Vehicle diagnostic equipment providing hands free operation

• US 8,428,811 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Cahill, Edward P., Maher, Kieran J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US12/377,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/31.6, 701/29.1, 701/29.8, 701/34.4, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A voice activated vehicle diagnostic system provides for hands free operation of the system. Using such a system it is possible for the diagnostic system to be used safely in a test drive of the vehicle with the operator of the system not required to physically touch the system to implement one or more tests as required.

Claims

1. A voice activated vehicle diagnostic system configured to be used in a vehicle during a test of the vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle interface configured to receive diagnostic information from the vehicle in the form of a data stream;

a vehicle data store configured to store at least a portion of the data stream so as to provide stored information for subsequent analysis;

an operator interface configured to receive voice commands from an operator of the vehicle diagnostic system so as to implement a predefined diagnostic operation within the vehicle diagnostic system;

a voice activation control module; and

a processing system, the processing system being configured to deliver a plurality of different types of test requests to the vehicle, each test request causes a different type of diagnostic information to be sent by the vehicle to the vehicle diagnostic system, a choice of test request being determined in response to an appropriate voice command received by the voice activation control module.

2. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein , the voice activation control module is responsive to voice commands uttered by the operator and is configured to, on receipt of a voice command, effect a recordal of the diagnostic information.

3. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 2, the control module being configured to effect a storage of the at least a portion of the data stream on receipt of a voice command.

4. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 2, further including;

a headset, the headset being wearable by the operator, the headset being configured to effect communication with the voice activation control module.

5. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 4, wherein communication between the headset and the voice activation control module is effected through a wireless communication protocol.

6. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 5, wherein the wireless communication protocol is a Bluetooth communication protocol.

7. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 5, wherein the voice activation control module is retro-fitted to the vehicle diagnostic system.

8. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to, on receipt of the diagnostic information from the vehicle, determine a presence of an anomaly in the vehicle.

9. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 8, wherein the operator interface is further configured to provide an audible indicator that indicates the presence of the anomaly in the vehicle.

10. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 9, wherein the processing system is further configured to provide through the operator interface, a suggestion indicating a further test request for subsequent delivery to the vehicle.

11. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to:

receive diagnostic information from the vehicle in response to each test request in a selected test set;

apply one or more rules to the diagnostic information provided in response to each test request in the selected test set; and

cause the operator interface to alert the operator through an audible warning to each suspected anomaly in the vehicle that application of the one or more rules determine that the vehicle may have.

12. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, further including:

a communications interface, wherein the communications interface is configured to enable an electronic interface with the system so as to effect a retrieval of the diagnostic information stored on the system.

13. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 12, wherein the communications interface is arranged to download diagnostic information stored on the system to a separate computing device for analysis purposes.

14. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle interface is configured to receive a data stream in compliance with an OBD II data stream specification.

15. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle interface is configured to receive a data stream in compliance with an EOBD data stream specification.

16. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data store includes a buffer configured to temporarily store the at least a portion of the data stream received from the vehicle.

17. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the buffer operates on a FIFO principle, such that frames of data making up the data stream are dropped from the buffer in a predetermined manner.

18. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein portions of the data stream present in the buffer define a sampled set of the data stream, this sampled set being selectable for storage as a movie.

19. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 18, wherein the portions are selected on an external triggering provided by the operator in a form of a voice command, the triggering defining a trigger point within the buffered data stream about which the movie is defined.

20. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 18, wherein the sampled set being selectable for storage as a movie is stored within a cache of the vehicle data store, the stored movie being associated with one or more identifiers specific to the movie.

21. The vehicle diagnostic system of claim 20, further including:

wherein the processing system is configured to apply one or more rules in a rules storage system to individual frames within the buffer in addition to application of one or more rules to the sampled set of the data stream.

22. A vehicle diagnostic process comprising:

sending, via a diagnostic system arranged for temporary connection to a communication link of a vehicle, a test request to the vehicle in response to a first voice command received at a voice activation control module of the diagnostic system;

receiving, at the diagnostic system, diagnostic information from the vehicle in response to the test request;

buffering a portion of the received diagnostic information into a buffer in a first-in-first-out manner; and

transferring, in response to a second voice command received at the voice activation control module, the portion of the received diagnostic information from the buffer to a permanent memory portion of a data store.

23. A computer program adapted to carry out the vehicle diagnostic process of claim 22 when run on a computer.

24. The vehicle diagnostic process of claim 22, further comprising:

applying, using a processor of the diagnostic system, one or more rules to the received diagnostic information to detect an anomaly in the received diagnostic information; and

providing, via an operator interface of the diagnostic system, an alert that the diagnostic system has detected the anomaly in the received diagnostic information.

25. The vehicle diagnostic process of claim 22, further comprising:

removing the diagnostic system from the vehicle;

interfacing the diagnostic system with a scan tool; and

analyzing, using the diagnostic system, the portion of the received diagnostic information transferred from the buffer to the permanent memory portion.