Maintenance service supporting terminal, maintenance service supporting method, maintenance service supporting program, and OBD history data

• US 20050143882A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tsubasa System Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tsubasa System Company Limited
• Inventors: Umezawa, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/934,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143882A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A maintenance service supporting terminal for supporting a maintenance service for a vehicle by using an OBD code is disclosed. The maintenance service supporting terminal includes: an OBD code obtaining unit for obtaining the OBD code from the vehicle, a vehicle diagnosing unit for diagnosing the vehicle according to the obtained OBD code, and an estimating unit for estimating a fee for repairing the vehicle according to the diagnosis of the vehicle diagnosing unit.

Claims

1. A maintenance service supporting terminal for supporting a maintenance service for a vehicle by using an OBD code, the maintenance service supporting terminal comprising:

an OBD code obtaining unit for obtaining the OBD code from the vehicle;

a vehicle diagnosing unit for diagnosing the vehicle according to the obtained OBD code; and

an estimating unit for estimating a fee for repairing the vehicle according to the diagnosis of the vehicle diagnosing unit.

2. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a procedure/component information storing unit for storing at least one of procedure information and component information in connection with the OBD code.

3. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a procedure fee information storing unit for storing procedure fee information in connection with the procedure information.

4. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 3, wherein the estimating unit obtains corresponding procedure information corresponding to the obtained OBD code from the procedure/component information storing unit, and corresponding procedure fee information corresponding to the obtained corresponding procedure information from the procedure fee information storing unit.

5. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a component fee information storing unit for storing component fee information in connection with the component information.

6. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 5, wherein the estimating unit obtains corresponding component information corresponding to the obtained OBD code from the procedure/component information storing unit, and corresponding component fee information corresponding to the obtained corresponding component information from the component fee information storing unit.

7. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the estimating unit prints out an estimate sheet indicative of the fee for repairing the vehicle.

8. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a diagnosis information generating unit for generating diagnosis information of the vehicle based on the obtained OBD code.

9. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a comment information storing unit for storing comment information in connection with the OBD code, wherein the comment information includes a diagnosis content corresponding to the OBD code for use as the diagnosis information.

10. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the comment information storing unit further includes image information corresponding to the OBD code.

11. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the diagnosis information generating unit obtains corresponding comment information corresponding to the obtained OBD code from the comment information storing unit.

12. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the diagnosis information generating unit prints out a diagnosis sheet indicative of generated diagnosis information.

13. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an OBD history information generating unit for generating OBD history information in connection with the obtained OBD code and vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle.

14. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 13, wherein the OBD history information includes at least one of mileage information, output date of the OBD code, engine speed information, engine load information, coolant temperature information, and speed information with respect to the vehicle.

15. The maintenance service supporting terminal as claimed in claim 14, wherein the OBD history information is transmitted to another terminal connected to the maintenance service supporting terminal.

16. A maintenance service supporting system comprising:

a maintenance service supporting terminal including an OBD code obtaining unit for obtaining an OBD code from a vehicle, a vehicle diagnosing unit for diagnosing the vehicle according to the obtained OBD code, an estimating unit for estimating a fee for repairing the vehicle according to the diagnosis of the vehicle diagnosing unit, and an OBD history information generating unit for generating OBD history information in connection with the obtained OBD code and vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle; and

a management server including an OBD history information storing unit for storing OBD history information received from the maintenance service supporting terminal.

17. The maintenance service supporting system as claimed in 16, wherein the management server provides the OBD history information stored in the OBD history information storing unit to another terminal connected to the management server.

18. A maintenance service supporting method for supporting maintenance service for a vehicle by using an OBD code with a maintenance service supporting terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining the OBD code from the vehicle;

b) diagnosing the vehicle according to the obtained OBD code; and

c) estimating a fee for repairing the vehicle according to the diagnosis of step b).

19. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a database storing at least one of procedure fee information and component fee information in connection with the OBD code is used in estimating the fee in step c).

20. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 18, wherein an estimate sheet is printed out after estimating the fee for repairing the vehicle in step c).

21. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a step of

d) generating diagnosis information of the vehicle based on the obtained OBD code.

22. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 21, wherein a database storing comment information indicative of a diagnosis content corresponding to the OBD code in connection with the OBD code is used in obtaining a comment used as the diagnosis information.

23. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 21, wherein a diagnosis sheet is printed out after the diagnosis information is generated in step d).

24. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a step of

e) generating OBD history information in connection with the obtained OBD code and vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle.

25. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the OBD history information includes at least one of mileage information, output date of the OBD code, engine speed information, engine load information, coolant temperature information, and speed information with respect to the vehicle.

26. The maintenance service supporting method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the OBD history information is transmitted to another terminal connected to the maintenance service supporting terminal.

27. A maintenance service supporting program for enabling a computer to support maintenance service for a vehicle by using an OBD code, the program comprising:

a) an obtaining function for obtaining the OBD code from the vehicle;

b) a diagnosing function for diagnosing the vehicle according to the obtained OBD code; and

c) an estimating function for estimating a fee for repairing the vehicle according to the diagnosis of the diagnosing function.

28. An OBD history data comprising:

vehicle identification information for identifying a vehicle;

OBD code for being output from the vehicle; and

running status information for showing a running status of the vehicle at a point when the OBD code is output.

29. The OBD history data as claimed in claim 28, wherein the running status information includes at least one of mileage information, output date of the OBD code, engine speed information, engine load information, coolant temperature information, and speed information with respect to the vehicle.