Methods of Examining Vehicle Electronic Systems in the Course of Automotive Forensic Expert Examinations

摘要

The objects of the article: to publish the results of the analysis of methodical ware, tools and software used by automotive expert witnesses when examining vehicle electronic systems in the course of forensic expert examination; to substantiate the required and sufficient set of diagnostic devices used in automotive forensic expert examinations of vehicles equipped with electronic control systems; to specify diagnostic techniques used while examining vehicles with electronic control systems to solve the questions set for automotive expert witnesses by judicial authorities. The urgency of this publication consists in the necessity of developing an algorithm of actions to be used by forensic expert witnesses while examining parameters of vehicle technical state, parameters of operational processes of assemblies and systems as well as diagnostic codes stored in the vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) memory. In this publication, we draw attention to the fact that information, which has been set forth in technical literature, study materials, and publications over recent years, does not contain specific guidelines on how to organize the work of automotive forensic expert witnesses. The scientific novelty of this publication consists in that it suggests general techniques for an expert's operation with diagnosis reports made as a result of using electronic diagnostic systems, inspection lines and specialized test benches to solve specific tasks, such as determining hidden causes of failures of separate vehicle units based on the data on malfunctions of other mechanisms and systems recorded by electronic units; determining defect (failure) location in vehicle electronic control systems in cases when there is no diagnostic code or the diagnostic code does not indicate a specific type of failure.