Universal translator for vehicle information

• US 20050267655A1
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Gessner, Michael Francis
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool

Abstract

The present invention allows vehicle information tools to be used with vehicle information systems even if lacking a common protocol for communication. The present invention operates by intercepting requests from vehicle information tools, translating the communications into a protocol understood by a vehicle information system and providing the translated communications to the vehicle information system. In response to the request, the vehicle information system generates responses, which are translated into a protocol understood by the vehicle information tool, and then provided to the vehicle information tool.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle information system that generates vehicle responses according to a vehicle protocol in response to received requests in the vehicle protocol;

a universal translator that establishes a communication link with the vehicle information system according to the vehicle protocol;

a vehicle information tool that establishes a communication link with the universal translator according to a tool protocol, generates requests according to the tool protocol, and receives the vehicle responses in the tool protocol; and

wherein the universal translator selectively translates the generated requests in the tool protocol to the requests in the vehicle protocol and provides the generated requests in the vehicle protocol to the vehicle information system, translates the generated responses in the vehicle protocol from the vehicle information system to responses according to the tool protocol, and provides the responses in the tool protocol to the vehicle information tool.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tool protocol is one of a number of protocols operable with the vehicle information tool.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle protocol is one of a number of protocols operable with the vehicle information system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle protocol conforms to ISO 15765-4 and the tool protocol conforms to SAE J1850.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the established communication link between the universal translator and the vehicle information system is via a wireless communication medium.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the established communication link between the universal translator and the vehicle information system is via an OBD-II compatible diagnostic link connector.

7. The diagnostic system of claim 1, wherein the universal translator dynamically selects the vehicle protocol according to a target vehicle control unit of the vehicle information system.

8. A universal translator for vehicle information systems comprising:

a tool interface that receives requests and provides responses;

communication circuitry that selectively converts requests and responses from one or more translator protocols into a microprocessor readable format and that selectively converts microprocessor format requests and responses into the one or more translator protocols

a vehicle interface that provides requests and receives responses; and

a microprocessor that controls the communication circuitry to translate received tool interface requests from a tool protocol to a vehicle protocol, that provides the translated requests to the vehicle interface, that translates received vehicle interface responses from the vehicle protocol to the tool protocol, and that provides the translated responses to the tool interface.

9. The universal translator of claim 8, further comprising a memory unit, wherein the microprocessor stores requests and responses in the memory unit.

10. The universal translator of claim 8, further comprising a non-volatile memory coupled to the microprocessor, where the non-volatile memory stores operating code for the microprocessor.

11. The universal translator of claim 10, further comprising a data port coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the data port is operable to receive external data that alters the operating code stored within the non-volatile memory.

12. The universal translator of claim 11, wherein the data port is further coupled to a memory unit, wherein the microprocessor stores diagnostic requests and diagnostic responses in the memory unit and the stored diagnostic requests and the stored diagnostic responses are retrievable via the data port from the memory unit.

13. The universal translator of claim 10, wherein the vehicle interface is operable to receive external data that alters the operating code stored within the non-volatile memory.

14. The universal translator of claim 8, further comprising a switching circuit coupled to the tool interface and the vehicle interface and controlled by the microprocessor, wherein the switching circuit selectively connects the tool interface and the vehicle interface, wherein the microprocessor causes the switching circuit to connect the tool interface and the vehicle interface on the vehicle protocol also being the tool protocol.

15. A method of operating a vehicle system comprising:

establishing a first communication link between a vehicle information tool and a universal translator via a tool protocol;

establishing a second communication link between the universal translator and a vehicle information system via a vehicle protocol;

initiating one or more requests by the vehicle information tool according to the tool protocol; and

translating the requests from the tool protocol to the vehicle protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating one or more responses by the vehicle information system on receiving the translated requests in the vehicle protocol; and

translating the responses from the vehicle protocol to the tool protocol.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising passing the requests by the vehicle information tool to the vehicle information system without translation on the tool protocol also being the vehicle protocol.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising dynamically selecting the tool protocol prior to establishing the first communication link.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising dynamically selecting the vehicle protocol prior to establishing the second communication link.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein translating the requests further comprises converting header information of the requests from a format of the tool protocol to a format of the vehicle protocol.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein translating the responses comprises combining multiple responses into a single response.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein translating the responses comprises segmenting a single response into multiple responses.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising caching translated responses in the tool protocol and providing the cached responses on matching requests.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising manually selecting the tool protocol by an operator.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising manually selecting the vehicle protocol by an operator.