Methods and systems for providing vehicle repair information

• US 9,582,944 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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:
  US14/607,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20150142257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 system, comprising:

a vehicle repair database including one or more of (i) information relating to prior experience of repairing vehicles, and (ii) original equipment manufacturer vehicle information including component-specific information; and

a computing device coupled to the vehicle repair database, wherein the computing device includes a non-transitory computer readable storage device storing computer readable instructions, a processor configured to execute the computer readable instructions, and a communication device configured to transmit data to a communication network and to receive data from the communication network, and wherein the computing device is configured to;

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

identify repair information that pertains to repairing the vehicle based on matching of the vehicle information to content of the vehicle repair database;

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

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

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

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle has one or more of (i) an altitude similar to an altitude at a location of the vehicle, and (ii) weather conditions similar to weather conditions at the location of the vehicle or similar to respective weather conditions on a date on which the vehicle experienced a malfunction or is being repaired.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to provide data representing a ranking of failed components based on a number of vehicles reported to have a similar condition to the condition of the vehicle, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count associated with replacing each component of the failed components, and wherein the ranking is 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 relating to the vehicle, (viii) diagnostic trouble code (DTC), (ix) Parameter IDs (PIDs), (x) sensor data, and (xi) freeze frame data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

receive repair order information for the vehicle;

determine the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle from the repair order information;

transmit, to the communication network, a request for weather information for the determined geographic location;

receive, from the communication network, the weather information for the determined geographic location, based on the request;

associate the weather information with the repair order information; and

store the repair order information with the associated weather information.

5. A method, comprising:

providing to a communication network, by a computing device, vehicle information comprising (i) a vehicle identifier that identifies a vehicle being repaired, and (ii) information that describes a condition of the vehicle;

providing to the communication network, by the computing device, geographic information that identifies a geographic location related to a current or prior location of the vehicle; and

receiving from the communication network, by the computing device, repair information that is specific to repairing the described condition as experienced by other vehicles at the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle; and

visually presenting the repair information on a display device coupled to the computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, 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, (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) diagnostic trouble codes (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.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the repair information comprises receiving a ranking of top replaced parts for the vehicle based on the vehicle information and the geographic location, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count associated with replacing each part of the top replaced parts, the method further comprising visually presenting the ranking on a display device coupled to the computing device.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the repair information comprises receiving a ranking of replaced components based on a number of vehicles reported to have a condition similar to the condition of the vehicle, wherein the ranking is indicative of successful fix count associated with replacing each component of the replaced components.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the ranking is based on one of:

(i) odometer reading, (ii) engine type of the vehicle, (iii) transmission type of the vehicle, and (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.

10. A system, comprising:

a display device; and

a computing device coupled to the display device, wherein the computing device includes a non-transitory computer readable storage device storing computer readable instructions, a processor configured to execute the computer readable instructions, and a communication device configured to transmit data to a communication network and to receive data from the communication network, and wherein the computing device is configured to;

provide, to the communication network, vehicle information comprising (i) a vehicle identifier that identifies a vehicle being repaired, and (ii) information that describes a condition of the vehicle;

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

receive, from the communication network, repair information that is specific to repairing the described condition as experienced by other vehicles at the geographic location related to the current or prior location of the vehicle; and

generate a display of the repair information on the display device.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor coupled to the computing device and configured to provide to the computing device the geographic information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing device is configured to receive the repair information as data representing a percentage or a proportion of vehicles, based on a number of 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.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

generate a display of a graph depicting the data on the display device; and

visually present an indication of a current odometer reading of the vehicle overlaying the graph.