Abstract: In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for adaptively performing diagnostics in a vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes at least one microcontroller and a communication controller. The at least one microcontroller is positioned in a vehicle and is configured to provide first information indicative of operating characteristics for at least one switch in the vehicle. The communication controller is configured to receive the first information from the at least one microcontroller and to wirelessly transmit the first information to a remote server. The communication controller is further configured to receive second information related to a remaining useful life (RUL) for the at least one switch from the remote server and to transmit the second information to the at least one microcontroller to determine when the at least one switch will exhibit a failure.

Abstract: A method and system to perform the verification of measures done by a sensor in quasi real-time. The sensor verification may be implemented at two different levels—a functionality level and a measurement level. At the functionality level, a consistency check of information from different variables may be processed at sensor level depending on the functionality of the physical system being measured. At the measurement level, diagnostics may be performed of the circuits present in the measurement path by specific circuitry and at suitable instants of time to guarantee a Fault Tolerant Time Interval while minimizing sample loss. This may be achieved, at least in part, by increasing the measuring sample rate.

Abstract: A method and system to perform the verification of measures done by a sensor in quasi real-time. The sensor verification may be implemented at two different levels—a functionality level and a measurement level. At the functionality level, a consistency check of information from different variables may be processed at sensor level depending on the functionality of the physical system being measured. At the measurement level, diagnostics may be performed of the circuits present in the measurement path by specific circuitry and at suitable instants of time to guarantee a Fault Tolerant Time Interval while minimizing sample loss. This may be achieved, at least in part, by increasing the measuring sample rate.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for adaptively performing diagnostics in a vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes at least one microcontroller and a communication controller. The at least one microcontroller is positioned in a vehicle and is configured to provide first information indicative of operating characteristics for at least one switch in the vehicle. The communication controller is configured to receive the first information from the at least one microcontroller and to wirelessly transmit the first information to a remote server. The communication controller is further configured to receive second information related to a remaining useful life (RUL) for the at least one switch from the remote server and to transmit the second information to the at least one microcontroller to determine when the at least one switch will exhibit a failure.

Abstract: A method and system to perform the verification of measures done by a sensor in quasi real-time. The sensor verification may be implemented at two different levels—a functionality level and a measurement level. At the functionality level, a consistency check of information from different variables may be processed at sensor level depending on the functionality of the physical system being measured. At the measurement level, diagnostics may be performed of the circuits present in the measurement path by specific circuitry and at suitable instants of time to guarantee a Fault Tolerant Time Interval while minimizing sample loss. This may be achieved, at least in part, by increasing the measuring sample rate.

Abstract: A system for a vehicle having an engine and a battery includes a memory and a controller. The memory has a first current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a warm cranking event and a second current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a cold cranking event. The controller to predict a first minimum voltage of the battery expected during the warm cranking event based on the first current and a second minimum voltage of the battery expected during the cold cranking event based on the second current.

Abstract: A system for a vehicle having an engine and a battery includes a memory and a controller. The memory has a predicted current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a cranking event. The controller is configured to predict a minimum voltage of the battery expected during the cranking event based on the predicted current and to update the predicted current in the memory as a function of the predicted current and an actual current actually provided by the battery for restarting the engine during the cranking event.

Abstract: A system for a vehicle having an engine and a battery includes a memory and a controller. The memory has a first current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a warm cranking event and a second current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a cold cranking event. The controller to predict a first minimum voltage of the battery expected during the warm cranking event based on the first current and a second minimum voltage of the battery expected during the cold cranking event based on the second current.

Abstract: Method and system to improve the calculation of the State of Charge (SOC) of a battery with a model based on an adaptive parabolic function, including a feature to dynamically update the key parameters of the model, to compensate the behavior deviations of the battery from the ideal new battery model as it ages. The battery model has a parabolic region and a linear region.

Abstract: A system for a vehicle having an engine and a battery includes a memory and a controller. The memory has a predicted current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a cranking event. The controller is configured to predict a minimum voltage of the battery expected during the cranking event based on the predicted current and to update the predicted current in the memory as a function of the predicted current and an actual current actually provided by the battery for restarting the engine during the cranking event.

Abstract: A vehicle and method for cleaning parabolic trough solar collectors (2) by means of a motorized vehicle (1) which includes a water tank (4); front (5) and rear (6) cleaning arms, with a telescopic part having several sections, coupled at one end to a pivoting head (8) which supports a rotary cleaning brush (9) and comprises spray nozzles (10), as well as proximity sensors (12) for the brushes (9). It comprises the same number of front and rear transverse guide rails (13) which include a linear movement means (14) coupled, by means of a pivot (15), to the cleaning arms (5, 6). The brushes (9) are movable in relation to the head (8) by means of a shaft (21) actuated by a retraction actuator (27) for overcoming obstacles (26).

Abstract: A method of updating a bootloader includes a slave controller that includes a central processing unit in communication with non-volatile memory having a shared memory architecture. The shared memory architecture including a non-volatile application memory block having application code and a non-volatile launcher memory block having bootloader code for initiating the slave controller. The method including a step of storing updated code to an application memory block of the non-volatile memory. The updated code includes a first code section having application code for application functions, a second code section having updated bootupdater code, and a third code section having image code for an updated bootloader. Slave controller receives indication to update the bootloader code stored in the non-volatile launcher memory block and then executes the bootupdater stored in the application memory block to update the bootloader stored in the launcher memory block from the image code for an updated bootloader.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for providing age-compensation control for a power converter is provided. The apparatus comprises a controller for being coupled to a power converter including a plurality of phases for converting a first input signal into a first output signal. The controller is configured to activate at least one first switch for a first phase from the plurality of phases for converting the first input signal into the first output signal. The controller is further configured to determine an aging condition for the at least one first switch for the first phase based on an equivalent time, Teq of the at least one first switch, wherein Teq corresponds to an amount of time the at least one first switch is active and on an operating temperature of the at least one first switch while the at least one first switch is active.

Abstract: A sensor for monitoring battery current includes a shunt and a current source. The shunt has a resistance with an actual value. The current source is configured to provide a known value of current through the shunt. A controller is configured to generate a measured value of the current through the shunt as a function of a measured value of voltage drop across the shunt caused by the current through the shunt and an assumed value of the resistance of the shunt. The controller is further configured to detect the assumed value of the resistance of the shunt as being different than the actual value of the resistance of the shunt when the known and measured values of the current differ.

Abstract: A memory architecture includes a non-volatile, application memory block having first application code for application functions capable of being called by first application, a non-volatile launcher memory block having second application code for application functions capable of being called by a second application, a non-volatile, shared memory block having shared code for shared functions, and a fixed memory locations dedicated within the shared memory block to store shared function pointers, and a volatile memory storing callback pointers. The second application code is launcher code that is operable to initialize the first application code. At least one volatile memory storing callback pointer is associated with each one of the shared functions. The callback pointers point to callback function code when the first application is executing and to callback function code when the second application is executing.

Abstract: A method and system include a converter such as an analog-to-digital converter (“ADC”) and a controller. The converter is configured to receive a sensor signal, indicative of a physical measured quantity, and generate an output signal based on the sensor signal and the voltage reference. The converter is further configured to alternately receive a calibration voltage in lieu of the sensor signal and generate the output signal based on the calibration voltage and the voltage reference. The controller is configured to compare the output signal based on the calibration voltage and the voltage reference with an expected value of the output signal based on the calibration voltage and an assumed value of the voltage reference to detect variation of the voltage reference, and to compensate the output signal based on the sensor signal and the voltage reference as a function of the detected variation of the voltage reference.

Abstract: A system for minimizing variation of a voltage reference includes a voltage reference generator and a power converter. The voltage reference generator is configured to generate a voltage reference from a supply voltage. The power converter, such as a flyback converter, is configured to supply an adjustable supply voltage to the voltage reference generator. The voltage reference generator generates the voltage reference from the adjustable supply voltage.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for providing age-compensation control for a power converter is provided. The apparatus comprises a controller for being coupled to a power converter including a plurality of phases for converting a first input signal into a first output signal. The controller is configured to activate at least one first switch for a first phase from the plurality of phases for converting the first input signal into the first output signal. The controller is further configured to determine an aging condition for the at least one first switch for the first phase based on an equivalent time, Teq of the at least one first switch, wherein Teq corresponds to an amount of time the at least one first switch is active and on an operating temperature of the at least one first switch while the at least one first switch is active.

Abstract: A shared memory architecture is disclosed to support operations associated with executing shared functions from a shared memory space in such a manner that separate pieces of software can execute the shared functions.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for updating a shared memory or other memory location where multiple entities rely on code stored to the same memory to support one or more operation functions. The shared memory may be updated such that the code intended to the replace the currently stored code may be relied upon prior to replacement of the code currently written to the shared memory.