Continuously monitoring and correcting operational conditions in automobiles from a remote location through wireless transmissions

• US 20040044453A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quartz Auto Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malik, Nadeem, Ward, Charles Gorham
• Granted Patent: US 6,847,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

An advance over the above-discussed prior art that involves continuously monitoring automobile operations, performance and operating conditions from the remote diagnostic centers through continuous wireless transmissions so that faults may be immediately recognized and corrected or the operator warned or actions remotely initiated to limit or prevent damage or safety hazards. A system for continuously monitoring and correcting operational conditions in an automobile that comprises a plurality of sensing devices in said automobile; each device for respectively continuously sensing an operational parameter of said automobile; a wireless transmitter in said automobile for transmitting said continuously sensed parameters to a diagnostic station remote from said automobile; apparatus in said diagnostic station for analyzing said parameters in order to determine defective operational conditions in said automobile; and apparatus associated with said diagnostic station for wireless transmission of data relative to said determined defective operating conditions back to said automobile. The data transmitted back to said automobile may include data for selectively activating the apparatus already on-board the automobile for correcting the defective operational conditions. Whenever practical, apparatus for correcting said defective conditions corrects said conditions transparently to the operator of said automobile.

Claims

1. A system for continuously monitoring and correcting operational conditions in an automobile comprising:

a plurality of sensing devices in said automobile each device for respectively continuously sensing an operational parameter of said automobile;

a wireless transmitter in said automobile for transmitting said continuously sensed parameters to a diagnostic station remote from said automobile;

apparatus in said diagnostic station for analyzing said parameters in order to determine defective operational conditions in said automobile; and

apparatus associated with said diagnostic station for wireless transmission of data relative to said determined defective operating conditions back to said automobile.

2. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 1 wherein:

said automobile further includes apparatus for correcting said defective operational conditions; and

said data transmitted back to said automobile includes data for activating said apparatus for correcting said defective operational conditions.

3. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 2 wherein said apparatus for correcting said defective conditions corrects said conditions transparently to the operator of said automobile.

4. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 2 wherein:

said automobile includes a plurality of embedded data processors for controlling automobile operations; and

said defective operating conditions are defects within said embedded data processors.

5. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 1 further including an output device for informing the automobile operator of said defective operating conditions.

6. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 5 wherein said output device includes a display.

7. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 5 wherein said output device is enabled to inform the operator of dangerous operating conditions.

8. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 5 further including apparatus in said automobile for limiting the operation of the automobile in response to a determined defective operating condition.

9. The system for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 2 wherein:

said wireless transmitter in said automobile is a wireless cellular telephonic device; and

said apparatus for wireless transmission of data relative to determined defective operating conditions back to the automobile includes a wireless cellular telephonic device.

10. A method for continuously monitoring and correcting operational conditions in an automobile comprising:

continuously sensing a plurality of operational parameters of said automobile;

wirelessly transmitting said continuously sensed parameters to a diagnostic station remote from said automobile;

analyzing said parameters in said diagnostic station in order to determine defective operational conditions in said automobile; and

wirelessly transmitting data relative to said determined defective operating conditions from said diagnostic station back to said automobile.

11. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 10 including the step of correcting said defective operational conditions in said automobile responsive to said data transmitted back to said automobile.

12. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 11 wherein said defective conditions are corrected transparently to the operator of said automobile.

13. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 11 wherein:

said automobile includes a plurality of embedded data processors for controlling automobile operations; and

said defective operating conditions being corrected are defective operating conditions of said embedded data processors.

14. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 10 further including the step of informing the automobile operator of said defective operating conditions.

15. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 14 wherein said defective operating conditions are displayed to inform the automobile operator.

16. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 14 wherein said step of informing said automobile operator is enabled to inform the operator of dangerous operating conditions.

17. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 14 further including the step of limiting the operation of the automobile in response to a determined defective operating condition.

18. The method for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 11 wherein:

said wirelessly transmitting from said automobile includes a wireless cellular telephonic transmission; and

said wireless transmission of data relative to determined defective operating conditions back to the automobile includes a wireless cellular telephonic transmission.

19. A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable medium for continuously monitoring and correcting operational conditions in an automobile comprising:

means in said automobile continuously sensing each of a plurality of operational parameters of said automobile;

means in said automobile for transmitting said continuously sensed parameters to a diagnostic station remote from said automobile;

means in said diagnostic station for analyzing said parameters in order to determine defective operational conditions in said automobile; and

means associated with said diagnostic station for wireless transmission of data relative to said determined defective operating conditions back to said automobile.

20. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 19 wherein:

said automobile further includes means for correcting said defective operational conditions; and

said data transmitted back to said automobile includes data for activating said means for correcting said defective operational conditions.

21. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 20 wherein said means for correcting said defective conditions corrects said conditions transparently to the operator of said automobile.

22. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 20 wherein:

said automobile includes a plurality of embedded data processors for controlling automobile operations; and

said defective operating conditions are defects within in said embedded data processors.

23. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 19 further including an output device for informing the automobile operator of said defective operating conditions.

24. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 23 wherein said output device includes a display.

25. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 23 wherein said output device is enabled to inform the operator of dangerous operating conditions.

26. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 23 further including means in said automobile for limiting the operation of the automobile in response to a determined defective operating condition.

27. The computer program for monitoring and correcting operational conditions of claim 20 wherein:

said means for transmitting in said automobile is by wireless cellular telephonic transmission; and

said means of wireless transmission of data relative to determined defective operating conditions includes wireless cellular telephonic transmission.