In-Vehicle Component Assessment System

• US 20090012668A1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Original Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Inventors: Maesono, Noboru
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A center control unit (11) of a center unit (4) generates assessment information corresponding to the strictness of the usage conditions for a specified component based on operation data stored in an operation data accumulation unit (13) received by an in-vehicle terminal (2) and assessment regulations stored in an assessment regulation storage unit (14), and generates report information for displaying a report in a form allowing comparison of this generated assessment information to relative comparison assessment information stored in an assessment information storage unit (15). A transmitter-receiver (12) transmits the report information generated by the center control unit (11) to a user terminal (3).

Claims

1. An in-vehicle component assessment system for assessing strictness of usage conditions for a specified component equipped in a vehicle, said system comprising:

an in-vehicle terminal, which is equipped in the vehicle and comprises an operation data acquisition unit, which sequentially acquires operation data regarding the specified component, and an operation data output unit, which outputs operation data received by the operation data acquisition unit to the outside; and

a center unit comprising an operation data input unit, which receives operation data output from the operation data output unit, an operation data storage unit, which stores the operation data received by the operation data input unit, an assessment regulation storage unit, which is prestored with assessment regulations regulating the relationship between the operation data and assessment information corresponding to the strictness of the usage conditions for the specified component, an assessment information storage unit, which is prestored with relative comparison assessment information which is a reference for determining the strictness of the usage conditions for the specified component, a center control unit, which generates assessment information of the specified component based on the operation data stored in the operation data storage unit and the assessment regulations stored in the assessment regulation storage unit, and generates report information for displaying a report in a form allowing comparison of this generated assessment information to the relative comparison assessment information stored in the assessment information storage unit, and a report information output unit, which outputs the report information generated by the center control unit to the outside.

2. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user terminal connected to the center unit via a predetermined network, wherein

the report information output unit of the center unit is a transmitter-receiver for transmitting and receiving information via the network;

the user terminal transmits report request information requesting provision of report information to the center unit via the network; and

the transmitter-receiver of the center unit transmits the report information generated by the center control unit to the user terminal upon reception of the report request information.

3. The in-vehicle component assessment system of either claim 1 or 2, wherein

the center control unit accumulates and stores in the assessment information storage unit the assessment information generated based on the operation data and the assessment regulations as the relative comparison assessment information.

4. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 3 in which the in-vehicle terminal is equipped in respective vehicles, wherein in the center unit, the operation data input unit receives operation data output from the operation data output unit of the respective in-vehicle terminals;

the operation data storage unit accumulates and stores the operation data input to the operation data input unit associated to the vehicles, which are sources of the operation data; and

the center control unit generates assessment information for the specified component in the respective vehicles based on the operation data stored in the operation data storage unit and the assessment regulations stored in the assessment regulation storage unit, accumulates and stores these generated multiple pieces of assessment information as relative comparison assessment information in the assessment information storage unit, and generates report information to display a report in a form allowing comparison of the generated respective pieces of assessment information to the multiple pieces of relative comparison assessment information stored in the assessment information storage unit; and

the report includes at least one of existence rate of the multiple pieces of relative comparison assessment information, a mean value, and a histogram.