DESC:
TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] This disclosure relates generally to battery drain reduction, and more particularly to a method and system for reducing battery drain in vehicles.

BACKGROUND
[002] Almost every motor vehicle has auxiliary loads that includes, head lamps, tail lamps, roof lamps, and alike. The auxiliary loads may be the loads that may turned ON irrespective of engine ON or OFF condition and vehicle locked or unlocked condition. At present, these auxiliary loads may be connected to a battery through a switch i.e., a rotary switch. Thus, the auxiliary loads, for example, the head lamps, the tail lamps, and the roof lamp in the vehicle remains ON, if their respective switches are turned ON, even when an ignition switch is in OFF state, and the ignition key is removed from the vehicle.
[003] These auxiliary loads may take electric power from the vehicle battery and if the ignition switch is found to be in OFF state and if any of these auxiliary loads are left ON unintentionally or intentionally for a long period i.e., overnight, or even for 3 to 4 hours, then the engine may not be able to crank, and the vehicle becomes immovable.
[004] Therefore, in order to provide solutions to the aforementioned drawback, there exists a need to develop an efficient method and system that may be capable of reducing battery drain in the vehicle even if the vehicle is parked with auxiliary loads kept ON for more than a predefined time period.

SUMMARY
[005] In one embodiment, a method of reducing battery drain in a vehicle is disclosed. The method may include determining a state of one or more auxiliary loads that draw power from a battery of the vehicle, and at least one of a state of key insertion, a state of ignition, a state of an engine of the vehicle, a presence of a passenger in the vehicle, or a state of a door of the vehicle. The method may further include triggering upon determining the state of at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON, one of: a notification to a user, a first predefined timer, or a fourth predefined timer based on the at least one of the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine, the presence of the passenger, or the state of the door. The notification may be transmitted to the user for a user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads. The method may further include switching-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads based on one of an expiry of the first predefined timer, upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads, or based on the fourth predefined timer.
[006] In another embodiment, a system for reducing battery drain in a vehicle is disclosed. The system may include a controller configured to determine a state of one or more auxiliary loads that draw power from a battery of the vehicle, and at least one of a state of key insertion, a state of ignition, a state of an engine of the vehicle, a presence of a passenger in the vehicle, or a state of a door of the vehicle. The controller may further be configured to trigger, upon determining the state of at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON, one of: a notification to a user, a first predefined timer, or a fourth predefined timer based on the at least one of the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine, the presence of the passenger, or the state of the door. The notification may be transmitted to the user for a user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads. Further, the controller may be configured to switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads based on one of an expiry of the first predefined timer, upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads, or based on the fourth predefined timer.
[007] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.
[009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for reducing battery drain in a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[010] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of reducing battery drain in a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.
[011] FIG. 3 is a functional flowchart of reducing battery drain in a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.
[012] FIG. 4A and 4B is another functional flowchart of reducing battery drain in a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.
[013] FIG. 5A and 5B is another functional flowchart of reducing battery drain in a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.
[014] FIG. 6 is another functional flowchart of reducing battery drain in a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[015] The foregoing description has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which forms the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying other devices, systems, assemblies, and mechanisms for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that, such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the disclosure, to its device or system, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
[016] The terms “including”, “comprises”, “comprising”, “comprising of” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a system or a device that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
[017] Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts. The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to FIGs. 1-6.
[018] Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a system 100 for reducing battery drain in a vehicle is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is to be noted that the system 100 may be employed in any type of vehicle including, but not be limited to, a passenger vehicle, a utility vehicle, an ambulance, or a commercial vehicle. The system 100 may include a battery drain reduction device 102 that may be capable of reducing battery drain in the vehicle. More particularly, in order to reduce battery draining, the battery drain reduction device 102 may be configured to automatically switch OFF a power supply to one or more auxiliary loads 112 that may draw power from the battery. As will be appreciated, the battery drain reduction device 102 may not only switch OFF the power supply to the one or more auxiliary loads 112 but may also be capable of sending notifications to respective user in case the auxiliary loads remains turned ON (intentionally or unintentionally) in the absence of passenger or driver for more than a predefined time period.
[019] The system 100 may further include one or more input/output (I/0) devices 106. The one or more I/O devices 106 may be electrically connected to the battery drain reduction device 102 via an intra vehicular communication network to send or receive data. The intra vehicular communication network may include, but may not be limited to, a Controlled Area Network (CAN), Local Interconnect Network (LIN), or an Ethernet. The one or more input/output devices 106 may include a Body Control Module (BCM) 108, a seat position sensor 110, and the one or more auxiliary loads 112.
[020] The one or more auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle may be connected directly to the battery of the vehicle and may operate independently of the state of the ignition of the vehicle, the state of the door, the presence of the driver or the passenger, or the state of the engine of the vehicle. The one or more auxiliary loads 112 may include, but may not be limited to, a parking light, a position lamp, a taillight, or a roof lamp fitted on the roof of the vehicle.
[021] The BCM 108 may be configured to detect a plurality of operational parameters corresponding to the vehicle. The plurality of operational parameters may include, but may not be limited to, a state of one or more auxiliary loads 112 that draw power from the battery of the vehicle, a state of door, a state of key insertion in the vehicle, or a state of an engine of the vehicle.
[022] The seat position sensor 110 may be configured to detect a presence of a driver or passenger in the vehicle. The seat position sensor 110 may be, for example, but not limited to, a load sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a pressure sensor. In order to detect the presence of the driver or the passenger in the vehicle, the seat position sensor 110 may generate a signal when any external force presses down on seat of the vehicle.
[023] The battery drain reduction device 102 may include a controller 104. Further, the controller 104 may include a memory (not shown in FIG. 1). The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the controller 104, cause the controller 104 to perform battery drain reduction in the vehicle. The memory may be a non-volatile memory or a volatile memory. Examples of non-volatile memory may include, but are not limited to a flash memory, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), and Electrically EPROM (EEPROM) memory. Examples of volatile memory may include but are not limited to Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), and Static Random-Access memory (SRAM). The memory may also store various data (for example, the state of the engine, the state of auxiliary loads, the presence of the driver or the passenger in the vehicle, the state of the door of the vehicle, the state of the key insertion in the vehicle, the state of the ignition of the vehicle, etc.) that may be captured, processed, and/or required by the system 100 for reducing battery drain in the vehicle.
[024] The controller 104 may be connected to a plurality of timers. The plurality of timers 114 may include, a first predefined timer 114A114A, a second predefined timer 114B, a third predefined timer 114C, a fourth predefined timer 114D. The plurality of timers may be triggered upon receiving commands from the controller 104 at different operating states of the vehicle. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of timers may be customized based on respective vehicle needs, for example, based on size of the battery of the vehicle, and size of the one or more auxiliary loads 112. Further, the controller 102 may be connected to a counter 116 that may count a number of times the state of the engine is checked and iterated before switching-OFF the one or more auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle. This is further explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIGs. 2-6.
[025] As will be described in greater detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2 – 6, in order to perform battery drain reduction in the vehicle, the controller 104 in communication with the BCM module 108 and the seat position sensor 110 may initially determine the state of one or more auxiliary loads that draw power from a battery of the vehicle, and at least one of the state of key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine of the vehicle, the presence of the passenger in the vehicle, or the state of a door of the vehicle. Further, the controller 104 may trigger, upon determining the state of at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON, one of: a notification to the user, the first predefined timer 114A, or the fourth predefined timer 114D based on the at least one of the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine, the presence of the passenger, or the state of the door. The notification may be transmitted to the user for a user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads. Further, the controller 104 may switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads based on one of an expiry of the first predefined timer 114A, upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads, or based on the fourth predefined timer 114D.
[026] In some embodiments, the controller 104 may interact with one or more external devices 118 over a communication network for sending or receiving various data. For example, the controller 104 may interact with the one or more external devices 118 for sending notification to the user for the user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads. The one or more external devices 118 may include, but may not be limited to, a desktop, a laptop, a notebook, a netbook, a tablet, a smartphone, a remote server, a software phone, or another computing system/device.
[027] The external devices 118 may include a display 120 having a User Interface (UI) 122 that may enable the user to receive the notification regarding the state of the one or more auxiliary loads 112 and may enable the user to input the user response corresponding to the notification received. Based on the user response from the user, the controller 104 may switch-OFF the power supply to the one or more auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle.
[028] In an embodiment, the communication between the controller 104 and I/O devices 106 may be based on a wired or a wireless network connection or a combination thereof. The communication may be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) network, Automotive Ethernet DeviceNet network, ethernetIP network, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, Wi-Fi, LTE network, CDMA network, and the like. Further, the can either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, CAN, CAN FD, PSI5, LIN, FlexRay, Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), Open Platform Communication (OPC) protocols, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like, to communicate with one another. Further the communication may be implemented through a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, cables, and the like.
[029] In an exemplary embodiment, the controller 104 may be operated with hardwired inputs and outputs that communicate with the vehicle to reduce the battery drain of the vehicle. The controller I/O may include digital I/O that may be transmitted and received as discrete voltage signals to and from the devices the device such as a vehicle or a machinery, or analog I/O that transmits and receives analog voltage or current signals to and from the devices. The controller I/O can be received by the controller as described above which may then be processed to covert from analog to digital or digital to analog signals in order to be read into and controlled by the control programs or the components using one or more analog to digital convertors or digital signal processing algorithms. In an embodiment, the controller 104 may include software executable controllers which may be implemented on hardware platform or a hybrid device that combines controller functionality and other functions such as visualization. The control software or algorithms executed by autosoftware controllers may include coding or algorithm to process input signal read from the vehicle components or industrial devices or sensors, etc.
[030] 114AIn an embodiment, the controller 104 may utilize a predefined control logic saved in the memory in order to switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads 112 on one of an expiry the first predefined timer 114A upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads 112, switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads 112 based on an expiry of the second predefined timer 114B upon non-receipt of the user response, switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads 112 upon expiry of the fourth predefined timer 114D, or switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads 112 upon non-cranking of the engine.
[031] Referring now to FIG. 2, a method 200 of reducing battery drain in a vehicle is illustrated via a flowchart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the steps 202-210 of the method 200 may be performed by the controller 104 of the system 100. At step 202, a state of the one or more auxiliary loads that draw power from a battery of the vehicle, and at least one of a state of key insertion, a state of ignition, a state of an engine of the vehicle, a presence of a passenger in the vehicle, or a state of a door of the vehicle may be determined.
[032] In some embodiments, the controller 104 may receive input from the BCM 108 and the seat position sensor 110 to determine the state of the one or more auxiliary loads (i.e., power-ON or power-OFF state of the one or more auxiliary loads), the state of key insertion (i.e., the key is inserted or not), the state of ignition (i.e., ignition switch is ON or OFF), the state of an engine of the vehicle (i.e., engine is ON or OFF), the state of the door of the vehicle (the door is locked or unlocked), or the presence of the passenger in the vehicle.
[033] At steps 204 to 208, upon determining the state of at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON, the controller 104 may trigger one of: a notification to a user, a first predefined timer, or a fourth predefined timer based on the at least one of the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine, the presence of the passenger, or the state of the door. It should be noted that the notification may be transmitted to the user for a user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads.
[034] Further, at step 210, the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads may be switched-OFF based on one of an expiry of the first predefined timer, upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads, or based on the fourth predefined timer.
[035] In some embodiments, upon non-receipt of the user response, the controller 104 may trigger a second predefined timer to switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads based on an expiry of the second predefined timer.
[036] In some embodiments, the controller 104 may trigger a third predefined timer upon receipt of the user response to keep the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads as power-ON. Further, upon an expiry of the third predefined timer, the controller 104 may trigger a subsequent notification to transmit to the user to the user response.
[037] In some embodiments, upon the expiry of the third predefined timer, the controller 104 may determine a state of charge of the battery. Upon determining the state of charge of the battery to be above a predefined threshold, the controller 104 may further trigger the subsequent notification. Further, upon determining the state of charge of the battery to be at or below the predefined threshold, the controller 104 may switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads.
[038] In some embodiments, upon determining the state of parking light as power-ON, the controller 104 may trigger the fourth predefined timer based on the state of the engine. It may be noted that the parking light is one of the at least one or more auxiliary loads. Furter, the controller 104 may trigger a separate notification to transfer to the user upon an expiry of the fourth predefined timer to perform cranking of the engine. Upon non-cranking of the engine, the controller 104 may switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads.
[039] In some embodiments, upon non-cranking of the engine, the controller 104 may trigger a counter. Further, the controller 104 may iteratively perform resetting of the fourth predefined timer, triggering of the separate notification, and updating of the counter till the counter is below a predefined count. Further, when the counter may be equal to or above the predefined count, the controller 104 may switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads.
[040] In some embodiments, upon non-cranking of the engine, the controller 104 may determine a state of charge of the battery. Upon determining the state of charge of the battery to be above a predefined threshold, the controller 104 may iteratively perform resetting of the fourth predefined timer and triggering of the separate notification. When the state of charge of the battery may be at or below the predefined threshold, the controller 104 may switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads. The operation of the respective predefined timer and the counter is further explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIGs. 3-6 via flowcharts.
[041] Referring now to FIG. 3, a functional flowchart 300 of reducing battery drain in a vehicle is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process starts with step 302, once the controller 104 may determine whether a switch of the one or more auxiliary loads 112 i.e., rotary switch or roof lamp switch may be in ON or OFF state. At step 304, upon determining the one or more auxiliary switch to be in ON state, the controller 104 may further determine whether at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads i.e., a park lamp may be in power-ON state or may be in power-OFF state. If the park lamp may be in power-OFF state, then at step 306 the controller 104 may determine whether a key is sensed/inserted or not. If the key is sensed/inserted, then at step 308, the controller 104 may determine state of ignition of the vehicle as ON or OFF. Furter, if the state of ignition is determined to be ON, then at step 310, the controller 104 may determine status of the engine i.e., the engine is ON or OFF. If the status of the engine is determined to be ON, then controller 104 may take no action, at step 338.
[042] Further, if the status of the engine is determined to be OFF, then at step 312, the controller 104 may determine a presence of a driver or a passenger in the vehicle. If the driver or passenger may not present in the vehicle, then at step 314, the controller 104 may determine the state of the door of the vehicle i.e., the door is locked or unlocked. If at least one of: the driver or passenger is present in the vehicle, and the door is unlocked, then at step 316, the controller 104 may trigger a first predefined timer 114A. Upon expiry of the first predefined timer 114A, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 from the battery of the vehicle, at step 340.
[043] Further, if at least one of: the driver or the passenger is not present in the vehicle, and the door of the vehicle is locked, then at step 318, the controller 104 may send notification on a software application to the user or driver. The notification may include the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the door, the state of the engine, and the state of the auxiliary loads 112 draining the battery. Further, at step 320, a user response may be provided by the user corresponding to the notification received via the software application.
[044] In an embodiment, at step 322, if the user provides the user response to turn OFF the auxiliary loads 112. Then, at step 340, controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle. At step 324, if the user provides a user response to keep the auxiliary loads 112 ON. Then, at step 330, the controller 104 may trigger a third predefined timer 114C. Upon expiry of the third predefined timer 114C, the controller 104 may iterate the process of sending the notification to the user. Further, if the user does not provide any user response, at step 324. The controller 104 may trigger a second predefined timer 114B, at step 326. Upon expiry of the second predefined timer 114B, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 from the battery of the vehicle, at step 340.
[045] In some embodiments, if the park lamp of the vehicle is ON, at step 304. The controller 104 may skip the steps 306 and 308. The controller 104 may determine the state of the engine as ON or OFF, at step 332. It should be noted that the step 332 may be analogous to the step 310 of the flowchart 300. Further, if the determined state of the engine is OFF, then at step 334, the controller 104 may trigger a fourth predefined timer 114D. At step 336, upon expiry of the fourth predefined timer 114D, the controller 104 may send notification of the status of the engine on software application of the deriver (in case the driver is not present in the vehicle) or a voice message may be sent to the driver of the vehicle (in case the driver is present in the vehicle) via an infotainment system of the vehicle and communicate with the driver to crank the engine of the vehicle. Further, the step 332 may be repeated to determine the state of the engine. If the state of the engine is determined to be OFF, then at step 340, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary loads 112 from the battery of the vehicle.
[046] In some embodiments, if at least one of: the state of the switch of the auxiliary loads 112 is OFF, at step 302 and the state of the engine of the vehicle is ON, at step 310, the controller 104 may take no action to cut OFF or restore the supply to the auxiliary load 112 of the vehicle, at step 338. Further, if at least one of: the key in the vehicle is not sensed by the BCM 108, at step 306 and the state of the ignition of the vehicle is determined to be OFF, at step 308, then the controller 104 may skip the step 310 of determining the state of the engine and may directly move to the step 312 to determine the presence of the driver or the passenger in the vehicle.
[047] In some embodiments, if the state of the engine of the vehicle is determined to be OFF, at step 332. In that case, the controller 104 may take no action to cut OFF or restore the supply to the auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle. Upon cutting OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 of the vehicle, at step 340. The user may disable the battery drain reduction system 100 to restore the power supply to the auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle by performing one of: the cranking of the engine of the vehicle, at step 342 and switching ON and switching OFF the auxiliary load switch, at step 344.
[048] Referring now to FIGs. 4A and 4B, another functional flowchart 400 of reducing battery drain in a vehicle is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As already explained in conjunction with FIG. 3, upon receiving the user response to turn-off the auxiliary loads 112, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 from the battery of the vehicle, at step 340. If the received user response is to keep the auxiliary loads 112 ON, then at step 330, the controller 104 may trigger the third predefined timer 114C.
[049] With reference to present FIGs. 4A and 4B, at step 402, upon expiry of the third predefined timer 114C, the controller 104 may determine a battery state of the charge (SOC) i.e., whether the SOC is greater than a predefined battery SOC threshold. In an embodiment, if the battery SOC is found to be at or below the predefined battery SOC threshold, then at step 340, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 from the battery of the vehicle.
[050] In an embodiment, if the battery SOC is found to be greater than the predefined battery SOC threshold, then at step 318, the controller 104 may trigger the subsequent notification to the user regarding the battery SOC information. At step 322, upon receiving the battery SOC information, if the user provides the user response to turn OFF the auxiliary loads 112. Then, at step 340, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary loads 112 of the vehicle.
[051] Further, if the user does not provide any user response, at step 324. The controller 104 may trigger the second predefined timer 114B, at step 326. Upon expiry of the second predefined timer 114B, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 from the battery of the vehicle, at step 340.
[052] Referring now to FIGs. 5A and 5B, another functional flowchart 500 of reducing battery drain in a vehicle is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As already explained in conjunction with the FIG. 3, if the park lamp of the vehicle is found to be ON, at step 304. The controller 104 may determine the state of the engine as ON or OFF, at step 332. Further, if the determined state of the engine is OFF, then at step 334, the controller 104 may trigger the fourth predefined timer 114D. At step 336, upon expiry of the fourth predefined timer 114D, the controller 104 may send notification of the status of the engine on software application of the driver (in case the driver is not present in the vehicle) or a voice message may be sent to the driver (in case the driver is present in the vehicle) via the infotainment system of the vehicle and communicate the driver to crank the engine of the vehicle. Further, the step 332 may be repeated to determine the state of the engine. 114C114C
[053] With reference to present FIGs. 5A and 5B, if the state of the engine is determined to be in OFF state, then at step 502, the controller 104 may determine a battery state of the charge (SOC) i.e., whether the SOC is greater than a predefined battery SOC threshold. In an embodiment, if the battery SOC is found to be at or below the predefined battery SOC threshold, then at step 340, the controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary loads 112 from the battery of the vehicle. In some embodiments, if the battery SOC is found to be greater than the predefined battery SOC threshold, then at step 334, the controller 104 may trigger the fourth predefined timer 114D. Further the steps 336 and 332 of the flowchart 500 may be repeated in a similar manner as discussed above.
[054] Referring now to FIG. 6, another functional flowchart 600 of reducing battery drain in a vehicle is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As already explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 3, upon determining the state of the engine as OFF, then at step 334, the controller 104 may trigger the fourth predefined timer 114D. At step 336, upon expiry of the fourth predefined timer 114D, the controller 104 may send notification of the status of the engine on software application of the driver (in case the driver is not present in the vehicle) or a voice message may be sent to the driver (in case the driver is present in the vehicle) via the infotainment system of the vehicle and communicate with the driver to crank the engine of the vehicle. Further, the step 332 may be repeated to determine the state of the engine. Upon determining the state of the engine of the vehicle as OFF, the predefined counter 116 may be triggered, at step 602. The predefined counter 116 may count iteration of the steps 334, 336, and 332 till the count of the counter 116 is below a predefined count. Further, if the count of the counter 116 may become greater than the predefined count, at step 604. The controller 104 may cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary load 112 from the battery of the vehicle, at step 340.
[055] Thus, the disclosed method and system try to overcome the technical problem of battery drain of the vehicle in case the auxiliary loads remain switched ON intentionally or unintentionally for a long period of time. Hereby, the disclosed method and system may solve this technical problem while offering a variety of advantages, such as, the disclosed battery drain reduction system and method may be designed in such a way that it may be implement in almost every type of vehicle. Further, the disclosed battery drain reduction system and method may ensure that the battery of the vehicle remains available for at least till the cranking the engine. In addition, the disclosed battery drain reduction system and method may automatically cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary loads of the vehicle, upon determining the one or more states of the vehicle. Further, the disclosed battery drain reduction system and method may send the real-time of the status of the vehicle to the user or driver via sending notification on user’s software application. The battery drain reduction system may receive user response from the user to remotely cut OFF the power supply to the auxiliary loads. The battery drain reduction system may also restore the power supply to the auxiliary loads once the engine is cranked. The battery drain reduction system may also enable the user or driver to keep the auxiliary load ON in case the user response is provided to keep the auxiliary loads ON in case of any emergency.
[056] In light of the above-mentioned advantages and the technical advancements provided by the disclosed method and system for battery drain reduction in the vehicle, the claimed system and method as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as the claimed system and method enable the following solutions to the existing problems in conventional technologies. Further, the claimed system and method clearly bring an improvement in the functioning of the system itself as the claimed system and method provide a technical solution to a technical problem.
[057] The specification has described the method and system for reducing battery drain in a vehicle. The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.
[058] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
[059] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[060] In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
[061] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
,CLAIMS:I/We Claim:
1. A method (200) of reducing battery drain in a vehicle, the method (200) comprising:
determining (202), by a controller (104), a state of one or more auxiliary loads (112) that draw power from a battery of the vehicle, and at least one of a state of key insertion, a state of ignition, a state of an engine of the vehicle, a presence of a passenger in the vehicle, or a state of a door of the vehicle;
triggering (204, 206, 208), by the controller (104) and upon determining the state of at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) as power-ON, one of:
a notification to a user,
a first predefined timer, or
a fourth predefined timer based on the at least one of the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine, the presence of the passenger, or the state of the door, wherein the notification is transmitted to the user for a user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112); and
switching-OFF (210), by the controller (104), the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) based on one of an expiry of the first predefined timer, upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112), or based on the fourth predefined timer.

2. The method (200) as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
triggering, by the controller (104) and upon non-receipt of the user response, a second predefined timer; and
switching-OFF, by the controller (104), the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) based on an expiry of the second predefined timer.

3. The method (200) as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
triggering, by the controller (104) and upon receipt of the user response to keep the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) as power-ON, a third predefined timer;
triggering, by the controller (104), a subsequent notification to the user upon an expiry of the third predefined timer; and
transmitting, by the controller (104), the subsequent notification to the user for the user response.

4. The method (200) as claimed in claim 3, comprising:
determining, by the controller (104) and upon the expiry of the third predefined timer, a state of charge of the battery;
triggering, by the controller (104), the subsequent notification upon determining the state of charge of the battery to be above a predefined threshold; and
switching-OFF, by the controller (104), the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) upon determining the state of charge of the battery to be at or below the predefined threshold.

5. The method (200) as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
triggering, by the controller (104) and upon determining the state of parking light as power-ON, the fourth predefined timer based on the state of the engine, wherein the parking light is one of the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112);
triggering, by the controller (104), a separate notification to the user upon an expiry of the fourth predefined timer;
transmitting, by the controller (104), the separate notification to the user to perform cranking of the engine; and
switching-OFF, by the controller (104) and upon non-cranking of the engine, the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112).
6. The method (200) as claimed in claim 5, comprising:
triggering, by the controller (104) and upon non-cranking of the engine, a counter; and
iteratively performing, by the controller (104), resetting of the fourth predefined timer, triggering of the separate notification, and updating of the counter till the counter is below a predefined count; and
switching-OFF, by the controller (104), the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) when the counter is equal to or above the predefined count.

7. The method (200) as claimed in claim 5, comprising:
determining, by the controller (104) and upon non-cranking of the engine, a state of charge of the battery;
iteratively performing, by the controller (104) and upon determining the state of charge of the battery to be above a predefined threshold, resetting of the fourth predefined timer and triggering of the separate notification; and
switching-OFF, by the controller (104), the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) when the state of charge of the battery is at or below the predefined threshold.

8. A system (100) for reducing battery drain in a vehicle, the system (100) comprising:
a controller (104) configured to;
determine a state of one or more auxiliary loads (112) that draw power from a battery of the vehicle, and at least one of a state of key insertion, a state of ignition, a state of an engine of the vehicle, a presence of a passenger in the vehicle, or a state of a door of the vehicle;
trigger, upon determining the state of at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) as power-ON, one of:
a notification to a user,
a first predefined timer, or
a fourth predefined timer based on the at least one of the state of the key insertion, the state of ignition, the state of the engine, the presence of the passenger, or the state of the door, wherein the notification is transmitted to the user for a user response with respect to keeping the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) as power-ON or with respect to switching-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112); and
switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) based on one of an expiry of the first predefined timer, upon receipt of the user response to switch-OFF the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112), or based on the fourth predefined timer.

9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the controller (104) is configured to:
trigger, upon non-receipt of the user response, a second predefined timer; and
switch-OFF the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) based on an expiry of the second predefined timer.

10. The system (200) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the controller (104) is configured to:
trigger, upon receipt of the user response to keep the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112) as power-ON, a third predefined timer;
trigger a subsequent notification to the user upon an expiry of the third predefined timer; and
transmit the subsequent notification to the user for the user response.

11. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a user device having a software application, wherein the notification is transmitted to the user via the software application, and wherein the user response is received by the controller (104) via the software application.

12. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the controller (104) is configured to:
trigger, upon determining the state of parking light as power-ON, the fourth predefined timer based on the state of the engine, wherein the parking light is one of the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112);
trigger a separate notification to the user upon an expiry of the fourth predefined timer;
transmit the separate notification to the user to perform cranking of the engine; and
switch-OFF, upon non-cranking of the engine, the power supply to the at least one of the one or more auxiliary loads (112).