Method and apparatus for compiling data relating to damage extent, panel and chassis member rectification work, painting work and costs

• US 5,377,098 A
• Filed: 02/27/1989
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakai, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BODENDORF, ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US07/315,635
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 364/464.01, 364/406, 364/401, 72/205, 72/12, 72/6
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/00 Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles vehicles adapted to carry a workshop for servicing or maintenance B60P3/14; servicing rail locomotives B61K
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

The amount of time required to perform panel beating and/or repainting and like repair work is estimated by sequentially compiling data which indicate which panel is damaged, the degree of the damage, the degree of repair difficulty and the area thereof. The compliation is made firstly for large deformations, then for intermediate damages. After this, in the case of sections wherein the damage is considered as being small, the area data alone is compiled. This large intermediate and small data is compiled for each of the damaged panels and converted into time and used in combination with labor rates and/or materials costs, to estimate the cost of the repair. Other embodiments feature the compilation of repainting data including painting and undercoating of panels which define the chassis and/or form part of the vehicle compartments and the like. Inclusion of the time to check wheel alignment and the like in the case where the chassis has been twisted or warped after the panels involved have been repaired is included in an embodiment directed to structural members and panels which are not normally seen from outside of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An interactive method for instructing an estimator for generating repair data for a body having damaged portions, comprising the steps of:

generating and supplying first display signals from a display control circuit to display means, said first display signals inducing messages to appear on said display means prompting input of various data;

inputting first data signals to a processing circuit relating to an extent of damage to said damaged portions in response to a first message displayed on said display means, said first data signals including separately inputted data signals respectively pertaining to large, intermediate and small deformations of each of said damaged portions;

inputting second data signals to said processing circuit indicative of a degree of repair difficulty for each of said damaged portions in response to a second message displayed on said display means;

inputting third data signals to said processing circuit indicative of an area of each of said large, intermediate and small deformations in response to a third message displayed on said display means;

processing said first, second and third data signals to derive a time signal indicative of a length of time required to effect repairs on each of said damaged portions;

inputting a fourth data signal indicative of a current labor rate to said processing circuit in response to a fourth message displayed on said display means;

using said fourth data signal in combination with said time signal to generate a cost signal indicative of a cost of effecting said repairs;

generating and supplying a display control signal from said processing unit to said display means, said display control signal inducing said cost of effecting said repairs to appear on said display means.

2. An interactive method for instructing an estimator for generating repair data for a body having damaged portions, comprising the steps of;

generating and supplying first display signals from a display control circuit to display means, said first display signals inducing messages to appear on said display means prompting input of various data;

inputting first data signals to a processing circuit relating to an extent of damage to said damaged portions in response to a first message displayed on said, display means, said first data signals including separately inputted data signals respectively pertaining to large, intermediate and small deformations of each of said damaged portions;

inputting second data signals to said processing circuit indicative of a degree of repair difficulty for each of said damaged portions in response to a second message displayed on said display means;

inputting third data signals to said processing circuit indicative of an area of each of said large, intermediate and small deformations in response to a third message displayed on said display means;

inputting a fourth data signal indicative of an amount of time for checking and measuring repair of said damaged portions to insure that a required degree of repair has been attained in response to a fourth message;

processing said first, second, third and fourth data signals to derive a time signal indicative of a length of time required to effect repairs;

inputting a fifth data signal indicative of a current labor rate to said processing circuit in response to a fifth message displayed on said screen;

using said fifth data signal in combination with said time signal to generate a cost signal indicative of a cost of effecting said repairs;

generating and supplying a display control signal from said processing unit to said display means, said display control signal inducing said cost of effecting said repairs to appear on said display means.

3. An interactive method for instructing an estimator for generating repair data for a vehicle body having damaged panels with a system comprising

display means having a screen on which messages are displayed;

a processing circuit operatively connected with said display means so that signals supplied to said display means can be converted into images on said screen,

a display control circuit operatively connected with said display means for controlling generation of signals which when supplied to said display means induce various messages which prompt selected data input, and

keyboard means operatively connected with said processing circuit and said display control circuit for generating input data signals for said processing circuit and said display control circuit, said method comprising the steps of;

producing a labor rate signal indicative of a current labor rate;

inputting first data concerning a type of panel which is damaged;

inputting second data concerning an amount of area of a panel which required repainting;

inputting third data indicative of a specific colored paint which is required;

converting, said first, second and third data in said processing circuit into a time signal representative of a time value;

modifying said time signal with said labor rate signal to produce a cost signal indicative of a monetary repair cost.

4. An interactive system for instructing an estimator and for generating repair data for a body of a vehicle having damaged portions, comprising:

display means having a screen on which messages are displayed;

a processing circuit, operatively connected with said display means, for supplying signals to said display means for conversion into images on said screen;

a display control circuit, operatively connected with said display means for controlling generation of signals which when supplied to said display means induce various messages which prompt selected data input; and

keyboard means, operatively connected to said processing circuit and to said display control circuit, for

inputting first data signals to said processing circuit relating to an extent of damage to said portions in response to a first message displayed on said screen, said first data signals including separately inputted data signals pertaining to large, intermediate and small deformations of said damaged portions,

inputting second data signals to said processing circuit indicative of a degree of repair difficulty of each repair operation for each of said damaged portions in response to a second message displayed on said screen,

inputting third data signals to said processing circuit indicative of an area of each of said large, intermediate and small deformations in response to a third message displayed on said screen,

said processing circuit processing said first, second and third data signals to derive a time signal indicative of a length of time required to effect repairs of said damaged portions, and

inputting a fourth data signal to said processing circuit indicative of a current labor rate in response to said display control circuit issuing signals to said display means to induce a fourth message to be displayed on said screen;

said processing circuit processing said fourth data signals in combination with said time signal to generate a cost signal indicative of a cost of effecting said repairs, and to supply said cost signal to said display means to induce said cost to appear on said screen.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said damaged portion is an external panel which can be seen from outside of said vehicle.

6. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said damaged portion is a structural member of said vehicle, said structural member being a member which cannot be seen from outside of said vehicle.

7. An interactive system for instructing an estimator for inputting requested data and for generating repair data for a body of a vehicle having damaged portions, comprising:

a display control circuit for generating instruction message signals including

first message signals containing first information requesting first data pertaining to a category of large, intermediate and small deformations in said damaged portions,

second message signals containing second information requesting second data pertaining to a degree of repair difficulty for said damaged portions,

third message signals containing third information requesting third data pertaining to areas of said large, intermediate and small deformations in said damaged portions, and

a fourth message signal containing fourth information requesting fourth data pertaining to current labor rates;

display means, including a display screen, for responding to said instruction message signals from said display control circuit for displaying said first, second, third and fourth information on said display screen as instructions for said estimator to provide said first, second, third and fourth data as said requested data;

keyboard means to be operated by said estimation for inputting said requested data into said system; and

a data processing circuit, responsive to said requested data input into said system from said keyboard means, for calculating a cost of effecting repairs of said damaged portions and outputting a cost signal indicative of said cost;

said processing circuit processing said first second and third data of said requested data to derive a time signal indicating an amount of time necessary to effect repairs of said damaged portions, processing said fourth data of said requested data together with said time signal to calculate said cost of effecting said repairs as said cost signal, and outputting said cost signal to said display means for display of said cost on said display screen as said repair data.

8. An interactive method for instructing an estimator to provide requested data and for providing repair data for a body of a vehicle having damaged portions, comprising:

generating a first message containing first information requesting first data pertaining to a category of large, intermediate and small deformations in said damaged portions;

displaying said first message for said estimator on said display screen and receiving inputted said first data in response to display of said first message;

generating a second message containing second information requesting second data pertaining to a degree of repair difficulty for said damaged portions;

displaying said second message for said estimator on said display screen and receiving inputted said second data in response to display of said second message;

generating a third message containing third information requesting third data pertaining to areas of said large, intermediate and small deformations in said damaged portions;

displaying said third message for said estimator and said display screen and receiving inputted said third data in response to display of said third message;

generating a fourth message containing fourth information requesting fourth data pertaining to current labor rates;

displaying said fourth message for said estimator on said display screen and receiving inputted said fourth data in response to display of said fourth message;

processing inputted said first, second and third data to derive a time indication of an amount of time necessary to effect repairs of said damaged portions and processing inputted said fourth data together with said time indication to derive a cost of effecting said repairs; and

displaying said cost on said display screen.