Quick check vehicle diagnostics

• US 6,535,802 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology LLC (Meritor, Inc. (Nevada))
• Original Assignee: Meritor Heavy Vehicle Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Kramer, Dennis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/056,474
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/31, 701/32, 701/34, 701/35, 123/471
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

A vehicle data storage system in communication with a diagnostic unit provides a “quick fault” screen which summarizes event data stored within a storage device of the vehicle data storage system. The “quick fault” screen displays a plurality of keys organized in matrix format to display an overview of fault conditions through animation and/or coloring of each key in response to the event data stored within the storage device. By selecting any animated/colored key, a more detailed representation of the event data stored in the storage device for the particular fault condition is presented. The detailed subsystem screen presents the event data recorded within the storage device in a graphical and/or tabulation format showing associate subsytem parameters over time.

Claims

1. A vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

a storage device in communication with a plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules;

a diagnostic unit in communication with said storage device; and

a display in communication with said diagnostic unit to simultaneously display a plurality of keys, each of said keys representative of a fault condition for one of said plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules, each of said keys comprsing an alphanumeric description of said fault condition associated therewith.

2. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said keys is colored in response to said fault condition.

3. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said keys is animated in response to said fault condition.

4. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein said fault condition comprises event data stored within said storage device.

5. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 4, further comprising a buffer memory in communication with said storage device, said buffer memory storing said event data relative to a time.

6. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 5, wherein one of said plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules direct said buffer memory to store said event data to said storage device in response to a triggering event identified by said one of said plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules.

7. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a detailed subsystem screen associated with each of the plurality of keys and said fault conditions associated therewith, said detailed subsystem screen viewable by selection or each of said plurality of keys.

8. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic unit and said display are external from said storage device.

9. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein said keys are organized in matrix format.

10. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 9, wherein said keys are separated into clusters related to particular vehicle subsystems.

11. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein said keys summarize event data stored within said storage device.

12. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein said description comprises a diagnostic code.

13. The vehicle diagnostic system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said fault conditions represents a compilation of event data stored in said storage device due to one or more triggering event occurrences.

19. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said step (2) further comprises organizing the plurality of keys in a matrix format.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising separating the plurality of keys into clusters within the matrix format, each of the clusters related to a particular vehicle subsystem.

14. A method of displaying vehicle diagnostic data comprising the stops of:

(1) communicating with a vehicle storage device in communication with a plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules;

(2) simultaneously displaying a plurality of keys, each of the plurality of keys comprising an alphanumeric description of a fault condition associated therewith, each of said keys associated with one of said plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules;

(3) identifying the fault condition associated with each of the plurality of vehicle subsystem control modules; and

(4) modifying each of the plurality of keys in response to each of the plurality of keys associated fault condition identified in said step (3).

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein said step (4) further comprises coloring each of the plurality of keys in response to the fault condition of said step (3).

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein said step (4) further comprises animating each of the plurality of keys in response to the fault condition of said step (3).

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein said step (4) is performed in accordance with a predetermined problem hierarchy.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of vehicle operating conditions relative to time in a buffer; and

storing the vehicle operating conditions from the buffer to the vehicle storage device in response to a triggering event determined by one of the plurality of vehicle subsystems.

21. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein said step (4) further comprises displaying a diagnostic code upon each of the plurality of keys in response to the fault condition.

22. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting one of the plurality of keys; and

(b) displaying a detailed subsystem screen associated with the fault condition associated with the selected key of said step (a).

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein said step (b) further comprises displaying subsystem data associated with the fault condition from the vehicle storage device.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein said step (b) further comprises displaying subsystem data associated with the fault condition from the vehicle storage device over a predetermined time period.