Remote monitoring, configuring, programming and diagnostic system and method for vehicles and vehicle components

• US 7,092,803 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IDSC Holdings LLC (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: IDSC Holdings LLC (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chang, Sam, Kapolka, Michael, Bromley, William, Ditchfield, Andrew, Crull, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US10/091,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/34, 701/39, 701/30, 701/2, 340/989, 340/3.1, 340/3.32, 340/825.36, 340/825.37
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• 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 monitoring, configuring, programming and/or diagnosing operation of at least one vehicle includes an on-board unit disposed on the vehicle to send and receive data corresponding to at least one vehicle operating characteristic, a plurality of modular applications, each application having an associated function that processes the data corresponding to said at least one vehicle operating characteristic obtained via the on-board unit, and an interface that allows selection among the plurality of modular applications to create a customized system.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring, configuring, programming and/or diagnosing operation of at least one vehicle, comprising:

an on-board unit disposed on the vehicle to send and receive data corresponding to at least one vehicle operating characteristic;

a plurality of modular applications, each application having an associated function that processes the data corresponding to said at least one vehicle operating characteristic obtained via the on-board unit; and

an interface that allows selection among the plurality of modular applications to create a customized system;

wherein each of the modular applications comprises an application selected from the group of applications consisting of third-party applications, system-supplied applications, and core services, at least one of the third-party applications and system-supplied applications functioning using information from at least one core service; and

wherein the core services include a get stored values service that outputs at least one vehicle controller value in response to a request, wherein the get stored values service outputs a current vehicle controller value if the vehicle controller is available at the time of the request and output a stored vehicle controller value in the on-board unit if the vehicle controller is not available at the time of the request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-board unit includes:

at least one on-board unit interface to support communication between the on-board unit and at least one device outside the on-board unit;

a processor that manages the data sent and received by the on-board unit via said at least one interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one on-board unit interface comprises at least one interface selected from the group of interfaces consisting of:

a wireless interface that supports communication with a wireless communication system;

a vehicle interface that supports communication with at least one vehicle component via a vehicle data bus;

a user interface that supports communication with a user;

a serial interface that supports communication with at least one of a driver interface and an on-vehicle device; and

a global positioning interface that supports communication with a global positioning system (GPS) device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the vehicle interface includes at least one logic module selected from the group of modules consisting of:

a data parser/requester module that handles non-application specific interfacing between the processor and the vehicle data bus; and

an application specific module coupled to the data parser/requestor module that handles application specific interfacing between the processor and the vehicle data bus.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the core services include a snapshot service that obtains a set of vehicle parameter values over time.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the snapshot service causes the on-board unit to cache a selected number of parameter readings with respect to a triggering event.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the on-board unit caches the selected number of parameter readings by storing a plurality of parameter readings at selected time intervals.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the get stored values service collects vehicle controller values at a selected time interval and stores a most recent vehicle controller value as the current vehicle controller value.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the core services include an alert service that detects at least one of a solicited fault and an unsolicited fault.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the alert service detects a solicited fault by filtering faults and outputting only faults solicited by a user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the alert service includes at least one of the functions from the group consisting of adding and removing individual faults, canceling the alert service for a given fault after an alert has been fired, firing an alert after a parameter exceeds a selected threshold for a selected time period, and comparing a saved parameter with a current parameter to detect tampering.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the core services include a change parameter service that changes at least one vehicle parameter in response to a request.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a user interface that supports interaction with a human user; and

a machine-to-machine interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server linking the on board unit to the interface via the modular applications.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the server includes at least one server selected from the group of servers consisting of:

a web/application server containing logic defining the modular applications;

a vehicle server that acts as a translator between the modular applications and the on-board unit;

a communications server to support communication via a wireless network; and

a database server containing at least one relational data table retaining information associated with the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the server and the modular applications form an application service provider (ASP) infrastructure.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modular applications include a remote diagnostics application.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modular applications include a leased vehicle management application.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modular applications includes at least one from the group consisting of a remote diagnostics application, a leased vehicle management application, a fuel economy application, a vehicle locating application, a trip reporting application, an engine management application, a maintenance alert application, a vehicle configuration application, and a warranty management application.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of modular applications correlates data between at least two vehicle controllers on the same vehicle.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of modular applications establishes a setting for a plurality of vehicles with one command sent via the interface.

23. A method for monitoring, configuring, programming or diagnosing operation of at least one vehicle, comprising:

obtaining data corresponding to at least one vehicle operating characteristic from an on-board unit on the vehicle;

providing a plurality of modular applications that are selectable by the user to create a customized system;

processing the data corresponding to at least one vehicle operating characteristic obtained via the on-board unit according to at least one function associated with at least one selected modular application;

detecting a request for a vehicle controller value;

outputting a current vehicle controller value if a vehicle controller is available at the time of the request; and

output a stored vehicle controller value if the vehicle controller is not available at the time of the request.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising obtaining a set of vehicle parameter values over time.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the obtaining step includes:

detecting a triggering event; and

caching a selected number of parameter readings with respect to a triggering event.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the caching step includes storing a plurality of parameter readings at selected time intervals.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising collecting vehicle controller values at a selected time interval and storing a most recent vehicle controller value as the current vehicle controller value.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

detecting at least one of a solicited fault and an unsolicited fault; and

firing an alert after the detecting step.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein detecting a solicited fault includes filtering faults to output only faults solicited by a user.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising at least one step selected from the group consisting of adding and removing individual faults, canceling the alert service for a given fault after an alert has been fired, firing an alert after a parameter exceeds a selected threshold for a selected time period, and comparing a saved parameter with a current parameter to detect tampering.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising changing at least one vehicle parameter in response to a request.

32. The method of claim 23, further comprising translating data between the modular applications and the on-board unit.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the providing step includes providing a remote diagnostics application.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein the providing step includes providing a leased vehicle management application.

35. The method of claim 23, wherein the providing step provides at least one from the group consisting of a remote diagnostics application, a leased vehicle management application, a fuel economy application, a vehicle locating application, a trip reporting application, an engine management application, a maintenance alert application, a vehicle configuration application, and a warranty management application.

36. The method of claim 23, further comprising correlating data between at least two vehicle controllers on the same vehicle.

37. The method of claim 23, wherein at least one of the plurality of modular applications establishes a setting for a plurality of vehicles with one command sent via the interface.