PREDICTIVE DIAGNOSTIC METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20160027223A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Original Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Inventors: Madison, Robert, Andreasen, Keith, Nguyen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• 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: G07C 5/12 in graphical form

Abstract

There is provided a method of predicting defects likely to occur in a vehicle over a predetermined period. The method includes receiving vehicle characteristic data regarding a vehicle under consideration, and comparing the received vehicle characteristic data with a defect database. The defect database includes information related to defects that have occurred in different vehicles and the mileage at which such defects occurred. The method additionally includes identifying defects that occurred in vehicles corresponding to the vehicle under consideration, and the mileage at which such defects occurred. Defects which fail to satisfy minimum count requirements are then filtered out, and the defects are then sorted in order of the highest defect count.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method of predicting defects likely to occur in a vehicle over a predetermined period, the method comprising:

a) receiving, at a server, vehicle characteristic data regarding a vehicle under consideration;

b) establishing a defect database at the server, the defect database having information related to defects that have occurred in different vehicles and the reference mileage at which such defects occurred;

c) identifying, at the server, defects that occurred in vehicles corresponding to the vehicle under consideration, and the reference mileage at which such defects occurred;

d) using a general purpose computer, comparing, at the server, vehicle characteristic data associated with the vehicle under test with vehicle characteristic data associated with the identified defects stored in the defect database to identify defects that have occurred in vehicles that substantially correspond to the vehicle under consideration;

e) using a general purpose computer, restricting, at the server, the identified defects that have occurred in substantially corresponding vehicles that are associated with a reference mileage that is within a mileage bracket that extends at least 10,000 miles beyond the current mileage of the vehicle; and

f) using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, parts useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the received vehicle characteristic data includes the year, make, model, engine, and current mileage of the vehicle under consideration.

32. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein the defect database information includes the year, make, model, engine, defect(s), and the reference mileage associated with each identified associated defect.

33. The method as recited in claim 30, further including the step of adjusting the current mileage to the nearest 5,000 mile gradient.

34. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the mileage bracket extends from 15,000 miles less than the adjusted mileage to 30,000 miles greater than adjusted mileage.

35. The method as recited in claim 30, further including the step of receiving live data from the vehicle under consideration, the live data including diagnostic information regarding operating characteristics of an automotive device associated with at least one defect within the mileage bracket.

36. The method as recited in claim 30, further including the step of adjusting the current mileage based on diagnostic information indicating the operating condition of the automotive device associated with the defect.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the step of adjusting the current mileage includes the step of increasing the current mileage where the diagnostic information associated with the automotive device associated with the defect indicates that the associated device is not in optimum operating condition.

38. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the step of adjusting the current mileage includes the step of increasing the current mileage where the diagnostic information indicates that the device associated with the defect is in optimum operating condition.

39. The method as recited in claim 30, further comprising the steps of receiving information regarding the climatic region in which the vehicle under consideration has been used, and adjusting the current mileage based on the information regarding the climate region.

40. The method as recited in claim 39, wherein the step of adjusting the current mileage based on the information regarding the climatic region comprises the step of increasing the current mileage where the information regarding the climate region indicates that the vehicle has operated in a region characterized by harsh climate conditions.

41. The method as recited in claim 40, wherein at least one defect is associated with a climatically sensitive vehicle device.

42. The method as recited in claim 41, wherein the climatically sensitive device includes at least one in the group consisting of:

a muffler, a body panel, a radiator, a battery, a door lock, and a starter.

43. The method as recited in claim 30, further comprising the step of limiting the identified defects to those defects which occurred in a mileage bracket that includes the mileage of the vehicle under consideration.

44. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the defects in the defect database are derived from actual repair records.

45. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the defects in the defect database are derived from a probabilistic determination of a most likely defect based on vehicle diagnostic data.

46. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the received vehicle characteristic data includes geographic information associated with the vehicle under consideration.

47. The method as recited in claim 30, further including the step of adjusting the mileage associated with the identified defects based on vehicle characteristic data.

48. The method as recited in claim 47, wherein the mileage associated with the identified defects is lowered based on the vehicle characteristic data.

49. The method as recited in claim 47, wherein the mileage associated with the identified defects is raised based on the vehicle characteristic data.

50. The method as recited in claim 31 further comprises the step of, using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, the cost of the parts useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.

51. The method as recited in claim 31 further comprises the step of, using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, the cost of the tools useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.

52. The method as recited in claim 31 further comprises the step of, using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, tools useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.

53. The method as recited in claim 31 further comprising the step of, using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, a universal parts number(s) associated with the parts useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.

54. The method as recited in claim 31 further comprising the step of, using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, a universal parts number(s) associated with the tool useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.

55. The method as recited in claim 31 further comprising the step of, using a general purpose computer, identifying, at the server, procedures useful to repair the defects identified in substantially corresponding vehicles.