Apparatus, methods, and systems for testing connected services in a vehicle

• US 8,700,252 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ubik, Henry Thomas, Dwan, Patrick Joseph, DiMeo, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/844,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20120029762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• 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: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Various embodiments include tools and methods for diagnosing connected services in a vehicle. Communication with a vehicle computing system in a vehicle may be established. A diagnostic connection to a diagnostics server may also be established. Vehicle information and diagnostic data from one or more connected services may be received from the vehicle computing system and transmitted via a diagnostic connection to the diagnostics server. A connected services diagnostic status for the vehicle may be determined based on the vehicle information and the diagnostic data. The connected services diagnostic status may be received from the server and output to a user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wireless services diagnostic computer comprising diagnostic software for diagnosing vehicle wireless services and being configured to;

establish communication with a vehicle computing system (VCS);

establish a diagnostic connection to a diagnostics server;

receive vehicle information and wireless services diagnostic data from the VCS;

transmit the vehicle information and the diagnostic data to the diagnostics server;

receive connected wireless services diagnostic status from the server; and

output the wireless services diagnostic status.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless services include at least one of a WiFi service or a BLUETOOTH service.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a diagnostics database communicating with the diagnostics server, the diagnostics database having diagnostic information for determining the connected services diagnostic status.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the server is configured to:

receive a query of the diagnostics database using the vehicle information and the diagnostic data;

receive from the diagnostics database the diagnostic information for the vehicle based on the query;

generate a diagnostic status based on the diagnostic information; and

transmit the wireless services diagnostic status to the wireless services diagnostic computer.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic connection is a wireless connection.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the wireless connection includes at least one of a cellular, WiFi and WiMax connection.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication with the vehicle computing system is wired, wireless, or both.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the wired connection includes a serial, parallel, or USB connection.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the wireless connection is at least one of a WiFi, WiMax, or Bluetooth wireless connection.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the connected services diagnostic computer is a handheld computer.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the handheld computer has at least one of a display and one or more speakers from which the wireless services diagnostic status is output.

12. A non-transitory computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and having computer readable instructions for:

establishing communication with a vehicle computing system in the vehicle;

establishing a diagnostic connection to a diagnostics server;

receiving from the vehicle computing system (1) vehicle information and (2) diagnostic data from one or more wireless services;

transmitting the vehicle information and the diagnostic data via the diagnostic connection to the diagnostics server to determine a wireless services diagnostic status for the vehicle based on the vehicle information and the diagnostic data;

receiving the wireless services diagnostic status via the diagnostic connection from the server; and

outputting the wireless services diagnostic status to a user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the instructions for outputting the wireless services diagnostic status further includes instructions for outputting a pass/fail status.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions for outputting an identification of a cause of a wireless services failure if the diagnostic status is a fail status.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising instructions for outputting a location of the failure among the one or more wireless services.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the communication with the vehicle communication system and the diagnostic connection is wireless or wired.

17. A method comprising:

establishing communication between a diagnostic tool, a vehicle and a diagnostic server;

instructing a wireless services diagnostics test on a wireless vehicle service;

receiving vehicle information and wireless service diagnostic data from the vehicle based on the instructed test;

transmitting the vehicle information and the diagnostic data to the server;

receiving a wireless services diagnostic status from the server indicating functionality of one or more wireless systems; and

outputting the diagnostic status.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the wireless service includes a WiFi connection service.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the wireless service includes a Bluetooth connection service.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the test includes attempting to establish a wireless connection between the diagnostic tool and a vehicle computer over the wireless vehicle service to be tested.