Method and system for reporting diagnostic trouble code set in vehicle is collision-related

• US 10,773,671 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2019
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Brozovich, Roy S., Merg, Patrick S., Covington, Joshua C., Williamson, Joshua D., Neri, Oswaldo
• Primary Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US16/245,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20200223385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• 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 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

A method and computing system for determining whether a DTC set in a vehicle involved in a collision is collision-related or non-collision-related. The method can include determining a vehicle model associated with the vehicle, determining a DTC set within an ECU in the vehicle, determining a damaged portion in the vehicle, determining the DTC is collision-related, and outputting a collision report that indicates the DTC is collision-related. The determined damaged portion indicates where the vehicle was damaged by the collision. Determining the DTC is collision-related can include determining the damaged portion in the vehicle matches a reference vehicle portion associated with both a component attributable to setting the DTC and the vehicle model associated with the damaged vehicle. The collision report can indicate that a different DTC set by the same or a different ECU in the vehicle is non-collision-related.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, a vehicle model associated with a first vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, a first diagnostic trouble code (DTC) set within a first electronic control unit (ECU) in the first vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, a first damaged portion of the first vehicle, wherein the first damaged portion indicates where the first vehicle was damaged by a collision;

determining, by the one or more processors, the first DTC is collision-related, wherein determining the first DTC is collision-related includes determining, by the one or more processors, the first damaged portion of the first vehicle matches a reference vehicle portion associated with both a component attributable to setting the first DTC and the vehicle model associated with the first vehicle; and

outputting, by the one or more processors, a collision report that indicates the first DTC is collision-related.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein outputting the collision report includes displaying the collision report on a display, and

wherein the collision report includes a vehicle adjustment selector applicable to the first vehicle,

the method further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a selection of the vehicle adjustment selector; and

adjusting the first vehicle in response to receiving the selection of the vehicle adjustment selector.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the first vehicle includes calibrating a component on the first vehicle, programming the component on the first vehicle, resetting a component on the first vehicle, or initializing a component on the first vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the one or more processors to a display, an image associated with the vehicle model,

wherein the image is divided into multiple selectable image portions,

wherein a first selectable image portion of the multiple selectable image portions corresponds to a first portion of the vehicle model, and

wherein determining the first damaged portion of the first vehicle includes receiving, by the one or more processors, a selection of the first selectable image portion that corresponds to the first portion of the vehicle model.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the selection of the first selectable image portion includes the one or more processors determining a portion of the display at which the first selectable image portion is displayed is touched.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the selection of the first selectable image portion includes the one or more processors selecting the first selectable image portion based on the first selectable image portion being associated with the first DTC.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the image includes a three dimensional wire frame image.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the image depicts a generic vehicle, and the image is further associated with at least a second vehicle model identifiable from attributes of a second vehicle that is not a vehicle of the vehicle model associated with the first vehicle.

9. The method of claim 4,

wherein outputting the image associated with the vehicle model includes outputting, by the one or more processors, a first subset of the multiple selectable image portions,

the method further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors while the first subset of the multiple selectable image portions is output to the display, an input to change the image; and

outputting, by the one or more processors in response to receiving the input to change the image, a second subset of the multiple selectable image portions to the display.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, one or more attributes of the first vehicle from a vehicle data message transmitted by an ECU within the first vehicle; and

wherein determining the vehicle model associated with the first vehicle includes determining, by the one or more processors, the one or more attributes matches a stored attribute mapped to the vehicle model.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the one or more processors to a display, one or more of the following;

a DTC selector, a damaged portion selector, or a vehicle adjustment selector; and

displaying, by the display, one or more of the following;

the DTC selector, the damaged portion selector, or the vehicle adjustment selector.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, an input indicative of the DTC selector being selected;

outputting, by the one or more processors in response to receiving the input, DTC data, wherein the DTC data includes DTC data regarding the first DTC set within the first ECU in the first vehicle; and

displaying, by the display, the DTC data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, an input indicative of the damaged portion selector being selected;

outputting, by the one or more processors in response to receiving the input, an image associated with the vehicle model, wherein the image is divided into multiple selectable image portions, wherein each selectable image portion corresponds to a different damaged portion of vehicles of the vehicle model, and wherein a first selectable image portion corresponds to the first damaged portion; and

displaying, by the display, the image associated with the vehicle model.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a first input indicative of the vehicle adjustment selector being selected;

outputting, by the one or more processors in response to receiving the first input, (a) vehicle adjustment information regarding a vehicle adjustment, and (b) a second vehicle adjustment selector; and

displaying, by the display, the vehicle adjustment information and the second vehicle adjustment selector.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a second input indicative of the second vehicle adjustment selector being selected; and

outputting, by the one or more processors in response to receiving the second input, a signal or communication to perform a vehicle adjustment corresponding to the second vehicle adjustment selector,

wherein the vehicle adjustment includes (a) programming a vehicle component in the first vehicle, (b) initializing a vehicle component in the first vehicle, (c) calibrating a vehicle component in the first vehicle, or (d) resetting a vehicle component in the first vehicle.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a first parameter from the first vehicle indicative of the first DTC setting within the first ECU;

determining, by the one or more processors, a second parameter pertaining to a current operating state of the first vehicle;

wherein determining the first DTC is collision-related is further based upon a difference in the first parameter and the second parameter being within a threshold range, and

wherein the first parameter and the second parameter are both indicative of a distance the first vehicle has been driven or a number of driving cycles.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a second DTC set within the first ECU or a second ECU in the first vehicle; and

determining, by the one or more processors, the second DTC is non-collision-related,

wherein the collision report indicates the second DTC is non-collision-related.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, at least a portion of an estimate or repair order pertaining to the first vehicle and the collision,

wherein determining the first damaged portion of the first vehicle includes the one or more processors determining the first damaged portion from the at least a portion of the estimate or repair order.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, an image of the first damaged portion of the first vehicle; and

comparing, by the one or more processors, the image of the first damaged portion of the first vehicle to a stored image showing an undamaged portion of a vehicle associated with the vehicle model,

wherein determining the first damaged portion of the first vehicle includes the one or more processors determining the first damaged portion of the first vehicle pertains to the undamaged portion shown in the stored image.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the one or more processors, a pre-repair scan of the first vehicle to determine which diagnostic trouble codes are set in the first vehicle prior to the first damaged portion of the first vehicle being repaired; and

performing, by the one or more processors, a post-repair scan of the first vehicle to determine which diagnostic trouble codes are set in the first vehicle after the first damaged portion of the first vehicle is repaired.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the collision report includes time data indicative of when the first DTC was set with respect to a time when the collision occurred.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a warning regarding repairing the first vehicle, wherein determining the warning includes the one or more processors determining the warning is mapped to the reference vehicle portion;

outputting, by the one or more processors to a display, the warning; and

displaying, by the display, the warning.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the component includes a wire or a fiber optical cable.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a possible related collision damage to the first vehicle; and

augmenting, by the one or more processors, the collision report based on the possible related collision damage to the first vehicle.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

displaying, by the display, an identifier of the possible related collision damage to the first vehicle; and

receiving, by the one or more processors, a selection of the possible related collision damage,

wherein augmenting the collision report is further based on the selection of the possible related collision damage.

26. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, an amount of deflection at the first damaged portion of the first vehicle,

determining, by the one or more processors, possible related collision damage based on the amount of deflection at the first damaged portion of the first vehicle and actual damage to a second vehicle associated with an amount of deflection at a damaged portion of the second vehicle, wherein the damaged portion of the second vehicle matches the first damaged portion of the first vehicle; and

displaying, by the display, an indication of the possible related collision damage.

27. A computing system comprising:

a computer-readable memory having stored thereon a reference vehicle portion associated with both a component attributable to setting a first diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and a vehicle model associated with a first vehicle; and

one or more processors configured to refer to the computer-readable memory and programmed to;

determine the vehicle model associated with the first vehicle;

determine the first DTC set within a first electronic control unit (ECU) in the first vehicle;

determine, a first damaged portion of the first vehicle, wherein the first damaged portion indicates where the first vehicle was damaged by a collision;

determine the first DTC is collision-related, wherein determining the first DTC is collision-related includes determining the first damaged portion of the first vehicle matches the reference vehicle portion associated with both the component attributable to setting the first DTC and the vehicle model associated with the first vehicle; and

output a collision report that indicates the first DTC is collision-related.

28. The computing system of claim 27, further comprising:

a vehicle communications transceiver configured for being operatively connected to the first vehicle.

29. The computing system of claim 27, further comprising:

a network transceiver configured for being operatively connected to a scanner coupled to the first vehicle.

30. A computer readable memory having stored thereon instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a computing system to perform functions comprising:

determining a vehicle model associated with a first vehicle;

determining a first diagnostic trouble code (DTC) set within a first electronic control unit (ECU) in the first vehicle;

determining a first damaged portion of the first vehicle, wherein the first damaged portion indicates where the first vehicle was damaged by a collision;

determining the first DTC is collision-related, wherein determining the first DTC is collision-related includes determining, by the one or more processors, the first damaged portion of the first vehicle matches a reference vehicle portion associated with both a component attributable to setting the first DTC and the vehicle model associated with the first vehicle; and

outputting a collision report that indicates the first DTC is collision-related.