System, method and computer program product for remote vehicle diagnostics, monitoring, configuring and reprogramming

• US 7,155,321 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IDSC Holdings LLC (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: IDSC Holdings LLC (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Inventors: Carl, Brian R., Chang, Sam, Essenmacher, Dennis, Kapolka, Michael, Bromley, William, Ditchfield, Andrew, Crull, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US10/344,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20040167689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/30, 701/33, 701/35, 340/989, 340/997, 340/992, 340/993, 705/7
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A remote vehicle diagnostics, monitoring, configuration and reprogramming tool is provided. The system includes a fleet of vehicles equipped with wireless mobile communications means that enable fleet managers to remotely diagnose, monitor and reprogram vehicles in their fleet via an Internet Web-based browser environment. Each vehicle within the fleet is equipped with a smart device that is coupled to the data bus within each vehicle. Date commands relating to the vehicle'"'"'s parameters (e.g., diagnostic parameters such as max road speed, engine RPM, coolant temperature, air inlet temperature, etc.) are sent and received using satellite and terrestrial wireless communications technology. The invention allows users to remotely perform total fleet logistics and eliminates (or reduces) the need to physically bring fleet vehicles to a repair, maintenance or configuration facility.

Claims

1. A system for allowing a user to perform remote vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming for at least one vehicle, comprising:

an onboard unit coupled to a data bus of the at least one vehicle, wherein the onboard unit is operable to exchange with the data bus telemetry data that is in a format native to at least one vehicle controller coupled to the data bus, and wherein the onboard unit includes a first communication means that is operable to exchange the telemetry data over a first network;

a server comprising;

a second communications means that is operable to exchange the telemetry data with the onboard unit via the first network;

an onboard-unit server that is operable to convert the telemetry data between the native format and a human readable format so as to provide converted telemetry data;

a repository database for holding information indicative of at least one of the vehicles;

an application server, coupled to the onboard-unit server and the repository database, having at least one application for carrying out at least one of vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming, wherein the application server is operable to carry out decision processing of the at least one application to generate processed information as a function of at least a portion of the information from the repository database and the converted telemetry data; and

a network interface that is operable to exchange with at least one application the processed information, and responsive to a user request, provide at least a portion of the processed information and converted telemetry data over a second network;

a graphical-user interface coupled to the network interface via the second network, wherein graphical-user interface is operable to submit the user request, exchange with the network interface at least a portion of the processed information and the converted telemetry data responsive to the request, and display at least a portion of the processed information and the converted telemetry data to the user;

wherein at least the application server is provided by an application service provider; and

wherein the user is charged a fee by the application service provider.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle includes at least one of the group consisting of (i) passenger cars;

(ii) light trucks;

(iii) vans;

(iv) heavy trucks, and (v) other movable vehicles.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the second communications means includes any wire or wireless mobile communications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network includes at least one path routed through the Internet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data is in binary format.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system provides total fleet logistics via the GUI by facilitating vehicle parameter changes, vehicle health tracking, and receipt of vehicle maintenance need indications, thereby eliminating a need to physically bring the one or more vehicles to repair, maintenance, or configuration facility.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein onboard unit comprises an application module, a data-interface module, and a command module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, the application module is operable to collect telemetry data for any of the applications, and manage interfacing between the data bus and the command module for collecting the telemetry data;

wherein the data interface module is operable to manage interfacing between the data bus, the application and command modules; and

wherein the command module is operable to manage telemetry data sent to and from the onboard unit, and direct the telemetry data to the data-bus interface and application module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the onboard-unit server includes a dispatcher module, a conversion module, and a communication module, wherein the dispatcher module is operable to route the telemetry data between the communication and conversion modules, wherein the communication module is operable to manage telemetry data sent to and from the onboard-unit server, and wherein the conversion module is operable to convert telemetry data between the native format and a format understandable by the user using the GUI.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the onboard-unit server includes a dispatcher module, a conversion module, and a communication module, wherein the dispatcher module is operable to route the telemetry data between the communication and conversion modules, wherein the communication module is operable to manage telemetry data sent to and from the onboard-unit server, and wherein the conversion module is operable to convert telemetry data between the native format and a format understandable by the user using the GUI.

11. The system of claim 1, further including a firewall, wherein appropriate credentials are required to access to the application server and repository database.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the at least one vehicle includes a vehicle identification parameter and at least one parameter that is specific to the applications.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data sent to and received from each of the at least one vehicle includes telemetry data specific to the applications.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the at least one vehicle includes a vehicle identification parameter and at least one parameter that is not specific to the applications.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data sent to each of the at least one vehicle contain commands for collecting data.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data sent to each of the at least one vehicle contains at least one command for setting a parameter of the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the decision processing the application server accesses the repository database to obtain the information about at least one vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein during processing of applications telemetry data is exchanged with at least one of the vehicles.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the application server includes a web server, and wherein the graphical user interface accesses the application server via the web server.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the application server includes a web server, and wherein the GUI accesses the application server via the web server.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface uses a web browser to access the application server.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the graphical user interface is not provided by the application service provider.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the onboard unit server and application server are provided by an application service provider.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the application server includes a web server, and wherein the graphical user interface accesses the application server via the web server.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the graphical user interface uses a web browser to access the application server.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the onboard unit server, application server, and graphical user interface are provided as a locally-based standalone system.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the application server includes a local area network (LAN) server, and wherein the graphical user interface accesses the application server via the LAN server.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the graphical user interface uses a browser to access the application server.

29. A system for a vehicle onboard unit that allows a user to perform remote vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming, wherein the vehicle onboard unit is coupled to a data bus of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

vehicle input/output (I/O) channel ports for exchanging with the data bus telemetry data that is in a format native to at least one vehicle controller coupled to the data bus, and for exchanging the telemetry data over a first network;

a first application program interface means, executable by the CPU, for converting the telemetry data between the native format and a human readable format so as to provide converted telemetry data;

at least one application server, executable by the CPU, for carrying out at least one of vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming, wherein the at least one application is operable to carry out decision processing to generate processed information as a function of at least a portion of information that is obtained from a repository database and the converted telemetry data, wherein the information is indicative of the vehicle;

user input/output (I/O) channel ports for exchanging with the at least one application the processed information, and exchanging with a graphical-user interface means via a second network a user request for the processed information and the converted telemetry data;

a second application program interface means, executing on said CPU, for extracting a command from user request exchanged with the user I/O channel ports, wherein said command includes information specifying a vehicle and at least one vehicle parameter associated with the vehicle;

exchanging with the graphical-user-interface means at least a portion of the processed information and converted telemetry data responsive to the request wherein the system allows the user to perform total fleet logistics via the graphical-user-interface means by facilitating vehicle parameter changes, vehicle health tracking, and receipt of vehicle maintenance need indications, thus eliminating the need to physically bring said vehicle to a repair, maintenance or configuration facility;

wherein at least the application server is provided by an application service provider; and

wherein the user is charged a fee by the application service provider.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the second application program interface means includes means for extracting the command from one of the following types of communications exchanged via the user I/O channel ports:

(i) satellite communications;

(ii) code division multiple access (CDMA) communications;

(iii) time division multiple access (TDMA) communications;

(iv) wireless local area network communications;

(v) wired local area network communications;

(vi) controller area network communications; and

(vii) wireless wide area network communications.

31. A method for allowing a user to perform remote diagnostics, monitoring configuring, and reprogramming for a fleet of vehicles, comprising:

accessing a repository database using a graphical user interface (GUI) via a first network, wherein the repository database provides a list of vehicles within the fleet of vehicles and a list of associated vehicle parameters;

selecting, via the GUI, at least one vehicle from the list of vehicles, and one vehicle parameter from the list of associated vehicle parameters for each of the at least one vehicle;

receiving from the GUI, via the first network, a command requesting an application server to process at least one application for carrying out any of vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming, wherein the command includes information specifying the at least one vehicle from the list of vehicles, and one vehicle parameter from the list of associated vehicle parameters for each of the at least one vehicle, wherein the application server is provided by an application service provider and wherein the user is charged a fee by the application service provider;

storing the command with the time and date that the command was received in the repository database;

responsive to the command, processing at least one application for converting the command from a format understandable by the GUI to telemetry data that is in a format native to at least one onboard unit located on said at least one vehicle;

sending the telemetry data, via a wireless mobile communications system over a second network to cause the at least one vehicle parameter to be read or changed;

receiving from said onboard unit, via the wireless mobile communications system, an acknowledgment of the at least one vehicle parameter being read or changed; and

storing the acknowledgment in the repository database so that the GUI may later retrieve the acknowledgment using the GUI responsive to a user request send via the second network, sending to the GUI via the second network the acknowledgment for display;

whereby the method allows the user to perform total fleet logistics by facilitating vehicle parameter changes, vehicle health tracking, and receipt of vehicle maintenance need indications, thus eliminating the need to physically bring vehicle'"'"'s within the fleet to a repair, maintenance, or configuration facility.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the first network includes at least a one path routed through the Internet.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the wireless mobile communications system includes at least one of the following:

(i) a satellite communication device;

(ii) code division multiple access (CDMA) communication device;

(iii) time division multiple access (TDMA) communication device; and

(iv) a wireless local area network communications;

(v) a wired local area network communication device; and

(vi) a wireless wide area network communication device.

34. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having control logic stored therein for carrying out the method of claim 31.

35. A system for allowing a user to perform remote vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming for at least one vehicle, comprising:

an onboard unit coupled to the data bus of the at least one vehicle, wherein the onboard unit is operable to exchange with the data bus telemetry data that is in a format native to at least one vehicle controller coupled to the data bus, and wherein the onboard unit includes a first communication means that is operable to exchange the telemetry data over a first network;

a server comprising;

a second-communications means that is operable to exchange the telemetry data with the onboard unit via the first network;

an onboard-unit server that is operable to convert the telemetry data between its native format and a human readable format so as to provide converted telemetry data;

a repository database for holding information indicative of at least one of the vehicles;

an application server, coupled to the onboard-unit server and the repository database, having at least one application for carrying out at least one of vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming, wherein the application server is operable to carry out decision processing of the at least one application to generate processed information as a function of at least a portion of the information from the repository database and the converted telemetry data; and

a network interface that is operable to exchange with at least one application the processed information, and responsive to a user request, provide at least a portion of the processed information and the converted telemetry data over a second network;

a graphical-user interface coupled to the network interface via the second network, wherein graphical-user interface is operable to submit the user request, exchange with the network interface at least a portion of the processed information and the converted telemetry data responsive to the request, and display at least a portion of the processed information and converted telemetry data to the user;

wherein at least the application server is provided by an application service provider; and

wherein the application service provider charges a subscription for carrying out the at least one application.