Cooperative vehicle diagnostics

• US 8,180,519 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brillhart, David C., Dawson, Christopher J., Karels, Nicholas J., Kendzierski, Michael D., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US12/202,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 701 29- 31, 701 33- 35, 700/30, 702/183, 702/184
• US Class Current: 701/30.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Embodiments described herein comprise a system and method for corroborative vehicle diagnostic. The corroborative vehicle diagnostic system allows a vehicle to detect a fault indicator experienced by a vehicle subsystem. The corroborative vehicle diagnostic system allows the vehicle to compare the fault indicator with similar and/or dissimilar conditions experienced by one or more additional vehicle located within a geographic region. A corroborative diagnostic controller compares the fault indicator with the conditions of the additional vehicle. Based on the comparison of the fault indicator with the condition, an error status of the fault indicator is determined. The error status may be that the vehicle subsystem has failed, that the vehicle subsystem has not failed and/or that the results are inconclusive. The corroborative diagnostic controller may communicate directly with a control system of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for corroborating faults of vehicle systems, the method comprising:

a computer system receiving a fault indicator detected by a first vehicle subsystem of a first vehicle, wherein the fault indicator indicates a fault in the first vehicle subsystem;

the computer system receiving an indication of a condition detected by a second vehicle subsystem of a second vehicle located proximate to the first vehicle;

the computer system performing an analysis of the fault indicator by comparing the condition with the fault indicator,

the computer system determining an error status of the fault indicator based on the analysis; and

the computer system determining a failure has occurred in the first vehicle subsystem based on the error status.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an analysis of the fault indicator by comparing the condition with the fault indicator further comprises comparing a plurality of conditions detected by a plurality of additional vehicles located proximate the location of the first vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the error status of the fault indicator based on the analysis further comprises determining that the condition is substantially similar to the fault indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the error status of the fault indicator based on the analysis further comprises determining that the fault indicator was the result of an external environmental condition.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the computer system alerting a transit authority of the external environmental condition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the error status of the fault indicator based on the analysis further comprises determining that the fault indicator was the result of a first vehicle subsystem failure.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the computer system alerting an operator of the first vehicle subsystem failure.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer system reporting a time period in which the first vehicle experiences the fault indicator.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the computer system maintaining a history of the fault indicator and conditions detected by a plurality of vehicles proximate a location.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the computer system identifying one or more repetitive errors occurring over time near the location.

11. The method of claim 1. further comprising the computer system determining a location at which the fault indicator was detected using a location system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the computer system determining a lane of a highway based on the location.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the computer system determining a longitudinal length of the location.

14. A computer program product for corroborating faults of a vehicle system, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to perform an analysis of a fault indicator detected by a first vehicle subsystem by comparing the fault indicator with a condition detected by a second vehicle subsystem;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine an error status of the fault indicator based on the analysis, wherein the error status indicates a failure has not occurred in the first vehicle subsystem; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to send the error status to the first vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program instructions to determine the error status compare the fault indicator with a plurality of conditions experienced by a plurality of additional vehicles proximate the location.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to report a time period in which the first vehicle experiences the fault indicator.

17. An apparatus for corroborative diagnostic analysis, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver unit configured to receive data from a plurality of vehicles;

an analyzer unit configured to compare a fault indicator experienced by a first vehicle subsystem on a first vehicle with a condition experienced by a second vehicle subsystem on a second vehicle and determine an error status of the fault indicator; and

an error status notification unit configured to communicate with the first vehicle and alert an operator of a vehicle subsystem failure if the analyzer unit determines that the fault indicator is not similar to the one or more conditions.

18. The apparatus of claim 17. wherein the corroborative diagnostic controller is located within the first vehicle.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the corroborative diagnostic controller is in a remote communication port.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of corroborative diagnostic controllers located at intervals along a transit system traveled by the first vehicle.