Handheld diagnostic device and method for displaying bitmapped graphic characters utilizing a condensed bitmap character library

• US 20050171735A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Huang, Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Original Assignee: David Huang, Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Inventors: Huang, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

A handheld diagnostic device and method for displaying bitmapped graphic characters is provided which utilizes a condensed bitmap library. In particular, the present invention provides a method for condensing extremely large graphically-based bitmapped character sets, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean or any other graphically-based bitmapped character set, and storing them in simple and economical handheld automotive diagnostic devices.

Claims

1. A method for displaying diagnostic trouble codes and affiliated definitions of the diagnostic trouble codes on a handheld electronic diagnostic device, the definitions comprising at least one language character derived from a bitmap which is configured to be displayed graphically, the method comprising:

determining a desired language to be communicated via the diagnostic device;

obtaining a library of bitmap fonts and affiliated identification codes representative of a comprehensive character set from the desired language;

compiling a unique set of characters from the comprehensive character set that are to be displayed by the device; and

generating a condensed library of bitmap fonts and affiliated identification codes representative of the unique character set.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including compiling a list of diagnostic trouble codes and affiliated definitions to be utilized by the device.

3. The method according to claim 2, further including generating a composite code representative of each definition of each diagnostic trouble code, wherein each composite code is a compilation of the affiliated identification codes making up the definition of a respective diagnostic trouble code.

4. The method according to claim 3, further including generating a composite code table comprising the list of the diagnostic trouble codes and respective composite codes.

5. The method according to claim 4, further including storing the condensed library of bitmap fonts and the composite code table in memory of the device.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising receiving at least one diagnostic trouble code into the device from an on-board computer of a vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising displaying the received at least one diagnostic trouble code and from the device.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising referring to the composite code table to find the composite code correlated to the received at least one diagnostic trouble code.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising decoding the composite code correlated to the received at least one diagnostic trouble code to derive the definition affiliated with the received at least one diagnostic trouble code by identifying each bitfont correlated to the identification codes representative of each bitfont.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising displaying the definition affiliated with the received at least one diagnostic trouble code by displaying each identified bitfont which makes up the definition affiliated with the received at least one diagnostic code.

11. A handheld diagnostic device for receiving diagnostic trouble codes from an on-board vehicular computer, and displaying the retrieved diagnostic trouble codes and affiliated definitions, the definitions comprising at least one language character derived from a bitmap which is configured to be displayed graphically, the handheld diagnostic device comprising:

a handheld device containing a central processor unit, ROM, SRAM, flash memory, an input port, keypad, and display; and

a computer readable medium for displaying diagnostic trouble codes and affiliated definitions of the diagnostic trouble codes on said display, the computer readable medium comprising;

a source code segment which provides a condensed library of bitmap fonts and affiliated identification codes representative of the unique character set selected from a comprehensive character set representative a language, wherein the unique set of characters are displayed by the device; and

a source code segment which provides a list of diagnostic trouble codes and affiliated definitions to be utilized by the device.

12. The handheld diagnostic device according to claim 11, further including a source code segment for providing a composite code table comprising the list of the diagnostic trouble codes and respective composite codes representative of each definition of each diagnostic trouble code, wherein each composite code is a compilation of the affiliated identification codes making up the definition of a respective diagnostic trouble code.

13. The handheld diagnostic device according to claim 12, further comprising a source code segment for receiving at least one diagnostic trouble code into the device from an on-board computer of a vehicle.

14. The handheld diagnostic device according to claim 13, further comprising a source code segment for displaying the received at least one diagnostic trouble code and from the device.

15. The handheld diagnostic device according to claim 14, further comprising a source code segment which refers to the composite code table to find the composite code correlated to the received at least one diagnostic trouble code.

16. The handheld diagnostic device according to claim 15, further comprising a source code segment which decodes the composite code correlated to the received at least one diagnostic trouble code to derive the definition affiliated with the received at least one diagnostic trouble code by identifying each bitfont correlated to the identification codes representative of each bitfont.

17. The handheld diagnostic device according to claim 16, further comprising a source code segment which displays the definition affiliated with the received at least one diagnostic trouble code by displaying each identified bitfont which makes up the definition affiliated with the received at least one diagnostic code.