Handheld automotive diagnostic tool with VIN decoder and communication system

• US 9,117,319 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2009
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Original Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Inventors: Chen, Ieon, Madison, Robert, Andreasen, Keith, Pham, Phuong
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/501,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

Provided is a method of receiving data from a vehicle onboard computer. The onboard computer is configured to transmit vehicle identification data in response to receipt of an identification request, which is transmitted in a basic communication protocol. The onboard computer is further configured to transmit private operational data in response to receipt of a private data request. The private data request is transmitted in a diagnostic protocol. The method includes connecting a scan tool to the onboard computer, and polling the onboard computer to identify the basic communication protocol. The identification request is then transmitted to the onboard computer. Vehicle identification data is subsequently received from the onboard computer. A protocol database having a plurality of diagnostic protocols is then accessed. Each diagnostic protocol is associated with respective vehicle identification data. The diagnostic protocol is then determined based on the received vehicle identification data.

Claims

1. A method of diagnosing a vehicle having an onboard computer and a vehicle identification number, the onboard computer configured to transmit the vehicle identification number in response to receipt of an identification request transmitted in a first protocol, the onboard computer including diagnostic data being retrievable in response to receipt of a diagnostic request in a second protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting a diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

b. retrieving the vehicle identification number from the onboard computer using the first protocol;

c. matching the vehicle identification number with a second protocol database independent of user intervention, the second protocol database stored locally on the diagnostic device and including one or more second protocols, to determine a specific second protocol of the one or more second protocol(s) being useful for retrieving diagnostic data associated with a particular vehicle system;

d. configuring the diagnostic device to communicate in the specific second protocol;

e. transmitting a diagnostic request in the specific second protocol from the diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

f. receiving diagnostic data associated with the particular vehicle system via the onboard computer;

g. transmitting the diagnostic data from the diagnostic device to a cell phone via a local connectivity network; and

h. transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to a main server via a cellular telephone network, the main server having a diagnostic database being arranged to map vehicle diagnostic data to a possible vehicle fix(es),

wherein the diagnostic device is configured to receive information from the onboard computer independent of the cell phone.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of:

i) soliciting a bid from a repair shop to perform the possible vehicle fix(es).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cell phone includes a destination address, the main server having a work address associated with the cell phone destination address, wherein step (i) includes soliciting the bid from a repair shop within a search area based on the work address.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the cell phone includes a destination address, the main server having a home address associated with the cell phone destination address, wherein step (i) includes soliciting the bid from a repair shop within a search area based on the home address.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the cell phone includes a GPS device configured to generate position data associated with the position of the cell phone, wherein step (h) further includes transmitting the position data from the cell phone to the main server, and wherein step (i) includes soliciting the bid from a repair shop within a search area based on the position data.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

receiving bids from a plurality of repair shops;

comparing the bids from the plurality of repair shops; and

selecting one of the bids.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of receiving the bid from the repair shop by routing the bid from the repair shop to the cell phone via the main server.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of receiving the bid from the repair shop to perform the possible vehicle fix(es).

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (h) includes transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to the main server automatically in response to receipt of the diagnostic data by the cell phone.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein step (g) includes storing the diagnostic data in the cell phone, and wherein step (h) includes transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to the main server in response to input by a user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes:

polling the onboard computer to identify the first protocol;

transmitting the identification request to the onboard computer in the first protocol; and

receiving the vehicle identification number from the onboard computer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the onboard computer is further configured to transmit private operational data in response to receipt of a private data request, the private data request being transmitted in the second protocol, wherein step (c) further includes:

accessing the second protocol database having a plurality of second protocols, each second protocol being associated with respective vehicle identification data; and

determining a specific second protocol based on the received vehicle identification data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein steps b)-d) are performed independent of user input.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein steps b)-d) are performed independent of a user navigating a user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying at least a portion of the retrieved diagnostic data on the diagnostic device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of displaying at least a portion of the diagnostic data on the diagnostic device proceeds independent of any resources external to the diagnostic device.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the possible vehicle fix(es) on the diagnostic device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic device is a scan tool.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein step d) includes:

retrieving the specific second protocol from the protocol database based on vehicle specific data associated with the retrieved vehicle identification number.

21. A method of diagnosing a vehicle having an onboard computer and a vehicle identification number, the onboard computer configured to transmit the vehicle identification number in response to receipt of an identification request, the identification request being transmitted in a first protocol, the onboard computer including diagnostic data being retrievable in response to receipt of a diagnostic request in a second protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting a diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

b. retrieving the vehicle identification number from the onboard computer;

c. matching the vehicle identification number with a second protocol database independent of user intervention, the second protocol database stored locally on the diagnostic device and including one or more second protocols, to identify a specific second protocol of the one or more second protocol(s) being useful for retrieving diagnostic data associated with a particular vehicle system;

d. configuring the diagnostic device to communicate in the specific second protocol;

e. transmitting a diagnostic request in the second protocol from the diagnostic device to the onboard computer; and

f. receiving the diagnostic data associated with the particular vehicle system via the onboard computer.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the diagnostic data from the diagnostic device to a cell phone via a local connectivity network; and

transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to a main server via a cellular telephone network.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein steps b)-d) are performed independent of user input.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein steps b)-d) are performed independent of a user navigating a user interface.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein steps b) and c) are performed independent of any resources external to the diagnostic device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the configuring step is performed after the connecting step.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein steps b)-f) are performed independent of any resources external to the diagnostic device.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein step d) includes:

retrieving the identified second protocol from the second protocol database based on vehicle specific data associated with the retrieved vehicle identification number.

29. A method of receiving data from an onboard computer located on a vehicle, the onboard computer configured to transmit vehicle identification data in response to receipt of an identification request, the identification request being transmitted in a first protocol, the onboard computer further being configured to transmit private operational data in response to receipt of a private data request, the private data request being transmitted in a second protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting a diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

b. polling the onboard computer to identify the first protocol;

c. transmitting the identification request to the onboard computer in the first protocol;

d. receiving the vehicle identification data from the onboard computer;

e. accessing a second protocol database stored locally on the diagnostic device, the second protocol database having a plurality of second protocols, each second protocol being associated with respective vehicle identification data; and

f. selecting a specific second protocol of the plurality of second protocols based on one or more portions of the received vehicle identification data without user intervention.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 further comprising the step of determining whether the selected second protocol for a particular vehicle is stored in the second protocol database.

31. The method as recited in claim 30 further comprising the step of providing a user with the option of licensing the second protocol for the particular vehicle.

32. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein step (c) includes transmitting the identification request in response to identification of the first protocol.

33. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein the vehicle includes a barcode including vehicle identification data, the method further comprising the step of obtaining vehicle identification data by scanning the barcode on the vehicle with a barcode scanner located on the diagnostic device.

34. A method of diagnosing a vehicle having an onboard computer and a vehicle identification number, the onboard computer configured to transmit the vehicle identification number in response to receipt of an identification request, the identification request being transmitted in a basic communication protocol, the onboard computer including diagnostic data being retrievable in response to receipt of a diagnostic request in a diagnostic protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting a diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

b. retrieving the vehicle identification number from the onboard computer;

c. matching the vehicle identification number with a second protocol database including diagnostic protocols associated with vehicle identification numbers to identify a diagnostic protocol for retrieving the diagnostic data associated with a particular vehicle system;

d. configuring the diagnostic device to communicate in the identified diagnostic protocol;

e. transmitting a diagnostic request in the identified diagnostic protocol from the diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

f. receiving the diagnostic data associated with the particular vehicle system via the onboard computer;

g. transmitting the diagnostic data from the diagnostic device to a cell phone via a local connectivity network;

h. transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to a main server via a cellular telephone network, the main server having a diagnostic database being arranged to map vehicle diagnostic data to a possible vehicle fix(es);

i. soliciting a bid from a repair shop to perform the possible vehicle fix(es);

j. communicating the bid to the cell phone via the cellular telephone network;

k. prioritizing the possible vehicle fix(es) 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 operational data being identified as a most likely fix; and

l. mapping the most likely fix to a vehicle repair procedure database, the most likely fix being directly mapped to an associated repair procedure.

35. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein step (k) includes comparing combinations of diagnostic data received from the onboard computer the with stored combinations of diagnostic data in the prior experience database, each stored combination of diagnostic data having an identified fix associated therewith and identifying the stored combination of diagnostic data ranked highest in relation to the diagnostic data received from the vehicle onboard computer.

36. The method as recited in claim 34 further comprising the step of determining whether the most likely fix(es) requires access to an additional diagnostic protocol.

37. A method of diagnosing a vehicle having an onboard computer and a vehicle identification number, the onboard computer configured to transmit the vehicle identification number in response to receipt of an identification request, the identification request being transmitted in a basic communication protocol, the onboard computer including diagnostic data being retrievable in response to receipt of a diagnostic request in a diagnostic protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting a diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

b. retrieving the vehicle identification number from the onboard computer;

c. matching the vehicle identification number with a second protocol database including diagnostic protocols associated with vehicle identification numbers to identify a diagnostic protocol useful for retrieving the diagnostic data associated with a particular vehicle system;

d. configuring the diagnostic device to communicate in the identified diagnostic protocol;

e. transmitting a diagnostic request in the diagnostic protocol from the diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

f. receiving the diagnostic data associated with the particular vehicle system via the onboard computer;

g. transmitting the diagnostic data from the diagnostic device to a cell phone via a local connectivity network;

h. transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to a main server via a cellular telephone network;

i. analyzing the diagnostic data to determine a possible vehicle fix(es);

j. prioritizing the possible vehicle fix(es) 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 being identified as a most likely fix; and

k. mapping the most likely fix to a vehicle repair procedure database, the most likely fix being directly mapped to an associated repair procedure.

38. The method as recited in claim 37 wherein step (i) includes comparing combinations of diagnostic data received from the onboard computer the with stored combinations of diagnostic data in the prior experience database, each stored combination of diagnostic data having an identified fix associated therewith and identifying the stored combination of diagnostic data ranked highest in relation to the diagnostic data received from the vehicle onboard computer.

39. A method of diagnosing a vehicle having an onboard computer and a vehicle identification number, the onboard computer including diagnostic data being retrievable in response to receipt of a diagnostic request in a diagnostic protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

a. connecting a diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

b. receiving the vehicle identification number;

c. matching the vehicle identification number with a protocol database including one or more diagnostic protocols identify a specific diagnostic protocol of the one or more diagnostic protocol(s) being useful for retrieving diagnostic data associated with a particular vehicle system, the protocol database stored locally on the diagnostic device;

d. configuring the diagnostic device to communicate in the identified diagnostic protocol, the configuring step being performed after the diagnostic device is connected to the onboard computer;

e. transmitting a diagnostic request in the identified diagnostic protocol from the diagnostic device to the onboard computer;

f. receiving the diagnostic data associated with the particular vehicle system via the onboard computer;

g. transmitting the diagnostic data from the diagnostic device to a cell phone via a local connectivity network; and

h. transmitting the diagnostic data from the cell phone to a main server via a cellular telephone network, the main server having a diagnostic database being arranged to map vehicle diagnostic data to a possible vehicle fix(es);

wherein the diagnostic device is configured to receive information from the onboard computer independent of any resources in the cell phone.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein step b) includes retrieving the vehicle identification number from the onboard computer.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein step d) includes:

retrieving the identified diagnostic protocol from the second protocol database based on vehicle specific data associated with the received vehicle identification number.