Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Varsha K Sadekar

Donald K Grimm

Mark J Rychlinski

Wende Zhang

Gary W Gantt, Jr

Sarmad Y Hermiz

Bakhtiar Brian Litkouhi

Lyall Kenneth Winger

Joshua J Sanchez

Jakob Yonan

Chandra S Namuduri

Shuqing Zeng

Xinyu Du

Yilu Zhang

Shengbing Jiang

Dave G Rich

Raymond J Kiefer

Saad Hasan

Rajeev Vyas

Suresh Gopalakrishnan

Christopher Paul Urmson

Timothy J Talty

Paul Edward Krajewski

Andrew J MacDonald

Hariharan Krishnan

Steven W Holland

Carroll C Kellum

Robert A De Stefano

Oguz H Dagci

Markus Demmerle

William E Hamilton

Fausto Eleazar Vazquez Flores

Daniel J Bartz

Eric J Baur

YiChun Yan

A battery maintenance system includes an enclosure including a plurality of walls. A plurality of battery cells are located in the enclosure and surrounded by electrolyte. An electrolyte agitator such as a piezoelectric device is attached to at least one of the walls of the enclosure and is configured to selectively agitate the electrolyte.

Desulfation of lead acid batteries using electrolyte agitator

A first network device includes a transceiver, a memory and a control module. The transceiver receives an integrated model from a second network device that is separate from the first network device. The memory stores the integrated model and diagnostic trouble code data, most probable cause data, and least probable cause data, which have corresponding cause of issue indications for an issue of a vehicle. The control module while executing the integrated model: compares the cause of issue indications to determine whether the cause of issue indications are consistent such that a same cause of issue is indicated; in response to the cause of issue indications being consistent, displays the same cause of issue, and in response to the cause of issue indications being inconsistent and based on a set of conditions, displays a portion of health related information while refraining from displaying another portion of the health related information.

Selective health information reporting systems including integrated diagnostic models providing least and most possible cause information

A system and method of managing electrical energy consumption and generation of a vehicle. The method includes: determining a vehicle operation schedule for the vehicle, wherein the vehicle operation schedule includes one or more expected vehicle trips that each include a vehicle start location, a vehicle end location, and a time period; obtaining forecasted vehicle trip data based on the vehicle operation schedule; obtaining forecasted vehicle operation data pertaining to the vehicle operation schedule; determining a vehicle energy plan for the vehicle based on the forecasted vehicle trip data and the forecasted vehicle operation data; and causing the vehicle to carry out the vehicle energy plan during the vehicle operation schedule.

Vehicle energy management

A method and system of diagnosing and suggesting least probable faults for an exhibited vehicle failure. The method includes initiating a vehicle health management (VHM) algorithm to monitor a state of health (SOH) for at least one vehicle component at each vehicle operating event over a predetermined time period. The VHM algorithm determines at least one of a Green SOH, a Yellow SOH, and a Red SOH designation with a confidence level for the at least one vehicle component; calculating a number of Green SOH designations (N) over the predetermined time period; and upon an exhibited vehicle failure, providing a least probable cause indication for the at least one component when a set of conditions are met. The set of conditions includes (i) Nis equal to or greater than a predetermined number of Green SOH designations and (ii) no Yellow SOH and Red SOH designations are present.

Method of enhanced component failure diagnosis for suggesting least probable fault

A method of diagnosing a root cause for an exhibited vehicle failure, comprises initiating a vehicle health management (VHM) algorithm, repeatedly monitoring, at a specified time interval, the state of health (SOH) for at least one vehicle component, wherein the SOH for the at least one vehicle component is one of Green (normal operation), Yellow, and Red, calculating a number of consecutive Green SOH results for the at least one vehicle component, and providing an indication of likelihood that the at least one vehicle component is not a root cause of the exhibited vehicle failure based on the number of consecutive Green SOH results for the at least one vehicle component.

Enhanced system failure diagnosis

In an example, a battery control system is disclosed. The battery control system can include a plurality of batteries, a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The battery control system also includes a plurality of switches configured to connect a first battery of the plurality of batteries to and from the first terminal and the third terminal and to connect a second battery of the plurality of batteries to and from the second terminal and the third terminal. The battery control system also discloses a switch resistance modulation module configured to modulate a resistance of at least one switch of the plurality of switches between zero ohms and infinity ohms based on a battery parameter and a control signal.

System to modulate switch resistances within a battery system

A method and system for diagnosing battery system problems in a vehicle, where the method distinguishes between problems of various battery system components. More particularly, battery connection problems such as loose connections, corroded battery terminals, etc., may be distinguished from battery system problems as a whole. Load related readings that generally reflect the performance of the battery system during a cranking event and one or more non-load related readings may be gathered and used to determine whether there is a battery system problem and whether there is a battery specific problem. If load related readings and/or non-load related readings fail to indicate a battery specific problem, a battery connection problem may be diagnosed.

Method and system for diagnosing battery system problems

A vehicle including a cooling fan that is rotatably coupled to an electric motor that is electrically powered by a DC power source via an inverter is described. A method for controlling the cooling fan includes monitoring, via a first controller, a vehicle speed, and selecting a preferred operating state for the electric motor based upon the vehicle speed. The preferred operating state includes one of a first command associated with controlling the cooling fan to force air through the cooling system, a second command associated with a fan brake request, and a third command associated with an energy recovery mode. A discrete message from the first controller is communicated to an inverter controller, wherein the discrete message is based upon the preferred operating state for the electric motor. The inverter controller controls the inverter to control the electric motor in response to the discrete message.

Method and apparatus for controlling an electric motor of a cooling fan

An electrical system includes a direct current (DC) voltage bus, a power supply providing a supply voltage to the DC voltage bus, an electric machine connected to the power supply, a reverse current protection (RCP) circuit positioned between the power supply and the electric machine, the RCP circuit including an energy dissipating element, and a controller. As part of an associated method, the controller detects a reverse current condition in which a current flows from the electric machine toward the power supply when an induced voltage of the electric machine exceeds a voltage level of the voltage bus. The controller transmits a control signal to the RCP circuit to direct the electrical current through the energy dissipating element for a duration of the reverse current condition or for a predetermined duration equal to or greater than that of the reverse current condition.

Electrical system with reverse current protection circuit

Methods and systems for monitoring no start events for vehicles are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a vehicle includes an engine, a sensing unit, a processor, and a transmitter. The sensing unit is configured to measure one or more parameter values for a vehicle after a request has been made to start the engine. The processor is coupled to the sensing unit, and configured to determine when a no start event has occurred for the vehicle using the one or more parameter values. The transmitter is coupled to the processor, and is configured to transmit, to a remote server, a no start event history for the vehicle based on the determining by the processor.

No start event monitoring

A method and system are provided for controlling a vehicle capable of operating in a fuel economy mode in which fuel is conserved by limiting operation of an engine. The method includes obtaining forecast temperatures for one or more dates and comparing the forecast temperature for each date to a threshold temperature. The method further includes generating a control signal if the forecast temperature for a given date meets a predetermined condition relative to the threshold temperature. The control signal is configured to disable fuel economy mode of the vehicle. The method further includes disabling the fuel economy mode of the vehicle in response to receiving the control signal. By disabling fuel economy mode at selected temperatures, the method and system allow the vehicle to preserve a sufficient state of charge in the vehicle battery for cold starts.

Method and system for controlling a vehicle capable of operating in fuel economy mode

A system and method that provide a video-based vehicle navigation system. The system positions an arrow on the video display that shows the specific turning direction for the vehicle for route guidance purposes. To determine the proper position of the guidance arrow, the process determines a distance from the current vehicle position to the location where the vehicle needs to turn using any suitable information, such as GPS position, range measurements and map information. The process then positions the guidance arrow on the ground at the turning location in world coordinates, and projects the guidance arrow onto the image. The camera can be calibrated to the ground using various techniques, such as an online automatic calibration process that uses detected objects in the scene around the vehicle.

Visual guidance for vehicle navigation system

A collision avoidance system adapted for use with a vehicle, and a method of modifying a first warning assessment algorithm of the system to reduce false alerts caused by overpasses, and maintain sufficient warning distances are presented, wherein the system includes at least one sensor operable to detect an object location, a locator device operable to determine the current position coordinates of the vehicle, a map database presenting a plurality of overpass locations ahead of the vehicle, and an electronic control unit operable to execute a second algorithm, if the detected object location generally matches an overpass location, and in a preferred embodiment, a third algorithm, if the detected location does not match an overpass location, such that the third algorithm is executable over a shorter period than the second, and the second algorithm is executable over a shorter period than the first.

Collision avoidance system and method of detecting overpass locations using data fusion

A method for map-aided vision-based lane sensing. The method includes receiving map information corresponding to a current geographic position of a vehicle on a roadway. The map information includes the number of lanes on the roadway. Information about the number of lanes crossed by the vehicle on the roadway is received. It is determined which of the lanes on the roadway is currently occupied by the vehicle based on the map information and the number of lanes crossed by the vehicle on the roadway.

Map-aided vision-based lane sensing

A vehicle having an on-board computer, vehicle sensors, a satellite-positioning unit, a database storing a lane-level map performs a method to determine a new pose of the vehicle using map matching. The method includes the on-board computer of the vehicle receiving new data from at least one of the vehicle sensors and collecting measurements from the vehicle sensors. The method also includes the on-board computer of the vehicle computing propagation of vehicle pose with respect to consecutive time instances and performing a curve-fitting process. The method further includes the on-board computer of the vehicle performing a sub-routine of updating at least one observation model based on results of the curve-fitting process, performing a tracking sub-routine including using a probability distribution to update the vehicle pose in terms of data particles, and performing a particle filtering sub-routine based on the data particles to compute the new vehicle pose.

Growing community of inventors

Detroit, MI, United States of America

Varsha K Sadekar