ON BOARD VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC MODULE

• US 20130204484A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• 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 13/14 Handling requests for interconnection or transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a microprocessor executable diagnostic module operable to receive, from a vehicle component, a signal regarding a warning and/or error and select a destination for the signal from a plurality of destinations, the plurality of destinations comprising one or more of a vehicle input/output system to present the warning and/or error to a vehicle occupant, an emergency service provider, an emergency responder, a manufacturer of the vehicle, a service facility located in proximity to a current vehicle location, and a remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a microprocessor executable diagnostic module operable to receive, from a vehicle component, a signal regarding a warning and/or error and select a destination for the signal from a plurality of destinations, the plurality of destinations comprising one or more of a vehicle input/output system to present the warning and/or error to a vehicle occupant, an emergency service provider, an emergency responder, a manufacturer of the vehicle, a service facility located in proximity to a current vehicle location, and a remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module queries one or more of an on board sensor, on board monitor, critical system controller, and non-critical system controller to determine a corresponding state, determines a diagnosis of the warning and/or error using locally and/or remotely stored pre-determined logic, and generates repair advice and/or a warning and/or an instruction and/or a recommendation to a vehicle operator.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module locates and/or determines and/or identifies a part and/or component required to repair the vehicle and a source for the replacement part and/or component and orders the replacement part and/or component.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the diagnostic module locates and/or determines and/or identifies, based on a current satellite-based location of the vehicle, the service facility, provides the diagnosis of the warning and/or error, and obtains from the service facility one or more of an estimated charge to repair the vehicle, an earliest available appointment to repair the vehicle, and an estimated time required to repair the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the diagnostic module contacts plural service facilities, provides, by way of comparison, the one or more of an estimated charge to repair the vehicle, an earliest available appointment to repair the vehicle, and the estimated time required to repair the vehicle received from each service facility, and recommends a preferred service facility for repairing the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module forwards the signal to one or more of the manufacturer and service facility that compares the warning and/or error and vehicle-specific parameters to a maintenance and/or fault history for a model of the vehicle and provides, to a vehicle operator, the result of the comparison along with a probability of the diagnosis being correct.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the forwarded signal comprises a current physical location of the vehicle, an identity of the vehicle and/or vehicle owner or occupant, and diagnostic information and/or a diagnosed cause of the warning and/or error signal and wherein the one or more of the manufacturer and service facility one or more of dispatches an emergency service provider and/or a first responder to the physical location of the vehicle, schedules the vehicle to be repaired by the service facility, and pre-orders a replacement part and/or component required to repair a diagnosed source of the warning and/or error signal.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module at least one of forwards at least part of the warning and/or error signal to the remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal and performs local diagnosis of the cause of the warning and/or error signal and interactively engages in a conversational interaction with the vehicle operator regarding the diagnosed cause of the warning and/or error, wherein the responses in the interactive conversational interaction are based on a menu-type structure.

9. A non-transient, tangible computer readable medium comprising a microprocessor executable diagnostic module that, when executed, receives, from a vehicle component, a signal regarding a warning and/or error and selects a destination for the signal from a plurality of destinations, the plurality of destinations comprising one or more of a vehicle input/output system to present the warning and/or error to a vehicle occupant, an emergency service provider, an emergency responder, a manufacturer of the vehicle, a service facility located in proximity to a current vehicle location, and a remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the diagnostic module queries, when executed, one or more of an on board sensor, on board monitor, critical system controller, and non-critical system controller to determine a corresponding state, determines a diagnosis of the warning and/or error using locally and/or remotely stored pre-determined logic, and generates repair advice and/or a warning and/or an instruction and/or a recommendation to a vehicle operator.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the diagnostic module, when executed, locates and/or determines and/or identifies a part and/or component required to repair the vehicle and a source for the replacement part and/or component and orders the replacement part and/or component.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the diagnostic module, when executed, locates and/or determines and/or identifies, based on a current satellite-based location of the vehicle, the service facility, provides the diagnosis of the warning and/or error, and obtains from the service facility one or more of an estimated charge to repair the vehicle, an earliest available appointment to repair the vehicle, and an estimated time required to repair the vehicle.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the diagnostic module, when executed, contacts plural service facilities, provides, by way of comparison, the one or more of an estimated charge to repair the vehicle, an earliest available appointment to repair the vehicle, and the estimated time required to repair the vehicle received from each service facility, and recommends a preferred service facility for repairing the vehicle.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the diagnostic module, when executed, forwards the signal to one or more of the manufacturer and service facility that compares the warning and/or error and vehicle-specific parameters to a maintenance and/or fault history for a model of the vehicle and provides, to a vehicle operator, the result of the comparison along with a probability of the diagnosis being correct.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the forwarded signal comprises a current physical location of the vehicle, an identity of the vehicle and/or vehicle owner or occupant, and diagnostic information and/or a diagnosed cause of the warning and/or error signal and wherein the one or more of the manufacturer and service facility one or more of dispatches an emergency service provider and/or a first responder to the physical location of the vehicle, schedules the vehicle to be repaired by the service facility, and pre-orders a replacement part and/or component required to repair a diagnosed source of the warning and/or error signal.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the diagnostic module, when executed, at least one of forwards at least part of the warning and/or error signal to the remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal and performs local diagnosis of the cause of the warning and/or error signal and interactively engages in a conversational interaction with the vehicle operator regarding the diagnosed cause of the warning and/or error, wherein the responses in the interactive conversational interaction are based on a menu-type structure.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a microprocessor executable diagnostic module and from a vehicle component, a signal regarding a warning and/or error; and

selecting, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a destination for the signal from a plurality of destinations, the plurality of destinations comprising one or more of a vehicle input/output system to present the warning and/or error to a vehicle occupant, an emergency service provider, an emergency responder, a manufacturer of the vehicle, a service facility located in proximity to a current vehicle location, and a remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the diagnostic module queries one or more of an on board sensor, on board monitor, critical system controller, and non-critical system controller to determine a corresponding state, determines a diagnosis of the warning and/or error using locally and/or remotely stored pre-determined logic, and generates repair advice and/or a warning and/or an instruction and/or a recommendation to a vehicle operator.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the diagnostic module locates and/or determines and/or identifies a part and/or component required to repair the vehicle and a source for the replacement part and/or component and orders the replacement part and/or component.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the diagnostic module locates and/or determines and/or identifies, based on a current satellite-based location of the vehicle, the service facility, provides the diagnosis of the warning and/or error, and obtains from the service facility one or more of an estimated charge to repair the vehicle, an earliest available appointment to repair the vehicle, and an estimated time required to repair the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the diagnostic module contacts plural service facilities, provides, by way of comparison, the one or more of an estimated charge to repair the vehicle, an earliest available appointment to repair the vehicle, and the estimated time required to repair the vehicle received from each service facility, and recommends a preferred service facility for repairing the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the diagnostic module forwards the signal to one or more of the manufacturer and service facility that compares the warning and/or error and vehicle-specific parameters to a maintenance and/or fault history for a model of the vehicle and provides, to a vehicle operator, the result of the comparison along with a probability of the diagnosis being correct.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the forwarded signal comprises a current physical location of the vehicle, an identity of the vehicle and/or vehicle owner or occupant, and diagnostic information and/or a diagnosed cause of the warning and/or error signal and wherein the one or more of the manufacturer and service facility one or more of dispatches an emergency service provider and/or a first responder to the physical location of the vehicle, schedules the vehicle to be repaired by the service facility, and pre-orders a replacement part and/or component required to repair a diagnosed source of the warning and/or error signal.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the diagnostic module at least one of forwards at least part of the warning and/or error signal to the remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning and/or error signal and performs local diagnosis of the cause of the warning and/or error signal and interactively engages in a conversational interaction with the vehicle operator regarding the diagnosed cause of the warning and/or error, wherein the responses in the interactive conversational interaction are based on a menu-type structure.