Electronic control device

Abstract

To provide an electronic control device capable of suppressing release of a restriction measure by illegal diagnosis clear.SOLUTION: The engine ECU11 determines that the malfunction is cleared on condition that the same monitoring object material is detected again while the traveling time is less than the malfunction clear determination traveling time after the malfunction is cleared. The engine ECU11 reduces the traveling time until the limiting measure is taken on condition that the illegality clearing number reaches a predetermined first value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when determining whether a part inside a vehicle has been maintained, the results of the maintenance work have been determined from diagnostic information stored in a storage unit inside the vehicle. A technology has been provided in which an electronic control unit determines whether the work results are appropriate by referencing a database that stores determination information (e.g., normal value information) for determining whether the work results are appropriate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to determine whether a part has been maintained by obtaining the determination information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-198393 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The regulations for on-board emission monitoring (OBM) require that monitored substances be detected, the presence or absence of abnormalities be determined, and restriction measures be imposed on the driver based on the amount of exhaust gas and mileage. For example, to release the restriction measures, it is necessary for the system to return to normal operation after parts have been replaced. However, the restriction measures can also be released by a repair technician at a dealer or repair shop connecting a service tool from outside the vehicle and sending a diagnostic clear command to the vehicle's electronic control unit.

[0005] For example, if a user or a repair technician makes a mistake and releases the restriction measures by simply clearing the diagnostics without replacing any parts, the vehicle can continue to run normally even though repairs are actually necessary. The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not anticipate such a situation and cannot prevent the release of restriction measures by fraudulently clearing the diagnostics without replacing any parts.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control device that can prevent the release of restriction measures due to unauthorized diagnostic clearing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 relates to an electronic control device that transitions from an initial state to a predetermined state when an abnormality in a monitored substance contained in a vehicle's exhaust gas is detected, and then implements a restrictive measure when the transition to that predetermined state occurs. The fraud-clearing determination unit determines that the diagnostic clear has been performed if the same monitored substance is detected again while the vehicle's mileage is below the fraud-clearing determination mileage value after the diagnostic clear. The mileage value control unit reduces the mileage value until the restrictive measure is implemented when the number of fraud-clearing attempts reaches a predetermined first threshold. When the number of fraud-clearing attempts reaches the predetermined first threshold, the mileage value until the restrictive measure is implemented is reduced, thereby preventing the lifting of the restrictive measure due to a fraudulent diagnostic clear. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Electrical configuration diagram of the electronic control device in the first embodiment [Figure 2] State transition diagram in the first embodiment [Figure 3] Specific examples of restrictive measures in the first embodiment [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a fraud clearing determination process according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5] Timing chart illustrating the flow of the fraud clearing determination in the first embodiment [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a fraud clearing determination process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a fraud clearing determination process according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the electronic control device will be described. Components that perform the same functions in the respective embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0010] (First embodiment) The first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The engine control system 1 shown in Figure 1 is configured by connecting an engine ECU 11 and a meter ECU 12 via an in-vehicle network. The engine ECU 11 is configured to control fuel injection to an injector 21 installed in an engine 20 based on sensor signals from various sensors.

[0011] The engine ECU 11 and the meter ECU 12 are so-called electronic control devices, and are capable of communicating various information with each other via a communication unit (not shown). Furthermore, the engine control system 1 may be configured by separately connecting an electronic control device of a type different from the engine ECU 11 and the meter ECU 12, such as an ECU for a display / announcement system, but for the sake of simplicity, a configuration in which only the engine ECU 11 and the meter ECU 12 are interconnected will be described here.

[0012] An on-board monitoring system, known as OBM, has a function for monitoring the exhaust gas performance of each vehicle. There are multiple types of target substances that need to be monitored using this function, and sensors 13 to 15 are provided. Examples of sensors 13 to 15 include a NOx sensor 13, a PM sensor 14, and an NH3 sensor 15 for detecting the target substances in the vehicle's exhaust gas. In addition, a warning light 16 is electrically connected to the engine ECU 11, and various warnings can be issued to vehicle occupants by controlling the on / off of the warning light 16.

[0013] The engine ECU 11 is configured by a microcomputer or SoC equipped with a processor and a storage unit 11d, and realizes various functions by the processor executing programs stored in the storage unit 11d. SoC is an abbreviation for System On Chip.

[0014] The memory unit 11d is configured as a non-transient physical recording medium composed of volatile memory / non-volatile memory and can be realized by a semiconductor memory. The engine ECU 11 realizes functions as a fraud clear determination unit 11a, a fraud clear count measurement unit 11b, a mileage value control unit 11c, an index value measurement unit 11e, a diagnostic clear prohibition unit 11f, a restriction measure implementation unit 11g, and a second restriction measure implementation unit 11h by the processor executing the programs stored in the memory unit 11d.

[0015] Some of the fraud-clearing determination unit 11a, fraud-clearing count measurement unit 11b, mileage value control unit 11c, index value measurement unit 11e, diagnostic clear prohibition unit 11f, restriction measure implementation unit 11g, and second restriction measure implementation unit 11h may be omitted as necessary, but these functions will be explained in order later. Furthermore, the term "mileage value" in this application collectively refers to some or all of the driving time, driving distance, and driving count. The driving time refers to the time the vehicle is driving, the driving distance refers to the distance the vehicle has traveled, and the driving count refers to the number of times the engine 20 has been started in response to the on / off of the ignition switch.

[0016] The engine ECU 11 is capable of continuously monitoring exhaust gases using an on-board monitoring system (OBM), and can measure the amount of excess exhaust gases and the time period during which the excess exhaust gases are exceeded as exhaust gas index values ​​(function of the index value measuring unit 11e).

[0017] On the other hand, the meter ECU 12 is configured with a control logic or a microcomputer, and functions as a mileage measurement unit 12a. The mileage measurement unit 12a is capable of measuring at least some information, such as the mileage time, mileage, and number of mileages, and has the function of measuring the mileage time and mileage from the time when a diagnostic clear command is received from the engine ECU 11, for example.

[0018] Furthermore, a tool 17 can be connected externally to the engine ECU 11. A repairman employed at a dealer or repair shop can electrically connect the tool 17 to the engine ECU 11 from the outside. Diagnostic information and the like are stored in a non-volatile manner in a memory unit 11d of the engine ECU 11, but by sending a diagnostic clear command from the external tool 17, it is possible to erase various pieces of diagnostic information stored in the memory unit 11d or reset it to its initial state.

[0019] The engine ECU 11 detects monitored substances in the exhaust gas based on the sensor signals from the sensors 13-15, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in accordance with regulations for monitoring the amount of exhaust gas for a vehicle. When the engine ECU 11 detects monitored substances related to the vehicle in the exhaust gas, the engine ECU 11 causes the state to transition from an initial state and stores the state related to the exhaust gas of the host vehicle in the memory unit 11d. The engine ECU 11 stores in the memory unit 11d the abnormality history related to the monitored substances contained in the exhaust gas of the host vehicle, as well as information such as the current state related to the exhaust gas, the state transitions, and the history information.

[0020] <State transition> In this embodiment, as shown in the state transition diagram of FIG. 2, six states are defined: normal state, warning level I, warning level II, repair guidance action level I, repair guidance action level II, and repair judgment state.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows examples of each state of the OBM, excluding the repair judgment state, and the corresponding display state, display message, and restriction measures of the warning light 16. The states shown in FIG. 3 are established so that restrictions become increasingly stricter from top to bottom. The "Warning Light" column in FIG. 3 shows the off / on state of the warning light 16, and it is specified that the light be turned on to warn the occupants in any state other than the "Normal State."

[0022] The display message also warns the driver to gradually tighten the restrictions when an abnormality in exhaust gas is occurring. For this reason, it is specified that messages to impose gradually stricter restrictions are displayed from the upper state to the lower state as shown in Figure 3.

[0023] Specifically, no message is displayed in a normal state, and at warning level I the message displayed is "mileage counter," i.e., the mileage. At warning level II the message displayed is "X km until output limit," and at repair guidance action level I the message displayed is "Output limited. X number of starts remaining." At repair guidance action level II the message displayed is "Engine start prohibited." Here, a form in which the display message is changed by dividing the levels into five stages is described, but this is not limited to this, and the number of states may be changed and divided into four or fewer stages, or six or more stages.

[0024] The restriction measures shown in Fig. 3 indicate some kind of restriction when the engine ECU 11 controls the engine 20, and are implemented when the state transitions to a predetermined state. In the example of Fig. 3, it is defined that a maximum vehicle speed restriction measure that restricts the vehicle speed to a predetermined speed is implemented at repair guidance measure level I. It is also defined that a measure that prohibits the engine 20 from starting at all is implemented at repair guidance measure level II. Here, the restriction measures are imposed in two levels, repair guidance measure level I and repair guidance measure level II, but these levels may be increased to three or more levels or reduced to one level, and any type of restriction measure may be used as long as it makes driving more difficult for the driver than normal driving.

[0025] <Status transition and normal repair operation> The state transitions in the state transition diagram shown in Figure 2 will be explained with reference to Figures 3 to 5. First, when any of the monitored substances, NOx, PM, or NH3, exceeds the respective standard, the state transitions from "normal state" to warning level I. In the following explanation, the driving time is used as the "driving value," but it can also be the driving distance or the number of times driven.

[0026] Thereafter, if the vehicle continues to run at warning level I, the running time increases. When the meter ECU 12 detects that the running time has exceeded a predetermined first time threshold, the engine ECU 11 transitions the state from warning level I to warning level II.

[0027] If the vehicle continues to run without being repaired after that, the state is transitioned in stages. That is, the engine ECU 11 compares the running time with a second time threshold (> first time threshold), and if the second time threshold is exceeded, the state is transitioned to repair guidance measure level I. If the vehicle continues to run further, the engine ECU 11 compares the running distance with a third time threshold (> second time threshold), and if the third time threshold is exceeded, the state is transitioned to repair guidance measure level II.

[0028] Here, a form in which travel time is used as the index value will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and travel distance may also be used as the index value. For example, the state may be transitioned using a first distance threshold instead of the first time threshold, a second distance threshold (>first distance threshold) instead of the second time threshold, and a third distance threshold (>second distance threshold) instead of the third time threshold.

[0029] If the aforementioned state is not at least a normal state, the vehicle occupant will visually notice that the warning light 16 is illuminated. The occupant will then ask a repairman at a dealer or repair shop to repair the vehicle. The repairman connects the tool 17 to the engine ECU 11, checks whether the aforementioned state is a state other than a normal state, determines whether repair is necessary, and if so, performs the repair. Once the repair is completed, the tool 17 sends a diagnostic clear command to the engine ECU 11 to return the state to a "normal state."

[0030] To return the state from warning level I, II, or repair guidance action level I to a normal state, it is necessary to repair the engine control system 1 by replacing parts or the like and determine that the system is normal, or the engine ECU 11 must receive a diagnostic clear command from the external tool 17. Also, if the engine ECU 11 is in an engine start-disabled state due to repair guidance action level II, it is a prerequisite for the engine ECU 11 to receive a diagnostic clear command from the external tool 17 in order to return to a normal state.

[0031] When the engine ECU 11 receives a diagnostic clear command, it stores the fact that the diagnostic clear command has been received in the memory unit 11d. The memory unit 11d stores the date and time when the diagnostic clear command was received, the mileage, and state transition information as history information. The state transition information indicates, along with the date and time, the state from which the vehicle transitioned to a repair judgment and returned to the initial state. Here, a configuration is described in which the date and time when the diagnostic clear was performed and the mileage are stored in the memory unit 11d, but it is also possible to clear the driving time and mileage used for judgment when the diagnostic clear was performed to zero, and then count the driving time and mileage from that point on.

[0032] <Fraudulent Clear Determination Process> The fraud clearance determination process will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. The user drives the repaired vehicle, and when the engine ECU 11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in any of the monitored substances based on the sensor signals from the various sensors 13 to 15, it executes the fraud clearance determination process shown in Fig. 4.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, the engine ECU 11 reads historical information about diagnostic clearing from the storage unit 11d. The engine ECU 11 then obtains the driving time from the meter ECU 12 and identifies the driving time from the previous diagnostic clearing until the current entry into the fraudulent clearing determination routine of Fig. 4. In S1, the engine ECU 11 compares the identified driving time with a predetermined driving time threshold to determine whether or not fraudulent clearing has been performed. Here, a form in which the driving time is compared with a predetermined driving time threshold will be described, but the driving distance since the previous diagnostic clearing was performed may also be compared with a predetermined driving distance threshold to determine the result.

[0034] If the driving time is equal to or greater than the driving time threshold in S1, the engine ECU 11 resets the number of fraudulent clears in S11 and determines in S12 that the diagnostic clear is not a valid fraudulent clear. This is because the corresponding driving time threshold has elapsed since the diagnostic clear command was received, so even if an abnormality occurs again, it cannot be considered as a fraudulent clear.

[0035] On the other hand, if the running time from the diagnostic clear to the abnormality determination is shorter than the running time threshold, the engine ECU 11 proceeds to the determination process of S2, thereby determining whether an abnormality has occurred while the running time of the vehicle since the previous diagnostic clear was executed is less than the running time threshold (corresponding to the running time value for determining the unauthorized clear).

[0036] Next, in S2, the engine ECU 11 refers to the storage unit 11d and determines whether there is any history information indicating a transition from a state deemed to be repaired to a normal state after the diagnostic clear. If the engine ECU 11 determines in S2 that there is any history information indicating a transition to a normal state, it resets the number of fraudulent clears to zero in S11 and determines in S12 that the diagnostic clear was not fraudulent.

[0037] On the other hand, if the engine ECU 11 determines that there is no history information of a transition to a normal state, it proceeds to S3. Without this determination process in S2, if an abnormality occurs erroneously after the diagnostic clear, there is a risk that the diagnostic clear will be determined to be an improper clear in S4 (described later). However, by performing this determination process in S2, it is possible to prevent the diagnostic clear from being determined to be an improper clear even if an abnormality occurs erroneously after the diagnostic clear.

[0038] Subsequently, if a diagnostic clear has been performed due to an abnormality caused by a certain first monitored substance, the engine ECU 11 determines whether an abnormality has occurred again due to the same first monitored substance. If an abnormality occurs again due to the same first monitored substance, the engine ECU 11 determines in S4 that the diagnostic clear has been performed improperly. Therefore, if an abnormality caused by the same first monitored substance occurs again even though the driving time since the diagnostic clear was performed is relatively short and is less than the driving time required for improper clearing, it is highly likely that repairs such as part replacement have not been performed. The engine ECU 11 determines that an improper diagnostic clear has been performed, which means that it is highly likely that part replacement has not been performed at this point.

[0039] On the other hand, if a second monitored substance different from the first monitored substance is detected in S3, the engine ECU 11 judges NO in S3, retains the number of fraudulent clears measured in S10, and judges that the fraudulent clear is not true in S12.

[0040] This may be the case, for example, when the diagnostic clear was performed and a monitored substance was repaired as the cause of NOx, and then PM was detected as a monitored substance after the diagnostic clear was performed.This is because if a different type of second monitored substance is detected in S3, it is highly likely that the repair technician performed the diagnostic clear when the second monitored substance could not be detected.

[0041] In this way, if a diagnostic clear is performed due to an abnormality caused by a first monitored substance, and then an abnormality caused by a different second monitored substance occurs before an abnormality caused by the same first monitored substance, the number of fraudulent clears is maintained in S10. By doing this, the number of fraudulent clears is no longer cleared, and even if the diagnostic clear is subsequently performed fraudulently, the number of fraudulent clears can be accurately counted.

[0042] If the engine ECU 11 determines in S4 that the fraudulent clearance has been made, it increments the fraudulent clearance count in S5. After incrementing the fraudulent clearance count in S5, the engine ECU 11 determines in S6 whether the fraudulent clearance count has reached a predetermined first threshold value or more. The first threshold value corresponds to a predetermined fraudulent clearance count threshold value until a relatively lenient penalty is imposed. If the engine ECU 11 determines in S6 that the fraudulent clearance count has reached the predetermined first threshold value, it imposes a penalty of shortening a second time threshold value for the driving time until a restriction measure is imposed in S7.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 3, the engine ECU 11 executes the restrictive measures when the vehicle enters the state of repair prompting measures Levels I and II. Before the state transitions to repair prompting measures Levels I and II, the engine ECU 11 transitions the state from the normal state to warning levels I and II in order in S7, thereby shortening the driving time until the restrictive measures are executed.

[0044] When the monitored substance exceeds the standard, the engine ECU 11 transitions the state shown in Fig. 2 from the normal state to warning level I. At warning level I, as shown in Fig. 3, the engine ECU 11 turns on the warning light 16 and displays the running time counter as a message to the occupant.

[0045] This travel time counter indicates the travel time since the state transitioned to warning level I. By checking the warning light 16 and the travel time counter, the occupant can know that the vehicle is in warning level I and can urge the occupant to have the vehicle repaired.

[0046] If the vehicle continues to run in the warning level I state, the running time counter increases. When the running time counter reaches or exceeds a predetermined value x and the meter ECU 12 detects that the vehicle has run for a time exceeding a predetermined first time threshold, the engine ECU 11 transitions the state from warning level I to warning level II.

[0047] In the warning level II state, the engine ECU 11 displays a message saying "X km until vehicle speed limit" as shown in Fig. 3. The engine ECU 11 sets a second time threshold (>first time threshold) for limiting the vehicle speed to a certain predetermined speed (e.g., 30 km / h).

[0048] If the vehicle continues to run in the warning level II state, the running time counter increases. If the meter ECU 12 detects that the vehicle has run for a time exceeding the predetermined second threshold, the state is transitioned to repair guidance action level I.

[0049] At repair guidance action level I, the engine ECU 11 executes a restriction measure that limits the physical speed of the vehicle to a maximum speed when controlling the engine 20. The engine ECU 11 also displays a message saying, "Vehicle speed is being limited. x number of starts remaining." This prevents the vehicle from traveling at a speed exceeding the set maximum vehicle speed, even if the driver operates the accelerator. The occupant also knows that the number of times the engine 20 can be started is limited. This can encourage the occupant to have the vehicle repaired.

[0050] Furthermore, if the vehicle continues to run in the repair guidance action level I state, the running time counter increases. When the meter ECU 12 detects that the vehicle has run for a period exceeding a predetermined third time threshold, the engine ECU 11 transitions the state to repair guidance action level II. In repair guidance action level II, the engine ECU 11 prohibits the engine 20 from starting. The engine ECU 11 also displays a message saying "Engine start prohibited." This prevents the driver from starting the vehicle even if he turns on the ignition switch, forcing him to call a repair technician for repairs.

[0051] When the repairman repairs the vehicle, he / she uses the tool 17 to clear the diagnostics, updates the diagnostic history information stored in the memory unit 11d, returns the vehicle to its initial normal state, and returns the repaired vehicle to the user. The user drives the vehicle. Even after the diagnostics have been cleared, if the monitored substance is detected again, it is determined whether the conditions S1 to S3 are met in the process of FIG. 4.

[0052] Even if the diagnostic has been cleared and the vehicle has returned to a normal state, if the same monitored substance is detected again when the mileage is less than a certain distance, the vehicle will be determined to have been cleared. In this case, the number of times the diagnostic has been cleared is incremented in S5. The "number of times the diagnostic has been cleared" refers to the number of times the diagnostic has been cleared and the conditions in S1 to S3 have been met and the count has been counted. In S6, the engine ECU 11 determines whether the number of times the diagnostic has been cleared is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold.

[0053] When the number of fraudulent clearances determined to be fraudulent clearance in S6 reaches a predetermined first threshold, the engine ECU 11 shortens a second time threshold (corresponding to the running threshold) of the running time until the restriction measure is implemented in S7 (function of the running value control unit 11c). If the number of fraudulent clearances has not reached the first threshold, the engine ECU 11 determines NO in S6 and proceeds to S8 without shortening the second time threshold of the running time.

[0054] When shortening the driving time before the restriction measure is implemented in S7, it is preferable to reduce the second time threshold of the driving time before the restriction measure is implemented in accordance with an increase in the number of times of incorrect clearing. A specific example will be described later.

[0055] The engine ECU 11 determines whether the second time threshold set in S8 of FIG. 4 has elapsed. If the engine ECU 11 determines that the second time threshold set in S8 has elapsed, it imposes a penalty by implementing a restrictive measure in S9. The restrictive measure here refers to, for example, the measures shown in the above-mentioned repair guidance measure levels I and II. Note that even if the engine ECU 11 determines that the fraudulent clearance was not established in S12 of FIG. 4, if the predetermined second time threshold has elapsed in S8, it implements the restrictive measure in S9.

[0056] The engine ECU 11 limits the maximum speed limit of the vehicle to a predetermined value (e.g., 30 km / h) at repair guidance measure level I. When the number of fraudulent clears reaches or exceeds a predetermined fourth threshold value that is set larger than the first threshold value, the engine ECU 11 may implement a restriction measure of repair guidance measure level II as a second restriction measure that is stricter than repair guidance measure level I (function of the second restriction measure implementation unit 11h).

[0057] When the engine ECU 11 implements repair guidance action level II, it is advisable to implement a second restriction action, such as prohibiting the start of the engine 20. If the second time threshold for the driving time until the first restriction action is implemented is shortened and false clearing is repeated, the stricter second restriction action will be implemented, thereby improving the deterrent effect of evading the restriction action by false clearing.

[0058] Furthermore, even if repair prompting action level I is reached, if the driver ignores this action and continues to drive the vehicle for a longer period of time, the engine ECU 11 raises the repair prompting action level from I to II.

[0059] 4 is preferably executed only when a predetermined execution condition is met, for example, when the following execution condition is met: The condition is when the storage unit 11d stores history information indicating that the diagnostic clear was once performed, and then the state was determined to be abnormal, and then the state was transitioned to the initial state with a repair determination.

[0060] In this case, even if a monitored substance is detected, it is desirable to suspend the determination of whether to clear the diagnostics as shown in Figure 4 until the next diagnostic clear (the function of the diagnostic clear determination unit 11a). In this case, even if an abnormality is mistakenly detected after the diagnostic clear, it is possible to prevent an erroneous determination that the diagnostics has been cleared as fraudulent. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driving time until the restriction measure is reduced even though the repair person has made the repair.

[0061] A specific example will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a case will be described in which the first threshold for the number of times fraudulent clearance is set to two. For example, if fraudulent clearance is zero or one time, the second time threshold for the driving time until restriction measures are taken is set to 100 hours. See "Running as Abnormal" R1 in FIG. 5. Even if the diagnostic clear is performed again after that, if the second fraudulent clearance is determined, the second time threshold for the driving time until restriction measures are taken is reduced to 50 hours. See "Running as Abnormal" R2 in FIG. 5. Then, if 50 hours have passed since the diagnosis was made, the engine ECU 11 will take restriction measures.

[0062] Even if the diagnostic clear is performed again, if the third false-clear determination is made, the second time threshold for the driving time before the restriction is further reduced to ten hours. See abnormal driving R3 in Figure 5. Then, if ten hours have passed since the abnormality was detected, the engine ECU 11 will implement the restriction. The engine ECU 11 may, for example, notify the occupant of the driving time before the restriction and its second time threshold. Thereafter, the driving time before the restriction can be gradually reduced as the number of false-clear attempts increases. This reduces the driving time before the restriction as the number of false-clear attempts increases.

[0063] <Modification> Here, the example shows a case where "driving time" is applied as the "driving value" according to the present application and the second time threshold for driving time is changed, but "driving distance" may be applied as the "driving value" and the second distance threshold for driving distance may be changed. That is, if the number of times that an improper clear is determined is zero or one, the second distance threshold for driving distance until restriction measures are taken may be set to 20 km, and if an improper clear is determined for the second time, the second distance threshold for driving distance until restriction measures are taken may be reduced to 5 km.

[0064] The engine ECU 11 may, for example, notify the occupant of the mileage until the restriction measure is imposed and the second distance threshold. Alternatively, the engine ECU 11 may apply the "number of times traveled" as the "mileage value" and change the number threshold of the number of times traveled. Specific examples will not be described.

[0065] This can restrict the vehicle's driving performance and strongly urge repairs, which can increase the deterrent effect of removing the restriction measures by fraudulently clearing the diagnostics without replacing parts.

[0066] Furthermore, it is desirable that the engine ECU 11 gradually shortens the driving time (corresponding to the driving value) until the restriction measure is implemented when the exhaust gas index value, which measures the amount of exhaust gas exceeding the limit and / or the time of the exhaust gas exceeding the limit, increases (function of the driving value control unit 11c). By using the exhaust gas index value together with the number of times of fraudulent clearance, the time until the restriction measure is implemented can be shortened, and the deterrent effect of evading the restriction measure by fraudulent clearance can be improved.

[0067] <Summary of this embodiment> The technical concept of this embodiment can be summarized as follows: The engine ECU 11 determines that the fraud has been cleared if the same monitored substance is detected again while the vehicle's mileage values ​​(e.g., driving time, mileage, number of mileages) are less than a predetermined fraud-clearing mileage value after a diagnostic clear command is executed to reset the state to the initial state, and counts the number of fraud-clearing attempts. The engine ECU 11 then reduces the mileage value until it implements a restriction measure if the number of fraud-clearing attempts exceeds a predetermined first threshold.

[0068] Therefore, after the diagnostic clear, the engine ECU 11 determines whether the same monitored substance is detected again within a predetermined driving time for determining whether the substance has been cleared, and estimates whether the repair was actually made by a repair technician.If it is determined that the repair was not made, it determines that the diagnostic clear command was simply issued and that the fraud was cleared.

[0069] The engine ECU 11 determines whether there is an intention to lift the restriction measures by fraudulently clearing the vehicle, and reduces the mileage value until the restriction measures are implemented on the condition that the number of fraudulently cleared vehicles deemed to have been fraudulently cleared reaches a first threshold, thereby minimizing the risk of evading the restriction measures by fraudulently clearing the vehicle.

[0070] The engine ECU 11 gradually reduces the driving time (equivalent to the driving value) as the number of false clears increases. Therefore, even if false clears are repeated, the driving time until the restriction measures are implemented can be shortened, thereby improving the deterrent effect of evading the restriction measures by false clears.

[0071] Furthermore, if the engine ECU 11 has stored in memory 11d history information indicating that the diagnostics were cleared, and then the state was determined to be abnormal and then transitioned to the initial state through a repair determination, the engine ECU 11 suspends the determination of whether to perform an improper clear as shown in Fig. 4 until the next diagnostic clear, even if a monitored substance is detected. In this case, it is possible to prevent improper clearing and erroneous determinations due to an erroneous occurrence of an abnormality after the diagnostic clear, and it is also possible to prevent the mileage value until the limiting measure is shortened even though the diagnostics have been repaired.

[0072] Furthermore, if a second monitored substance different from the first monitored substance is detected after a diagnostic clear is performed due to an abnormality caused by a first monitored substance, the engine ECU 11 retains the counted number of fraudulent clears. By doing so, even if the number of fraudulent clears is no longer cleared and the diagnostic clear is subsequently performed fraudulently, the number of fraudulent diagnostic clears can be accurately counted.

[0073] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. As described in the first embodiment, after a fraud clear is determined in S4 of Fig. 4 and the fraud clear count is incremented in S5, the engine ECU 11 may execute the fraud clear determination process shown in Fig. 6.

[0074] In S13, the engine ECU 11 determines whether the number of fraudulent clears has reached a predetermined second threshold value or more, and if so, in S14, the engine ECU 11 prevents the diagnostic clear command from being accepted, thereby prohibiting the diagnostic clear action itself (function of the diagnostic clear prohibition unit 11f).

[0075] If the repair technician repeatedly performs unauthorized clearing more than the second threshold value, the engine ECU 11 will no longer accept the diagnostic clear command, thereby preventing the repair technician from intentionally evading the restriction measures. Note that the first threshold value described in the first embodiment and the second threshold value described in this embodiment may be equal to or different from each other.

[0076] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. As described in the first embodiment, after the fraud clearing is determined in S4 of Fig. 4 and the fraud clearing count is incremented in S5, the engine ECU 11 may execute the fraud clearing determination process shown in Fig. 7.

[0077] The engine ECU 11 determines whether the number of fraudulent clears has reached a predetermined third threshold or more, and if so, may immediately implement the restriction measures without reducing the driving time (equivalent to the driving value) until the restriction measures are implemented (function of the restriction measures implementation unit 11g).

[0078] If a repair technician repeatedly clears the device improperly more than the third threshold, a restriction measure is immediately implemented, thereby improving the deterrent effect of evading the restriction measure by clearing the device improperly. Note that the first threshold and the third threshold may be equal or different, and the second threshold and the third threshold may be equal or different. It is more preferable to set the third threshold higher than the first threshold.

[0079] (Other embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the following modifications or extensions are possible. In the first embodiment, the "predetermined first threshold value for the number of times of incorrect clearing" is set to two times, but it may be set to one time, or may be set to a predetermined number of times equal to or greater than three times.

[0080] The "restriction measure" according to the present application has been described as limiting the maximum speed limit to a predetermined value at repair guidance measure level I and stopping the start of engine 20 at repair guidance measure level II, but is not limited to this. For example, the maximum speed limit may be limited to be gradually reduced to a plurality of predetermined values, or the number of times engine 20 can be started may be gradually reduced.

[0081] In the above description, the functions of the fraud-clearing determination unit 11a, the fraud-clearing count measurement unit 11b, the travel value control unit 11c, the index value measurement unit 11e, the diagnostic clear prohibition unit 11f, the restriction measure implementation unit 11g, and the second restriction measure implementation unit 11h according to the present invention are all provided in the engine ECU 11. However, these functions may be provided in another electronic control unit in the vehicle other than the engine ECU 11. Furthermore, these functions may be partially processed by another electronic control unit (for example, the meter ECU 12). In this case, information required for the processing may be transmitted and received between the electronic control units.

[0082] In addition to the contents described in the claims, the present disclosure also includes the following contents. [1] An electronic control device that transitions a state from an initial state to a predetermined state when an abnormality is detected in a monitored substance contained in exhaust gas of a vehicle, and implements a restriction measure when the state transitions from an initial state to a predetermined state, a fraud-clearing determination unit (11a) that determines that the fraud has been cleared on the condition that the same monitored substance is detected again while the vehicle's running value is less than a fraud-clearing determination running value after a diagnostic clear is executed to return the state to the initial state; an improper clear count counting unit (11b) that counts the number of times the improper clear has been determined as the number of improper clears; a travel value control unit (11c) that reduces the travel value until the restriction measure is implemented on the condition that the number of times of the fraudulent clearing reaches a predetermined first threshold; An electronic control device comprising:

[0083] [2] The mileage control unit is an electronic control device that gradually reduces the mileage as the number of times the fraudulent clearing increases [1].

[0084] [3] an index value measuring unit (11e) that measures an exhaust gas excess amount and / or an exhaust gas excess time as an exhaust gas index value; The driving value control unit is an electronic control device according to [1] or [2], which, when the exhaust gas index value increases, gradually reduces the driving value until the restriction measure is implemented.

[0085] [4] An electronic control device according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising a diagnostic clear prohibition unit (11f) that prevents the diagnostic clear command from being accepted when the number of times of unauthorized clearing reaches or exceeds a predetermined second threshold.

[0086] [5] Any of the electronic control devices [1] to [4], comprising a restriction measure implementation unit (11g) that, when the number of fraudulent clears becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold, immediately implements the restriction measure without reducing the mileage value until the restriction measure is implemented by the mileage value control unit.

[0087] [6] If the storage unit (11d) stores history information indicating that the fraud clearing determination unit has determined that the diagnostic clearing has been performed and the state has transitioned to the initial state after the diagnostic clearing has been performed, The electronic control device of any one of [1] to [5], wherein the fraud clear determination unit suspends the fraud clear determination until the next diagnostic clear.

[0088] [7] An electronic control device according to any one of [1] to [6], which, if a different monitored substance is detected after the diagnostic clear, retains the number of times of fraudulent clears measured by the fraudulent clear count measurement unit.

[0089] [8] Any of the electronic control devices [1] to [7], comprising a second restriction measure implementation unit (11h) that implements a second restriction measure that is stricter than the restriction measure when the number of times the unauthorized clears reaches or exceeds a predetermined fourth threshold that is set larger than the first threshold.

[0090] The techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer configured with a processor comprising one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers configured with a processor comprising one or more hardware logic circuits in combination with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions. Furthermore, a computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.

[0091] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the above-described embodiment, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment or the structure described in the embodiment. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] In the drawing, 11 indicates an engine ECU (electronic control unit), 12 indicates a meter ECU (electronic control unit), 11a indicates an illegal clearance determination unit, 11b indicates an illegal clearance count measurement unit, 11c indicates a driving value control unit, 11d indicates a memory unit, 11e indicates an index value measurement unit, 11f indicates a diagnostic clear prohibition unit, 11g indicates a restriction measure implementation unit, 11h indicates a second restriction measure implementation unit, and 12a indicates a driving value measurement unit.

Claims

1. An electronic control device that transitions a state from an initial state to a predetermined state when an abnormality is detected in a monitored substance contained in exhaust gas of a vehicle, and implements a restriction measure when the state transitions from an initial state to a predetermined state, a fraud-clearing determination unit (11a) that determines that the fraud has been cleared on the condition that the same monitored substance is detected again while the vehicle's running value is less than the fraud-clearing determination running value after a diagnostic clear that returns the state to the initial state is executed; a false clear count counting unit (11b) that counts the number of times the false clear is determined as the number of false clears; a travel value control unit (11c) that reduces the travel value until the restriction measure is implemented on the condition that the number of times of fraudulent clearing reaches a predetermined first threshold; An electronic control device comprising:

2. The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein the mileage control unit reduces the mileage value in stages as the number of times the fraud clearing attempt increases.

3. an index value measuring unit (11e) for measuring an exhaust gas excess amount and / or an exhaust gas excess time as an exhaust gas index value; 2. The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving value control unit reduces the driving value in stages until the restriction measure is implemented when the exhaust gas index value increases.

4. 2. The electronic control device according to claim 1, further comprising a diagnostic clear prohibition unit (11f) that does not accept the diagnostic clear command when the number of times of unauthorized clearing reaches or exceeds a predetermined second threshold value.

5. The electronic control device described in claim 1, further comprising a restriction measure implementation unit (11g) that, when the number of fraudulent clears becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold, immediately implements the restriction measure without reducing the travel value until the restriction measure is implemented by the travel value control unit.

6. When the storage unit (11d) stores history information indicating that the fraud clearing determination unit has determined that the diagnostic clearing has been performed and the state has transitioned to the initial state after the diagnostic clearing, The electronic control device according to claim 1 , wherein the fraud-clearing determination unit suspends the fraud-clearing determination until the next diagnostic clearing.

7. 2. The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein if a substance to be monitored other than the substance to be monitored is detected after the diagnostic clear, the number of times of fraudulent clear measured by the fraudulent clear count measuring unit is retained.

8. The electronic control device described in claim 1 is provided with a second restriction measure implementation unit (11h) that implements a second restriction measure that is stricter than the restriction measure when the number of times the fraudulent clears reaches or exceeds a predetermined fourth threshold that is set larger than the first threshold.

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