Vehicle diagnostics

• US 7,519,458 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Buckley, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/177,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/36, 701/33, 701/2
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method for analyzing a condition of a vehicle is provided. The system, apparatus and method are directed to obtaining vehicle information used for analyzing select vehicle data obtained from a vehicle, wherein after obtaining this information, the analysis may be carried out. The apparatus includes a computing platform having logic to obtain, via an interface that is communicatively coupled to the vehicle, select-vehicle data associated with an operation of the vehicle, ascertain that the computing platform lacks particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data, communicatively couple to a remote node via a network to obtain the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data, obtain from the remote node via the network the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data, and analyze the condition of the vehicle using at least a portion of the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for analyzing a condition of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising a computing platform having logic to:

obtain, via an interface that is communicatively coupled to the vehicle, select-vehicle data associated with an operation of the vehicle,

ascertain that the computing platform lacks particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data;

communicatively couple to a remote node via a network to obtain the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data;

obtain from the remote node via the network the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data; and

analyze the condition of the vehicle using at least a portion of the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing platform includes a data store that contains previously-stored information for analyzing vehicle data, wherein the logic to ascertain that the computing platform lacks the particular information comprises logic to query the data store for the particular information, and receive, in response to the query, an indication the data store lacks the particular information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing platform includes a data store that contains a previously-stored set of information for analyzing vehicle data for each of a plurality of vehicles, wherein the data store includes an identifier associated with each set of information, and wherein the logic to ascertain that the computing platform lacks the particular information comprises logic to obtain a given identifier corresponding to the particular information, query the data store for the given identifier, and receive, in response to the query, an indication the data store lacks the given identifier.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the logic to obtain the given identifier comprises logic to obtain the given identifier from the select-vehicle data.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the logic to obtain the given identifier comprises logic to obtain the given identifier via an input interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the input interface comprises an interface selected from a group of interfaces consisting of a user interface, a machine interface, and a combination of a man and machine interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the logic is adapted to obtain the given identifier prior to obtaining the vehicle data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic to communicatively couple to the remote node comprises logic to use wireless communication between at least the computing platform and an access node on the network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic to obtain from the remote node via the network the particular information comprises logic to request from the remote node the particular information, and receive, in response to the request, the particular information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the remote node charges a fee for the particular information, and wherein the logic to obtain from the remote node via the network the particular information further comprises logic to exchange with the remote node information for covering the charge for the particular information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information for covering the charge for the particular information comprises information for substantiating a subscription for the particular information.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information for covering the charge for the particular information comprises information for paying for the particular information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the information for paying for the particular information comprises fee-arrangement information selected from the group of fee-arrangement information consisting of credit information, prepaid-fee-arrangement information, debit information, checking account information, and savings account information.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the computing platform further comprises a data store that contains previously-stored information for analyzing vehicle data,

the previously-stored information lacks the particular information for analyzing the vehicle data,

the logic to communicatively couple to a remote node comprises logic to establish a point-to-point communication conduit between the computing platform and remote node,

the logic to obtain from the remote node via the network the particular information comprises logic to (a) allow the remote node to interrogate the data store for the particular information, and (b) receive the particular information from the remote node in response to the remote node determining that the data store lacks the particular information.

15. A system for analyzing a condition of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a first device for providing select-vehicle data associated with an operation of the vehicle, wherein the first device is disposed aboard the vehicle;

a second device for providing information for analyzing vehicle data for each of a plurality of vehicles, wherein the second device is communicatively coupled to a network;

a third device comprising a computing platform having logic to;

obtain the select-vehicle data from the first device via an interface that is communicatively coupled to the first device;

ascertain that the computing platform lacks particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data;

communicatively couple to the second device via the network to obtain the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data;

obtain from the second device via the network the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data; and

analyze the condition of the vehicle using at least a portion of the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing platform includes a data store that contains previously-stored information for analyzing vehicle data, wherein the logic to ascertain that the computing platform lacks the particular information comprises logic to query the data store for the particular information, and receive, in response to the query, an indication the data store lacks the particular information.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing platform includes a data store that contains a previously-stored set of information for analyzing vehicle data for each of a plurality of vehicles, wherein the data store includes an identifier associated with each set of information, and wherein the logic to ascertain that the computing platform lacks the particular information comprises logic to obtain a given identifier corresponding to the particular information, query the data store for the given identifier, and receive, in response to the query, an indication the data store lacks the given identifier.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the logic to obtain from the second device via the network the particular information comprises logic to request from the second device the particular information, exchange with the second device information for covering a fee for the particular information charged by the second device, and receive, in response to the request, the particular information.

19. A method for analyzing a condition of a vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining select-vehicle data via an interface that is communicatively coupled to a first device that is disposed aboard the vehicle;

ascertaining that particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data is lacking;

communicatively coupling to a server via a network to obtain the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data;

obtaining from the server via the network the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data; and

analyzing the condition of the vehicle using at least a portion of the particular information for analyzing the select-vehicle data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of obtaining from the server via the network the particular information comprises requesting the particular information from the server, exchanging with the server information for covering a fee for the particular information, and responsively receiving, the particular information from the server.