Vehicle Blower Failure Diagnosis via Current-to-Voltage Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing blower failures in vehicles are inadequate as they do not accurately differentiate between blower and thermostat failures, often leading to misdiagnosis due to reliance on coolant temperature alone, without considering the operation of the heater blower.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle blower failure diagnosis apparatus and method that converts the operating current value into a voltage value using a controller, employing sensors for battery, coolant, and ambient air temperature, and a display to diagnose blower failure based on reference voltage and time thresholds, improving diagnosis accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If coolant temperature alone is used for diagnosis, then the diagnosis process is simple, but misdiagnosis between blower and thermostat failures occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary conversion process that transforms current measurement data into voltage equivalent values, allowing the system to evaluate blower performance through a standardized metric that can be directly compared against thermostat requirements, thereby preventing misdiagnosis while maintaining diagnostic simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by converting current values to voltage equivalents using conversion tables. This parameter transformation enables accurate differentiation between blower and thermostat failures by expressing blower performance in the same dimensional terms as thermostat requirements, resolving the misdiagnosis issue
2Ease of operation
If blower operation is not considered, then the diagnosis is straightforward, but thermostat failure diagnosis becomes inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the diagnostic process into distinct evaluation stages: first assessing blower operation through current-to-voltage conversion, then evaluating thermostat function based on the converted voltage values. This segmentation allows straightforward operation while ensuring reliable thermostat failure diagnosis by explicitly incorporating blower status into the diagnostic workflow
3Measurement precision
If current value is used directly for blower diagnosis, then measurement is simple, but comparison with thermostat requirements is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal voltage equivalent metric that serves multiple functions: it accurately represents blower performance, matches the dimensional requirements for thermostat evaluation, and enables direct comparison between blower and thermostat parameters. This universal metric eliminates the need for complex multi-dimensional comparison systems
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for diagnosing a failure in a blower of a vehicle improve performance of various systems using state information of the blower. The apparatus and method include a controller that converts an operating current value supplied to the blower of the vehicle into a voltage value and diagnoses whether the blower fails based on the voltage value. The apparatus and method also include a display that displays whether the blower fails.