JP2002322940A - Vehicle management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out package management of diagnosis information of a fuel system by a self-diagnostic function of a control unit carried in each user's vehicle and effectively utilize the same, thereby enabling an advance notice of an inspection time before occurrence of a trouble as well as improving the system reliability. SOLUTION: In the case of receiving vehicle information, it is discriminated and investigated whether the diagnostic judging result with trouble is included (S100 to S102). When the diagnostic judging result with trouble is included, various kinds of data are gathered to presume a portion where the trouble occurs and to determine service procedures (S103 to S105) so that corresponding parts can be prepared in advance and the service plan can be carried out smoothly. When the diagnostic judging result with trouble is not included, all the information concerning the vehicle is gathered to calculate the degradation state of parts or a system so as to presume the degradation property and lifetime thereof, thereby calculating the time at which the service is required (S106 to S110). And the time for service and the results are notified to the user and the various information is notified to the dealer and recorded on the database (S111 to S113). Thus, before trouble occurs in the fuel system, the inspection time is preliminarily announced to the user so that the cost and time required for repair are reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle management system capable of managing a vehicle health state of a vehicle of an individual user, and more particularly to a vehicle management system that collectively manages and effectively utilizes diagnostic information of a fuel system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a vehicle such as an automobile using an engine as a driving power source, a fuel supply system, a fuel pressure adjusting system, a fuel pressure control system, etc. Fuel systems, including injection systems, need to function well.

For this reason, the on-vehicle electronic control unit monitors the operating state of the fuel system by an on-board diagnosis by a self-diagnosis function. If an abnormality is detected as a result of the on-board diagnosis, a warning light or the like is used. Lights up to warn the driver and check the vehicle by entering a service factory such as a dealer.
I try to encourage repairs. At the service factory, an external device such as a failure diagnosis device is connected to the on-board electronic control device to read out internal data such as a failed part and trouble data from the on-vehicle electronic control device, and perform inspection and repair based on the read data. .

[0004] As this kind of failure diagnosis apparatus, there is a failure diagnosis apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-15427 by the present applicant. This failure diagnosis device is composed of a failure diagnosis device main body or a computer connected to an external expert system connected to the failure diagnosis device main body, and data in the on-vehicle electronic control device, that is, sensors and switches stored in the on-vehicle electronic control device. , A control signal output to actuators such as injectors, operation data inside the system, etc., can be read, and a defective part or a cause of the failure can be searched for and necessary repair or adjustment can be performed.

[0005]

However, conventionally,
On-board diagnosis of the vehicle is used only to the extent that, for example, turning on a warning light when a failure actually occurs under the user's daily actual use conditions, after the failure of the fuel system, Inspection and repair become possible only after the diagnostic data is read out by an external failure diagnostic device. Even in this case, since the cause and location of the failure of the fuel system generally vary widely, it takes time to pursue the cause, and both the user and the service plant take time and cost burdens. Increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and collectively manages and effectively utilizes diagnosis information of a fuel system by a self-diagnosis function of a control device mounted on a vehicle of an individual user, to effectively utilize the information before a failure occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle management system capable of giving a notice of an inspection time and improving system reliability.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, diagnostic information of a fuel system self-diagnosed by a control device mounted on each vehicle is stored in an external database. Analyzing the state of the fuel system of each vehicle based on the diagnostic information stored in the database, and distributing the analysis result to at least one of the user of the vehicle and a department having access to the database. Features.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the diagnostic information includes at least one of a parameter indicating an operating state and a parameter indicating a control state, in addition to the parameter used for diagnosis of the fuel system. It is characterized by including.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the diagnosis information includes data when a failure level approaches a failure level even if the diagnosis result is within a normal range. I do.

[0010] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1, 2, 3
In the invention described in any one of the above items, the diagnostic information is information including data during a predetermined period from the start of diagnosis or from the start of diagnosis to the end of diagnosis.

[0011] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1, 2, and 3.
In the invention described in any one of (3) and (4), each vehicle is provided with data communication means capable of wirelessly communicating data of a control device mounted on the vehicle to the outside in real time, and transmitted from the data communication means. The diagnostic information is received and stored in the database.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the diagnostic information of the fuel system, which is self-diagnosed by the control device mounted on each vehicle, is stored in an external database, and based on the diagnostic information stored in the database. Analyze the state of the fuel system of the vehicle. Then, by distributing the analysis result to at least one of the user having the right to access the database and the user of the corresponding vehicle, it is possible to notify the user before an abnormality actually occurs in the fuel system of the vehicle, Feedback to related departments can contribute to improving the reliability of the system through evaluation of diagnostic specifications and evaluation of engine controllability.

At this time, the diagnostic information includes at least one of a parameter representing an operating state and a parameter representing a control state, in addition to the parameters used for diagnosing the fuel system. , Claim 3
As in the invention described above, it is desirable to include data when approaching the failure level even if the diagnosis result is within the normal range. Further, as in the invention according to claim 4, it is desirable that the diagnosis information be information including data during a predetermined period from the start of diagnosis or from the start of diagnosis to the end of diagnosis.

Further, it is desirable that the diagnostic information be transmitted wirelessly from the individual vehicles via the data communication means and stored in a database as described in the fifth aspect of the present invention. Diagnosis information can be easily collected, and it is possible to cope with an abnormality that appears only during traveling or an abnormality with low reproducibility.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 7 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle management system, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a network system of a vehicle, FIG. 3 is an overall diagram of an engine system, FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a fuel system diagnosis routine on the vehicle side, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a diagnosis information processing routine on the vehicle side, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an information processing routine on the central information management center side. It is.

FIG. 1 shows an example of accumulating and managing initial values of vehicle control information on a production line of a factory, managing vehicle health status of each vehicle of each user in the market in real time for 24 hours, 1 shows a vehicle management system for providing vehicle information (health status). In this vehicle management system, a wireless communication terminal 110 is provided for each vehicle 100 in the market as data communication means capable of wirelessly communicating data (vehicle information) of a vehicle-mounted control device to the outside in real time. Is transmitted to the central information management center 151 and stored in the database DB of the host computer 151a.

The vehicle 100 and the central information management center 151
A mobile radio communication system via a base station (not shown), a satellite communication system via an artificial satellite (not shown), and the like can be used for data communication between the mobile phone and the mobile phone. The wireless communication terminal 110 that transmits the vehicle information of the vehicle 100 may be a communication terminal connected to the control device of the vehicle 100 via a harness. However, the wireless communication terminal 110 may perform wireless communication with a control device mounted on the vehicle. It is desirable to adopt a small communication terminal that is portable separately from the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, a dedicated mobile phone (mobile phone) having a built-in communication circuit for wireless communication with an in-vehicle control device is adopted as the portable communication terminal. Description will be made as 110. If the user already has a mobile phone, a communication terminal that connects to the user's mobile phone and transmits data may be used.

For this reason, in this embodiment, the vehicle 100
When a single control device is mounted on the control device, a communication circuit for controlling wireless communication is built in the control device. In addition, the vehicle 100 is provided with a plurality of control devices, for example, FIG.
, The control devices # 01, # 02, # 03, # 0
Are mounted, the control devices # 01, # 02, # 03, # 04, # 05,... Are connected to each other via the network 101, and the control information is unified. Preferably, a predetermined control device in the network 101, for example, the control device # 01 includes a communication circuit # 01a for controlling wireless communication. The network 101 is a vehicle network suitable for real-time control. As a wireless communication system with a vehicle-mounted control device, for example, communication according to the Bluetooth (Bluetooth) standard for short-range wireless communication is performed. A scheme and other communication schemes can be adopted.

The communication circuit # 01a provided in the control device of the vehicle 100 not only enables wireless communication with the user's dedicated mobile phone 110, but also, as described below, the production line of the factory. Wireless communication with a line-end inspection tool and a service tool at a service factory such as a dealer. Also,
Each control device # 01, # 02, # mounted on vehicle 100
03, # 04, # 05, ..., the power of the control device is turned off.
A firmware is provided that can rewrite various constant items, that is, various learning values and various control constants, which are sometimes stored, according to a command from a line-end inspection tool.

On the other hand, the central information management center 151, as shown in FIG.
Development Headquarters 152, Software Development Environment 153, Sales
It is connected to a plurality of departments such as the service headquarters 154 and the inspection and quality assurance headquarters 155, and also has a chassis dynamometer 156 at a line end 156 in a factory production line.
inspection tool 156b for inspecting vehicle 100 on a
It is connected to the. The inspection tool 156b includes the vehicle 10
0 is provided with a communication adapter for performing wireless communication with the communication circuit # 01a provided in the control device of the control unit No. 0. Also, dedicated networks 160, 170,... Such as dealers in various locations are connected to the dedicated network 150, and service tools 161, 171,. A vehicle management system that enables actual diagnosis and repair of the vehicle 100 based on the management information of the central information management center 151 via the tools 162, 172,...
Further, each dedicated network 150, 160, 170,
Are interconnected to the Internet 180 as a public network, and can provide information via a personal computer (PC) PC of each user in addition to providing information via the mobile phone 110.

In the above vehicle management system, the inspection tool 15 is provided at the line end 156 of the production line of the factory.
6b, the initial values (initial information) of the control information of the individual vehicles are accumulated, and the optimal learning values and optimal constants obtained by analyzing the accumulated vehicle initial information are set in the control device before shipment. . After shipment to the market, the vehicle information is added to the initial information and stored. In this case, each user can wirelessly transmit his / her vehicle information to the central information management center 151 whenever the vehicle 100 is in operation, regardless of whether the vehicle is stopped or running.

That is, when the user wants to know the state of his or her own vehicle 100, the mobile phone 1 dedicated to the vehicle 100 is used.
By transmitting the vehicle information to the central information management center 151 by using the information management device 10, it is possible to receive information related to the vehicle health such as the maintenance state of the vehicle and the presence or absence of a problem. In particular, since data can be transmitted in real time from a moving vehicle by wireless communication, failures that have been difficult to quickly identify in the past, such as abnormalities that appear only during driving and abnormalities with low reproducibility, are difficult. On the other hand, it is possible to quickly determine the cause and take action.

In order for the user to transmit the vehicle information of his / her vehicle 100 to the central information management center 151, the vehicle 100
It is only necessary to use the dedicated mobile phone 110 and press a specific number preset on the mobile phone 110, and the wireless communication with the control device # 01 of the vehicle 100 is automatically on standby and the central information management center 151 is set. Call. When the connection between the mobile phone 110 and the central information management center 151 is established, data of each control device via the network 101 in the vehicle 100 is transmitted to the control device #.
01 is transmitted to the mobile phone 110 with the body number added thereto, and further transmitted with the identification code of the user and the like through the mobile phone 110 and transmitted to the central information management center 151.

The initial vehicle information and market information (vehicle information for each user) stored in the database DB of the central information management center 151 are stored in the database DB.
Each department that has been given access to
0 to manage vehicle health and provide various services. In other words, collection of usage frequency information of various parts in the user's vehicle, evaluation of control algorithms, real-time diagnosis and troubleshooting, predictive diagnosis by grasping changes over time and learning values of each part, and Diagnosis, etc. is performed by the relevant department, and information collection for improvement of control algorithms and new development is performed by the relevant department. In addition, as a part of the user service, a pre-diagnosis of the user's vehicle 100 before entering the warehouse, a warehouse contact such as a periodic inspection corresponding to an individual user, and the like are performed in the corresponding department, and information is distributed to a dealer or the like, and the service tool 161 ( The inspection or diagnosis according to 171) is instructed. In addition, the relevant department performs absolute quality evaluation at the component level in the market, collection of real-time raw statistical data, relative quality evaluation of each component manufacturer, and feedback of the evaluation result to each department.

Information such as data analysis results and diagnosis results for each user's vehicle is accumulated in the central information management center 151 as history information for each user in chronological order. Then, it is provided to each user through a homepage on the Internet 180 or directly through the mobile phone 110. That is, each user accesses the corresponding homepage from his / her personal computer PC via the Internet 180 or directly accesses the central information management center 151 from the mobile phone 110, and registers his / her own identification number, name, and password in advance. And the like, and the user can browse his / her own vehicle information. It is also possible for an authorized user to access the host computer 151a of the central information management center 151 via a personal computer PC, but in this case, access is restricted from the user in consideration of security. Therefore, only browsing of general information such as a diagnosis result regarding the own vehicle is permitted.

Next, the management of the diagnostic information of the fuel system according to the present invention will be described as the management content of the vehicle 100 by the above-described vehicle management system. First, the vehicle 100
The engine system mounted on the engine will be described, and then the electronic control system for controlling the engine system, the processing related to the fuel system diagnosis of the engine control device, the central information management center 15
The first information processing will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the configuration of the engine system of the vehicle 100, the engine 1 mounted on the vehicle 100
In this embodiment, is a horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine in which a cylinder block 1a is divided into two banks (a left bank on the right side and a right bank on the left side in the figure) around a crankshaft 1b. Cylinder heads 2 are provided in both left and right banks of a cylinder block 1a of the engine 1, respectively.
And an exhaust port 2b.

An intake manifold 3 communicates with the intake port 2a. A throttle chamber 5 communicates with the intake manifold 3 through an air chamber 4 in which intake passages of the respective cylinders are gathered. An air cleaner 7 is attached via a pipe 6,
It is communicated with the air intake chamber 8. An exhaust pipe 10 communicates with the exhaust port 2b via an exhaust manifold 9, and a catalytic converter 11 is interposed at a junction of the exhaust pipes 10 from the respective banks and communicates with a muffler 12.

The throttle chamber 5 is provided with a throttle valve 5a linked to an accelerator pedal, and a bypass passage 13 for bypassing the throttle valve 5a is branched from the intake pipe 6. An idle speed control valve (ISC) that controls the idle speed by adjusting the amount of air flowing through the bypass passage 13 during idling is provided in the bypass passage 13.
Valve 14) is interposed. Further, an injector 15 is provided just upstream of the intake port 2a of each cylinder of the intake manifold 3, and an ignition plug 16 for exposing a discharge electrode at the tip to the combustion chamber 1c is attached to each cylinder of the cylinder head 2. An igniter 18 is connected to an ignition coil 17 connected to the ignition plug 16.

The injector 15 is connected to a fuel tank 20 via a fuel supply passage 19, and an in-tank type fuel pump 21 is provided in the fuel tank 20. The fuel from the fuel pump 21 is pressure-fed to the injector 15 and the pressure regulator 23 through the fuel filter 22 interposed in the fuel supply path 19, and the pressure regulator 23 controls the injector 15.
Is regulated to a predetermined pressure.

The pressure regulator 23 has a fuel chamber into which the fuel pumped from the fuel pump 21 is introduced.
A spring chamber for accommodating a spring for biasing the pressure regulating valve in the closing direction is separated by a diaphragm provided with the pressure regulating valve, and the intake pipe pressure is introduced into the spring chamber via a passage communicating with the intake manifold 3. This is a regulator having a well-known configuration. Excess fuel from the pressure regulating valve is returned to the fuel tank 20 and the injector 1
The fuel pressure is adjusted to a constant set pressure with respect to the intake pipe pressure downstream of the throttle valve 5a, which is the injection atmosphere of No. 5.

In addition, the upper part of the fuel tank 20 prevents fuel leakage when the vehicle falls down and prevents fuel from flowing into an evaporative purge system for purging evaporative fuel gas (evaporative gas) generated in the fuel tank 20. Is provided, a first evaporative purge passage 25 for guiding evaporative gas through the fuel cut valve 24 is extended, and communicates with an upper portion of a canister 26 having an adsorbing portion made of activated carbon or the like. . At the lower part of the canister 26, there is provided a fresh air inlet communicating with the atmosphere via an atmosphere opening valve 27 formed of an electromagnetic on-off valve, and fresh air from the fresh air inlet and evaporative gas stored in the adsorption section are provided. Lead the second
The evaporative purge passage 28 extends from the upper part and communicates with the intake system (at the position immediately downstream of the throttle valve 5a when the throttle valve 5a is fully closed) via a canister purge control (CPC) valve 29 for adjusting the amount of evaporative gas purge. ing.

Further, in order to recirculate exhaust gas from the exhaust system of the engine 1 to the intake system, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) passage 30 extends from the exhaust manifold 9 of one bank and communicates with the air chamber 4. . An EGR valve 3 for adjusting the EGR amount is provided in the EGR passage 30.
1 is interposed, and a part of the exhaust gas is returned to the intake system in accordance with the degree of opening of the EGR valve 31.

Next, sensors for detecting the operating state of the engine will be described. Air cleaner 7 for intake pipe 6
Immediately downstream of the intake air amount / intake temperature measurement unit 50, which integrally incorporates an intake air amount sensor 50a for measuring an intake air amount and an intake air temperature sensor 50b for measuring the temperature of the intake air. It is interposed. A throttle sensor 51 having a throttle opening sensor 51a and an idle switch 51b that is turned on when the throttle is fully closed is connected to a throttle valve 5a provided in the throttle chamber 5, and a throttle valve 5a is provided downstream of the throttle valve 5a in the air chamber 4. An intake pipe pressure sensor 52 for detecting the intake pipe pressure of the intake pipe is mounted.

The cylinder block 1a of the engine 1
A knock sensor 53 is attached to the cooling water temperature sensor 54 at a merging passage 39 communicating the left and right banks of the cylinder block 1a. An EGR gas temperature sensor 55 for detecting the temperature of the EGR gas in the EGR passage 30.
And a front air-fuel ratio sensor 56 is provided upstream of the catalytic converter 11 and the catalytic converter 1
A rear air-fuel ratio sensor 57 is disposed downstream of the first air-fuel ratio sensor 1.

The crankshaft 1b of the engine 1
A crank angle sensor 59 is provided on the outer periphery of a crank rotor 58 which is axially mounted on the cam shaft 1d. A cylinder discriminating sensor 61 for discriminating a fuel injection target cylinder and an ignition target cylinder is provided in opposition. On the other hand, an internal pressure sensor 62 for detecting the pressure in the evaporative purge system is desired above the fuel tank 20, and a fuel level sensor 63 for detecting the fuel level and a fuel temperature for detecting the fuel temperature in the fuel pump 21 in the fuel tank 20. A fuel temperature sensor 64 is provided integrally.

The actuators and sensors provided in the engine system described above correspond to the engine control device (E) shown in FIG.
CU) 70. The ECU 70 includes a control device # 0 that configures the network 101 of the vehicle 100.
One of 1, # 02, # 03, # 04, # 05, ...
For example, it corresponds to the control device # 02, and is mainly configured by a microcomputer.
OM 72, RAM 73, backup RAM 74, network controller 75 for in-vehicle network, counter / timer group 76, and I / O interface 77
Are connected to each other via an internal bus 70a, and are interconnected from the network controller 75 to another control device mounted on the vehicle via an external bus 101a.

The ROM 72 includes a mask ROM in which data is printed by a photomask at a manufacturing stage, and an EEPROM in which data can be electrically rewritten, for example, a flash ROM in which data can be collectively erased on board and easily rewritten. Is included. The mask ROM stores, for example, a communication program via the network controller 75, a program for writing a program, constants, and the like to the EEPROM through communication with an external device, and the EEPROM has a meaning in an early stage of a product. The data is not stored, and when the ECU 70 is installed in the vehicle, the inspection tool 156b of the line end 156 is used.
An engine control program such as fuel injection control and ignition timing control, and data corresponding to the vehicle type such as control constants are written via the CPU.

The counter / timer group 76 includes a free-run counter and a cylinder discrimination sensor signal (cylinder discrimination pulse).
Counters, such as an input counter, a fuel injection timer, an ignition timer, a periodic interrupt timer for generating a periodic interrupt, a timer for measuring an input interval of a crank angle sensor signal (crank pulse), and a system abnormality monitor For convenience, various timers such as a watch dog timer are generally used, and other various software counters and timers are used.

The ECU 70 includes a constant voltage circuit 78 for supplying a stabilized power to each unit, and an I / O interface 7.
7 and a peripheral circuit such as an A / D converter 80. The constant voltage circuit 78 is connected to the battery 82 via the first relay contact of the power supply relay 81 having two relay contacts, and is also directly connected to the battery 82, and the ignition switch 83 is turned on. When the contact of the power relay 81 is closed,
While supplying power to each unit in the ECU 70, the backup RAM 74 is always supplied with backup power regardless of whether the ignition switch 83 is ON or OFF. Further, the fuel pump 21 is connected to the battery 82 via a relay contact of a fuel pump relay 84.
A power supply line for supplying power from the battery 82 to each actuator is connected to the second relay contact of the power supply relay 81.

An input port of the I / O interface 77 is connected to an ignition switch 83, an idle switch 51b, a knock sensor 53, a crank angle sensor 59, a cylinder discriminating sensor 61, a vehicle speed sensor 65, and the like. Further, an input port of the I / O interface 77 is connected to an intake air amount sensor 50a, an intake air temperature sensor 50b, and a throttle opening sensor 5 through an A / D converter 80.
1a, intake pipe pressure sensor 52, cooling water temperature sensor 54, E
GR gas temperature sensor 55, front air-fuel ratio sensor 56,
A rear air-fuel ratio sensor 57, an internal pressure sensor 62, a fuel level sensor 63, a fuel temperature sensor 64, an atmospheric pressure sensor 66 built in the ECU 70, and the like are connected, and a battery voltage VB is input and monitored.

On the other hand, a power supply relay 81 and a fuel pump relay 84 are connected to the output port of the I / O interface 77.
Relay coil, ISC valve 14, injector 15,
An atmosphere release valve 27, a CPC valve 29, an EGR valve 31, an alarm lamp (MIL lamp) 85 for notifying occurrence of an abnormality, and the like are connected via a drive circuit 79, and an igniter 18 is connected.

In the ECU 70, the CPU 71 executes a control program stored in the ROM 72, processes a detection signal from sensors and the like and a battery voltage VB, etc., which are input through the I / O interface 77.
Various data stored in 3 and backup RAM 7
4, the fuel injection amount, the ignition timing, the control amount for each actuator, and the like are calculated based on the various learning value data stored in the ROM 4, the fixed data stored in the ROM 72, and the like. Engine control such as timing control, idle speed control, evaporative purge control, and EGR control is performed.

At the same time, the ECU 70 monitors whether or not there is any abnormality in the engine system including the engine 1 and the peripheral devices by using a self-diagnosis function.
Store trouble data in M74. In this case, in the self-diagnosis of the fuel system, in addition to the parameters used for the diagnosis, in addition to the parameters used for the diagnosis, in addition to the parameters used for the diagnosis, not only at the time of abnormality determination, but also in the normal range and near the failure level The information is stored in the backup RAM 74 at the time of diagnosis or before and after the diagnosis, and is transmitted from the network 101 of the vehicle 100 to the central information management center 151 via the mobile phone 110.

Next, the fuel system diagnosis and the processing of the diagnosis information by the self-diagnosis function of the ECU 70 will be described.

The diagnosis of the fuel system is performed by the routine shown in FIG. In this routine, first, at step S10, it is determined whether or not a diagnosis execution condition (for example, a condition under a steady operation state) is satisfied. Then, if the diagnosis execution condition is not satisfied, the routine exits from the routine. If the diagnosis execution condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S11 to execute the diagnosis.

In step S11, the air-fuel ratio feedback value based on the deviation between the target air-fuel ratio in the air-fuel ratio control and the actual air-fuel ratio measured by the front air-fuel ratio sensor 56, and the difference between the target air-fuel ratio and the actual air-fuel ratio are learned. A diagnosis value fsobd representing a current air-fuel ratio control state by adding a known air-fuel ratio learning value for quickly correcting an air-fuel ratio deviation due to a variation during production of the air intake system or the fuel supply system or a change over time.
Asking. Next, the process proceeds to step S12, where the diagnostic value fsobd is compared with a first determination threshold. The first determination threshold is a threshold for determining whether the air-fuel ratio correction is a correction to the rich side beyond the appropriate range,
The upper limit of the appropriate range for the air-fuel ratio learning value and the air-fuel ratio feedback value that are increased or decreased based on the target air-fuel ratio is determined.

As a result, in step S12, fs
If obd ≧ (first determination threshold value), that is, if the current air-fuel ratio control state is in a control state in which the current air-fuel ratio control state is beyond the appropriate correction range and is further corrected to the rich side, step S1
Proceeding to 3, it is determined that the current air-fuel ratio is a lean abnormality that largely deviates from the target air-fuel ratio to the lean side due to an abnormality in the fuel system, and the routine exits. Step S1
In step 2, if fsobd <(first determination threshold value), the process further proceeds to step S14, and the air-fuel ratio diagnostic value fsob
d is compared with a second determination threshold. The second determination threshold value is a threshold value for determining whether the air-fuel ratio correction is on the lean side beyond the appropriate range, and is an air-fuel ratio learning value that is increased or decreased based on the target air-fuel ratio. And the lower limit of an appropriate range for the air-fuel ratio feedback value.

Then, fsobd ≧ (second determination threshold value)
In other words, it is determined that the air-fuel ratio control is currently being performed properly and the fuel system is functioning normally, and the routine exits from step S14. On the other hand, fsobd
<(Second determination threshold value), and if the current air-fuel ratio control state is a control state in which the air-fuel ratio control state is beyond the appropriate correction range and is further corrected to the lean side, steps S14 to S15
Then, it is determined that the current air-fuel ratio is a rich abnormality largely deviating from the target air-fuel ratio to the rich side due to the abnormality of the fuel system, and the routine exits. When it is determined that the fuel system is abnormal by the lean abnormality determination or the rich abnormality determination, the MIL lamp 85 is turned on or blinks to warn the driver.

The above diagnostic information of the fuel system is stored in the backup RAM 74 in the ECU 70 by the diagnostic information processing routine of FIG. This backup RA
The diagnostic information in M74 is transmitted to the central information management center 151 as a part of the vehicle information of the vehicle 100 when the user transmits the vehicle information using the mobile phone 110, and is stored in the database DB.

In the diagnostic information processing routine shown in FIG.
In step S50, it is determined whether a failure determination has been made. Then, if the failure determination is made, step S
From step 50, the process proceeds to step S51, in which operating state parameters such as engine speed, engine load, cooling water temperature, vehicle speed, time after engine start, fuel temperature, fuel level, etc. The data is stored and saved in the backup RAM 74 by the amount.

Then, the process proceeds to a step S52, where control state parameters such as a fuel injection amount, an ignition timing, an evaporation purge amount, an ISC control amount and the like are stored in the backup RAM 74 for a predetermined number of times of ignition or a predetermined time before and after the execution of the diagnosis. ·save. In step S53, the air-fuel ratio learning value, the air-fuel ratio feedback value used in the fuel system diagnosis, and the air-fuel ratio diagnosis value fso which is the sum of these values are used.
bd, diagnostic parameters such as first and second determination thresholds,
In step S54, a failure code corresponding to the occurrence of a failure is stored in association with the region according to the operating state or the control state, and the process proceeds to step S58. The operation state parameter and the control state parameter are respectively set to the backup R
Considering the storage capacity of the AM 74, the diagnostic specifications of the target fuel system, and the configuration of the fuel system, the parameters may be limited to representative parameters.

On the other hand, in step S50, if the failure determination is not established and the failure is not a clear failure, the process proceeds from step S50 to step S55, where the diagnosis result approaches the failure level, and a failure will occur in the near future. Check whether the possibility is within the setting range. If the diagnostic result is not within the set range, the process jumps from step S55 to step S58. If the diagnostic result is within the set range, the process proceeds from step S55 to step S56 and subsequent steps. In steps S56 and S57, Step S52,
As in S53, the control state parameters and the diagnostic parameters used in the diagnosis are stored and saved in the backup RAM 74, and the process proceeds to step S58.

In step S58, the user's mobile phone 1
It is checked whether or not there is a data transmission request associated with the vehicle information transmission operation of No. 10. If there is no data transmission request, the process exits the routine. If there is a data transmission request, the process proceeds to step S59 to transmit the data in the backup RAM 74 via the in-vehicle network 101 and exit the routine. The diagnostic information in the backup RAM 74 excluding the trouble data is cleared after the data is transmitted to the central information management center 151 to secure a storage area for the next diagnosis.

On the other hand, in the central information management center 151,
The information processing shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the host computer 151a. In this process, first, the first step S10
At 0, it is determined whether or not vehicle information has been received from the user's access from the mobile phone 110. If no data is received, the process exits the routine. If data is received, the process proceeds to step S101, and the data type and correspondence of the vehicle information are determined based on the vehicle number, the user identification code, the mileage, the date and time of data reception, and the like. In step S102, it is checked whether or not the vehicle information includes a diagnosis determination result indicating that there is a failure.

As a result, if no failure determination result is included, and if there is no particular abnormality, the process jumps from step S102 to step S106. If there is a failure determination result, the process proceeds from step S102 to step S102.
Proceeding to 103, various data such as operating state parameters, control state parameters, and diagnostic parameters corresponding to the occurrence of the failure are obtained. Next, the process proceeds to step S104, in which the obtained data is analyzed to estimate the failure site of the system or the component. In step S105, a service procedure for repair / inspection is determined, and the process proceeds to step S106.

That is, when it is determined by the self-diagnosis of the vehicle (ECU 70) that the fuel system is abnormal, the air-fuel ratio learning value, the air-fuel ratio feedback value, and the air-fuel ratio diagnostic value fsobd, which is the sum of these values, are obtained. Based on the diagnostic parameters such as the first and second determination thresholds, the failure code, and the operating state / control state at the time of diagnosis or before and after the diagnosis, determine the location of the failure in the fuel system and the degree of the failure,
Determine the parts and service procedures required for repair.

The following cases are causes and locations of failures estimated from the operating and control states when an abnormality occurs in the fuel system. As shown in these examples, even if the individual components are not diagnosed as failures, but the entire fuel system is diagnosed as abnormal, the failure location is estimated and prompt response parts arrangement and service procedures are performed. Can be determined.

(1) It is determined that the air-fuel ratio is rich or lean over the entire operation range. In this case, it is considered that the detections of the fuel pressure, the intake air amount, and the air-fuel ratio are not normal, and it is presumed that there are the following problems. (A) The control pressure of the pressure regulator 23 is offset. (B) The output value of the intake air amount sensor 50a is offset. (C) The output value of the front air-fuel ratio sensor 56 is offset.

(2) The air-fuel ratio is abnormally lean in a region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is small, and the lean ratio of the air-fuel ratio is small in a region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is large. This case is an abnormality in a low load region where the error of the fuel amount or the air amount is large, and it is estimated that the air amount is too large or the fuel amount is too small, and there is a problem in the next part. (A) The intake pipe 6 has a crack or the like, and the intake air amount sensor 50
Air other than the air amount measured in a is sucked. (B) Due to poor contact of the harness of the injector 15 or the like, the voltage actually supplied to the injector 15
70 is lower than the recognized battery voltage, and the actual fuel injection amount is smaller than the value calculated by the ECU 70.

(3) In the region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is small, the lean ratio of the air-fuel ratio is small, and in the region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is large, lean air-fuel ratio abnormality occurs. In this case, since the air-fuel ratio becomes lean when the fuel supply amount increases, it is estimated that there is a problem in the next part. (A) The specified amount of fuel cannot be discharged due to an abnormality in the fuel pump 21, and the fuel pressure decreases in a region where the fuel injection amount increases, and the fuel injection amount from the injector 15 becomes insufficient.

(4) The air-fuel ratio becomes rich in a region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is small, and the enrichment ratio of the air-fuel ratio is small in a region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is large. This case is an abnormality in a low load region where the influence of the error of the fuel amount or the air amount is large. It is estimated that the air amount is too small or the fuel amount is too large, and there is a problem in the next part. (A) The control fuel pressure of the pressure regulator 23 is reduced by the injector 15 due to a crack in a pipe of a line for introducing the intake pipe pressure to the pressure regulator 23 or a disconnection of the pipe.
The pressure is always adjusted based on the atmospheric pressure, not based on the intake pipe pressure downstream of the throttle valve 5a, which is the injection atmosphere. For this reason, the fuel pressure of the injector 15 becomes relatively high in a low load region where the throttle opening is small and the negative pressure of the intake pipe is deep, and the fuel injection amount becomes excessive. (B) The battery voltage recognized by the ECU 70 is lower than the actual battery voltage due to a contact failure of the battery voltage reading harness of the ECU 70 or the like. For this reason, the ECU 70
The voltage actually supplied to the injector 15 is high with respect to the battery voltage correction in the calculation of the fuel injection amount in, and the fuel injection amount becomes excessive due to overcorrection. (C) The EGR valve 31 is stuck in an open state by carbon or the like, and is constantly in a state where EGR is always applied. Particularly, in a low load region where the intake air amount is small, the fuel amount becomes excessive due to the influence of the EGR.

(5) In a region where the fuel injection amount per ignition is small, the air-fuel ratio becomes rich and the air-fuel ratio becomes rich in a region where the enrichment ratio is small and the fuel injection amount per ignition is large. In this case, since the air-fuel ratio becomes rich abnormally in the high load region, it is presumed that there is a problem in the next part. (A) The CPC valve 29 is stuck in the open state, and the evaporative purge is constantly performed. In particular, the fuel amount becomes excessive in a high load region where the amount of evaporative generation is large.

Then, in step S106, all the information of the vehicle is obtained, and in step S107, the aging of the parts and the system is grasped from the initial information of the vehicle, and the deterioration state is calculated. Then, the process proceeds to step S108 to estimate the deterioration characteristics of each component or system. For example, a change in data of the vehicle-mounted control device accumulated in time series, for example, a change in learning value data, a change in input / output data or control data (calculated data) under predetermined conditions, and a change with time of the system or component. , And comparing the initial information of the vehicle by the line end inspection with the corresponding data transmitted from the user, calculates the progress of deterioration of parts and the system in the fuel system.

Next, the process proceeds to step S109, in which the life of each component is estimated from the state of deterioration of each component or system, and in step S110, a time when service is required for the corresponding component is calculated. Then, in step S111, repair /
The user is notified of the location requiring inspection and the determination result of the service time. In step S112, a service factory such as a dealer is notified of vehicle information, notification information to the user, service procedure,
Notify various information such as service parts (preparation parts). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S113, where the contents are recorded in the database DB together with the history data of each vehicle by the vehicle body number and the user identification code, and the process ends.

That is, even when the on-board diagnosis on the vehicle side determines that the fuel system is normal, if it is within the set range close to the failure level, the air-fuel ratio learning value and the air-fuel ratio feedback Diagnostic parameters such as the air-fuel ratio diagnostic value fsobd, the first and second determination thresholds, and the operating state at the time of diagnosis and before and after diagnosis.
The control state is received from the vehicle side, and it is possible to grasp the level of the current fuel system state with respect to the failure level, and together with the estimated deterioration state of each part, in the near future, It is possible to determine whether or not a failure occurs. Then, the deterioration tendency of the parts for each vehicle, the estimation result of the failed part, the time until the failure reaches or the mileage,
Feedback on the effects on exhaust gas emissions, etc. to related departments to confirm the validity of the fuel system function, improve reliability and durability, evaluate diagnostic specifications, and evaluate engine controllability. It can be carried out.

As a result, the user can be notified of the inspection time before a failure occurs in the fuel system, so that the cost and time required for repair can be reduced, and
At the service factory, the distributed diagnostic information
Pre-arrangement of corresponding parts and smooth operation of the work plan can be performed.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention, the diagnostic information of the fuel system of each user's vehicle is collectively managed and utilized effectively, and it is possible to give a notice of an inspection time before a failure occurs. Feedback to related departments can contribute to improving the reliability of the system through evaluation of diagnostic specifications and controllability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle management system.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a network system of a vehicle;

FIG. 3 is an overall view of an engine system.

FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram of an engine electronic control system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a fuel system diagnosis routine on the vehicle side;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a diagnostic information processing routine on the vehicle side.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an information processing routine on the central information management center side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 vehicle # 01, # 02, # 03, # 04, # 05 control device 70 engine control device 110 mobile phone (data communication means) DB database

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3G084 AA03 BA04 BA11 BA20 BA27 DA30 DA31 DA32 DA33 EA04 EA11 EB06 FA00 FA01 FA02 FA07 FA10 FA11 FA20 FA25 FA27 FA30 FA38 3G301 HA01 HA06 HA08 HA13 HA14 JB01 JB02 JB09 JB10 NA04 LB02 MA NA08 NB03 NB13 ND26 NE17 NE19 PA01B PA01Z PA07Z PA10B PA10Z PA11Z PB00Z PB01Z PC08Z PD09Z PD11Z PE03Z PE05Z PE08Z 5H223 AA10 DD03 DD07 DD09 EE13 FF08 FF09

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A fuel system diagnostic information self-diagnosed by a control device mounted on each vehicle is stored in an external database, and the state of the fuel system of each vehicle is determined based on the diagnostic information stored in the database. And analyzing the analysis result and distributing the analysis result to at least one of a user of the vehicle and a department having an access right to the database. 2. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic information includes at least one of a parameter representing an operating state and a parameter representing a control state, in addition to the parameters used for diagnosing the fuel system. system. 3. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis information includes data when a failure level is approached even if the diagnosis result is within a normal range. 4. The diagnostic information according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic information is information including data during a predetermined period from the start of the diagnosis or from the start of the diagnosis to the end of the diagnosis. Vehicle management system. 5. An individual vehicle comprising data communication means capable of wirelessly communicating data of a control device mounted on the vehicle to the outside in real time, receiving diagnostic information transmitted from the data communication means, and The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle management system stores the information in a database.