System and method for predictive maintenance based on steering angle data in vehicles

1 . A vehicle comprising:

a braking system;

a suspension system;

a steering system comprising a steering wheel rotatable in response to a selective steering input of a human driver, wherein said steering, braking and suspension systems comprise at least one component related to vehicle safety and drivability; and

at least one steering angle sensor to continuously measuring an angular position of the steering wheel and outputting steering angle data corresponding to said measured angular position;

a maintenance control module (MCM) operably connected to said at least one steering angle sensor, the MCM comprising at least one processor and memory, the memory comprising instructions to cause the processor to:

receive said measured steering angle data;

using the steering angle data, determine a predictive maintenance indicator (PMI) for said at least one component on the vehicle by using a vehicle-specific predictive maintenance correlation stored in the MCM to compare variations in the measured steering angle data over time from a neutral value to predetermined threshold values, thereby predicting wear or failure of said at least one component affecting vehicle safety and drivability;

generate a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and a maintenance report; and

transmit, using output hardware, the maintenance report and DTC to a user or a remote service location for initiating maintenance actions, said maintenance report including the PMI, an urgency level associated with the PMI and at least one recommended maintenance action to repair or replace said at least one component for which the PMI was determined, thereby returning steering angle values to said neutral value.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the MCM is further configured to select steering angle data associated with vehicle travel, vehicle steering, vehicle braking, or a combination thereof.

3 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the MCM is further configured to obtain the predictive maintenance correlation in the form of a look-up table, a graph, a chart, a diagram, a model, a data structure, a data object, a library, or a combination thereof.

4 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the MCM is further configured to track the steering angle over a period of time to determine the PMI for the at least one vehicle component.

5 . The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the MCM is further configured to detect at least one occurrence of the steering angle exceeding at least one predetermined steering angle threshold.

6 . A vehicle comprising:

a braking system;

a suspension system;

a steering system comprising a steering wheel rotatable in response to a selective steering input of a driver, wherein said steering, braking and suspension systems comprise at least one component related to vehicle safety and drivability;

at least one steering angle sensor to continuously measure an angular position of the steering wheel and output steering angle data corresponding to said measured angular position;

input hardware operably coupled to said at least one steering angle sensor to receive the measured steering angle data; and

a maintenance control module (MCM) connected to the input hardware, wherein the MCM comprises at least one processor and memory to receive said measured steering angle data from the input hardware; apply the measured steering angle data to a vehicle-specific maintenance model stored in the memory, the model comprising a correlation between steering angle data and component threshold values; determine a predictive maintenance indicator (PMI) for said at least one component on the vehicle associated with the at least one steering angle sensor based on deviations in the measured steering angle data over time from a neutral value, thereby predicting wear or failure of said at least one component affecting vehicle safety and drivability; and generate a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and a maintenance report; and

output hardware configured to transmit the maintenance report and DTC to a user or a remote service location, said maintenance report including the PMI, an urgency level associated with the PMI and at least one recommended maintenance action to repair or replace said at least one component for which the PMI was determined to return steering angle values to said neutral value.

7 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the at least one processor further selects steering angle data associated with vehicle travel, vehicle steering, vehicle braking, or a combination thereof.

8 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the urgency level is based on the deviation from expected steering angle values.

9 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the MCM may initiate predictive maintenance based on a prior approval by as user.