VIN Storage ECU Diagnostic Erasure Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of vehicle systems with multiple ECUs poses a risk that diagnostic information may not be properly erased during VIN writing, failing to comply with regulations like CARB OBD2, which requires synchronized erasure of diagnostic information across all relevant ECUs.
Innovation Solution
A failure diagnosis system that includes a VIN storage ECU and other ECUs, where the VIN storage ECU provisionally registers the VIN and definitively registers it upon receiving an erasure request, while simultaneously requesting other ECUs to erase their diagnostic information, ensuring all diagnostic information is reset to initial values before VIN writing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of ECUs in the vehicle system increases to support multi-functions, then the versatility and functionality of the vehicle system is improved, but the complexity of managing and coordinating diagnostic information erasure across multiple ECUs increases, leading to potential compliance failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a master ECU as an intermediary that receives VIN write requests and coordinates the erasure process across multiple ECUs. The master ECU acts as a central controller that manages the complex coordination task, receiving the VIN write request and subsequently sending erasure requests to relevant ECUs, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining compliance with CARB OBD2 regulations
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification of ECUs that need to have their diagnostic information erased before the actual VIN write operation. The master ECU determines which ECUs contain diagnostic information that requires erasure in advance, ensuring that all necessary erasure operations are coordinated and executed properly before the VIN writing process begins
2Ease of operation
If diagnostic information erasure is performed only in the ECU that retains the VIN, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of regulatory compliance deteriorates because other ECUs may retain diagnostic information that should be erased
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the master ECU receives information about which ECUs contain diagnostic information and uses this feedback to determine which ECUs need to have their diagnostic information erased. This feedback loop ensures that all relevant ECUs are identified and their diagnostic information is properly erased, maintaining compliance with CARB OBD2 regulations while keeping the operation simple for the user
3Reliability
If the system waits for an erasure request to be sent to all ECUs before writing the VIN, then the reliability of compliance is improved, but the productivity of the VIN writing process deteriorates due to increased processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification and preparation of all ECUs that need to have their diagnostic information erased before the VIN write operation begins. The master ECU determines which ECUs require erasure in advance and prepares the coordination plan, allowing the actual VIN writing and erasure operations to proceed efficiently without delays during the critical writing phase
Data Source
AI summary
A failure diagnosis system that erases diagnostic information applied to a vehicle that includes an ECU for that stores a vehicle identification number (VIN) and diagnostic information (hereinafter, referred to as “VIN storage ECU”), and an ECU that does not store the vehicle identification number but stores the diagnostic information (hereinafter, referred to as “other ECU”) is characterized by being constructed so as to erase the diagnostic information stored in the VIN storage ECU and also erase the diagnostic information stored in the other ECU in connection with the writing of the vehicle identification number stored in the VIN storage ECU.