Diagnostic circuit for vehicle device control module
AssigneeSiemens VDO Automotive Corporation
InventorsDean Edward Condron, Thomas Stierle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control module for a vehicle device control system contains a diagnostic circuit with one or more ASICs having a plurality of loops. The loops may contain either a squib, forming a squib loop, or a replacement resistor, forming a replacement resistor loop. A multiplexer connected to one loop of the ASIC diagnoses all of the replacement resistor loops. By using a multiplexer to detect replacement resistors, the invention eliminates the need to include an additional ASIC just to diagnose the replacement resistor loops.
Claims7
A control module for a vehicle having at least one device containing a squib and at least one device containing a replacement resistor, the control module comprising:
- a circuit having a plurality of loops, wherein at least one loop is a squib loop containing the squib;
- and
- a multiplexer connected to at least one of said plurality of loops, wherein the multiplexer forms at least one replacement resistor loop containing the replacement resistor.
A control module for a vehicle having a first plurality of devices each containing a squib and a second plurality of devices each containing a replacement resistor, the control module comprising:
- an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having a plurality of loops, wherein at least one loop is a squib loop containing the squib in one of said first plurality of devices;
- a multiplexer connected to at least one of said plurality of loops, wherein the multiplexer forms a plurality of replacement resistor loops that each containing the replacement resistor in one of said second plurality of devices;
- and a microcontroller that controls operation at least one of the ASIC and the multiplexer.
A method of diagnosing a first plurality of vehicle devices each containing a squib and a second plurality of vehicle devices each containing a replacement resistor, the method of comprising:
- connecting each squib in said first plurality of vehicle devices to a circuit to form a plurality of squib loops;
- connecting at least one of the loops in the circuit to a multiplexer;
- and
- connecting each replacement resistor to the multiplexer to form a plurality of replacement resistor loops;
- and
- monitoring the plurality of squib loops and the plurality of replacement resistor loops.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.