Vehicle Rules Engine

• US 20100292890A1
• Filed: 05/12/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, William S.
• Application Number:
  US12/464,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for generating custom rules to detect desired conditions of a vehicle and customize the information returned when the desired conditions are met. The system includes an authoring device having an authoring tool to author the custom vehicle retrieval rules. The authoring device communicates with the vehicle rules engine in the vehicle or optionally communicates with a client device that then communicates with the vehicle rules engine.

Claims

1. A method of vehicle data retrieval, comprising the steps of:

authoring a custom vehicle data retrieval rules with an authoring tool based on current vehicle module definitions stored in a vehicle;

loading the custom vehicle data retrieval rules into a vehicle rules engine stored in the vehicle;

detecting a condition compliant with a rule of the custom vehicle data retrieval rules; and

returning information specified by the custom vehicle data retrieval rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein authoring custom vehicle data retrieval rules further comprises the steps of:

setting conditions based on data from available vehicle module definitions stored in the vehicle; and

setting the information to be returned when the conditions are met.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein loading the custom vehicle data retrieval rules further comprises the steps of:

sending the custom vehicle data retrieval rules from an author device having the authoring tool to a communication unit in the vehicle; and

transferring the custom vehicle data retrieval rules from the communication unit to the vehicle rules engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a condition further comprises the steps of:

reading data available to the vehicle rules engine from available data sources as defined by the vehicle module definitions installed on the vehicle rules engine; and

comparing the data to the conditions of the custom vehicle data retrieval rules.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein returning information further comprises the steps of:

implementing a pull protocol; and

responding to a request for information sent from a client device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pull protocol is implemented using Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein authoring custom vehicle data retrieval rules further comprises the step of:

querying the vehicle rules engine for the vehicle module definitions.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the returning information on a display.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein returning information further comprises the steps of:

implementing a push protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the push protocol pushes an e-mail or a fax.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the push protocol pushes instant messaging.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein authoring custom vehicle data retrieval rules further comprises the step of:

querying the vehicle rules engine for the vehicle module definitions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein authoring custom vehicle data retrieval rules further comprises the step of:

querying the vehicle rules engine for existing vehicle retrieval rules.

14. An apparatus for authoring custom vehicle data retrieval, comprising:

an author device configured to communicate with a vehicle rules engine in a vehicle, to request information from the vehicle rules engine, and transmit the information to a first user device communicatively linked to the author device;

an authoring tool stored on the author device and configured to author custom vehicle data retrieval rules; and

a communication network configured to provide communication between the author device and the vehicle rules engine.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the custom vehicle data retrieval rules set a condition in the vehicle that must be met before data associated with the condition are communicated back to the author device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication network is a wireless network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the communication network is a wired network.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the vehicle rules engine further includes a vehicle module definitions.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a client device configured to receive the custom vehicle data retrieval rules from an authoring device and send the custom vehicle data retrieval rules to the vehicle rules engine.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the communication network utilizes a push protocol.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the push protocol pushes email or a fax to the first user device.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the communication network utilizes a pull protocol.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the pull protocol pulls real simple syndication (rss) feeds to the first user device.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the rss feeds contains information about a condition of the vehicle.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the request information from the vehicle rules engine include information about the current vehicle retrieval rules in the vehicle.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the request information from the vehicle rules engine include information about vehicle module definitions.

27. A system for vehicle data retrieval, comprising:

a means for processing configured to communicate with a vehicle rules engine in a vehicle, to request information from the vehicle rules engine, and transmit the information to a first user device communicatively linked to the means for processing;

a means for authoring configured to author the custom vehicle data retrieval rules and stored on the means for processing; and

a means for communicating configured to provide communication between the means for processing and the vehicle rules engine.