Method and device for visualizing an automotive repair cycle

• US 7,130,726 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Goek, Birsen, Rachholz, Ralf, Kulessa, Martin, Hoess, Bernhard, Steinmeier, Eckhard
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/202,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701 31- 34, 700 95- 98, 700/103, 700108-110, 700/28, 700/11, 700/17, 700/23, 702/33, 702 35- 36, 702150-153, 705/1, 705/29
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing image data for visualizing a defective component and/or a repair cycle and/or a maintenance cycle of a road-bound motor vehicle, especially a passenger case or a motorbike. In order to reduce translation costs occurring for conventional repair instructions, the following steps are provided: digitalized data from at least two components of the vehicle is provided, especially CAD or vector data or another visual data format, digitalized data from the arrangement of the two components of the vehicle relative to each other is also provided. A first selection element for selecting a first repair cycle from a plurality of repair cycles, data or image data of the first step of the first repair cycle is provided, in addition to subsequent data or image data of the second step of the first repair cycle.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing a repair sequence of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

providing and visualizing digitized data of one or more components of the vehicle, said one or more components being represented in a defined visualizable data format;

providing and visualizing said digitized data of the one or more components in an arrangement corresponding to an arrangement in the vehicle;

providing at least one sequence protocol having at least one sequence step of the repair sequence of the motor vehicle, said visualization of the one or more components being moved in the visualization according to the sequence protocol;

providing a selection overview in which at least one sequence step of the repair sequence is provided for a targeted selection and retrieval of the visualization of the selected sequence step;

operating a selection element for the targeted selection and retrieval of the visualization of the selected sequence step; and

providing and visualizing image data of the selected sequence step after operating the selection element to select and retrieve the sequence step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the defined data format is at least one of CAD data and vector data;

and

wherein the at least one sequence protocol provided includes a plurality of sequence steps of the one or more components arranged in the vehicle; and

further wherein the selection overview provided includes all sequence steps of the repair sequence.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of making again available the selection overview after providing and visualizing the image data of the selected sequence step.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of representing a subsequent sequence step after providing and visualizing the image data of the selected sequence step.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein after providing and visualizing the image data of the selected sequence step, the method optionally visualizes again either the selection overview or a subsequent sequence step.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing and visualizing image data of at least one tool used to actually implement the sequence step on the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the act of providing and visualizing, in addition to the first tool, at least a second tool for the actual implementation of another sequence step on the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of providing and visualizing image data of at least one fastening device, which fastening device mutually connects two components of the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the act of providing and visualizing image data of at least one fastening device, which fastening device mutually connects two components of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a data processing system having a touch-sensitive monitor display is operated for providing and visualizing the selection element, wherein a first selection is optionally selected by manually touching the selection represented on the display monitor.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a diagnostic system having at least one fault memory for detecting one of a condition and operational readiness of at least one electronic component of the vehicle, the method further comprising the acts of:

coupling the diagnostic system with the data processing system via at least one of a diagnostic plug connection and a wireless connection;

providing fault or condition data from the diagnostic system to the data processing system, said data processing system processing the fault or condition data and representing at least a first repair sequence on the display as a function of the processed fault or condition data.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the fault or condition data provided by the diagnostic system indicates the vehicle type involved, and further wherein the first repair sequence is represented on the display for the indicated vehicle type.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the acts of:

representing on the display a removal of a defective electronic component of the vehicle;

detecting a correct installation of a new electronic component by the diagnostic system;

transmitting the detected correct installation from the diagnostic system to the data processing system; and

displaying the correct installation by the data processing system after checking a functioning of the new electronic component by the diagnostic system and transmitting same to the data processing system.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of visibly highlighting at least one of the components with respect to at least one other component of the vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the visible highlighting is performed by at least one of providing a more detailed representation, providing greater resolution, and providing an enlarged representation.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein a manually operable selection element is provided by the data processing system for changing a viewing angle of at least two components illustrated on the display in the repair sequence.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the data processing system includes a manually operable selection element for a complete or partial masking-out of at least one of the components represented in the repair sequence.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of triggering a representation of additional information outside a display range during, and synchronously with, the representation of the repair sequence.

19. A system for carrying out the method according to claim 1.

20. A system for visualizing a repair sequence of a motor vehicle, the system comprising:

a data processing system having a display, said display being coupled in a wireless manner with the data processing system;

a viewing tool operable on the data processing system for controlling a representation of visualized data in the display; and

navigation elements for allowing a user to freely navigate or select a viewing angle of a particular repair sequence representation before, during and/or after the representation of the repair sequence.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the display is a touch screen monitor.

22. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a diagnostic system of the motor vehicle for transmitting fault or condition data of the motor vehicle;

wherein the data processing system includes a wireless receiving device for receiving the fault or condition data; and

further wherein the data processing system visualizes on the display at least one repair sequence assigned to the received fault or condition data as well as assigned to the particular motor vehicle; and

wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display by which a touching of at least one corresponding selection element in the display influences the visualization of the repair sequence with regard to at least one of a viewing angle and a complete or partial masking-out of at least one component.

23. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

at least one of an electronic replacement part catalog, a dealer management system, and a content management system in which a plurality of individual repair sequences are stored and managed; and

wherein the data processing system is couplable with one or more of the electronic replacement part catalog, dealer management system and content management system.

24. A computer product, comprising:

a computer readable medium having stored thereon program code segments that;

provide and visualize image data of one or more components of a vehicle;

provide and visualize image data of an arrangement of said one or more components of the vehicle;

provide and visualize at least one sequence protocol, including at least one sequence step, for a repair sequence to be performed on the vehicle, wherein the visualized one or more components of the vehicle are moved in the at least one sequence step;

provide and visualize a selection overview of the sequence steps for the repair sequence;

provide and visualize a selection element for selecting for a targeted selection of a visualization of one or more of said sequence steps; and

provide and visualize image data of a selected sequence step after its selection.