METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ALERTING A DRIVER TO A CONDITION OF A VEHICLE

• US 20120029763A1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: HERING, CARL J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A system for alerting a driver to a condition of a vehicle is disclosed herein. The system includes, but is not limited to, a telematics unit that is mounted to the vehicle and that is configured to receive a fault notification from a subsystem on board the vehicle when a fault in the subsystem is detected. A call center is remotely located from the vehicle and is communicatively connected to the telematics unit. The telematics unit is configured to provide the fault notification to the call center. The call center is configured to initiate communication with the driver if the fault falls within a first category of faults and to set a trigger in the telematics unit to initiate contact with the call center upon a next ignition actuation of the vehicle if the fault falls within a second category of faults.

Claims

1. A system for alerting a driver to a condition of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a telematics unit mounted to the vehicle and configured to receive a fault notification from a subsystem on board the vehicle when a fault in the subsystem is detected; and

a call center remotely located from the vehicle and communicatively connected to the telematics unit,

wherein the telematics unit is configured to provide the fault notification to the call center, and

wherein the call center is configured to;

initiate communication with the driver if the fault falls within a first category of faults; and

set a trigger in the telematics unit to initiate contact with the call center upon a next ignition actuation of the vehicle if the fault falls within a second category of faults.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the call center is further configured to:

determine whether the fault has occurred again after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle when the fault falls within the second category of faults; and

initiate communication with the driver if the fault has occurred again after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle when the fault falls within the second category of faults.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the call center is further configured to cancel the trigger in the telematics unit if the fault has not occurred again after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle when the fault falls within the second category of faults.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the call center is configured to query the subsystem on board the vehicle to determine whether the fault occurred again after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the call center is further configured to determine whether the vehicle has provided a fault indication to the driver relating to the fault and to initiate communication with the driver if the vehicle has provided the fault indication to the driver.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the call center is further configured to determine whether the vehicle has provided the fault indication to the driver after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the call center is further configured to include an identification number in the trigger that relates to the fault and wherein the telematics unit is further configured to provide the identification number to the call center when the telematics unit initiates contact after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the subsystem on board the vehicle comprises a powertrain.

9. A system for alerting a driver to a condition of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle subsystem, a fault detection monitor configured to detect a fault in the vehicle subsystem, and a fault indicator communicatively connected to the fault detection monitor and configured to provide a fault indication to the driver upon a first occurrence of the fault if the fault falls within a first category of faults, and to provide the fault indication to the driver after multiple occurrences of the fault if the fault falls within a second category of faults, the system comprising:

a telematics unit mounted to the vehicle and configured to receive a fault notification from the fault detection monitor; and

a call center remotely located from the vehicle, the call center being communicatively coupled with the telematics unit,

wherein the telematics unit is configured to provide the fault notification to the call center when the telematics unit receives the fault notification from the fault detection monitor, and

wherein the call center is configured to;

determine whether the fault indication has been provided to the driver when the call center receives the fault notification from the telematics unit,

initiate communication with the driver if the fault indication has been provided to the driver, and

set a trigger in the telematics unit that will cause the telematics unit to initiate contact with the call center upon a next ignition actuation of the vehicle if the fault indication has not been provided to the driver.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the call center is further configured to:

determine whether the fault indication has been provided to the driver after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle; and

initiate communication with the driver if the fault indication has been provided to the driver after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the call center is further configured to cancel the trigger in the telematics unit if the fault indication has not been provided to the driver after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the call center is further configured to include an identification number in the trigger that relates to the fault and wherein the telematics unit is further configured to provide the identification number to the call center when the telematics unit initiates contact with the call center after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle subsystem comprises a powertrain.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the fault indicator comprises a malfunction indicator light.

15. A method for alerting a driver to a condition of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle subsystem, a fault detection monitor configured to detect a fault in the vehicle subsystem, and a fault indicator communicatively connected to the fault detection monitor and configured to provide a fault indication to the driver upon a first occurrence of the fault if the fault falls within a first category of faults, and to provide the fault indication to the driver after multiple occurrences of the fault if the fault falls within a second category of faults, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a fault notification at a telematics unit mounted to the vehicle;

providing the fault notification to a call center, the call center being remotely located from the vehicle;

determining whether the fault indication has been provided to the driver;

initiating communication between the call center and the driver if the fault indication has been provided to the driver; and

setting a trigger at the telematics unit if the fault indication has not been provided to the driver, the trigger being configured to prompt the telematics unit to contact the call center upon a next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

contacting the call center with the telematics unit after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle;

determining whether the fault indication has been provided to the driver after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle; and

initiating communication from the call center to the driver if the fault indication has been provided to the driver after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of cancelling the trigger after the next ignition actuation if the fault indication has not been provided to the driver.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

including an identification number in the trigger that relates to the fault; and

providing the identification number to the call center when the telematics unit contacts the call center after the next ignition actuation of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving the fault notification at the telematics unit comprises receiving the fault notification from the fault detection monitor.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining whether the fault indication has been provided to the driver comprises the call center querying the fault detection monitor.