Method and system for automatically establishing a communication connection to a vehicle

• US 9,841,358 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Amirpour, Ramon, Nobis, Guenter, Malmsheimer, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US14/126,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 701 315, 701 314, 701 296, 701 332, 701 291, 36518518, 36518522, 365189011
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A method for automatically establishing a communication connection to a vehicle at a repair shop work station, including the tasks of connecting a plurality of mobile communication interfaces to one of a plurality of vehicles, establishing biunique assignments of the vehicles to the particular mobile communication interfaces connected to the vehicles, one of the tasks of automatically detecting identification data of one of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces and/or of the particular assigned vehicle, which are located at the repair shop work station, or automatically detecting position coordinates of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces; transmitting the identification data or position coordinates to a vehicle testing device at the repair shop work station, and automatically establishing a communication connection between the vehicle testing device and the mobile communication interface located at the repair shop work station based on the detected identification data or the detected position coordinates.

Claims

1. A method for automatically establishing a communication connection to a vehicle at a repair shop work station, the method comprising:

connecting a plurality of mobile communication interfaces to one of a plurality of vehicles;

establishing biunique assignments of the vehicles to the particular mobile communication interfaces connected to them;

automatically detecting identification data of one of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces and/or of the particular assigned vehicle, which are located at the repair shop work station, or automatically detecting position coordinates of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces;

transmitting the identification data or position coordinates to a vehicle testing device at the repair shop work station; and

automatically establishing a communication connection between the vehicle testing device and the mobile communication interface located at the repair shop work station based on the detected identification data or the detected position coordinates, wherein each biunique assignment permits the mobile communication interface to be identified by virtue of at least one detected characteristic of the vehicle assigned to the mobile communication interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the identification data includes a detection of one or multiple optically detectable vehicle features.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

ascertaining the mobile communication interface assigned to the vehicle located at the repair shop work station based on the detected vehicle feature and the biunique assignments.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the identification data includes a detection of identification data of an RFID tag situated in the mobile communication interface with the aid of an RFID reading device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the position coordinates includes a detection of satellite navigation data of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces with the aid of satellite navigation receivers situated in each case in the mobile communication interfaces.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the position coordinates includes a detection, using radio technology, of location information of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces with the aid of radio transmitters situated in each case in the mobile communication interfaces.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the identification data includes a detection of one or multiple optically detectable vehicle features, including a vehicle license number of the vehicle located at the repair shop work station with the aid of a video system.

7. A system for automatically establishing a communication connection to a vehicle at a repair shop work station, comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication interfaces, which are configured to be connected in each case to one of a plurality of vehicles in the repair shop;

a central software component, which is configured to store biunique assignments of the vehicles to the particular mobile communication interfaces connected to the vehicles; and

a detection device, which is configured to automatically detect identification data of one of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces and/or of the particular assigned vehicle, which are located at the repair shop work station, or which is configured to automatically detect position coordinates of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces;

wherein the detection device is further configured to transmit the identification data or position coordinates to a vehicle testing device at the repair shop work station to automatically establish a communication connection between the vehicle testing device and the mobile communication interface located at the repair shop work station based on the detected identification data or the detected position coordinates, wherein each biunique assignment permits the mobile communication interface to be identified by virtue of at least one detected characteristic of the vehicle assigned to the mobile communication interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the detection device is a video camera, which is configured to automatically detect data of vehicle license numbers.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces has a uniquely identified RFID tag, and wherein the detection device is an RFID reading device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces has a uniquely identified radio transmitter, and wherein the detection device includes at least one positioning sensor, which is configured to determine a positioning of each of the plurality of mobile communication interfaces with the aid of the radio signals emitted by the particular radio transmitters.