Patent ID: 8532840
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: B60Q,B60T,B60W

Abstract:
1. A diagnostics method for diagnosing contactors for a brake pedal of a motor vehicle including an electronic control unit (ECU), the contactors being connected to the ECU and supplying the ECU with information regarding a position of the pedal, the method comprising: testing, via the ECU, the signals coming from the contactors, and if the signals indicate a current state of operation is an incoherent state, in which the brake pedal is considered by the ECU to be both depressed and released, the ECU begins a first portion of a time out during which the ECU repeatedly tests the signals from the contactors to determine if the signals indicate the incoherent state; after the first portion of the time out is complete and the signals coming from the contactors indicate the incoherent state, comparing a speed of the vehicle to a predetermined speed; indicating that one of the brake contactors is faulty when the signals coming from the contactors indicate the incoherent state and the speed of the vehicle is above the predetermined speed; beginning, via the ECU, a second portion of the time out during which the ECU repeatedly tests the signals from the contactors to determine if the signals indicate the incoherent state when the speed of the vehicle is below the predetermined speed such that a length of the time out is dependent on the speed of the vehicle, the time out being a total time during which the ECU repeatedly tests the signals from the contactors; and after the second portion of the time out is complete and the signals coming from the contactors indicate that the current state of operation is the incoherent state, indicating that one of the brake contactors is faulty.