Vehicle Electrical System Condition-Based Maintenance via Voltage Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance practices for vehicle electrical systems either rely on corrective maintenance after failures occur or preventive maintenance on a predefined schedule, which can be costly and inefficient, lacking proactive alerts for necessary maintenance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing condition-based maintenance (CBM) that uses real-time and statistical data to monitor the health of vehicle electrical systems, determining the state of health (SOH) of components and alerting for maintenance only when necessary, by continuously reading voltage values from a diagnostic connector and performing analysis across various operating modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If preventive maintenance is performed on a predefined schedule, then vehicle reliability is improved, but maintenance cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from fixed-time preventive maintenance to condition-based maintenance by continuously monitoring electrical parameters (voltage, current) and adjusting maintenance timing based on actual system state. This changes the maintenance parameter from time-based to condition-based, optimizing both reliability and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where electrical system parameters are monitored in real-time, analyzed against thresholds and trends, and used to dynamically adjust maintenance scheduling. This feedback mechanism enables proactive maintenance only when actually needed, reducing unnecessary maintenance costs while maintaining reliability.
2Loss of energy
If corrective maintenance is performed after failure, then maintenance cost is reduced, but vehicle productivity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diagnostic actions by continuously monitoring electrical parameters and detecting early signs of degradation before actual failure occurs. This enables maintenance to be scheduled in advance during planned downtime rather than causing unexpected breakdowns that disrupt productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-diagnosis and self-monitoring of the electrical system through continuous parameter tracking and automated fault detection. This self-service capability allows the vehicle to identify its own maintenance needs without external intervention, enabling proactive scheduling that maintains productivity.
3Measurement precision
If continuous monitoring of electrical parameters is implemented, then maintenance precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses existing multi-functional components (OBD-II port, existing voltage and current sensors) to perform multiple functions including normal vehicle operation, diagnostic data collection, and condition-based maintenance monitoring. This universal approach avoids adding dedicated monitoring hardware, reducing complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a software-based intermediary layer that processes electrical parameters and translates them into maintenance recommendations. This software mediator handles the complexity of continuous monitoring and analysis without requiring complex hardware modifications, maintaining precision while managing device complexity through information processing rather than physical complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A condition-based maintenance method is provided for a primary electrical system of a vehicle. The method includes obtaining a plurality of expected parametric values representing a state-of-health (SOH) of the primary electrical system of the vehicle; starting a series of operations to exercise a plurality of operating modes of the vehicle; continuously reading a plurality of voltage values from a battery voltage output of a diagnostic connector of the vehicle, performing analysis on the plurality of voltages values to generate current parametric values of SOH of the primary electrical system; based on comparison between the expected parametric values and the current parametric values, determining whether a condition-based maintenance is required; and, after determining that a condition-based maintenance is required, present a maintenance alert to an operator of the vehicle.