Automotive battery circuit fault detection

In a vehicle having an electrical system including a ground circuit that provides an operative connection from the electrical system to an electrical ground and an electric power generator driven by an engine of the vehicle, said generator arranged to selectively provide electric power to an electrical load of the vehicle and to selectively charge a battery of the vehicle, a fault detection system for detecting at least one of an open circuit or high resistance fault in the ground circuit, said fault detection system comprising:

• a controller that controls a voltage output of the generator so as to at least one of restrict or suspend charging of the battery or increase or start charging of the battery by the generator for a designated test period;
• and
• a sensor for measuring at least one of a current discharge from the battery during the test period or a charging current into the battery during the test period;
• wherein the controller is configured such that if the measured current discharge from the battery during the test period or the measured charging current into the battery during the test period is less than a given threshold, then the controller determines at least one of an open circuit or high resistance fault is deemed to be detected in the ground circuit.