Methods and systems for switching vehicle data transmission modes based on detecting a trigger and a request for a vehicle data message

• US 20170134537A1
• Filed: 11/11/2015
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Mahony, Patrick, Brozovich, R. Steven, Ward, Stephen P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,516,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A vehicle interface device (VID) switches to a first vehicle data transmission mode (VDTM) from a prior VDTM based on a trigger for transmitting vehicle data messages (VDMs) and which VDMs have been requested at a vehicle data receptor (VDR). A decreased data transfer rate may result from selecting the first VDTM such that some portions of VDMs received while the VID is operating in the other VDTM are transmitted to the VDR from the VID and other portions of those VDMs are not transmitted to the VDR from the VID. An increased data transfer rate may result from selecting the first VDTM such that some portions of VDMs received while the VID is operating in the first VDTM are transmitted to the VDR from the VID whereas those same portions would not have been transmitted to the VDR from the VID if the VID was still operating in the prior VDTM.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first device, multiple instances of vehicle data messages, wherein each vehicle data message includes a data identifier and a data value;

detecting, by a processor of the first device, a first trigger to change a vehicle data transmission mode (VDTM) for transmitting vehicle data messages over a communication link from the first device to a second device;

determining, by the processor, a first VDTM based on the first trigger and one or more requests for the vehicle data messages;

switching, by the first device, from operating in a prior VDTM to the first VDTM; and

transmitting, over the communication link from the first device to the second device according to the first VDTM, at least a portion of the vehicle data messages received while the first device is operating in the first VDTM.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the processor, a second trigger to change a VDTM for transmitting vehicle data messages over the communication link from the first device to the second device;

determining, by the processor, a second VDTM based on the second trigger and the one or more requests for the vehicle data messages;

switching, by the first device, from operating in the first VDTM to the second VDTM; and

transmitting, over the communication link from the first device to the second device according to the second VDTM, at least a portion of the vehicle data messages, received while the first device is operating in the second VDTM.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein one of the first VDTM and the second VDTM uses a decreased data transfer rate and the other includes an increased data transfer rate,

wherein the decreased data transfer rate results in the first device determining at least some data values of a first set of presently-received vehicle data messages are not to be transmitted from the first device to the second device, and

wherein the increased data transfer rate results in the first device determining that all data values of a second set of presently-received vehicle data messages are to be transmitted from the first device to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first trigger includes determining the first device is receiving vehicle data messages at a rate that exceeds a rate at which the first device is transmitting vehicle data messages to the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first trigger includes determining that the first device is transmitting vehicle data messages to the second device at a rate that exceeds a threshold data transfer rate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein switching from operating in the prior VDTM to the first VDTM includes switching from transmitting vehicle data messages using a first communication protocol to transmitting vehicle data messages using a second communication protocol that is different than the first communication protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first trigger to change the VDTM includes receiving, by the first device, a manual mode selection entered at the first device or at the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first trigger to change the VDTM includes receiving, by the first device from the second device, data indicating whether a user is looking at a display of the second device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first trigger to change the VDTM includes determining, by the first device, a change in speed of a vehicle that provides the vehicle data messages to the first device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first VDTM includes determining that a vehicle data message including a first data identifier, that is received while the first device is operating in the first VDTM, will be transmitted from the first device to the second device if a difference between the data value of the vehicle data message including the first data identifier that is received while the first device is operating in the first VDTM and a data value of a vehicle data message including the first data identifier that was most recently transmitted from the first device to the second device exceeds a threshold value.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein operating in the prior VDTM includes transmitting, over the communication link from the first device to the second device, a vehicle data message including a first data identifier that is received while the first device is operating in the prior VDTM only if a difference between the data value of the vehicle data message including the first data identifier that is received while the first device is operating in the prior VDTM and a data value of another vehicle data message including the first data identifier that was most recently transmitted from the first device to the second device exceeds a threshold value, and

wherein operating in the first VDTM includes transmitting, over the communication link from the first device to the second device, a vehicle data message including the first data identifier that is received while the first device is operating in the first VDTM regardless of whether or not a difference between the data value of the vehicle data message including the first data identifier that is received while the first device is operating in the first VDTM and a data value of another vehicle data message including the first data identifier that was most recently transmitted from the first device to the second device exceeds a threshold value.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, over the communication link from the first device to the second device, an indication the first device switched from operating in the prior VDTM to the first VDTM.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more requests for the vehicle data messages include one or more requests, for vehicle data messages, transmitted from the first device to a vehicle that provides the multiple instances of vehicle data messages received by the first device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more requests for the vehicle data messages include one or more requests, for vehicle data messages, received by the first device from the second device.

15. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data identifiers of the multiple instances of vehicle data messages include a plurality of different data identifiers, and

wherein determining the first VDTM is further based on a priority associated with each data identifier of the plurality of data identifiers.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing, by a computer-readable medium of the first device for each of the plurality of different data identifiers, the data value of the vehicle data message including the different data identifier that was most recently transmitted from the first device to the second device.

17. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first device comprises a vehicle interface device, and

wherein the second device comprises a vehicle data receptor including or connected to a display device.

18. The method of claim 1,

wherein switching from operating in the prior VDTM to the first VDTM includes changing a time interval between occurrences of the processor requesting, from a vehicle, a vehicle data message including a particular data identifier,

wherein changing the time interval includes increasing the time interval if the difference between (i) the data value of a most-recently received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) a threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, is less than the difference between (i) the data value of an earlier-received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) the threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, and

wherein changing the time interval includes decreasing the time interval if the difference between (i) the data value of the most-recently received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) the threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, is greater than the difference between (i) the data value of the earlier-received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) the threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier.

19. A system comprising:

a service data link connector configured to establish a connection with a vehicle that transmits vehicle data messages, wherein each vehicle data message includes a data identifier and a data value;

a first transceiver configured to establish a communication link with a second transceiver;

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium containing computer-readable program instructions that are executable by the processor to perform a set of functions,

wherein the set of functions includes;

detecting a first trigger to change a vehicle data transmission mode (VDTM) for transmitting vehicle data messages over the communication link,

determining a first VDTM based on the first trigger and one or more requests for the vehicle data messages,

switching operation of the system from a prior VDTM to the first VDTM, and

transmitting, from the first transceiver, at least a portion of the vehicle data messages received from the vehicle while the system operates in the first VDTM.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a vehicle data message (VDM) transceiver connected to the service data link connector,

wherein the VDM transceiver is configured to transmit a request for a VDM to the vehicle via the service data link connector.

21. The system of claim 19,

wherein the service data link connector includes a connector configured to connect to a vehicle data link connector in the vehicle, and

wherein the service data link connector is configured to establish at least one of a wired connection to a vehicle via the vehicle data link connector and a wireless connection to the vehicle via the vehicle data link connector.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

at least one of (i) a battery, and (ii) a power interface connected to the service data link connector,

wherein the at least one of the battery and the power interface provides an electric current to operate the processor and first transceiver.

23. The system of claim 19,

wherein switching operation of the system from the prior VDTM to the first VDTM includes changing a time interval between occurrences of the system requesting, from the vehicle, a vehicle data message including a particular data identifier,

wherein changing the time interval includes increasing the time interval if the difference between (i) the data value of a most-recently received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) a threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, is less than the difference between (i) the data value of an earlier-received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) the threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, and

wherein changing the time interval includes decreasing the time interval if the difference between (i) the data value of the most-recently received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) the threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, is greater than the difference between (i) the data value of the earlier-received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier and (ii) the threshold associated with the vehicle data message including the particular data identifier.

24. The system of claim 19,

wherein the computer-readable medium contains a threshold associated with a particular data identifier receivable in vehicle data messages from the vehicle,

wherein the computer-readable medium contains a prior data value associated with the particular data identifier most-recently transmitted from the first transceiver to the second transceiver, and

wherein the set of functions further includes:

determining a difference between the prior data value and another data value of a most-recently received vehicle data message including the particular data identifier, and

determining whether to transmit the other data value to the second transceiver based on whether the difference exceeds the threshold.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the first transceiver does not transmit at least some date values of the vehicle data messages received from the vehicle while the system operates in the first VDTM.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein detecting the first trigger includes at least one of (i) receiving a manual mode selection entered at user interface of the system or from the second transceiver, (ii) receiving data indicating whether a user is looking at a display associated with the second transceiver, and (iii) determining a change in a speed of the vehicle.

27. The system of claim 19,

wherein the first data transceiver comprises a first wireless transceiver, and

wherein the second data transceiver comprises a second wireless transceiver.

28. A system comprising:

a service data link connector configured to establish a connection with a vehicle that transmits vehicle data messages, wherein each vehicle data message includes a data identifier and a data value;

a first transceiver configured to establish a communication link with a second transceiver; and

a processor that is connected to the service data link connector and to the first transceiver, and is programmed to;

(i) detect a first trigger to change a vehicle data transmission mode (VDTM) for transmitting vehicle data messages over the communication link,

(ii) determine a first VDTM based on the first trigger and one or more requests for the vehicle data messages,

(iii) switch operation of the system from a prior VDTM to the first VDTM, and

(iv) provide the first transceiver with at least a portion of the vehicle data messages received from the vehicle while the system operates in the first VDTM for transmission to the second transceiver.