WO2011007067A1

WO2011007067A1 - Device for remotely diagnosing an automobile

Info

Publication number: WO2011007067A1
Application number: PCT/FR2010/051265
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raphaël DRAP
Original assignee: Peugeot Citroën Automobiles SA
Priority date: 2009-07-16
Filing date: 2010-06-22
Publication date: 2011-01-20
Also published as: FR2948208B1; BRPI1010123A2; CN102687086A; FR2948208A1; EP2454640A1; CN102687086B

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aid device (100) for remotely diagnosing an automobile, characterized in that the identification table (15) of a storage means (13) comprises a list of codes defining the types of authorized requests for the remote diagnosis and, for each of said codes defining a type of authorized request, a set of computer identification codes. The invention can be immediately used in the field of automobiles.

Description

REMOTE DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE FOR VEHICLE

AUTOMOBILE.

The present invention relates to a remote diagnostic device for a motor vehicle.

The invention relates more particularly to a device for remote diagnostics of a motor vehicle for diagnosing the origin of electronic failures or failures of the vehicle by means of information delivered by computers on board the motor vehicle.

The field of the invention is that of the diagnosis of failures, failures or defects of the components fitted to motor vehicles, such as sensors, computers such as for example engine control computers, cockpit or system of anti-lock wheels.

For the sake of simplicity, we will employ indifferently in the remainder of this application the terms of failure, failure or fault.

The continuous growth of this embedded electronics generates increasing complexity in the detection of breakdowns in after-sales service, during the maintenance of the vehicle and requires sophisticated means of troubleshooting such as diagnostic tools.

These diagnostic tools make it possible, in particular, to read information from the computers from the vehicle or to drive one or more actuators in a defined frame in order to check its correct operation or to perform, for example, an operation for updating the parameters of the computers. .

When the vehicle breaks down, away from a garage equipped with diagnostic tools, the convenience store moving to the vehicle is generally not equipped with a diagnostic tool corresponding to the type of vehicle. vehicle for a cost issue. The troubleshooter must then rely on a simplified diagnosis made by a help desk for failures of electronic type.

Indeed, some vehicles are equipped with a remote diagnostic system, also called remote diagnosis, to contact the car manufacturer's support center for example the pressure on a call button assistance located in the cockpit.

The assistance center operator then inquires about the problem and then establishes a remote diagnosis, by interrogating the on-board computers on the vehicle, from his workstation.

To carry out a remote diagnosis, the assistance center operator can send requests from his workstation formed by a succession of standardized codes, specified in particular by the ISO 14230 and ISO 14229 standards. The request is generally constituted by a identification code of the computer to be diagnosed, a code defining the type of request to be made on the computer, such as the "read" request for example, and a parameter code specifying the parameter targeted by the request.

For this purpose, the operator of the assistance center has a set of predefined requests during the design of the vehicle and saved in a storage means embedded in the vehicle.

However, for example when updating the calculator software or when modifying an after-sales computer, the assistance center operator may be unable to make a request. diagnostics on certain parameters of computers updated, the coding of these new parameters not being predefined in the vehicle storage means. This type of on-board coding can not be modified remotely certainly ensures optimum security for the vehicle, but may block the freedom of action of the operator and the accuracy of remote diagnosis for example an expert intervention of an operator.

Conversely, if the embedded requests are left free for the remote user, it can trigger a potentially dangerous action.

In this context, the invention aims to provide a remote diagnostic device for a motor vehicle to address the stated problems and allowing great freedom of use of remote diagnosis while ensuring optimum safety for the vehicle.

To this end, the invention proposes a remote diagnostic assistance device for a motor vehicle comprising:

a plurality of onboard computers;

a diagnostic computer capable of acquiring data from said computers;

means capable of establishing a remote communication enabling said vehicle to receive a plurality of requests sent by a remote diagnostic establishment center, each of said requests being defined by:

i. a first identification code of a computer to be diagnosed;

ii. a second code defining the type of request to be applied to said calculator to be diagnosed;

iii. a third code specifying the parameter of said calculator referred to by said request;

storage means associated with said diagnostic calculator keeping in memory an identification table allowing said calculator to diagnosing authorizing the execution of said requests sent by said diagnostic establishment center; said device being characterized in that said identification table comprises:

a list of said second codes defining the types of requests authorized for remote diagnosis;

for each of said second codes defining an authorized request type, a set of computer identification codes.

In addition to the main features that have just been mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the remote diagnostic assistance device for a motor vehicle may have one or more additional characteristics below, considered individually or in any technically possible combination:

said identification table comprises, for each of said second codes defining an authorized request type, a set of codes specifying the parameters of said computers targeted by said request;

said diagnostic computer comprises means for detecting a diagnostic request transmission from said diagnostic establishment center;

said diagnostic computer comprises means for sending, to said computers, detection information corresponding to the diagnostic request issued by said diagnostic establishment center;

said diagnostic computer is capable of acquiring functional data delivered by sensors embedded in said vehicle;

said means capable of establishing a remote communication exchange information with said diagnostic establishment center via a wireless network; said wireless network is a GSM network or a WiFi wireless local network.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle characterized in that it comprises a remote diagnostic assistance device for a motor vehicle according to the invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the description of an exemplary embodiment, illustrated by the single figure which is a block diagram of a remote diagnostic device for a motor vehicle according to the invention.

For the sake of simplicity, we will use indifferently in the remainder of this application the terms of remote diagnosis and remote diagnosis.

The device 100 for assisting remote diagnostics for a motor vehicle comprises:

a network 14 of computers 16, 17 on board the vehicle 20 communicating with a plurality of sensors (not shown) of the vehicle 20;

a remote diagnostic computer 12 making it possible to acquire data from computers 16, 17 as a function of a request generated by remote diagnostics;

means 13 for storing data associated with the remote diagnosis calculator 12 comprising an identification table 15 listing the requests authorized by remote diagnostics;

- Communication means 11 for remote communication with a support center 200.

The computer network 14 comprises, for example, a plurality of computers, two of which are designated by the references 16 and 17. The computers 16 and 17 are connected to the remote diagnostic computer 12 by a multiplexed information transmission network, such as for example a type network. CAN (Controller area network in English). The assistance center 200 also comprises communication means 31 for exchanging information with the vehicle 20. Thus, an operator 33 can receive a diagnostic request from the vehicle 20, from his work station 32, and formulate instructions. queries to establish a diagnosis of the origin of the vehicle failure or failure. The exchange of information and commands, between the assistance center and the vehicle, is achieved via a Wi-Fi or GSM-type wireless network.

The remote diagnosis calculator 12 initially detects the initialization of a communication session with the remote operator 33 and centralizes in a second time the information of the onboard computers 16, 17.

For this, the remote diagnosis calculator 12 comprises;

the storage means 13 of the identification table 15 comprising all the codes constituting the requests that can be used during a remote communication session with the operator 33;

detection means 18 for launching a remote diagnostic operation, by detecting a remote communication request;

transmission means 19 on the multiplex network intended for the other computers 16, 17, of the detection information corresponding to the telediagnosis request of the operator 33.

The requests are formulated according to a frame formed by a succession of standardized codes, specified in particular by the ISO 14230 and ISO 14229 standards.

Thus, a diagnostic request includes in a standardized way:

a first identification code of the onboard computer to be diagnosed, for example of the "OxFFF" type;

a second code defining the type of request to be applied to the calculator referred to by the first code, by example of type "0x21" for a read request;

a third code specifying the computer parameter targeted by the first code, the third code may for example be of the type "OxFF".

According to the invention, the identification table 15 of the remote diagnostic computer 12 of the vehicle 20 specifies, for the lifetime of the vehicle, the codes corresponding to the type of requests authorized by remote diagnosis.

For this purpose, the identification table 15 only includes requests that are not likely to create a risk for the users of the vehicle, such as queries of the "read by identifier" or "fault reading" type, which allows to not allow requests of the type "reset" remotely.

Since these requests, of the "reset" type, are not present in the identification table 15 of the diagnostic computer 12, the remote diagnostic computer 12 can not execute requests that are not identified by the identification table, the establishment of a remote diagnostic request of this type then remains without result.

Thus, the security of the vehicle is increased and the risk of remote hacking of the vehicle is low.

For each code designating a type of request, for example the code "0x21" corresponding to the read request by identifier, the identification table 15 associates a set of computer identification codes and a set of code specifying the parameters of the codes. targeted calculators. The table illustrated in the single figure shows an embodiment of the identification table 15.

According to the invention, the identifier and the parameter of the computer to be diagnosed are left free over a given range defined by the car manufacturer. The device 100 comprising an identification table 15, as detailed above, allows to leave a freedom of action to an expert operator during the remote diagnostic allowing him to formulate a specific request, not initially provided during the design of the vehicle, any guaranteeing an optimum level of security by the impossibility of requesting a request that would be dangerous for the vehicle as well as for the user.

Thus, when updating the on-board computers 16, 17, for example by modifying the version of a software, the device 100, according to the invention, makes it possible to dispense with the update of the computer 12 remote diagnosis.

For example, during the design of the vehicle, the software version of the computer corresponding for example to the code "OxFFF" allows access to the parameters defined by the codes "0x12", "0x13", "0x14". Following the update of the software version of the same computer, new parameters are available, for example in reading, such as the parameters defined by the codes "0x15" and "0x16".

Thus, the expert operator 33 can use the remote diagnosis service to freely formulate a request on one of the new parameters of the updated computer, or on an onboard computer not present during the design of the remote diagnosis calculator, without updating. of the calculator 12 remote diagnosis.

The security of the vehicle is ensured because an operator can not remotely execute unplanned types of requests initially validated by the car manufacturer.

Other advantages of the invention include the following:

- freedom of diagnosis in the use of remote diagnosis; - optimum security guarantees against hacking and operator manipulation errors;

- possibility of formulating a specific request not originally planned;

- Reduction of design costs of the remote diagnosis computer, the remote diagnostic calculator can be used in various motor vehicles.

Claims

Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle comprising:

a plurality of computers (16, 17) on board a diagnostic computer (12) adapted to acquire data from said computers (16, 17);

means (11) capable of establishing a remote communication enabling said vehicle (20) to receive a plurality of requests sent by a remote diagnostic establishment center (200), each of said requests being defined by:

i. a first identification code of a computer (16, 17) to be diagnosed; ii. a second code defining the type of request to be applied to said calculator (16, 17) to be diagnosed;

iii. a third code specifying the parameter of said calculator (16, 17) targeted by said request; storage means (13) associated with said diagnostic computer (12) keeping in memory an identification table (15) enabling said diagnostic computer (12) to authorize the execution of said requests sent by said center of diagnosis; diagnostic facility (200);

said device (100) being characterized in that said identification table (15) comprises:

2. Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to claim 1 characterized in that said identification table (15) comprises, for each of said second codes defining an authorized type of request, a set of codes specifying the parameters of said calculators covered by said request.

3. Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 2 characterized in that said diagnostic computer (12) comprises means (18) for detecting a request transmission diagnosis of said diagnostic establishment center (200).

4. Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that said diagnostic computer (12) comprises means (19) for transmission to said calculators , a detection information corresponding to the diagnostic request issued by said diagnostic establishment center (200).

5. Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that said diagnostic computer (12) is able to acquire functional data delivered by sensors embedded in said vehicle (20).

6. Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that said means (11) capable of establishing a remote communication exchange information with said center of establishment diagnostics (200) via a wireless network.

7. Device (100) for remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to claim 6 characterized in that said wireless network is a GSM network or wireless LAN wireless type.

8. Motor vehicle (20) characterized in that it comprises a device (100) remote diagnostic assistance for a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 7.