Adjusting diagnostic tests based on collected vehicle data

• US 9,824,512 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tseng, Fling Finn, Makki, Imad Hassan, Kumar, Pankaj, Dudar, Aed M., Jentz, Robert Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US15/016,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20170228946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0297 Reconfiguration of monitoring system, e.g. use of virtual sensors; change monitoring method as a response to monitoring results
• 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

A system comprising a processor is programmed to receive, from a plurality of vehicles, sets of diagnostic test data relating to a performed diagnostic test. Each set of diagnostic test data includes a test output value and one or more corresponding test condition values. The processor is further programmed to select some of the test output values based on selecting a function to relate the test output value to test output values from different sets of diagnostic data. The processor is further programmed to provide the test output value and the corresponding test conditions values as input to the selected function to obtain a plurality of scaled test output values; and generate an adjustment to the diagnostic test based at least in part on the scaled test output values.

Claims

1. A system comprising a computing device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor such that the processor is programmed to:

receive, from each of a plurality of vehicles, respective sets of diagnostic test data relating to a performed diagnostic test, each set of diagnostic test data including a test output value and one or more corresponding test condition values;

select at least one of the test output values respectively from each of at least two vehicles from the plurality of vehicles based at least in part on selecting a function to relate a respective selected test output value to test output values from different sets of diagnostic data;

provide the at least one of the test output values from each of the at least two vehicles and the corresponding test conditions values as input to the selected function to obtain a plurality of scaled test output values; and

actuate one or more vehicle components according to an adjustment to the diagnostic test that is based at least in part on the scaled test output values.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

provide the adjustment to a vehicle that provided one of the selected test output values.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustment to the diagnostic test includes an adjustment of a threshold for evaluating the test output value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of scaled output values are comparable on a scale that is predetermined for the diagnostic test.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined scale for the diagnostic test is based at least in part on a reference vehicle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined scale for the diagnostic test is based at least in part on reference test conditions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected function to accept the at least some of the test output values is unity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one of the output values is based in part on at least one of a route of travel, an ambient air temperature value, a barometric pressure, a relative humidity and a usage pattern.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the test data output value includes an engine off natural vacuum.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more test condition values include a fuel level.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the test data output value includes an air mass summation from key-on to key-off.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second computing device including a second processor and a second memory, the second memory storing instructions executable by the second processor such that the second processor is programmed to:

receive the test output value from a sensor in a vehicle; and

transmit the test output value together with a vehicle identification and the one or more corresponding test conditions to the processor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second processor is further programmed to:

receive the adjustment to the diagnostic test from the processor; and

perform the diagnostic test based on the adjustment.

14. A method implemented by a processor comprising:

receiving, from each of a plurality of vehicles, respective sets of diagnostic test data relating to a performed diagnostic test, each set of diagnostic test data including a test output value and one or more corresponding test condition values;

selecting at least one of the test output values respectively from each of at least two vehicles from the plurality of vehicles based at least in part on selecting a function to relate a respective selected test output value to test output values from different sets of diagnostic data;

providing the at least one of the test output values from each of the at least two vehicles and the corresponding test conditions values as input to the selected function to obtain a plurality of scaled test output values; and

actuating one or more vehicle components according to an adjustment to the diagnostic test that is based at least in part on the scaled test output values.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing the adjustment to a vehicle that provided one of the selected test output values.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the set of scaled output values are comparable on a scale that is predetermined for the diagnostic test.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined scale for the diagnostic test is based at least in part on a reference vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined scale for the diagnostic test is based at least in part on reference test conditions.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by a second processor, the test output value from a sensor in a vehicle; and

transmitting, by the second processor, the test output value together with a vehicle identification and the one or more corresponding test conditions to the processor.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, by the second processor, the adjustment for the diagnostic test from the processor; and

performing, by the second processor, the diagnostic test based on the adjustment.