Automotive diagnostic process

• US 8,370,018 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Original Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Inventors: Andreasen, Keith, Madison, Robert, Chen, Ieon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMPLE, JONATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US12/715,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/31.6
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• 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 method of processing vehicle diagnostic data is provided for identifying likely vehicle fix(s) associated with a diagnostic data, and identifying a repair procedure(s) for correcting the likely fix(s). The process receiving vehicle diagnostic data from a vehicle onboard computer at a remote diagnostic database, the database being arranged to map vehicle diagnostic data to possible vehicle fix(s). The possible vehicle fix(s) are prioritized in accordance with ranked matches of the received diagnostic data to combinations of diagnostic data stored in a prior experience database. The prior experience database having an identified fix associated with each stored combination of diagnostic data. The fix associated with the highest ranked combination of diagnostic data is identified as the most likely fix. The most likely fix is mapped to a vehicle repair database, the most likely fix being directly mapped to an associated repair procedure for repairing the most likely fix.

Claims

1. A method of processing vehicle diagnostic data to identify the most likely vehicle fix associated with the diagnostic data, the process comprising:

receiving at a remote database a combined set of vehicle diagnostic data downloaded to a hand held scan tool from a vehicle onboard computer; and

prioritizing, in a computer, possible vehicle fix(s) in accordance with ranked matching of the downloaded combined set of diagnostic data to combined sets of diagnostic data stored in a prior experience database, the prior experience database having at least one possible fix associated with each combined set of stored diagnostic data, the possible fix associated with the highest ranked set of stored diagnostic data being identified as the most likely fix.

2. The process as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of prioritizing the possible vehicle fix(s) further comprises the step of identifying the stored set of diagnostic trouble codes having the greatest number of the diagnostic trouble codes that correspond to the set of diagnostic trouble codes downloaded from the vehicle onboard computer, and the stored set of diagnostic trouble codes having the least number of diagnostic trouble codes that do not correspond to the set of diagnostic trouble codes downloaded from the vehicle onboard computer.

3. The process as recited in claim 2 wherein the step of prioritizing possible vehicle fix(s) further comprises the step of identifying the stored set of diagnostic trouble codes having the highest successful fix count associated therewith.

4. The process as recited in claim 2 wherein the step of prioritizing possible vehicle fix(s) further comprises the step of prioritizing the stored set of diagnostic trouble codes having the lowest cost of repair associated therewith.

5. The process as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

i. accessing an automotive repair procedures database for repairing a range of automotive conditions;

ii. linking the most likely fix(s) to a selected repair procedure(s) in the repair procedures database, the selected repair procedure(s) being effective to implement the most like fix(s); and

iii. accessing the selected repair procedure(s) effective to implement the most likely fix(s).

6. The process as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of communicating the downloaded set of vehicle diagnostic data from a hand held scan tool to a personal computer and then communicating the downloaded set of vehicle diagnostic data from the personal computer to the remote diagnostic database for prioritizing.

7. The process as set forth in claim 5 comprising the step of communicating information concerning the most likely fix(s) and the associated repair procedure to a user.

8. The process as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of prioritizing the possible vehicle fix(s) comprises comparing the set of diagnostic trouble codes downloaded from the vehicle onboard computer with stored sets of diagnostic trouble codes in the prior experience database, and identifying the stored set of diagnostic trouble codes ranked highest in relation to the set of diagnostic trouble codes downloaded from the vehicle onboard computer.

9. The process as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the scan tool to a personal computer; and

communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the personal computer to the remote database.

10. The process as recited in claim 9 wherein the step of communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the scan tool to personal computer comprises wirelessly communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the scan tool to the personal computer.

11. The process as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the scan tool to a cellphone; and

communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the cellphone to the remote database.

12. The process as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the scan tool to a kiosk; and

communicating the downloaded set of diagnostic data from the kiosk to the remote database.

13. The process as recited in claim 1 wherein the downloaded set of vehicle diagnostic data includes vehicle identifying information.