METHOD FOR CONDITIONING ONE OR MORE ASPECTS OF A VEHICLE

• US 20110153140A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Datta, Reena L., Colville, Michael R., Kidston, Kevin S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

A method for conditioning one or more aspects of a vehicle, where a user may customize their vehicle by providing desired departure times and conditioning preferences so that the vehicle automatically wakes up, performs the requested conditioning, and is ready for operation by the requested departure time. Some examples of potential conditioning events include activating: a heated or cooled seat, a heated steering wheel, a heated engine block, a heated mirror, a cabin heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a heating or cooling element for a battery pack, a heating or cooling element for a battery charger, and a heating or cooling element for a fuel cell, to name a few.

Claims

1. A method for conditioning one or more aspects of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a departure time;

(b) sensing a vehicle condition;

(c) executing a conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the departure time and the vehicle condition to determine a conditioning start time; and

(d) conditioning one or more aspects of the vehicle at the conditioning start time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving the departure time from a user who provides the departure time via a user interface located in the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving the departure time from a user who provides the departure time via wireless communication with a communications module located in the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises sensing at least one vehicle condition selected from the group consisting of:

outside temperature, outside humidity, outside precipitation, cabin temperature, cabin humidity, component temperature, component settings, battery pack or fuel cell temperature, battery pack or fuel cell voltage, battery pack or fuel cell amperage, and engine temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving the departure time and a conditioning preference;

and step (c) further comprises executing the conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the departure time, the conditioning preference, and the vehicle condition to determine the conditioning start time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the conditioning preference and the vehicle condition to determine a conditioning duration, and then the conditioning algorithm subtracts the conditioning duration from the departure time to determine the conditioning start time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the conditioning algorithm inputs the conditioning preference and the vehicle condition into a look-up table which outputs a conditioning energy needed to condition the one or more aspects of the vehicle with a vehicle component, and the conditioning algorithm then divides the conditioning energy by a conditioning power for the vehicle component to determine the conditioning duration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving the departure time and a plurality of conditioning preferences;

step (c) further comprises executing the conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm determines a conditioning duration for the most onerous of the plurality of conditioning preferences, and uses the conditioning duration for the most onerous conditioning preference to determine a single conditioning start time; and

step (d) further comprises conditioning the one or more aspects of the vehicle at the single conditioning start time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving the departure time and a plurality of conditioning preferences;

step (c) further comprises executing the conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm determines a plurality of conditioning durations for the plurality of conditioning preferences, and uses the plurality of conditioning durations to determine a plurality of staggered conditioning start times; and

step (d) further comprises conditioning the one or more aspects of the vehicle at the plurality of staggered conditioning start times.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

waking up the vehicle and sensing a new vehicle condition at a conditioning check time that is before the conditioning start time, if the vehicle conditions differ by a certain degree then executing the conditioning algorithm again to determine a new conditioning start time, and if the vehicle conditions do not differ by a certain degree then keeping the initial conditioning start time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises conditioning the one or more aspects of the vehicle at the conditioning start time, and the conditioning start time is determined by using at least one of the following time sources:

global positioning system (GPS) time and code division multiple access (CDMA) time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises conditioning an aspect of the vehicle at the conditioning start time by activating at least one component selected from the group consisting of:

a heated or cooled seat, a heated steering wheel, a heated engine block, a heated mirror, a cabin HVAC system, a heating or cooling element for a battery pack, a heating or cooling element for a battery charger, and a heating or cooling element for a fuel cell.

13. A method for conditioning one or more aspects of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a departure time;

(b) receiving a conditioning preference;

(c) executing a conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the departure time and the conditioning preference to determined a conditioning start time; and

(d) conditioning one or more aspects of the vehicle at the conditioning start time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the step of sensing a vehicle condition;

and step (c) further comprises executing the conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the departure time, the conditioning preference, and the vehicle condition to determine the conditioning start time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle condition is selected from the group consisting of:

outside temperature, outside humidity, outside precipitation, cabin temperature, cabin humidity, component temperature, component settings, battery pack or fuel cell temperature, battery pack or fuel cell voltage, battery pack or fuel cell amperage, and engine temperature; and

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the conditioning preference and the vehicle condition to determine a conditioning duration, and then the conditioning algorithm subtracts the conditioning duration from the departure time to determine the conditioning start time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the conditioning algorithm inputs the conditioning preference and the vehicle condition into a look-up table which outputs a conditioning energy needed to condition the one or more aspects of the vehicle with a vehicle component, and the conditioning algorithm then divides the conditioning energy by a conditioning power for the vehicle component to determine the conditioning duration.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

waking up the vehicle and sensing a new vehicle condition at a conditioning check time that is before the conditioning start time, if the vehicle conditions differ by a certain degree then executing the conditioning algorithm again to determine a new conditioning start time, and if the vehicle conditions do not differ by a certain degree then keeping the initial conditioning start time.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein step (d) further comprises conditioning an aspect of the vehicle at the conditioning start time by activating at least one component selected from the group consisting of:

a heated or cooled seat, a heated steering wheel, a heated engine block, a heated mirror, a cabin HVAC system, a heating or cooling element for a battery pack, a heating or cooling element for a battery charger, and a heating or cooling element for a fuel cell.

20. A method for conditioning one or more aspects of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a departure time;

(b) receiving a conditioning preference;

(c) sensing a first vehicle condition;

(d) executing a conditioning algorithm, wherein the conditioning algorithm uses the conditioning preference and the first vehicle condition to determine a conditioning duration, and the conditioning algorithm uses the departure time and the conditioning duration to determine a conditioning start time;

(e) waking up the vehicle and sensing a second vehicle condition at some time before the conditioning start time, if the first and second vehicle conditions differ by a certain degree then executing the conditioning algorithm again to determine a new conditioning start time, and if the first and second vehicle conditions do not differ by a certain degree then keeping the initial conditioning start time; and

(f) conditioning one or more aspects of the vehicle at the conditioning start time.