Abstract:
Methods and systems are provided for detecting a power line of a telematics unit is incorrectly wired. In one example, a system includes a first module that evaluates at least one of a validity of a global positioning system and a powered on status of the telematics unit. A second module determines that the power line of the telematics unit is incorrectly wired based on the at least one of the validity of a global positioning system and the powered on status.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The technical field generally relates to telematics systems, and more particularly relates to methods and systems for identifying wiring of a telematics system and alerting a third party to any identified incorrect wiring. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Telematics services are services that are provided by a call center to a vehicle and/or to the operator of a vehicle that relate to various needs of the vehicle or the operator. Telematics services commonly include, but are not limited to, the remote monitoring of vehicle maintenance needs, the provision of turn by turn navigation guidance, the coordination of emergency services during vehicle emergencies, the provision of door unlock services when the vehicle&#39;s owner is locked out of the vehicle, and the provision of theft tracking services after a vehicle has been stolen, to name just a few. 
     An example telematics service system includes a telematics unit mounted to the vehicle, a call center located remotely from the vehicle, and a communication network that communicatively connects the two. In a known example, the telematics unit has been embedded in the vehicle (i.e., mounted to the vehicle during vehicle assembly) and directly connected to the vehicle bus. This connection to the vehicle bus permits the telematics unit to provide many of the telematics services (e.g., remote door unlock). 
     Because of the popularity of telematics services, aftermarket telematics units are also in the market place. Such aftermarket telematics units make it possible for drivers of vehicles that lack an embedded telematics unit to, nevertheless, receive some or all of the available telematics services. In a known example, the aftermarket telematics unit is wired into the vehicle&#39;s electrical system or battery to draw the power that is needed to operate the aftermarket telematics unit. To receive electrical power from the vehicle, the aftermarket telematics unit includes a constant power line, a switched power line, and a ground line that are configured to be connected to a constant power line, a switched power line, and a ground line, respectively, of the vehicle. 
     In a known example, when the electrical lines of the aftermarket telematics unit are correctly connected to the respective electrical lines of the vehicle, the power state of the aftermarket telematics unit will correspond with the power state of the vehicle. For example, the aftermarket telematics unit is configured to operate in three different power states; an on-mode when the vehicle is powered on (i.e., when the vehicle&#39;s ignition is turned to either the run or the accessory position), a standby-mode when the vehicle is powered off (e.g., when the vehicle&#39;s ignition is turned to the off position), and an off-mode when the vehicle has been powered off for greater than a predetermined length of time, typically five consecutive days. 
     When in the on-mode, the aftermarket telematics unit is configured to provide its full range of services to the vehicle and the operator. All of the aftermarket telematics unit&#39;s systems are activated and ready to receive commands/inputs. When in the standby-mode, the majority of the systems of the aftermarket telematics unit are powered down and only a few of the aftermarket telematics unit&#39;s systems remain either activated or cycle through alternating periods of sleep and wakefulness. This allows the aftermarket telematics unit to receive communications from the call center even while the vehicle is turned off, without excessively draining the battery. When in the off-mode, virtually all of the systems of the aftermarket telematics unit are powered down to minimize battery drain. 
     If the three electrical lines of the aftermarket telematics unit are not connected to the correct respective electrical lines of the vehicle, the power state of the aftermarket telematics unit may not properly correspond with the power state of the vehicle. This, in turn, may cause some or all of the telematics services to be unavailable to the customer and/or the vehicle during certain periods of vehicle operation. 
     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and systems for monitoring the wiring of the telematics units. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. 
     SUMMARY 
     Methods and systems are provided for detecting whether a power line of a telematics unit is incorrectly wired. In one non-limiting example, a system includes, but is not limited to, a first module that evaluates at least one of a validity of a global positioning system and a powered on status of the telematics unit. The system further include, but is not limited to, a second module that determines that the power line of the telematics unit is incorrectly wired based on the at least one of the validity of a global positioning system and the powered on status. 
     In another non-limiting example, a method is provided for detecting whether a constant power line of a telematics unit is incorrectly wired. The method includes, but is not limited to, evaluating a validity of a global positioning system; determining that the constant power line of the telematics unit is incorrectly wired based on the evaluating; and generating an alert signal indicating that the constant power line is incorrectly wired based on the determining. 
     In yet another non-limiting example, a method is provided for detecting whether an accessory power line of a telematics unit is incorrectly wired. The method includes, but is not limited to, evaluating a powered on status of the telematics unit; managing a timer based on the powered on status; determining that the accessory line of the telematics unit is incorrectly wired based on the timer; and generating an alert signal indicating that the constant power line is incorrectly wired based on the determining. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosed examples will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a telematics system; 
         FIG. 2  is a dataflow diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a module of a telematics unit of the telematics system; and 
         FIGS. 3-6  are flowcharts illustrating non-limiting examples of monitoring methods that may be performed by the telematics unit of the telematics system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. As used herein, the term module refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a non-limiting example of a telematics system  10  that is compatible for use with the systems and the methods for detecting an error in the installation of an electrical component described herein. Telematics system  10  generally includes a vehicle  12 , a wireless carrier system  14 , a land network  16  and a call center  18 . It should be appreciated that the overall architecture, setup and operation, as well as the individual components of the illustrated system are merely exemplary and that differently configured communication systems may also be utilized to implement the examples of the method disclosed herein. Thus, the following paragraphs, which provide a brief overview of the illustrated telematics system  10 , are not intended to be limiting. 
     Vehicle  12  may be any type of mobile vehicle such as a motorcycle, car, truck, recreational vehicle (RV), boat, plane, etc., and is equipped with suitable hardware and software that enables it to communicate over telematics system  10 . Some of the vehicle hardware  20  is shown generally in  FIG. 1  including a telematics unit  24 , a microphone  26 , a speaker  28 , and buttons and/or controls  30  connected to the telematics unit  24 . Operatively coupled to the telematics unit  24  is a network connection or vehicle bus  32 . Examples of suitable network connections include a controller area network (CAN), a media oriented system transfer (MOST), a local interconnection network (LIN), an Ethernet, and other appropriate connections such as those that conform with known ISO (International Organization for Standardization), SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), and/or IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards and specifications, to name a few. 
     The telematics unit  24  is an onboard device that provides a variety of services through its communication with the call center  18 , and generally includes an electronic processing device  38 , one or more types of electronic memory  40 , a cellular chipset/component  34 , a wireless modem  36 , a dual mode antenna  70 , and a navigation unit containing a GPS chipset/component  42 . In one example, the wireless modem  36  includes a computer program and/or set of software routines adapted to be executed within processing device  38 . 
     The telematics unit  24  may provide various services including: turn-by-turn directions and other navigation-related services provided in conjunction with the GPS chipset/component  42 ; airbag deployment notification and other emergency or roadside assistance-related services provided in connection with various crash and/or collision sensor interface modules  66  and collision sensors  68  located throughout the vehicle; and/or infotainment-related services where music, internet web pages, movies, television programs, videogames, and/or other content are downloaded by an infotainment center  46  operatively connected to the telematics unit  24  via vehicle bus  32  and audio bus  22 . In one example, downloaded content is stored for current or later playback. The above-listed services are by no means an exhaustive list of all the capabilities of telematics unit  24 , but are simply an illustration of some of the services that the telematics unit may be capable of offering. It is anticipated that telematics unit  24  may include a number of additional components in addition to and/or different components from those listed above. 
     As can be appreciated, the telematics unit  24  may be provided during vehicle manufacture or may be an aftermarket telematics unit. Conventional aftermarket telematics units are disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/787,472 filed on May 26, 2010, and also in U.S. Publication No. 2005/0273211 published on Dec. 8, 2005, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     In the telematics unit shown, vehicle communications may use radio transmissions to establish a voice channel with wireless carrier system  14  so that both voice and data transmissions can be sent and received over the voice channel. Vehicle communications are enabled via the cellular chipset/component  34  for voice communications and the wireless modem  36  for data transmission. In order to enable successful data transmission over the voice channel, wireless modem  36  applies some type of encoding or modulation to convert the digital data so that it can be communicated through a vocoder or speech codec incorporated in the cellular chipset/component  34 . Any suitable encoding or modulation technique that provides an acceptable data rate and bit error can be used with the present examples. Dual mode antenna  70  services the GPS chipset/component  42  and the cellular chipset/component  34 . 
     Microphone  26  provides the driver or other vehicle occupant with a means for inputting verbal or other auditory commands, and can be equipped with an embedded voice processing unit utilizing a human/machine interface (HMI) technology known in the art. Conversely, speaker  28  provides audible output to the vehicle occupants and can be either a stand-alone speaker specifically dedicated for use with the telematics unit  24  or can be part of a vehicle audio component  64 . In either event, microphone  26  and speaker  28  enable vehicle hardware  20  and call center  18  to communicate with the occupants through audible speech. The vehicle hardware also includes one or more buttons and/or controls  30  for enabling a vehicle occupant to activate or engage one or more of the vehicle hardware components  20 . For example, one of the buttons and/or controls  30  can be an electronic pushbutton used to initiate voice communication with call center  18  (whether it be a human such as advisor  58  or an automated call response system). In another example, one of the buttons and/or controls  30  can be used to initiate emergency services. 
     The audio component  64  is operatively connected to the vehicle bus  32  and the audio bus  22 . The audio component  64  receives analog information, rendering it as sound, via the audio bus  22 . Digital information is received via the vehicle bus  32 . The audio component  64  provides amplitude modulated (AM) and frequency modulated (FM) radio, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and multimedia functionality independent of the infotainment center  46 . Audio component  64  may contain a speaker system, or may utilize speaker  28  via arbitration on vehicle bus  32  and/or audio bus  22 . 
     The vehicle crash and/or collision detection sensor interface  66  is operatively connected to the vehicle bus  32 . The collision sensors  68  provide information to the telematics unit via the crash and/or collision detection sensor interface  66  regarding the severity of a vehicle collision, such as the angle of impact and the amount of force sustained. 
     Vehicle sensors  72 , connected to various sensor interface modules  44  are operatively connected to the vehicle bus  32 . Example vehicle sensors include but are not limited to gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, emission detection, and/or control sensors, and the like. Example sensor interface modules  44  include powertrain control, climate control, and body control, to name but a few. 
     Wireless carrier system  14  may be a cellular telephone system or any other suitable wireless system that transmits signals between the vehicle hardware  20  and land network  16 . According to an example, wireless carrier system  14  includes one or more cell towers  48 , base stations and/or mobile switching centers (MSCs)  50 , as well as any other networking components required to connect the wireless carrier system  14  with land network  16 . As appreciated by those skilled in the art, various cell tower/base station/MSC arrangements are possible and could be used with wireless carrier system  14 . For example, a base station and a cell tower could be co-located at the same site or they could be remotely located, and a single base station could be coupled to various cell towers or various base stations could be coupled with a single MSC, to list but a few of the possible arrangements. A speech codec or vocoder may be incorporated in one or more of the base stations, but depending on the particular architecture of the wireless network, it could be incorporated within a Mobile Switching Center or some other network components as well. 
     Land network  16  can be a conventional land-based telecommunications network that is connected to one or more landline telephones, and that connects wireless carrier system  14  to call center  18 . For example, land network  16  can include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or an Internet protocol (IP) network, as is appreciated by those skilled in the art. Of course, one or more segments of the land network  16  can be implemented in the form of a standard wired network, a fiber or other optical network, a cable network, other wireless networks such as wireless local networks (WLANs) or networks providing broadband wireless access (BWA), or any combination thereof. 
     Call center  18  is designed to provide the vehicle hardware  20  with a number of different system back-end functions and, according to the example shown here, generally includes one or more switches  52 , servers  54 , databases  56 , advisors  58 , as well as a variety of other telecommunication/computer equipment  60 . These various call center components are suitably coupled to one another via a network connection or bus  62 , such as the one previously described in connection with the vehicle hardware  20 . Switch  52 , which can be a private branch exchange (PBX) switch, routes incoming signals so that voice transmissions are usually sent to either the live advisor  58  or an automated response system, and data transmissions are passed on to a modem or other piece of telecommunication/computer equipment  60  for demodulation and further signal processing. The modem or other telecommunication/computer equipment  60  may include an encoder, as previously explained, and can be connected to various devices such as a server  54  and database  56 . For example, database  56  could be designed to store subscriber profile records, subscriber behavioral patterns, or any other pertinent subscriber information. Although the illustrated example has been described as it would be used in conjunction with a manned call center  18 , it will be appreciated that the call center  18  can be any central or remote facility, manned or unmanned, mobile or fixed, to or from which it is desirable to exchange voice and data. 
     According to the present disclosure, the telematics unit  24  includes methods and systems for detecting an error in the installation of the telematics unit  24  into the vehicle  12 . In particular, the telematics unit  24  includes a ground line  70 , an accessory or switched power line  72 , and a constant power line  74 . These electrical lines  70 - 74  are configured to connect to a corresponding ground line (not shown), switched power line (not shown), and constant power line (not shown) of vehicle  12 . When correctly connected to the corresponding power lines of vehicle  12 , telematics unit  24  will draw power from constant power line  74  and will power on or enter a standby-mode when the switched power line of vehicle  12  indicates that vehicle  12  is powered on or off, respectively. 
     In one non-limiting example, the system for detecting an error in the installation of the telematics unit  24  includes a wiring monitoring module  76 . The wiring monitoring module  76  monitors various conditions of the telematics unit  24  to determine if the wiring of the electrical lines  70 - 74  is correct and generates alerts (e.g., using one or more of the components of the telematics system  10 ) to third parties to notify the third party of any incorrect wiring. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2  and with continued reference to  FIG. 1 , a dataflow diagram illustrates an example of a wiring monitoring module  76  with more detail. Various examples of wiring monitoring modules  76  according to the present disclosure may include any number of sub-modules. As can be appreciated, the sub-modules shown in  FIG. 2  may be combined and/or further partitioned to similarly detect incorrect wiring of the telematics unit  24 . Inputs to the module  76  may be sensed from the vehicle  12 , received from other modules (not shown) within the vehicle  12  and/or determined/modeled by other sub-modules (not shown) within the telematics unit  24 . In the example shown, wiring monitoring module  76  includes a constant power line monitoring module  80 , an accessory power line monitoring module  82 , and a fault notification module  84 . 
     The following definitions apply when the GPS component  42  is initializing after a power transition from an off or sleeping state to a normal on state where the GPS component  42  would be available to the user. Hot Start is where a valid current almanac and current ephemeris are available to the system. Warm Start is where a valid current almanac is available to the GPS component  42  and a current ephemeris is not available to the GPS component  42 . Cold Start is where a valid current almanac and current ephemeris are not available to the GPS component  42 . 
     Constant power line monitoring module  80  monitors various conditions of the telematics unit  24  to detect whether the constant power line  74  is incorrectly wired. For example, constant power line monitoring module  74  receives as input a power on indication  86  and a valid GPS (Global Positioning System) indication  88 . Based on the inputs  86 ,  88 , constant power line monitoring module  80  performs one or more constant power line monitoring method to detect whether the constant power line  74  is incorrectly wired and to generate a constant power fault indication  90  when the constant power line  74  is found to be incorrectly wired. 
     For example, if the system has a valid constant power provided and is able to receive GPS signal, the initial state of a GPS solution will be valid GPS position. The system will then be able to calculate a valid GPS position starting from what is defined as a Warm Start or Hot Start upon a power transition from an off or sleeping state to a normal on state. This is an indication of a correctly wired constant power line  74 . If the system does not have a valid constant power provided and is able to receive GPS signal, the initial state of a GPS solution will be invalid GPS position. The system will then be able to calculate a valid GPS position starting from what is defined as a Cold Start upon a power transition from an off or sleeping state to a normal on state. This is a potential indication of an incorrectly wired constant power line  74 . Thus, a valid GPS indication is one where a current position solution is able to be determined by the system. In contrast, an invalid GPS indication is one where a position solution is not able to be determined by the system. 
     An exemplary constant power line monitoring method is shown at  300  in  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 3  (and with continued reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), the constant power line monitoring method  300  may begin at  301 . The power on indication  86  is evaluated at  310  to determine whether the telematics unit  24  is powered on. If the telematics unit  24  is not powered on at  310 , the method may end at  390 . 
     If, however, the telematics unit  24  is powered on at  310 , the valid GPS indication  88  is evaluated at  320  to determine whether the GPS is valid. If the GPS is valid at  320 , a counter is reset to zero at  330  and the method may end at  390 . If, however, the GPS is invalid at  320 , the counter is incremented at  340  and evaluated at  350  to determine whether the counter is greater than a threshold (e.g., an adjustable threshold representing a maximum number X of consecutive power cycles with invalid GPS, where X is an integer greater than two). 
     If, at  350 , the counter is less than the threshold, then counter is stored for the next power cycle at  360  (e.g., in non-volatile data storage) and the method may end at  390 . If, however the counter is greater than or equal to the threshold at  350  (i.e. greater than a maximum number X of consecutive power cycles with invalid GPS, where X is an integer greater than two), then it is determined that the constant power line  74  is incorrectly wired at  370  and the constant power line fault  90  is generated at  380 . Thereafter, the method may end at  390 . 
     With reference back to  FIG. 2 , accessory line monitoring module  82  monitors various conditions of the telematics unit  24  to detect whether the accessory power line  72  is incorrectly wired. For example, accessory line monitoring module  82  receives as input a power on indication  86 , location data  92 , and/or network data  94 . The power on indication  86  is when the system is in a normal on state where the system would be available to the user. The location data  92  is defined as the results of the valid GPS position solution. A comparison of location data  92  over a period of time (multiple samples) is used to determine if the system is stationary. If the system is stationary the accessory power line  72  may be incorrectly wired. The network data  94  is the results of system information received from a cellular network that may be used to indicate location. Additionally, if the system remains on a same cellular network for a period of time, this is a potential indication the system is stationary. A comparison of location data  92  over a period of time (multiple samples) is used to determine if the system is stationary. If the system is stationary the accessory power line  72  may be incorrectly wired. 
     Based on the inputs  86 ,  92 ,  94 , accessory line monitoring module  82  performs one or more accessory line monitoring methods to detect whether the accessory power line  72  is incorrectly wired and to generate an accessory line fault indication  96 . An exemplary accessory line monitoring method is shown at  400  in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4  (and with continued reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), the accessory line monitoring method  400  may begin at  401 . A timer is initialized at  410 . The power on indication  86  is evaluated at  420  to determine if the power is on. If the power is turned on at  420 , the timer is started (or incremented based on the type of the counter) at  430 . The timer is evaluated at  440  to determine if it has exceeded an adjustable threshold (e.g., a maximum consecutive time to be powered on). If the timer exceeds the threshold at  440 , the accessory power line  72  is determined to be wired incorrectly at  450  and the accessory line fault indication  96  is generated at  460 . Thereafter, the method may end at  470 . If, however the timer is less than the threshold at  440 , the method continues with monitoring the power on indication  86  at  420 . If the power on indication  86  indicates the power is turned off at  420 , the timer is reset at  480  and the method may end at  470 . 
     Another exemplary accessory monitoring method is shown at  500  in  FIG. 5 . The method  500  may begin at  501 . A timer is initialized at  510 . The power on indication  86  is evaluated at  520  to determine whether the power is on. If the power is turned on at  520 , the network is determined based on the network data  94  at  530 . If the network is the same as the previously determined network (i.e., the vehicle  12  has not moved out of the network) at  540 , the timer is incremented (or started depending on the type of timer) at  550 . 
     The timer is evaluated at  560 . If the timer exceeds an adjustable threshold at  560 , the accessory power line  72  is determined to be wired incorrectly at  570  and the accessory line fault indication  96  is generated at  580 . Thereafter, the method may end at  590 . If, however the timer is less than the threshold at  560 , the method continues with monitoring the power on indication  86  at  520 . If the power on indication  86  indicates the power is turned off at  520 , the timer is reset at  595  and the method may end at  590 . 
     Still another exemplary accessory monitoring method is shown at  600  in  FIG. 6 . The method  600  may begin at  601 . A timer is initialized at  610 . The power on indication is evaluated at  620 . If the power is turned on at  620 , the location is determined based on the location data at  630 . If the location is the same as the previously determined location (i.e., the vehicle has not moved) at  640 , the timer is incremented (or started depending on the type of timer) at  650 . 
     The timer is evaluated at  660 . If the timer exceeds an adjustable threshold (e.g., a maximum consecutive time to be powered on and in a same location) at  660 , the accessory line is determined to be wired incorrectly at  670  and the accessory fault indication is generated at  680 . Thereafter, the method may end at  690 . If, however the timer is less than the threshold at  660 , the method continues with monitoring the power on indication at  620 . If the power on indication indicates the power is turned off at  620 , the timer is reset at  695  and the method may end at  690 . 
     With reference back to  FIG. 2 , fault notification module  84  monitors for constant power line faults or accessory faults. If either or both of the faults  90 ,  96  are generated, fault notification module  84  generates a fault notification  98  to alert a third party of the incorrect wiring. For example, the fault notification  86  can be in the form of a visual, audio, and/or textual warning message that is communicated by any of the components or combination of the components of the telematics system  10 . 
     As can be appreciated in light of the disclosure, the order of operation within the methods shown is not limited to the sequential execution as illustrated in  FIGS. 3-6 , but may be performed in one or more varying orders as applicable and in accordance with the present disclosure. As can further be appreciated, one or more steps may be added or deleted from the methods without altering the spirit of the methods. In any of the methods, the methods can be scheduled to run based on predetermined events, and/or can run continually during operation of the telematics unit. 
     While at least one example has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the disclosed examples are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the disclosed examples. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.