METHOD FOR TRIGGERING A VEHICLE SYSTEM MONITOR

• US 20150243109A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tseng, Fling, Makki, Imad Hassan, Jentz, Robert Roy, Dudar, Aed M., Filev, Dimitar Petrov, Michelini, John Ottavio
• Granted Patent: US 9,824,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for improving the frequency of attempting and successfully completing one or more on-board diagnostic routines. Engine operating conditions are predicted based on a vehicle operator'"'"'s driving pattern and routines are initiated if the predicted conditions match the conditions required for performing the routine. If the conditions do not match, entry and/or execution conditions of the routine are adjusted to better match the predicted conditions, so as to enable the routine to be attempted.

Claims

1. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

during vehicle operation, selectively initiating an on-board diagnostic routine based on predicted engine operating conditions, the prediction based on a learned driving pattern of a vehicle operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during vehicle operation includes during vehicle travel, and wherein selectively initiating based on predicted engine operating conditions includes selectively initiating based on the predicted engine operating conditions relative to one or more of entry and execution conditions of the diagnostic routine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selectively initiating includes,

if the predicted engine operating conditions match each of the entry and execution conditions of the diagnostic routine, initiating the diagnostic routine;

and

if the predicted engine operating conditions match one of the entry and execution conditions, delaying initiation of the diagnostic routine.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selectively initiation further includes temporarily adjusting the one of the entry and execution conditions to enable initiation of the diagnostic routine.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the temporarily adjusting is responsive to a change in ambient environment or a change in operator driving pattern.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the temporarily adjusting includes temporarily lowering a threshold of one or more parameters associated with the entry and/or execution conditions of the diagnostic routine while maintaining a threshold of remaining parameters associated with the entry and/or execution conditions of the diagnostic routine.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the learned driving pattern of the vehicle operator includes on one or more of frequent trip time patterns, habitual probability patterns, route based statistical profiles, and environmental attribute profiles.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein selectively initiating includes,

if the predicted engine operating conditions match one or none of the entry and execution conditions of the diagnostic routine,

estimating a difference between the predicted engine operating condition and a desired engine operating condition;

if the estimated difference is less than a threshold difference, initiating the diagnostic routine; and

if the estimated difference is more than the threshold difference, lowering a threshold of at least one parameter associated with the entry and/or execution conditions of the diagnostic routine before initiating the diagnostic routine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic routine is a routine with a higher abortion risk.

10. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

during vehicle travel, temporarily adjusting entry conditions for an on-board diagnostic routine based on predicted engine operating conditions, the prediction based on a learned driving pattern of a vehicle operator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein temporarily adjusting includes temporarily adjusting only during a first set of conditions, and not adjusting during a second set of conditions, the method further comprising adjusting execution conditions for the on-board diagnostic routine based on the predicted engine operating conditions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting entry conditions based on the predicted engine operating conditions includes adjusting based on the predicted engine operating conditions not matching the entry conditions of the routine, and wherein adjusting execution conditions based on the predicted engine operating conditions includes adjusting based on the predicted engine operating conditions not matching the execution conditions of the routine.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting includes temporarily lowering a threshold for at least one parameter associated with the unmatched entry or execution conditions of the diagnostic routine.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold for the at least one parameter is lowered until the predicted engine operating conditions meet the unmatched entry or execution conditions.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting includes,

determining individual membership values for each parameter associated with the routine based on the predicted engine operating conditions;

determining an aggregate membership value for the routine based a combination of each of the determined individual membership values;

comparing the aggregate membership value to a threshold value based on the entry and/or execution conditions of the routine; and

if the aggregate membership value is lower than the threshold value, lowering a threshold for at least one parameter of the diagnostic routine, the at least one parameter selected based on the individual membership value of the parameter, the lowering of the threshold also based on the individual membership value of the parameter.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, if the aggregate membership value is higher than the threshold value, intrusively initiating the diagnostic routine without adjusting the threshold for the at least one parameter even if the predicted engine operating conditions do not match the entry conditions or execution conditions of the routine.

17. A method for a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

during vehicle operation, in response to current engine operating conditions matching entry conditions for a diagnostic routine but predicted future engine operating conditions not matching execution conditions for the diagnostic routine, temporarily relaxing the execution conditions for the routine to enable completion of the diagnostic routine during vehicle operation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the temporarily relaxing includes temporarily lowering the threshold for at least one parameter of the execution conditions of the diagnostic routine.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the temporarily lowering includes lowering the threshold until the predicted engine operating conditions match the adjusted execution conditions;

and after the diagnostic routine is completed, resuming the unadjusted threshold.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one parameter is selected based on a difference between a state of a parameter in the predicted engine operating conditions and a state of the given parameter in the execution conditions being higher than a threshold difference.