Tracking vehicle maintenance using sensor detection

• US 8,209,076 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A., O'Connell, Brian M., Seaman, James W., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frisby, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/245,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20100087983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 701/32, 701/35, 701/31, 701/33, 701/29, 701/30, 701/1, 702/184, 705/305, 340/438, 340/572.1, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 701/29.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Radio frequency identification is used in cooperation with the computer system aboard a motor vehicle to track service and maintenance activities relating to the vehicle. Each component or part of the vehicle that may require maintenance is provided with a unique passive identification tag. The output data from the tag is read by a reader placed in proximity to the tag, and the data is transmitted to an on-board computer module where it is processed, and the service record is updated. A data stream converter may be used to process the information read by the reader into a format that is acceptable to the on-board computer. The data from the on-board computer is stored in a device external to the computer. Provisions are included for notification to the user, the auto dealer or service other agency as needed.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a record of service maintenance of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a radio frequency reader within a proximity to a first radio frequency tag that is associated with a first serviceable component installed upon a motor vehicle, and to a third radio frequency tag that is associated with a third serviceable component installed upon the motor vehicle, wherein the proximities to the first and third frequency tags are within a preset threshold distance of a field of range of said radio frequency reader to capture a signal from said first and third radio frequency tags, and wherein the repair maintenance schedule requires that the third serviceable component be replaced when the first serviceable component is removed;

in response to the radio frequency reader detecting movement of the first radio frequency tag a distance beyond a preset threshold distance from the radio frequency reader, observing a first time of the detected movement and updating a repair maintenance schedule data table for the motor vehicle that is stored in a storage device by creating a first table entry reporting a removal of the first serviceable component from the motor vehicle at the observed first time and comprising a component description and a first unique identification of the first serviceable component, the first table entry indicating at least one of an onset and a completion of a scheduled maintenance of the vehicle at the observed time and that is associated with the component description;

in response to the radio frequency reader detecting introduction of a second radio frequency tag to a proximity to the radio frequency reader within the preset threshold distance, observing a second time of the detected movement of the second radio frequency tag and updating the repair maintenance schedule data table for the motor vehicle by creating a second table entry reporting an installation of the second serviceable component onto the motor vehicle at the observed second time and comprising the component description and a second unique identification of the second serviceable component, the second table entry separate from and in addition to the first table entry in the table and indicating the completion of the scheduled maintenance of the vehicle at the observed second time and associated with the component description; and

warning a vehicle user of a failure to remove or replace the third serviceable component if the radio frequency reader detects that the third serviceable component remains proximate to the radio frequency reader within the preset threshold distance throughout the observed first time of the removal of the first serviceable component and the observed second time of the installation of the second serviceable component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating the first and second table entries within the repair maintenance schedule data table further comprises indicating a due date for replacement of the respective components associated with their respective unique identifications;

and

wherein the creating the second table entry for the installation of the second serviceable component within the repair maintenance schedule data table further comprises, if the installation is a reuse or a relocation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle from a previous installation on the vehicle, using an original due date for replacement from a previous table entry for the previous installation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the installation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle is a reuse or a relocation from a previous installation on the vehicle, the method further comprising:

warning a vehicle user that the installed second serviceable component must be replaced if a scheduled maintenance requirement system of the vehicle specifies that serviceable components used for the component description are non-reusable components.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, in response to two different table entries indicating installation of two different components each having the same component description and different observed times and different unique identifications, reflecting the unique identification of a one of the two components having a most recent observed time as a currently installed component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the radio frequency reader detecting the movement of the first radio frequency tag the distance beyond the preset threshold from the radio frequency reader comprises the radio frequency reader failing to capture the signal from said first tag as a function of the first radio frequency tag moving to a proximity that is beyond the field of range of said radio frequency reader to capture the signal from the tag.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the radio frequency reader detecting the movement of the first radio frequency tag the distance beyond the preset threshold from the radio frequency reader comprises the radio frequency reader detecting a speed of response from the first radio frequency tag that is dependent upon a distance of the first radio frequency tag away from the radio frequency reader that indicates that the first radio frequency tag is the distance beyond the preset threshold from the radio frequency reader.

7. A method for deploying an application for tracking maintenance of a motor vehicle, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure comprising a processing unit, a computer readable memory and a computer-readable storage medium, that;

in response to a radio frequency reader within a proximity to a first radio frequency tag that is associated with a first serviceable component installed upon a motor vehicle detecting movement of the first radio frequency tag a distance beyond a preset threshold distance from the radio frequency reader, observes a first time of the detected movement and updates a repair maintenance schedule data table for the motor vehicle that is stored in a storage device by creating a first table entry reporting a removal of the first serviceable component from the motor vehicle at the observed first time and comprising a component description and a first unique identification of the first serviceable component, herein the proximity to the first tag is within a field of range of said radio frequency reader to capture a signal from said first radio frequency tag, and wherein the first table entry indicates at least one of an onset and a completion of a scheduled maintenance of the vehicle at the observed time and that is associated with the component description;

in response to the radio frequency reader detecting introduction of a second radio frequency tag to a proximity to the radio frequency reader within the preset threshold distance, observes a second time of the detected movement of the second radio frequency tag and updates the repair maintenance schedule data table for the motor vehicle by creating a second table entry reporting an installation of the second serviceable component onto the motor vehicle at the observed second time and comprising the component description and a second unique identification of the second serviceable component, the second table entry separate from and in addition to the first table entry in the table and indicating the completion of the scheduled maintenance of the vehicle at the observed second time and associated with the component description; and

in response to a radio frequency reader within a proximity to a third radio frequency tag that is associated with a third serviceable component installed upon the motor vehicle, wherein the proximity is within the preset threshold distance of the field of range of said radio frequency reader, captures a signal from said third radio frequency tag and warns a vehicle user of a failure to remove or replace the third serviceable component if the radio frequency reader detects that the third serviceable component remains proximate to the radio frequency reader within the preset threshold distance throughout the observed first time of the removal of the first serviceable component and the observed second time of the installation of the second serviceable component, wherein the repair maintenance schedule requires that the third serviceable component be replaced when the first serviceable component is removed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second table entries created within the repair maintenance schedule data table by the computer infrastructure further comprise due dates for replacement of the respective components associated with their respective unique identifications;

and

wherein the computer infrastructure further uses an original due date for replacement from a previous table entry for a previous installation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle if the installation is a reuse or a relocation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle from the previous installation on the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the installation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle is a reuse or a relocation from a previous installation on the vehicle;

and

wherein the computer infrastructure further warns a vehicle user that the installed second serviceable component must be replaced if a scheduled maintenance requirement system of the vehicle specifies that serviceable components used for the component description are non-reusable components.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer infrastructure further, in response to two different table entries indicating installation of two different components each having the same component description and different observed times and different unique identifications, reflects the unique identification of a one of the two components having a most recent observed time as a currently installed component.

11. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to;

in response to a radio frequency reader within a proximity to a first radio frequency tag that is associated with a first serviceable component installed upon a motor vehicle detecting movement of the first radio frequency tag a distance beyond a preset threshold distance from the radio frequency reader, observe a first time of the detected movement and update a repair maintenance schedule data table for the motor vehicle that is stored in a storage device by creating a first table entry reporting a removal of the first serviceable component from the motor vehicle at the observed first time and comprising a component description and a first unique identification of the first serviceable component, wherein the proximity to the first tag is within a field of range of said radio frequency reader to capture a signal from said first radio frequency tag, and wherein the first table entry indicates at least one of an onset and a completion of a scheduled maintenance of the vehicle at the observed time and that is associated with the component description;

in response to the radio frequency reader detecting introduction of a second radio frequency tag to a proximity to the radio frequency reader within the preset threshold distance, observe a second time of the detected movement of the second radio frequency tag and update the repair maintenance schedule data table for the motor vehicle by creating a second table entry reporting an installation of the second serviceable component onto the motor vehicle at the observed second time and comprising the component description and a second unique identification of the second serviceable component, the second table entry separate from and in addition to the first table entry in the table and indicating the completion of the scheduled maintenance of the vehicle at the observed second time and associated with the component description; and

in response to a radio frequency reader within a proximity to a third radio frequency tag that is associated with a third serviceable component installed upon the motor vehicle, wherein the proximity is within the preset threshold distance of the field of range of said radio frequency reader, capture a signal from said third radio frequency tag and warn a vehicle user of a failure to remove or replace the third serviceable component if the radio frequency reader detects that the third serviceable component remains proximate to the radio frequency reader within the preset threshold distance throughout the observed first time of the removal of the first serviceable component and the observed second time of the installation of the second serviceable component, wherein the repair maintenance schedule requires that the third serviceable component be replaced when the first serviceable component is removed.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the first and second table entries created within the repair maintenance schedule data table by the computer infrastructure further comprise due dates for replacement of the respective components associated with their respective unique identifications;

and

wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to use an original due date for replacement from a previous table entry for a previous installation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle if the installation is a reuse or a relocation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle from the previous installation on the vehicle.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the installation of the second serviceable component on the motor vehicle is a reuse or a relocation from a previous installation on the vehicle;

and

wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to warn a vehicle user that the installed second serviceable component must be replaced if a scheduled maintenance requirement system of the vehicle specifies that serviceable components used for the component description are non-reusable components.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to, in response to two different table entries indicating installation of two different components each having the same component description and different observed times and different unique identifications, reflect the unique identification of a one of the two components having a most recent observed time as a currently installed component.