Apparatus, methods and systems for testing connected services in a vehicle

• US 8,918,242 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ubik, Henry Thomas, Dwan, Patrick Joseph, DiMeo, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US14/191,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 299 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Various embodiments include tools and methods for diagnosing connected services in a vehicle. Communication with a vehicle computing system in a vehicle may be established. A diagnostic connection to a diagnostics server may also be established. Vehicle information and diagnostic data from one or more connected services may be received from the vehicle computing system and transmitted via a diagnostic connection to the diagnostics server. A connected services diagnostic status for the vehicle may be determined based on the vehicle information and the diagnostic data. The connected services diagnostic status may be received from the server and output to a user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a connection between a testing tool and a vehicle computing system (VCS), over a connection to be tested;

reporting connection errors identified during the establishing;

transmitting a message, over the established connection, including instructions for message playback over a vehicle audio system, the message identifying the connection;

determining, via the message, if the message transmission was successful;

reporting message transmission errors; and

reporting diagnostic information relating to the establishing and transmitting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection includes a BLUETOOTH connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message includes spoken identification of the BLUETOOTH connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection includes a WiFi connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message includes spoken identification of the WiFi connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection includes a storage media reader.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the message includes spoken identification of the storage media reader type.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message identifies the connection through playback of a sound defined as identifying the connection.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed, cause an executing processor to perform a method comprising:

establishing a connection between a testing tool and a vehicle computing system (VCS), over a connection to be tested;

reporting connection errors identified during the establishing;

transmitting a message, over the established connection, including instructions for message playback over a vehicle audio system, the message identifying the connection;

determining if the message transmission was successful;

reporting message transmission errors; and

reporting diagnostic information relating to the establishing and transmitting.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the connection includes a BLUETOOTH connection.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the message includes spoken identification of the BLUETOOTH connection.

12. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the connection includes a WiFi connection.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the message includes spoken identification of the WiFi connection.

14. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the connection includes a storage media reader.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the message includes spoken identification of the storage media reader type.

16. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the message identifies the connection through playback of a sound defined as identifying the connection.

17. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

establish a connection between a testing tool and a vehicle computing system (VCS), over a connection to be tested;

report connection errors identified during the establishing;

transmit a message, over the established connection, including instructions for message playback over a vehicle audio system, the message identifying the connection;

determining if the message transmission was successful;

report message transmission errors; and

report diagnostic information relating to the establishing and transmitting.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the connection includes a BLUETOOTH connection.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the connection includes a WiFi connection.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the connection includes a storage media reader.