Guided vehicle evaluation

• US 10,803,679 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2018
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Tamer E., Boss, Gregory J., Moore, Jr., John E., Rendahl, Randy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kong, Sze-Hon
• Application Number:
  US15/861,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20190206147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• 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: H04L 2209/42 Anonymization, e.g. involving pseudonyms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for guided vehicle evaluation includes executing on a computer processor the step of receiving a vehicle identification number (VIN) for a vehicle and analyzing maintenance items and repair items for the vehicle from anonymized vehicle data identified by the VIN which identifies deviations from normal maintenance items and repair items identified by a decoded VIN. The anonymized vehicle data includes repair items and maintenance items performed on the vehicle and a vehicle mileage for each repair item and for each maintenance item. Expected service needs for the vehicle are computed based on the identified deviations from normal of maintenance items and repair items, and the expected service needs for the vehicle are displayed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for guided vehicle evaluation, comprising executing on a computer processor the steps of:

receiving a vehicle identification number (VIN) for a vehicle;

identifying maintenance items and repair items performed on the vehicle within vehicle data identified by the VIN, wherein the vehicle data associates the repair items and the maintenance items performed on the vehicle to vehicle mileage values for each repair item and for each maintenance item;

anonymizing the vehicle data repair items and maintenance items performed on the vehicle by removing vehicle ownership information;

formatting and storing the anonymized vehicle data repair items and maintenance items in a blockchain arrangement;

determining a probability distribution of mileage values that are each associated with a performance of a first item of the maintenance items and the repair items upon a plurality of other vehicles that each share a same attribute value with the vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of a year of manufacture, a vehicle model, a vehicle manufacturer and an identification of a component that is maintained, repaired or replaced by the first item;

determining that a future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle based on a deviation of a mileage value associated with a performance of the first item within the anonymized vehicle data from the probability distribution of mileage values; and

displaying the future service event for the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle is further a function of determining that the mileage value associated with the performance of the first item or a time of performance of the first item fail to meet a normal manufacturer specifications maintenance requirement for the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein maintenance items include a component prior to failure that is replaced or adjusted, and excludes recalled components.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

computing an expected cost of the future service event for the vehicle, wherein the future service event comprises expected repairs and expected maintenance by mileage, wherein the expected cost of the future service event is based on characteristic data identified from the anonymized vehicle data and a probability distribution of cost values that are each associated with a performance of the future service event upon a plurality of other vehicles that each share a same attribute value with the vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of a year of manufacture, a vehicle model, a vehicle manufacturer and an identification of a component that is maintained, repaired or replaced by the future service event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the future service event for the vehicle comprises displaying a graphical display of expected repairs and expected maintenance ordered by mileage of the vehicle that visually distinguishes a mileage value associated with the performance of the first item from a range of mileage values defined by the determined probability distribution of mileage values.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising a processor, a computer readable memory in circuit communication with the processor, and a computer-readable storage medium in circuit communication with the processor; and

wherein the processor executes program code instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby performs the steps of identifying the maintenance items and repair items performed on the vehicle within vehicle data identified by the VIN, anonymizing the vehicle data, formatting and storing the anonymized vehicle data in the blockchain arrangement, determining the probability distribution of mileage values that are each associated with the performance of the first item of the maintenance items and the repair items, determining that the future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle and displaying the future service event for the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer-readable program code is provided as a service in a cloud environment.

8. A system for guiding vehicle evaluation, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable memory in circuit communication with the processor; and

a computer readable storage medium in circuit communication with the processor;

wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby;

receives a vehicle identification number (VIN) for a vehicle;

identifies maintenance items and repair items performed on the vehicle within vehicle data identified by the VIN, wherein the vehicle data associates the repair items and the maintenance items performed on the vehicle to vehicle mileage values for each repair item and for each maintenance item;

anonymizes the vehicle data repair items and maintenance items performed on the vehicle by removing vehicle ownership information;

formats and stores the anonymized vehicle data repair items and maintenance items in a blockchain arrangement;

determines a probability distribution of mileage values that are each associated with a performance of a first item of the maintenance items and the repair items upon a plurality of other vehicles that each share a same attribute value with the vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of a year of manufacture, a vehicle model, a vehicle manufacturer and an identification of a component that is maintained, repaired or replaced by the first item;

determines that a future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle based on a deviation of a mileage value associated with a performance of the first item within the anonymized vehicle data from the probability distribution of mileage values; and

displays the future service event for the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby determines that the future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle as a function of determining that the mileage value associated with the performance of the first item or a time of performance of the first item fail to meet a normal manufacturer specifications maintenance requirement for the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby:

computes an expected cost of the future service event for the vehicle, wherein the future service event comprises expected repairs and expected maintenance by mileage, wherein the expected cost of the future service event is based on characteristic data identified from the anonymized vehicle data and a probability distribution of cost values that are each associated with a performance of the future service event upon a plurality of other vehicles that each share a same attribute value with the vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of a year of manufacture, a vehicle model, a vehicle manufacturer and an identification of a component that is maintained, repaired or replaced by the future service event.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby displays the future service event for the vehicle by displaying a graphical display of expected repairs and expected maintenance ordered by mileage of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical display of expected repairs and expected maintenance is ordered by mileage of the vehicle and further comprises indicators of identified deviations from normal maintenance items and repair items.

13. A computer program product for guiding vehicle evaluation, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for execution by a processor that cause the processor to;

receive a decoded vehicle identification number (VIN) for a vehicle;

identify maintenance items and repair items performed on the vehicle within vehicle data identified by the VIN, wherein the vehicle data associates the repair items and the maintenance items performed on the vehicle to vehicle mileage values for each repair item and for each maintenance item;

anonymize the vehicle data repair items and maintenance items performed on the vehicle by removing vehicle ownership information;

format and store the anonymized vehicle data repair items and maintenance items in a blockchain arrangement;

determine a probability distribution of mileage values that are each associated with a performance of a first item of the maintenance items and the repair items upon a plurality of other vehicles that each share a same attribute value with the vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of a year of manufacture, a vehicle model, a vehicle manufacturer and an identification of a component that is maintained, repaired or replaced by the first item;

determine that a future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle based on a deviation of a mileage value associated with a performance of the first item within the anonymized vehicle data from the probability distribution of mileage values; and

display the future service event for the vehicle.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for execution cause the processor to determine that the future service event is likely to be required for the vehicle as a function of determining that the mileage value associated with the performance of the first item or a time of performance of the first item fail to meet a normal manufacturer specifications maintenance requirement for the vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for execution cause the processor to:

compute an expected cost of the future service event for the vehicle, wherein the future service event comprises expected repairs and expected maintenance by mileage, wherein the expected cost of the future service event is based on characteristic data identified from the anonymized vehicle data and a probability distribution of cost values that are each associated with a performance of the future service event upon a plurality of other vehicles that each share a same attribute value with the vehicle that is selected from the group consisting of a year of manufacture, a vehicle model, a vehicle manufacturer and an identification of a component that is maintained, repaired or replaced by the future service event.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for execution cause the processor to display the future service event for the vehicle by displaying a graphical display of expected repairs and expected maintenance ordered by mileage of the vehicle that visually distinguishes a mileage value associated with the performance of the first item from a range of mileage values defined by the determined probability distribution of mileage values.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the graphical display of expected repairs and expected maintenance ordered by mileage of the vehicle further comprises indicators of identified deviations from normal maintenance items and repair items.