A method for the quality assurance of exhaust gas behavior in a motor vehicle, particularly in a hybrid vehicle, includes monitoring an on-board-diagnosis function; providing a journey counter a diagnosis counter, and a nominal diagnosis frequency value; incrementing the journey counter following the beginning of a driving cycle; generating an actual diagnosis frequency value using a combination of the diagnosis counter and the drive counter; and establishing a difference between the nominal diagnosis frequency value and the actual diagnosis frequency value. If the difference falls short of a threshold: a control method is selected, which is designed to successfully complete a currently running OBD of the OBD function and to initiate and complete a non-running OBD. Following the completion of the OBD of the OBD function, the diagnosis counter is incremented and the motor control restored to an original motor control.

A method of diagnosing a fault of a timer for monitoring an engine off time is capable of accurately determining whether a timer that monitors an engine off time between a previous start off time and a next start on time of an engine has an error by using an engine coolant temperature, an engine oil temperature, a fuel tank pressure, a fuel tank temperature, and an outside air temperature.

Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing temperature sensors of a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, at a duration after an engine-off event, determining that an intake air temperature measured by an intake air temperature sensor of the vehicle is less than an ambient air temperature measured by an ambient air temperature sensor of the vehicle. In response to the determining, the method may include flowing air from a catalyst across the intake air temperature sensor; and indicating the intake air temperature sensor is functional responsive to the intake air temperature converging to the ambient air temperature during the flowing.

Diagnostic systems and methods for a surge valve that selectively bypasses a compressor of a turbocharger of an engine involve receiving, by a controller, a barometric pressure signal indicative of a barometric pressure external to the engine, receiving, by the controller, a throttle inlet pressure (TIP) signal indicative of an air pressure at an inlet of a throttle valve of the engine and downstream from the surge valve and the compressor, and performing, by the controller, a diagnostic technique on the surge valve, the diagnostic technique comprising generating a pressure ratio signal that is a ratio of the TIP signal to the barometric pressure signal, applying a high-pass filter to the pressure ratio signal to obtain a filtered pressure ratio signal, and based on a quantity of detected pulses in the filtered pressure ratio signal that exceed the diagnostic threshold, detecting a malfunction of the surge valve.

The disclosure relates to a watchdog for monitoring a processor. The watchdog sends messages to the processor which subsequently sends back its own status information and optionally the status information of system components and the test results thereof at predetermined times as answers to the watchdog. The watchdog comprises at least one result memory in the form of, e.g., a shift register in which the watchdog records the history of the answers and examines patterns in erroneous answers. The recording is generated by a trigger event which can be the reception of individual answers and/or the end of scheduled reception time periods. According to the patterns, signalizations are carried out on the processor and/or other system components, which optionally introduce measures and adapt their structure and/or the implemented programs and/or the priority of said implementations.

A method for operating a control unit of a motor vehicle including a function unit and a monitoring unit which have a communication connection to one another. In a first check, the function unit is checked for errors, an error of the function unit being inferred if an error counter reaches a threshold value, and the monitoring unit and the function unit exchange first data with one another. In the event of a correct exchange of the first data, a positive change of the error counter is carried out. Otherwise, a negative change of the error counter is carried out. In a second check, the monitoring unit and the function unit exchange second data with one another. In the event of an incorrect exchange of the second data, a negative change of the error counter and a negative change of the threshold value are carried out.

The disclosure relates to a watchdog for monitoring a processor. The watchdog sends messages to the processor which subsequently sends back its own status information and optionally the status information of system components and the test results thereof at predetermined times as answers to the watchdog. The watchdog comprises at least one result memory in the form of, e.g., a shift register in which the watchdog records the history of the answers and examines patterns in erroneous answers. The recording is generated by a trigger event which can be the reception of individual answers and/or the end of scheduled reception time periods. According to the patterns, signalizations are carried out on the processor and/or other system components, which optionally introduce measures and adapt their structure and/or the implemented programs and/or the priority of said implementations.

A control apparatus configured to control a power unit of a vehicle includes an electronic control unit configured to i) store a set of measurement values of at least one physical parameter representing a plurality of conditions of the power unit; ii) approximate the stored set of the measurement values, by mixed probability distribution, so as to obtain a first probability distribution of the measurement values representing a first condition, and a second probability distribution of the measurement values representing a second condition; iii) set a discrimination boundary between values representing the first condition and values representing the second condition, between mean values of the first probability distribution and the second probability distribution; and iv) control the power unit, according to a result of comparison between a measurement value and the discrimination boundary.

Various embodiments include a method for checking a calibration of a pressure sensor comprising: moving a piston toward a TDC in successive cycles; while the piston moves toward TDC, closing an inlet valve thereby adjusting a setpoint value of a fluid pressure; measuring the fluid pressure with the pressure sensor arranged downstream of the outlet valve; applying a measurement current to the electromagnet when the inlet valve is closed; while the piston moves away from TDC, detecting an opening position of the inlet valve on the basis of a predetermined change with respect to time of the measurement current at which an opening movement of the inlet valve begins; over multiple pump cycles, changing the setpoint value of the fluid pressure by a predetermined difference; checking whether the change in opening position satisfies a predetermined correspondence criterion; and if the criterion is met, generating a fault signal.

A valve controller and method for controlling a valve having a solenoid are disclosed, including receiving a least one input signal, detecting a first edge of the at least one signal and in response to the detection activating the valve. Activating the valve includes activating the valve in a rise-to-peak phase during which the valve is opened, a hold phase following the rise-to-peak phase during which the valve remains open and a current level of the valve is less than a current level of the valve during the rise-to-peak phase, and an ending-of-activation phase following the hold phase during which current ripple in the valve is less than the current ripple in the valve during the hold phase.