Data alignment method and system

• US 20060126669A1
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Beronja, Gerald S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/503
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses

Abstract

A system and a machine-implemented method for receiving a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source. The real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal are each monitored for the occurrence of a synchronization event. A time differential is determined between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented vehicular diagnostic method comprising:

receiving a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source;

monitoring the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal for the occurrence of a synchronization event; and

determining a time differential between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein real-time data source is one or more diagnostic access points of a motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-delayed data source is an electronic control unit within a motor vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization event is a manually-initiated synchronization event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization event is an automatically-initiated synchronization event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time differential is in the range of 0.0-3.0 seconds.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal;

wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of a signal amplitude.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing one or more of the data graphs on a data store.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data store is a local data store.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data store is a remote data store.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving one or more of the data graphs from the data store.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

chronologically aligning the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by time shifting one of the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein chronologically aligning includes:

buffering the real-time data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential to generate a time-shifted real-time data signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the time-shifted real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of an amplitude, wherein chronologically aligning includes:

shifting the real-time data signal along the x-axis by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

16. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause that processor to:

receive a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source;

monitor the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal for the occurrence of a synchronization event; and

determine a time differential between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein real-time data source is one or more diagnostic access points of a motor vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the time-delayed data source is an electronic control unit within a motor vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data event is a manually-initiated synchronization event.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data event is an automatically-initiated synchronization event.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the time differential is in the range of 0.0-3.0 seconds.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal;

wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of a signal amplitude.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

storing one or more of the data graphs on a data store.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the data store is a local data store.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the data store is a remote data store.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising instructions for:

retrieving one or more of the data graphs from the data store.

27. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for:

chronologically aligning the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by time shifting one of the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the instructions for chronologically aligning include instructions for:

buffering the real-time data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential to generate a time-shifted real-time data signal.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, further comprising instructions for:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the time-shifted real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of an amplitude, wherein the instructions for chronologically aligning include instructions for:

shifting the real-time data signal along the x-axis by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

31. A data alignment system comprising:

a data receiving device for receiving a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source;

a data monitoring device for monitoring the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal for the occurrence of a synchronization event; and

a differential determination device for determining a time differential between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a display device for simultaneously rendering a real-time data graph representative of the real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal;

wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of a signal amplitude.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

an alignment device for chronologically aligning the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by time shifting one of the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the alignment device includes:

a data buffer for buffering the real-time data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential to generate a time-shifted real-time data signal.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising:

a display device for simultaneously rendering a real-time data graph representative of the time-shifted real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal.