METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MATCHING VEHICLE ECU PROGRAMMING TO CURRENT VEHICLE OPERATING CONDITIONS

• US 20170322907A1
• Filed: 07/21/2017
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: McQuade, Charles Michael, Hunt, Bryan, Mayer, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 10,289,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/02 the parameters being related to the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/50 said parameters being related to the vehicle or its components
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/70 said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2487 Methods for rewriting
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques for implementing vehicle ECU reprogramming, so the ECU programming, which plays a large role in vehicle performance characteristics, is tailored to current operational requirements, which may be different than the operational characteristics selected by the manufacturer when initially programming the vehicle ECU (or ECUs) with specific instruction sets, such as fuel maps. In one embodiment, a controller monitors the current operational characteristics of the vehicle, determines the current ECU programming, and determines if a different programming set would better suited to the current operating conditions. In the event that the current programming set should be replaced, the controller implements the ECU reprogramming. In a related embodiment, users are enabled to specify the ECU programming to change, such as changing speed limiter settings.

Claims

1. A system to deploy vehicle controller programming that controls at least one performance characteristic of a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one vehicle operational data generating component;

at least one bi-directional link;

at least one processor, the at least one processor directing functions to;

collect the vehicle operational data in real-time;

communicate the vehicle operational data via the bi-directional link;

receive an instruction to load different vehicle controller programming via the bi-directional link; and

change the programming of the vehicle controller to improve performance of the vehicle; and

an output device to alert the driver to temporarily halt the vehicle so reprogramming can be implemented while the vehicle is at rest.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor further directs functions to:

analyze the vehicle operational data in real-time to determine if updated programming of the vehicle controller would lead to improved performance;

determine that updated programming of the vehicle controller will improve the performance of the vehicle; and

request the updated programming, via the bi-directional link, based on determining that updated programming of the vehicle controller will improve the performance of the vehicle.

3. A system according to claim 1, comprising:

a non-transitory memory at the vehicle logically coupled to the at least one processor, the non-transitory memory including a plurality of different ECU programming sets, wherein the at least one processor further directs functions to;

analyze the vehicle operational data in real-time by;

for each different ECU programming set, using the collected vehicle operational data to determine at least one vehicle performance characteristic that would result in using that ECU programming set in light of current vehicle operational data;

comparing results from each ECU programming set to identify the different ECU programming set that improves vehicle performance based on predetermined parameters; and

determining if the current ECU programming set is the ECU programming set that that improves vehicle performance based on the predetermined parameters.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the non-transitory memory and the at least one processor are disposed at the vehicle.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor further directs functions to:

determine if different programming would lead to an increase in horsepower.

6. A system according to claim 1, comprising:

a user interface component at the vehicle that is logically coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor further directs functions to;

receive an input from the driver via the user interface component, the input permitting the reprogramming.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor further directs functions to:

receive an input from a user remote from the vehicle via the bi-directional link, the input defining an aspect of vehicle performance to be improved based on current vehicle operating conditions.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is part of a telematics device.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the telematics device comprises:

a position sensing component.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the bi-directional link includes a personal computer, a tablet, or a smart phone.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle operational data includes a mass of the vehicle, where the mass is calculated by:

determining a slope the vehicle is traveling over at a specific point in time based on the vehicle position data at that point in time; and

determining a mass of the vehicle at a specific point in time, based on the slope the vehicle is traveling over at that point in time, velocity data at that point in time, torque data at that point in time, and engine speed data at that point in time.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having machine instructions stored thereon for remotely monitoring operational data of a vehicle, and determining if different ECU programming would result in improved performance of the vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of:

analyzing the operational data of the vehicle to determine if different ECU programming would lead to improved performance;

when such reprogramming would result in improved performance;

communicating the different ECU programming to the vehicle via a bi-directional link; and

communicating an instruction to change current ECU programming of the vehicle controller to the different ECU programming to improve performance of the vehicle, the instruction causing;

automatic use of an output device to alert a driver of the vehicle to temporarily halt the vehicle so reprogramming can be implemented while the vehicle is at rest; and

after confirmation by the driver, a change of current ECU programming of the vehicle controller to the different ECU programming.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the operational data of the vehicle includes at least one of information from a vehicle-based sensor, information from a route the vehicle is traveling, information representing a load the vehicle is carrying.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle is enrolled in a vehicle/driver performance monitoring service.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle/driver performance monitoring service analyzes performance of the driver.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the bi-directional link includes a combination radio frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver.

17. A method to change current engine control unit (ECU) programming of a vehicle driven by a driver, the current ECU programming arranged to control vehicle performance in response to vehicle operating conditions, the method comprising:

while the driver is operating the vehicle, automatically collecting vehicle operational data that can be used to evaluate performance of the vehicle;

receiving, via a bi-directional link, an instruction to change the current ECU programming to different ECU programming that will lead to improved performance of the vehicle;

receiving, via the bi-directional link, the different ECU programming;

using an output device in the vehicle to automatically alert the driver to temporarily halt the vehicle so reprogramming can be implemented while the vehicle is at rest; and

changing the current ECU programming used by a vehicle controller to the different ECU programming to implement the improved performance of the vehicle after the driver has halted the vehicle.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the vehicle is enrolled in a vehicle performance monitoring service.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the instruction to change the current ECU programming to different ECU programming is based on the collected vehicle operational data.

20. A method according to claim 17, comprising:

storing the different ECU programming in a memory at the vehicle, the memory storing a plurality of different ECU programming sets.

21. A method according to claim 20, comprising:

enabling the driver to specifically select a particular one of the different ECU programming sets stored in the memory at the vehicle.

22. A method according to claim 17, wherein receiving via the bi-directional link includes receiving via a personal computer, receiving via a tablet, or receiving via a smart phone.