Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Douglas B Thornburg

David Jeffeory Berels

John William Schmotzer

Medville Jay Throop

Brian David Tillman

Brock Watters

William C Dierker

Sangeetha Sangameswaran

Jason Michael Miller

Praveen Kumar Yalavarty

Brett Stottlemyer

Richard Englert

Leighton Barnes

Nathan Gabrielli

A power distribution box (PDB) includes relays to connect a vehicle battery to corresponding electronic control units (ECUs) of a vehicle. A processor is programmed to instruct the PDB via a control interface to cause one of the relays to power a target ECU, send a sleep command over a vehicle bus to cause powered ECUs other than the target ECU to sleep, and install a software update to the target ECU.

Erase-replace OTA smart power strategy

A system includes at least one processor configured to, in response to receiving a VIN from a remote vehicle, transmit to the vehicle a parameter definition selected based on fields of the VIN to configure an ECU of the vehicle to enter a logging mode to capture, aggregate, and send operational data of the vehicle, and a bandwidth configuration file for a modem of the vehicle based on historical throughput requirements associated with operational data. The parameter definition may include a reporting application configured to be executed by a processor of the ECU to generate a processed parameter from a raw parameter associated with vehicle operation. Also, the parameter definition may include updated firmware for the ECU, and the reporting application is configured to be executed by the ECU after the updated firmware is installed in the ECU.

Efficient telematics data upload

An electric propulsion vehicle has a high voltage electric drive system and a low voltage electrical accessory system. A high voltage battery pack provides electrical power at a relatively higher voltage for a traction motor. A low voltage distribution system is routed within the vehicle carrying a relatively lower voltage for the accessory system. A molded battery enclosure contains the battery pack and extends between predetermined locations in the vehicle body/frame. The low voltage distribution system includes a bus bar retained in the enclosure and electrically isolated from the battery pack. The bus bar has exposed terminal ends accessible at the predetermined locations. Incorporating the low voltage bus bar into the high voltage battery enclosure reduces the packaging space for the low voltage distribution system while simultaneously strengthening the enclosure.

Low voltage bus bar in high voltage battery enclosure

A storage maintains energy estimates corresponding to function requests for vehicles. A processor of a server is programmed to receive a function request for a vehicle, and direct the vehicle to perform the function request responsive to determining, according to battery information received from the vehicle and an energy estimate corresponding to the function request, that the vehicle has sufficient energy to perform the function request.

Cloud-based connectivity energy budget manager

A vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) may control a vehicle subsystem and be configured to receive from a remote server via a vehicle telematics unit (TCU), a parameter definition of a processed parameter to be computed by the ECU; generate the processed parameter according to the parameter definition based on a raw parameter generated by the ECU; and send the processed parameter to a vehicle data buffer associated with the ECU for upload to the remote server via the TCU.

A central gateway of a vehicle includes a processor and a storage connected to a plurality of vehicle buses. The gateway receives raw data from an electronic control unit (ECU) via one of the vehicle buses, augments the raw data with availability, classification, and context information, publishes the raw data to a publish/subscribe topic hosted to the storage, and subscribes at least a second ECU of the vehicle to the topic. A database of the central gateway is accessed, according to a determined type of raw data received by a central gateway of a vehicle from an electronic control unit (ECU) via a vehicle bus, for augmenting the raw data with availability, classification, and context information. The augmented data is provided to a publish/subscribe topic hosted by the gateway for accessing over a communication network by a service external to the vehicle.

Enhanced central gateway for vehicle networking

A vehicle system includes multiple DC-DC converter circuits, vehicle batteries, and vehicle power distribution buses. Each vehicle battery is electrically connected in parallel to each of the DC-DC converter circuits. Each of the vehicle batteries is also electrically connected in parallel to one another. Further, each of the DC-DC converter circuits and each of the vehicle batteries are electrically connected to multiple vehicle power distribution buses.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Douglas B Thornburg