# US 11,308,740 B2 · Method for locating a cause of the premature discharge of a battery in a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,308,740 B2 - Document ID: US11308740B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/563,299 - Filed: 2019-09-06 - Published: 2020-03-26 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-25 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Ekkehard Pofahl; Christoph Arndt Dr habil - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11308740B2 ## CPC - B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - G07C 5/04: using counting means or digital clocks - G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)} - G07C 5/0841: {Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B)} - G07C 5/085: {using electronic data carriers} - H02J 7/80: including monitoring or indicating arrangements - H02J 7/84: Control of state of health [SOH] - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60W 50/00: Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit {, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces} - B60W 2050/0083: {Setting, resetting, calibration} - B60Y 2200/91: Electric vehicles - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - 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 - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract The invention relates to a method for locating a cause of the premature discharge of a battery in a vehicle. To simplify locating a cause of the premature discharge of a battery in a vehicle, it is proposed to monitor the current drawn from the battery via an electrical system of the vehicle in the ignition-off-state. Data collected as part of the monitoring can then be examined either alone or in conjunction with additional, in particular, vehicle-specific and/or global data, for information relevant to isolating and/or determining the cause. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for locating a cause of a premature discharge of a battery in a vehicle, the method comprising: monitoring, in an ignition-off state, a current drawn from the battery via an electrical system of the vehicle; examining data collected during the monitoring alone or in conjunction with vehicle-specific and/or global data for information relevant to isolating and/or determining the cause of the premature discharge; modifying a sampling rate of the data associated with the cause of the premature discharge; identifying the cause of the premature discharge as a software problem; and eliminating the cause of the premature discharge by installing software previously transmitted to the vehicle from an outside source over a wired or wireless connection. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the electrical system and/or the examining of the data is carried out as part of a normal use of the vehicle outside of a workshop visit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the data is stored in the vehicle, wherein the examining of the data takes place outside of the vehicle centrally by a manufacturer of the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the data stored in the vehicle is transmitted via a wireless or wired connection directly or indirectly to the manufacturer of the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring examines a consumption of current from the battery for a value, wherein only in an event of the value is the transferred to the manufacturer of the vehicle together with a warning notice. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising examining the data for a hardware problem in the electrical system of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a time, size, duration, and pattern of a current consumption pattern that can be allocated to a part of components of the electrical system, wherein the pattern of the current consumption pattern is either continuous or periodic. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising examining additional data, wherein the additional data includes: system identification, on-board network identification, battery identification, historical data collected from the vehicle, data collected from a different comparable or identically designed vehicle, information stored during regular maintenance of the vehicle, information stored during regular maintenance of a different comparable or identically designed vehicle, information stored during an unscheduled visit to a workshop by the vehicle, information stored during regular maintenance of a different comparable or identically designed vehicle, information stored during an unscheduled visit to the workshop by a different comparable or identically designed vehicle, driving behavior of a person using the vehicle, driving behavior of a person using a different comparable, vehicle, time of a hardware replacement or repair in the electrical system, and/or time of a software replacement or update in at least a part of the electrical system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the cause of the premature discharge of the battery of the vehicle is resolved during a scheduled or unscheduled workshop visit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the software is transmitted to the vehicle over an internet connection or a radio connection that is usable in an area around a local transmit/receive system, operated for or by a manufacturer of the vehicle or an authorized dealer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the software is transferred only to the vehicle or a plurality of comparable or identically designed vehicles, wherein after a successful resolution of the cause of the premature discharge, the software is transferred to all other known comparable or identically designed vehicles. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the data is collected by at least one measuring device associated with a component and/or a part of the electrical system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the data is read out of a component and/or a part of the electrical system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A system for carrying out the method according to claim 1, the system comprising a memory module which is at least indirectly coupled to the electrical system of the vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, wherein the memory module is coupled via at least one measuring device to the electrical system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, wherein the memory module is designed for reading from the electrical system. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, further comprising a stationary central unit for examining the data transferred to the stationary central unit together with additional data stored in the central unit and/or transferred together with the data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system according to claim 17, further comprising an interface configured for data exchange with the stationary central unit, wherein the interface is implemented by wireless and/or wired connections.