System and method for facilitating diagnosis and maintenance of a mobile conveyance

• US 8,116,759 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: I/O Controls Corporation
• Original Assignee: I/O Controls Corporation
• Inventors: Ying, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi
• Application Number:
  US12/787,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/456.1, 455/41.2, 455/550.1, 455/566, 701/29, 702/183
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]

Abstract

A system for facilitating diagnosis and maintenance of a control networks on a mobile conveyance comprises one or more wireless ground stations configured to communicate over a wireless communication channel with the control network. A local area computer network receives and responds to messages to or from the control network via the wireless ground stations. The local area computer network may have user terminals, a server computer, a database comprising diagnostic information relating to said control network, and a replacement parts database and/or job auction database. The local area network may also include a wide area network interface, allowing diagnostic information for the control network to be retrieved or parts to be ordered from remote vendor sites. The system may also include wireless handheld, portable equipment for allowing service personnel to perform diagnostic analysis, maintenance, and testing of the mobile conveyance control network.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating diagnosis, test or maintenance of a vehicle, comprising:

providing a portable wireless handheld device adapted to be manually carried in or about a vehicle by an operator, said portable wireless handheld device comprising a screen display;

wirelessly receiving, at the portable wireless handheld device, locally generated indicia of position of the portable wireless handheld device relative to specific locations in or about the vehicle as the operator moves in or about the vehicle;

displaying, on the screen display of the portable wireless handheld device, vehicle-related information according to the relative position of the portable wireless handheld device in or about the vehicle to facilitate test or diagnosis at that position in or about the vehicle;

generating vehicle-related test or diagnostic data using the portable wireless handheld device based at least in part on selections entered into the portable wireless handheld device by the operator thereof; and

wirelessly transmitting the vehicle-related test or diagnostic data from the portable wireless handheld device to a remote vehicle database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising durably storing the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data in a memory of the portable wireless handheld device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data stored in the vehicle database from a user computer in response to a user request.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user computer accesses the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data in the vehicle database over an Internet connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle database is associated with a local area computer network including a server computer for providing access to the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data in the vehicle database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises:

a housing containing a programmable computer;

a transmitter and receiver for communicating over a wireless communication link to the remote vehicle database;

an antenna coupled to said transmitter and receiver; and

an interactive user input mechanism.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the locally generated indicia of position is received by a sensor associated with the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicia of position is provided by position sensors located around the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more of the position sensors is located on a wall, ceiling or floor of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicia of position is received from an electronic signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indicia of position is provided by an electronic signal received from a wireless ground station.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicia of position is provided at least in part by manual entry of the operator via the interactive user input mechanism.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the vehicle-related data from a user computer over a wide area network in response to a user request.

14. A method for facilitating diagnosis, test or maintenance of a vehicle, comprising:

providing a portable wireless handheld device adapted to be manually carried in or about a vehicle by an operator;

automatically detecting, at the portable wireless handheld device, local indicia of position of the portable wireless handheld device relative to specific locations in or about the vehicle as the operator moves in or about the vehicle;

generating diagnostic or test data using the portable wireless handheld device based at least in part on information entered into the portable wireless handheld device by the operator thereof; and

wirelessly transmitting the diagnostic or test data from the portable wireless handheld device to a remote diagnostic database associated with a local area computer network;

wherein said portable wireless handheld device is not connected by a wire or cable to the vehicle when operating to generate diagnostic or test data relating to the vehicle; and

wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises;

a housing containing a processor and memory;

a transmitter and receiver within said housing for communicating over a wireless communication link to the remote diagnostic database;

an antenna coupled to said transmitter and receiver;

a graphical screen display disposed on said housing; and

an interactive user input mechanism.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising durably storing the diagnostic or test information in the memory of the portable wireless handheld device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising accessing the diagnostic or test information stored in the vehicle database from a user computer in response to a user request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user computer accesses the vehicle-related data in the vehicle database over an Internet connection.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the local indicia of position is received by a sensor associated with the wireless device.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the local indicia of position is provided by a plurality of position sensors located around the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein one or more of the position sensors is located on a wall, ceiling or floor of the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the local indicia of position is received from an electronic signal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the local indicia of position is provided by an electronic signal received from a wireless ground station in the vicinity of the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said portable wireless handheld device communicates with the wireless ground station using a short-range non-cellular radio frequency communication link.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the local indicia of position is provided by electronic signals received from a plurality of wireless ground stations in the vicinity of the vehicle.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the local indicia of position is provided at least in part by manual entry of the operator via the interactive user input mechanism.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein said vehicle is a transit vehicle.

27. A system for facilitating diagnosis, test or maintenance of a vehicle, comprising:

a portable wireless handheld device adapted to be manually carried by an operator, said portable wireless handheld device configured to detect locally generated indicia of position of the portable wireless handheld device as the operator moves in or about a vehicle, and to generate vehicle-related data based at least in part on selections entered by the operator;

a local area computer network including a diagnostic database; and

at least one user terminal;

wherein said portable wireless handheld device is not connected by a wire or cable to the vehicle when operating to generate vehicle-related data;

wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises a wireless unit for wirelessly transmitting the vehicle-related data to the diagnostic database of the local area computer network; and

wherein the diagnostic database is configured to associate the vehicle-related data with the vehicle from which the data was generated, and, in response to a user request, to provide access to the vehicle-related data stored in the diagnostic database to the at least one user terminal.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the vehicle-related data comprises diagnostic or test information relating to the vehicle.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the portable wireless handheld device comprises a memory for durably storing the diagnostic or test information.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the user computer accesses the vehicle-related data in the vehicle database over an Internet connection.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the vehicle database is associated with a local area computer network including a server computer for providing access to the diagnostic or test information in the vehicle database.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the indicia of position is provided by position sensors located around the vehicle.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein one or more of the position sensors is located on a wall, ceiling or floor of the vehicle.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the indicia of position is received from an electronic signal.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises:

a housing containing a programmable computer;

a transmitter and receiver for communicating over a wireless communication link to the remote vehicle database;

an antenna coupled to said transmitter and receiver;

a graphical screen display; and

an interactive user input mechanism.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the locally generated indicia of position is received by a sensor associated with the wireless device.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the indicia of position is provided by manual entry of the operator via the interactive user input mechanism.

38. The system of claim 27, further comprising a wireless ground station, wherein the indicia of position is provided by an electronic signal received from the wireless ground station.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one user terminal accesses the vehicle-related data over a wide area network in response to the user request.

40. A system for facilitating diagnosis and maintenance of an electronic control network for a mobile conveyance, comprising:

a portable wireless handheld device adapted to be manually carried by an operator, said portable wireless handheld device configured to automatically detect a plurality of local positions of the portable wireless handheld device relative to specific locations in or about a vehicle as the operator moves in or about the vehicle, and to generate vehicle-related diagnostic or test data based at least in part on selections entered by the operator;

a local area computer network including a diagnostic database; and

at least one user terminal;

wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises a wireless unit for wirelessly transmitting the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data to the diagnostic database of the local area computer network; and

wherein the diagnostic database is configured to associate the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data with the vehicle from which the data was generated, and, in response to a user request, to provide access to the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data stored in the diagnostic database to the at least one user terminal.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the portable wireless handheld device comprises a memory for durably storing the diagnostic or test information.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the user computer accesses the vehicle-related data in the vehicle database over an Internet connection.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the indicia of position is provided by position sensors located around the vehicle.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein one or more of the position sensors is located on a wall, ceiling or floor of the vehicle.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein the indicia of position is received from an electronic signal.

46. The system of claim 40, wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises:

a housing containing a programmable computer;

a transmitter and receiver for communicating over a wireless communication link to the remote vehicle database;

an antenna coupled to said transmitter and receiver;

a graphical screen display; and

an interactive user input mechanism.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the locally generated indicia of position is received by a sensor associated with the wireless device.

48. The system of claim 40, wherein the indicia of position is provided at least in part by manual entry of the operator via the interactive user input mechanism.

49. The system of claim 40, further comprising a wireless ground station, wherein the indicia of position is provided by an electronic signal received from the wireless ground station.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein said portable wireless handheld device communicates with the local area computer network via the wireless ground station using a short-range non-cellular radio frequency communication link.

51. The system of claim 40, wherein the at least one user terminal accesses the vehicle-related data over a wide area network in response to the user request.

52. The system of claim 40, wherein said vehicle is a transit vehicle.

53. A method for facilitating diagnosis, test or maintenance of a vehicle, comprising:

providing a portable wireless handheld device adapted to be manually carried in or about a vehicle by an operator;

automatically detecting or deriving, at the portable wireless handheld device, local position information of the portable wireless handheld device relative to the vehicle when at a first specific position in or about the vehicle, based on a first local signal;

automatically detecting or deriving, at the portable wireless handheld device, local position information of the portable wireless handheld device relative to the vehicle when at a second specific position in or about the vehicle different from the first position, based on a second local signal;

generating vehicle-related diagnostic or test data using the portable wireless handheld device in response to information entered into the portable wireless handheld device by the operator thereof in connection with a sequence of test or diagnostic activities performed by the operator; and

wirelessly transmitting the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data from the portable wireless handheld device to a remote diagnostic database associated with a local area computer network;

wherein said portable wireless handheld device is not connected by a wire or cable to the vehicle when operating to generate vehicle-related diagnostic or test data.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises:

a housing containing a processor and memory;

a transmitter and receiver within said housing for communicating over a wireless communication link to the remote diagnostic database;

an antenna coupled to said transmitter and receiver;

a graphical screen display disposed on said housing; and

an interactive user input mechanism.

55. A method for facilitating diagnosis, test or maintenance of a vehicle, comprising:

providing a portable wireless handheld device adapted to be manually carried in or about a vehicle by an operator;

automatically detecting or deriving, at the portable wireless handheld device, local position information of the portable wireless handheld device relative to the vehicle when at a first specific position in or about the vehicle, based on a first local signal;

automatically detecting or deriving, at the portable wireless handheld device, local position information of the portable wireless handheld device relative to the vehicle when at a second specific position in or about the vehicle different from the first position, based on a second local signal;

generating vehicle-related diagnostic or test data using the portable wireless handheld device in response to information entered into the portable wireless handheld device by the operator thereof in connection with a sequence of test or diagnostic activities performed by the operator; and

durably storing the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data in the portable wireless handheld device for later read-out;

wherein said portable wireless handheld device is not connected by a wire or cable to the vehicle when operating to generate or store vehicle-related diagnostic or test data.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising wirelessly transmitting the vehicle-related diagnostic or test data from the portable wireless handheld device to a remote diagnostic database associated with a local area computer network.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein said portable wireless handheld device comprises:

a housing containing a processor and memory;

a transmitter and receiver within said housing for communicating over a wireless communication link to the remote diagnostic database;

an antenna coupled to said transmitter and receiver;

a graphical screen display disposed on said housing; and

an interactive user input mechanism.