CAPTURED TEST FLEET
First Claim
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1. A method of producing and selling vehicles, comprising the steps of:
- producing an initial design of a vehicle having an integrated telematics unit;
building a first plurality of vehicles according to the initial design, wherein the building step is carried out by a vehicle manufacturer and wherein at least some of the first plurality of vehicles each include the integrated telematics unit installed by the vehicle manufacturer as a part of building the vehicles according to the initial design;
operating vehicles from the first plurality of vehicles in a captured test fleet;
sending data from vehicles in the captured test fleet to the vehicle manufacturer via the telematics unit;
creating a revised design by revising the initial design in response to at least some of the data received by the vehicle manufacturer;
building a second plurality of vehicles according to the revised design, wherein at least some of the second plurality of vehicles each include one of the integrated telematics units; and
selling some or all of the second plurality of vehicles to customers.
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Abstract
A system and method for vehicle design and manufacture. The method includes designing a vehicle, building a pilot vehicle of the designed vehicle, installing a telematics units in the pilot vehicle, configuring the telematics unit to monitor systems of the pilot vehicle during vehicle operation, operating the pilot vehicle in a captured test fleet, obtaining data from the telematics unit during the operating in a captured test fleet, altering vehicle design data in response to the obtained data and, building a production vehicle with the design influenced by the altered vehicle design data.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method of producing and selling vehicles, comprising the steps of:
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producing an initial design of a vehicle having an integrated telematics unit;
building a first plurality of vehicles according to the initial design, wherein the building step is carried out by a vehicle manufacturer and wherein at least some of the first plurality of vehicles each include the integrated telematics unit installed by the vehicle manufacturer as a part of building the vehicles according to the initial design;
operating vehicles from the first plurality of vehicles in a captured test fleet;
sending data from vehicles in the captured test fleet to the vehicle manufacturer via the telematics unit;
creating a revised design by revising the initial design in response to at least some of the data received by the vehicle manufacturer;
building a second plurality of vehicles according to the revised design, wherein at least some of the second plurality of vehicles each include one of the integrated telematics units; and
selling some or all of the second plurality of vehicles to customers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of producing and selling a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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designing a vehicle including a vehicle system;
building a plurality of pilot vehicles of the designed vehicle such that at least some of the pilot vehicles include both the vehicle system and an integrated telematics unit;
creating a captured test fleet that includes the pilot vehicles;
operating the captured test fleet; and
,for each pilot vehicle of the captured test fleet;
monitoring performance of the vehicle system within the pilot vehicles;
storing data within a controller in the pilot vehicles in response to the monitoring;
automatically triggering within the telematics unit a telematics connection from the pilot vehicles to a service center;
communicating the data to the service center; and
storing the data in the service center;
providing the data for at least some of the pilot vehicles to at least one person capable of influencing design of the monitored vehicle system;
modifying the design of the monitored vehicle system in response to the data;
producing production vehicles that include the vehicle system built according to the modified design; and
selling at least some of the production vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A system for vehicle design and manufacturing, comprising:
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a captured test fleet comprising a plurality of vehicles having integrated telematics units installed in the vehicles, each vehicle having an identifier that associates the vehicle with the captured test fleet; and
a service center having a first database of vehicles that includes at least some of the vehicles in the captured test fleet and that includes the identifiers for some or all of the vehicles in the first database, the service center having a second database that stores performance data associated with vehicles in the captured test fleet;
wherein said service center communicates with said vehicles via the integrated telematics units, such that requests for performance data are sent from said service center to vehicles in the captured test fleet using identifiers contained in said first database, and wherein each of the vehicles collect and store the requested performance data at the vehicle and then subsequently send the requested performance data to the service center in response to the request.
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Specification