Geographically locating malfunction sources for motor vehicles

• US 10,262,470 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Buchholz, Jan, Engel, Sebastian, Hohlstein, Bjorn
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US15/568,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20180165890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,067 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for geographically localizing triggers for malfunctions in a motor vehicle, wherein the malfunction of the motor vehicle is detected and an error entry describing the malfunction in an error memory of the motor vehicle is generated, and a geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle is detected and stored by a localization device of the motor vehicle pp(1). Subsequently, during an error diagnosis of the motor vehicle, the error entry from the error memory of the motor vehicle is read out by an analysis device located outside the motor vehicle and a trigger class (14) describing a trigger of the malfunction is received for the error entry. The geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle and the malfunction are stored in a corresponding digital map for the trigger class.

Claims

1. A method for geographically localizing triggers for malfunctions in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting, using a sensor of the motor vehicle, a malfunction of the motor vehicle in response to the motor vehicle being in a parking phase;

determining, using a localization device of the motor vehicle, a geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle based on the detecting the malfunction of the motor vehicle;

generating an error entry comprising the malfunction of the motor vehicle and the geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle;

storing the error entry in an error memory of the motor vehicle;

reading out the error entry from the error memory of the motor vehicle by an analysis device located outside the motor vehicle;

receiving a trigger class describing a trigger of the malfunction of the motor vehicle based on the error entry;

storing the geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle with the malfunction of the motor vehicle in a digital map associated with the trigger class; and

detecting a presence of a second trigger of the trigger class for an anticipated parking space for the motor vehicle based on the digital map.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting the malfunction of the motor vehicle is performed after the motor vehicle has been in the parking phase a predetermined minimum duration.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the trigger class is received by an operator of the analysis device via an input device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a parking intention is detected in the motor vehicle, and the presence of the second trigger of the trigger class is detected at a geo-position of the anticipated parking space in the digital map, and a notification is transmitted to the motor vehicle when the second trigger is present at the geo-position of the anticipated parking space.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the trigger class is a marten bite caused by a marten as the trigger of the malfunction of the motor vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein on a basis of a cluster analysis or behavioral data of martens in the digital map for the trigger class, a territorial boundary of a marten territory of the marten is determined, and the marten territory is marked as an area in which the trigger of the malfunction of the motor vehicle is present.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein an overlap area of two overlapping marten territories is determined in the digital map, and the overlap area is marked as an area in which a risk of a marten bite is greater than in an overlap-free marten territory.

8. A motor vehicle comprising:

a sensor configured to;

detect a malfunction of the motor vehicle in response to the motor vehicle being in a parking phase;

generate an error entry comprising the malfunction of the motor vehicle and a geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle; and

store the error entry in an error memory of the motor vehicle;

a localization device configured to;

determine the geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle based on the detecting the malfunction of the motor vehicle; and

an analysis device configured to;

receive a trigger class describing a trigger of the malfunction of the motor vehicle based on the error entry;

store the geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle with the malfunction of the motor vehicle in a digital map associated with the trigger class; and

detect a presence of a second trigger of the trigger class for an anticipated parking space for the motor vehicle based on the digital map.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the localization device is further configured to provide the geo-position (XY) of the motor vehicle in response to a request signal from the sensor.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the sensor is further configured to detect the malfunction of the motor vehicle after the motor vehicle has been in the parking phase a predetermined minimum duration.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the trigger class is a marten bite caused by a marten as the trigger of the malfunction of the motor vehicle.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein a parking intention is detected in the motor vehicle, and the presence of the second trigger of the trigger class is detected at a geo-position of the anticipated parking space in the digital map, and a notification is transmitted to the motor vehicle when the second trigger is present at the geo-position of the anticipated parking space.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein on a basis of a cluster analysis or behavioral data of martens in the digital map for the trigger class, a territorial boundary of a marten territory of the marten is determined, and the marten territory is marked as an area in which the trigger of the malfunction of the motor vehicle is present.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 13, wherein an overlap area of two overlapping marten territories is determined in the digital map, and the overlap area is marked as an area in which a risk of a marten bite is greater than in an overlap-free marten territory.