DESC:CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[001] This application is based on and derives the benefit of Indian Provisional Application 20161032993, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[002] Embodiments herein relate to electrical systems present in a vehicle and more particularly to managing the power supply to accessories present in a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[003] In a vehicle, when the alternator fails to charge the battery due to any reason, a failure indication can be provided to the user, typically using the instrument cluster. This indication can glow when ever the battery is not charging. If the driver fails to notice the indication and if he continues to use accessories present in the vehicle, this can lead the battery to discharge at a faster rate completely, resulting in the vehicle halting at some instant.
OBJECTS
[004] The principal object of embodiments as disclosed herein is to disclose methods and systems for automatically providing cut-off of the line providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[005] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, through out which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[006] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a system for automatically providing cut-off of the line providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[007] FIGs. 2a and 2b are flowchats depicting the process for providing cut-off of the line providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[008] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[009] The embodiments herein disclose methods and systems for automatically providing cut-off of the line providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 2, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0010] Vehicle herein can be any vehicle, which comprises of a battery providing power to at least one accessory present in the vehicle. Examples of the vehicles can be cars, vans, trucks, buses, scooters, motorcycles, and so on.
[0011] Accessories can be any load present in the vehicle, which draws power from the battery, other than the loads which are used to operate the vehicle which can be non-vehicle propulsion or non-critical loads. Examples of accesseries can be, but not limited to, infotainment systems, chargers, displays, navigation systems, Heads up displays, AC (Air Conditioning) systems, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems, and so on.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a system for automatically providing cut-off of the line providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged. The system 100 comprises of an energy management controller 101, which controls an accessories (ACC) relay 102, and an ignition (IGN) relay 103. In an embodiment herein, the controller 101 can be a dedicated unit. In an embodiment herein, the controller 101 can be a unit present in the vehicle such as the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), Central Control Module (CCM), General Electronic Module (GEM), Body Control Module (BCM) or any other equivalent unit, which can perform the functions as described herein. The ACC relay 102 will be providing supply to the accessories present in the vehicle. The IGN relay 103 supplies power to the main loads and will be controlling the vehicle propulsion loads and other critical loads such as brake lights, headlights, and so on. The controller 101 will be controlling the relays 102, 103 and monitoring the alternator (not shown in the figure) through a WL (warning light) terminal signal. To determine if the vehicle is in motion, the controller 101 will be monitoring inputs from the wheel speed sensor.
[0013] The following cases can be possible:
Case 1: During engine on condition and the controller 101 receiving the battery charging signal from the alternator, the controller 101 can activate the ACC relay 102 and the IGN relay 103.
Case 2: When the vehicle is moving, the controller 101 will be monitoring the battery charging signal. On detecting that the alternator has cutoff the output or the voltage provided by the alternator is below a pre-defined voltage level (such as 13.5 V) (which can be due to a malfunction), the controller 101 can give the signal to provide an indication to the user (wherein the indication can be at least one of a warning light in the instrument cluster, an audio alarm, an indication on the infotainment system, an indication on a Heads-up-Display, or any other equivalent means). The controller 101 can activate a battery management mode.
Case 3: If the engine of the vehicle is not cranked and any non-vehicle propulsion or non-critical load (which is a load connected to the ACC relay 102) is being used, the controller 101 will activate the battery management mode and provides an alert to the user to start the engine. If the engine is not started within a pre-defined time period, the controller 101 cuts the supply from the battery to the ACC relay 102, once the battery level reaches a pre-defined percentage level.
Case 4: On detecting that a diagnostic tool or a similar tool is connected to the vehicle, the controller 101 can de-activate the methods and systems as disclosed herein.
[0014] In the battery management mode, the controller 101 will stop the power supply to the ACC relay 102. This will lead all the accessories to disconnect, hereby reducing the load on the battery. In this mode, the controller 101 can further provide information about the battery parameters such as battery charge level and battery consumption rate to a user of the vehicle (wherein the indication can be at least one of the instrument cluster, an audio indication, an display on the infotainment system, an display on the Heads-up-Display, or any other equivalent means). The controller 101 can also provide guidance using maps to the nearest service destination. In this mode, the main loads such as the ECU, headlamps and other critical loads will getting supply through the IGN relay 103.
[0015] FIGs. 2a and 2b are flowcharts depicting the process of providing cut-off of the line providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged. The controller 101 monitors (201) the battery charging signal, the vehicle status and the wheel speed sensor. The battery charging signal will indicate to the controller 101, whether the alternator is functioning properly. The controller 101 can monitor the vehicle status to check if the vehicle is cranked or not. The controller 101 can monitor determine if the vehicle is in motion or not, using inputs from the wheel speed sensor. The controller 101 checks (202) if the alternator is functioning properly. This can comprise of checking if the alternator has cutoff the output or the voltage provided by the alternator is below the pre-defined voltage level. If the alternator is functioning properly (this can be indicated by the alternator not having cutoff the output and the voltage provided by the alternator not being below the pre-defined voltage level), the controller 101 activates (203) both the ACC relay 102 and the IGN relay 103. If the alternator is not functioning properly (i.e., the alternator has cutoff the output or the voltage provided by the alternator is not below the pre-defined voltage level), the controller 101 provides (204) an indication to the user, wherein the indication can be at least one of a warning light in the instrument cluster, an audio alarm, an indication on the infotainment system, an indication on a Heads-up-Display, or any other equivalent means. The controller 101 further checks (205) if the vehicle is ON. The controller 101 can check this based on the engine status and/or the wheel speed sensor. If the vehicle is ON, the controller 101 activates (206) the battery management mode. If the vehicle is not ON, the controller 101 checks (207) if any accessory is being used. If any accessory is being used, the controller 101 activates (208) the battery management mode and provides (209) an alert to the user to start the engine. If the battery level reaches (210) a pre-defined percentage level and if the engine has not been started, the controller 101 cuts (211) the supply from the battery to the ACC relay 102. The various actions in method 200 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIGs. 2a and 2b may be omitted.
[0016] The embodiment disclosed herein describes methods and systems for providing power to accessories present in a vehicle, on detecting that the battery of the vehicle is not being charged. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in a preferred embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g. Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means, which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC, or a combination of hardware, and software means, e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the embodiments as disclosed herein may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g. using a plurality of CPUs.
[0017] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
,CLAIMS:STATEMENT OF CLAIMS
We claim:

1. A method (200) for managing the power supply to at least one accessory present in a vehicle, the method comprising;
checking if alternator is functioning properly by an energy management controller (101) using a battery charging signal received from the alternator; and
activating a battery management mode by the energy management controller (101), on detecting that the alternator is not functioning properly and the vehicle is ON, wherein the battery management mode comprises stopping power supply to an ACC relay (102) by the energy management controller (101), wherein the at least one accessory is connected to the ACC relay (102).
2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alternator not functioning properly comprises at least one of an output of the alternator being cutoff; and the voltage provided by the alternator being below a pre-defined voltage level.
3. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy management controller (101) checks if the vehicle is ON using at least one of inputs from a wheel speed sensor and the vehicle status.
4. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing information about the battery parameters to a user of the vehicle by the energy management controller (101).
5. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing an indication to a user of the vehicle by the energy management controller (101).
6. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery management mode further comprises.
7. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing guidance to the user using maps to the nearest service destination by the energy management controller (101).
8. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing supply to the IGN relay (103) by the energy management controller (101).
9. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises
activating the battery management mode by the energy management controller (101), on detecting that the alternator is not functioning properly, the vehicle is not ON and at least one accessory is being used;
providing an alert to the user to start engine of the vehicle by the energy management controller (101).; and
cutting supply to the ACC relay (102) by the energy management controller (101), on detecting that the engine is not ON and the battery level has reached a pre-defined percentage level.
10. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises deactivating the battery management mode by the energy management controller (101), on detecting a diagnostic tool connected to the vehicle.
11. An energy management controller (101) for managing the power supply to at least one accessory present in a vehicle, the energy management controller (101) configured for
checking if alternator is functioning properly using a battery charging signal received from the alternator; and
activating a battery management mode, on detecting that the alternator is not functioning properly and the vehicle is ON, wherein the battery management mode comprises stopping power supply to an ACC relay (102), wherein the at least one accessory is connected to the ACC relay (102).
12. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the alternator not functioning properly comprises at least one of an output of the alternator being cutoff; and the voltage provided by the alternator being below a pre-defined voltage level.
13. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the energy management controller (101) is configured for checking if the vehicle is ON using at least one of inputs from a wheel speed sensor and the vehicle status.
14. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing information about the battery parameters to a user of the vehicle by the energy management controller (101).
15. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing an indication to a user of the vehicle by the energy management controller (101).
16. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the battery management mode further comprises
17. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing guidance to the user using maps to the nearest service destination by the energy management controller (101).
18. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the battery management mode further comprises providing supply to the IGN relay (103) by the energy management controller (101).
19. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the energy management controller (101) is further configured for
activating the battery management mode, on detecting that the alternator is not functioning properly, the vehicle is not ON and at least one accessory is being used;
providing an alert to the user to start engine of the vehicle; and
cutting supply to the ACC relay (102), on detecting that the engine is not ON and the battery level has reached a pre-defined percentage level.
20. The controller, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the energy management controller (101) is further configured for deactivating the battery management mode, on detecting a diagnostic tool connected to the vehicle.

Dated: 26th September 2017 Signature:
Somashekar Ramakrishna