Vehicle diagnostic device with adaptive data retrieval and method

• US 20070073460A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Bertosa, Thomas, Gessner, Michael, Somos, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/02 Details or accessories of testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/102 by monitoring exhaust gases

Abstract

A diagnostic tool with an adaptive method is provided that will adaptively change the time interval at which the tool interrogates the vehicle if the tool determines if a diagnostic test is not progressing. The tool can interrogate at that interval until it reaches the iteration limit. The tool can also restart at the previous time interval and iteration limit if the tool recognizes that it was previously communicated with the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle diagnostic tool:

a processor that can be operably coupled to a vehicle diagnostic connector to diagnose a vehicle;

at least one vehicle communication protocol interface operatively coupled to the processor and allows the processor to communicate with the vehicle;

a memory operably coupled to the processor;

a software stored in the memory, wherein the software adaptively changes the interval at which the processor communicates with the vehicle when the software detects that the data being received from the vehicle is not progressing for a particular diagnostic test; and

a housing surrounding the processor, the at least one vehicle communication protocol interface, the memory, wherein the housing has a port configured to couple to a computing device.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the software adaptively changes the time interval at which the tool communicates with the vehicle, and allows the tool to communicate at the time interval before an iteration limit is reached.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein the time interval is one of the following 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours or other time periods.

4. The tool of claim 2, wherein the iteration limit is one of the following 5 times, 10 times, 15 times, 20 times or other number of times.

5. A method of adaptively communicating with a vehicle using a diagnostic tool, comprising:

connecting the diagnostic tool to a data link connector of a vehicle;

reading characterizing information of the vehicle;

communicating with the vehicle to perform a diagnostic test on the vehicle with the diagnostic tool at a first time interval;

determining whether the diagnostic test with the vehicle is progressing based on the sequence of the diagnostic test; and

changing to a second time interval and communicating at the second interval for an iteration limit when the diagnostic test is not progressing.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing the characterizing information of the vehicle with previously saved characterizing information to determine if the vehicle was previously tested.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if the vehicle was previously tested, the tool retrieves the previously saved time interval and iteration limit and begins communicating with the vehicle at the previously saved time interval and iteration limit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle was previously tested includes the vehicle in which the tool was still connected but the tool was powered down or the tool was disconnected from the vehicle, but now reconnected for further testing.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the interval is one of the following 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours or other time periods.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the iteration limit is one of the following 5 times, 10 times, 15 times, 20 times or other number of times.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein when the iteration limit is reached, then the tool proceeds to the next interval until the iteration limit is reached.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the diagnostic test tests whether the vehicle is ready for emissions testing.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the characterizing information is information that allows the tool to determine whether or not the tool has communicated with the vehicle.

14. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated data, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a vehicle diagnostic tool performing:

reading characterizing information of a vehicle;

communicating with the vehicle to perform a diagnostic test on the vehicle with the diagnostic tool at a first time interval;

determining whether the diagnostic test with the vehicle is progressing based on the sequence of the diagnostic test; and

changing to a second time interval and communicating at the second interval for an iteration limit when the diagnostic test is not progressing.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising comparing the characterizing information of the vehicle with previously saved characterizing information to determine if the vehicle was previously tested.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein if the vehicle was previously tested, the tool retrieves the previously saved time interval and iteration limit and begins communicating with the vehicle at the previously saved time interval and iteration limit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the vehicle was previously tested includes the vehicle in which the tool was still connected but the tool was powered down or the tool was disconnected from the vehicle, but now reconnected for further testing.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the interval is one of the following 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours or other time periods.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the iteration limit is one of the following 5 times, 10 times, 15 times, 20 times or other number of times.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein when the iteration limit is reached, then the tool proceeds to the next interval until the iteration limit is reached.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the diagnostic test tests whether the vehicle is ready for emissions testing.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the characterizing information is information that allows the tool to determine whether or not the tool has communicated with the vehicle.