Diagnostic data visualization methods

• US 10,515,492 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Mattern, Michael F., Amin, Lathika, Dager, James C., Davis, Austin, Eftimovski, Gorance V., Muthusubramanian, Ramsundar, Watson, Paula Piercecchi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Robert T
• Application Number:
  US15/373,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20170169634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus includes an aggregation circuit, an analysis circuit, and a data visualization circuit. The aggregation circuit is structured to receive at least one of (i) vehicle data indicative of a least one operating characteristic of one or more vehicles from the one or more vehicles and (ii) technician data indicative of at least one diagnostic characteristic of the one or more vehicles representative of a technician servicing event. The analysis circuit is structured to interpret the at least one of the vehicle data and the technician data to facilitate remote monitoring of the one or more vehicles. The data visualization circuit is structured to receive a display request for providing a graphical user interface to a user display device. The display request includes configurable options for providing the graphical user interface in a desired graphical format including the at least one of the vehicle data and the technician data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, at least one of (i) vehicle data indicative of a least one operating characteristic of one or more vehicles or (ii) technician data indicative of at least one diagnostic characteristic associated with the one or more vehicles, wherein the at least one diagnostic characteristic is representative of a technician servicing event;

interpreting, by the processor, the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data to facilitate remote monitoring of the one or more vehicles;

determining, by the processor, a potential root cause for a fault code of a particular vehicle of the one or more vehicles by comparing the vehicle data of the particular vehicle to the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of one or more other vehicles;

receiving, by the processor, a display request for a graphical user interface for formatting the graphical user interface in a desired graphical format based on at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data; and

providing, by the processor, the graphical user interface in the desired graphical format to a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates proactive repair of the one or more vehicles based on the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a recommended course of action to address the potential root cause of the fault code based on the comparison of the vehicle data of the particular vehicle to the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of the one or more other vehicles; and

providing, by the processor, at least one of the potential root cause for the fault code or the recommended course of action to address the potential root cause of the fault code in the desired graphical format.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying, by the processor, at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data for each of the one or more vehicles with a unique modifier, wherein the unique modifier is stored within a memory of the processor for each vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired graphical format includes a geographic status format that facilitates tracking the particular vehicle along a route with the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of the particular vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired graphical format includes a failure location format that indicates a location indicative of the fault code occurring, wherein the location further provides an indication of the potential root cause of the fault code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired graphical format includes a parameter trend format that formats and provides a visual comparison of operating characteristics of at least one vehicle to at least one other vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired graphical format includes a fault code format that generates and provides a categorized representation of fault codes for each of the one or more vehicles in a fleet.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to execute a plurality of circuits, the plurality of circuits comprising;

an aggregation circuit structured to receive at least one of (i) vehicle data indicative of a least one operating characteristic of one or more vehicles or (ii) technician data indicative of at least one diagnostic characteristic of the one or more vehicles representative of a technician servicing event for each of the one or more vehicles;

an analysis circuit structured to interpret the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data to facilitate remote monitoring of the one or more vehicles, and to determine a potential root cause for a fault code of a particular vehicle of the one or more vehicles by comparing the vehicle data of the particular vehicle to the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of the one or more vehicles; and

a data visualization circuit structured to receive a display request for providing a graphical user interface to a display device, wherein the display request includes configurable options for providing the graphical user interface in a desired graphical format for depicting the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data for each of the one or more vehicles.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates proactive repair of the one or more vehicles based on the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the analysis circuit is further structured to determine a recommended course of action to address the potential root cause of the fault code based on the comparison of the vehicle data of the particular vehicle to the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of the one or more vehicles.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data visualization circuit is further structured to provide at least one of the potential root cause for the fault code or the recommended course of action to address the potential root cause of the fault code in the desired graphical format.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the analysis circuit is further structured to modify the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data for each of the one or more vehicles with a unique modifier.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the desired graphical format includes a geographic status format that facilitates tracking the particular vehicle along a route with the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of the particular vehicle.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the desired graphical format includes a failure location format that indicates a location indicative of the fault code occurring, wherein the location further provides an indication of the potential root cause of the fault code.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the desired graphical format includes a parameter trend format that formats and provides a visual comparison of operating characteristics of at least one vehicle to at least one other vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the desired graphical format includes a fault code format that generates and provides a categorized representation of fault codes for each of the one or more vehicles in a fleet.

18. A system, comprising:

a display device;

a fleet management system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the fleet management system communicably coupled to at least one of (i) a telematics system operatively coupled to one or more vehicles or (ii) a technician servicing location, the fleet management system structured to;

receive at least one of (i) vehicle data indicative of a least one operating characteristic of the one or more vehicles or (ii) technician data indicative of at least one diagnostic characteristic of the one or more vehicles representative of a technician servicing event for each of the one or more vehicles at the technician servicing location;

interpret the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data to facilitate remote monitoring of the one or more vehicles;

determine a potential root cause for a fault code of a particular vehicle of the one or more vehicles by comparing the vehicle data of the particular vehicle to the at least one of the vehicle data or the technician data of the one or more vehicles; and

provide a command to the display device to display a graphical user interface in response to receiving a display request, wherein the display request includes configurable options for providing the graphical user interface in a desired graphical format for depicting the at least one of the vehicle data and the technician data for each of the one or more vehicles.