Vehicle Diagnostic Techniques

• US 20080284575A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,024,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/00 Sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/483 with obstacle sensors of electric or electronic type
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0011 Rear collision or recoiling bounce after frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01325 Vertical acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01558 monitoring crash strength
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/20 Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21 in vehicle side panels, e.g. doors pillar mounted arrangements B60R21/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/105 Radio frequency identification data [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/146 operated by plastic deformation or rupture of structurally associated elements

Abstract

Vehicle with diagnostic capability includes different vehicle-resident sensors, each providing a measurement related to a state of the sensor or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location of the sensor, a vehicle-resident diagnostic processor coupled to the sensors and arranged to receive data from the sensors and process the data to generate an output indicative or representative of a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle, and a communications device coupled to the diagnostic system and arranged to automatically establish a communications channel between the vehicle and a remote facility without manual intervention and wirelessly transmit the output of the diagnostic system to the remote facility. The processor may embody a pattern recognition algorithm trained to generate the output from the data received from the sensors.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of different vehicle-resident sensors, each of said sensors providing a measurement related to a state of said sensor or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location of said sensor;

a vehicle-resident diagnostic processor coupled to said sensors and arranged to receive data from said sensors and process the data to generate an output indicative or representative of a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle; and

a communications device coupled to said diagnostic system and arranged to automatically establish a communications channel between the vehicle and a remote facility without manual intervention and wirelessly transmit the output of said diagnostic system to the remote facility.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said processor embodies a pattern recognition algorithm trained to generate the output from the data received from said sensors.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a display arranged in the vehicle in a position to be visible from the passenger compartment, said display being coupled to said diagnostic processor and arranged to display the diagnosis of the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said communications device comprises a cellular telephone system including an antenna.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an occupant sensing system arranged to determine at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle, said communications device being coupled to said occupant sensing system and arranged to transmit the determined property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle to the remote facility.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least one environment sensor each sensing a state of the environment around the vehicle, said communications device being coupled to said at least one environment sensor and being arranged to transmit the sensed state of the environment around the vehicle to the remote facility.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a memory unit coupled to said diagnostic processor and said communications device, said memory unit being arranged to receive the output indicative of the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle from said diagnostic processor and store the output, said communications device being arranged to interrogate said memory unit to obtain the stored output to enable transmission thereof.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors includes an RFID response unit, further comprising at least one RFID interrogator device, said at least one interrogator device causing said RFID response unit of said at least one sensor to transmit a signal representative of the measurement of said at least one sensor to said processor.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors includes a SAW sensor arranged to receive a signal and return a signal modified by virtue of the state of said SAW sensor or the state of the mounting location of said SAW sensor.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said diagnostic processor is arranged to control at least one part of the vehicle based on the output indicative or representative of the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a warning device coupled to said diagnostic system for relaying a warning to an occupant of the vehicle relating to the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle as output by said diagnostic processor.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a location determining system for determining the location of the vehicle, said communications device being coupled to said location determining system and arranged to transmit the determined location of the vehicle to the remote facility.

13. A method for monitoring a vehicle, comprising:

mounting a plurality of different sensors on the vehicle;

measuring a state of each sensor or a state of the mounting location of each sensor;

diagnosing the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle based on the measurements of the state of the sensors or the state of the mounting locations of the sensors;

generating an output indicative or representative of the diagnosed state of the vehicle or the diagnosed state of the component of the vehicle; and

transmitting the output indicative or representative of the diagnosed state of the vehicle or the diagnosed state of the component of the vehicle from the vehicle to a remote location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle is diagnosed by a processor embodying a pattern recognition algorithm.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of diagnosing the state of the vehicle comprises determining whether the vehicle is stable or is about to rollover or skid.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of diagnosing the state of the vehicle comprises determining a location of an impact between the vehicle and another object.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

arranging a display in the vehicle in a position to be visible from the passenger compartment; and

displaying the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle on the display.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising relaying a warning to an occupant of the vehicle relating to the state of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle; and

transmitting the determined property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle to a remote location.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a memory unit in the vehicle to receive the diagnosis of the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle and store the diagnosis; and

interrogating the memory unit to obtain the stored diagnosis to enable transmission thereof.