Motor vehicle performance monitoring system and method

• US 8,862,347 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Wilson, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US12/414,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 477/54, 477/168, 477/181, 701/104, 701/103, 701/54, 701/56
• US Class Current: 701/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0026 Lookup tables or parameter maps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/1004 Estimation of the output torque
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/05 by combined monitoring of two or more different engine parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A vehicle performance system and method for determining and displaying vehicle performance data includes a display device in communication with a transmission controller, an engine controller, and a plurality of vehicle condition sensors. The transmission controller calculates vehicle performance data from data signals sent by the plurality of vehicle condition sensors and from stored performance maps. The display device communicates the vehicle performance data to a user of the vehicle performance system.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring performance data for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

sensing a speed of an engine in the motor vehicle using an engine speed sensor;

determining an engine torque from a torque converter stall performance map stored in a controller of the motor vehicle, wherein the torque converter stall performance map includes engine torque plotted versus vehicle speed for a plurality of gear ratios;

determining an engine horsepower based on the sensed speed of the engine and the engine torque;

sensing a position of an engine throttle of the engine from a range of engine throttle positions using a throttle position sensor;

sensing a fuel consumption rate of the engine using a fuel flow sensor;

displaying the engine horsepower, the position of the engine throttle, the speed of the engine, and the fuel consumption rate in real time during operation of the motor vehicle; and

diagnosing an engine performance based on the displayed engine horsepower, the position of the engine throttle, the speed of the engine, and the fuel consumption rate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the engine torque further comprises determining the engine torque from torque converter performance data from the torque converter stall performance map during a stall condition.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the stall condition exists when a turbine of a torque converter cannot rotate and the motor vehicle is prevented from moving due to application of a brake.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising applying torque to a pump of the torque converter when a transmission of the motor vehicle is in a forward gear during the stall condition.