System and method for determining a performance characteristic of a vehicle component based upon temperature, load, road grade and time
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring the performance of a selected vehicle component taking into account a plurality of variables, comprising:
- a first sensor supported on the vehicle that detects a temperature of the selected vehicle component;
a second sensor supported on the vehicle that detects a load supported by the vehicle;
a third sensor that detects a grade of a road surface along which the vehicle is travelling; and
an electronic controller that communicates with each of the first, second and third sensors and determines a performance characteristic of the selected vehicle component based upon the detected temperature, load, and road surface grade and determines a rate of change of the characteristic relative to time and provides an output indicative of the rate of change.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for determining the performance characteristics of at least one selected vehicle component utilizes a plurality of variables and takes into account the interrelationship of those vehicles. Specifically, a detected temperature, load and road grade condition are utilized to determine a rate of change in a performance characteristic of a selected component relative to time. The rate of change information is provided to a vehicle operator on a real-time basis and stored in memory for later use by a service technician. Determining a performance characteristic based on a plurality of variables and storing information regarding that characteristic over time provides additional useful information to a service technician enabling the technician to more quickly and effectively diagnose potential problems with the vehicle components.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring the performance of a selected vehicle component taking into account a plurality of variables, comprising:
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a first sensor supported on the vehicle that detects a temperature of the selected vehicle component;
a second sensor supported on the vehicle that detects a load supported by the vehicle;
a third sensor that detects a grade of a road surface along which the vehicle is travelling; and
an electronic controller that communicates with each of the first, second and third sensors and determines a performance characteristic of the selected vehicle component based upon the detected temperature, load, and road surface grade and determines a rate of change of the characteristic relative to time and provides an output indicative of the rate of change. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of monitoring the performance of a selected vehicle component taking into account a plurality of variables, comprising the steps of:
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(A) detecting a temperature of the selected component;
(B) detecting a load supported by the vehicle;
(C) detecting a road grade at a current vehicle location;
(D) determining a performance characteristic of the selected component utilizing the detected temperature, load and road grade at the current vehicle location; and
(E) determining a rate of change of the performance characteristic relative to time. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification