Cellular phone configured with off-board device capabilities and starter/charger and battery testing capabilities

• US 20040227523A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Namaky, Hamid
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/537
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward a cellular phone that connects to an existing vehicle data link to perform the functions of an off-board device, such as a scan tool, for displaying diagnostic information relating to vehicles. In addition, the cellular phone connects to a starter/charger system and/or a battery to perform the functions of a starter/charger/battery testing device. Such a device allows a user to connect the cellular phone to a data link connector located in a vehicle, download software to either an adaptor or the cellular phone, retrieve information relating to diagnostic tests on the vehicle and view the results on the cellular phone display, and/or communicate the results to another person or device.

Claims

1. A device for retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

a cellular phone characterized by transmitting and receiving data representing a human voice comprising;

a first processor in circuit communication with

a first memory, a display, an input device, a telecommunications circuit, and

an interface port; and

an adaptor for connecting the cellular phone to the vehicle diagnostic system, the adaptor comprising

a second processor,

a second memory,

a communications circuit, and

an interface circuit;

wherein the communications circuit is capable of generating a communications protocol to communicate with the vehicle diagnostic system and is capable of retrieving diagnostic information from the vehicle diagnostic system and communicating the retrieved diagnostic information to the second processor,

wherein the second processor is capable of communicating diagnostic information to the interface circuit, the interface circuit is capable of communicating diagnostic information to the cellular phone, which is capable of at least one of generating a display on the cellular phone display corresponding to diagnostic information received via the adaptor and transmitting diagnostic information received via the adaptor to a remote location.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the adaptor further comprises a data link connector to connect the adaptor to the vehicle diagnostic system.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the second processor processes the diagnostic information and communicates the processed diagnostic information for display on the cellular phone.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the second processor communicates unprocessed data to the cellular phone.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the second processor communicates processed data and unprocessed data to the cellular phone.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the first memory comprises programming logic to direct the cellular phone to transmit the diagnostic information to a remote location in an unprocessed state.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the first memory comprises programming logic to direct the cellular phone to transmit the diagnostic information to a remote location in a processed state.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the second memory comprises programming logic to enable the second processor to processes the data into human readable form.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the first memory comprises programming logic to enable the first processor to processes the data into human readable form.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the cellular phone is a hand held cellular phone.

11. The device of claim 6 wherein the programming logic is software code.

12. A device for retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

communications circuitry in circuit communication with a cellular phone;

the cellular phone comprising;

a first processor in circuit communication with

a display, a first memory, a telecommunications circuit, a speaker, a microphone; and

an interface port,

wherein the speaker is capable of receiving data representing a human voice from one of the first processor and the telecommunications circuit,

the microphone is capable of transmitting data representing a human voice to at least one of the first processor and the telecommunications circuit,

the telecommunications circuit is capable of communicating data representing a human voice and data representing diagnostic information to a remote location,

the display is characterized by displaying vehicle diagnostic information received via the communications circuit from the vehicle diagnostic system.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the interface port is in circuit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system through an adaptor that is configured to connect to the interface port and to connect to the vehicle diagnostic system.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the adaptor comprises a data link connector configured to connect to the vehicle diagnostic system.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the adaptor further comprises a second processor, a second memory and programming logic for processing the vehicle diagnostic information into human readable form.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the first memory comprises programming logic to enable the first processor to process the vehicle diagnostic information into human readable form.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the communications circuitry is located in the cellular phone.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the communications circuitry is located in the adaptor.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the cellular phone is a hand held cellular phone.

20. A device for retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system and for testing a starter/charger system comprising:

a cellular phone having a display,

the cellular phone in circuit communication with an adaptor,

wherein the adaptor is configured to selectively connect to at least one of a vehicle diagnostic system, a starter/charger system and a battery,

wherein the adaptor is further configured to at least one of retrieve data from the vehicle diagnostic system, test the starter/charger system and test the battery, and

communicate at least one of the data retrieved from the vehicle, a result of the starter/charger system test, and a result of a battery test to the display on the cellular phone.

21. A device for retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

a cellular phone having a display,

and an adaptor;

wherein the cellular phone is in circuit communications with the adaptor, the adaptor is in circuit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system, placing the cellular phone in circuit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system and at least one of the cellular phone and the adaptor are capable of generating a communications protocol to communicate with the vehicle diagnostic system and receive diagnostic information.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the adaptor and cellular phone further comprises a processor, memory, and programming logic for processing the diagnostic information into human readable form.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the cellular phone comprises a first processor and a first memory wherein the first memory comprises programming logic to enable the processor to retrieve diagnostic information.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the first memory comprises programming logic to enable the processor to process the diagnostic information into human readable form.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein the adaptor comprises a second processor and a second memory wherein the second memory comprises programming logic to enable the processor to retrieve diagnostic information.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the second memory comprises programming logic to enable the processor to process the diagnostic information into human readable form.

27. The device of claim 21, wherein the adaptor further comprises a data link connector for establishing circuit communications between the adaptor and the vehicle diagnostic system.

28. The device of claim 21, wherein the cellular phone is a hand held cellular phone.

29. The device of claim 21, wherein the cellular phone is attached to the vehicle.

30. The device of claim 21, wherein the adaptor is an unintelligent device used to connect the cellular phone to the vehicle diagnostic system.

31. A device for retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

a cellular phone,

means for establishing circuit communications between the cellular phone and the vehicle diagnostic system; and

means for displaying the diagnostic information.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the means for establishing circuit communications between the cellular phone and the vehicle diagnostic system comprises an adaptor configured to establish circuit communications from an interface port of the cellular phone and the adaptor is configured to establish circuit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the adaptor comprises a data link connector for establishing circuit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system.

34. The device of claim 32, wherein the adaptor comprises a processor for generating the communications protocol to communicate with the vehicle diagnostic system and retrieve diagnostic data.

35. The device of claim 31, wherein the means for displaying the diagnostic information is a display located on the cellular phone.

36. The device of claim 31, wherein the means for displaying the diagnostic information is a device in a remote location, wherein the cellular phone transmits the data to the remote location.

37. A method of retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

establishing circuit communications between a cellular phone and the vehicle diagnostic system; and

retrieving diagnostic information to the cellular phone from the vehicle diagnostic system.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein establishing circuit communications between a cellular phone and the vehicle diagnostic system further comprises establishing circuit communications between the cellular phone and an adaptor and establishing circuit communications between the adaptor and the vehicle diagnostic system.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising transmitting the vehicle diagnostic information to a remote location.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising processing the diagnostic information into a human readable form.

41. The method of claim 38, further comprising plugging a data link connector into a connector that is connected to the vehicle diagnostic system to establish circuit communications between the adaptor and the vehicle diagnostic system.

42. The method of claim 37, further comprising communicating with a remote computer and downloading programming software to memory in the cellular phone.

43. The method of claim 38, further comprising communicating with a remote computer and downloading programming software to memory in one of the cellular phone and the adaptor.

44. A device for retrieving diagnostic information from a vehicle diagnostic system comprising:

a cellular phone capable of transmitting and receiving data representing a human voice comprising;

input keys 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0 arranged in three columns and four rows,

a first processor in circuit communication with,

a speaker, a microphone, a first memory, a display, a telecommunications circuit, an interface port the input keys; and

an adaptor for connecting the cellular phone to the vehicle diagnostic system, the adaptor comprising;

a connector for placing the adaptor in circuit communications with the cellular phone,

a second processor in circuit communication with,

the connector, a second memory, a communications circuit, an interface circuit, and a cable for placing the adaptor in circuit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system,

wherein the communications circuit is capable of generating a communications protocol to communicate with the vehicle diagnostic system and is capable of retrieving diagnostic information from the vehicle diagnostic system and communicating the retrieved diagnostic information to the second processor,

wherein the second processor is capable of communicating diagnostic information to the interface circuit, the interface circuit is capable of communicating diagnostic information to the cellular phone, which is capable of at least one of generating a display on the cellular phone display corresponding to diagnostic information received via the adaptor and transmitting diagnostic information received via the adaptor to a remote location.

45. The device of claim 44 wherein the second processor processes the diagnostic information and communicates the processed diagnostic information for display on the cellular phone.

46. The device of claim 44 wherein the second processor communicates unprocessed data to the cellular phone.

47. The device of claim 44 wherein the second processor communicates processed data and unprocessed data to the cellular phone.

48. A battery testing device comprising:

a cellular phone in circuit communication with

an adaptor, and

a Kelvin type connector, connectable to a battery, placing the cellular phone and adaptor in circuit communication with the battery.

49. A testing device for obtaining diagnostic information relative to an automobile and obtaining diagnostic information relative to the condition of a battery comprising:

a cellular phone in circuit communication with an adaptor;

wherein the adaptor is configured to place the cellular phone in circuit communication with at least one of a vehicle diagnostic system, and a battery.