VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT PROVIDING HANDS FREE OPERATION

• US 20100076644A1
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Maher, Kieran J., Cahill, Edward P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A voice activated vehicle diagnostic system provides for hands free operation of the system. Using such a system it is possible for the diagnostic system to be used safely in a test drive of the vehicle with the operator of the system not required to physically touch the system to implement one or more tests as required.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A voice activated vehicle diagnostic system configured to be used in a vehicle during a test of that vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle interface configured to receive diagnostic information from the vehicle in the form of a data stream;

a vehicle data store configured to store at least a portion of the data stream so as to provide stored information for subsequent analysis; and

an operator interface configured to receive voice commands from an operator of the system so as to implement a predefined diagnostic operation within the system.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the system includes a voice activation control module, the control module being responsive to voice commands uttered by an operator of the system, the control module being configured on receipt of a voice command to effect a recordal of that diagnostic information.

31. The system of claim 30, the control module being configured to effect a storage of portion of the data stream on receipt of a voice command.

32. The system as claimed in claim 30, further including a headset, the headset being wearable by the operator of the vehicle, the headset being configured to effect communication with the voice activation control module.

33. The system as claimed in claim 32, wherein communication between the headset and the voice activation control module is effected through a wireless communication protocol.

34. The system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the wireless communication protocol is the Bluetooth communication protocol.

35. The system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the voice activation control module is retro-fitted to the system.

36. The system of claim 29, further including a processing system, the processing system being configured to deliver a plurality of different types of test requests to the vehicle, each one of which causes a different type of diagnostic information to be sent by the vehicle to the diagnostic system, the choice of test request being determined in response to an appropriate voice command received by the voice activation control module.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the processing system is configured on receipt of diagnostic information from the vehicle to determine the presence of an anomaly in that diagnostic information.

38. The system of claim 37, further including a user interface, the user interface being configured to provide an audible indicator to the operator of the vehicle of the presence of the anomaly in the received diagnostic information.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the processing system is further configured to provide to the operator of the vehicle, through the user interface, a suggested further test request for subsequent delivery to the vehicle.

40. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 36, wherein the processing system is configured to:

receive diagnostic information from the vehicle in response to each test request in a selected test set;

apply one or more rules to the diagnostic information provided in response to each test request in the selected test set; and

cause the operator interface to alert the operator through an audible warning to each suspected anomaly in the vehicle that application of the one or more rules determine that the vehicle may have.

41. The system of claim 29, further including a communications interface, the communications interface being configured to enable an electronically interface with the system so as to effect a retrieval of the diagnostic information stored on the system.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the communications interface enables a subsequent download of information stored on the system to a separate computing device for analysis purposes.

43. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 29, wherein the vehicle interface is configured to receive a data stream in compliance with the OBD II data stream specification.

44. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 29, wherein the vehicle interface is configured to receive a data stream in compliance with the EOBD data stream specification.

45. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 29, wherein the data store includes a buffer configured to temporarily store the data stream received from the vehicle interface.

46. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 45, wherein the buffer operates on a FIFO principle, such that frames of data making up the data stream are dropped from the buffer in a predetermined manner

47. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 45, wherein portions of the data stream present in the buffer define a sampled set of the data stream, this sampled set being selectable for storage as a movie.

48. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 47, wherein the portions are selected on an external triggering provided by the vehicle operator in the form of a voice command, the triggering defining a trigger point within the buffered data stream about which the movie is defined.

49. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 47, wherein the sampled set selectable for storage as a movie is stored within a cache of the data store, the stored movie being associated with one or more identifiers specific to the movie.

50. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 49, further including:

a processing system,

wherein the processing system is configured to apply one or more rules in a rules storage system to individual frames within the buffer in addition to the application of one or more rules to the sampled set of the data stream.

51. A vehicle diagnostic process comprising:

sending a test request to a vehicle in response to a voice command received from an operator;

receiving diagnostic information from the vehicle in response to the test request; and

storing at least a portion of the received diagnostic information so as to provide a record of the diagnostic information for that test request.

52. A computer program adapted when run on a computer to carry out the process steps of claim 51.