Hand held automotive diagnostic service tool
First Claim
1. A hand-held service tool for monitoring an operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus for communicating with external devices and with other on-board vehicle systems, said communication bus having a predetermined unique communication protocol, said service tool comprising:
- at least one connection port for receiving a communication cable, said communication cable having two ends where one end is connected to said service tool at said connection port and the other end is connected to the vehicle at a connection port on said vehicle communication bus;
detection means integral with said service tool and connected to said service tool connection port for identifying said communication cable, wherein said detection means identifies unique electrical characteristics of the connected communication cable;
protocol means responsive to a signal from said detection means for matching a communication protocol of said service tool with a communication bus protocol associated with the communication bus which is connected to the detected communication cable; and
logic means for sending inquiry commands to said vehicle controller from said service tool via said communication cable over said vehicle bus using said communication bus protocol, said inquiry commands causing said vehicle controller to communicate vehicle operational information to said service tool via said communication cable over said communication bus.
16 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a system and method for diagnosing and isolating problems and for monitoring operting conditions on an automobile. The system includes a hand held unit and a master station which can operate alone or in unison to accomplish functions such as logging and displaying data on a real-time basis, logging data remotely and displaying the data at a later time, diagnosing fault conditions, monitoring operating parameters, reprogramming on-board vehicle controllers, displaying service manual and service bulletin pages and ordering parts on-line.
401 Citations
8 Claims
-
1. A hand-held service tool for monitoring an operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus for communicating with external devices and with other on-board vehicle systems, said communication bus having a predetermined unique communication protocol, said service tool comprising:
-
at least one connection port for receiving a communication cable, said communication cable having two ends where one end is connected to said service tool at said connection port and the other end is connected to the vehicle at a connection port on said vehicle communication bus; detection means integral with said service tool and connected to said service tool connection port for identifying said communication cable, wherein said detection means identifies unique electrical characteristics of the connected communication cable; protocol means responsive to a signal from said detection means for matching a communication protocol of said service tool with a communication bus protocol associated with the communication bus which is connected to the detected communication cable; and logic means for sending inquiry commands to said vehicle controller from said service tool via said communication cable over said vehicle bus using said communication bus protocol, said inquiry commands causing said vehicle controller to communicate vehicle operational information to said service tool via said communication cable over said communication bus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A hand held service tool for monitoring an operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus, said service tool comprising:
-
at least one connection port for receiving a communication cable having two ends wherein one end is connected to said service tool at said connection port and the other end is connected to said vehicle at a connection port on said vehicle communication bus; at least one measuring circuit for measuring at least one of a voltage across and a current through at least one electrical circuit component on the vehicle; two sets of input probes connected to both said measuring circuit and said electrical circuit component; and display screen means for displaying voltage and current data received from said measuring circuit.
-
-
8. A method of operating a service tool for monitoring an operation of a vehicle and for diagnosing problems with the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle having at least one on-board controller for controlling the operation of the vehicle, said on-board controller having a communication bus for communicating with external devices and with other on-board vehicle systems, said service tool including an off-board controller having a memory means and a display screen, communication means connecting said service tool to said vehicle communication bus, said method of operating comprising the steps of:
-
automatically determining an appropriate communication protocol for communication between said on-board controller and said off-board controller based upon a parameter associated with said communication means, wherein said parameter includes unique electrical characteristics; transmitting vehicle trouble code date to said service tool from said on-board controller via said communication means using said determined communication protocol; erasing at least one vehicle trouble code at said on-board controller responsive to a command signal input to said service tool in response to a diagnosis decision corresponding to said vehicle trouble code data; and storing in said on-board controller service history information from said service tool.
-
Specification