Diagnosis system for motor vehicles and the method thereof

• US 5,758,300 A
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Abe, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/902,643
• Time in Patent Office: 300 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.034, 364/424.037, 364/424.038, 364/424.04, 364/551.01, 73/116, 73/117.2, 73/117.3
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/05 by combined monitoring of two or more different engine parameters

Abstract

A wireless communication unit is built in a portable type diagnosing apparatus and an external computer respectively. The portable type diagnosing apparatus reads data from an electronic control unit of a vehicle and sends the data to the external computer by wireless. The external computer conducts miscellaneous calculations based on the data and displays the result of the calculations on a display of the external computer or analyzes failures of the vehicle in a running state. Further, when service manuals are needed, according to a command from the portable type diagnosing apparatus, they are sent from the external computer and displayed on a display of the portable type diagnosing apparatus.

Claims

1. A diagnosis system for a motor vehicle having an electronic control unit, comprising:

a diagnosis apparatus selectively connected to said electronic control unit through a wire harness for bi-directional communication therebetween; and

an external computer provided to perform wireless communication with said diagnosis apparatus, the external computer having a medium storing service-related information;

wherein said diagnosis apparatus has a keyboard for an operator to input a command, a microprocessor responsive to said input command for performing the bi-directional communication with said electronic control unit to obtain operational data of said electronic control unit and additionally performing upon selection of one possible command the wireless communication with said external computer to obtain only an object part of said service-related information relating to said obtained operational data, and a display for sequentially indicating said obtained data and said obtained service-related information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said medium of said external computer provides service related information in the form of service manual data.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said medium of said external computer provides service-related information in the form of service bulletins.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said medium of said external computer provides service-related information in the form of parts lists.

5. A method of diagnosing failures of a vehicle having an electronic control unit, comprising:

connecting a diagnosis apparatus with said electronic control unit;

inputting a command through a keyboard of said diagnosis apparatus to obtain operational data of said electronic control unit by means of bi-directional communication, said obtained operational data being indicated on a display of said diagnosis apparatus; and

inputting a next command upon selection of one possible command through said keyboard on said diagnosis apparatus to obtain only an object part of service-related information relating to said obtained operational data from an external computer by means of wireless communication between said diagnosis apparatus and said external computer, said obtained object service-related information being subsequently indicated on said display for the guidance of effective diagnosis of said obtained data.