper period in which
occurrence of noises on the communication line caused by starting
of the engine is presumed or a second improper period in which a
processing load required to control the various devices is larger
than a predetermined value, and determines that it is in the
improper periods, the control unit does not output the diagnosis
result to the communication unit even at the output timing of the
diagnosis result; and when it is in the proper periods, the control
unit outputs the diagnosis result to the communication unit at the
output timing of the diagnosis result.
5. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: when the
vehicle is in use, the control unit outputs the diagnosis result to
the communication unit in response to an output request from the
communication unit; and the communication unit repetitively sends
the output request to the control unit until the diagnosis result
is outputted from the control unit a plurality of times and
contents of the diagnosis results of the plurality of times
coincide with each other, and when the diagnosis results coincide
with each other, the communication unit transmits the coincided
diagnosis result to the management station.
6. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: although the
diagnosis result is outputted more than a predetermined number of
times in response to output requests from the communication unit,
when the output request of the diagnosis result is received again,
the control unit does not respond to the output request after
that.
7. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: identification
information unique to the vehicle is included in the diagnosis
result of the vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the
management station.
8. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: at least one
of a travel distance of the vehicle and a vehicle position at the
time of diagnosis is included in the diagnosis result of the
vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the management
station.
9. A diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein: at least an
engine which drives the vehicle is included in objects to be
controlled by the control unit.
10. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication
with an external management station, comprising: a battery for
supplying electric power; a diagnosing unit connectable to the
battery for diagnosing conditions of a vehicle-mounted device; a
position detecting unit connectable to the battery for detecting a
present position of the vehicle; a communication unit connectable
to the diagnosing unit via a communication line for transmitting a
diagnosis result acquired from the diagnosing unit to the
management station outside of the vehicle in response to a
transmission request from the management station; and supply state
setting means, when a state in which the electric power necessary
for an ordinary operation is supplied is changed to a state where
no electric power is supplied, for continuing the state where the
electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of the
diagnosing unit is supplied from the battery to the diagnosing unit
for a predetermined period since the time point of the change, and
after that, for switching to the state where no electric power is
supplied, wherein the diagnosing unit acquires present position
information from the position detecting unit at the time point, and
outputs the diagnosis result together with the acquired present
position information to the communication unit in a predetermined
period since the time point the state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied is changed to the
state where no electric power is supplied, and the communication
unit stores the present position information and diagnosis result
outputted from the diagnosing unit into a memory unit in the
communication unit and, when a transmission request is received
from the management station in the state where the no electric
power is supplied, the communication unit transmits the diagnosis
result and the present position information stored in the memory
unit in the communication unit to the management station.
11. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of a radio
communication with an external management station, comprising: a
battery for supplying electric power; an diagnosing unit
connectable to the battery for diagnosing conditions of a
vehicle-mounted device; a communication unit connectable to the
battery and connected to the diagnosing unit via a communication
line and transmits a diagnosis result acquired from the diagnosing
unit to the management station outside of the vehicle in response
to a transmission request from the management station; and supply
state setting means, when a state where the electric power
necessary for an ordinary operation is supplied is changed to a
state where no electric power is supplied, for continuing the state
where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of
the diagnosing unit is supplied from the battery to the diagnosing
unit for a predetermined period since the time point of the change,
and after that, for switching the electric power supply state to
the state where no electric power necessary for the ordinary
operation is supplied, wherein during the predetermined period
since the time point when the state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied is changed to the
state where no electric power is supplied, the diagnosing unit
stores present position information at the time point into a memory
unit in the diagnosing unit, in the state where no electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied, the diagnosing
unit switches to a sleep state where only an interruption request
can be received from the communication unit, when the interruption
request is received from the communication unit, temporarily
activates the whole unit to output the present position information
stored in the memory unit in the diagnosing unit to the
communication unit, and then returns to the sleep state, and the
communication unit sends the interruption request to the diagnosing
unit when a transmission request is received from the management
station in the state where no electric power necessary for the
ordinary operation is supplied, and transmits the diagnosis result
and the present position information outputted from the diagnosing
unit to the management station in response to the request.
12. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication
with an external management station, comprising: a battery for
supplying electric power; a diagnosing unit connectable to the
battery for diagnosing conditions of a vehicle-mounted device; a
position detecting unit connectable to the battery for detecting a
present position of the vehicle; a communication unit connectable
to the battery and connected to the diagnosing unit via a
communication line for transmitting a diagnosis result acquired
from the diagnosing unit to the management station outside of the
vehicle in response to a transmission request from the management
station; and supply state setting means, when the state where the
electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied is
changed to the state where no electric power is supplied from the
battery to the diagnosing unit, for continuing the state where the
electric power necessary for the ordinary operation of the
diagnosing unit is supplied from the battery for a predetermined
time since the time point of the change, and after that, for
switching to the state where no electric power necessary for the
ordinary operation is supplied, wherein during the predetermined
period since the time point the state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied is changed to the
state where no electric power is supplied, the diagnosing unit
acquires the present position information at the time point from
the position detecting unit, and stores the diagnosis result
together with the acquired present position information into a
memory unit in the diagnosing unit, in the state where no electric
power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied, the
diagnosing unit switches the state to a sleep state where only an
interruption request can be received from the communication unit,
when the interruption request is received from the communication
unit, temporarily activates the whole unit to output the diagnosis
result stored in the memory unit in the diagnosing unit together
with the present position information to the communication unit,
and returns to the sleep state, and the communication unit sends
the interruption request to the diagnosing unit when a transmission
request is received from the management station in the state where
no electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied,
and transmits the diagnosis result and the present position
information outputted from the diagnosing unit to the management
station in response to the request.
13. A diagnosis system according to claim 10, wherein: the position
detecting unit stores the present position information while
updating it every predetermined time and outputs the updated and
stored present position information in response to a request from
the diagnosing unit.
14. A diagnosis system according to claim 10, wherein: the supply
state is switchable by an ignition switch between the state where
the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied
from the battery to the diagnosing unit and the state where no
electric power is supplied, and the supply state is switchable by
an accessory switch between the state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied from the battery
to the position detecting unit and the state where no electric
power is supplied.
15. A diagnosis system according to claim 14, further comprising: a
key cylinder to which the key is inserted and which is capable of
switching a key position at four stages in accordance with the
order of an OFF position, an ACC position, an ON position, and a
START position to start the engine, wherein both of the ignition
and accessory switches are OFF at the OFF position, the accessory
switch is ON but the ignition switch is OFF at the ACC position,
and both of the ignition and accessory switches are ON at the ON
position.
16. A diagnosis system according to claim 10, wherein:
identification information unique to the vehicle is included in the
diagnosis result of the vehicle transmitted by the communication
unit to the management station.
17. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of radio communication
with an external management station, comprising: a battery for
supplying electric power; a control unit connectable to the battery
for controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle, diagnosing
conditions of the various devices, and storing diagnosis result; a
communication unit connectable to the battery and connected to the
control unit via a communication line and transmits the diagnosis
result acquired from the control unit to the management station
outside of the vehicle; and supply state setting means which
switches between a state where the electric power necessary for an
ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit
and a state where no electric power is supplied; wherein the supply
state setting means sets the state where the electric power
necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied when the diagnosis
result which shows an abnormality and has not been outputted is
stored in the control unit and sets the state where no electric
power is supplied when the diagnosis result which indicates an
abnormality and has not been outputted is not stored in the control
unit.
18. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein: the
communication unit is constructed so that when there is the
transmission request of the diagnosis result from the management
station, the communication unit instructs the control unit to
output the stored diagnosis result and transmits the diagnosis
result outputted from the control unit in response to the output
instruction to the management station, and when there is a
transmission request from the management station in a state where
the vehicle is in non-use and the diagnosis result which shows an
abnormality and has not been outputted is stored in the control
unit, by controlling the supply state setting means of the control
unit from the communication unit, the communication unit
temporarily sets the state where the electric power necessary for
the ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the control
unit and sends an instruction to the control unit to output the
diagnosis result.
19. A diagnosis system according to claim 18, wherein: when the
state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary operation
is supplied from the battery to the control unit is temporarily
set, the communication unit acquires the diagnosis result from the
control unit according to the output instruction to the control
unit, after that, by controlling the supply state setting means,
returns to the state where no electric power is supplied from the
battery to the control unit, and sets the state where no electric
power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied to the
communication unit itself.
20. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein: the battery
is chargeable when an engine is driven; the supply state setting
means sets the state where the electric power necessary for the
ordinary operation is supplied with respect to the electric power
supply from the battery to the communication unit while the engine
is driven irrespective of whether the diagnosis result which shows
an abnormality and has not been outputted is stored in the control
unit.
21. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein: when the
control unit detects at least one of a first improper period in
which occurrence of noises on the communication line caused by
starting of the engine is presumed and a second improper period in
which it is presumed that a processing load required to control
various devices is larger than a predetermined value and determines
that it is in the improper periods, the control unit does not
output the diagnosis result even at the timing to output the
diagnosis result to the communication unit, and when it is not in
the improper period, the control unit outputs the diagnosis result
to the communication unit at the timing to output the diagnosis
result.
22. A diagnosis system according to claim 17, wherein: at least one
of a travel distance of the vehicle and a vehicle position at the
time of diagnosis is included in the diagnosis result of the
vehicle transmitted by the communication unit to the management
station.
23. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of a radio
communication with an external management station, comprising:
diagnosis information communicating means for transmitting
abnormality diagnosis information acquired by a self-diagnosis of
the vehicle to the management station outside of the vehicle by a
radio communication at a predetermined timing; abnormality repair
detecting means for detecting repair of the abnormality
corresponding to the abnormality diagnosis information; and
abnormality repair information communicating means for transmitting
the abnormality repair information to the management station when
the repair of the abnormality is detected by the abnormality repair
detecting means.
24. A diagnosis system for a vehicle capable of a radio
communication with an external management station, comprising:
diagnosis information communicating means for transmitting
abnormality diagnosis information acquired by a self-diagnosis of
the vehicle to the management station outside of the vehicle by a
radio communication at a predetermined timing; abnormality repair
detecting means for detecting repair of the abnormality based on
the contents of an instruction from the management station
corresponding to the abnormality diagnosis information; and
abnormality repair information communicating means for transmitting
the abnormality repair information to the management station by a
radio communication when the repair of the abnormality is detected
by the abnormality repair detecting means.
25. A diagnosis system according to claim 23, wherein: the
abnormality repair information communicating means repetitively
transmits the abnormality repair information at a predetermined
timing until response information indicative of receipt of the
abnormality repair information is received by the vehicle from the
management station.
26. A diagnosis system according to claim 25, wherein: when the
response information is received, the abnormality repair
information communicating means stops transmission of the
abnormality repair information and erases the abnormality repair
information.
27. A method of communication between a vehicle and an external
site of communication outside of the vehicle, comprising the steps
of: supplying electric power from a battery to a computer mounted
on the vehicle during a period of vehicle operation; supplying the
electric power from the battery to a radio communication unit
mounted on the vehicle irrespective of the vehicle operation;
transmitting a vehicle information from the computer to the radio
communication unit through a communication line when the computer
is supplied with the electric power from the battery; and
communicating the transmitted vehicle information from the radio
communication unit to the external site of communication in
response to a request of the information form the external site of
communication irrespective of a supply of the electric power to the
computer.
28. A method of communication according to claim 27, further
comprising the steps of: holding the supply of the electric power
from the battery to the computer for a predetermined period after
the vehicle operation; and transmitting the vehicle information
from the computer to the radio communication during the
predetermined period.
29. A method of communication according to claim 27, further
comprising the step of: controlling a vehicle-mounted device for
the vehicle operation and diagnosing operation of the device by the
computer, wherein the transmitting step transmits a diagnosis
result as the vehicle information.
30. A method of communication according to claim 29, further
comprising the step of: detecting a repair of the vehicle-mounted
device, wherein the communicating step sends a repair information
from the radio communication unit to the external site of
communication.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application relates to and incorporates herein by
reference Japanese Patent Applications No. 10-24869, 10-25393,
10-36124 and 10-152888 filed on Feb. 5, 1998, Feb. 6, 1998, Feb.
18, 1998 and Jun. 2, 1998, respectively.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a system and method for
communicating vehicle information with an external management
station through a radio signal.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] It is known by JP-A-6-102148 to transmit vehicle information
such as a vehicle inspection result (diagnosis information
regarding an abnormality in an engine-related part) on the vehicle
side from the vehicle to a management station serving as a
competent authority by a radio communication. The management
station instructs the user of the vehicle to repair the
vehicle.
[0006] In such a system, it is necessary to construct so that the
vehicle is equipped with an apparatus for transmitting and
receiving information by radio (transponder) and information
regarding an inspection is acquired by a control unit mounted on
the vehicle and is sent from the control unit to the
transponder.
[0007] In case of a system in which the vehicle side is passive in
such a manner that a request to transmit information regarding the
inspection is sent from the management station side to the vehicle
and the transponder which received the transmission request
transmits the information regarding the inspection to the
management station side, the following inconvenience occurs. Since
it is unknown when the transmission request from the management
station side is sent, the system has to be constructed on the
vehicle side so as to always respond to the request. For this
purpose, for example, it is necessary to set a transponder and
control units mounted on the vehicle always in an ON state.
Generally, in the state where the engine is stopped, however, the
battery mounted on the vehicle is not charged. In the method of
always setting the components in the ON state, the battery is
likely to run down in a short time because of the electric power
consumed by the transponder and control units.
[0008] In this regard, for instance, in the diagnosis system
disclosed in JP-A-6-102148, an information processor is set in a
"sleep" state when an ignition switch is not turned on, and the
power source is turned on by a call from a base station serving as
the management station to execute a responding process. In this
diagnosis system, vehicle information is transmitted in response to
the call from the management station side irrespective of the
result of diagnosis to be transmitted (whether abnormal or normal).
It is therefore necessary that the system has to wait at least in
the sleep state, so that the power consumption of the battery
occurs. In the case where the vehicle information surely shows an
abnormality, considering the urgency of handling also in the
management station side which received the information, even if
there is a disadvantage of power consumption of the battery, it is
considered that the responding process should be preferentially
executed. When the vehicle information shows a normal state,
however, the handling also in the management station side which
received the information is not so urgent and the information is
basically used as rather information for confirmation.
[0009] Even if the user voluntarily has the vehicle inspected,
repaired, and maintained at a repair shop or the like after
diagnosis information of an abnormality in the vehicle is
transmitted to the management station, the management station does
not know that the vehicle to which the abnormality diagnosis
information is transmitted has been repaired. If notification of
completion of repair is sent too late, an improper and useless
process for demanding a repair again is executed to the repaired
vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
diagnosis system for a vehicle, in which the battery power
consumption is minimized although the apparatus is constructed so
as to always respond to a transmission request from a management
station.
[0011] It is another object of the invention to provide a diagnosis
system and method for a vehicle, in which battery power consumption
is minimized and a diagnosis result indicative of an abnormality
can be transmitted to a management station outside of the vehicle
without fail.
[0012] It is a further object of the invention to provide a
diagnosis system and method for a vehicle, which can eliminate an
improper and useless process executed between a management station
which receives abnormality diagnosis information and a vehicle,
when inspection, repair, or maintenance is performed according to
abnormality diagnosis information of the vehicle.
[0013] According to the invention, control units for controlling
various devices mounted on the vehicle diagnose the conditions of
the various devices and the result of the diagnosis is transmitted
to an external management station outside of the vehicle by a
communication unit connected to the control units via a
communication line. The control units and the communication unit
operate by electric power supplied from a battery. Since the
diagnosis system is constructed so that the electric power
necessary for an ordinary operation is always supplied from the
battery to the communication unit, the communication unit can
always transmit a diagnosis result in response to a transmission
request from the management station.
[0014] The system is constructed so that the state can be switched
between a state where the electric power necessary for the ordinary
operation is supplied from the battery to the control units and a
state where the electric power is not supplied. A supply state is
set to the state where the electric power necessary for the
ordinary operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit
while the vehicle is used. On the other hand, during the vehicle is
not used, the supply state is switched to the state where the
electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is not supplied
from the battery to the control unit. When the vehicle is not used,
the vehicle-mounted engine is stopped, and the battery is not
charged, the supply of the electric power to the control units is
reduced (or stopped), so that the battery power is accordingly less
consumed.
[0015] According to the invention, electronic control units for
controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle diagnose the
conditions of the various devices and store the result of
diagnosis. A communication unit connected to the control units via
a communication line transmits the diagnosis result acquired from
the control units to the management station outside of the vehicle.
The control and communication units operate by the electric power
supplied from a battery charged by the driving of the
vehicle-mounted engine.
[0016] The system is constructed so that the state can be switched
between a state where the electric power necessary for an ordinary
operation is supplied from the battery to the control unit and a
state where the electric power is not supplied. When a diagnosis
result indicative of an abnormality, which has not been outputted
yet is stored in the control unit, the state is so set that the
electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied. On
the other hand, when the diagnosis result indicative of an
abnormality, which has not been outputted yet is not stored in the
control unit, the state is so set that the electric power necessary
for the ordinary operation is not supplied.
[0017] Furthermore, according to the invention, when abnormality
diagnosis information based on an abnormal condition diagnosed by
the vehicle itself is transmitted by a radio communication from the
vehicle to a management station side and the abnormality of the
vehicle corresponding to the abnormality diagnosis information is
solved or repaired, information indicating that the abnormality is
repaired is transmitted likewise by the radio communication from
the vehicle to the management station. When the vehicle abnormality
diagnosis information is received by the management station and
then the information indicating that the abnormality has been
repaired is received, the demand of the inspection, repair, or
maintenance of the vehicle sent from the management station to the
user can be omitted, so that the useless process between the
vehicle and the management station can be eliminated. When the
abnormality diagnosis information based on an abnormality diagnosed
by the vehicle itself is transmitted from the vehicle to the
management station by the radio communication and the abnormality
of the vehicle is solved (repaired) on the basis of the contents of
an instruction which is adapted to the abnormality diagnosis
information and is received by the user, the information indicating
that the abnormality has been solved is transmitted similarly from
the vehicle to the management station by the radio communication.
The abnormality repair information based on the contents of the
instruction of the inspection, repair, or maintenance of the
vehicle to the user side in response to the abnormality diagnosis
information of the vehicle received by the management station is
received, thereby enabling the state of completion of the contents
of the instruction sent from the management station to the vehicle
to be accurately known.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In
the drawings:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a diagnosis system
including vehicles each having a diagnosis system for a vehicle
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic system
construction of the vehicle of the first embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the construction of a
transponder in the first embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the construction of an
engine ECU in the first embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the construction of a
navigation ECU in the first embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the construction of a
meter ECU in the first embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a main process executed by
the engine ECU in the first embodiment;
[0026] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a diagnosis process
executed by the engine ECU in the first embodiment;
[0027] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing the diagnosis process
executed by the engine ECU in the first embodiment;
[0028] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing an abnormality information
outputting process executed by the engine ECU of the first
embodiment;
[0029] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing a process executed by a
receiving interruption by the transponder of the first
embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram showing a received data storing
process executed by a receiving interruption by the transponder of
the first embodiment;
[0031] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing an output permission flag
setting process executed by the transponder of the first
embodiment;
[0032] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a transmitting process
performed by the transponder of the first embodiment;
[0033] FIG. 15 is a flow diagram showing a process for outputting
data to the engine ECU executed by the meter ECU of the first
embodiment;
[0034] FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing a process for outputting
data to the transponder executed by the meter ECU of the first
embodiment;
[0035] FIG. 17 is a flow diagram showing a process for outputting
data to the engine ECU executed by the navigation ECU of the first
embodiment;
[0036] FIG. 18 is a flow diagram showing a process for outputting
data to the transponder executed by the navigation ECU of the first
embodiment;
[0037] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a schematic system
configuration of a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the
present invention;
[0038] FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an
engine ECU of the second embodiment;
[0039] FIG. 21 is a flow diagram showing a process for outputting
data to the engine ECU executed by a receiving interruption by a
navigation ECU of the second embodiment;
[0040] FIG. 22 is a flow diagram showing a process executed by a
receiving interruption by a transponder of the second
embodiment;
[0041] FIG. 23 is a flow diagram showing a process executed when an
ignition switch is ON in the transponder of the second
embodiment;
[0042] FIG. 24 is a flow diagram showing a process executed by a
receiving interruption by the transponder for the second
embodiment;
[0043] FIG. 25 is a flow diagram showing a diagnosing process
performed by the engine ECU of the second embodiment;
[0044] FIG. 26 is a flow diagram showing a responding process
carried out by a receiving interruption in the engine ECU of the
second embodiment;
[0045] FIG. 27 is a flow diagram showing a responding process
executed by a receiving interruption in the engine ECU of the
second embodiment;
[0046] FIG. 28 is a flow diagram showing a responding process
executed by the engine ECU of the second embodiment;
[0047] FIG. 29 is a flow diagram showing a process according to a
change state of the ignition switch executed by the engine ECU of
the second embodiment;
[0048] FIG. 30 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the
transponder of the second embodiment when the ignition switch is
OFF;
[0049] FIG. 31 is a flow diagram showing a process executed by a
receiving interruption from the transponder in an engine ECU of a
modification of the second embodiment;
[0050] FIG. 32 is a flow diagram showing a process executed by the
engine ECU of the modification of the second embodiment;
[0051] FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the system configuration
of a vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present
invention;
[0052] FIG. 34 is a flow diagram showing a diagnosing process
executed by an ECU of the third embodiment;
[0053] FIG. 35 is a flow diagram showing a responding process to a
transponder executed by the ECU of the third embodiment;
[0054] FIG. 36 is a flow diagram showing a process carried out by a
receiving interruption in the transponder of the third
embodiment;
[0055] FIG. 37 is a block diagram illustrating a whole
configuration of a vehicle diagnosing system according to a fourth
embodiment of the present invention;
[0056] FIG. 38 is a flow diagram showing the procedure of a
diagnosing process of an engine ECU according to the fourth
embodiment;
[0057] FIG. 39 is a flow diagram showing the procedure of an
operation state storing process associated with an abnormality
detection by the diagnosis of the engine ECU of the fourth
embodiment;
[0058] FIG. 40 is a flow diagram showing the procedure of a repair
completion code storing process of the engine ECU according to the
fourth embodiment;
[0059] FIG. 41 is a flow diagram indicating the procedure of a
process of an after-transmission trip counter in FIG. 40;
[0060] FIG. 42 is a flow diagram showing the procedure of a
response flag process in FIG. 40; and
[0061] FIG. 43 is a flow diagram showing the procedure of a repair
completion code transmitting process of the engine ECU of the
fourth embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0062] (First Embodiment)
[0063] In FIG. 1, a management station C serving as a competent
authority acquires data related to emission (exhaust gas), data
regarding an abnormality in an engine, and the like from each of a
plurality of vehicles A via a receiver B by a radio communication.
The management station C specifies a vehicle A having a malfunction
and demands the holder of the vehicle to repair or improve the
vehicle A. Various methods such as mailing of a document can be
used to demand the repair or improvement of the vehicle A.
[0064] As shown in FIG. 2, a transponder 10 receives a request from
the receiver B, acquires necessary information via a communication
line 5 from an engine ECU 30, a navigation ECU 50, and a meter ECU
70 serving as control units mounted on the vehicle A and transmits
the acquired information to the receiver B (FIG. 1).
[0065] The engine ECU 30 controls the engine, self-diagnoses an
abnormality relating to the emission of the engine, and transmits
the information to the transponder 10 in response to a request from
the transponder 10. The navigation ECU 50 and the meter ECU 70
carry out a navigation control and a meter display control,
respectively. When the engine ECU 30 detects an abnormality by the
self diagnosis, the navigation ECU 50 and the meter ECU 70 output a
travel distance of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle to
the engine ECU 30 in response to requests sent from the engine ECU
30, respectively. When requests from the transponder 10 are
received, the ECUs 50 and 70 output the travel distance and the
vehicle position at that time point to the transponder 10.
[0066] In the transponder 10 shown in FIG. 3, since the electric
power is always supplied from a battery 3 to a power circuit 13 for
supplying the electric power to operate the transponder 10, the
transponder 10 operates irrespective of the state of a key switch
of the vehicle A. The CPU in a microcomputer 11 executes a process
in response to a request sent from the outside via an antenna 20 in
accordance with a control program stored in a ROM in the
microcomputer 11. A RAM in the microcomputer 11 temporarily stores
data and the like sent from the engine ECU 30 and so on. An
input/output circuit 12 is connected to the antenna 20 and the
communication line 5 and data inputted and outputted via the
input/output circuit 12 is received and transmitted from/to the CPU
and the like via an I/O device in the microcomputer 11. An EEPROM
14 is also connected to the microcomputer 11 and stores an
identification number (VIN code) unique to the vehicle.
[0067] In the engine ECU 30 shown in FIG. 4, a main power circuit
33 is connected to the battery 3 via an ignition switch 4.
Basically, by turning on the ignition switch 4, the power is
supplied from the main power circuit 33 and the engine ECU 30
operates. A power is also supplied from a sub power circuit 34
which is directly connected to the battery 3 not through the
ignition switch 4, so that data in a RAM in a microcomputer 31 is
held even after turn-off of the ignition switch 4.
[0068] The battery 3 is charged when the engine is driven.
Specifically, the battery 3 is provided with an alternator driven
by the engine. The alternator generates an electric power according
to the engine speed and the generated electric power is supplied to
the battery 3. The battery 3 is therefore charged by the generated
electric power.
[0069] In the microcomputer 31, according to the control program
stored in the ROM, the CPU generates signals for controlling an
injector 47 and an igniter 48 so that the engine operates optimally
on the basis of sensor signals inputted via the input/output
circuit 32 and the I/O device in the microcomputer 31. The
microcomputer 31 self-diagnoses an abnormality relating to the
emission of the engine, the operation of the engine, and an
abnormality or the like occurring in sensors 41 to 46. Data of the
diagnosis result is outputted in response to a request from the
outside (a DIAG tester 49 or the transponder 10). The RAM in the
microcomputer 31 holds sensor data used for an arithmetic operation
in the CPU, control data acquired by the arithmetic operation,
various diagnosis data derived by the diagnosis, and the like.
[0070] The sensors 41 to 46 connected to the input/output circuit
32 are the air-fuel ratio (A/F) sensor 41, revolution sensor 42 for
sensing the rotational speed (RPM) of the engine, air flow meter
43, water temperature sensor 44, throttle sensor 45, and starter
switch 46.
[0071] In the navigation ECU 50 shown in FIG. 5, a power circuit 53
is connected to the battery 3 via an accessory switch 6 and a
microcomputer 51 and an input/output circuit 52 operate when the
accessory switch 6 is turned on. A receiver 62, a map data input
device 64, and a display monitor 66 are connected to the
input/output circuit 52. A GPS antenna 60 is connected to the
receiver 62. Those components construct a GPS (Global Positioning
System) for detecting the position of the vehicle on the basis of
electromagnetic waves from a GPS satellite. The map data inputting
device 64 is a device for inputting various data including map
matching data to improve the accuracy of position detection and map
data from a storage medium. As a storage medium for this use,
although it is typical to use a CD-ROM because of a large data
amount, other media such as DVD and memory card can be also
employed. The display monitor 66 is used to display a map, a
guiding path, and the like. In the embodiment, the display monitor
66 also has the function of receiving an instruction from the
user.
[0072] In the microcomputer 51, in accordance with the control
program stored in the ROM, the CPU executes a displaying process in
response to instruction information from the user acquired through
the display monitor 66 on the basis of map data from the map data
inputting device 64 and a signal from the receiver 62 inputted via
the input/output circuit 52 and the I/O device in the microcomputer
51 and allows the display monitor 66 to display desired information
of the user. When a request from the engine ECU 30 or the
transponder 10 is received via the communication line 5, the
microcomputer 51 can output the vehicle position at the time of
receipt of the request to the engine ECU 30 or transponder 10 which
sent the request.
[0073] In the meter ECU 70 shown in FIG. 6, a power circuit 73 is
connected to the battery 3 via the accessory switch 6. When the
accessory switch 6 is turned on, a microcomputer 71 and an
input/output circuit 72 operate. A meter panel 74, a speed sensor
75, and the like are connected to the input/output circuit 72.
[0074] In the microcomputer 71, in accordance with the control
program stored in the ROM, the CPU receives a sensor signal from
the speed sensor 75 and the like and allows the meter panel 74 to
display information such as the speed of the vehicle. When a
request from the engine ECU 30 or the transponder 10 is received
via the communication line 5, the microcomputer 71 can output a
cumulative travel distance of the vehicle at the time of the
receipt of the request to the engine ECU 30 or transponder 10 which
sent the request.
[0075] The engine ECU 30 is programmed to execute processing shown
in FIGS. 7 to 11.
[0076] First, when the engine ECU 30 starts to operate by the
turn-on of the ignition switch 4 (FIG. 4), as shown at the first
step S100 of the main process of FIG. 7, detection data, counter
data, and the like in the RAM is initialized. Data stored in
relation to a self-diagnosing process (S400) which will be
described hereinlater is not an object of the initialization.
[0077] After the initializing process at step S100, an electronic
fuel injection (EFI) control process at S200, an electronic spark
advance (ESA) control process at S300, the self-diagnosing process
related to the engine at S400, and other processes are repeatedly
performed.
[0078] The diagnosing process at step S400 will be described in
detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.
[0079] The diagnosing process shown in FIG. 8 is a base process
executed, for instance, every 64 m/sec. Whether the throttle sensor
45 and the water temperature sensor 44 (FIG. 4) are abnormal or not
is discriminated (S410 and S430). When an abnormality is detected
(YES at S410, YES at S430), a code for specifying the detected
abnormal object is stored in the RAM (S420, S440). Also, whether a
misfire of the engine is detected or not is checked (S450). If a
misfire is detected (YES at S450), a misfire code is stored in the
RAM (S460). Although not shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible to
discriminate a defective state of an engine related part such as
the injector 47 or a catalyst and store a code specifying the
detected abnormal object into the RAM when an abnormality is
detected. The diagnosing process shown in FIG. 9 is also a base
process executed, for example, every 64 m/sec. At the first step
S510, whether an abnormality is detected or not in the diagnosing
process of FIG. 8 is decided. Specifically, when step S410, S430,
or S450 is positively determined, it is decided that an abnormality
is detected.
[0080] If there is no abnormality (NO at S510), the processing
routine is finished. When there is an abnormality (YES at S510),
whether it is the abnormality which has already been detected or
not is checked (S520). That is, when the detected abnormality is
that which has been detected before (YES at S520), the processing
routine is finished immediately. On the other hand, when it is the
abnormality which is detected for the first time, namely, when the
abnormality code has not been stored in the RAM until then (NO at
S520), the routine advances to step S530 where the operating
conditions are stored.
[0081] The data (freeze frame data) of the operating conditions
stored at step S530 is used for abnormality analysis when the
vehicle is diagnosed and is a part of data sent from the
transponder 10 to the management station C (FIG. 1) via the
receiver B. Items to be stored are control data relating to the
engine speed, an intake air volume, a water temperature, a throttle
opening angle, and an injection amount, control data relating to an
ignition timing, a travel distance of the vehicle, the position of
the vehicle, and the like. Among the items, the travel distance and
the position of the vehicle are acquired in such a manner that the
engine ECU 30 sends requests to the meter ECU 70 and the navigation
ECU 50 via the communication line 5, a cumulative travel distance
at that time point is outputted from the meter ECU 70 and the
position at that time point is outputted from the navigation ECU
50. The process for outputting th ECUmulative travel distance at
that time point executed by the meter ECU 70 in response to the
request from the engine ECU 30 will be described hereinlater with
reference to FIG. 15. The process for outputting the position
information at the time point by the navigation ECU 50 in response
to the request from the engine ECU 30 will be also described
hereinlater with reference to FIG. 17.
[0082] In the engine ECU 30, the process regarding the diagnosis is
executed as described above, and the presence or absence of an
abnormality, the contents of the abnormality, and the operating
conditions at the time of occurrence of the abnormality are stored.
The engine ECU 30 in the embodiment stops the operation as
mentioned above after the ignition switch 4 is turned off.
Consequently, the engine ECU 30 outputs the information regarding
the abnormality stored by itself to the transponder 10 via the
communication line 5 at predetermined intervals during the
operation, so that the transponder 10 can always receive the
request from the receiver B.
[0083] The abnormality information outputting process shown in FIG.
10 is a base process executed by the engine ECU 30, for example,
every 1024 m/sec. First, whether a transmission waiting counter Ca
is 60 or larger is determined (S610). If the transmission waiting
counter Ca is 60 or larger (YES at S610), the processing routine
advances to step S620. When the conditions of steps S620 to S640
are satisfied, the abnormality information is outputted to the
transponder 10 at step S650. If the transmission waiting counter Ca
is less than 60 (NO at step S610), only by incrementing the
transmission waiting counter Ca (Ca.rarw.Ca+1) (S670), the
processing routine is finished.
[0084] As mentioned above, on the basis of the idea that the
information regarding an abnormality does not change frequently,
the execution interval (every 1024 m/sec) of the abnormality
information outputting process is set to be longer than that of
other processes so as to put the priority lower than that of the
various engine control processes executed by the engine ECU 30,
thereby reducing the processing load. Further, in order to reduce
the communication volume on the communication line 5, as shown at
step S610, data is transmitted each time the transmission waiting
counter Ca counts 60. In other words, according to the embodiment,
the information regarding an abnormality is transmitted about every
one minute from the engine ECU 30 to the transponder 10 via the
communication line 5.
[0085] Process at step S620 to which the routine advances when the
transmission waiting counter Ca is equal to or larger than 60 (YES
at S610) and at the subsequent steps will be explained.
[0086] In this case, whether the engine high revolution time or not
(S620), whether the engine highly loaded time or not, that is, the
throttle opening angle is equal to or larger than a predetermined
angle or not (S630), and whether the engine starting time or not
(S620) are checked one by one. If NO, the routine advances to the
next step. When it is determined as YES at any of the above steps,
that is, if the operation of the microcomputer 31 is busy, i.e., it
is the engine high revolution time when (YES at S620), the engine
highly loaded time (YES at S630) or the engine starting time (YES
at S640), the processing routine is finished. On the other hand, it
is determined as NO at all of the steps, the routine advances to
step S650.
[0087] At step S650, the stored abnormality information (the
presence or absence of an abnormality, the code of the abnormal
object when there is the abnormality, driving condition data at the
time point when the abnormality is detected, and the like) is
outputted to the transponder 10. After that, the transmission
waiting counter Ca is cleared at step S660 and the processing
routine is finished.
[0088] As mentioned above, in the process, the routine advances to
step S620 for the first time after the transmission waiting counter
Ca becomes 60 or larger and the processes (S620 to S640) for
determining whether or not the period is suitable for outputting
the abnormality information is executed. When the transmission
waiting counter Ca is smaller than 60, the transmission waiting
counter Ca is simply incremented by "1" (S670). This is for the
purpose of preventing the engine control process from being delayed
by the outputting operation of the abnormality information since
the process load on the engine ECU 30 is extremely high in the
state where the engine rotates at high speed or the load is high.
Especially, in the case where an abnormality is detected and the
amount of data to be outputted is large, the other processes have
to wait long because of the outputting process. If the data is
outputted in a proper state where the process load on the engine
ECU 30 is low, the ordinary control is not hindered. Moreover, the
output of the abnormality information is not so urgent, so that no
problem occurs even if the output is delayed a little.
[0089] Even when the process load on the engine ECU 30 is low (NO
at steps S620 and S630), if it is in the engine starting time (YES
at step S640), the abnormality information is not outputted. Since
it is presumed that noises probably occur at the engine starting
time, by avoiding the communication in such a state, erroneous data
is prevented from being transmitted to the transponder 10.
[0090] The process executed by the transponder 10 having the above
configuration is shown in FIGS. 11 to 14.
[0091] The process shown in FIG. 11 is the process executed by a
receiving interruption. At the first step S1010, whether it is a
transmission request of abnormality information sent from the
receiver B (FIG. 1) or not is checked. If it is the transmission
request of abnormality information (YES at S1010), after setting a
transmission request flag F(rq) to "1" (S1020), a request to output
the present vehicle position is sent to the navigation ECU 50
(S1030) and a request to output the present cumulative travel
distance is sent to the meter ECU 70 (S1040).
[0092] After sending the request at step S1040 or when it is
determined as NO at step S1010, the processing routine is finished
and the program returns to the interrupted process. In the process
shown in FIG. 12 which is also a process executed by a receiving
interruption, for storing received data, at the first step S1110,
whether it is information outputted from the engine ECU 30 or not
is determined. If yes (YES at S1110), the routine advances to step
S1120 and the received data is stored in a predetermined storage
area D(EG) in the RAM. The received data is the abnormality
information outputted from the engine ECU 30 at step S650 in FIG.
10.
[0093] On the other hand, when the information output is not from
the engine ECU 30 (NO at S1110), whether it is from the meter ECU
70 or not is checked (S1130). If it is from the meter ECU 70 (YES
at S1130), the routine advances to step S1140 and the received data
is stored into a predetermined storage area D(MT). The received
data is the one outputted from the meter ECU 70 in response to the
request of outputting the travel distance information sent at step
S1040 in FIG. 11.
[0094] Further, when the information output is not from the meter
ECU 70 (NO at S1130), whether it is an information output from the
navigation ECU 50 or not is checked (S1150). If so (YES at S1150),
the processing routine advances to step S1160 and the received data
is stored into a predetermined storage area D(NV) in the RAM. The
received data is the one outputted from the navigation ECU 50 in
response to the request of outputting the position information sent
at step S1030 in FIG. 11.
[0095] As shown at steps S1120, S1140, and S1160, after storing the
received data from the engine ECU 30, meter ECU 70, or navigation
ECU 50 into the storage areas D(EG), D(MT), or D(NV), or when "NO"
is determined at step S1150, the processing routine is finished and
the program returns to the interrupted process.
[0096] An output permission flag setting process shown in FIG. 13
is a base process executed, for instance, every 256 m/sec. The
following point is taken into account in this process. Since the
operation of the navigation ECU 50 and the meter ECU 70 is stopped
when the accessory switch 6 is turned off, even if there is a
request from the receiver B while the operation is stopped,
information cannot be acquired at that time point. Consequently,
when the information cannot be received from the navigation ECU 50
and the meter ECU 70 in a predetermined period, it is determined
that the operation of the ECUs 50 and 70 is stopped and output
permission flags F(nv) and F(mt) which are set according to
completion of the information reception are set. When the flags are
set, the data received before and stored in the predetermined
storage areas D(NV) and D(MT) in the RAM can be used as data to be
transmitted to the receiver B.
[0097] At the first step S1210, whether the transmission request
flag F(rq) is set or not is checked. When the transmission request
flag F(rq) is set at step S1020 in FIG. 11, YES is determined at
this step S1210. The processing routine then advances to step S1220
and whether the position information has been already received from
the navigation ECU 50 or not is checked. Whether it is received or
not is determined by checking whether the process for storing the
received data into the storage area D(NV) is executed or not at
step S1160 in the received data storing process of FIG. 12.
[0098] In the case where the received data from the navigation ECU
50 has been stored (YES at S1220), the processing routine advances
to step S1250 and the output permission flag F(nv) which is set
according to the completion of reception is set. On the other hand,
when the received data has not been stored (NO at S1220), the
counter Cnv is incremented (S1230) and whether the counter Cnv is
equal to or larger than 40 is checked (S1240). If the counter Cnv
is 40 or larger (YES at S1240), the routine advances to step S1250
where the output permission flag F(nv) is set. If the counter Cnv
is smaller than 40 (NO at S1240), the routine advances to step
S1260 without executing the process at step S1250.
[0099] At steps S1260 to S1290, a process similar to that regarding
the navigation ECU 50 performed at the above steps S1220 to S1250
is executed as a process regarding the meter ECU 70. That is,
whether or not the travel distance information has been received
from the meter ECU 70 is checked (S1260). If it has been received
(YES at S1260), the routine proceeds to step S1290 where the output
permission flag F(mt) which is set according to completion of
reception is set. On the other hand, if the received data has not
been stored (NO at S1260), the counter Cmt is incremented (S1270)
and then, whether the counter Cmt is 40 or larger is checked
(S1280). If the counter Cmt is 40 or larger (YES at S1280), the
routine advances to step S1290 and the output permission flag F(mt)
is set. If the counter Cmt is smaller than 40 (NO at S1280), the
processing routine is finished without executing the process at
step S1290.
[0100] Subsequently, a transmission processing routine shown in
FIG. 14 is executed. The transmission process is a base process
which is executed, for example, every 256 m/sec. First at step
S1310, whether the transmission request flag F(rq) is set to "1" or
not is checked. If the transmission request flag F(rq) is set to
"1" (YES at S1310), at the subsequent step S1320, whether both of
the output permission flags F(nv) and F(mt) are set to "1" or not
is checked.
[0101] If both of the output permission flags F(nv) and F(mt) are
set to "1" (YES at S1320), the received data stored in the storage
areas D(EG), D(MT), and D(NV) in the RAM is transmitted as
diagnosis data together with the VIN code stored in the EEPROM 14
(FIG. 3) to the receiver B. Further, the transmission request flag
F(rq) and the output permission flags F(nv) and F(mt) are set to
"0", namely, cleared (S1340), and the processing routine is
finished.
[0102] When the transmission request flag F(rq) is "0" (NO at
S1310) or when at least one of the output permission flags F(nv)
and F(mt) is "0" (NO at S1320), the processing routine is finished
immediately.
[0103] The process executed by the meter ECU 70 is shown in FIGS.
15 and 16.
[0104] The process shown in FIG. 15 is a base process executed, for
example, every 64 m/sec. At the first step S2010, whether or not a
request for the travel distance information is sent from the engine
ECU 30 is checked. If there is the request (YES at S2010), the
travel distance information at the time point is outputted to the
engine ECU 30 (S2020). The request for the travel distance
information from the engine ECU30 is sent during the process at
step S530 in FIG. 9. The travel distance information outputted at
step S2020 is stored likewise during the process at S530 in FIG.
9.
[0105] The process shown in FIG. 16 is also a base process
executed, for instance, every 64 m/sec. While the process of FIG.
15 is that for responding to the request from the engine ECU 30,
the process of FIG. 16 is that for responding to the request from
the transponder 10 or voluntarily outputting the information.
[0106] At the first step S2110, whether the travel distance
information is requested from the transponder 10 or not is checked.
If there is the request (YES at S2110), the travel distance
information at that time point is outputted to the engine ECU 30
(S2140), further, the transmission completion flag F(TP) is set to
"1" (S2150), and the processing routine is finished.
[0107] The above is the basis of the responding process. Even if
the travel distance information is not requested by the transponder
10 (NO at S2110), however, when the vehicle speed is zero (YES at
S2120) and the transmission completion flag F(TP) is zero (YES at
S2130), the travel distance information is outputted to the engine
ECU 30 (S2140). That is, since the operation of the meter ECU 70 is
stopped when the accessory switch 6 is turned off, the request from
the transponder 10 cannot be responded while the operation is
stopped. Consequently, even if there is no request from the
transponder 10, each time it is detected that the vehicle speed is
zero, that is, the vehicle is stopped, the travel distance
information at that time point is voluntarily outputted to the
transponder 10.
[0108] In the flow diagram of FIG. 16, when it is negatively
determined, that is, the vehicle speed is not zero at S2120, the
processing routine advances to step S2160 where the transmission
completion flag F(TP) is cleared. If NO at step S2130, namely,
although the vehicle speed is zero (YES at S2120), when the
transmission completion flag F(TP) is set to "1", the processing
routine is finished. As mentioned above, those are operations
performed basically in response to the request from the transponder
10, and for voluntarily outputting the information to the
transponder 10 each time the stop of the vehicle is detected even
if there is no request.
[0109] The process executed by the navigation ECU 50 is shown in
FIGS. 17 and 18.
[0110] The process shown in FIG. 17 is a base process executed, for
example, every 64 m/sec. At the first step S3010, whether the
position information is requested from the engine ECU 30 or not is
checked. If there is the request (YES at S3010), the position
information at that time point is outputted to the engine ECU 30
(S3020). The request of the position information from the engine
ECU 30 is sent during the process at step S530 in FIG. 9. The
position information outputted at step S3020 is stored likewise
during the process at step S530 in FIG. 9.
[0111] Meanwhile, the process shown in FIG. 18 is also a base
process executed, for instance, 64 m/sec. While the process of FIG.
17 is that for responding to the request from the engine ECU 30,
the process of FIG. 16 is that for responding to the request from
the transponder 10 or voluntarily outputting the information.
[0112] At the first step S3110, whether the position information is
requested from the transponder 10 or not is checked. If there is
the request (YES at S3110), the position information at that time
point is outputted to the engine ECU 30 (S3140), the transmission
completion flag F(TP) is set to "1", and the processing routine is
finished.
[0113] Although this is the basis of the responding process, even
in the case where the position information is not requested from
the transponder 10 (NO at S2110), if the vehicle speed is zero (YES
at S3120) and the transmission completion flag F (TP) is "0" (YES
at S3130), the position information is outputted to the engine ECU
30 (S3140). Since the operation of the navigation ECU 50 is also
stopped when the accessory switch 6 is turned off, if a request is
sent from the transponder 10 while the operation is stopped, the
request cannot be responded. During the operation, consequently,
even if there is no request from the transponder 10, each time it
is detected that the vehicle speed is zero, namely, the vehicle is
stopped, the position information at that time point is voluntarily
outputted to the transponder 10.
[0114] In the flow diagram of FIG. 18, when the vehicle speed is
not zero (NO at S3120), the routine advances to step S3160 and the
transmission completion flag F(TP) is cleared. Even if the vehicle
speed is zero (YES at S3120), when the transmission completion flag
F(TP) is set to "1" (NO at S3130), the processing routine is
finished at once. Those are processes for basically responding to
the request from the transponder 10 and, even if there is no
request, for voluntarily outputting information to the transponder
10 each time the stop of the vehicle is detected.
[0115] As described above with reference to FIGS. 16 and 18, even
if the operation of the meter ECU 70 or the navigation ECU 50 is
stopped, when the vehicle speed becomes zero (the vehicle is
stopped) during the operation, the travel distance information or
position information is outputted to the transponder 10.
Consequently, even if there is no output request from the
transponder 10 during the operation, the information can be
certainly stored in the transponder 10. The accessory switch 6 is
turned off basically only when the vehicle is stopped. By
outputting the information in such a state, unnecessary
transmission can be therefore avoided. Further, since the travel
distance information and the position information does not change
basically while the vehicle is stopped, if the information is
outputted only when the vehicle is stopped, proper information
according to the actual condition is stored in the transponder
10.
[0116] By executing the above processes, the vehicle position and
cumulative travel distance at the time point when the abnormality
is detected and the vehicle position and cumulative travel distance
at the time point when the receiver B requested the vehicle to send
the abnormality information are transmitted from the transponder 10
to receiver B, so that the management station C to which the data
is transferred from the receiver B knows the travel distance and
the movement state of the vehicle A after detection of the
abnormality. A proper measure can be therefore taken for the user
of the vehicle A. The proper measure is taken in such a manner
that, for example, a warning is notified, the engine is forcedly
stopped via communication when the vehicle A is stopped in a safe
place depending on a case, the engine is not started again after
the engine is turned off by the user, and the like.
[0117] According to the vehicle diagnosis system of the embodiment,
the ECUs 30, 50, and 70 serving as "control units" mounted on the
vehicle A diagnose the conditions of various devices controlled by
the ECUs, respectively, the results of diagnosis are transmitted to
the receiver B outside of the vehicle by the transponder 10 serving
as a "communication unit" connected via the communication line 5
and is further transferred to the management station C. The ECUs
30, 50, and 70 and the transponder 10 operate by the electric power
supplied from the battery 3 which is charged by the driving of the
vehicle-mounted engine. Since it is constructed so that the
electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is always
supplied from the battery 3 to the transponder 10, whenever the
transmission request is sent from the receiver B, the transponder
10 can transmit the diagnosis result in response to the
request.
[0118] On the other hand, it can be switched between the state in
which the electric power necessary for an ordinary operation is
supplied from the battery 3 to each of the ECUs 30, 50, and 70 by
the ignition switch 4 or the accessory switch 6 and the state in
which it is not supplied. Since the ignition switch 4 or the
accessory switch 6 is turned on while the vehicle is used, the
electric power necessary for the ordinary operation is supplied
from the battery 3. On the other hand, when the vehicle is not
used, both of the ignition switch 4 and the accessory switch 6 are
off, so that the electric power necessary for the ordinary
operation is not supplied from the battery 3. In this sense, the
ignition switch 4 for the engine ECU 30 and the accessory switch 6
for the navigation ECU 50 and the meter ECU 70 operate as a supply
state setting device.
[0119] In the state where the vehicle-mounted engine is stopped and
the battery 3 is not charged when the vehicle is not used, the
supply of electric power to each of the ECUs 30, 50, and 70 is
reduced. Specifically, only the electric power for holding data
stored in the RAM in the microcomputer 31 is supplied via the sub
power circuit 34 (FIG. 4) in the engine ECU 30, so the power
consumption of the battery 3 is considerably reduced.
[0120] That is, it is irrational from the viewpoint of battery
power consumption to prepare the ECUs 30, 50, and 70 in addition to
the transponder 10 so as to perform the ordinary operation in order
to always respond to the request transmitted from the receiver B
which cannot be expected when it is transmitted. If it intends only
to respond to the transmission request, it is sufficient that only
the transponder 10 operates. Consequently, the electric power to
enable the ordinary operation to be executed is not supplied to
each of the ECUs 30, 50, and 70.
[0121] Since the power which enables the ordinary operation to be
performed is not supplied to each of the ECUs 30, 50, and 70 while
the vehicle is not used, if the transmission request is sent from
the receiver B while the vehicle is unused, information cannot be
acquired from each of the ECUs 30, 50, and 70 at the time point.
Instead of obtaining the information from each of the ECUs 30, 50,
and 70 at the time point, therefore, the transponder 10 transmits
the latest information acquired from each of the ECUs 30, 50, and
70 while the vehicle is used before the vehicle A enters an unused
state.
[0122] While it is constructed so as to always respond to the
transmission request from the receiver B, the battery power
consumption can be reduced as much as possible.
[0123] In the embodiment, the diagnosis result from the engine ECU
30 is outputted under the control of the engine ECU 30. That is,
basically, the abnormality information is outputted every
predetermined time, not in response to the request from the
transponder 10 (FIG. 10). The outputting operation is, however,
performed by avoiding periods which are considered to be improper
since a processing load required for the control is assumed to be
high such as periods in which the engine rotates at high speed or
the load on the engine is high. Various controls to the engine are
the inherent work and the priority of them is relatively high. On
the other hand, the priority of outputting the abnormality
information is relatively low. That is, in a period during which
the engine ECU 30 is busy executing the process having the high
priority, it is unnecessary to execute the process having the low
priority for outputting the abnormality information prior to the
process having the high priority. Even if there is a request to
output the diagnosis result to the transponder 10 during such a
period, the request is not consequently responded. Further, also in
a period during which noises may be occurring on the communication
line 5 due to starting of the engine, the abnormality information
is not outputted to the transponder 10. The possibility that noises
occur on the communication line 5 by operations such as rotation of
the starter is high upon starting of the engine. Consequently, when
the abnormality information is outputted from the engine ECU 30 to
the transponder 10 in such a state, there is the possibility that
illegal data or data destruction occurs on the communication line 5
and an erroneous diagnosis result different from the result
outputted from the engine ECU 30 is transmitted to the management
station C. Even if there is a request to output the diagnosis
result to the transponder 10 during the periods, the request is not
responded.
[0124] The above embodiment may be modified as follows.
[0125] (1) In the foregoing embodiment, the abnormality information
is outputted at timings controlled by the engine ECU 30 itself. The
navigation ECU 50 and the meter ECU 70 basically output information
in response to a request from the transponder 10. In the case where
the vehicle is stopped, however, they voluntarily output the
information at that time point. When there is the transmission
request from the receiver B during the vehicle unused time, the
latest information outputted from each of the ECUs 30, 50, and 70
at the above timing when the vehicle is used is stored. The stored
information is transmitted as the "latest diagnosis result" to the
receiver B.
[0126] Besides the above, the following method can be also
employed. For example, with respect to the engine ECU 30, by
continuing the state where the electric power necessary for the
ordinary operation of the engine ECU 30 is supplied for a
predetermined period since the time point the ignition switch 4 is
turned off, the engine ECU 30 is allowed to output the abnormality
information during the predetermined period. For instance, by the
electric power supplied from the sub power circuit 34 shown in FIG.
4, the abnormality information outputting process is executed. With
respect to the cases of the navigation ECU 50 and the meter ECU 70
as well, it is sufficient to likewise add the sub power
circuit.
[0127] Besides the method of using the sub power circuit, it can be
also realized as follows. For example, when the ignition switch 4
and the accessory switch 6 are turned off by a key operation of the
driver of the vehicle, actual power supply from the battery 3 to
the power circuits 33, 53, and 73 is stopped after a predetermined
delay time since the time point of the turn-off operation. For
instance, a power source line routing the ignition switch 4 and the
accessory switch 6 is provided between the battery 3 and the power
circuits 33, 53, and 73. Relays provided on the line are controlled
by the microcomputer in accordance with the states of the ignition
switch 4 and the accessory switch 6.
[0128] That is, since the switch timing from the vehicle used state
to the unused state is determined by the key operation of the
driver, it is sufficient to delay the actual stop of power supply
from the switch timing.
[0129] In this manner, a result which is more proper as a "latest
diagnosis result" can be acquired. That is, when the latest
information among the information voluntarily outputted from the
ECUs 30, 50, and 70 is used as the "latest diagnosis result", there
is the possibility that the information in which the state just
before the vehicle A is changed from the use state to the unused
state is reflected is not acquired depending on an output interval.
For instance, there is a case that the vehicle is driven even after
the latest information is outputted and there is the possibility
that a new abnormality occurs by the driving. Even if a new
abnormality does not occur, there is the possibility that an error
from the position information and the travel distance information
at the time point when the vehicle is stopped finally occurs. By
employing the above method, therefore, it is advantageous that the
position information and the travel distance information at the
time point when the vehicle is actually stopped can be
acquired.
[0130] (2) Although the engine ECU 30 outputs the abnormality
information at the timing managed by the engine ECU 30 itself in
the foregoing embodiment, for example, the following method can be
also used. The request is sent from the transponder 10 periodically
or non-periodically and the abnormality information is outputted
from the engine ECU 30 in respond to the request.
[0131] In the case where the engine ECU 30 outputs the abnormality
information in response to the request from the transponder 10 as
mentioned above, there is a problem how to deal with the period in
which the processing load is high and the period which is improper
for the output of the abnormality information at the time of engine
starting. In a manner similar to the foregoing case, the request is
not responded, that is, the abnormality information is not
outputted in the improper periods. For instance, if there is a
transmission request from the transponder 10 during the improper
period, the request is not responded but the request itself is
stored. After that, the abnormality information is outputted to the
transponder 10 in response to the stored output request of the
diagnosis result at the time point when the state becomes
proper.
[0132] Consequently, the response to the output request is improved
by the following reason. Whether it is in the improper period or
not is determined upon receipt of the output request, if it is in
the improper period, the request is not responded. In the case
where the request is responded if it is not in the improper period,
even if the improper period is finished, the timing of the next
output request has to be waited. Namely, the output request does
not always come just after the improper period. On the contrary,
when the output request itself of the diagnosis result is stored
and is responded at the time point when the state becomes proper,
the request can be responded as soon as the state becomes proper.
Thus, the response to the output request is improved.
[0133] (3) When it is on the precondition that the engine ECU 30
outputs the diagnosis result to the transponder 10 in response to
the output request from the transponder 10 as described in (2), it
may be modified as follows.
[0134] The transponder 10 repeatedly sends the output request to
the engine ECU 30 until the diagnosis result is outputted from the
engine ECU 30 a plurality of times and the contents of the
diagnosis results of the plurality of times coincide with each
other. When the diagnosis results coincide with each other, the
coincided diagnosis result is transmitted to the management station
C. It is effective to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis result
outputted from the engine ECU 30 to the transponder 10.
[0135] As a measure on the engine ECU 30 side when there is an
abnormality in the transponder 10, the following is also effective.
Although the diagnosis results are outputted more than a
predetermined number of times in response to the requests from the
transponder 10 when the diagnosis result output request is
received, the request after that is not responded.
[0136] (Second Embodiment)
[0137] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the transponder 10
(communication unit) 10 receives a request from the receiver B,
acquires necessary information from the engine ECU (engine
diagnosing unit) 30 via the communication line 5, and transmits the
acquired information to the receiver B (FIG. 1).
[0138] The engine ECU 30 controls the engine, self-diagnoses an
abnormality relating to the emission of the engine, and transmits
the diagnosis information to the transponder 10 in response to the
request of the transponder 10. The engine ECU 30 is so constructed
as to obtain present position information from the navigation ECU
(position detecting unit) 50 via the communication line 5. That is,
the navigation ECU 50 executes the navigation control and also
outputs the information of the present position of the vehicle in
response to the request from the engine ECU 30.
[0139] In the present embodiment, the transponder 10 and the
navigation ECU 50 are constructed in the same manner as in the
first embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 5).
[0140] In the engine ECU 30, however, as shown in FIG. 20, the main
power circuit 33 is connected to the battery 3 via a main relay 40.
The main relay 40 is turned on by a main relay control circuit 35
when the ignition switch 4 is turned on. When the power from the
battery 3 is supplied to the microcomputer 31 or the like via the
main power circuit 33, therefore, the engine ECU 30 operates.
[0141] On the other hand, even if the ignition switch 4 is turned
off when the main relay 40 is ON, the main relay 40 is not
immediately turned off. That is, the main relay control circuit 35
can maintain turn-on of the main relay 40 not only when the
ignition switch 4 is ON but also when there is an instruction from
the microcomputer 31. That is, if one of predetermined conditions
is satisfied, the main relay 40 can be made ON. In the embodiment,
after the ignition switch 4 is turned off, the microcomputer 31
keeps on sending the instruction to allow the main relay to be ON
for a predetermined time and, after that, sends an instruction to
turn off the main relay 40 to the main relay control circuit 35,
thereby turning off the main relay 40 and stopping the power supply
from the battery 3 via the main relay 40 in practice.
[0142] Since the engine ECU 30 is provided with the sub power
circuit 34 which is directly connected to the battery 3 not through
the ignition switch 4, even after the power supply via the main
power circuit 33 is stopped, the power is supplied to the
microcomputer 31, particularly to the memory (RAM) via the sub
power circuit 34. The data in the RAM in the microcomputer 31 is
therefore held also after turn-off of the ignition switch 4. In a
state where the power is supplied only from the sub power circuit
34, the microcomputer 31 is in the "sleep state" and an
interruption request from the transponder 10 can be received.
[0143] The process executed by the navigation ECU 50 is shown in
FIG. 21.
[0144] The process shown in FIG. 21 is executed by a receiving
interruption. At the first step S11, whether a request for the
position information is sent from the engine ECU 30 or not is
checked. If there is the request (YES at S11), the position
information at the time point is outputted to the engine ECU 30
(S12). The timing or the like at which the request for the position
information is sent from the engine ECU 30 will be described
hereinlater in the description of the process executed by the
engine ECU 30.
[0145] The process executed by the transponder 10 is shown in FIGS.
22 to 24.
[0146] The process shown in FIG. 22 is executed by a receiving
interruption. At the first step S51, whether or not it is a
transmission request of abnormality information from the receiver B
(FIG. 1) is checked. If it is the request to transmit the
abnormality information (YES at S51), a reception completion flag
F(RSPE) indicative of completion of reception from the engine ECU
30 is reset, namely, set to zero and a transmission completion flag
F(RSPT) indicative of completion of the transmission to the
receiver B is reset, that is, set to zero (step S52). In order to
show that there is the output request from the receiver B, an
output request flag F(RQT) is set to "1" (S53). After that, the
processing routine is finished and the program returns to the
previous process.
[0147] The process shown in FIG. 23 is executed, for example, every
256 m/sec. At the first step S61, whether the output request flag
F(RQT) for checking if the output request is generated from the
receiver B is set or not, namely, whether F(RQT) is "1" or not is
checked. When the output request flag F(RQT) is set at step S53 in
FIG. 22, it is positively determined at step S61, so the routine
advances to step S62 where an output request is sent to the engine
ECU 30, and then the output request flag F(RQT) is cleared at step
S63.
[0148] After that, the processing routine proceeds to step S64 and
whether the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) indicative of
completion of the data transmission to the receiver B is "1" or not
is checked. If NO at step S61, that is, when the output request
flag F(RQT) is "0", the routine advances to step S64 without
executing the processes at steps S62 and S63.
[0149] When the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) is "1" (YES at
step S64), the process is immediately finished. On the other hand,
when the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) is "0" (NO at step
S64), the routine advances to step S65 and whether the reception
completion flag F(RSPE) indicative of completion of data reception
from the engine ECU 30 is "1" or not is checked.
[0150] If the reception completion flag F(RSPE) is "0" (NO at step
S65), the process is finished immediately. On the other hand, if
the reception completion flag F(RSPE) is "1" (YES at step S65), the
routine proceeds to step S66.
[0151] Since the routine advances to step S66 in the state where
the data transmission to the receiver B has not been completed yet
(NO at S64) and the data reception from the engine ECU 30 has been
completed (YES at S65), the received data stored as diagnosis data
in the storage area D(EG) in the RAM is transmitted to the receiver
B together with the VIN code stored in the EEPROM 14 (FIG. 3).
After that, the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) is set to "1"
at step S67 and the processing routine is finished.
[0152] The process shown in FIG. 24 is executed for storing the
received data in response to interruption from the engine ECU 30.
At the first step S71, whether or not the response is from the
engine ECU 30, that is, a response to the output request sent at
step S62 in FIG. 23 is determined. If it is the response from the
engine ECU 30 (YES at S71), the routine advances to step S72 where
the received data is stored into the predetermined storage area
D(EG) in the RAM. After that, at step S73, the reception completion
flag F(RSPE) is set to "1" and the processing routine is
finished.
[0153] The process executed by the engine ECU 30 is shown in flow
diagrams of FIGS. 25 to 29.
[0154] When the ignition switch 4 is turned on and the main relay
control circuit 35 turns the main relay 40 on, the power is
supplied from the battery 3 via the main power circuit 33 and the
engine ECU 30 starts to operate. The microcomputer 31 carries out
the processes of engine control and diagnosis (FIGS. 7 and 8) in a
manner similar to the first embodiment. Further, the engine ECU 30
performs the processes of FIGS. 25 to 29.
[0155] A diagnosing process shown in FIG. 25 is a base process
which is executed, for example, every 64 m/sec. At the first step
S512, a check is made to see if the output request flag F(RQE) is
"1". When the output request flag F(RQE) is "1" (YES at S512), the
processing routine advances to step S522 where the navigation ECU
50 is requested to output the position information.
[0156] After sending the output request at step S522, the routine
proceeds to step S532. In the case where the output request flag
F(RQE) is "0" as well (NO at step S512), the routine advances to
step S532.
[0157] At S532, whether or not an abnormality has been detected in
the diagnosing process of FIG. 8 is detected. Specifically, when
YES at steps S410, S430, and S450 in FIG. 8, it is determined that
there is an abnormality.
[0158] If there is no abnormality (NO at S532), the processing
routine is finished immediately. If there is an abnormality (YES at
S532), however, the routine advances to step S542 and the driving
conditions are stored. Data (freeze frame data) of the driving
conditions stored at step S542 is used for abnormality analysis
when the vehicle is diagnosed and is a part of the data transmitted
from the transponder 10 to the management station C (FIG. 1) via
the receiver B. Items to be stored are engine speed, intake air
volume, water temperature, throttle opening angle, control data
regarding an injection amount, control data regarding an ignition
timing, information of the present position of a vehicle, and the
like. Among them, the information of the present position of the
vehicle is acquired by sending a request from the engine ECU 30 to
the navigation ECU 50 and allowing the navigation ECU 50 to output
the position information at that time point.
[0159] The process for responding to the request from the
transponder 10 is shown in FIG. 26. The responding process is a
process executed by a receiving interruption. First, whether it is
the request to output the abnormality information from the
transponder 10 or not is determined (S612). If it is the request to
output the abnormality information (YES at S612), the output
request flag F(RQE) is set to "1" (S662). After that, the
responding process routine executed by the receiving interruption
is finished.
[0160] A process for receiving a response from the navigation ECU
50 is shown in FIG. 27. This process is executed by a receiving
interruption. First, a process for storing the driving conditions
is performed (S712). The output request is sent to the navigation
ECU 50 at either step S50 in FIG. 25 or step S1022 in FIG. 29 which
will be described hereinlater and this is the process for storing
the position information transmitted from the navigation ECU 50 in
response to the output request. After that, the reception
completion flag F(RSPN) is set to "1" (S722) and the responding
processing routine by the receiving interruption is finished.
[0161] The responding process shown in FIG. 28 is executed, for
instance, every 64 m/sec. At the first step S812, whether the
output request flag F(RQE) is set or not is checked. If the output
request flag F(RQE) is set (YES at S812), whether the reception
completion flag F(RSPN) is set or not is determined at the
following step S822. If the reception completion flag F(RSPN) is
also set (YES at S822), the stored abnormality information (the
presence or absence of an abnormality, if there is an abnormality,
the code of the object of the abnormality, and driving condition
data at the time point when the abnormality is detected) is
outputted to the transponder 10 (S832). Consequently, within at the
latest 64 m/sec since the output request flag F(RQE) has been set
at step S662 in the responding process (FIG. 26) executed by the
receiving interruption, it is determined that the output request
flag F(RQE) of the abnormality information is set.
[0162] After outputting the abnormality information at step S832,
the output request flag F(RQE) is reset (S842), further, the
reception completion flag F(RSPN) is reset (S852), and the
processing routine executed every 64 m/sec is finished.
[0163] The process shown in FIG. 29 is performed, for instance,
every 64 m/sec according to the change state of the ignition switch
4. At the first step S1012, whether or not the vehicle ignition
switch 4 is changed from the ON state to the OFF state is checked.
That is, when a vehicle key inserted into a key cylinder is moved
from the ON position to the ACC (accessory) position or OFF
position, the ignition switch 4 is changed to the OFF state. When
the key is at the ACC position, although the accessory switch 6
remains in the ON state, the ignition switch 4 enters the OFF
state.
[0164] When the ignition switch 4 is changed from the ON state to
the OFF state (YES at S1012), the processing routine advances to
step S1022 and a request to output the position information is sent
to the navigation ECU 50.
[0165] After sending the output request at step S1022, the routine
proceeds to step S1032. At step S1032, whether an abnormality has
been detected or not in the diagnosing process (FIG. 8) is
determined. Specifically, if YES at step S410, S430, or S450 in
FIG. 8, it is determined that there is an abnormality. If there is
an abnormality (YES at S1032), the routine advances to step S1042
and the driving conditions upon detection of the abnormality are
stored. On the other hand, when there is no abnormality (NO at
S1032), the routine advances to step S1052 and the driving
conditions at the normal time are stored.
[0166] After execution of the process at step S1042 or S1052, the
routine advances to step S1062 where the counter is cleared, and
then the processing routine is finished.
[0167] On the other hand, when the ignition switch 4 is not changed
from the ON state to the OFF state (NO at S1012), the routine
proceeds to step S1072 where a check is made to see if the ignition
switch 4 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state. When NO at
step S1072, the ignition switch 4 remains in the ON state, so that
the processing routine is finished without performing any process.
When YES at step S1072, that is, when the ignition switch 4 is
changed from the OFF state to the ON state, step S1012 is
positively determined in the previous base process and the
processes at the following steps S1022 to S1062 are executed.
Consequently, the navigation ECU 50 is requested to output the
position information at step S1022. In order to receive the
information, the process at step S1082 and subsequent processes are
carried out.
[0168] First, at step S1082, whether the reception completion flag
F(RSPN) is set or not is checked. Since the flag F(RSPN) is set to
"1" at step S722 when the receive interrupting process from the
navigation ECU 50 in FIG. 27 is executed, it indicates that the
position information is received from the navigation ECU 50 and is
already stored.
[0169] If the reception completion flag F(RSPN) is set (YES at
S1082), consequently, the reception completion flag F(RSPN) is set
to "0" at step S1092 and then the routine advances to step S1102.
At step S1102, information regarding the inspection is transmitted
to the transponder 10. The transmitted information regarding the
inspection is received by the interrupting process of FIG. 24
executed by the transponder 10 and is stored into the memory unit
(RAM) in the transponder 10. When the transmission request is
received from the receiver B while the ignition switch 4 is OFF,
the transponder 10 transmits the data to the receiver B by
performing a process of FIG. 30 which will be described
hereinlater.
[0170] After the process at step S1102, the routine advances to
step S1112 where the main relay 40 is turned off via the main relay
control circuit 35. As mentioned above, even if the ignition switch
4 is turned off while the main relay 40 is ON, the main relay 40 is
not immediately turned off. That is, when the ignition switch 4 is
ON or when there is an instruction from the microcomputer 31, the
main relay control circuit 35 makes the main relay 40 ON. In the
embodiment, therefore, after the ignition switch 4 is turned off,
the request to output the position information is sent to the
navigation ECU 50 at step S1022, the position information outputted
from the navigation ECU 50 in response to the request is received
(YES at S1082), the information regarding the inspection is
transmitted to the transponder 10 (S1102), and then the main relay
40 is turned off.
[0171] In the case where the reception completion flag F(RSPN) is
not set (NO at S1082), whether the counter cleared at step S1062
exceeds 5 seconds or not is checked (S1122). If it is 5 seconds or
less (NO at S1122), the processing routine is finished immediately.
The check at step S1082 can be therefore made again in the next and
subsequent base processes. On the other hand, when the counter
exceeds 5 seconds (NO at S1122), the routine advances to step
S1102. In this case, since the position information in response to
the output request at step S1022 cannot be acquired from the
navigation ECU 50, the position information is not added to the
inspection information.
[0172] A transmitting process to the receiver B when the ignition
switch 4 is in the OFF state is shown in FIG. 30.
[0173] Either the process of FIG. 23 or the process of FIG. 30 is
selectively performed. When the ignition switch 4 is ON, the
process of FIG. 23 is executed. When the ignition switch 4 is OFF,
the process of FIG. 30 is executed.
[0174] The process of FIG. 30 is executed, for example, every 256
m/sec in a manner similar to the process of FIG. 23. At the first
step S1212, whether the output request flag F(RQT) is set or not,
that is, whether it is "1" or not is checked. If the output request
flag F(RQT) is not "1", the processing routine is finished at once.
When the output request flag F(RQT) is set at step S53 in FIG. 22,
YES is determined at step S1212. The routine advances to step S1222
and whether the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) is set or not
is determined.
[0175] If the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) has been already
set (YES at S1222), the data transmission to the receiver B has
been already completed, so that the processing routine is finished.
If the transmission completion flag F(RSPT) is not set (NO at
S1222), however, whether the reception completion flag F(RSPE) is
set or not is determined at the following step S1232.
[0176] If the reception completion flag F(RSPE) is set (YES at
S1232), although the data reception from the engine ECU 30 has been
completed, the data transmission to the receiver B has not been
completed yet. Consequently, the received data stored as diagnosis
data in the storage area D(EG) in the RAM is transmitted together
with the VIN code to the receiver B (S 1242). After that, the
transmission completion flag F(RSPT) is set to "1" at step S1252,
the output request flag F(RQT) is cleared at step S1262, and then
the processing routine is finished.
[0177] On the other hand, when the reception completion flag
F(RSPE) is not set (NO at S1232), the routine advances to step
S1272. At step S1272, whether or not there is a history that the
data reception from the engine ECU 30 has been completed when the
ignition switch 4 is in the OFF state is checked. If there is
history (NO at S1272), the process is finished immediately. If
there is the history (YES at S1272), the routine advances to step
S1242 where the data received at that time is transmitted.
[0178] By executing the above processes, when the transmission
request is received from the receiver B in the state where the
ignition switch 4 is ON, the transponder 10 requests the engine ECU
30 to output the information regarding the inspection. The engine
ECU 30 which received the request requires the navigation ECU 50 to
output the position information and outputs the data of the driving
conditions together with the position information outputted in
response to the request to the transponder 10. The transponder 10,
therefore, transmits the data acquired by adding the VIN code and
the like to the data of the driving conditions outputted as a
response and the position information to the receiver B.
[0179] On the other hand, when the ignition switch 4 is turned off,
as shown in FIG. 29, the engine ECU 30 requests the navigation ECU
50 to output the position information irrespective of the output
request from the transponder 10 (S1022) and transmits the position
information outputted in response to the request and the
information regarding the inspection to the transponder 10 (S1102).
The transponder 10 stores the transmitted information in the memory
unit. When there is a transmission request from the receiver B in
the state where the ignition switch 4 is OFF, the transponder 10
transmits the received data D(EG) stored in the memory unit
together with the VIN code to the receiver B.
[0180] As described above, when the ignition switch 4 is changed
from the ON state to the OFF state, that is, from the state where
the battery 3 is charged to the state where the battery 3 is not
charged, by storing the information regarding the inspection to
which the present position information acquired in a predetermined
period since the change in the transponder 10, while it is
constructed so that the transmission request from the receiver B
can be always responded, the battery power consumption can be
reduced as much as possible.
[0181] The navigation ECU 50 stores the present position
information while updating it every predetermined time and can
output the updated and stored present position information in
response to the request from the engine ECU 30. That is, the
present position is not detected and calculated upon receipt of the
request but is updated and stored by periodically executing
detection, calculation, and the like. When a request is sent from
the engine ECU 30, it is therefore sufficient to simply output the
present position information which is updated and stored, so that
the response is improved.
[0182] As described above, when the key cylinder is in the OFF
position, both of the ignition switch 4 and the accessory switch 6
are in the OFF state. When the key cylinder is in the ACC position,
the accessory switch 6 is ON but the ignition switch 4 is OFF. When
it is in the ON position, both of the ignition switch 4 and the
accessory switch 6 are in the ON state. When the vehicle in
operation is stopped by a brake operation of the user and the key
cylinder is shifted from the ON position to the ACC position, the
ignition switch 4 enters the OFF state. After that, by shifting the
key cylinder from the ACC position to the OFF position, the
accessory switch 6 also enters the OFF state. Thus, the accessory
switch 6 remains in the ON state for a while after the ignition
switch 4 is changed to the OFF state. If the output request of the
present position information is sent from the engine ECU 30 to the
navigation ECU 50 during such a time, the request can be responded.
It can be obviously the that the period during which only the
accessory switch 6 is ON is a time sufficient for simple receiving
and transmitting operations of information between the engine ECU
30 and the navigation ECU 50 whose main bodies of control are the
microcomputers 31 and 51 at an ordinary operating speed by a human
although there is a slight difference depending on the key
operation speed of the user.
[0183] As the order with respect to time, the vehicle is stopped
before the ignition switch 4 and the accessory switch 6 enter the
OFF state, so that the present position information while the
vehicle is in the stop state is sent from the navigation ECU 50 to
the engine ECU 30. As long as the ignition switch 4 is turned on
after that, it is difficult to presume that the vehicle position is
changed in an ordinary state. When the transmission request is
received from the receiver B while the ignition switch 4 is OFF,
the present position information transmitted by the transponder 10
is accordingly proper irrespective of an actual transmission
timing.
[0184] In the second embodiment, since the ignition switch 4 is
changed from the ON state to the OFF state at step S1102 in FIG.
29, the engine ECU 30 transmits the position information acquired
from the navigation ECU 50 at that time point and the information
regarding the inspection to the transponder 10. As a modification,
a method of storing the present position information and the
position regarding the inspection in the memory unit (corresponding
to the RAM) in he engine ECU 30 can be also employed at step S1102
in FIG. 29. In this case, however, the information stored in the
memory unit in the engine ECU 30 has to be outputted to the
transponder 10 when the transmission request is received from the
receiver B during the period in which the ignition switch 4 is in
the OFF state.
[0185] A process executed in the case where the information to be
transmitted to the receiver B is stored in the memory unit in the
engine ECU 30 will be described.
[0186] As a prerequisite, when the ignition switch 4 is turned off,
the engine ECU 30 stores the position information acquired from the
navigation ECU 50 and the information regarding the inspection into
the memory unit (RAM) in the microcomputer 31 and sends an
instruction to turn off the main relay 40 to the main relay control
circuit 35. The main relay 40 is therefore turned off and the power
from the battery 3 via the main relay 40 is not supplied. Since the
sub power circuit 34 is, however, directly connected to the battery
3 without through the ignition switch 4, the power continues to be
supplied to the microcomputer 31 via the sub power circuit 34 even
after the power supply via the main power circuit 33 is stopped.
The microcomputer 31 cannot perform an ordinary operation but is in
the so-called "sleep state" and accepts only an interruption
request.
[0187] In such a state, when the transmission request from the
receiver B is received, the transponder 10 executes the process of
FIG. 23 and the output request is sent to the engine ECU 30 at step
S62 in FIG. 23. When the output request is received, the ECU 30
carries out the process shown in FIG. 31.
[0188] The process shown in FIG. 31 is a process executed by a
receiving interruption. At the first S1310, an activating process
is performed. The activating process denotes that the instruction
to turn on the main relay 40 is transmitted to the main relay
control circuit 35. The main relay 40 becomes ON, the power supply
from the battery 3 via the main relay 40 is started, and the ECU 30
becomes capable of performing the ordinary operation.
[0189] At steps S1322 and 1332 after that, the same processes as
those at steps S612 and S622 shown in FIG. 26 are carried out. That
is, a check is made to see whether it is the output request of the
abnormality information from the transponder 10 or not (S1322). If
it is the output request of the abnormality information (YES at
S1322), the output request flag F(RQE) is set to "1" (S1332), and
after that, the processing routine by the receiving interruption is
finished.
[0190] On the other hand, the process shown in FIG. 32 is a base
process executed, for instance, every 16 m/sec. At the first step
S1412, a check is made to see if the ignition switch 4 is in the
OFF state. If it is in the OFF state (YES at S1412), whether the
output request flag F(RQE) is set or not is checked at the
following step S1422. If the output request flag F(RQE) is set (YES
at S1422), information regarding the inspection stored in the
memory unit (including the present position information, if it
exists) is outputted to the transponder 10 (S1432).
[0191] After outputting the information regarding the inspection at
step S1432, the output request flag F(RQE) is reset (S1442), the
main relay 40 is turned off (S1452), and then the processing
routine is finished. As mentioned above, the main relay 40 is
turned off through the main relay control circuit 35. Consequently,
the power supply via the main power circuit 33 is stopped and the
microcomputer 31 returns to the above sleep state.
[0192] (Third Embodiment)
[0193] In this embodiment shown in FIG. 33, the transponder 10
serving as a "communication unit" receives a request from the
receiver B, acquires necessary information from the engine ECU 30,
an ABS ECU 80, an air bag ECU 90, and the like via the
communication line 5, and transmits the acquired information to the
receiver B.
[0194] The engine ECU 30 generates signals for controlling an
injector and an igniter as a load 47 so that the engine optimally
operates on the basis of sensor signals received from sensors 41 to
45. An abnormality related to the emission of the engine, an
abnormality in the sensors 41 to 45, and the like are
self-diagnosed and the diagnosis result is stored in an internal
memory (RAM). In the memory, sensor data used for an arithmetic
operation, control data acquired by the arithmetic operation,
various diagnosis data acquired by the diagnosis, and the like is
held. In response to a request from the transponder 10, the stored
diagnosis result is transmitted to the transponder 10. Sensors
connected to the engine ECU 30 may be, for example, an air-fuel
ratio (A/F) sensor, a revolution sensor for sensing the engine
rotational speed, an air flow meter, a water temperature sensor, a
throttle sensor, and the like.
[0195] The ABS ECU 80 generates a signal for controlling an
actuator for ABS serving as a load 87 so as to be within a proper
range in accordance with a wheel slipping state on the basis of
sensor signals received from a sensor 85. The air bag ECU 90
generates a signal for controlling an actuator for the air bag
serving as a load 97 so that the air bag operates when necessary on
the basis of a sensor signal received from a sensor 95. The ECUs 80
and 90 self-diagnose abnormalities related to the sensors 85 and 95
and the loads 87 and 97, respectively, and transmit them in
accordance with a request from the transponder 10.
[0196] The transponder 10 comprises a power circuit 11a for
supplying a power to make components in the transponder 10
operative, an activation signal holding circuit 12a, a controller
13a for controlling the components in the transponder 10, a
transmission/reception circuit 14a for transmitting/receiving data
to/from the receiver B, a communication circuit 15a which is
connected to the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 via the communication line 5
and communicates with them, and the like. The controller 13a
controls the transmission/reception circuit 14a to execute a
process according to the request sent from the receiver B outside
of the vehicle. Data and the like from the engine ECU 30 and the
like is temporarily stored in the memory in the communication
circuit 15a and can be transmitted to the receiver B via the
transmission/reception circuit 14a. An EEPROM (not shown) is
connected to the controller 13a and an identification number (VIN
code) unique to the vehicle is stored therein.
[0197] An electric power is always supplied from the battery 3 to
the power circuit 11a in the transponder 10. When at least one of
two transponder activation signals S21 and S22 is active, the power
can be supplied to the components in the transponder 10. The
transponder activation signal S21 becomes active when the ignition
switch 4 is turned on and the other transponder activation signal
S22 is made active by the activation signal holding circuit
12a.
[0198] State signals S2 are supplied from the ECUs 30, 80, and 90
to the activation signal holding circuit 12a. At least one of the
state signals S2 is active, the activation signal holding circuit
12a makes the transponder activation signal S22 active and holds
the state. While the activation signal holding circuit 12a makes
the transponder activation signal S22 active, therefore, even if
the ignition switch 4 is turned off and the transponder activation
signal S22 becomes inactive, the state in which the power circuit
11a supplies the power to the components in the transponder 10
continues. The controller 13a can make the active transponder
activation signal S22 inactive by controlling the activation signal
holding circuit 12a. The transponder activation signal S21 is
branched and the branched signal is supplied as an ignition switch
state signal S3 to the controller 13a. The controller 13a is
constructed so as to determine the state (ON or OFF) of the
ignition switch 4 on the basis of the state signal S3.
[0199] On the other hand, the power is always supplied from the
battery 3 to power circuits (not shown) in the ECUs 30, 80, and 90.
When at least one of two ECU activation signals S1 and S12 is
active, a power source activation means 31 permits the supply of
electric power to the components in each ECU from the power
circuit. When the ignition switch 4 is turned on, the ECU
activation signal S11 becomes active. The other ECU activation
signal S12 is made active by the transponder 10. Even in the state
where the ignition switch 4 is OFF and the ECU activation signal
S12 is inactive, therefore, by making the ECU activation signal S12
which can be separately controlled from the transponder 10 active,
the power is supplied to the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 to enable ordinary
operations to be performed. When the ignition switch 4 is in the
OFF state, if the transponder 10 makes the active ECU activation
signal inactive, the power supply to the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 can be
stopped again.
[0200] In FIG. 33, although the ECU activation signal S11 which is
made active or inactive via the power supply line and the ignition
switch 4 from the battery 3 and the power source activating means
31 are shown with respect to only the engine ECU 30 among the three
ECUs 30, 80, and 90, each of the ABS ECU 80 and the air bag ECU 90
has a similar configuration.
[0201] Processes executed by the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 having the
configuration is shown in FIGS. 34 and 35.
[0202] FIG. 34 shows a self-diagnosing process executed by each of
the ECUs 30, 80, and 90. The process is executed in the main
process of each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90. In the engine ECU 30,
for instance, the operation is started when the ignition switch 4
is turned on, initialization of various devices is performed, and
an electronic fuel injection (EFI) controlling process, an
electronic spark advance (ESA) controlling process, an engine
related process, a self-diagnosing process, and other processes are
repetitively executed. The contents of the self-diagnosing process
are shown by the flow diagram of FIG. 34.
[0203] The diagnosing process shown in FIG. 34 is executed every
predetermined time. First, a check is made to see whether an
abnormality in the sensors 41 to 45 such as the throttle sensor and
the water temperature sensor or an abnormality such as an engine
misfire is detected or not (S113). If there is no abnormality (NO
at S113), the processing routine is finished immediately. If there
is an abnormality (YES at S113), whether or not it is an
abnormality of which information has been transmitted is checked
(S123). When the abnormality information has been already
transmitted (YES at S123), the processing routine is finished
immediately. On the other hand, when it is information which has
not been transmitted yet (NO at S123), the abnormality information
is stored (S133), then the state signal S2 is set to be active,
that is, in a "transponder activation" state (S143), and the
processing routine is finished. The abnormality information stored
at step S133 is used for analyzing an abnormality when the vehicle
is diagnosed and is part of data sent from the transponder 10 to
the management station C (FIG. 1) via the receiver B.
[0204] In the case where the abnormality is detected in the state
where the ignition switch 4 is ON as mentioned above, only when the
information of the abnormality has not been transmitted to the
transponder 10, that is, only when the abnormality is detected
newly, the state signal S2 is set to the "transponder activation"
state.
[0205] The request responding process shown in FIG. 35 is executed
by a receiving interruption and can be executed when the ignition
switch 4 is turned on and the ECU activation signal S11 is made
active or when the ECU activation signal S12 from the transponder
10 is made active.
[0206] Whether there is a request from the transponder 10 or not is
checked (S213). If it is the request from the transponder 10 (YES
at S213), whether an abnormality is detected or not is determined
(S223). The presence or absence of an abnormality can be determined
by checking whether or not there is an abnormality to be stored by
executing the process at step S133 in FIG. 34. When the abnormality
has been detected (YES at S223), the stored abnormality information
is transmitted to the transponder 10 (S233), then the state signal
S2 is set to be inactive, that is, to the "transponder
inactivation" state (S243), and the processing routine is finished.
On the other hand, when no abnormality is detected (NO at S223),
information of a normal state is transmitted to the transponder 10
(S253) and then the processing routine is finished. The information
of the normal state denotes here a normal code or the like in the
case where no abnormality is detected.
[0207] If there is a request of information transmission from the
transponder 10, either abnormality information when an abnormality
is detected or the normal state information when no abnormality is
detected is transmitted to the transponder 10.
[0208] The process of the transponder 10 shown in FIG. 36 is
executed by a receiving interruption. At the first step S513,
whether it is a transmission request of abnormality information
from the receiver B (FIG. 1) or not is checked. If it is the
transmission request of the abnormality information (YES at S513),
whether the ignition switch 4 is OFF or not is checked (S523). The
state of the ignition switch 4 is determined on the basis of the
ignition switch state signal S3.
[0209] When the ignition switch 4 is ON (NO at S523), the routine
advances to step S543. When the ignition switch 4 is OFF (YES at
S523), the ECU activation signal S12 from the transponder 10 to
each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 is made active, that is, a signal
to activate each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 is transmitted (S533)
and then the processing routine advances to step S543.
[0210] At step S543, an information request is sent to the ECUs 30,
80, and 90. In the embodiment, the information request is
separately sent to each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90. In each of the
ECUs 30, 80, and 90 which received the information request, the
request responding process shown in FIG. 33 is carried out and
either the abnormality information transmission at step S233 or the
normal state information transmission at step S253 is executed. The
transponder 10 consequently receives the information at step
S553.
[0211] At the following step S563, the ECU activation signal S12 to
each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 which has been made active at step
S533 is made inactive, that is, the activation signal to each of
the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 is returned to a stopped state. On the
basis of the contents of the information received at step S553,
whether it is the abnormality information or not is determined
(S573). If it is the abnormality information (YES at S573), an
abnormality response, namely, abnormality information is
transmitted to the receiver B (S583) and the processing routine
advances to step S593. On the other hand, if it is the normal state
information (NO at S573), after a normal state response is sent to
the receiver B (S585), the routine advances to step S593. The
normal state response denotes a transmission of a normal code
determined according to the communication protocol with the
receiver B.
[0212] At step S593, whether or not there are the ECUs 30, 80, and
90 to which the operation has not been performed. If there are any
(YES at S593), the routine is returned to step S543 and the
processes at steps S543 to S583 are repeated. With respect to all
of the relevant ECUs 30, 80, and 90, information is requested, the
information is received, and if the abnormality information is
acquired, the processes of the transmission to the transponder 10
are executed (NO at S593). Then, an instruction is given to the
activation signal holding circuit 12a to make the transponder
activation signal S22 inactive (S603).
[0213] By executing the above processes, the vehicle diagnosis
system of the embodiment performs the following operation.
[0214] (1) When the ignition switch 4 is ON, the power is supplied
from the battery 3 to the transponder 10 and each of the ECUs 30,
80, and 90 and the transponder 10 waits so as to always respond to
the transmission request from the receiver B. When there is the
transmission request from the receiver B, the transponder 10
executes the process of FIG. 36, receives the information from each
of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 (S553 in FIG. 36), and transmits either
the abnormality response (S583) or the normal state response
(S585).
[0215] As described above, when the ignition switch 4 is in the ON
state, the transponder 10 waits so as to always respond to the
transmission request from the receiver B. In this case, since it
can be considered that the engine is in operation and the battery 3
is charged.
[0216] (2) In the case where the ignition switch 4 is OFF, the
state just before the ignition switch 4 is turned off, namely, the
state of each of the transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90
when the ignition switch 4 is turned off is an important factor.
That is, when the abnormality is detected in the state where the
ignition switch 4 is ON, as shown at step S143 in FIG. 34, each of
the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 sets the state signal S2 to the
"transponder activation" state. Then, as shown at step S243 in FIG.
35, when the abnormality information is sent to the transponder 10,
the state signal S2 is set to the "transponder inactivation"
state.
[0217] (2-1) If there is no abnormality information which has not
been transmitted in each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90, therefore, the
state signal S2 is set to "transponder inactivation" and the
ordinary electric power supply is not performed to each of the
transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90. In this case, even if
there is the transmission request from the receiver B, it cannot be
responded, however, the contents to be transmitted in such a state
are always either the normal state response or the transmitted
abnormality information. Even if the management station C cannot
receive the information, there is little substantial inconvenience.
In this manner, even in the state where the vehicle-mounted engine
is stopped and the battery 3 is not charged, when the necessity of
transmission of the diagnosis result is substantially low, the
power supply to the transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 is
reduced, so that the battery power consumption is reduced by the
amount corresponding to the reduction.
[0218] (2-2) On the other hand, when there is the abnormality
information which is not yet transmitted in each of the ECUs 30,
80, and 90, the state signal S2 remains to be in the "transponder
activation" state which is set at step S143 in FIG. 34. Even if the
ignition switch 4 is OFF, the power by which the transponder 10 can
perform an ordinary operation is supplied from the power circuit
11a by the transponder activation signal S22 from the activation
signal holding circuit 12a. If the transmission request is sent
from the receiver B in such a state, therefore, the transponder 10
immediately responds to the request, makes the ECUs 30, 80, and 90
active by the ECU activation signal S12 so as to output
information, and sends the abnormality response (S583) or the
normal state response (S585).
[0219] After making the activated ECUs 30, 80, and 90 output
necessary information, the transponder 10 returns them again to the
stopped state (S563), and further, makes the transponder activation
signal S22 from the activation signal holding circuit 12a to the
power circuit 11a inactive, thereby stopping the power supply.
Since it is difficult to think that the vehicle state changes after
that when the ignition switch 4 is OFF, even if the power supply to
the transponder 10 itself is stopped and the request from the
receiver B cannot be responded, there is little substantial
inconvenience. In this manner, even in the state where the
vehicle-mounted engine is stopped and the battery 3 is not charged,
the power supply to the transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90
is reduced when the necessity of transmission of the diagnosis
result is substantially low, so that the battery power consumption
becomes less by an amount corresponding to the reduction.
[0220] By the operation of the vehicle diagnosis system, even in
the state where the vehicle-mounted engine is stopped and the
battery 3 is not charged, the power supply not only to the ECUs 30,
80, and 90 but also to the transponder 10 is reduced (or stopped)
when the necessity of transmission of the diagnosis result is
substantially low, so that the battery power consumption becomes
less by an amount corresponding to the reduction. As a result, the
battery power consumption can be reduced as much as possible, while
the diagnosis result indicative of an abnormality can be surely
sent to the receiver B.
[0221] That is, in a diagnosis system of this kind, although it is
preferable to minimize the power supply to the ECUs 30, 80, and 90
and the transponder 10 in a period during which the vehicle is not
used from the viewpoint of prevention of the battery power
consumption, if the transmission request is sent from the receiver
B while the vehicle is unused, it is also necessary to respond to
the request. In the embodiment, therefore, attention is paid to the
meaning of the diagnosis result, specifically, the role of the
diagnosis result indicative of a normal state and that of the
diagnosis result indicative of an abnormality. With respect to the
response while the vehicle is unused from the viewpoint of
prevention of the battery power consumption, the priority is put on
the battery power consumption prevention by not responding to the
diagnosis result indicative of a normal state which is considered
to be less important or less urgent.
[0222] If the transmission request sent from the receiver B is
responded only by the transponder 10, it is necessary to always
store the diagnosis results acquired from the ECUs 30, 80, and 90.
With the configuration, a large capacity memory is necessary. The
large capacity memory can take the form of a non-volatile memory or
it is necessary to always supply a backup power. In case of always
supplying the backup power, in addition to the increase in the
memory capacity, there is also an inconvenience of the battery
power consumption.
[0223] With respect to this point, when the transmission request is
sent from the receiver B, the transponder 10 of the embodiment
instructs the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 to output the information at that
time point, and transmits the abnormality information or the normal
state information outputted from the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 in
response to the output instruction to the management station. The
reduction in the capacity of the memory 15 provided in the
communication circuit 15a of the transponder 10 can be therefore
realized.
[0224] Since the prevention of the battery power consumption is an
object, the normal state information is not transmitted in a state
where the ignition switch 4 is OFF and the battery 3 is not
charged. In the embodiment, however, in the ON state of the
ignition switch 4 where it is assumed that the engine is driven and
the battery is charged in most cases, the normal state information
is also transmitted to the receiver B by the following reason. The
diagnosis result indicative of the normal state does not require an
urgent measure in the management station C which receives it and is
basically used rather the information for confirmation.
Consequently, it is considered that it is not so substantially
inconvenient even if the diagnosis result indicative of the normal
state cannot be transmitted and the priority is put on the
prevention of the disadvantage of battery power consumption. If the
battery 3 is charged, however, it is unnecessary to put the
priority on the prevention of the disadvantage of battery power
consumption and it is preferable to transmit the diagnosis result
indicative of the normal state as well. Since there is a rare case
that "no transmission" does not mean "the normal state" and there
is a case that it is preferable to positively check the normal
state such as a case in which although an abnormality exists, the
transponder 10 itself is broken and the transmission cannot be
physically performed. When such cases are taken into account, at
the engine driving time where there is not especially a problem of
battery power consumption, irrespective of the fact whether or not
the diagnosis result which shows an abnormality and has not been
outputted is stored in the ECUs 30, 80, and 90, it is preferable to
set the state in which the electric power necessary for an ordinary
operation is supplied in order to prepare to always respond to the
transmission request from the receiver B.
[0225] Although a case in which the ignition switch 4 is ON is not
described, the transponder 10 and the ECU s 30, 80, and 90 are
activated, and the ignition switch 4 is turned off during a
communication between the transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and
90 can be also assumed.
[0226] In this case, the following can be considered. The
communication is interrupted once and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 are
stopped. After that, the transponder 10 activates the ECUs 30, 80,
and 90 by the ECU activation signal S12 after elapse of a
predetermined time and the communication is restarted. The
operation is performed by taking the following possibility into
account. For instance, with respect to the engine ECU 30, if the
activating state is allowed to be continued, the user feels strange
or may erroneously recognize an abnormality because the engine does
not stop although the ignition switch 4 is turned off.
[0227] It is also possible to continue the power supply to the ECUs
30, 80, and 90 with the ECU activation signal S12 from the
transponder 10 until the end of the communication even if the
ignition switch 4 is turned off, and to stop the power supply after
completion of the communication. If the time for communication
between the transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 is short, a
delay of the actual stop of the engine from the operation of the
ignition switch 4 is inconspicuous. The method can be therefore
employed on condition that the communication time is short.
[0228] The diagnosis result sent from the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 to
the transponder 10 is outputted basically while the engine is
driven. Consequently, for instance, when the output timing of the
diagnosis result is at the engine starting time, since the
communication state is bad, noises occur on the communication line
5 between the transponder 10 and the ECUs 30, 80, and 90. There is
consequently the possibility that, for instance, a signal supplied
to the transponder 10 becomes different from that outputted from
the ECUs 30, 80, and 90. In this case, the erroneous information is
sent via the receiver B to the management station C. For example,
with respect to the engine ECU 30, the processing load is high when
the engine rotates at high speed or is highly loaded. When the
volume of output data to the transponder 10 increases in such a
state, there is the possibility that an influence is exerted on the
inherent control process. Similar states can be also presumed with
respect to the other ECUs 80 and 90.
[0229] In order to obviate the inconvenience, therefore, it is
preferable to discriminate a period which is improper for each of
the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 to output the information in response to
the request from the transponder 10, and not to output the
information during the period. For example, with respect to the
engine ECU 30, when either the engine starting time, the state
where the engine rotational speed is high, the state where the
engine water temperature is high, or the like is detected, the
process for communicating with the transponder 10 is not executed.
That is, if the processing timing according to the engine
rotational speed is set, the processing volume per unit time
increases in the engine high speed state. A real-time process is
necessary especially for the engine and, on the contrary, the
process for outputting the information to the transponder 10 is
relatively not urgent.
[0230] At the engine starting time, by paying attention to the
possibility of occurrence of noises on the communication line 5,
the information is not outputted from the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 to
the transponder 10 in such a case. When the influence by noises is
considered, however, there is the possibility of occurrence of an
adverse influence not only between the transponder 10 and the ECUs
30, 80, and 90, but also at the time of the communication between
the transponder 10 and the receiver B. Consequently, the
communication between the transponder 10 and the receiver B can be
also interrupted at the starting time of the engine.
[0231] It is also effective to include not only the abnormality
information and the normal state information of a device as an
object to be diagnosed but also the travel distance of the vehicle
and/or the vehicle position at the time of diagnosis as
supplementary information in the diagnosis result transmitted from
the transponder 10 to the receiver B, because there is the
possibility that the analysis of the diagnosis result is changed
according to the travel distance of the vehicle on which the device
as an object to be diagnosed is mounted. The vehicle position is as
well. It is sufficient to obtain the vehicle position from a car
navigation system or the like if it is equipped and to obtain the
travel distance from a meter ECU or the like.
[0232] In the management station C to which the data is transferred
from the receiver B, consequently, the travel distance and the
travelling state of the vehicle A since the occurrence of the
abnormality can be known. A proper action can be therefore taken to
the user of the vehicle A. The proper action can be realized by
notifying of a warning, forcedly stopping the engine via a
communication when the vehicle A is stopped in a safe place in some
cases, disturbing re-start of the engine after the user stops the
engine, or the like.
[0233] Since the third embodiment is realized on condition that
each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 outputs the diagnosis result to the
transponder 10 in response to the output request from the
transponder 10, the following method is also effective.
[0234] That is, it can be considered to construct so that the
transponder 10 repetitively sends the output request to the ECUs
30, 80, and 90 until the diagnosis results are outputted from the
ECUs 30, 80, and 90 a plurality of times and the contents of the
diagnosis results of the plurality of times coincide with each
other, and when the diagnosis results coincide with each other, the
transponder 10 transmits the coincided diagnosis result to the
receiver B. In order to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis
result outputted from each of the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 to the
transponder 10, the method is effective.
[0235] As a measure taken on the ECUs 30, 80, and 90 side when
there is an abnormality in the transponder 10, the following is
also effective. That is, although the diagnosis result is outputted
a predetermined number of times or more in response to the request
from the transponder 10, if the output request of the diagnosis
result is further received, it is preferable not to respond to the
request after that.
[0236] (Fourth Embodiment)
[0237] The fourth embodiment is constructed in a manner similar to
the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 4) as shown in FIG. 37. The
present embodiment further comprises an OBD (On-board Diagnosis)
checker 294.
[0238] The engine ECU 30 executes the process of FIG. 7 in the
first embodiment. In the diagnosing process (S400 in FIG. 7), as
shown in FIG. 38, after processes at steps S410 to S460, the
routine advances to step S2074 where the stored abnormality
diagnosis codes are checked and the contents are changed or not is
determined in order to check whether a new abnormality is stored or
not in a series of processes for storing the abnormality diagnosis
codes. When the determination condition at step S2074 is satisfied,
that is, when there is a change in the storage contents, the
routine proceeds to step S2084 where the abnormality diagnosis
information is outputted in response to a request from the
transponder 10 and the processing routine is finished. When the
determination condition at step S2074 is not satisfied, that is,
when there is no change in the storage contents, step S2084 is
skipped and the processing routine is finished.
[0239] Further, the engine ECU 30 performs the process of FIG. 39.
At step S3014, the presence or absence of an abnormality such as
misfire, degradation in a catalyst, or the like in the internal
combustion engine and an abnormality in parts related to the
emission (exhaust gas) of the internal combustion engine is checked
on the basis of the states of various sensor signals. When the
determination condition at step S3014 is met, that is, when there
is an abnormality such as misfire or degradation in the catalyst in
the internal combustion engine or an abnormality in the parts
related to the emission (exhaust gas) of the internal combustion
engine, the routine advances to step S3024 and whether or not the
abnormality detected at step S3014 is the abnormality which has
been detected before is checked. When the determination condition
at step S3024 is not satisfied, that is, the abnormality detected
at step S3014 is a newly detected abnormality, the routine advances
to step S3034, the driving conditions of the vehicle and the
internal combustion engine at the time point when the abnormality
is detected are stored and the processing routine is finished.
[0240] The driving conditions to be stored are the engine
rotational speed (RPM) sensed by the rotational speed sensor,
intake air volume by the air flow meter, cooling water temperature
by the water temperature sensor, throttle opening angle by the
throttle opening angle sensor, and the like at that time. Further,
information such as the travel distance of the vehicle when the
electronic meter ECU is connected via the communication line 5 and
the position of the vehicle when the GPS navigation ECU is
connected is also included. The various information stored in this
manner is used for abnormality analysis when the vehicle is
diagnosed and is outputted to the transponder 10 via the
communication line 5 in response to the request from the
transponder 10. Further, the various information is a part of the
abnormality diagnosis information transmitted from the transponder
10 to the management station C in response to an inquiry from the
management station C.
[0241] On the other hand, when the determination condition at step
S3014 is not satisfied, that is, there is no abnormality in the
various sensors, actuator, and the like or when the determination
condition at step S3024 is satisfied, that is, the abnormality
detected at step S3014 is the abnormality which has been detected
before, the processing routine is finished without executing any
operation.
[0242] The procedure of a process for storing a repair completion
code when the repair completion code is transmitted from the OBD
checker 294 connectable to the vehicle to the input/output circuit
32 in the engine ECU 30 is shown in FIG. 40. The repair completion
code storing routine is repetitively executed by the CPU about
every 64 m/sec.
[0243] In FIG. 40, whether the repair completion code has been
transmitted from the OBD checker 294 or not is checked. When the
determination condition at step S4014 is satisfied, that is, when
the repair completion code has been transmitted from the OBD
checker 294, the routine advances to step S4024 where the repair
completion code transmitted from the OBD checker 294 has been
stored or not is determined. When the determination condition at
step S4024 is not satisfied, that is, when the repair completion
code has not been stored yet, the routine proceeds to step S4034
where the repair completion code is stored in the storage area in
the RAM. The routine then advances to step S4044 where an
after-transmission trip counter which will be described hereinlater
is initialized to "0". At the next step S4054, a transmission
history flag which is set when the repair completion code is
transmitted to the transponder 10 is initialized to "0" since the
code has not been transmitted yet. The routine proceeds to step
S4064 where a response flag which will be described hereinlater is
initialized to "0" and the processing routine is finished. In this
manner, the repair completion code is stored in the RAM in the
engine ECU 30 and the transmission to the transponder 10 is
prepared.
[0244] On the other hand, when the determination condition at step
S4014 is not satisfied, that is, when the repair completion code
has not been transmitted from the OBD checker 294 or when the
determination condition at step S4024 is satisfied, that is, when
the repair completion code from the OBD checker 294 has been
already stored and is transmitted a plurality of times by mistake,
the processing routine is finished without executing anything.
[0245] The after-transmission trip counter which is initialized at
step S4044 in FIG. 40 is shown in FIG. 41. The processing routine
is repetitively executed each time the initializing routine is
performed.
[0246] In FIG. 41, at step S5014, the after-transmission trip
counter which counts the number of trips as the number of turn-on
of the ignition switch 4 after transmission of the repair
completion code is incremented by "1" each time and the processing
routine is finished. By the operation, it can be avoided that the
code is transmitted every turn-on of the ignition switch 4 after
the transmission of the repair completion code. That is, since
response information from the management station C may be delayed
for some reason, the response information is waited without
re-sending the code for the period of ten trips in which the
ignition switch 4 is turned on ten times. When the repair
completion code is not recognized in the management station C or it
has not reached the management station C, it is necessary to
re-send the code. Consequently, the code is re-sent every 10
trips.
[0247] The response flag initializing at step S4064 in FIG. 40 is
shown in FIG. 42. The processing routine is repetitively executed
by the CPU at every timing of the data receiving interruption from
the transponder 10.
[0248] In FIG. 42, at step S6014, whether the replay information
corresponding to the repair completion code has been received or
not is checked. When the determination condition at step S6014 is
satisfied, that is, when the response information from the
management station C corresponding to the repair completion code
transmitted from the transponder 10 has been received by the
transponder 10, the routine advances to step S6024 where the
response flag is set to "1", and the processing routine is
finished. On the other hand, when the determination condition at
step S6014 is not met, that is, when the response information from
the management station C has not been received, step S6024 is
skipped and the processing routine is finished.
[0249] The procedure of a process for sending the repair completion
code to the transponder 10 is shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 43.
The repair completion code transmission processing routine is
repetitively executed by the CPU about every 64 m/sec.
[0250] In FIG. 43, first at step S7014, whether the repair
completion code has been stored or not is determined. If the
determination condition at step S7014 is satisfied, namely, when
the repair completion code is stored, the routine advances to step
S7024 and whether the response flag is "1" or not is determined.
When the determination condition at step S7024 is not satisfied,
that is, when the response flag is "0" and the response information
from the management station C has not been received yet, the
routine advances to step S7034 and whether the transmission history
flag is "1" or not is determined. When the determination condition
at step S7034 is satisfied, that is, when the repair completion
code has been already transmitted, the routine advances to step
S7044 and whether the after transmission trip counter is 10 or
larger is determined. When the determination condition at step
S7044 is satisfied, that is, when the after-transmission trip
counter is 10 or larger or when the determination condition at step
S7034 is not satisfied, namely, when the code has never been
transmitted, processes at step S7054 and subsequent steps are
executed. At step S7054, the process for transmitting the repair
completion code is carried out. After that, the routine proceeds to
step S7064 where the transmission history flag is set to "1". The
routine then advances to step S7074 where the after-transmission
trip counter is cleared to "0", and the processing routine is
finished.
[0251] On the other hand, when the determination condition at step
S7024 is met, that is, when the response flag is "1" and the
response information from the management station C is received, the
routine proceeds to step S7084 where the repair completion code is
erased, and then the processing routine is finished. When the
determination condition at step S7014 is not satisfied, namely,
when the repair completion code has not been stored, or when the
determination condition at step S7044 is not met, that is, when the
after-transmission trip counter is smaller than 10 and the response
information is being waited, the processing routine is finished
without performing anything.
[0252] The present invention should not be limited to the above
disclosed embodiments and modifications, but may be implemented in
many other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. For instance, the vehicle information to be communicated
may be other than the diagnosis information.
* * * * *