FAILURE DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION GENERATING APPARATUS AND FAILURE DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION GENERATING SYSTEM

• US 20110029186A1
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Tomoyasu
• Application Number:
  US12/935,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029186A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/30
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A failure diagnostic information generating apparatus includes a repair information acquiring unit that acquires repair information indicating the content of repair or replacement conducted for a vehicle malfunction or a cause of the malfunction; an malfunction-time vehicle information acquiring unit that acquires malfunction-time vehicle information indicating a vehicle state detected when the malfunction occurs; an instruction information generating unit that generates instruction information, usable for future repair or replacement, on the basis of the repair information and the malfunction-time vehicle information; and a recurrence information acquiring unit that acquires recurrence information indicating whether the malfunction has recurred after the repair or replacement. It is determined, using the recurrence information, whether the malfunction has recurred after the repair or replacement. On the basis of the determination result, the instruction information generating unit determines whether to generate instruction information or whether to use generated instruction information for future repair or replacement.

Claims

1. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. A failure diagnostic information generating method comprising:

acquiring repair information that indicates the content of repair or component replacement conducted in connection with a malfunction of a vehicle or a cause of the malfunction;

acquiring malfunction-time vehicle information that indicates a vehicle state detected when the malfunction occurs;

acquiring recurrence information that indicates whether the malfunction, that has once resolved by the repair or component replacement of the vehicle, has recurred after the repair or component replacement of the vehicle; and

when it is determined, on the basis of the recurrence information, that the malfunction has not recurred, generating instruction information usable for future repair or component replacement on the basis of the repair information and the malfunction-time vehicle information.

21. A failure diagnostic information generating apparatus comprising:

repair information acquiring device that acquires repair information that indicates the content of repair or component replacement conducted in connection with a malfunction of a vehicle or a cause of the malfunction;

malfunction-time vehicle information acquiring device that acquires malfunction-time vehicle information, the malfunction-time vehicle information indicating a vehicle state detected when the malfunction occurs;

instruction information generating device that generates instruction information, usable for future repair or component replacement, on the basis of the repair information and the malfunction-time vehicle information; and

recurrence information acquiring device that acquires recurrence information that indicates whether the malfunction, that has once resolved by the repair or component replacement of the vehicle, has recurred after the repair or component replacement of the vehicle,

wherein when it is determined, on the basis of the recurrence information, that the malfunction has not recurred after the repair or component replacement of the vehicle, the instruction information generating device generates the instruction information on the basis of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has not recurred or determines to use the instruction information for future repair or component replacement, the instruction information being generated by the instruction information generating device on the basis of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has not recurred.

2. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, when it is determined that the malfunction has not recurred by the time when a predetermined period elapses from the repair or component replacement of the vehicle or by the time when the vehicle runs a predetermined distance, the instruction information generating device generates the instruction information on the basis of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has not recurred or determines to use the instruction information for future repair or component replacement, the instruction information being generated by the instruction information generating device on the basis of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has not recurred.

3. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, when it is determined that the malfunction has recurred by the time when a predetermined period elapses from the repair or component replacement of the vehicle or by the time when the vehicle runs a predetermined distance, the instruction information generating device does not generate the instruction information on the basis of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has recurred or determines not to use the instruction information for future repair or component replacement, the instruction information being generated by the instruction information generating device on the basis of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has not recurred.

4. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

only when it is determined that the malfunction has not recurred by the time when a predetermined period elapses from the repair or component replacement of the vehicle or by the time when the vehicle runs a predetermined distance, the repair information acquiring device acquires the repair information connected with the malfunction that has not recurred, and the malfunction-time vehicle information acquiring device acquires the malfunction-time vehicle information; and

the instruction information generating device generates the instruction information on the basis of the acquired repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information.

5. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when it is determined that the malfunction has recurred by the time when a predetermined period elapses from the repair or component replacement of the vehicle or by the time when the vehicle runs a predetermined distance, the instruction information generating device discards the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information that are connected with the malfunction that has recurred and, when instruction information connected with the malfunction that has recurred has been generated, discards the instruction information connected with the malfunction that has recurred.

6. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, only when it is determined that the malfunction has not recurred by the time when a predetermined period elapses from the repair or component replacement of the vehicle or by the time when the vehicle runs a predetermined distance, the instruction information generating device provides the instruction information connected with the malfunction that has not recurred to a vehicle repair support apparatus that is installed in at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility.

7. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the recurrence information acquiring device acquires the recurrence information from at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility, or the recurrence information acquiring device acquires post-repair vehicle information that indicates a vehicle state of the vehicle after the repair or component replacement of the vehicle from at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility and then determines, on the basis of the acquired post-repair vehicle information, whether the malfunction has recurred to thereby acquire the recurrence information.

8. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising repair support information generating device that generates repair support information useful for repair or component replacement to a new malfunction on the basis of malfunction-time vehicle information, acquired when the new malfunction occurs, and the instruction information.

9. The failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the repair support information contains at least any one of information that indicates the content of repair or component replacement to be conducted and root cause information that indicates a cause of the new malfunction.

10. A vehicle repair support apparatus installed in at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility, comprising:

instruction information acquiring device that acquires the instruction information from the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 6;

malfunction-time vehicle information acquiring device that acquires malfunction-time vehicle information that indicates a vehicle state detected when the malfunction occurs in a vehicle; and

repair support information output device that generates and outputs repair support information useful for repair or component replacement to the malfunction on the basis of the acquired malfunction-time vehicle information and the acquired instruction information.

11. A vehicle repair support apparatus installed in at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility, comprising:

repair support information output device that acquires and outputs the repair support information from the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 8.

12. The vehicle repair support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the repair support information contains at least any one of information that indicates the content of repair or component replacement to be conducted and root cause information that indicates a cause of the new malfunction.

13. A vehicle repair support system comprising:

the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 6; and

the vehicle repair support apparatus according to claim 10.

14. A failure diagnostic information generating system comprising:

the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21; and

a recurrence information providing apparatus,

wherein the recurrence information providing apparatus includes post-repair vehicle information acquiring device that acquires post-repair vehicle information that indicates a vehicle state of the vehicle after the repair or component replacement of that vehicle;

determining device that determines, on the basis of the acquired post-repair vehicle information, whether the malfunction has recurred; and

transmitting device that generates the recurrence information on the basis of the result determined by the determining device and that transmits the generated recurrence information to the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus.

15. The failure diagnostic information generating system according to claim 14, wherein, only when the determining device determines that the malfunction has not recurred, the transmitting device transmits the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information, which are connected with the malfunction that has not recurred, to the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus, and the transmission of the repair information and malfunction-time vehicle information serves as the recurrence information.

16. The failure diagnostic information generating system according to claim 14, wherein the post-repair vehicle information acquiring device, the determining device and the transmitting device are installed in at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility.

19. A database comprising:

the instruction information generated by the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 21.

20. A database installed in at least any one of a vehicle, a dealer and a repair facility, comprising:

the instruction information supplied from the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 6.

22. The vehicle repair support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the repair support information contains at least any one of information that indicates the content of repair or component replacement to be conducted and root cause information that indicates a cause of the new malfunction.

23. A vehicle repair support system comprising:

the failure diagnostic information generating apparatus according to claim 6; and

the vehicle repair support apparatus according to claim 11.