Automotive diagnostic service tool with hand held tool and master controller
First Claim
1. A service tool for monitoring operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus for communicating with external devices and with other on-board vehicle systems, said service tool comprising:
- an off-board master controller, said master controller including a processor and memory means;
a hand held tool having;
a portable housing;
memory contained in said portable housing;
processing means for executing software routines;
a display screen;
a first communication port for facilitating receipt and transmission of communication signals between said hand held tool and said vehicle communication bus; and
a second communication port for facilitating receipt and transmission of communication signals between said hand held tool and said off-board master controller; and
signal communication means for updating the memory of said hand held tool from said master controller through said second communication port.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a system and method for diagnosing and isolating problems and for monitoring operting conditions on an automobile. The system includes a hand held unit and a master station which can operate alone or in unison to accomplish functions such as logging and displaying data on a real-time basis, logging data remotely and displaying the data at a later time, diagnosing fault conditions, monitoring operating parameters, reprogramming on-board vehicle controllers, displaying service manual and service bulletin pages and ordering parts on-line.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A service tool for monitoring operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus for communicating with external devices and with other on-board vehicle systems, said service tool comprising:
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an off-board master controller, said master controller including a processor and memory means;
a hand held tool having;
a portable housing;
memory contained in said portable housing;
processing means for executing software routines;
a display screen;
a first communication port for facilitating receipt and transmission of communication signals between said hand held tool and said vehicle communication bus; and
a second communication port for facilitating receipt and transmission of communication signals between said hand held tool and said off-board master controller; and
signal communication means for updating the memory of said hand held tool from said master controller through said second communication port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A service tool for monitoring operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus for communicating with external devices and with other on-board vehicle systems, said service tool comprising:
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an off-board master controller having a processor and memory, said off-board master controller providing access to diagnostic-related data information;
a portable hand held diagnostic tool having a processor and memory for executing diagnostic software routines and for collecting data, said hand held diagnostic tool having a first communication port for facilitating receipt and transmission of communication signals between the hand held diagnostic tool and the vehicle communication bus, and said hand held diagnostic tool further having a second communication port for facilitating receipt and transmission of communication signals between the hand held diagnostic tool and the off-board master controller;
a first signal communication means for providing data communication between the first communication port of the hand held diagnostic tool and the vehicle communication bus; and
a second communication means for providing data communication between the second communication port of the hand held diagnostic tool and the off-board master controller. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A method of monitoring operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a hand held diagnostic tool coupled to a communication bus on the vehicle for allowing communication between the hand held diagnostic tool and one or more on-board vehicle systems, said hand held diagnostic tool having a processor and memory for executing diagnostic software routines;
providing an off-board master controller coupled in communication with the hand held diagnostic tool, said off-board master controller having a processor and memory containing diagnostic related information;
executing at least one predefined software routine with the hand held diagnostic tool;
receiving test data information from the vehicle; and
updating the memory of the hand held diagnostic tool with the master controller.
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Specification