In-vehicle component assessment system

• US 8,359,134 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Original Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Inventors: Maesono, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US11/815,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20090012668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,625 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/19, 701 21- 35, 701/50, 701/70, 701 99-102, 701110-115, 340988-996, 340/146.2, 340500-692, 342/52, 342/58, 342/357.09, 379/1.01, 379/27.01, 379/29.01, 379/93.25, 702/127, 702/188, 307 91- 108
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A center control unit (11) of a center unit (4) generates assessment information corresponding to the strictness of the usage conditions for a specified component based on operation data stored in an operation data accumulation unit (13) received by an in-vehicle terminal (2) and assessment regulations stored in an assessment regulation storage unit (14), and generates report information for displaying a report in a form allowing comparison of this generated assessment information to relative comparison assessment information stored in an assessment information storage unit (15). A transmitter-receiver (12) transmits the report information generated by the center control unit (11) to a user terminal (3).

Claims

1. An in-vehicle component assessment system for assessing severity of usage conditions degree for a specified component equipped in a vehicle, said system comprising:

an in-vehicle terminal, which is equipped in the vehicle and comprises;

an operation data acquisition unit, which sequentially, over time, acquires operation data regarding the specified component, and

an operation data output unit, which outputs the operation data acquired by the operation data acquisition unit; and

a center unit comprising;

an operation data input unit, which receives the operation data output from the operation data output unit,

an operation data storage unit, which stores the operation data received by the operation data input unit,

an assessment regulation storage unit, which is prestored with assessment regulations which specify a relationship between the operation data and assessment information corresponding to degrees of the severity of the usage conditions for the specified component,

an assessment information storage unit, which is prestored with relative comparison assessment information which is a reference for determining a value of the degree of the severity of the usage conditions for the specified component,

a center control unit, which generates assessment information of the specified component based on the operation data stored in the operation data storage unit and the assessment regulations stored in the assessment regulation storage unit, and generates report information for producing a report to compare the generated assessment information to the relative comparison assessment information, and

a report information output unit, which outputs the report information generated by the center control unit; and

a user terminal which comprises a display unit and is connected to the center unit via a predetermined network, wherein;

the report information output unit of the center unit is a transmitter-receiver which transmits and receives information via the network,

the user terminal transmits report request information requesting provision of the report information to the center unit via the network,

the transmitter-receiver of the center unit transmits the report information generated by the center control unit to the user terminal upon reception of the report request information,

the display unit displays the report information received by the user terminal,

the assessment information of the specified component displayed in the report includes the value of the degree of the severity of usage conditions for the specified component,

the generated assessment information corresponds to a specific vehicle,

the relative comparison assessment information includes assessment information corresponding to other vehicles, and

the report is displayed in a user viewable form to compare the assessment information corresponding to the specific vehicle in a predetermined period to the relative comparison assessment information corresponding to the other vehicles in the predetermined period.

2. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 1 in which the in-vehicle terminal is equipped in respective vehicles,

wherein in the center unit:

the operation data input unit receives operation data output from operation data output units of the respective in-vehicle terminals;

the operation data storage unit accumulates and stores the operation data input to the operation data input unit associated to the vehicles, which are sources of the operation data; and

the center control unit generates assessment information for the specified component in the respective vehicles based on the operation data stored in the operation data storage unit and the assessment regulations stored in the assessment regulation storage unit, accumulates and stores generated multiple pieces of assessment information as relative comparison assessment information in the assessment information storage unit, and generates report information to display a report in a form allowing comparison of the generated respective pieces of assessment information to the multiple pieces of relative comparison assessment information stored in the assessment information storage unit; and

wherein the report includes at least one of existence rate of the multiple pieces of relative comparison assessment information, a mean value, and a histogram.

3. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 1, wherein the value of the degree of the severity of usage conditions does not directly indicate a lifetime of the specified component.

4. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 1, wherein the report further includes a numerical value of an existent assessment value of the specified component.

5. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 4, wherein a greater existent assessment value of the specified component corresponds to a higher degree of the severity of usage conditions of the specified component.

6. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 4, wherein the relative assessment information includes multiple relative comparison assessment values and the value of the degree of the severity of usage conditions is determined by converting the existent assessment value of the specified component in relation to the relative comparison assessment values, to a numeral in a range from 1 to 100.

7. The in-vehicle component assessment system of claim 6, wherein a greater value of the degree of the severity of usage conditions corresponds to harsher usage conditions of the specified component.

8. An in-vehicle component assessment system for assessing severity of usage conditions degree for a specified component equipped in a vehicle, the system comprising:

an in-vehicle terminal, which is equipped in the vehicle and comprises;

an operation data acquisition unit, which sequentially, over time, acquires operation data regarding the specified component, and

an operation data output unit, which outputs the operation data acquired by the operation data acquisition unit; and

a center unit comprising;

an operation data input unit, which receives the operation data output from the operation data output unit,

a non-transitory operation data storage unit, which stores the operation data received by the operation data input unit,

a non-transitory assessment regulation storage unit, which is prestored with assessment regulations which specify a relationship between the operation data and assessment information corresponding to degrees of the severity of the usage conditions for the specified component,

a non-transitory assessment information storage unit, which is prestored with relative comparison assessment information which is a reference for determining a value of the degree of the severity of the usage conditions for the specified component,

a center control unit, which generates assessment information of the specified component based on the operation data stored in the non-transitory operation data storage unit and the assessment regulations stored in the non-transitory assessment regulation storage unit, and generates report information for producing a report to compare the generated assessment information to the relative comparison assessment information, and

a report information output unit, which outputs the report information generated by the center control unit,

wherein the assessment information of the specified component displayed in the report includes the value of the degree of the severity of usage conditions for the specified component,

the generated assessment information corresponds to a specific vehicle,

the relative comparison assessment information includes assessment information corresponding to other vehicles, and

the report is displayed in a user viewable form to compare the assessment information corresponding to the specific vehicle in a predetermined period to the relative comparison assessment information corresponding to the other vehicles in the predetermined period.