WO2022136941A1

WO2022136941A1 - An electronic device for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damage to vehicle components and a method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2022136941A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/055761
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mahsa SEDAGHAT; Bahman Taheri
Original assignee: Sedaghat Mahsa; Bahman Taheri
Priority date: 2020-12-21
Filing date: 2021-06-28
Publication date: 2022-06-30

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure in general, relate an electronic device, and a method thereof for diagnosing imminent damage to vehicle components. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an electronic device, and a method thereof for diagnosing and reporting an imminent problems in one or more of a timing belt, a belt tensioner assembly, and a water pump of a vehicle. The invention includes a provision to notify a driver of the vehicle in advance when a problem in vehicle timing belt, belt tensioner assembly, and/or water pump, is approaching. Accordingly, an apparatus and method is disclosed for identifying in advance when vehicles are going to breakdown or experience faults and proactively maintaining and repairing the vehicles before the breakdowns and faults occur. Additionally, the present invention facilitates the automatic disconnection to engine power and preventing the engine from stopping either when the driver is not responding to the warning messages or depending on the severity of the predicted problems.

Description

An Electronic Device For Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Imminent Damage To Vehicle Components AND A Method Thereof

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Iran Patent Application No. 104030, filed on December 21, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention in general, concern an electronic device, and a method thereof for diagnosing imminent damage to vehicle components. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention concern to an electronic device, and a method for diagnosing and reporting imminent problems in a timing belt, belt tensioner assembly, and/or a water pump of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern vehicles include complicated mechanical, electronic, and electrical sub-systems which collaboratively communicate among each other to enable safe and efficient operation of a vehicle. These sub-systems and modules are susceptible to errors, failures, and faults that affect the normal operation of the vehicle. In such complex systems, it is desirable to identify detrimental incidents that might be occurring in one or more of its subsystems.

While automobiles have evolved a long way since their early days, however, there are still many deficiencies that need to be fixed. For example, in contemporary systems, it is outrightly strenuous to identify problems in the vehicle components in advance, and a majority of the conventional systems are configured to provide warning alerts when a particular component of a vehicle has been broken down. The conventional maintenance systems are afflicted by a typical problem of being normally reactive in essence, accordingly these systems do not take into consideration the actual source, reasons, or manifestation of specific problems and faults in one or more vehicle components prior to the breakdown of the components. Therefore, maintenance of imminent failures is usually not performed until the engine is collapsed, thereby resulting in immoderate downtime and repair cost as an unforeseen breakdown of a vehicle due to engine failure brings about extremely large economic loss.

A vehicle particularly front-wheel-drive vehicles typically include an internal combustion engine utilising a timing belt for driving a camshaft in the internal combustion engine, thereby synchronising the rotation of a crank shaft with a rotation of the camshaft. Moreover, a cooling system is deployed, inside a vehicle engine which is utilised for multiple purposes, for example, to pull out excess heat from the engine, swiftly raise the temperature in a cold engine, maintain a steady operating temperature, and/or heating/cooling the passenger compartment. The cooling system includes a coolant, which is typically a mixture of water and anti-freeze composition (for example ethylene glycol). The cooling system includes a water pump (or coolant pump) which is directly connected to and driven by the engine camshaft to circulate coolant through the engine.

The timing belts and water pump play a vital role in the efficient functioning of the internal combustion engines, therefore such engines may be critically deteriorated and damaged due to issues and flaws in these components. The timing belt is subject to a multitude of wear and tear problems due to stress and pressure caused by abrasive regular usage or external issues caused by other interlinked components such as due to the water pump seizure. According to a survey, 200,000 cars annually undergo the problem of timing belt tear in Iran wherein the cause of many of these failures is linked with a problem in belt tensioner assembly and/or water pump. These situations e.g. failure of the timing belt tensioner assembly, corrosion of the timing belt teeth, and/or seizure of the water pump can catalyse other enormous problems including severe engine damage, thereby resulting in sizeable financial losses.

In the prior art systems, there is no provision to notify a driver of the vehicle in advance that such a problem is approaching. Therefore, in the existing systems, the driver being unaware of such issues may turn on the engine’s ignition even when such problems such as loosening belt tensioner assembly and the seizure of the water pump are impending, due to which minuscule problems in the initial stage can bolster up and can further cause extensive damage to other interconnected components. Additionally, engine repair due to the failure of the multiple components is usually a time-consuming process involving an exorbitant amount of money as repair work may necessitate some critical vehicle components required to be shipped from other parts of the world.

Some techniques have been proposed in the prior art where the periodic check-up, service, maintenance of the timing belt, and the water pump are performed at scheduled intervals. Such conventional systems provide an alert to the vehicle driver once a pre-determined criterion is met, wherein the pre-determined criteria can be a pre-determined time period or vehicle mileage. For example, the time belts and other critical components are replaced after a pre-determined time period. The pre-determined time period is based on the average life expectancy of these components. Although such systems try to address the aforementioned problems to some extent, however, these techniques are overly inefficient due to the unpredictability of the stress that occurred on the vehicle engine and other external environmental factors which may cause early damage to the timing belt. Also, sometimes the timing belt may be in exceptionally superior condition and may not require the scheduled periodic maintenance or service, however with the periodic maintenance systems are not configured to take such factors into the consideration, and thus sometimes the reliable timing belts are even replaced speculating their poor operating condition as the pre-determined time period or milage has been achieved by the vehicle. The purpose of such existing techniques is also defeated as in certain scenarios even the new timing belts may also require replacement due to some premature damage which may further induce expensive damage to the vehicle engine. Furthermore, the periodic replacement of the timing belt without considering the actual working condition of the belt is a time-consuming and costly process as it involves specialised trained technicians, and thus such techniques do not achieve the desired outcome.

Besides, the conventional system makes it beyond the bounds of possibility to avoid an inconvenience to a user of the vehicle before the vehicle becomes unable to run due to damage in one or more vehicle components (e.g. timing belt and/or water pump). These systems also do not notify the user of the vehicle to take emergency countermeasures to inhibit any additional damage to other critical components of the vehicle (e.g., vehicle engine).

Accordingly, it is indispensable to identify one or more problems with the timing belt when one or more faults in the working or structure of the timing belts are perceived. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for systems and methods for identifying when vehicles are going to breakdown or experience faults and proactively maintaining and repairing the vehicles before the breakdowns and faults occur. Also, the use of computerised detection and prediction of maintenance needs is not only gaining gravity but is also a necessary demand in the market for automatically identifying vehicle maintenance or repair requirements. However, in spite of many attempts in past, there are no solutions in the market, at present, that are capable of predicting imminent faults with the timing belt and/or the water pump.

Thus, it is desirable to have an improved technique that overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional systems, while decimating the expensive engine repair by diagnosing and reporting an imminent damage in the timing belt or the water pump. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and the central goal of this invention is to prevent damage of loosening belt tensioner assembly and failure of water pump to the vehicle engine.

The Applicant has devised, tested, and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to address the problems associated with the prior art systems, and a novel and improved technique is provided for overcoming the shortcomings of the prior art systems. This novel technology is designed to perform diagnosis and prognosis of many critical issues associated with a vehicle timing belt and water pump and consequently opens the door to a multitude of possibilities that have not been possible until now.

It is an object of the present invention to introduce an electronic device capable of diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components. In particular, an electronic apparatus for detecting and reporting the status of a timing belt and a water pump of a vehicle is provided.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide warning messages about imminent timing belt looseness due to the failure such as, and without limitation, belt tensioner looseness and/or ball bearing leadscrew failure.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide audio and/or visual alerts when one or problems in timing belt or water pump are predicted using a plurality of sensors, wherein the sensors are Infrared (IR) sensors each including a transmitter and a receiver.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of sensors engaged with a timing belt for fault diagnosis and status reporting of the timing belt and/or a water pump of a vehicle.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a plurality of sensors engaged with a timing belt that provides effective and efficient means for predicting imminent faults and flaws in a timing belt, belt tensioner assembly, and/or a water pump of a vehicle.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a status reporting module configured to provide warning messages to a user of a vehicle by using audio alerts, visual alerts, vibratory alerts, and a combination thereof.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a status reporting module configured to provide warning messages to a user of a vehicle, wherein the status reporting includes any of a display screen, one or more LEDs, one or more speakers, a multi-tone generator, a communication interface, or combination thereof.

It is yet another object of the present invention to introduce an electronic device configured to control vehicle operating parameters automatically in absence of a response from the user within a pre-defined time period after the delivery of one or more warning messages. The electronic device is configured to disconnect engine power to prevent the engine from starting upon the prediction of one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt, belt tensioner assembly, and the water pump to thereby inhibiting any further damage to the vehicle engine.

It is yet another object of the present invention to diagnose water pump failure and seizure, and provide a corresponding prompt to a user for preventing the abrasion and rupture of a timing belt, and/or damage to the vehicle engine.

It is yet another object of the present invention to prevent engine failure by utilising a starter relay being communicatively coupled to a processing unit, wherein the starter relay is actuated by the processing unit to disconnect engine power and prevent the engine from starting when one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt, belt tensioner assembly, and the water pump are predicted by the processing unit.

It is yet another object of the present invention to disconnect engine power and prevent the engine from starting in absence of a response from a user within a pre-defined time period after the delivery of warning messages related to imminent problems with the timing belt and/or water pump.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device configured to sense water pump seizure by processing a sensor signal triggered by one or more Infrared sensors to predict abrasion in the timing belt, wherein the electronic device is further being configured to generate a corresponding warning message by activating a status reporting module to alert a user of a vehicle about a water pump seizure.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide warning messages to a user of a vehicle to prevent damage to the vehicle engine due to problems such as, and without limitation, timing belt tensioner looseness, water pump failure, water pump seizer, deterioration of the timing belt, wear and tear of the timing belt, potential rupture of the timing belt, corrosion of the timing belt, complications in belt tensioner assembly, problems due to aging of the timing belt, depression in the timing belt, holes in the timing belt, ball-bearing leadscrew failure, overheating of the timing belt, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt.

It is yet another object of the present invention to facilitate reset on repair functionalities using a reset key that is communicatively coupled to a processing unit, wherein the actuation of the reset key facilitates restore operation to an initial state of the device.

It is yet another object of the present invention to include capabilities to mute alarms using a silent key that is communicatively coupled to a processing unit, wherein the actuation of the silent key facilitates activates silent mode where any of audio and visual alarms provided by a status reporting module are muted.

To achieve the aforementioned objects of the present invention signal, a system is equipped with signal processing techniques utilizing a plurality of sensors configured to arrange to sense the operating conditions of a timing belt in real-time. The plurality of sensors is arranged and mounted on a frame of the timing belt so that the contact points of the timing belt and the camshaft gear lock nut can be monitored. In accordance with various embodiments, the plurality of sensors is embedded on the frame of the timing belt for the convenience of installation for users. According to some embodiments, the plurality of sensors is linked to a main module comprising at least a processing unit and a status reporting module by utilizing a wired connection specifically tailored to work in extreme conditions such as extreme cold, sweltering heat, and severe noisy environment. The main module assesses all stages of the operation to send an alarm to the driver in case of occurrence of any problems and objections. A relay is also embedded in the main module to cut off the vehicle engine and to prevent the engine from starting when problems with the timing belt and/or water pump are detected.

To achieve the aforementioned objects of the present invention an electronic device is developed for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components. The electronic device comprises a first sensor, a second sensor, a status reporting module, and a processing unit. The first sensor is configured to trigger a first sensor signal indicating operating condition of a timing belt whereas a second sensor is configured to trigger a second sensor signal indicating operating condition of a water pump. The status reporting module is configured to provide warning messages to a user of the vehicle to indicate imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and/or the water pump. The processing unit is communicatively coupled to the first sensor, second sensor, and the status reporting module, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive and process the first sensor signal and/or the second sensor signal indicating the operating condition of the timing belt and/or the water pump respectively to predict one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump. The processing unit is further configured to generate one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump and provide the one or more warning messages to the status reporting module to notify the user about the predicted one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump. The first sensor and the second sensor are mounted on a timing belt frame at contact points of the timing belt and a camshaft gear whereby the first sensor and the second sensor are configured to sense infrared light beams projected on side of the timing belt to generate corresponding electronic pulses, wherein the sensed electronic pulses are further analyzed by the processing unit to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode. In the normal mode, alternating and regular pulses are sensed by the first sensor and the second sensor, whereas in the imminent failure mode non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses are detected by the first sensor and the second sensor thereby indicating imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump.

Thus, the present disclosure offers the following advantages over the existing prior art:

Advance alerts to vehicle driver about a timing belt looseness due to failure of the belt tensioner or ball bearing leadscrew;
Advance alerts about failure and seizure of water pump which can lead to the corrosion of the timing belt teeth; and
The ability to reset after repair and/or mute the alerts as per driver’s convenience;
Visual and/or audible notifications to vehicle driver indicating predicted imminent problems and/or potential causes and solutions;
Provision to disconnect engine power and prevent the engine from starting in absence of a response from the user within a pre-defined time period after delivery of the warning messages; and
The present invention decimates problems in the initial stage and thereby inhibits further extensive damage to the vehicle engine and other interconnected components.

The foregoing summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the present invention, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the subject matter.

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like features. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the detailed description of the disclosure along with the accompanying figures and in which:

illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary system for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to an aspect of the present invention;

illustrates a perspective view of sensor integration with a vehicle timing belt for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to an aspect of the present invention;

& illustrates a front view and rear view of main diagnosis and prognosis assembly respectively;

illustrates a flowchart depicting an exemplary method for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to an aspect of the present invention;

illustrates a perspective view depicting an exemplary system for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to second aspect of the present invention;

illustrates a perspective view depicting an exemplary system for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to third aspect of the present invention; and

illustrates a schematic circuit diagram for diagnosis and prognosis apparatus for predicting problems with water pump, timing belt, and/or belt tensioner assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the invention as claimed can be modified into alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms in the following detailed description. Thus, it should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention.

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure.

Various aspects of this disclosure are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. It should be understood, however, that certain aspects of this disclosure may be practiced without these specific details, or with other methods, modules, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate describing one or more aspects.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include a number of devices, components, modules, sub-modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, sub-modules, etc., and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, sub-modules, etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches also can be used.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

As used in this application, the term “processing unit”, “platform”, is intended to refer to a computer-related entity, electronic device, or an entity related to, or that is part of, an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein such entities can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. By way of illustration, one or more instructions and/or computer program product can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and an instructions and/or computer program product can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also, instructions and/or computer program products as described herein can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon. As another example, a “system” and/or “electronic apparatus” can be a device with specific functionality provided by electric or electronic circuitry which is operated by a software or a firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, an electronic device/platform can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components with or without mechanical parts, the electronic components can include a processor therein to execute software or firmware that provides at least in part the functionality of the electronic components.

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components such as, but not limited to, a timing belt, a belt tensioner assembly, and/or a water pump (i.e., coolant pump). In a specific implementation, the present invention provides warning messages to a user of a vehicle to prevent damage to the vehicle engine due to problems such as, and without limitation, timing belt tensioner looseness, water pump failure, water pump seizer, deterioration of the timing belt, wear and tear of the timing belt, potential rupture of the timing belt, corrosion of the timing belt teeth, complications in belt tensioner assembly, problems due to aging of the timing belt, depression in the timing belt, holes in the timing belt, ball-bearing leadscrew failure, overheating of the timing belt, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt.

Described in the present disclosure includes a method and an apparatus for providing alarm upon detecting impending loosening of a timing belt because of problems such as, but without limitation, a belt tensioner assembly failure or a bearing roller wheel failure to prevent expensive damages such as engine damage and timing belt rupture. Further, described in the present disclosure includes a method and an apparatus for providing an alarm for failure and seizure of a water pump leading to corrosion of timing belt teeth, which could lead to other major problems such as engine failure and rupture of the timing belt.

illustrates a block diagram depicting an exemplary system 100 for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components, wherein the system 100 comprises a plurality of sensors 102a-102n, a processing unit 104, a status reporting module 106, a starter relay 108, and a memory 110. Although illustrates a particular arrangement of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n, a processing unit 104, a status reporting module 106, a starter relay 108, and a memory 110, this disclosure contemplates any suitable arrangement of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n, processing unit 104, a status reporting module 106, a starter relay 108, and a memory 110. The plurality of sensors 102a-102n is arranged and configured to acquire data related to one or more vehicle components such as, a vehicle timing belt 112 and/or a water pump 114. For example, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n may detect, record, or measure data related to the timing belt 112. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are infrared (IR) sensors, however, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other type of sensors can also be utilized alone or in combination with Infrared (IR) sensors without any limitation to the scope of the present invention. According to particular embodiments, the processing unit 104, the status reporting module 106, the starter relay 108, and the memory 110 are integrated inside a single housing 150, herein referred to as a main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150. Further, according to certain embodiments, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n is collectively referred to as sensor assembly or sensor kit. Furthermore, according to certain embodiments, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are integrated and part of the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 which is configured for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, that two sensors 102a-102n are illustrated here for simplicity and the present invention is not restricted to the use of only two sensors 102a-102n, and more than two sensors 102a-102n may be employed without any intent, however, to limit the scope of the present invention.

The system 100 also includes a camshaft gearhead 116, a belt tensioner assembly 118, and a crankshaft gearhead 120. According to specific embodiments, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are arranged and mounted on a frame of the timing belt at contact points of the timing belt 112 and the camshaft gear 116 whereby the plurality of sensors 102a-102n is configured to sense infrared light beams projected on side of the timing belt 112 to generate corresponding electronic pulses, wherein the electronic pulses are further analysed by the processing unit 104 to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode.

The memory 110 is a computer-readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the processing unit 104 to cause the one or more processing units to perform operations as disclosed in the present invention. Additionally, according to an embodiment, the memory 110 may also be programmed to record historical data such as, and without limitation, information sensed by the plurality of sensors 102-102n in chronological order which can be fetched by the processing unit 104 at any time for accurately identifying the structural or mechanical changes in the one or more vehicle components occurring over time e.g., timing belt 112, the belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114, wherein the structural or mechanical changes can be analysed by the processing unit 104 to identify the imminent problems or failures. Furthermore, the memory 110 may also be programmed to store information related to historic record of faults or problems identified by the processing unit 104, timestamp of the alerts provided to the user, and so on, which can be accessed by the processing unit 104 for predictive analysis as well as by an authorised user for reviewing the previous record of identified problems and/or associated warning messages. Besides, the memory 110 may comprise a plurality of reference non-alternating and irregular electronic signal patterns and their associated potential problems and/or causes which can be retrieved and analysed by the processing unit 104 for predicting one or more problems in-vehicle operation. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, more than one memory units 110 and processing units 104 may be employed and the present invention is not restricted to the use of single memory 110, processing unit 104, or any other component.

Generally, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are arranged at the locations where the defects or abnormalities in structure of the timing belt 112 can be easily identified, and thus corresponding causes of the defects or abnormalities can be timely predicted and reported to a user of a vehicle using one or more warning messages to thereby inhibiting any further damage to vehicle engine or breakage of the timing belt 112.

For convenience, though, the following discussion will generally relate to arranging the plurality of sensors 102a-102n to project infrared beams on the side of the timing belt 112, although the disclosure is not so limited, and the invention can be suitably modified to arrange the plurality of sensors 102a-102n at any other locations.

In certain applications, it may be advantageous for the system to additionally comprise other sensors apart from the infrared (IR) sensors 102a-102n. The other sensors can be any one or more of such as, but not limited to, a camera, a temperature sensor, and/or a laser scanner mounted to sense imminent structural abnormalities and flaws in the timing belt 112. For example, a temperature sensor may be deployed on the frame of the timing belt 112 to sense heat signature generated due to the imminent problems with any of the timing belt 112, vehicle engine, and/or the water pump 114, wherein the sensed heat signature is further processed by the processing unit 104 to generate a fault diagnostic information indicating the one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt 112 and the water pump 114. In certain embodiments, an optical or infrared camera may be deployed to capture real-time images of the timing belt 112. The captured images of the timing belt can be transmitted to the processing unit 104 wherein these are processed to predict any imminent problems and the associated causes with the timing belt 112 and/or the water pump 114. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular embodiments of processing the data captured by the plurality of sensors 102a-102n using an on-board processing unit 104, this disclosure contemplates, without any limitation, other possibilities such as remote processing of the data captured by the plurality of sensors 102a-102n. Thus, the present invention can be suitable modified to achieve these aspects.

The status reporting module 106 is activated on a command received from the processing unit 104 to prompt the vehicle user about diagnosed problems with one or more vehicle components (e.g., timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or water pump 114). When no problem or failure is detected, then the status reporting module 106 is in a standby mode, however, as soon as a potential problem is diagnosed, the processing unit 104 triggers the activation of the status reporting module 106 by sending the command to prompt the user by activating the audio and/or visual notification units of the status reporting module 106. According to certain embodiments, the prompt command including one or more warning messages is sent using a set of data lines to the status reporting module 106. The status reporting module 106 responds by announcing the warning messages using the audio, vibratory, and/or visual notification units.

It should be understood that the implementations of the status reporting module 106 can vary greatly without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the status reporting module 106 may include a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that are used to indicate the safe/normal mode (e.g., green lights) and imminent failure mode (e.g., red lights). The status reporting module 106 may also include a speaker to announce the received warning messages in an audible format. The status reporting module 106 may also include a display panel (e.g., LCD panel) which may provide visual alerts to the user of the vehicle regarding one or more imminent problems in the vehicle components. The status reporting module 106 may also be configured to display or announce information to the vehicle user about the components that are facing imminent problems. Besides, the potential solutions and/or causes to the identified imminent problems can also be provided visually and/or audibly to the user of the vehicle. Additionally, the status reporting module 106 may also deliver vibratory alerts for warning the user of the vehicle, for example, the vibratory alerts may be provided at specific locations, e.g., vehicle steering wheel or driver seat. According to an embodiment, intensity and/or frequency of the audio, visual, and/or vibratory alerts is modified by the processing unit 104 according to various parameters such as, and without limitation, the severity of the problem, time interval passed since delivering the initial warning message, etc. According to an embodiment, an alarm silent key is provided which facilitates the activation of the silent mode whereby any of the audio and/or visual alarms provided by the status reporting module 106 are muted. Furthermore, according to another embodiment, the status reporting module 106 may a transceiver to transmit the warning messages to a remote device using radio communication capabilities to warn remote users about the imminent failure or problems in one or more vehicle components.

The starter relay 108 is connected to a motor 122 of the vehicle engine. Further, the starter relay 108 is communicatively coupled to the processing unit 104, wherein the starter relay 108 is actuated by the processing unit 104 to disconnect engine power and prevent the engine motor 122 from starting in absence of a response from the user within a pre-defined time period after delivery of the warning messages. Additionally, the processing unit 104 is programmed to activate the starter relay to disconnect the engine power depending on the severity of the predicted imminent problems.

Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular embodiments of as being implemented by system 100, this disclosure contemplates any suitable embodiments of as being implemented by any suitable apparatus, platform, or system. Furthermore, although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular components, devices, or systems carrying out particular steps of the method of , this disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or systems carrying out any suitable steps of the method of .

Moving to , a perspective view of sensor integration with a vehicle timing belt for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to an aspect of the present invention is depicted. As illustrated according to specific embodiments, a plurality of sensors 102a-102n are mounted on a frame of a vehicle timing belt for making installation of a plurality of sensors 102a-102n easy for a user or a technician. According to certain embodiments, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are Infrared (IR) sensors and IR sensors are mounted in the frame of the timing belt at various locations along its length.

It should be understood that the implementations of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n can vary greatly without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, according to specific embodiments, each of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n may include a separate transmitter 102atx-102ntx and a receiver 102arx-102nrx. As illustrated, in , the transmitter 102atx-102ntx and the receiver unit 102arx-102nrx of each sensor 102a-102n is shown as a separate unit, however, it should be understood that the transmitter and receiver units may be integrated inside a single housing. In addition, although this disclosure describes and illustrates the plurality of sensors 102a-102n located at certain specific points between a camshaft gear 116 and the timing belt 112, this present disclosure contemplates and covers, without any restriction, mounting the plurality of sensors 102a-102n at other suitable locations for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to the timing belt 112, the tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114. Furthermore, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are illustrated as distributed and individual units, however, the present invention covers the scope of a single integrated sensor assembly comprising the plurality of sensors 102a-102n, wherein each of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n includes a transmitter 102atx-102ntx and a receiver 102arx-102nrx.

The first sensor 102a and the second sensor 102n are mounted on the frame of the timing belt 112 at contact points of the timing belt 112 and a camshaft gear 116. The transmitter 102atx of the first sensor 102a and the transmitter 102ntx the second sensor 102n are configured to project infrared beams on side of the timing belt 112, which are thereby reflected or refracted by the timing belt 112, and the reflected or refracted beams is sensed by a corresponding first receiver 102arx and a second receiver 102nrx to thereby generate corresponding sensed electronic pulses corresponding to characteristics of the reflected or refracted infrared beams, wherein the sensed electronic pulses are further provided to the processing unit 104 for analysis to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode. In the normal mode, alternating and regular pulses of the reflected or refracted signal from the timing belt 112 are detected by the first receiver 102arx and the second receiver 102nrx, whereas in the imminent failure mode non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses are detected by the first receiver 102arx and the second receiver 102nrx thereby indicating imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt 112 and the water pump 114. The cause of the non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses can be imminent problems in one or more vehicle components, wherein the problems may comprise such as, and without limitation, looseness of timing belt tensioner 118, failure of water pump 114, ball bearing leadscrew failure, seizer of the water pump 114, deterioration of the timing belt 112, wear and tear of the timing belt 112, potential rupture of the timing belt 112, corrosion of the timing belt 112, complications in the timing belt tensioner 118, problems due to aging of the timing belt 112, depression in the timing belt 112, holes in the timing belt 112, overheating of the timing belt 112, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt 112.

Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular embodiments wherein the output of the first sensor 102a and the second sensor 102n is provided directly to the processing unit 104 for analysis, it should be understood that there can be other plurality of modules that may be required before the processing of the output of the first sensor 102a and the second sensor 102n. For example, the output of the plurality of the sensors 102a-102n corresponding to reflected or refracted infrared beams sensed by the receiver circuitry of each sensor 102arx-102nrx is provided to a signal conversion circuitry (not shown). The signal conversion circuitry is arranged and configured to convert the sensor output into a suitable format required by the processing unit 104 for further analysis. According to an embodiment, the signal conversion circuitry may be an A/D converter which is configured to receive the output electronic signal from the plurality of sensors 102a-102n representing reflected or refracted infrared signal from the timing belt 112 and thereby converts the received signal into a corresponding digital version of the sensed electronic signal. According to an embodiment, the A/D converter may be a part of the sensor circuitry and may be integrated within the sensor kit. According to another embodiment, the A/D converter is a separate and independent unit that receives the output signal from the plurality of sensors 102a-102n and provides the transformed and converted version of the output signal to the processing unit 104 for the prediction. According to another embodiment, the A/D converter is an integrated part of the processing unit 104 and is configured to process the received output signal from the plurality of sensors 102a-102n and provides the transformed and converted version of the output signal for evaluating the imminent or expected faults in the one or more vehicle components.

In particular embodiments, the first sensor 102a is configured to sense looseness of the timing belt 112 which indicates the problems in belt tensioner assembly 118. Additionally, the second sensor 102n is configured to sense structural changes in the timing belt 112 which may indicate problems in the water pump. For example, the second sensor 102n may sense corrosion or rust in teeth of the timing belt 112 by projecting the infrared beams which indicates the problem of water pump seizure. Similarly, the water pump seizure may cause the teeth of the timing belt 112 to be shredded off, which can be identified by the second sensor 102n by projecting infrared beams and detecting irregular and non-alternating pattern due to wear and tears in in the timing belt 112. The detected irregular and non-alternating pattern is provided to the processing unit 114 which predicts the problem of the water pump seizure by analysing the received pattern. Furthermore, the second sensor 102n may identify deposits and residues in the timing belt teeth which can be caused by the seizure of the water pump 114. Moreover, the second sensor 102n or any other sensor may be configured to detect heat signature or thermal characteristics of the timing belt surface to identify any unusual spike or differential in the thermal characteristics which may be caused by the seizure of the water pump 114. Additionally, the second sensor 102n may be configured to detect coolant leakage marks on the surface of the timing belt by the detecting the projected continuous infrared beams on the timing belt surface, wherein coolant leakage marks indicate seizure of water pump 114.

Once the one or more impending problems associated with one or more vehicle components (e.g., the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114) are predicted by the processing unit 104 by analysing the output of the plurality of the sensors 102a-102n, the processing unit 104 is further configured to actuate the status reporting module 106 and/or a starter relay 108. The processing unit 104 is configured to provide one or more warning messages to the status reporting module 106 to notify the user about the predicted one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and /or the water pump 114. Furthermore, the processing unit 104 is configured to activate the starter relay 108 to disconnect power to engine motor 122 and prevent the engine from starting if a predefined criterion is met, wherein the predefined criteria is an absence of a response from the user within a pre-defined time period after delivery of the warning messages and/or severity of the predicted imminent problems.

Additionally, in the foregoing embodiments, 102a is referred to as the first sensor and the 102n is referred to as the second sensor, however, it should be noted by the person skilled in the art that the terms “first sensor” and “second sensor” can be used interchanging and therefore, sensor 102n can perform the functionality of the first sensor, and similarly, sensor 102a can also function as the second sensor without any limitation.

& FIG. BB illustrates a front view and rear view of main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 respectively. The front view of the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 is depicted in , wherein a silent key 152, one or more LEDs 154, a reset key 156 are manifested. The silent key 152 is communicatively coupled to the processing unit 104, wherein the actuation of the silent key 152 facilitates activates silent mode where any of audio and visual alarms provided by the status reporting module 106 are muted. On the other hand, the reset key 156 is communicatively coupled to the processing unit 104, wherein the actuation of the reset key facilitates restore operation to an initial state of the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150. According to certain embodiments, LEDs 154 (Light Emitting Diodes) are a part of the status reporting module 106 and are used to indicate one or more problems with any of the timing belt 112 and/ the water pump 114. According to certain embodiments, LEDs 154 can be utilized with other modules such as, and without limitation, a display panel, a haptic feedback generator, and/or a speaker to prompt the user of the vehicle about one or more problems with any of the timing belt 112 and/ the water pump 114. illustrates the rear view of the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150, wherein a multi-pin connection interface 158 is depicted which facilitates the connection with the sensor assembly using a wired connection. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular embodiments of a wired connection between the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 and the sensor assembly, this disclosure also contemplates a wireless connection between the sensor assembly and the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150. According to particular embodiments, the plurality of sensors is linked to the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 (i.e., main module) by utilizing the wired cable using the multi-pin connection interface 158, wherein the wired cable and the multi-pin connection interface 158 are specifically tailored to work in extreme conditions such as extreme cold, sweltering heat, and severe noisy environment.

Referring to now, wherein an exemplary method 400 for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to an aspect of the present invention is depicted. The method 400 starts at step 402, wherein a plurality of sensors 102a-102n are configured to sense conditions of a vehicle timing belt 112, wherein the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are engaged with the timing belt 112. In an embodiment, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n is mounted on a frame of the timing belt 112. According to an embodiment, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n is infrared (IR) sensors. Further, it is envisaged that other scanning technology may also be employed to supplement the infrared sensors 102a-102n. For example, this may include laser scanning of the conveyor belt, although this may raise issues due to the harsh environment of the conveyor belt, which may not be conducive to the adequate operation of the laser.

The transmitter unit 102atx-102ntx of each of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n projects the continuous infrared beams on the moving timing belt 112, whereas the receiving unit 102arx-102nrx of each of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n receives the reflected or refracted beams of the infrared beams by the moving timing belt 112 to thereby generate corresponding sensed electronic pulses or signals corresponding to characteristics of the reflected or refracted infrared beams representing operation or structure of the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or water pump 114, wherein the sensed electronic pulses are further provided to the processing unit 104 for analysis to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode.

In step 404, the processing unit 104 is configured to receive the electronic pulses or signals from the plurality of sensors 102a-102n indicating the operating conditions of the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114. According to an embodiment, the received electronic pulses or signals are suitably transformed by the processing unit 104 before processing. For example, the output received from the plurality of sensors 102a-102n is digitized using an A/D convertor before processing by the processing unit 104. According to an embodiment, the digital representation of the sensor output can be generated by the processing unit 104. Thereby, the processing unit 104 processes the output of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n to generate a fault diagnostic information, wherein the fault diagnostic information indicates one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and the water pump 114. The fault diagnostic information is determined by examining the sensed electronic pulses or signals by the processing unit 104 to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode. If the processing unit 104 determines that the output of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are alternating and regular pulses therefore it is determined that vehicle is in a normal and safe mode of operation. However, if the processing unit 104 determines that the output of the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses which indicate the imminent failure mode where impending problems are associated with one or more vehicle components such as, and without limitation, the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114. According to an embodiment, the fault diagnostic information generated by the processing unit 104 represents non-alternating and irregular electronic pulse patterns received from the plurality of sensors 102a-102n.

In step 406, the fault diagnostic information generated by the processing unit 104 is further analysed to predict one or more imminent problems with the vehicle components. For example, if the imminent failure mode is detected in aforementioned step 404, the processing unit 104 is configured to determine causes of the imminent failure mode, wherein the processing unit 104 is suitably programmed to analyse the failure diagnostic information to determine causes that are at the root of the non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses.

In an embodiment, the processing unit 104 is configured to compare the output of the plurality of the sensors 102a-102n with the information stored in a memory 110 to determine the causes of the various faults identified in the fault diagnostic information. For example, the memory 110 may comprise a plurality of reference non-alternating and/or irregular electronic signal patterns associated with corresponding potential problems and/or causes which may be retrieved by the processing unit 104 and compared with the non-alternating and irregular electronic pulse pattern provided by the plurality of sensors 102a-102n for determining the imminent problems and their causes on the basis of comparison output. Additionally, according to an embodiment, the processing unit 104 is also configured to fetch historical data from the memory 110. The historical data stored in the memory 110 may include information such as, and without limitation, historic record of data sensed by the plurality of sensors 102-102n which can be fetched by the processing unit 104 at any time for accurately identifying the structural or mechanical changes in the one or more vehicle components occurring over time e.g., timing belt 112, tensioner assembly 118 and/or the water pump 114, wherein analysis of the structural or mechanical changes over time can aid in the determination of the imminent problems and their potential causes and potential solutions.

Thereby, in step 408, the processing unit 104 is configured to predict one or more imminent problems and their associated causes on the basis of analysis of the fault diagnostic information by the processing unit to determine if the imminent problem is associated with belt tensioner assembly 118, the timing belt 112, and/or the water pump 114, wherein the imminent problems may comprise one or more of looseness of timing belt tensioner 118, failure of water pump 114, ball bearing leadscrew failure, seizer of the water pump 114, deterioration of the timing belt 112, asymmetrical vibrations in the timing belt 112, wear and tear of the timing belt 112, potential rupture of the timing belt, 112 corrosion of the timing belt 112, complications in the timing belt tensioner 118, problems due to aging of the timing belt 112, depression in the timing belt 112, holes in the timing belt 112, overheating of the timing belt 112, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt 112.

For example, a problem with water pump 114 (e.g. water pump seizure) may lead to corrosion of teeth of the timing belt 112, which can be result in detection of irregular and non-alternating patterns by the plurality of sensors 102a-102n. Furthermore, the problem with water pump 114 (e.g. water pump seizure) may lead to belt abrasion or dents in the timing belt 112. Such issues can be detected by the plurality of sensors 102a-102n and may be reported to the processing unit 104 for the identification of causes associated with the detected issues in the timing belt 112, wherein, according to an embodiment, the causes is seizure of the water pump 114. According to an embodiment, the memory 110 may be configured to store a plurality of reference signal waveforms or patterns representing standard irregular and non-alternating patterns caused due to the problem of water pump seizure. The processing unit 104 is configured to compare the received irregular and non-alternating patterns with reference signal waveforms stored in the memory 110 and identify associated causes of the problem.

In step 410, once the imminent problems and/or their potential causes are predicted, the processing unit 104 is configured to generate one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems associated with any one of the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly, and/or the water pump 114. The warning messages may be generated in any particular format including an audio warning message, vibratory warning alert, visual warning message, and a combination thereof. The processing unit 104 is further programmed to provide the generated warning messages to a status reporting module 106 to notify the user about the predicted one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt 112, the water pump 114, and belt tensioner assembly 118.

In step 412, the status reporting module 106 is arranged to receive the generated warning messages from the processing unit 104 and notify the user of the vehicle about the predicted imminent problems. According to an embodiment, the status reporting module 106 is activated on a command received from the processing unit 104 to prompt the vehicle user about diagnosed problems with one or more vehicle components (e.g., timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114). When no problem or failure is detected, then the status reporting module 106 is in a standby mode, however, as soon as a potential problem is diagnosed, the processing unit 104 triggers the activation of the status reporting module 106 by sending the command to prompt the user by activating the audio and/or visual notification units of the status reporting module 106. According to certain embodiments, the prompt command including one or more warning messages is sent using a set of data lines to the status reporting module 106. The status reporting module 106 responds by announcing the warning messages using the audio, vibratory, and/or visual notification sub-modules. For example, the status reporting module 106 may include a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that are used to indicate the safe/normal mode (e.g., green lights) and imminent failure mode (e.g., red lights). The status reporting module 106 may also include a speaker to announce the received warning messages in an audible format. The status reporting module 106 may also include a display panel that may provide visual alerts to the user of the vehicle regarding one or more imminent problems in the vehicle components. The status reporting module 106 may also be configured to display or announce information to the vehicle user about the components that are facing imminent problems. Besides, the potential solutions and/or causes to the identified imminent problems can also be provided visually and/or audibly to the user of the vehicle. Additionally, the status reporting module 106 may also deliver vibratory alerts for warning the user of the vehicle, for example, the vibratory alerts may be provided at specific locations, e.g., vehicle steering wheel or driver seat. According to an embodiment, intensity and/or frequency of the audio, visual, and/or vibratory alerts is modified by the processing unit 104 according to various parameters such as, and without limitation, the severity of the problem, time interval passed since delivering the initial warning message, etc. According to an embodiment, the processing unit 104 may also be configured to share the warning messages with one or more remote devices associated with the vehicle user, a technician, and/or a remote service station.

In step 414, the processing unit 104 activates the starter relay 108 by sending a command to the starter relay 108 to disconnect power to the vehicle engine once a pre-defined criteria are met. For example, the starter relay 108 is actuated by the processing unit 104 to disconnect engine power and prevent the engine motor 122 from starting in absence of a response from the user within a pre-defined time period since delivery of the warning messages. Additionally, the processing unit 104 is programmed to activate the starter relay 108 to disconnect the engine power depending on the severity of the predicted imminent problems to protect the vehicle engine from expensive damage.

Particular embodiments may repeat one or more steps of the method of , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular steps of the method of as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplates any suitable steps of the method of occurring in any suitable order. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates an example method for predicting imminent problems, including the particular steps of the method of , this disclosure contemplates any suitable method for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent problems in the vehicle timing belt and/or the water pump, including any suitable steps, which may include all, or some of the steps of the method of , where appropriate. Furthermore, although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular components, devices, or systems carrying out particular steps of the method of , this disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or systems carrying out any suitable steps of the method of .

Referring to , there is shown another alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein a perspective view depicting an exemplary system for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to the second aspect of the present invention is depicted. According to this aspect of the present disclosure, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n and the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 are provided with radio communication capabilities. For example, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n is equipped with wireless communication capability such as, and without limitation, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Infrared, WLAN, cellular, LTE, and Z-Wave to transmit the sensed information to the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 including the processing unit 104. The main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 is also enabled with wireless communication capability such as, and without limitation, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Infrared, WLAN, cellular, LTE, and Z-Wave. According to this aspect, the wired connection between the sensor kit and the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 is omitted and replaced by the wireless communication capabilities. It should be understood that the present invention contemplates all such modifications without any restriction to the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the wireless infrared sensors 102a-102n equipped with Bluetooth capabilities can sense operating conditions of the vehicle timing belt and communicate wirelessly with the processing unit 104 without any wired connection using Bluetooth based communication channel, wherein the processing unit 104 can analyse the information sensed by the wireless infrared sensors 102a-102n and predict imminent problems with the timing belt 112, the belt tensioner assembly 118 and/or the water pump 114.

illustrates a perspective view depicting an exemplary system for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components according to the third aspect of the present invention. According to this aspect of the disclosure, a main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 is configured to transmit the predicted problems to a

remote device

126, 128, 130 by using radio wave communication techniques, wherein the

remote device

126, 128, 130 is a mobile device of the user, a mobile device of a technician, and/or a designated remote maintenance station. For this implementation, the status reporting module 106 may be equipped with a transceiver that is configured to achieve wireless transmission and/or wireless reception of data and/or commands from the

remote device

126, 128, 130. According to an embodiment, the remote device 126 is a mobile device of a vehicle user or designated technician.

The present disclosure includes provisions to alert a

remote device

126, 128, 130 (e.g., a technician) to seek assistance from experts when one or more problems are imminent in the timing belt 112 and/or water pump 114. According to particular embodiments, the

remote device

126, 128, 130 can be such as, and without limitation, a smartphone, a remote computer, a remote laptop, a mobile phone, tablets, or other suitable electronic devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

According to another embodiment, the remote device 128 is an electronic device associated with a designated remote maintenance station. According to another embodiment, the remote device 130 is a remote central database (e.g., cloud-based implementation) configured to store identified imminent problems corresponding to one or more vehicles and/or information required by the processing unit 104 to predict imminent problems in vehicles components.

In one embodiment of the invention, the main diagnosis and prognosis assembly 150 and the

remote device

126, 128, 130 are communicatively coupled with each other using a communication network 124. The present invention contemplates any suitable communication network 124. As an example, one or more portions of network 124 may include a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), an intranet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, or a combination of two or more of these.

As an example, as shown in , the data collected by the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are received by the processing unit 104 via wired or wireless communication techniques. According to an embodiment, the plurality of sensors 102a-102n are Infrared (IR) sensors and are mounted on a frame of the timing belt 112. The processing unit 104 analyses the received sensor output and predicts the imminent problems with the timing belt 112 and/or water pump 114. The processing unit 104 also generates warning messages corresponding to the predicted imminent problems and transmits the generates warning messages to any of the

remote devices

126, 128, and 130 using the status reporting module 106. In accordance with this embodiment, the status reporting module 106 includes a wireless transceiver for two-way wireless communication with the

remote devices

126, 128, and 130 for sending and receiving data. According to another exemplary implementation of this aspect of the disclosure, the processing unit 104 may be programmed to fetch data stored in the remote central database 130 for predicting the imminent problems by comparing the data received from the plurality of sensors with the data stored in the remote central database 130, wherein the data stored in the remote central database 130 may include information required by the processing unit 104 to predict imminent problems in vehicles components.

In an embodiment, the remote central database 130 may store a historical record of information related to a plurality of vehicles such as, and without limitation, historical record of information may include information sensed by the plurality of sensors 102-102n of each vehicle in chronological order which can be fetched by the processing unit 104 at any time for accurately identifying the structural or mechanical changes in the one or more vehicle components occurring over time e.g., timing belt 112, tensioner assembly 118, and/or the water pump 114, wherein the structural or mechanical changes can be analysed by the processing unit 104 to identify the imminent problems or failures. Furthermore, remote central database 130 may also be arranged to store information related to the historical record of faults or problems related to a plurality of vehicles. Besides, the remote central database 130 may also store a plurality of reference non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses patterns and their associated potential problems and/or causes which can be retrieved and analysed by the processing unit 104 for predicting the one or more problems in vehicle operation.

illustrates a schematic circuit diagram for diagnosis and prognosis apparatus for water pump failure and/or loosening belt tensioner assembly of a timing belt. A processing unit 104 is communicatively coupled to a status reporting module 106, i.e., a speaker 106 and an LCD panel 106, wherein the status reporting module 106 is utilised to prompt a vehicle driver about one or more imminent problems in the water pump 114 and/or belt tensioner assembly 118 of a timing belt 112. In particular embodiments, the processing unit 104 is implemented using a microcontroller IC as shown in which is configured to receive a signal from a plurality of sensors 102 and predict imminent problems in vehicle timing belt 112, water pump 114, and/or belt tensioner assembly 118. The status reporting module 106 (e.g. speaker 106 and/or LCD panel 106) is activated on a command received from the processing unit 104 to prompt the vehicle user about diagnosed problems with one or more vehicle components (e.g., timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118 and/or water pump 114). When no problem or failure is detected, then the status reporting module 106 is in a standby mode, however, as soon as a potential problem is diagnosed, the processing unit 104 triggers the activation of the status reporting module 106 by sending the command to prompt the user by activating the audio and/or visual notification units (the speaker 106, the LCD panel 106, etc.) of the status reporting module 106.

The processing unit 104 generates one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems with at least one of the timing belt 112, belt tensioner assembly 118, and the water pump 114, and provides the generated warning messages to the user of the vehicle by activating a status reporting module 106 to thereby alert the user about the predicted imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt 112 and the water pump 114, wherein the one or more warning messages are audio messages, visual messages, or combination thereof. Furthermore, the processing unit IC 104 facilitates disconnection of engine power by actuating a starter relay 108 to prevent engine motor 122 from starting upon the prediction of the one or more imminent problems to thereby inhibit any damage to the engine.

As apparent from the foregoing specifications, the invention includes a provision to notify a driver of the vehicle in advance when a problem in the vehicle timing belt, belt tensioner assembly, and/or water pump, is approaching. Accordingly, an apparatus and method is disclosed for identifying when vehicles are going to breakdown or experience faults and proactively maintaining and repairing the vehicles before the breakdowns and faults occur. Additionally, the present invention facilitates the automatic disconnection to engine power and preventing the engine from stopping either when the driver is not responding to the warning messages or depending on the severity of the predicted problems. Thus, the present invention decimates problems in the initial stage and thereby inhibits further extensive damage to the vehicle engine and other interconnected components. Thus, the central goal of this invention to prevent damage to vehicle engine due to loosening of belt tensioner assembly, failure/seizure of water pump, and/or the timing belt rapture is achieved.

While the disclosed embodiments of the subject matter described herein have been shown in the drawing and fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with several exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications, changes, and omissions are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings, the principles and concepts set forth herein, and advantages of the subject matter recited in the appended claims. Hence, the proper scope of the disclosed innovations should be determined only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all such modifications, changes, and omissions. In addition, the order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments.

Claims

An electronic device to diagnose and predict imminent damages to one or more vehicle components, the electronic device comprising:
a first sensor configured to trigger a first sensor signal indicating operating condition of a timing belt;
a second sensor configured to trigger a second sensor signal indicating operating condition of a water pump;
a status reporting module configured to provide warning messages to a user of the vehicle to indicate imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump; and
a processing unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor, second sensor, and the status reporting module, the processing unit being configured to:
receive and process the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal indicating the operating condition of the timing belt and the water pump respectively;
predict one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump, wherein the one or more imminent problems are predicted based on the processing of the received first sensor signals and the second sensor signal;
generate one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump; and
provide the one or more warning messages to the status reporting module to notify the user about the predicted one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump.
The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a starter relay communicatively coupled to the processing unit, wherein the starter relay is actuated by the processing unit to disconnect engine power and prevent the engine from starting in absence of a response from the user within a pre-define time period after delivery of the warning messages.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to control vehicle operating parameters automatically in absence of a response from the user within a pre-defined time period after delivery of the warning messages.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to automatically control vehicle operating parameters by disconnecting engine power to prevent the engine from starting upon prediction of the one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump to thereby inhibit any further damage to the vehicle engine.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an Infrared (IR) sensor including a transmitter and a receiver.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is an Infrared (IR) sensor including a transmitter and a receiver.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the predicted imminent problems comprise any of timing belt tensioner looseness, water pump failure, water pump seizer, deterioration of the timing belt, wear and tear of the timing belt, potential rupture of the timing belt, impending corrosion of the timing belt, complications in belt tensioner assembly, problems due to aging of the timing belt, depression in the timing belt, holes in the timing belt, overheating of the timing belt, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt.
The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a reset key communicatively coupled to the processing unit, wherein the actuation of the reset key facilitates restore operation to an initial state of the electronic device; and
a silent key communicatively coupled to the processing unit, wherein the actuation of the silent key facilitates activates silent mode where any of audio and visual alarms provided by the status reporting module are muted.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the status reporting module is configured to provide warning messages to the user of the vehicle by using audio alerts, visual alerts, vibratory alerts, and a combination thereof.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the status reporting module includes any of a display screen, one or more LEDs, one or more speakers, a multi-tone generator, a communication interface, or a combination thereof.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to sense water pump seizure by processing the second sensor signal triggered by the second sensor by identifying abrasion in the timing belt, the processing unit is further being configured to generate a corresponding warning message by activating the status reporting module to alert the user of the vehicle about the water pump seizure.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are mounted on a timing belt frame at contact points of the timing belt and a camshaft gear wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are configured to sense infrared light beams projected on side of the timing belt to generate corresponding electronic pulses, wherein the electronic pulses are further analyzed utilizing the processing unit to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode.
The electronic device of claim 12, wherein in the normal mode regular and alternating pulses are sensed by the first sensor and the second sensor, whereas in the imminent failure mode non-alternating and irregular electronic pulses are detected by the first sensor and the second sensor thereby indicating imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to generate a fault diagnostic information based on the processing of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal, wherein the fault diagnostic information indicates the one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to send warning messages to one or more remote devices by using radio wave communication techniques, wherein the remote device is one or more of a mobile device of the user, a mobile device of a technician, and a designated remote maintenance station.
The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a third sensor configured to sense heat signature generated due to the imminent problems with any of the timing belt and the water pump, wherein the sensed heat signature is processed further to generate a fault diagnostic information indicating the one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump.
A method for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components, the method comprising:
generating, by utilizing a plurality of infrared sensors, an electronic signal indicating operating condition of a timing belt;
receiving and processing, by utilizing a processing unit, the electronic signal generated by utilizing the plurality of infrared sensors indicating the operating condition of the timing belt to generate a fault diagnostic information;
predicting, by utilizing the processing unit, one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and a water pump by analyzing the fault diagnostic information;
generating, by utilizing the processing unit, one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump;
providing, by utilizing a status reporting module, the generated one or more warning messages to a user of the vehicle to thereby alert the user about the predicted imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump, wherein the one or more warning messages are audio messages, visual messages, or combination thereof; and
disconnecting, by utilizing a starter relay, engine power to prevent engine from starting upon prediction of the one or more imminent problems to thereby inhibit any further damage to the engine.
The method of claim 17, wherein the predicted imminent problems comprise any of timing belt tensioner looseness, water pump failure, water pump seizer, deterioration of the timing belt, wear and tear of the timing belt, potential rupture of the timing belt, impending corrosion of the timing belt, problems due to aging of the timing belt, depression in the timing belt, holes in the timing belt, dent abrasion, overheating of the timing belt, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt.
The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of infrared sensors is mounted in a frame of the timing belt at contact points of the timing belt and a camshaft gear whereby the plurality of infrared sensors is configured to sense infrared light beams projected on side of the timing belt to generate corresponding electronic pulses, wherein the electronic pulses are further analyzed by the processing unit to distinguish between a normal mode and an imminent failure mode.
An electronic device to diagnose and predict imminent damages to one or more vehicle components, the electronic device comprising:
a processing unit; and
a memory having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to:
receiving an electronic signal indicating operating condition of a timing belt from a plurality of infrared sensors;
processing the received electronic signal indicating the operating condition of the timing belt to generate a fault diagnostic information;
predicting one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and a water pump by analyzing the fault diagnostic information;
generating one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump;
providing the generated one or more warning messages to a user of the vehicle by activating a status reporting module to thereby alert the user about the predicted imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump, wherein the one or more warning messages are audio messages, visual messages, vibratory alerts, or a combination thereof; and
facilitating disconnection of engine power by actuating a starter relay upon prediction of the one or more imminent problems to prevent engine from starting to thereby inhibit any further damage to the engine.
The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the predicted imminent problems comprise any of timing belt tensioner looseness, water pump failure, water pump seizer, deterioration of the timing belt, wear and tear of the timing belt, potential rupture of the timing belt, impending corrosion of the timing belt, problems due to aging of the timing belt, depression in the timing belt, holes in the timing belt, overheating of the timing belt, and structural abnormalities in the timing belt.
A computer program product for diagnosis and prognosis of imminent damages to one or more vehicle components, computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by one or more processing units to cause the one or more processing units to perform operations comprising:
receiving an electronic signal indicating operating condition of a timing belt from a plurality of infrared sensors;
processing the received electronic signal indicating the operating condition of the timing belt to generate a fault diagnostic information;
predicting one or more imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and a water pump by analyzing the fault diagnostic information;
generating one or more warning messages to indicate the predicted imminent problems with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump;
providing the generated warning messages to a user of the vehicle by activating a status reporting module to thereby alert the user about the predicted imminent problems associated with at least one of the timing belt and the water pump, wherein the one or more warning messages are audio messages, visual messages, or a combination thereof; and
facilitating disconnection of engine power by actuating a starter relay to prevent engine from starting upon prediction of the one or more imminent problems to thereby inhibit any damage to the engine.