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US 5,331,560 AGranted
Apparatus and method for self diagnosing engine component controlling systems according to predetermined levels of priority
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorHideyuki Tamura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for self diagnosing a plurality of engine component operation controlling systems applicable to an internal combustion engine in which when predetermined diagnostic conditions to start respective self diagnoses are simultaneously established for the respective engine component operation controlling systems, one of the self diagnoses having a higher priority is executed.
Claims16
An apparatus for self diagnosing a plurality of engine component operation controlling systems applicable to an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a) a plurality of self diagnosing blocks for executing self-diagnosis of the respective engine component operation controlling systems, each self-diagnosis having a predetermined priority according to the kind of self-diagnosis;
- b) a plurality of determining blocks for determining whether predetermined diagnostic conditions required for the respective self diagnosing blocks to start the self-diagnosis for the respective engine component operation controlling systems are established;
- c) a self-diagnosis order setting block for setting a self-diagnosis order of executing the respective self-diagnosis to a predetermined order according to the kind of each of the engine component operation controlling systems;
- d) a plurality of self-diagnosis execution monitoring blocks for monitoring whether one of the other self-diagnosis is being executed on the basis of a value of a flag while one of the self-diagnostic conditions corresponding to one of the engine component operation controlling systems is established, the value of the flag indicating which one of the self diagnosis is being executed;
- and,
- e) determining means for determining whether the execution of a first self-diagnosis having a priority lower than that of a second self-diagnosis is suspended when the second self-diagnosis is being executed according to the value of the flag.
3 more elements
An apparatus for integrally self diagnosing a plurality of controlling systems, comprising:
- a) a flag indicating which one of a plurality of self diagnosis routines for the respective controlling systems is currently being executed, said flag being initially reset to indicate a predetermined numerical value;
- b) first determining means for determining whether a self diagnosis executing condition assigned to a corresponding one of the self diagnosis is established;
- c) second determining means for determining whether the self diagnosis routine for another controlling system is currently being executed on the basis of a value of the flag when the first determining means determines that the self diagnosis executing condition assigned to the corresponding self diagnosis is established;
- d) third determining means for determining whether the self diagnosis routine for another controlling system currently being executed has a priority higher than that of the self diagnosis routine for the corresponding one of the controlling systems according to kinds of self-diagnosis routines when the second determining means determines that the self diagnosis for another controlling system is currently being executed;
- and
- e) self diagnosis executing halting means for temporarily halting the execution of the self diagnosis routine whose diagnosis condition is currently established until completion of the self diagnosis routine currently being executed when the third determining means determines that the self diagnosis routine for another controlling system has a priority higher than that of the self diagnosis routine for the corresponding one of the controlling systems.
3 more elements
A method for self diagnosing a plurality of engine component operation controlling systems applicable to an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:
- a) setting a self-diagnosis order of executing a plurality of self-diagnosis for the respective engine component operation controlling systems to a predetermined order, each of the self-diagnosis having a predetermined priority according to kinds of the self diagnosis;
- b ) determining whether predetermined diagnostic conditions required to start the respective self diagnosis assigned to the respective engine component operation controlling systems are established;
- c) monitoring whether one of the other self diagnosis is being executed on the basis of a value of a flag while one of the diagnostic conditions corresponding to one of the engine component operation controlling systems is established, the value of the flag indicating which one of the self diagnosis is being executed;
- d) determining whether the execution of one of the self diagnosis having a priority lower than that of one of the other self diagnosis is suspended when one other self diagnose having the priority higher than that of the one self diagnosis to be suspended is being executed according to the value of the flag;
- and
- e) executing each of a self diagnosis assigned to the corresponding engine component operation controlling system until the executions of all self diagnosis are ended.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.