JP2006283651A - Vehicle diagnosis device and vehicle diagnosis system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote vehicle diagnosis system capable of arbitrarily and simply changing a transmission condition from a vehicle outside in transmission of data relating to a vehicle in vehicle diagnosis. <P>SOLUTION: A center 20 can instruct the transmission condition when data relating to a vehicle is transmitted. A vehicle diagnosis device 40 receives the transmission condition instructed by the center 20 in a data process part 41 and instructs an apparatus control ECU 42 to rewrite the transmission condition. The apparatus control ECU 42 determines establishment of the transmission condition based on the rewritten transmission condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for performing remote vehicle diagnosis by transmitting data related to a vehicle to a center when a predetermined transmission condition is established with respect to the traveling state of the vehicle, and a vehicle diagnostic apparatus used in the system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in vehicle diagnosis, when an abnormality occurs in a vehicle, a system has been devised in which information related to the state of the vehicle is collected by an in-vehicle investigation device and the information is transmitted outside the vehicle. Until now, control data related to the vehicle has been transmitted to a center outside the vehicle after the vehicle has failed. However, since data is transmitted after such a system has failed, such a request cannot be met if it is necessary for the manufacturer to know the state before the failure. For this purpose, it is desirable that the diagnostic program can be arbitrarily changed. Therefore, when a transmission request is made from outside the vehicle, a survey program prepared in advance in the in-vehicle survey device or a survey program transmitted from the center outside the vehicle is executed to obtain status information corresponding to the survey item and transmitted to the center outside the vehicle Such a system is considered (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-134529

  In the system as described above, when changing the transmission conditions for transmitting data, it is necessary to change the entire investigation program. When changing the investigation program from outside the vehicle, the entire program must be changed. Will cause problems such as long transmission data, easy operation errors, difficulty in rewriting the program on the vehicle side, and time-consuming and cumbersome program changes. Can be considered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote vehicle diagnosis system capable of arbitrarily and easily changing transmission conditions when transmitting data relating to a vehicle from outside the vehicle in vehicle diagnosis. And

  In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, in a vehicle diagnosis apparatus that performs diagnosis by transmitting data related to a vehicle to the center when a predetermined transmission condition is satisfied with respect to the traveling state of the vehicle, transmission instructed from the center A receiving means for receiving a condition from the center and a transmission condition setting means for setting the transmission condition received by the receiving means, and performing diagnosis based on the transmission condition set by the transmission condition setting means A vehicle diagnostic apparatus is provided.

  In the present invention, a part of the diagnostic program can be changed using a diagnostic program provided in advance. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily change the transmission condition when transmitting the data related to the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle.

  Hereinafter, a remote vehicle diagnosis system and a vehicle diagnosis apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a remote vehicle diagnosis system of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the remote vehicle diagnostic system 10 includes a center 20 and a vehicle diagnostic device 40 mounted on the vehicle 60, and the center 20 and the vehicle diagnostic device 40 have communication means 30 and communication means 50 respectively. It is connected so that communication is possible.

  The center 20 is provided with a data analysis unit 21, which sets a condition for transmitting data from the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a transmission condition) and stores data to be acquired when the transmission condition is satisfied. Set items (hereinafter referred to as data acquisition items). The data analysis unit 21 can also set a period for monitoring the vehicle control state necessary for determining that the transmission condition is satisfied (hereinafter referred to as a monitoring period). Hereinafter, these settings are collectively referred to as instruction items. These instruction items can be individually instructed from the center 20 to the vehicle diagnosis apparatus 40.

  The data analysis unit 21 also receives data on the vehicle control state transmitted from the vehicle diagnostic device 40, stores the received data, and analyzes the cause of the vehicle failure based on this data.

  The vehicle diagnosis apparatus 40 is provided with a data processing unit 41. The data processing unit 41 performs overall transmission / reception of data with the center 20, and acquisition and transmission of data in a device control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 42 and a control RAM 43. Control. In the data processing unit 41, transmission conditions, data acquisition items, and monitoring periods are controlled, and these can be rewritten based on instruction items transmitted from the center 20.

  The data processing unit 41 is communicably connected to the device control ECU 42, the control RAM 43, and the data transmission buffer 44 via an in-vehicle LAN, and transmits instructions regarding transmission conditions, data acquisition items, monitoring periods, and the like to the device control ECU 42. To do.

  The data processing unit 41 also temporarily accumulates data on the vehicle control state transmitted from the data transmission buffer 44 and transmits the data to the center 20 when requested by the center 20 or periodically.

  The device control ECU 42 determines that the transmission condition is satisfied based on an instruction from the data processing unit 41. Here, the device control ECU 42 is a control ECU for an arbitrary device related to the data acquisition item, and controls the actuator 46 based on an input (vehicle state) from the sensor 45. Furthermore, the device control ECU 42 has a diagnostic program, and the contents of a part of the program are instructed by the data processing unit 41. In this case, for example, an engine control ECU that controls the injection amount of the engine may be used.

  The control RAM 43 stores data on the control state related to the device control ECU 42, and these data are regularly updated.

  The data transmission buffer 44 stores data about data acquisition items from the data stored in the control RAM 43 when the device control ECU 42 determines that the transmission condition is satisfied, and the stored data is stored in the data processing unit 41. Send regularly to.

  The transmission condition is a condition for determining when the data transmission buffer 44 starts to store data related to the data acquisition item from the data stored in the control RAM 43. The trigger item, the criteria value, the determination condition, It is set by the combination. These are determined depending on the abnormal state to be diagnosed (for example, engine stall, air-fuel ratio learning abnormality, etc.).

  Here, the trigger item is an item to be monitored regarding an abnormal state to be diagnosed.

  The criterion value is a reference value for determining whether to start data acquisition in relation to the trigger item.

  The determination condition is a comparison standard between the actual value and the criteria value for the trigger item, and examples thereof include “<”, “>”, “=”, and the like.

  The criteria value can be set arbitrarily, but it is known in advance that a predetermined abnormal condition tends to occur when the actual value for the condition set in the trigger item is less than (or exceeds) the predetermined value. If it is set to a value lower (or higher) than the predetermined value when the abnormal condition occurs, the data before the occurrence of the abnormality can be reliably acquired, This is preferable because it enables detailed analysis of the process and signs of occurrence of abnormalities. For example, if it is desired to obtain data on engine stall, it has been empirically found that engine stall can occur when the engine speed (NE) is less than 700 rpm. Using this, the trigger item is set to the engine speed (NE), the criterion value is set to 400 rpm, for example, the determination condition is set to “<”, and “engine speed (NE) <400 rpm”, that is, “engine speed” is set. If the transmission condition is that the number is less than 400 rpm, the data before the engine stall can be acquired. Further, only the criterion value can be instructed to be rewritten from the center 20 to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus 40.

  Data acquisition items are also determined depending on the abnormal condition to be diagnosed, and when the transmission condition is satisfied, data from the control RAM is stored in the data transmission buffer for these items. For example, as described above, when it is desired to diagnose engine stall, the data acquisition items include water temperature, intake air temperature, throttle opening, idle speed control value, idle speed control learning value, electric speed related to the running state of the vehicle, Examples include a load state, an air conditioner state, and an electric fan drive state. These data acquisition items can be instructed to be added or deleted from the center 20 to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus 40 as necessary.

  Next, the operation of the remote vehicle diagnosis system which is an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, an instruction item is determined in the data analysis unit of the center (step S10) and transmitted to the data processing unit of the vehicle diagnostic apparatus (step S11). The data processing unit receives an instruction item transmitted from the center (step S20), and transmits a transmission condition and a data acquisition item rewrite instruction to the device control ECU based on the received instruction item (step S21).

  In the device control ECU that receives the instruction from the data processing unit (step S30), the transmission condition and the data acquisition item are set based on the received instruction (step S31), and it is determined whether or not the transmission condition is satisfied (step S31). In step S32), in the case of Yes, the data of the control RAM that is the target of the data acquisition item is stored in the data transmission buffer (step S33), and the stored data is periodically transmitted to the data processing unit (step S34). The data processing unit that has received the data from the device control ECU (step S22) accumulates the data (step S23), and transmits the data to the center periodically or in response to a request from the center (step S24). The analysis unit receives the data (step S12) and stores it (step S13). As will be described later, when an instruction about the monitoring period is also received from the center, the transmission condition establishment determination in step S32 is performed during the monitoring period.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Here, in order to facilitate understanding, an engine stall will be described as an example of an abnormal state to be diagnosed. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the transmission condition establishment determination operation in the engine control ECU, and FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the data acquisition operation in the engine control ECU.

  First, the operation for determining and supporting the instruction item will be described with reference to FIG.

  As mentioned above, experience has shown that engine stalls can occur when the engine speed (NE) is below 700 rpm. Therefore, the data analysis unit of the center determines that “the engine speed is less than 400 rpm”, that is, “the engine speed (NE) <400 rpm” as a transmission condition. That is, the trigger item = engine speed (NE), criteria value = 400 rpm, and determination condition = “<” are determined (step S10 in FIG. 2). In addition, the data acquisition items when the transmission condition is satisfied include the sensor and control data related to engine control, such as water temperature, intake air temperature, throttle opening, idle speed control value, idle speed control learning value, and electric load state. The air conditioner state and the electric fan drive state are determined. At this time, the monitoring period is also determined. These instruction items are transmitted to the data processing unit of the vehicle diagnostic apparatus (step S11 in FIG. 2).

  The data processing unit receives the instruction item from the center (step 20 in FIG. 2), and instructs the engine control ECU to rewrite the transmission condition, the data acquisition item, and the monitoring period based on the received instruction item (step in FIG. 2). S21), the engine control ECU that has received the instruction performs a transmission condition establishment determination operation and a data acquisition operation.

  Next, the operation of the engine control ECU will be described.

  First, the transmission condition establishment determination operation in the engine control ECU will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present application, as described above, “the engine speed is less than 400 rpm” is applied as the transmission condition. The program shown in FIG. 3 is started by interruption every predetermined period after the power is turned on. As described above, the engine control ECU receives a transmission condition rewrite instruction from the data processing unit (step S301). Next, transmission conditions are set based on the received instruction (step S311). Here, the monitoring period is also set.

  Next, the engine speed is monitored, and if the transmission condition is satisfied, it is determined whether the monitor request flag is ON (step S321). If the monitor request flag is not ON, the engine speed is monitored and the engine It is determined whether the rotational speed is less than 400 rpm (step S322). If the engine speed is less than 400 rpm, the monitor counter is cleared (step S323) and the monitor request flag is set (step S324). If the monitor request flag is ON in step 321, the monitor counter starts counting (step S327), and the process proceeds to step S325.

  Next, the count-up value of the monitor counter is compared with the set monitor period value to determine whether or not the monitor period has ended (step S325), and when it is determined that the monitor period has ended. Then, the monitor request flag is turned OFF (step S326), and the transmission condition determination process is terminated.

  As described above, in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the logic is set to turn on the monitor request flag when the transmission condition is satisfied, hold the ON state during the monitor period, and turn off the monitor request flag after the monitor period ends. Therefore, while the monitor flag is ON, control data that is a data acquisition item is transmitted. That is, in this embodiment, when NE <400 rpm (the current engine speed is less than 400 rpm) that is a transmission condition is satisfied, control data is continuously transmitted during the monitoring period.

  Next, the data acquisition operation in the engine control ECU will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The program of FIG. 4 is always operating after the power is turned on.

  Normally, the data in the engine control RAM is regularly updated according to the engine control state (step S330). If the transmission condition is satisfied, it is determined whether or not the monitor request flag set in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is ON (step S331). If it is ON, each control RAM is targeted for the data acquisition item. It is determined whether or not (step S332). When it is determined that the control RAM is the target of the data acquisition item, each data (for example, water temperature data, intake air temperature data, etc.) is data for the data acquisition item received from the data processing unit in step S30 described above. The data is stored in the transmission buffer (step S343), and a monitor request flag is set (step S344). Then, while the monitor request flag is ON, the data transmission buffer transmits the stored data to the data processing unit.

  The data processing unit temporarily stores the received data and transmits it to the center periodically or in response to a request from the center.

  In the present invention, data is temporarily stored in the data processing unit and then transmitted from the data processing unit by communication means. Normally, when data stored in the data transmission buffer is transmitted to the data processing unit, it does not remain in the data transmission buffer. Therefore, if the data is not stored in the data processing unit from the data transmission buffer of the control ECU, but is simply transmitted by the communication means via the data processing unit, the data is transmitted from the vehicle diagnostic apparatus to the center. When a communication error occurs because the vehicle is traveling in a place where wireless communication with the outside of the vehicle such as a mountainous area or a tunnel is not established, the acquired data will be lost. . However, by adopting the configuration of the present invention, even if a communication error occurs, the acquired data itself is stored in the data processing unit. Therefore, when the communication is attempted again and the communication is successful, the acquired data is acquired. Data can be sent to the center. Since the received data can be stored in the center, the data accumulated in the data processing unit may be deleted after the communication is successfully transmitted. With such a configuration, the storage capacity of the data processing unit can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the entire transmission condition is instructed from the center has been described as an example. However, a rewriting instruction can be issued from the center for a part of the transmission condition. In the case of the above embodiment, for example, if it is desired to change the transmission condition to “the engine speed is less than 500 rpm” at the request of the manufacturer, the center value of the transmission condition is set to 400 rpm from the center to the data processing device. From 500 rpm to 500 rpm. If it does in this way, only a part of transmission conditions of a vehicle diagnostic device will be changed. That is, the program itself as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 originally exists, and only the conditions therein are changed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to remotely rewrite a part of a diagnostic program included in a vehicle in advance for any vehicle traveling in the market, so that data of each control device at the time of occurrence of an abnormality Can be obtained easily and efficiently. In addition, since it is possible to grasp the control state before the occurrence of the abnormality, the vehicle data can be statistically analyzed to analyze the tendency of the abnormality to occur. Further, since data relating to the occurrence of abnormality can be stored outside the vehicle, data necessary for analysis can be collected regardless of the capacity of the in-vehicle memory. In addition, since the cause analysis at the time of occurrence of abnormality can be performed without causing the dealer to store the vehicle, the burden on the user can be reduced.

It is the figure which showed the outline | summary of the remote vehicle diagnostic system of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the remote vehicle diagnostic system of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the transmission condition establishment determination process in an engine control ECU. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the data acquisition operation | movement in an engine control ECU.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Remote vehicle diagnostic system 20 Center 21 Data analysis part 40 Vehicle diagnostic apparatus 41 Data processing part 42 Equipment control ECU
43 Control RAM
44 Data transmission buffer

Claims (3)

In a vehicle diagnostic apparatus in which a diagnosis is performed by transmitting data related to a vehicle to a center when a predetermined transmission condition is established for the running state of the vehicle,
Receiving means for receiving from the center the transmission condition instructed by the center;
Transmission condition setting means for setting the transmission condition received by the receiving means,
A vehicle diagnosis apparatus that transmits data relating to a vehicle based on a transmission condition set by the transmission condition setting means. Receiving means for receiving from the center an item of the data to be transmitted to the center when the predetermined transmission condition is satisfied when instructed by the center;
Data item setting means for setting an item of the data received by the receiving means,
The vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the transmission condition is satisfied, data on the data item set by the data item setting unit is transmitted. In a vehicle diagnosis system that collects data related to a vehicle when a predetermined transmission condition is established for the running state of the vehicle,
A center for instructing transmission conditions for transmitting data related to the vehicle;
A vehicle diagnostic device that receives a transmission condition instructed from the center, sets the received transmission condition, and transmits data on the vehicle based on the set transmission condition;
Comprising
Remote vehicle diagnostic system.