System and method for optimizing vehicle settings

• US 10,017,186 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, Inc. (Robert Bosch GmbH), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, Inc. (Robert Bosch GmbH), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wittliff, William W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cass, Jean Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/974,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20160177846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/40 Altitude
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2432 Methods of calibration
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/28 Interface circuits

Abstract

An optimization system for a vehicle includes a dongle and a wireless device. The vehicle includes a diagnostic port and an electronic control unit (ECU) electrically connected to the diagnostic port. The ECU includes a memory storing vehicle setting data. The dongle is configured to connect with the diagnostic port to enable the dongle to establish a wired communication link with the ECU. The wireless device includes a memory storing program instructions and a processor configured to execute the program instructions to establish a wireless communication link between the ECU and the wireless device via the connected dongle, to determine location data representative of a location of the vehicle, to determine environmental condition data at the location of the vehicle, to receive the vehicle setting data from the ECU, and to generate optimized vehicle setting data using at least the vehicle setting data and the environmental condition data.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing vehicle settings of a vehicle using an optimization system, the optimization system including a dongle and a wireless device, and the vehicle including an engine, a diagnostic port, and an electronic control unit (ECU) electrically connected to the diagnostic port and including a memory storing vehicle setting data, the method comprising:

establishing a wired communication link between the ECU and the dongle by connecting the dongle to the diagnostic port;

establishing a wireless communication link between the ECU and the wireless device via the connected dongle;

determining location data representative of a location of the vehicle by wirelessly receiving signals representative of a location of the wireless device using the wireless device;

determining environmental condition data at the location of the vehicle using the wireless device, the environmental condition data including at least one of temperature data, altitude data, atmospheric pressure data, and relative humidity data;

sending the vehicle setting data from the ECU to the wireless device via the connected dongle by the wireless communication link;

generating optimized vehicle setting data with the wireless device using at least the sent vehicle setting data and the determined environmental condition data, the generated optimized vehicle setting data stored only in a memory of the wireless device;

sending the generated optimized vehicle setting data from the wireless device to the ECU via the connected dongle; and

changing the vehicle setting data stored in the memory of the vehicle to the sent optimized vehicle setting data with the ECU, such that the engine of the vehicle is operated with the sent optimized vehicle setting data,

wherein generating the optimized vehicle setting data comprises (i) processing the vehicle setting data with OBD software stored in a memory of the wireless device using a processor of the wireless device to determine at least one of engine timing setting data and fuel injector setting data, and (ii) optimizing at least one of the engine timing setting data and the fuel injector setting data,

wherein operating the ECU according to the optimized vehicle setting data comprises (i) controlling an ignition timing system of the engine of the vehicle according to the optimized engine timing setting data, and (ii) controlling at least one fuel injector of the engine according to the optimized fuel injector setting data, and

wherein prior to sending the generated optimized vehicle setting data from the wireless device to the ECU via the connected dongle, the generated optimized vehicle setting data are not stored in the memory of the vehicle.

2. The method of optimizing vehicle settings of claim 1, wherein determining the location data comprises:

receiving GPS data with a GPS receiver of the wireless device; and

processing the received GPS data with a processor of the wireless device to determine the location data, the location data including latitude data and longitude data.

3. The method of optimizing vehicle settings of claim 1, wherein generating the optimized vehicle setting data comprises:

processing the vehicle setting data, the environmental condition data, and an algorithm stored in a memory of the wireless device with a processor of the wireless device to generate the optimized vehicle setting data.

4. The method of optimizing vehicle settings of claim 3, wherein generating the optimized vehicle setting data comprises:

referencing look up tables stored in the memory of the wireless device with the processor of the wireless device.

5. The method of optimizing vehicle settings of claim 1, wherein generating optimized vehicle setting data comprises:

establishing a wireless communication link between the wireless device and a remote computer via a transceiver of the wireless device;

wirelessly sending at least the vehicle setting data and the environmental condition data to the remote computer from the wireless device with the transceiver;

generating the optimized vehicle setting data with the remote computer by processing at least the vehicle setting data and the environmental condition data; and

sending the generated optimized vehicle setting data from the remote computer to the transceiver of the wireless device.

6. The method of optimizing vehicle settings of claim 1, further comprising:

using the wireless device as a cellular phone.