System and method for performing vehicle diagnostics

• US 8,285,439 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hodges, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gabler, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/419,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/32, 701/33, 701/29.1, 701/29.6, 701/31.4, 701/31.5
• US Class Current: 701/31.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0234 related to maintenance or repairing of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40006 Architecture of a communication node current supply arrangements H04L12/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

One aspect includes a system for monitoring a vehicle'"'"'s health status. The system comprises a vehicle monitoring computer system configured to (1) receive information associating a cell phone with a vehicle, (2) receive vehicle diagnostic information including vehicle conditions, (3) automatically determine a severity status for the vehicle conditions based on pre-defined severity status values, and (4) if the severity status for any vehicle condition exceeds a pre-defined severity threshold value, automatically transmit a text message to the cellular telephone. Another aspect includes a system for detecting and monitoring a vehicle'"'"'s health status. The system comprises (1) a vehicle monitoring computer system and (2) a vehicle computer system configured to communicate wirelessly with a cellular telephone located within a vehicle or its vicinity to transmit diagnostic information to a telecommunications network for communication with the vehicle monitoring system.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring vehicle health status for one or more vehicles, the system comprising:

a vehicle monitoring computer system configured to;

(1) receive telephone identifying information and wirelessly connect to an identified telephone,

(2) verify a user'"'"'s eligibility to request a diagnostic report, based at least in part on the connected telephone identifying information,

(3) receive vehicle diagnostic information, including one or more vehicle conditions, responsive to a user-initiated diagnostics request made at the vehicle,

(4) determine a severity status for the one or more vehicle conditions,

(5) if the severity status for any of the vehicle conditions exceeds a pre-defined severity threshold, transmit a text message alert for the vehicle condition to the identified and connected telephone, and

(6) transmit a text message report relating to the vehicle diagnostic information to the identified and connected telephone, responsive to the received user request for diagnostics.

2. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising a vehicle computer system configured to communicate wirelessly with the telephone located within the vehicle, or in the vehicle vicinity, to transmit the vehicle diagnostic information wirelessly to a telecommunications network for communication to the vehicle monitoring system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle monitoring system associates the telephone with the vehicle by associating a telephone number with a vehicle identification number.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the text message alert additionally includes an instruction for addressing the vehicle condition(s).

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the text message alert includes information for obtaining a vehicle health report for the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the information for obtaining a vehicle health report for the vehicle includes a hyperlink to the World Wide Web.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more triggers that are activated from the vehicle and configured to initiate the user request for diagnostics responsive to activation by a user.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more triggers include a voice activated trigger or a button trigger.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the text message alert and the text message report are part of a single text message.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the number to which the text message alert or text message report is to be transmitted is obtained as part of the identifying information identifying the connected telephone.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the number to which the text message alert or text message report is to be transmitted is obtained as part of the identifying information identifying the connected telephone.

9. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium having computer readable instructions for monitoring vehicle health status for one or more vehicles, the computer program product comprising instructions for:

receiving telephone identifying information;

wirelessly connecting to an identified telephone;

verifying a user'"'"'s eligibility to request a diagnostic report, based at least in part on the connected telephone identifying information;

receiving vehicle diagnostic information, including one or more vehicle conditions, received responsively to a user request for diagnostics;

determining a severity status for the one or more vehicle conditions;

if the severity status for any of the vehicle conditions exceeds a pre-defined severity threshold, transmitting a text message alert for the vehicle condition to the identified and connected telephone; and

transmitting a text message report relating to the received diagnostic information to the identified and connected telephone.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions for associating the telephone with the vehicle by associating a telephone number with a vehicle identification number.

11. The computer program product system of claim 9 further comprising instructions for including instruction in the text message alert for addressing the vehicle condition(s).

12. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions for including information for obtaining a vehicle health report for the vehicle in the text message alert.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the information for obtaining a vehicle health report for the vehicle includes a hyperlink to the World Wide Web.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprising activating one or more triggers from the vehicle to generate the user request for diagnostics, wherein the one or more triggers comprises a voice activated trigger or a button trigger.