Online vehicle maintenance

• US 8,924,071 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Stanek, Joseph F., Hashemi, Siamak, Lockwood, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US13/871,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.4
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

A system includes a vehicle controller having a processor and in communication with a communications device and vehicle display, the controller configured to receive a sensor input containing at least one of a fault trigger and a contextual data captured during the fault trigger. The controller may analyze, via the processor, the fault trigger to determine a fault event. The controller may determine an appropriate service center and transmit, via the communications device, the fault event and contextual data to the service center. The controller may be configured to receive an analysis report and an appointment request and output the analysis report and appointment request to a vehicle display device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle controller having a processor and configured to;

raise a fault trigger responsive to received sensor input indicative of degrading functioning of a vehicle component to outside an optimal range of operation but within a normal operating range threshold;

analyze, via the processor, the fault trigger and contextual data captured during the fault trigger to determine a fault event; and

inform a service center of the fault event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a vehicle display of the controller is configured to receive a user input to select an appointment slot from an appointment request in response to a user input, the appointment request being received from the service center responsive to the service center being informed of the fault event.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to communicate the selected appointment slot to the service center.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory module in communication with the controller configured to store at least one of a problem history, a service available data, and a product availability data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to determine the fault event based at least in part on the problem history stored in the memory module.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to determine the service center as being appropriate to address the fault event at least in part on at least one of the service availability data and the product availability data.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the service availability data identifies services available at the service center and the product availability data identifies products available at the service center.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory module is configured to receive at least one of updated service availability data and product availability data from the service center.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the service center as being appropriate to address the fault event is based at least in part on a proximity of the service center to the vehicle controller.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the service center is predetermined based on a vehicle user preference.

11. A vehicle diagnostics system comprising:

a sensor for monitoring operational status of a vehicle component;

a vehicle display configured to receive a user input;

a communications device configured to communicate with a service center; and

a processor in communication with the sensor, the vehicle display, and the communication device, wherein the processor is configured to;

raise a fault trigger responsive to input from the sensor indicative of degrading functioning of the vehicle component to outside an optimal range of operation but within a normal operating range threshold;

determine a close or preferred service center;

communicate the fault trigger to the service center;

receive an analysis report and an appointment request from the service center; and

output the analysis report and appointment request to the vehicle display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to analyze the fault trigger to determine a fault event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to communicate the fault event to the service center.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the service center is configured to analyze the fault trigger to determine a fault event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle display is configured to select an appointment slot from the appointment request in response to the user input.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the selected appointment slot to the service center.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive a product recall alert from the service center, wherein the processor is configured to output the product recall alert to the vehicle display.

18. A method for scheduling vehicle services comprising:

detecting a fault trigger responsive to sensor input received from a vehicle sensor, the sensor input indicating degrading functioning of a vehicle component to outside an optimal range of operation but within a normal operating range threshold;

analyzing the fault trigger to determine a fault event, wherein the fault event identifies an underlying problem associated with the fault trigger;

determining, via a vehicle controller, an appropriate service center;

transmitting the fault event to the service center;

receiving, via the vehicle controller, an analysis report and an appointment request from the service center; and

outputting the analysis report and appointment request to a vehicle display.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting an appointment slot associated with the appointment request, wherein the selection of the appointment slot transmits the selected appointment slot to the service center.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising accessing, from a memory device, a contextual data associated with the fault trigger, wherein the contextual data is captured and stored during the fault trigger.