Method to prevent parasitic current drain of a vehicle battery

• US 10,606,256 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2018
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Halonen, Dean R., Head, Chans C., Leether, Cole E., Smith, Joshua D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US15/946,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20190310623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 11/00 Safety means for electric spark ignition, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• 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: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/002 in which a reserve is maintained in an energy source by disconnecting non-critical loads, e.g. maintaining a reserve of charge in a vehicle battery for starting an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A method to prevent parasitic current drain of a vehicle battery includes shutting off the vehicle ignition to initiate a power down sequence of electronic control units, and detecting an excessive current draw condition from the vehicle battery after the vehicle ignition is shut off for a predetermined period of time. After verifying that an excessive current draw condition exists by analyzing data collected from the vehicle, the method continues with powering up the electronic control units on a vehicle communications network and broadcasting a system state equals run, and broadcasting a system state equals off on the vehicle communications network after the electronic control units have reached steady state operation.

Claims

1. A method to prevent parasitic current drain of a vehicle battery comprising:

shutting off the vehicle ignition to initiate a power down sequence of electronic control units;

detecting an excessive current draw condition from the vehicle battery after the vehicle ignition is shut off for a predetermined period of time;

verifying the excessive current draw condition based on data collected from the vehicle following shutting off the vehicle ignition and expiration of the predetermined period of time; and

broadcasting a system state equals off on the vehicle communications network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting further comprises using an intelligent battery sensor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein verifying further comprises collecting data in a body control module from the intelligent battery sensor and sending the collected data to a remote office.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein verifying further comprises analyzing the collected data at the remote office to determine if remedial action software should be enabled by the remote office due to the excessive current draw condition.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising enabling the remedial action software on the vehicle from the remote office when it is verified that the excessive current draw condition exists.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein broadcasting further comprises resetting communications circuits of all electronic control units on the vehicle communications network and broadcasting system state equals off if the excessive current draw condition continues.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein broadcasting further comprising resetting the electronic control units on the vehicle communications network and broadcasting system state equals off if the excessive current condition continues.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing an alert to the vehicle operator that the vehicle should be serviced if the excessive current draw continues.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein providing an alert further comprises providing a text alert from the remote office when prior authorization to send such alerts has been obtained.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein providing an alert further comprises activating a battery service lamp.

11. A method to prevent parasitic current drain of a vehicle battery comprising:

shutting off the vehicle ignition to initiate a power down sequence of electronic control units;

detecting an excessive current draw condition from the vehicle battery after the vehicle ignition is shut off for a predetermined period of time;

verifying the excessive current draw condition based on data collected from the vehicle following shutting off the vehicle ignition and expiration of the predetermined period of time; and

broadcasting a system state equals off on the vehicle communications network after the electronic control units have reached steady state operation, and resetting communications circuits of all electronic control units on the vehicle communications network and broadcasting system state equals off if the excessive current draw condition continues, wherein broadcasting further includes resetting the electronic control units on the vehicle communications network and broadcasting system state equals off if the excessive current condition continues.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting further comprises using an intelligent battery sensor.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein verifying further comprises collecting data in a body control module from the intelligent battery sensor and sending the collected data to a remote office.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein verifying further comprises analyzing the collected data at the remote office to determine if remedial action software should be enabled by the remote office due to the excessive current draw condition.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising enabling the remedial action software to the vehicle from the remote office when it is verified that the excessive current draw condition exists.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing an alert to the vehicle operator that the vehicle should be serviced if the excessive current draw continues.

17. The method of claim 16 where providing an alert further comprises providing a text alert from the remote office when prior authorization to send text alerts from the remote office has been obtained.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein providing an alert further comprises activating a battery service lamp.