Vehicle communication system and method with mobile data collection

• US 7,596,435 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2006
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opus Inspection, Inc. (Opus Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Systech International LLC (Opus Group AB)
• Inventors: Kohn, Bruce R., Tripathi, Pradeep R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/462,118
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/30, 340/425.5
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A vehicle communication system and method of communicating data from a vehicle, such as for inspecting or diagnosing a vehicle, includes providing a plurality of vehicle units each including a vehicle wireless communication transceiver and a memory. Data, such as vehicle data from a vehicle diagnostic system, is stored in the memory. A communication system is provided for two-way wireless communication with the vehicle units. The communication system is made up of one or more mobile wireless communication transceivers. Vehicle data is communicated from the memory to one of the mobile wireless communication transceivers that is in the vicinity of that vehicle unit. The transporting of the mobile wireless communication transceiver increases interaction between the communication system and the vehicle units.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system, comprising:

a plurality of vehicles, each having a vehicle diagnostic system;

a plurality of vehicle units each positioned in one of said vehicles, each of said vehicle units comprising an interface that is configured to connect with the vehicle diagnostic system, a vehicle wireless communication transceiver and a control for controlling said wireless communication transceiver, said control including memory for storing data, wherein said control retrieves vehicle data from the vehicle diagnostic system and stores the vehicle data in said memory;

another vehicle;

a communication system for two-way wireless communication with said vehicle units, said communication system made up of a mobile unit positioned in said another vehicle, said mobile unit comprising a data storage unit and a mobile wireless communication transceiver, wherein said mobile wireless communication transceiver activates said vehicle wireless communication transceiver of one of said vehicle units to communicate vehicle data in said memory to said mobile wireless communication transceiver in response to said mobile wireless communication transceiver being transported by said another vehicle to a vicinity of said one of said vehicle units in order to increase geographic coverage for data transfer from the vehicle diagnostic systems of said vehicles.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said another vehicle comprises at least one chosen from a commercial vehicle, a private vehicle and a public vehicle.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication system comprises a communication network, wherein said communication network includes a host computer and at least one relay unit, said relay unit adapted to transferring vehicle data from said mobile wireless communication transceiver to said host computer.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 including at least one stationary wireless communication transceiver that is located adjacent to a roadway traveled by at least some of said vehicles, wherein said at least one stationary wireless communication transceiver activates said vehicle wireless communication transceiver of one of said vehicle units so that said vehicle wireless communication transceiver communicates data in said memory to said at least one substantially stationary wireless communication transceiver in response to said one of said vehicle units being transported by the one of said vehicles in which it is positioned to a vicinity of that stationary wireless communication transceiver.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication system comprises a communication network and a host computer on said network, said host computer operative to receive from said mobile unit data storage unit sent by said mobile wireless communication transceiver over said communication network and including a database for storing data from said vehicle unit.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein regulatory authority is provided access to data for vehicle environmental regulatory compliance verification.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a vehicle owner is provided access to retrieved data for at least one chosen from vehicle malfunction diagnosis and vehicle performance monitoring.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control stores data from a vehicle diagnostic system in said memory in response to occurrence of a particular event.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said particular event is at least one selected from generation of a diagnostic code, vehicle throttle position and vehicle speed.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication system tracks the geographic location of said mobile unit.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein a route traveled by said mobile unit is determined at least in part by which particular vehicle units have sent data to said at least one mobile wireless communication transceiver.

12. A method of collecting data from a plurality of vehicles, comprising:

providing a plurality of vehicles, each having a vehicle diagnostic system;

providing a plurality of vehicle units and positioning each of said vehicle units in one of said vehicles, each of said vehicle units comprising an interface that is configured to connect with the vehicle diagnostic system, a vehicle wireless communication transceiver and a memory;

retrieving data from the vehicle diagnostic system of each of the vehicles using the vehicle unit installed in that vehicle and storing the retrieved data in said memory;

providing another vehicle;

providing a communication system for two-way communication with said vehicle unit, said communication system made up of a mobile unit comprising a data storage unit and a mobile wireless communication transceiver;

positioning said mobile wireless communication transceiver in another vehicle;

activating the vehicle wireless communication transceiver of one of said vehicle units with said mobile wireless communication transceiver thereby communicating vehicle data in said memory to said at least one mobile wireless communication transceiver in response to said mobile wireless communication transceiver being transported by said another vehicle to a vicinity of said vehicle unit in order to increase geographic coverage for data transfer from the diagnostic systems of said vehicles.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said another vehicle comprises at least one chosen from a commercial vehicle, a private vehicle and a public vehicle.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said communication system comprises a communication network, wherein said communication network includes a host computer and at least one relay unit, and further including transferring data with said at least one relay unit from said mobile unit storage data unit with said mobile wireless communication transceivers to said host computer.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12 including providing at least one stationary wireless communication transceiver that is located adjacent to a roadway traveled by at least some of said vehicles and activating said vehicle wireless communication transceiver of one of said vehicle units with said at least one stationary wireless communication transceiver in response to the one of said vehicles in which that vehicle unit is positioned transporting that vehicle unit within a vicinity of said at least one stationary wireless communication transceiver, wherein said vehicle wireless communication transceiver communicates data in said memory to said at least one stationary wireless communication transceiver.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said communication system comprises a communication network and a host computer on said network, said host computer including a database for storing data from said vehicle unit, said method further including said transferring data with said mobile wireless communication transceiver from said storage unit of said mobile unit to said database using said communication network.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12 including providing access to data retrieved from a vehicle unit by a regulatory authority for vehicle environmental regulatory compliance verification.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12 including providing access to data retrieved from each of said vehicle units by a vehicle owner for at least one chosen from vehicle performance monitoring and vehicle malfunction diagnosis.

19. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said storing data in said memory from a vehicle onboard diagnostic system is in response to occurrence of a particular event.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein said particular event is at least one selected from generation of a diagnostic code, vehicle throttle position and vehicle speed.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12 including tracking the geographic location of said at least one of said another vehicle.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 including establishing a route traveled by said another vehicle at least in part in response to which of said vehicle units have communicated data to said at least one mobile communication transceiver.