SERVICE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE SEQUENCER AND METHOD

• US 20160203657A1
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: BELL, JOSEPH A., Carpenter, Kelly R., Shamrell, Brigham R., Friedrich, Mark A., Ritter, Curtis Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A service diagnostic trouble code sequencer and method is disclosed that includes receiving multiple diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), determining which DTCs to diagnose first, and recommending which DTC(s) to diagnose first. The sequencer can recommend a category of DTCs to diagnose first, where the category of DTCs includes one or more DTCs. The sequencer can prioritize the DTCs in the category of DTCs. The sequencer can separate the DTCs into multiple categories of DTCs, and prioritize the multiple categories of DTCs. The sequencer can prioritize the DTCs in an ordered category of the multiple categories of DTCs. The sequencer can receive the plurality of DTCs locally or remotely over a network. The sequencer can output the one or more DTCs to diagnose first locally or remotely over a network. The sequencer can be resident on the machine generating the DTCs.

Claims

1. A service diagnostic trouble code sequencer comprising:

a diagnostic trouble code input for receiving a plurality of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs);

a processor for determining which of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first; and

a recommendation output for outputting one or more of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first as determined by the processor.

2. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic trouble code input receives the plurality of DTCs from an electronic control unit of a machine.

3. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of DTCs include active DTCs and previously active DTCs.

4. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein the processor determines a first category of DTCs to diagnose, and the recommendation output outputs the first category of DTCs to diagnose;

the first category of DTCs to diagnose comprising one or more DTCs of the plurality of DTCs.

5. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 4, wherein the processor prioritizes the DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose, and the recommendation output outputs a prioritized list of the DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose.

6. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 4, wherein, when multiple DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose are for a common path with flow from upstream to downstream, the processor prioritizes the DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose from upstream failure DTCs to downstream failure DTCs.

7. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein:

the processor separates the plurality of DTCs into multiple categories of DTCs, and prioritizes the multiple categories of DTCs; and

the recommendation output outputs a prioritized list of the multiple categories of DTCs.

8. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 7, wherein:

the processor prioritizes the DTCs in an ordered category of the multiple categories of DTCs; and

for the ordered category, the recommendation output outputs the prioritized list of DTCs in the ordered category.

9. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic trouble code input receives the plurality of DTCs remotely over a network.

10. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein the recommendation output outputs the one or more of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first remotely over a network.

11. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencer of claim 1, wherein the service diagnostic trouble code sequencer is resident on the machine generating the plurality of DTCs.

12. A service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method comprising:

receiving a plurality of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs);

determining which of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first; and

recommending one or more of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first.

13. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 12, wherein:

the determining step comprises determining a first category of DTCs to diagnose, the first category of DTCs to diagnose comprising one or more DTCs; and

the recommending step comprises outputting the one or more DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose.

14. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 13, wherein:

the determining step further comprises prioritizing the one or more DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose; and

the recommending step further comprises outputting a prioritized list of the one or more DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose.

15. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 14, wherein, when multiple DTCs of the one or more DTCs in the first category of DTCs to diagnose are for a common path with flow from upstream to downstream, the determining step further comprises prioritizing the multiple DTCs from upstream failure DTCs to downstream failure DTCs.

16. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 12, wherein:

the determining step comprises separating the plurality of DTCs into multiple categories of DTCs, and prioritizing the multiple categories of DTCs; and

the recommending step comprises outputting a prioritized list of the multiple categories of DTCs.

17. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 16, wherein:

the determining step further comprises prioritizing the DTCs in an ordered category of the multiple categories of DTCs; and

the recommending step further comprises, for the ordered category, outputting the prioritized list of DTCs in the ordered category.

18. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the plurality of DTCs remotely over a network.

19. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 12, further comprising outputting the one or more of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first remotely over a network.

20. The service diagnostic trouble code sequencing method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the plurality of DTCs locally, and sending the one or more of the plurality of DTCs to diagnose first remotely over a network.