VEHICLE-REPAIR SUPPORT SYSTEM, SERVER, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20160085864A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: MORIMOTO, Hiroaki, YAMADA, Masakazu, MURAMATSU, Naoki, UKAI, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 10,210,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

A vehicle-repair support system including a communication terminal and a server is provided. The communication terminal obtains vehicle information from a vehicle. The server receives vehicle information from the communication terminal and supports repair of the vehicle. The server comprises an inquiry unit, a search unit and a search result notification unit. The inquiry unit makes an inquiry to a repair requester about a vehicle condition. Based on a result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit, the search unit makes a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair. The search result notification unit notifies a result of the search made by the search unit to the communication terminal.

Claims

1. A vehicle-repair support system, comprising:

a communication terminal that obtains vehicle information from a vehicle; and

a server that receives the vehicle information from the communication terminal and supports repair of the vehicle,

wherein the server comprises;

an inquiry unit that makes an inquiry to a repair requester about a vehicle condition;

a search unit that, based on a result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit, makes a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair; and

a search result notification unit that notifies a result of the search made by the search unit to the communication terminal,

wherein

the inquiry unit makes the inquiry about an inquiry item as to whether or not the repair to be made is attributable to an accident or disaster, and

based on a result of the inquiry as to whether or not the repair to be made is attributable to an accident or disaster, the search unit makes the search for the information about the similar cases which involve the symptom similar to the symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair.

3. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 1, wherein

the inquiry unit makes the inquiry about inquiry items proceeding from a major inquiry item toward a minor inquiry item.

4. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 3, wherein

the inquiry unit makes the inquiry about an inquiry item concerning product category and then makes the inquiry about an inquiry item concerning a symptom corresponding to the product category.

6. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 1, wherein

the search result notification unit notifies a list of the similar cases to the communication terminal as the result of the search made by the search unit.

7. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 6, wherein

the search result notification unit notifies details of one of the similar cases in the list to the communication terminal as the result of the search made by the search unit.

8. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 1, wherein

the search result notification unit notifies, as the result of the search made by the search unit, the communication terminal of a main-cause part causing a trouble that is to be repaired.

9. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 8, wherein

the server includes a storage controller that stores in a storage unit at least one of the result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit, the information about the similar cases, and the information about the main-cause part.

10. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 9, wherein

the server includes an analysis unit that statistically analyzes at least one of the information about the similar cases and the information about the main-cause part both stored in the storage unit.

11. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 10, wherein

the search result notification unit can change a manner of notifying the result of the search made by the search unit to the communication terminal according to a result of analysis made by the analysis unit.

12. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 1, wherein

the server includes a linkage unit for linkage with another vehicle-repair support system.

13. The vehicle-repair support system according to claim 1, wherein

the search result notification unit provides the result of the search so that the communication terminal can display the result of the search result via a communication network.

2. (canceled)

5. A vehicle-repair support system, comprising:

a communication terminal that obtains vehicle information from a vehicle; and

a server that receives the vehicle information from the communication terminal and supports repair of the vehicle,

wherein the server comprises;

an inquiry unit that makes an inquiry to a repair requester about a vehicle condition;

a search unit that, based on a result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit, makes a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair;

a search result notification unit that notifies a result of the search made by the search unit to the communication terminal; and

a diagnosis unit that makes a diagnosis of the vehicle by analyzing the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle,

wherein

based on the result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit and a result of the diagnosis made by the diagnosis unit, the search unit makes the search for information about the similar cases which involve the symptom similar to the symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair.

14. A server constituting a vehicle-repair support system in cooperation with a communication terminal that obtains vehicle information from a vehicle, wherein the server receives the vehicle information from the communication terminal and supports repair of the vehicle,

the server comprising:

an inquiry unit (61) that makes an inquiry to a repair requester about vehicle condition;

a search unit that, based on a result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit, makes a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair; and

a search result communication unit that notifies a result of the search made by the search unit to the communication terminal,

wherein

the inquiry unit makes the inquiry about an inquiry item as to whether or not the repair to be made is attributable to an accident or disaster, and

based on a result of the inquiry as to whether or not the repair to be made is attributable to an accident or disaster, the search unit makes the search for the information about the similar cases which involve the symptom similar to the symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair.

15. A server constituting a vehicle-repair support system in cooperation with a communication terminal that obtains vehicle information from a vehicle, wherein the server receives the vehicle information from the communication terminal and supports repair of the vehicle,

the server comprising:

an inquiry unit that makes an inquiry to a repair requester about vehicle condition;

a search unit that, based on a result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit, makes a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair;

a search result communication unit that notifies a result of the search made by the search unit to the communication terminal; and

a diagnosis unit that makes a diagnosis of the vehicle by analyzing the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle,

wherein

based on the result of the inquiry made by the inquiry unit and a result of the diagnosis made by the diagnosis unit, the search unit searches for the information about the similar cases which involve the symptom similar to the symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a computer provided in a server, which constitutes a vehicle-repair support system in cooperation with a communication terminal that obtains vehicle information from a vehicle and which receives the vehicle information from the communication terminal to support repair of the vehicle, to execute:

making an inquiry to a repair requester about vehicle condition;

based on a result of the inquiry, making a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of th vehicle targeted for the repair; and

notifying the communication terminal of a result of the search.

wherein

the inquiry is made about an inquiry item as to whether or not the repair to be made is attributable to an accident or disaster, and

based on a result of the inquiry as to whether or not the repair to be made is attributable to an accident or disaster, the search for the information about the similar cases which involve the symptom similar to the symptom of the vehicle targeted for the repair is made.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a computer provided in a server, which constitutes a vehicle-repair support system in cooperation with a communication terminal that obtains vehicle information from a vehicle and which receives the vehicle information from the communication terminal to support repair of the vehicle, to execute:

making an inquiry to a repair requester about vehicle condition;

based on a result of the inquiry, making a search for information about similar cases which involve a symptom similar to a symptom of th vehicle targeted for the repair;

notifying the communication terminal of a result of the search; and

making a diagnosis of the vehicle using the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle,

wherein, based on the result of the inquiry and a result of the diagnosis, the search for the information about the similar cases which involve the symptom similar to the symptom of th vehicle targeted for the repair is made.

18. (canceled)