System and method for communicating vehicle diagnostic data

• US 8,145,379 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Schwinke, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jayne, Darnell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Varghese, Sasha T
• Application Number:
  US12/058,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/35, 455/404.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/445, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/539.18
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A system and method for communicating vehicle diagnostic data via an inactive telematics unit. A serious diagnostic condition detected in the vehicle is used to trigger a call from the telematics unit to a call center using a cleared number. During the call, diagnostic data can be transmitted to the call center and a temporary number can be provided by the call center to the telematics unit to permit temporary communication. Additional diagnostics can be run and reported using this temporary number.

Claims

1. A system for communicating vehicle diagnostic data, comprising:

a first vehicle component that detects a vehicle diagnostic condition; and

a second vehicle component that wirelessly communicates with a call center and is in communication with the first vehicle component, wherein, in response to the first vehicle component detecting the vehicle diagnostic condition;

i) the second vehicle component makes a first wireless call to the call center, wherein the first wireless call includes information representative of the vehicle diagnostic condition;

ii) the call center wirelessly sends a temporary number to the second vehicle component while the first wireless call is still in progress;

iii) the call center removes the temporary number after the temporary number has expired; and

iv) the temporary number is a mobile dialing number/mobile identification number (MDN/MIN) that is paired with an electronic serial number (ESN) of the second vehicle component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle component is a vehicle system module (VSM) that can generate a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) representative of the vehicle diagnostic condition, and the second vehicle component is a telematics unit that can wirelessly communicate with the call center.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle component determines if the vehicle diagnostic condition is a serious diagnostic condition before making the first wireless call to the call center.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle component retrieves a cleared number that is stored in memory at the vehicle, and uses the cleared number to make a wireless vehicle-originated call even though the second vehicle component is inactive.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein once a certain amount of time or vehicle mileage has expired, the second vehicle component cannot use the cleared number to make a wireless vehicle-originated call.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless call to the call center is a vehicle data upload (VDU) that is sent from a telematics unit using a data connection over a voice channel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporary number expires after some event that pertains to time, vehicle mileage, or communications exchanged between the vehicle and the call center.

8. A method for communicating vehicle diagnostic data, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a vehicle diagnostic condition;

(b) evaluating the vehicle diagnostic condition at the vehicle to determine if it is a serious diagnostic condition;

(c) if the vehicle diagnostic condition is determined to be a serious diagnostic condition, then retrieving a cleared number that expires based on time or mileage and that is stored in memory at the vehicle and enables a telematics unit to make a wireless vehicle-originated call even though the telematics unit is inactive; and

(d) making the wireless vehicle-originated call using the cleared number from the vehicle to the call center, wherein the wireless vehicle-originated call includes information representative of the serious diagnostic condition.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (a) further comprises detecting a vehicle diagnostic condition with a vehicle system module (VSM) and generating a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that is representative of the vehicle diagnostic condition.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein step (a) further comprises detecting a vehicle diagnostic condition with a telematics unit.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further comprises evaluating the vehicle diagnostic condition by utilizing a list of vehicle diagnostic conditions stored in memory at the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further comprises evaluating the vehicle diagnostic condition by determining a source of an electronic message that includes the vehicle diagnostic condition.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein once a certain amount of time or vehicle mileage has expired, the second vehicle component cannot use the cleared number to make a wireless vehicle-originated call.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless vehicle-originated call from the vehicle to the call center is a vehicle data upload (VDU) that is sent from the telematics unit using a data connection over a voice channel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle data upload (VDU) includes a vehicle identification number (VIN) and a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that is representative of the serious diagnostic condition.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

(e) providing the telematics unit with a temporary number while the vehicle-originated call is still in progress, wherein the temporary number enables the telematics unit to receive wireless vehicle-terminated calls.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein step (e) further includes the steps of:

(i) selecting a mobile dialing number/mobile identification number (MDN/MIN) from a pool of available numbers;

(ii) providing the telematics unit with the selected MDN/MIN while the vehicle-originated call is still in progress; and

(iii) providing the selected MDN/MIN and an electronic serial number (ESN) for the telematics unit to a wireless carrier, wherein the wireless carrier can use the MDN/MIN and ESN to update a home location register (HLR).

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the temporary number in step (e) expires after some event that pertains to time, vehicle mileage, or communications exchanged between the vehicle and the call center.

19. Method for communicating vehicle diagnostic data, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a vehicle diagnostic condition with a vehicle system module (VSM) and sending a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) from the VSM over a vehicle communications bus, wherein the DTC is representative of the vehicle diagnostic condition;

(b) receiving the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) at a telematics unit and comparing the DTC to a list of DTCs saved in memory in order to determine if the DTC is a serious DTC;

(c) if the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is a serious DTC, then retrieving a cleared number that is stored in memory and enables the telematics unit to make a wireless vehicle-originated call even though the telematics unit is inactive;

(d) using the cleared number to make a wireless vehicle-originated call from the telematics unit to a call center, wherein the vehicle-originated call includes information that is representative of the diagnostic trouble code (DTC);

(e) activating the telematics unit with a temporary number that enables the telematics unit to receive wireless vehicle-terminated calls, wherein the activation at least partially occurs while the wireless vehicle-originated call is still in progress; and

(f) deactivating the telematics unit after the temporary number expires.