Methods and systems for providing vehicle repair information

• US 8,977,423 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Merg, Patrick S., Brozovich, R. Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US13/478,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701/29.4, 701/29.6, 701/31.3, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/31.6, 701/31.8, 701/32.3, 701/32.4, 701/32.5, 701/32.7, 701/33.2, 701/33.4, 701/34.2, 701/34.4
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• 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 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing. In an example, the computing device may be configured to receive vehicle information including identification information of a vehicle and/or information describing condition of the vehicle. The computing device also may be configured to match the vehicle information to content of a vehicle repair database so as to identify repair information relating to the vehicle. The computing device further may be configured to receive geographic information identifying a geographic location relating to the vehicle. The computing device also may be configured to provide, to a communication network, a subset of the identified repair information based on the geographic information. The service advisor may be able to access the subset of the identified repair information on a display device coupled to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, vehicle information comprising (i) a vehicle identifier that identifies a vehicle, and (ii) information that describes a condition of the vehicle;

matching, by the computing device, the vehicle information to content of a vehicle repair database so as to identify repair information that pertains to the vehicle;

receiving, at the computing device, geographic information that identifies a geographic location related to a current or prior location of the vehicle;

identifying within the repair information a subset of repair information that is specific to the described condition as experienced by other vehicles at the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle; and

providing, from the computing device to a communication network, the subset of repair information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle identifier includes one or more of:

(i) year in which the vehicle was made, (ii) model year, (iii) make of the vehicle, (iv) model of the vehicle, (v) engine type of the vehicle, and (vi) vehicle identification number, and wherein the information that describes the condition of the vehicle includes one or more of;

(vii) odometer reading of the vehicle, (viii) a diagnostic trouble code (DTC), (ix) a symptom of a malfunction of the vehicle, (x) Parameter IDs (PIDs) and PID values, (xi) sensor data, and (xii) freeze frame data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic information defines an altitude of the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle comprises a region with an altitude similar to a given altitude at the current or prior location of the vehicle, wherein identifying the subset of repair information is based on the altitude at the region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the prior location of the vehicle is an original sale location of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the prior location of the vehicle identifies a location at which the vehicle was previously driven.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle is a location with weather conditions similar to given weather conditions at the current or prior location of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle is a location of a repair shop where the vehicle is being repaired.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle is a location with weather conditions similar to given weather conditions at the current or prior location of the vehicle on a date on which:

(i) the vehicle experienced a given malfunction, or (ii) the vehicle is being repaired.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the subset of repair information comprises providing a ranking of top replaced parts for the vehicle based on the vehicle information and the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count associated with replacing each part of the top replaced parts.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the subset of repair information comprises providing a ranking of potential vehicle fixes to a given malfunction based on a number of the other vehicles reported to have a condition similar to the condition of the vehicle, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count of each fix of the potential vehicle fixes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the ranking comprises providing a given ranking of replaced components based on one or more of:

(i) odometer reading, (ii) engine type of the vehicle, (iii) transmission type of the vehicle, (iv) body type of the vehicle, (v) year in which the vehicle was made, (vi) a model year, (vii) the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle, (viii) diagnostic trouble code (DTC), (ix) Parameter IDs (PIDs), (x) sensor data, and (xi) freeze frame data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the subset of the identified repair information comprises providing data representing a percentage of vehicles, based on a number of the other vehicles reported to have a condition similar to the condition of the vehicle, that replaced a failed part associated with the condition as a function of miles driven.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing in the data an indication of a current odometer reading of the vehicle.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a communication network, vehicle information comprising (i) a vehicle identifier that identifies a vehicle, and (ii) information that describes a condition of the vehicle;

matching the vehicle information to content of a vehicle repair database so as to identify repair information that pertains to the vehicle;

receiving, from the communication network, geographic information that identifies a geographic location related to a current or prior location of the vehicle;

identifying within the repair information a subset of repair information that is specific to the described condition as experienced by other vehicles at the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle; and

providing, to the communication network, the subset of repair information.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the function of providing the subset of repair information comprises:

providing data representing a proportion of vehicles, based on a number of the other vehicles reported to have a condition similar to the condition of the vehicle, that replaced a failed component associated with the condition as a function of miles driven; and

providing in the data an indication of miles driven by the vehicle.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle comprises a geographic region with weather conditions similar to given weather conditions at the current or prior location of the vehicle.

18. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory configured to store instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform functions comprising;

receiving, from a communication network, vehicle information comprising (i) a vehicle identifier that identifies a vehicle, and (ii) information that describes a condition of the vehicle;

matching the vehicle information to content of a vehicle repair database so as to identify repair information that pertains to the vehicle;

receiving, from the communication network, geographic information that identifies a geographic location related to a current or prior location of the vehicle;

identifying within the repair information a subset of repair information that is specific to the described condition as experienced by other vehicles at the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle; and

providing, to the communication network, the subset of repair information based on the geographic information.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the vehicle identifier includes one or more of:

(i) year in which the vehicle was made, (ii) model year, (iii) make of the vehicle, (iv) model of the vehicle, (v) engine type of the vehicle, and (vi) vehicle identification number, and wherein the information that describes the condition of the vehicle includes one or more of;

(vii) odometer reading of the vehicle, (viii) a diagnostic trouble code (DTC), (ix) a symptom of a malfunction of the vehicle, (x) Parameter IDs (PIDs) and PID values, (xi) sensor data, and (xii) freeze frame data.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the geographic information defines an altitude of the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 18,

wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle comprises a region with an altitude similar to a given altitude at the current or prior location of the vehicle, wherein the function of identifying the subset of repair information comprises identifying the subset based on the altitude at the region.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the prior location of the vehicle is an original sale location of the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the prior location of the vehicle identifies a location at which the vehicle was driven.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle is a location having weather conditions similar to given weather conditions at the current or prior location of the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle is a location of a repair shop where the vehicle is being repaired.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle is a location having weather conditions similar to given weather conditions at the current or prior location of the vehicle on a date on which:

(i) the vehicle experienced a given malfunction, or (ii) the vehicle is being repaired.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the function of providing the subset of repair information comprises providing a ranking of top replaced parts for the vehicle based on the vehicle information and the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count associated with replacing each part of the top replaced parts.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the function of providing the subset of repair information comprises:

providing a ranking of potential vehicle fixes to a given malfunction based on a number of the other vehicles reported to have a condition similar to the condition of the vehicle, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count of each fix of the potential vehicle fixes.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the function of providing the ranking comprises:

providing a given ranking of replaced components based on one or more of;

(i) odometer reading, (ii) engine type of the vehicle, (iii) transmission type of the vehicle, (iv) body type of the vehicle, (v) year in which the vehicle was made, (vi) a model year, (vii) the geographic location related to the current or prior location of to the vehicle, (viii) diagnostic trouble code (DTC), (ix) Parameter IDs (PIDs), (x) sensor data, and (xi) freeze frame data.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the function of providing the subset of the identified repair information comprises:

providing data representing a percentage of vehicles, based on a number of the other vehicles reported to have a condition similar to the condition of the vehicle, that replaced a failed part associated with the condition as a function of miles driven.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the functions further comprise:

providing in the data an indication of a current odometer reading of the vehicle.