Telematics unit and method for controlling telematics unit for a vehicle

• US 8,604,937 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Owens, Kevin W., McGarry, Daniel C., Peariso, Nicholas J., Krause, Kevin R., Patenaude, Russell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/845,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/438, 340/636.15, 701/1
• US Class Current: 340/636.15
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A telematics unit is provided for a vehicle having a power unit, along with a method for controlling a telematics unit for a vehicle. The telematics unit includes a voltage sensor, a global positioning system unit, and a processor. The voltage sensor senses a measure of a voltage of the power unit. The global positioning system unit obtains position data as to a position of the vehicle. The processor is coupled to the voltage sensor and the global positioning system unit. The processor is configured to determine whether the voltage for the power unit has decreased using the sensed measure of the voltage, determine whether the vehicle is moving using the position data, and command the telematics unit to an off mode if the voltage has decreased and the vehicle is not moving.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a telematics unit for a vehicle having a power unit, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a voltage for the power unit has decreased;

determining whether the vehicle is moving; and

commanding the telematics unit to an off mode if the voltage has decreased, provided further that the vehicle is not moving.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

sensing a measure of the voltage via a voltage sensor of the telematics unit;

wherein the step of determining whether the voltage has decreased comprises the step of determining whether the voltage has decreased using the sensed measure of the voltage.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

obtaining position data as to a position of the vehicle via a global positioning system unit of the telematics unit;

wherein the step of determining whether the vehicle is moving comprises the step of determining whether the vehicle is moving using the position data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of determining whether the voltage has decreased comprises the step of determining whether the voltage has decreased by at least a predetermined magnitude; and

the step of commanding the telematics unit to the off mode comprises the step of commanding the telematics unit to the off mode if the voltage has decreased by at least the predetermined magnitude and the vehicle is not moving.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of determining whether the voltage has decreased comprises the step of determining whether the voltage has decreased by at least a predetermined percentage; and

the step of commanding the telematics unit to the off mode comprises the step of commanding the telematics unit to the off mode if the voltage has decreased by at least the predetermined percentage and the vehicle is not moving.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of determining whether the vehicle is moving comprises the step of determining whether a velocity of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined velocity threshold for longer than a predetermined amount of time; and

the step of commanding the telematics unit to the off mode comprises the step of commanding the telematics unit to the off mode if the voltage has decreased and the velocity has not been greater than the predetermined velocity threshold for longer than the predetermined amount of time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining the telematics unit in an on mode when the voltage has not decreased, regardless of whether the vehicle is moving.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the voltage has increased; and

commanding the telematics unit to an on mode if the voltage has increased.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of determining whether the voltage has increased comprises the step of determining whether the voltage has increased by at least a predetermined magnitude; and

the step of commanding the telematics unit to the on mode comprises the step of commanding the telematics unit to the on mode if the voltage has increased by at least the predetermined magnitude.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the step of determining whether the voltage has increased comprises the step of determining whether the voltage has increased by at least a predetermined percentage; and

the step of commanding the telematics unit to the on mode comprises the step of commanding the telematics unit to the on mode if the voltage has increased by at least the predetermined percentage.

11. A method for controlling a telematics unit for a vehicle having a power unit, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing a measure of a voltage of the power unit;

detecting a measure of movement of the vehicle;

commanding the telematics unit to an off mode if the voltage has decreased by at least a first predetermined voltage amount and the vehicle is moving at least at a predetermined velocity for at least a predetermined amount of time as determined using the sensed measure of the voltage and the detected measure of movement; and

commanding the telematics unit to an on mode if the voltage has increased by at least a second predetermined voltage amount as determined using the sensed measure of the voltage.

12. A telematics unit for a vehicle having a power unit, the telematics unit comprising:

a voltage sensor configured to sense a measure of a voltage of the power unit;

a global positioning system unit configured to obtain position data as to a position of the vehicle; and

a processor coupled to the voltage sensor and the global positioning system unit and configured to;

determine whether the voltage for the power unit has decreased using the sensed measure of the voltage;

determine whether the vehicle is moving using the position data; and

command the telematics unit to an off mode if the voltage has decreased, provided further that the vehicle is not moving.

13. The telematics unit of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the voltage has decreased by at least a predetermined magnitude; and

command the telematics unit to the off mode if the voltage has decreased by at least the predetermined magnitude and the vehicle is not moving.

14. The telematics unit of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the voltage has decreased by at least a predetermined percentage; and

command the telematics unit to the off mode if the voltage has decreased by at least the predetermined percentage and the vehicle is not moving.

15. The telematics unit of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a velocity of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined velocity threshold for shorter than a predetermined amount of time; and

command the telematics unit to the on mode if the voltage has fluctuated and the velocity is greater than the predetermined velocity threshold for longer than the predetermined amount of time.

16. The telematics unit of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to maintain the telematics unit in an on mode when the voltage has not decreased, regardless of whether the vehicle is moving.

17. The telematics unit of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the voltage has increased using the sensed measure of the voltage; and

command the telematics unit to an on mode if the voltage has increased.

18. The telematics unit of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the voltage has increased if the voltage has increased by at least a predetermined magnitude.

19. The telematics unit of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the voltage has increased if the voltage has increased by at least a predetermined percentage.

20. The telematics unit of claim 12, further comprising:

a housing, wherein the voltage sensor, the global positioning system unit, and the processor are all disposed within the housing.