Method and apparatus for remote vehicle diagnosis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10665040-B2
Application number	US-201113219467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2011
Priority date	Aug 27, 2010
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

Operational data generated and used in a vehicle to control various vehicular systems is temporarily stored in a data buffer in the vehicle. A processor in the vehicle is configured to detect anomalous conditions, which can be based on predefined fault codes or user defined conditions (based on a single parameter or a combination of parameters). Whenever such an anomaly is detected, a diagnostic log is conveyed from the vehicle to a remote location. Such a log will include the detected anomaly, and buffered operational data. In at least one embodiment, the diagnostic log includes buffered operational data collected both before and after the anomaly. The diagnostic log is analyzed at the remote location to diagnose the cause of the anomalous condition, so a decision can be made as to whether the vehicle requires immediate repair, or whether the repair can be scheduled at a later time.

First claim

The invention in which an exclusive right is claimed is defined by the following:

1. A method for identifying in a first remote server data that corresponds to an anomalous vehicle condition and diagnosing an anomalous vehicle condition in a second remote server, in a system including a vehicle at least one vehicle processor and having a plurality of components for generating operational data during operation of the vehicle over a road, a data buffer in which the operational data is temporarily stored, a data link for wirelessly conveying data from the vehicle to a first remote server computing device at a first remote location during operation of the vehicle, the method comprising:
generating the operational data at the vehicle during operation of the vehicle that includes both geographic position data and anomalous condition data in the form of fault codes of the vehicle;
temporarily storing the operational data in the data buffer in the vehicle;
using the at least one vehicle processor to detect that an anomalous condition has occurred, and upon detection of the anomalous condition;
the least one vehicle processor responding within seconds or minutes of detecting the anomalous condition, by using the data link to wirelessly convey data having both geographic position data and anomalous condition data in the form of fault codes the anomalous condition data being and buffered operational data generated at a time proximate to detection of the anomalous condition to the first remote server computing device at the first remote location, the data providing both geographic position data and anomalous condition data in the form of fault codes being conveyed over the data link to the first remote server computing device at the first remote location while the vehicle is operating on the road;
identifying the geographic position data and the anomalous condition data in the first remote server computing device at the first remote location while the vehicle is operating on the road but not performing an analysis to diagnosis the anomalous condition data at the first remote server computing device at the first remote location;
transmitting the identified anomalous condition data corresponding to the fault codes to a second remote server at a second remote location; and
analyzing the fault codes using the second remote server at the second remote location to diagnose the anomalous condition at the second remote location, the second remote server conducting the analysis of the data defining the anomalous condition to diagnose a cause of the anomalous condition while the vehicle is operating.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data defining the anomalous condition comprises a fault code defined by a manufacturer of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data defining the anomalous condition comprises a fault code defined by an operator of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
enabling a user to remotely define one or more vehicle parameters whose presence corresponds to the anomalous condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
enabling a user to remotely define the buffered operational data to convey to the computing device at the remote location with the data defining the anomalous condition.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein responding within seconds or minutes of detecting the anomalous condition includes conveying earlier buffered operational data generated before detection of the anomalous condition.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein responding within seconds or minutes of detecting the anomalous condition includes conveying later buffered operational data generated after detection of the anomalous condition.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
autonomously requesting at times, by a first processor in the first remote server computing device at the first remote location, additional one or more specific types of data from the at least one vehicle processor if the additional one or more specific types of data are needed by the second remote server computing device at the second remote location to facilitate a second processor in the second remote computing device at the remote location determining or confirming the cause of the anomalous condition.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
preventing any operational data from being transmitted to the first remote server computing device at the first remote location until after a predetermined settling time has elapsed following an initial startup of the vehicle.

10. A system for diagnosing vehicle faults, comprising:
(a) a vehicle comprising:
(i) a plurality of components for generating operational data that includes geographic position data and anomalous condition data in the form of fault codes established by the manufacturer of the vehicle, the operation data being generated during operation of the vehicle;
(ii) a data buffer in which the operational data is temporarily stored;
(iii) a data link for wirelessly conveying data from the vehicle to a first remote server computing device at a first remote location during operation of the vehicle on a road; and
(iv) at least one vehicle processor configured to implement determined vehicle functions, the determined vehicle functions including:
(1) detecting an anomalous condition that is a fault code established by the manufacturer of the vehicle;
(2) in response to detecting the anomalous condition, automatically responding within seconds or minutes of detecting the anomalous condition, by using the data link to convey the operational data that contains both the geographic position data and the anomalous condition data at a time proximate to the detection of the anomalous condition to the first remote server computing device at the first remote location, the data providing both the geographic position data and the anomalous condition being conveyed over the data link to the first remote server computing device at the first remote location while the vehicle is operating on the road; and

(b) at the first remote server computing device at the first remote location, identifying the geographic position data from the anomalous condition data, the first remote server computing device configured to identify the geographic position data from the anomalous condition data and not to analyze the anomalous condition data to provide a diagnosis of the fault codes, the first remote server computing device at the first remote location being further configured to provide the identified anomalous condition data in the form of fault codes to a second remote server computing device at a second remote location;
(c) at the second remote server computing device at the second remote location, performing an analysis to diagnosis the fault code data defining the anomalous condition, the second remote server computing device at the second remote location configured to use the identified anomalous condition data received from the first remote server computing device at the first remote location and to diagnose a cause of the anomalous condition while the vehicle is operating, the second remote server computing device at the second remote location being further configured to automatically schedule a repair of the anomalous condition based on the diagnosed cause of the anomalous condition.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein either the at least one of vehicle processor and the first remote server is configured to identify the anomalous condition as corresponding to a fault code defined by the vehicle's manufacturer.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein either the at least one vehicle processor and the first remote server is configured

Assignees

• Colvin Greg
• Mcquade Charles Michael
• Brinton Brett
• Zonar Systems Inc

Inventors

• Colvin Greg
• Mcquade Charles Michael
• Brinton Brett

Classifications

• G06F11/079

  Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis (in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36) · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G07C5/085 Primary

  using electronic data carriers · CPC title

• G06Q10/1097

  using calendar-based scheduling for task assignment · CPC title

• G06F3/065

  Replication mechanisms · CPC title