Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/841,610, filed on Aug. 31, 2006. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to vehicle diagnostic systems, and more particularly to a diagnostic system for reducing control module operation faults. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , one or more control modules  10  control various subsystems of a vehicle. A control module  10  typically includes a primary processor  12  that includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) that is capable of calculating results for a wide variety of arithmetical computations. The calculated results are used by software to control the various electrical and/or mechanical components of the subsystem. 
     Some conventional control modules  10  include a secondary processor  14 . The purpose of the secondary processor  14  is to provide a security check for the ALU of the primary processor  12 . For example, the secondary processor  14  can periodically transmit an arithmetic request to the primary processor  12 . The primary processor  12  answers by transmitting a calculated result. The secondary processor  14  compares the calculated result to an expected result. When the calculated result equals the expected result, the secondary processor  14  determines that the ALU of the primary processor  12  is operating correctly. Otherwise, when the calculated result does not equal the expected result, the ALU of the primary processor  12  is determined to be faulty. The secondary processor  14  disables the primary processor  12  by switching off the power to the primary processor  12  from a power supply  16 . 
     This type of security check is required for most real time embedded control systems. Providing a secondary processor adds to the overall cost of producing the control module  10 . 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, a vehicle diagnostic system is provided. The system includes: a first control module that includes a first processor and that controls a first vehicle subsystem; and second control module that controls a second vehicle subsystem and that validates the functionality of the first processor of the first control module wherein if the second control module determines that the first processor of the first control module is faulty, the second control module shuts down the first control module. 
     Further, a method of detecting a faulty arithmetic logic unit (ALU) of a first control module via a second control module is provided. The method includes: the second control module, transmitting an arithmetic request to the first control module; receiving a response including a result to the arithmetic request from the first control module; and sending a signal to shut down the first control module when the response does not equal a predetermined result. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) security check system of a control module according to the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an exemplary vehicle including a distributed ALU security check system. 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed block diagram of a distributed ALU security check system. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a second control module of the distributed ALU security check system. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a first control module of the distributed ALU security check system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. As used herein, the term module refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a vehicle  20  includes an engine  22 , a transmission  24 , and a torque converter  26 . The engine  22  combusts an air and fuel mixture within cylinders (not shown) to produce drive torque. Air is drawn into the engine through a throttle  28 . The torque converter  26  transfers and multiplies torque from the engine  22  to the transmission  24 . The transmission  24  includes one or more gear sets that transfer torque to a driveline (not shown) based on a desired speed. 
     The vehicle  20  further includes two or more control modules that control various subsystems within the vehicle. The processor of one control module can be used to perform an ALU security check on the processor of the other control module and vice versa. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , an engine control module  30  controls the operation of the engine  22 . A transmission control module  32  controls the operation of the transmission  24  and/or torque converter  26 . The engine control module  30  and the transmission control module  32  communicate via a controller area network (CAN)  34 . As can be appreciated, various communication protocols may be used to facilitate the communication between the control modules  30  and  32 . The transmission control module  32  performs the ALU security check for the engine control module  30  and vice versa. Therefore, the ALU security check system is distributed amongst two or more control modules thereby eliminating the need for a secondary processor within each control module  30  and  32 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a distributed ALU security system is illustrated in greater detail. A first control module  40  electronically communicates with a second control module  42  via a communications network  44 . The first control module  40  includes a first processor  46  and a first ALU  48 . The second control module  42  includes at least a second processor  52  and a second ALU  50 . The second control module  42  can be an independent secure system including a secondary processor (not shown) for performing its own ALU security check. In various other embodiments, the second control module  42  relies on the distributed ALU security check system to diagnose the second ALU  50 . For ease of discussion, the second control module of  FIG. 3  will be discussed as a secure system. 
     The first control module  40  calculates various arithmetic results that control a first vehicle subsystem. The second control module  42  operates similar to the first control module  40  and controls a second vehicle subsystem. The second control module  42  transmits a request signal requesting a predetermined result to a predetermined equation, formula and/or function. The first control module  40  calculates the result and transmits the answer to the second control module  42 . The second control module  42  compares the answer to a predetermined result. When the calculated result does not equal the expected result, the second control module  42  determines the first ALU  48  to be faulty. 
     Thereafter, the second control module  42  may turn off the voltage supply to the first control module  40 , forcing the first subsystem to operate in a default mode. In various embodiments, the second control module  42  can shut down the first control module  40  by an internal but independent process within the first control module  40  (not shown) or by an external method, separate from the first control module  40 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . In various other embodiments, the second control module  42  may command a running reset to the first control module  40  causing the first subsystem to reset. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by the second control module  42  of the distributed ALU security check system. The method can be run periodically while the vehicle  20  is turned on. In various other embodiments the method may be run upon initiation by an external request. For example, a vehicle technician may connect a diagnostic tool to the vehicle and generate an ALU validity check request which initiates the method. 
     Control transmits a request to calculate a predetermined arithmetic operation at  100 . Control receives an answer to the request including a calculated result at  110 . Control compares the calculated result with a predetermined expected result at  120 . If the calculated result equals the expected result, control determines the first ALU to be operating properly. When the calculated result does not equal the expected result, control determines the ALU functionality of the first control module to be faulty. A fault counter is incremented at  130 . If the fault counter exceeds a predetermined threshold at  140 , control disables the first control module at  150 . 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method run by the first control module of the distributed ALU security check system. The method can be initiated based on the request received from the second control module. Control receives a request to perform a predetermined calculation at  200 . Control calculates an answer based on the predetermined calculation at  210 . Control transmits the predetermined calculation at  220 . 
     Once the ALU of the first control module is determined to be faulty, a diagnostic code indicating the fault can be set. In various embodiments, the diagnostic code can be retrieved by a service technician via a tech tool connected to the vehicle. In various other embodiments, the diagnostic code can be transmitted wirelessly to a remote technician. In various other embodiments, an audio or visual warning signal may be generated via an instrumentation panel of the vehicle to indicate to the driver that a malfunction of the vehicle has occurred. 
     Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification and the following claims.

Technology Category: 3