PROACTIVE VEHICLE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE BY USING DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC INFORMATION

• US 20100042287A1
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Howell, Mark N., Zhang, Yilu, Salman, Mutasim A., Chin, Yuen-Kwok, Lin, William C., Holland, Steven W., ZHANG, XIAODONG
• Application Number:
  US12/190,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042287A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A system and method for providing proactive vehicle system management and maintenance using diagnostic and prognostic information. Vehicle information is collected from vehicle sensors and/or sub-systems by an on-board module on the vehicle and/or at a remote facility where the information is wirelessly transmitted to the remote facility. The collected information is analyzed to determine the health of various systems, sub-systems and components so that the remaining useful life of the systems, sub-systems and components can be predicted. By utilizing the diagnostic and prognostic information, a vehicle control strategy can be reconfigured to minimize customer impact. Further, if a software problem is detected, temporary or permanent software fixes can be provided automatically and remotely through a remote service garage.

Claims

1. A proactive vehicle management and maintenance system that provides vehicle diagnosis and prognosis, said system comprising:

an on-board module on the vehicle that collects vehicle information from vehicle sensors and sub-systems;

a health monitoring processor that receives information from the on-board module and uses the information to determine the state of health of vehicle systems, sub-systems and components;

a remote service garage that receives diagnosis and prognosis information from the health monitoring processor and provides remote software updates to the vehicle; and

a reconfigurable control sub-system on the vehicle that reconfigures vehicle systems, sub-systems and components to mitigate a particular problem detected by the health monitoring processor.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the health monitoring processor is on the vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the health monitoring processor is at a remote location from the vehicle.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle and the health monitoring processor and the vehicle and the remote service garage are connected by a wireless communications link.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the wireless communications link between the vehicle and the health monitoring processor and the health monitoring processor and the remote service garage use satellite communications.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the reconfigurable control sub-system reduces the power drain on a vehicle battery by turning certain systems off if a problem with the battery state of charge is detected.

7. A proactive vehicle management and maintenance system comprising:

a plurality of vehicle sensors and sub-systems that collect information concerning various components and sub-systems on the vehicle;

an on-board module on the vehicle that collects vehicle diagnosis and prognosis information from the vehicle sensors and sub-systems; and

a remote facility that receives the collected information wirelessly from the vehicle, analyzes the collected information, and transmits a signal back to the vehicle to take certain actions to reduce or mitigate potential vehicle problems.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein the remote facility transmits programming information to the vehicle to change or revise algorithms on the vehicle to address a vehicle problem.

9. The system according to claim 7 wherein the remote facility sends signals to the vehicle to reconfigure certain vehicle components to reduce or mitigate a vehicle problem.

10. The system according to claim 7 wherein the remote facility reduces the power drain on a vehicle battery by turning certain systems off if a problem with the battery state of charge is detected.

11. The system according to claim 7 wherein the wireless link between the vehicle and the health monitor processor and remote facility use satellite communications.

12. A method for managing and maintaining vehicle systems, sub-systems and components from a remote location from a vehicle, said method comprising:

collecting information on the vehicle concerning the status of various vehicle sub-systems and components;

analyzing the collected information to determine whether a problem exists from the collected information;

transmitting the information to a remote facility if a vehicle problem is detected; and

transmitting signals from the remote facility to the vehicle that takes corrective or mitigating action to address the vehicle problem.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the remote facility sends signals to the vehicle to reprogram or update algorithms associated with the vehicle to address the vehicle problem.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the signals sent from the remote facility reconfigure certain vehicle systems to address the vehicle problem.