No start event monitoring

• US 9,951,704 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Yonan, Jakob, Rychlinski, Mark J., Gantt, Jr., Gary W., Sadekar, Varsha K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANLEY, SHERMAN D
• Application Number:
  US14/847,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20170067404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0848 with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/108 for diagnosis of the starter or its components
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/044 Starter current
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/04 Testing internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/06 by monitoring positions of pistons or cranks
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring no start events for vehicles are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a vehicle includes an engine, a sensing unit, a processor, and a transmitter. The sensing unit is configured to measure one or more parameter values for a vehicle after a request has been made to start the engine. The processor is coupled to the sensing unit, and configured to determine when a no start event has occurred for the vehicle using the one or more parameter values. The transmitter is coupled to the processor, and is configured to transmit, to a remote server, a no start event history for the vehicle based on the determining by the processor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

measuring, via a sensor onboard a vehicle, sensor values pertaining to operation of an engine of a vehicle propulsion system of the vehicle in response to a start request that has been made by a user of the vehicle, via an engine starting mechanism of the vehicle, to start the engine of the vehicle propulsion system of the vehicle;

determining when a no start event has occurred for the vehicle via a computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle using the sensor values pertaining to the operation of the engine of the propulsion system of the vehicle, wherein a no start event is determined to have occurred when the engine does not start in response to the start request; and

generating, via the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, a no start event history for the vehicle based on the determining by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle as to whether a no start event has occurred over multiple vehicle ignition cycles for the vehicle, wherein the generating of the no start event history is performed by the computer processor such that the no start event history includes both (a) and (b) below, namely;

(a) at least one from among a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) or a UTC; and

(b) at least one from among (i) a position and movement of a cylinder unit of the engine of the vehicle;

(ii) a position and movement of a crank shaft of the engine of the vehicle;

(iii) a level or velocity of flow of fluid for the engine of the vehicle;

(iv) a position and movement of a cam shaft of the engine of the vehicle;

(v) a voltage of a relay of the engine of the vehicle;

(vi) a voltage of a control system for the engine of the vehicle;

(vii) a battery resistance of a battery for the engine of the vehicle; and

(viii) a starter resistance of a starter for the engine of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the no start history from the vehicle to a remote server via a transmitter via instructions provided by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a cause of the vehicle no start event using the sensor values, via the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, based on sensor data from one or more additional sensors disposed onboard the vehicle;

wherein the no start event history includes the causes of the no start events.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

aggregating, via a second computer processor disposed at the remote server, respective no start event histories for a plurality of different vehicles of a shared vehicle model.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of measuring sensor values comprises measuring, via crank shaft sensors disposed onboard the vehicle, movement of an engine crank of the vehicle after the start request has been made to start the engine;

the step of determining when a no start event has occurred comprises determining whether a no start event has occurred based at least in part on a determination by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, using the sensor values measured by the crank shaft sensors, as to whether the engine crank has rotated at least one complete revolution after the start request has been made to start the engine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of measuring sensor values comprises measuring, via voltage sensors disposed onboard the vehicle, a voltage of a control system associated with the engine after the start request has been made to start the engine;

the step of determining when a no start event has occurred comprises determining whether a no start event has occurred based at least in part on a determination by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, using the sensor values measured by the voltage sensors, as to whether the voltage of the control system is within a predetermined range after the start request has been made to start the engine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of measuring sensor values comprises measuring, via voltage sensors disposed onboard the vehicle, a voltage of a powertrain relay associated with the engine after the request has been made to start the engine;

the step of determining when a no start event has occurred comprises determining whether a no start event has occurred based at least in part on a determination by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, using the sensor values measured by the voltage sensors, as to whether the voltage of the powertrain relay is within a predetermined range after the start request has been made to start the engine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of measuring sensor values comprises measuring, via crank shaft sensors disposed onboard the vehicle, movement of an engine crank of the vehicle after the request has been made to start the engine;

the step of determining when a no start event has occurred comprises determining whether a no start event has occurred based at least in part on whether on a determination by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, using the sensor values measured by the crank shaft sensors, as to a maximum crank rotation speed is within a predetermined range after the start request has been made to start the engine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of measuring sensor values comprises;

measuring first sensor values, namely, movement of an engine crank of the vehicle after the request has been made to start the engine, via crank shaft sensors disposed onboard the vehicle;

measuring second sensor values, namely, a voltage of a control system associated with the engine after the request has been made to start the engine, via first voltage sensors disposed onboard the vehicle; and

measuring third sensor values, namely, a voltage of a powertrain relay associated with the engine after the request has been made to start the engine, via second voltage sensors disposed onboard the vehicle; and

the step of determining when a no start event has occurred comprises determining, via the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle, whether a no start event has occurred based at least in part on each of the following;

whether the engine crank has rotated at least one complete revolution after the request has been made to start the engine, based on the first sensor values;

whether the voltage of the control system is within a first predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine, based on the second sensor values;

whether the voltage of the powertrain relay is within a second predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine, based on the third sensor values; and

whether a maximum crank rotation speed is within a third predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine, based on the first sensor values.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises an automobile.

10. A system comprising:

a sensor disposed onboard a vehicle and configured to measure sensor values pertaining to operation of an engine of a vehicle propulsion system of the vehicle in response to a start request that has been made by a user of the vehicle, via an engine starting mechanism of the vehicle, to start the engine of the vehicle propulsion system of the vehicle;

a computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle and coupled to the sensor and configured to determine when a no start event has occurred for the vehicle using the sensor values, wherein the computer processor determines that a no start event has occurred when the engine does not start in response to the start request, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate a no start history for the vehicle based on the determinations as to whether the no start event has occurred, such that the no start history includes both (a) and (b) below, namely;

(a) at least one from among a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) or a UTC; and

(b) at least one from among (i) a position and movement of a cylinder unit of the engine of the vehicle;

(ii) a position and movement of a crank shaft of the engine of the vehicle;

(iii) a level or velocity of flow of fluid for the engine of the vehicle;

(iv) a position and movement of a cam shaft of the engine of the vehicle;

(v) a voltage of a relay of the engine of the vehicle;

(vi) a voltage of a control system for the engine of the vehicle;

(vii) a battery resistance of a battery for the engine of the vehicle; and

(viii) a starter resistance of a starter for the engine of the vehicle; and

a transmitter disposed onboard the vehicle, coupled to the processor, and configured to transmit, to a remote server, the no start event history for the vehicle based on the determining by the processor transmitter via instructions provided by the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the computer processor disposed onboard the vehicle is further configured to determine a cause of the vehicle no start event using sensor data from one or more additional sensors disposed onboard the vehicle; and

the transmitted no start event history includes the causes of the no start events.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a second processor associated with the remote server, the second processor configured to aggregate respective no start event histories for a plurality of different vehicles of a shared vehicle model and a shared type of vehicle.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the vehicle has a battery;

the system further comprises a battery sensor configured to set a battery no-start flag based at least in part on a drop in measured voltage and an increase in measured current for the battery; and

the computer processor is configured to determine that the no start event has occurred based at least in part on whether the battery no-start flag has been set.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the sensor comprises a crank shaft sensor that is configured to measure movement of an engine crank of the vehicle after the start request has been made to start the engine; and

the computer processor is configured to determine when a no start event has occurred based at least in part on whether the engine crank has rotated at least one complete revolution after the start request has been made to start the engine.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the sensor comprises a voltage sensor that is configured to measure a voltage of a control system associated with the engine after the start request has been made to start the engine; and

the computer processor is configured to determine when a no start event has occurred based at least in part on whether the voltage of the control system is within a predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the sensor comprises a voltage sensor that is configured to measure a voltage of a powertrain relay associated with the engine after the start request has been made to start the engine; and

the computer processor is configured to determine when a no start event has occurred based at least in part on whether the voltage of the powertrain relay is within a predetermined range after the start request has been made to start the engine.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the sensor comprises a crank shaft sensor that is configured to measure movement of an engine crank of the vehicle after the start request has been made to start the engine; and

the computer processor is configured to determine when a no start event has occurred based at least in part on whether a maximum crank rotation speed is within a predetermined range after the start request has been made to start the engine.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the system includes:

a first sensor configured to measure movement of an engine crank of the vehicle after the request has been made to start the engine;

a second sensor configured to measure a voltage of a control system associated with the engine after the request has been made to start the engine;

a third sensor configured to measure a voltage of a powertrain relay associated with the engine after the request has been made to start the engine; and

the computer processor is configured to determine whether a no start event has occurred based at least in part on each of the following;

whether the engine crank has rotated at least one complete revolution after the request has been made to start the engine;

whether the voltage of the control system is within a first predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine;

whether the voltage of the powertrain relay is within a second predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine;

whether a maximum crank rotation speed is within a third predetermined range after the request has been made to start the engine.

19. A vehicle comprising:

a propulsion system including an engine;

a plurality of sensors configured to measure sensor values pertaining to the operation of the engine of the propulsion system for the vehicle after a start request has been made by a user of the vehicle, via an engine starting mechanism of the vehicle, to start the engine vehicle propulsion system;

a computer processor coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to determine when a no start event has occurred for the vehicle using the sensor values, wherein the computer processor determines that a no start event has occurred when the engine does not start in response to the start request, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate a no start history for the vehicle based on the determinations as to whether the no start event has occurred, such that the no start history includes both (a) and (b) below, namely;

(a) at least one from among a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) or a UTC; and

(b) at least one from among (i) a position and movement of a cylinder unit of the engine of the vehicle;

(ii) a position and movement of a crank shaft of the engine of the vehicle;

(iii) a level or velocity of flow of fluid for the engine of the vehicle;

(iv) a position and movement of a cam shaft of the engine of the vehicle;

(v) a voltage of a relay of the engine of the vehicle; and

(vi) a voltage of a control system for the engine of the vehicle; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit, via instructions provided by the computer processor, to a remote server, the no start event history for the vehicle based on the determining by the processor.