# US 10,502,772 B2 · Device outage detector including a current detector and a voltage detector

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- Number: US 10,502,772 B2
- Document ID: US10502772B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/655,987
- Filed: 2017-07-21
- Published: 2018-03-01
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-31
- Assignees: Grote Industries, Inc.
- Applicants: Grote Industries, LLC
- Inventors: Adam Broadbent Slade
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502772B2

## CPC

- G01R 31/006: {on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks (testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00)}
- B60Q 1/00: Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor (for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00)
- B60Q 11/005: {for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not}
- B60R 16/0207: {Wire harnesses}
- G01R 31/44: Testing lamps
- G07C 5/08: Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
- H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light
- H05B 45/58: involving end of life detection of LEDs
- B60Q 1/305: {Indicating devices for towed vehicles}
- B60Q 11/00: Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A device outage detector, comprising: a microcontroller; a plurality of shunt resistors, each connected to at least one of a plurality of vehicle elements; a current sensor configured to measure a plurality of instantaneous currents passing through the plurality of shunt resistors, respectively; and a voltage sensor configured to measure a plurality of instantaneous voltages across the plurality of shunt resistors, respectively, wherein the microcontroller is configured to issue a warning for a given shunt resistor if its corresponding instantaneous current is below the first threshold value and its instantaneous voltage is zero, or if its corresponding instantaneous current is above a second threshold value.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device outage detector, comprising:
a microcontroller;
a plurality of shunt resistors, each connected to at least one of a plurality of vehicle elements;
a current sensor configured to measure a plurality of instantaneous currents passing through the plurality of shunt resistors, respectively, and configured to generate a plurality of instantaneous current values; and
a voltage sensor, separate from the current sensor, configured to measure a plurality of instantaneous voltages across the plurality of shunt resistors, respectively, and configured to generate a plurality of instantaneous voltage values different from the plurality of instantaneous current values,
wherein
the microcontroller is configured to issue a warning for a given shunt resistor if its corresponding instantaneous current is below a first threshold value and its instantaneous voltage is zero, and
the microcontroller is configured to issue a warning for the given shunt resistor if its corresponding instantaneous current is above a second threshold value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device outage detector of claim 1, wherein the vehicle elements are lights.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The device outage detector of claim 1, wherein each shunt resistor is connected to one of a plurality of branches of a wiring harness leading to at least one of the plurality of vehicle elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device outage detector of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensor is a voltage divider.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device outage detector of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to determine whether the instantaneous voltage of the given shunt resistor is zero after determining whether the instantaneous current of the given shunt resistor is below the first threshold value.

### Claim 6

A device outage detector, comprising:
a microcontroller;
a plurality of shunt resistors, each connected to at least one of a plurality of vehicle elements;
a current sensor configured to measure a plurality of instantaneous currents passing through the plurality of shunt resistors, respectively; and
a voltage sensor configured to measure a plurality of instantaneous voltages across the plurality of shunt resistors, respectively,
wherein
the microcontroller is configured to issue a warning for a given shunt resistor if its corresponding instantaneous current is below a first threshold value and its instantaneous voltage is zero,
the microcontroller is configured to issue a warning for the given shunt resistor if its corresponding instantaneous current is above a second threshold value, and
the first threshold value is equal to a moving average current minus an adjustment value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device outage detector of claim 6, wherein the adjustment value varies with each shunt resistor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The device outage detector of claim 6, wherein the adjustment value is less than a current draw of the least demanding vehicle element associated with the shunt resistor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The device outage detector of claim 6, wherein the microcontroller is configured to determine whether the instantaneous voltage of the given shunt resistor is zero after determining whether the instantaneous current of the given shunt resistor is below the first threshold value.

### Claim 10

A method of operating a device outage detector, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of initial current values associated with each of i shunt resistors;
determining i moving average current values associated with the i shunt resistors, respectively, based on the plurality of initial current values;
for each of the i shunt resistors,
obtaining an ith instantaneous current value associated with an ith shunt resistor after determining the moving average current value;
obtaining an ith instantaneous voltage value associated with the ith shunt resistor after determining the moving average current value;
determining whether the ith instantaneous current value is below an ith lower current threshold;
determining whether the instantaneous current value is above an ith upper current threshold when the ith instantaneous current value is not below the ith lower current threshold;
determining whether the ith instantaneous voltage is zero when the ith instantaneous current value is below the ith lower current threshold;
reporting a short circuit on a branch associated with the ith shunt resistor when the ith instantaneous current is above the ith upper current threshold;
reporting an open circuit on the branch associated with the ith shunt resistor when the ith instantaneous voltage is zero; and
updating the ith moving average current value based on the ith instantaneous current value and the ith moving average current value,
wherein i is an integer greater than one.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising
obtaining one or more initial voltage values associated with the plurality of shunt resistors; and
determining a moving average voltage value based on the one or more initial voltage values.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising
recording the ith instantaneous current value and the ith instantaneous voltage value.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein each shunt resistor is connected to one of a plurality of branches of a wiring harness leading to at least one of a plurality of vehicle elements.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, the vehicle elements are lights.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the instantaneous voltage value is determined by a voltage divider.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the ith lower current threshold value is equal to the ith moving average current value minus an ith adjustment value.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16, wherein the ith adjustment value is less than a current draw of a least demanding vehicle element associated with the shunt resistor.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the determining of whether the ith instantaneous voltage is zero occurs after the determining of whether the ith instantaneous current value is below the ith lower current threshold.