US 11,772,475 B2
Method for inspecting and for maintaining an automotive vehicle
Jean-Luc Boyer, Tournefeuille (FR); and Jacques Rocher, Saint Orens de Gameville (FR)
Assigned to VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH, Regensburg (DE)
Appl. No. 16/332,432
Filed by Continental Automotive France, Toulouse (FR); and Continental Automotive GmbH, Hannover (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 11, 2017, PCT No. PCT/FR2017/052400
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 12, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/050992, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 22, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 1658587 (FR), filed on Sep. 14, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0206253 A1, Jul. 8, 2021
Int. Cl. B60K 5/12 (2006.01); G05B 19/33 (2006.01)
CPC B60K 5/12 (2013.01) [G05B 19/33 (2013.01); G05B 2219/42237 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for inspecting and maintaining a motor vehicle including at least one actuator controlled by at least one electronic computer, the electronic computer including a memory, a microcontroller, a power module, a first communication and control bus, a connector, the microcontroller being designed to control the actuator using the power module on the basis of a given strategy, and a supervision means able to be coupled to the connector via a connecting cable so as to logically access the electronic computer, the method comprising:
a) coupling the supervision means to the electronic computer by way of the connector,
b) interrogating the computer using the supervision means and displaying a state of the motor vehicle, if an anomaly is present on at least one actuator and is communicated by the electronic computer to the supervision means, then the method further comprises:
c) identifying a defective actuator,
d) launching a test campaign comprising:
1) reading predefined values corresponding to the defective actuator from the memory, wherein the predefined values recorded in the memory correspond at least to a first value of a first frequency of the control signal and a second value of a second frequency of the control signal,
2) applying a control signal with the predefined values read from the memory to the actuator,
3) measuring actuation parameters of the actuator in response to the application of the control signal,
4) analyzing the actuation parameters of the actuator in response to the application of the control signal,
e) when the actuation parameters of the actuator in response to the application of the control signal with the predefined values are outside an acceptable range, proposing new values for the control signal,
f) applying the control signal with the new values to the actuator,
g) measuring and analyzing the actuation parameters in response to the application of the control signal with the new values, and
h) when the analysis of the actuation parameters of the actuator in response to the application of the control signal with the new values are within the acceptable range, recording the new control parameters in the electronic computer for subsequent control of the actuator by the electronic computer.