In-Vehicle ECU Diagnosis Interruption Notification Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing in-vehicle ECUs do not efficiently address diagnosis processing interruptions in driving units, leading to incomplete or interrupted diagnostic procedures.

Innovation Solution

An in-vehicle device with a control unit that detects inhibition events during diagnosis processing and outputs a detection result notification to the ECU, including a communication unit to notify the ECU of interruptions, allowing efficient countermeasures even when diagnosis processing is inhibited.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If diagnosis processing is performed continuously without interruption, then diagnostic completeness is improved, but system responsiveness to urgent events deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic completenessVSAvoidsystem responsiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The diagnosis processing is executed periodically at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. The control unit determines whether to execute diagnosis based on elapsed time since the last execution, allowing the system to balance diagnostic completeness with responsiveness to other events. This periodic execution prevents continuous processing from blocking other system operations while ensuring diagnostics are performed regularly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

2Measurement precision

If diagnosis processing is executed frequently, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but processing time and system load increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system determines in advance whether diagnosis processing should be executed by checking if the elapsed time has reached a predetermined threshold. This preliminary time-check action prevents unnecessary diagnosis executions and optimizes the balance between diagnostic accuracy and processing time consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If inhibition events are notified immediately, then system responsiveness is improved, but notification frequency increases causing communication overload

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification responsivenessVSAvoidnotification frequency

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple inhibition event notifications are merged into a single notification. When the same inhibition event occurs multiple times during diagnosis processing, the system counts the occurrences and only notifies the external device when the count reaches a predetermined threshold, thereby reducing notification frequency while maintaining system responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial notification by suppressing some redundant notifications. Instead of notifying every single inhibition event occurrence, the system selectively notifies only when the inhibition count reaches the threshold, reducing communication load while still providing timely awareness of persistent issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS12552334B2In-vehicle device, program, and information processing method

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS LTD

AI summary

An in-vehicle device is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and to provide with a driving unit, the device including: a control unit controlling the driving unit; and a communication unit for communicating with an in-vehicle ECU to be mounted on the vehicle, in which when an inhibition event for inhibiting diagnosis processing of the driving unit is detected at the time of performing the diagnosis processing, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the inhibition event is detected to the in-vehicle ECU through the communication unit.