Data alignment method and system

• US 7,512,156 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Beronja, Gerald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Qureshi; Afsar M.
• Application Number:
  US11/010,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20060126669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 370241-254, 370/465, 370/503, 379/68, 379/69, 379/93.1, 360/6, 360/53, 701/101, 701/117, 701206-300, 700/174, 700/218, 340992-995, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 370/503
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses

Abstract

A system and a machine-implemented method for receiving a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source. The real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal are each monitored for the occurrence of a synchronization event. A time differential is determined between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented vehicular diagnostic method comprising:

receiving by a data receiving device a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source;

monitoring by a data receiving device the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal for the occurrence of a synchronization event;

utilizing a differential determination device for determining a time differential between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal; and

chronologically aligning the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by time shifting one of the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein real-time data source is one or more diagnostic access points of a motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-delayed data source is an electronic control unit within a motor vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization event is a manually-initiated synchronization event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization event is an automatically-initiated synchronization event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time differential is in the range of 0.0-3.0 seconds.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal;

wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of a signal amplitude.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing one or more of the data graphs on a data store.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data store is a local data store.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data store is a remote data store.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving one or more of the data graphs from the data store.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein chronologically aligning includes:

buffering the real-time data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential to generate a time-shifted real-time data signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the time-shifted real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of an amplitude, wherein chronologically aligning includes:

shifting the real-time data signal along the x-axis by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

15. A computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause that processor to:

receive a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source;

monitor the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal for the occurrence of a synchronization event;

determine a time differential between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal; and

chronologically aligning the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by time shifting one of the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein real-time data source is one or more diagnostic access points of a motor vehicle.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the time-delayed data source is an electronic control unit within a motor vehicle.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the data event is a manually-initiated synchronization event.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the data event is an automatically-initiated synchronization event.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the time differential is in the range of 0.0-3.0 seconds.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal;

wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of a signal amplitude.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions for:

storing one or more of the data graphs on a data store.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the data store is a local data store.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the data store is a remote data store.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

retrieving one or more of the data graphs from the data store.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for chronologically aligning include instructions for:

buffering the real-time data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential to generate a time-shifted real-time data signal.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions for:

simultaneously rendering, on a display device, a real-time data graph representative of the time-shifted real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of an amplitude, wherein the instructions for chronologically aligning include instructions for:

shifting the real-time data signal along the x-axis by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

29. A data alignment system comprising:

a data receiving device for receiving a real-time data signal from a real-time data source and a time-delayed data signal from a time-delayed data source;

a data monitoring device for monitoring the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal for the occurrence of a synchronization event;

a differential determination device for determining a time differential between the occurrence of the synchronization event within the real-time data signal and the occurrence of the synchronization event within the time-delayed data signal; and

chronologically aligning the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by time shifting one of the real-time data signal and the time-delayed data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a display device for simultaneously rendering a real-time data graph representative of the real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal;

wherein the real-time data graph and the time-delayed data graph are each plotted on a Cartesian plane having an x-axis representative of a unit of time and a y-axis representative of a signal amplitude.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the alignment device includes:

a data buffer for buffering the real-time data signal by an amount of time essentially equal to the time differential to generate a time-shifted real-time data signal.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a display device for simultaneously rendering a real-time data graph representative of the time-shifted real-time data signal and a time-delayed data graph representative of the time-delayed data signal.