System and method for data correlation within a telematics communication system

• US 7,400,954 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Kamdar, Hitan S., Reeser, Brad T., Sumcad, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/949,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of operating a telematics enabled mobile vehicle communication system. The method includes receiving vehicle diagnostic information at a relational database and analyzing the received vehicle diagnostic information. The method further includes identifying data correlations of interest identifying common elements associated with one or more specific situations based on the analyzed vehicle diagnostic information and identifying at least one client related to the data correlations. The method may further include distributing the vehicle diagnostic information associated with the identified data correlations and the identified clients. The step of identifying data correlations of interest based on the analyzed vehicle diagnostic information may include receiving diagnostic criteria, applying the diagnostic criteria to the analyzed vehicle diagnostic information, and determining whether one or more diagnostic information groups of the analyzed vehicle diagnostic information correlate to the diagnostic criteria.

Claims

1. A method of correlating vehicle data, comprising the steps of:

receiving vehicle diagnostic information from multiple vehicles, the vehicle diagnostic information being indicative of a vehicle problem;

determining data correlations of interest by analyzing the vehicle diagnostic information from the multiple vehicles, the data correlations of interest being indicative of a common vehicle problem among at least some of the multiple vehicles; and

identifying at least one common dealership or transportation contractor related to the vehicles exhibiting the common vehicle problem, wherein the identifying step is carried out using at least one database that associates vehicles with the common dealership or transportation contractor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of notifying the common dealership or transportation contractor of the common vehicle problem.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the common dealership or transportation contractor is identified as a potential source of the common vehicle problem.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprising determining the data correlations of interest using a database that contains one or more of the following:

vehicle manufacturing information, vehicle dealership information, vehicle maintenance information, or vehicle warranty information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises the steps of:

collecting the vehicle diagnostic information at a vehicle telematics unit; and

sending the vehicle diagnostic information from the vehicle telematics unit to a call center over a wireless communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

parsing the vehicle diagnostic information; and

producing vehicle diagnostic groups based on the parsed diagnostic information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle diagnostic information comprises vehicle diagnostic trouble codes.

8. A method of correlating vehicle data, comprising the steps of:

providing a database containing information on dealerships and transportation contractors for each of a plurality of vehicles,

collecting vehicle diagnostic information at a vehicle telematics unit of each of the plurality of different vehicles;

transmitting the collected vehicle diagnostic information over a wireless communication network from the vehicle telematics units of the vehicles to a call center;

correlating the transmitted vehicle diagnostic information and determining from the correlation that at least some of the vehicles have a common vehicle problem; and

identifying one or more service providers associated with the distribution or servicing of the vehicles having the common vehicle problem, wherein the identifying step is carried out using the database of information on dealerships and transportation contractors in conjunction with information for the vehicles having the common vehicle problem.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of notifying the one or more service providers of the common vehicle problem.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more service providers are identified as a potential source of the common vehicle problem.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more service providers comprise one or more of the dealerships or transportation contractors.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

parsing the vehicle diagnostic information; and

producing vehicle diagnostic groups based on the parsed diagnostic information, each vehicle diagnostic group containing vehicle diagnostic information related to a particular vehicle system.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the vehicle diagnostic information contains one or more vehicle diagnostic trouble codes.