Electronic control device and electronic control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9978187-B2
Application number	US-201615003937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An electronic control device (ECU) reserves a transmission of a requested diagnosis data that is requested by a management center when an external device is connected to a dedicated connector, and when IGSW is turned ON. In such scheme, a delay of an off-board diagnosis process in the ECU is prevented when a diagnosis tool connected to the dedicated connector performs an off-board diagnosis. Further, after turning OFF of IGSW, the ECU, which is no longer due for a request from the external device connected to the dedicated connector, transmits the requested diagnosis data to the center, enabling the center to perform a remote diagnosis service. Therefore, the remote diagnosis service is performable when a commercially-available external device is connected to the dedicated connector by a user of a vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic control device installed in a vehicle configured to control a transmission of vehicle diagnostic data to an external vehicle data management center, the electronic control device comprising:
a microcomputer configured to interface with vehicle sensors to accumulate vehicle diagnostic data from the vehicle sensors and actuators and to store the vehicle diagnostic data into a memory in response to a diagnostic request signal from an external diagnostic device, wherein the microcomputer is further configured to
detect an ON state and an OFF state of a vehicle ignition switch and detect a vehicle diagnostic data transmission request from the external vehicle data management center,
in response to the microcomputer detecting the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request, transmit the vehicle diagnostic data stored in the memory to a vehicle communication module, and wherein

the microcomputer is in connection with a dedicated connector within the vehicle, the dedicated connector is configured to connect to the external diagnostic device or another external device,
the microcomputer is further configured to detect a connection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device to the dedicated connector, and
in response to the microcomputer detecting the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request and the connection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device to the dedicated connector, the microcomputer transmits the vehicle diagnostic data stored in the memory to the vehicle communication module when the microcomputer detects the OFF state of the vehicle ignition switch.

2. The electronic control device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply integrated circuit (IC) connected to the microcomputer and configured to receive an instruction from the microcomputer to output either a high-level signal or a low-level signal;
a logic gate connected to the power supply IC and the vehicle ignition switch and configured to receive either an ignition signal when the vehicle ignition switch is in the ON state or the high-level signal from the power supply IC, and to output a high-level signal in response to receiving either the ignition signal or the high-level signal from the power supply IC; and
a transistor connected to the logic gate and configured to actuate a relay to provide power from a vehicle battery to the microcomputer in response to receiving the high-level signal from the logic gate, wherein
the microcomputer is further configured to
in response to the microcomputer detecting the OFF state of the vehicle ignition switch, instruct the power supply IC to output the high-level signal to the transistor for a preset period of time.

3. The electronic control device of claim 1 , wherein
the microcomputer is further configured to
detect a disconnection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device from the dedicated connector, and
in response to the microcomputer detecting the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request and the disconnection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device from the dedicated connector, transmit the vehicle diagnostic data stored in the memory to the vehicle communication module when the vehicle ignition switch is in the ON state.

4. The electronic control device of claim 3 , wherein the microcomputer is further configured to
in response to the diagnostic request signal from the external diagnostic device, wait a preset amount of time before detecting the disconnection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device from the dedicated connector.

5. An electronic control system configured to control a transmission of vehicle diagnostic data to an external vehicle data management center, the system comprising:
a microcomputer configured to interface with vehicle sensors and actuators, to accumulate vehicle diagnostic data from the vehicle sensors and actuators and to store the vehicle diagnostic data from the vehicle sensors and actuators into a memory in response to a diagnostic request signal from an external diagnostic device;
a vehicle communication module in connection with the microcontroller, the vehicle communication module is configured to receive a vehicle diagnostic data transmission request from the external vehicle data management center, to transmit the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request to the microcomputer, to receive the vehicle diagnostic data from the microcomputer, and to transmit the vehicle diagnostic data to the external vehicle data management center; and
a dedicated connector within the vehicle in connection with the microcomputer, the dedicated connector configured to connect to the external diagnostic device or another external device,
the microcomputer is further configured to
detect both an ON state and an OFF state of a vehicle ignition switch, and
in response to the microcomputer receiving the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request from the vehicle communication module and detecting the OFF state of the vehicle ignition switch, transmit the vehicle diagnostic data stored in the memory to the vehicle communication module and the vehicle communication module transmits the vehicle diagnostic data to the external vehicle data management center, and wherein

the microcomputer is further configured to detect a connection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device to the dedicated connector,
in response to the microcomputer receiving the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request from the vehicle communication module and detecting the connection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device to the dedicated connector, the microcomputer transmits the vehicle diagnostic data stored in the memory to the vehicle communication module and the vehicle communication module transmits the vehicle diagnostic data to the external vehicle data management center when the vehicle ignition switch is in the OFF state.

6. The electronic control system of claim 5 further comprising:
a power supply integrated circuit (IC) connected to the microcomputer and configured to receive an instruction from the microcomputer to output either a high-level signal or a low-level signal;
a logic gate connected to the power supply IC and the vehicle ignition switch and configured to receive either an ignition signal when the vehicle ignition switch is in the ON state or the high-level signal from the power supply IC, and to output a high-level signal in response to receiving either the ignition signal or the high-level signal from the power supply IC; and
a transistor connected to the logic gate and configured to actuate a relay to provide power from a vehicle battery to the microcomputer and the vehicle communication module in response to receiving the high-level signal from the logic gate, wherein
the microcomputer is further configured to
in response to the microcomputer detecting the OFF state of the vehicle ignition switch, instruct the power supply IC to output the high-level signal for a preset period of time, and after the preset period of time lapses instruct the power supply IC to output the low-level signal.

7. The electronic control system of claim 5 wherein the microcomputer is further configured to
detect a disconnection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device from the dedicated connector, and
in response to the microcomputer receiving the vehicle diagnostic data transmission request from the vehicle communication module and detecting the disconnection of the external diagnostic device or the other external device from the dedicated connector, transmit the vehicle diagnostic data stored in the memory to the vehicle comm

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Oda Shinichiro
• Enomoto Hiroyuki

Classifications

• G07C5/008 Primary

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G07C2205/02

  using a vehicle scan tool · CPC title