# US 10,865,726 B2 · Fault diagnosis of electronic control unit (ECU) > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,726 B2 - Document ID: US10865726B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/266,067 - Filed: 2019-02-03 - Published: 2019-08-08 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-04 - Applicants: Ehsanollah Zadpour - Inventors: Ehsanollah Zadpour - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865726B2 ## CPC - F02D 41/221: {relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements} - F02D 41/22: Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions {(in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809)} - F02D 41/26: using computer, e.g. microprocessor - F02D 41/3082: {Control of electrical fuel pumps} - G06F 11/0703: {Error or fault processing not based on redundancy, i.e. by taking additional measures to deal with the error or fault not making use of redundancy in operation, in hardware, or in data representation} - F02D 41/042: {for stopping the engine} - F02D 41/266: {the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue} - F02D 2041/2058: {using information of the actual current value} - F02D 2041/224: {Diagnosis of the fuel system} - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method for fault diagnosis in an electronic control unit (ECU) of an engine fuel injection system. The method includes keeping the ECU and the engine fuel injection system at a set of pre-defined conditions, measuring an electrical current consumption of the ECU, and detecting a status of the ECU based on the measured electrical current consumption. Keeping the ECU and the engine fuel injection system at the set of pre-defined conditions includes switching the ECU on by switching the engine fuel injection system on, and keeping the engine fuel injection system at a not-running state. Detecting the status of the ECU based on the measured electrical current consumption includes detecting a normal status responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a normal electrical current range, detecting a first hardware defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a first electrical current range, and detecting a second hardware defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a second electrical current range. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for fault diagnosis of an electronic control unit (ECU), comprising: an electrical current sensor connected to the ECU of an engine fuel injection system, the electrical current sensor configured to measure an electrical current consumption of the ECU; and a processing unit connected to the electrical current sensor, the processing unit further connected to crank shaft sensor and at least one actuator of the engine fuel injection system, the processing unit configured to: receive an output voltage of the crank shaft sensor; receive an output voltage of the ECU from the at least one actuator of the engine fuel injection system; receive the electrical current consumption of the ECU from the electrical current sensor; analyze the output voltage of the crank shaft sensor, the output voltage of the ECU, and the electrical current consumption of the ECU, comprising: compare the output voltage of the crank shaft sensor and the output voltage of the ECU with a threshold voltage; and detect a status of the ECU based on the electrical current consumption of the ECU; and send a warning signal associated with the detected status of the ECU by switching on an alarm light associated with the detected status of the ECU. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a microcontroller. ### Claim 3 A system for fault diagnosis of an electronic control unit (ECU), the system comprising: a memory having processor-readable instructions stored therein; and one or more processors configured to access the memory and execute the processor-readable instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors configures the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving a measured electrical current consumption of the ECU from an electrical current sensor connected to a positive power supply pin of the ECU; detecting a status of the ECU based on the measured electrical current consumption of the ECU, comprising: detecting a normal status responsive to the measured electrical current consumption of the ECU being in a normal electrical current range; detecting a first defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption of the ECU being in a first electrical current range; and detecting a second defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption of the ECU being in a second electrical current range; and sending a warning signal associated with the detected status of the ECU responsive to a respective engine fuel injection system to the ECU being at a not-running state, comprising: receiving an output voltage of the ECU from at least one of a stepper motor, a throttle motor, and combinations thereof; receiving an output voltage of a crank shaft sensor; comparing the output voltage of the ECU and the output voltage of the crank shaft sensor with a threshold voltage; and switching on an alarm light associated with the detected status of the ECU responsive to the output voltage of the ECU and the output voltage of the crank shaft sensor being less than the threshold voltage. ### Claim 4 A method for fault diagnosis in an electronic control unit (ECU) of an engine fuel injection system, comprising: keeping the ECU and the engine fuel injection system at a set of pre-defined conditions, comprising: switching the ECU on by switching the engine fuel injection system on; and keeping the engine fuel injection system at a not-running state; measuring an electrical current consumption of the ECU by measuring an electrical current at a positive power supply pin of the ECU; and detecting a status of the ECU based on the measured electrical current consumption, comprising: detecting a normal status responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a normal electrical current range; detecting a first defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a first electrical current range; and detecting a second defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a second electrical current range. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein detecting the normal status comprises detecting the normal status responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a range between 70 mA and 260 mA. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the first defect in the ECU comprises detecting the first defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a range between 350 mA and 1.2 A. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein detecting the first defect in the ECU comprises detecting at least one of a short circuit in a 5V-IC, a damaged 5V-IC, a burnt 5V-IC, a failure in a 5V component on the ECU board, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the first defect in the ECU comprises detecting a short circuit in at least one of an injector IC, a fan IC, a knock IC, a coil IC, a microcontroller IC, a regulator IC, an air pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a water sensor, a part of injection system of the ECU, a 5V-part of control unit circuit, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the first defect in the ECU comprises detecting at least one of a burnt injector IC, a burnt fan IC, a burnt knock IC, a burnt coil IC, a burnt microcontroller IC, a burnt regulator IC, a burnt pressure sensor, a burnt temperature sensor, a burnt water sensor, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the second defect in the ECU comprises detecting the second defect in the ECU responsive to the measured electrical current consumption being in a range between 1.2 A and 3 A. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the second defect in the ECU comprises detecting at least one of a short circuit in a 12V-IC, a short circuit in a 12V part of the ECU, a damaged 12V-IC, a burnt 12V-IC, a failure in a 12V component on the ECU board, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein detecting the second defect in the ECU comprises detecting a failure in at least one of a regulator IC, a connection to a diagnostic IC, a stepper motor controller IC, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein keeping the engine fuel injection system at the not-running state comprises: keeping an output voltage of a crank shaft sensor pin less than a threshold voltage; and keeping an output voltage of the ECU less than the threshold voltage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein keeping the output voltage of the ECU less than the threshold voltage comprises keeping the output voltage of the ECU at an actuator pin of at least one of a stepper motor, a throttle motor, and combinations thereof less than the threshold voltage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein measuring the electrical current consumption of the ECU comprises: connecting an electrical current sensor to the positive power supply pin of the ECU; and measuring a value of the electrical current at the positive power supply pin of the ECU using the electrical current sensor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising sending a warning signal associated with the detected status of the ECU responsive to the engine fuel injection system being at the not-running state. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein sending the warning signal associated with the detected status of the ECU comprises: measuring an output voltage of the ECU using an actuator of the engine fuel injection system; measuring an output voltage of a crank shaft sensor of the engine fuel injection system; comparing the measured output voltage of the ECU and the measured output voltage of the crank shaft sensor with a threshold voltage; and switching on an alarm light associated with the detected status of the ECU responsive to the measured output voltage of the ECU and the measured output voltage of the crank shaft sensor being less than the threshold voltage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein: measuring the output voltage of the ECU comprises measuring a DC voltage at an actuator pin of at least one of a stepper motor, a throttle motor, and combinations thereof, and measuring the output voltage of the crank shaft sensor comprises measuring an AC voltage at output of the crank shaft sensor.