Title: Method for updating an electronic service tool
Abstract: A method for servicing a motor vehicle (10) with an electronic service tool (14) that is placed in bi-directional data communication with an electrical system in the vehicle. With the vehicle's motor not running, but with electric power being applied to the vehicle's electrical system, tool (14) is updated by transmitting from the vehicle to the tool, set data containing a current set of vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle. With the motor running, the vehicle is serviced with the tool using the set data transmitted to update the tool.
Patent Number: 6,842,676 Issued on 01/11/2005 to Rodriguez
| Inventors:
|
Rodriguez; Rogelio (Berwyn, IL)
|
| Assignee:
|
International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC (Warrenville, IL)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
384964 |
| Filed:
|
March 10, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
701/29; 701/30; 701/36; 702/182; 702/184 |
| Intern'l Class: |
F02D 045/00 |
| Field of Search: |
701/29,35,36,52,102,30,33
702/119,187,182,184
700/113
709/203
73/117.3
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 5463567 | Oct., 1995 | Boen et al. | 702/187.
|
| 5999876 | Dec., 1999 | Irons et al. | 701/115.
|
| 6181992 | Jan., 2001 | Gurne et al. | 701/29.
|
| 6601442 | Aug., 2003 | Decker et al. | 73/117.
|
Primary Examiner: Black; Thomas G.
Assistant Examiner: Donnelly; Arthur D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sullivan; Dennis Kelly, Lukasik; Susan L., Calfa; Jeffrey P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for updating an electronic service tool (EST) that has an
electronic data processing (EDP) system which is placed in bi-directional
data communication with an EDP system in an electrical system of a motor
vehicle when the vehicle is being serviced, the method comprising:
with the vehicle motor not running, but with electric power being applied
to the vehicle's EDP system,
a) transmitting a compatibility request from the EST's EDP system to the
vehicle's EDP system to solicit a return of data from the vehicle's EDP
system to the EST's EDP system identifying a current set of
vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system;
b) processing, in the EST's EDP system, the data returned from the
vehicle's EDP system to the EST's EDP system in response to the
compatibility request and data identifying each of one or more sets of
vehicle-related parameters stored in the EST's EDP system to distinguish a
match of the identity of the set of vehicle-related parameters stored in
the vehicle's EDP system with that of any of the sets of vehicle-related
parameters stored in the EST's EDP system from a non-match;
c) after step b) has disclosed a non-match, transmitting an update request
from the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to solicit a return
of set data containing the current set of vehicle-related parameters
stored in the vehicle's EDP system; and
d) then storing, in the EST's EDP system, the set data returned from the
vehicle's EDP system as another set of vehicle-related parameters.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
step a) comprises transmitting a compatibility request that solicits a
return of data identifying a current set of programmable parameters stored
in the vehicle's EDP system;
step b) comprises processing, in the EST's EDP system, the returned data
identifying a current set of programmable parameters stored in the
vehicle's EDP system and data identifying each of one or more sets of
programmable parameters stored in the EST's EDP system to distinguish a
match of the identity of the current set of programmable parameters stored
in the vehicle's EDP system with the identity of any of the sets of
programmable parameters stored in the EST's EDP system from a non-match;
step c) comprises, after step b) has disclosed a non-match, transmitting an
update request from the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to
solicit a return of data containing a current set of programmable
parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system; and
step d) comprises then storing, in the EST's EDP system, the returned data
containing a current set of programmable parameters.
3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
step a) comprises transmitting a compatibility request that solicits a
return of data identifying a current set of fault codes stored in the
vehicle's EDP system;
step b) comprises processing, in the EST's EDP system, the returned data
identifying a current set of fault codes stored in the vehicle's EDP
system and data identifying each of one or more sets of fault codes stored
in the EST's EDP system to distinguish a match of the identity of the
current set of fault codes stored in the vehicle's EDP system with the
identity of any of the sets of fault codes stored in the EST's EDP system
from a non-match;
step c) comprises, after step b) has disclosed a non-match, transmitting an
update request from the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to
solicit a return of data containing a current set of fault codes stored in
the vehicle's EDP system; and
step d) comprises then storing, in the EST's EDP system, the returned data
containing a current set of fault codes.
4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
step a) comprises transmitting a compatibility request that solicits a
return of data identifying a current set of industry standard parameters
stored in the vehicle's EDP system;
step b) comprises processing, in the EST's EDP system, the returned data
identifying a current set of industry standard parameters stored in the
vehicle's EDP system and data identifying each of one or more sets of
industry standard parameters stored in the EST's EDP system to distinguish
a match of the identity of the current set of industry standard parameters
stored in the vehicle's EDP system with the identity of any of the sets of
industry standard parameters stored in the EST's EDP system from a
non-match;
step c) comprises, after step b) has disclosed a non-match, transmitting an
update request from the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to
solicit a return of data containing a current set of industry standard
parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system; and
step d) comprises then storing, in the EST's EDP system, the returned data
containing a current set of industry standard parameters.
5. A method as set forth in claim 1 further including the further steps of:
e) running the vehicle's motor; and
f) with the motor running, servicing the vehicle with the EST using the
data stored in the EST's EDP system by step d).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the servicing of motor vehicles that have
electrical systems containing data processors that electronically process
data and use the processing results in certain aspects of vehicle
operation, such engine control.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Motor vehicles require periodic servicing, and some of that servicing
involves the use of electrical equipment that is connected to a vehicle's
electrical system at a service facility. Various pieces of electrical
equipment may be used, and one piece of equipment is sometimes referred to
as an electronic service tool, or EST for short.
An EST contains a data processing system that processes certain data
according to certain algorithms for evaluating the operation of a vehicle
and/or operation of various components of the vehicle. Such operation may
be current or historic. For example, certain industry standards define
certain fault codes for various components and/or operation of vehicle
components. An EST can interrogate a vehicle's electrical system to
ascertain if any fault flags have, either at present or in the past, been
set for the various fault codes.
An EST can therefore serve as a diagnostic aid for identifying potentially
non-compliant components and/or operation, and hence, aid servicing
personnel in properly servicing a motor vehicle.
For properly evaluating any particular vehicle, an EST must itself contain
proper background data relating to the particular vehicle. A vehicle whose
electrical system comprises one or more electrical data processing
systems, an example of one such system being an electronic engine control
system, stores certain data that is particular to that vehicle. Each item
of data characterizes a specific component in the vehicle or a specific
operation performed in the vehicle.
Certain industry standards, such as ATA (American Trucking Association)
standards, define certain items of interest for certain vehicle components
and certain specific operations. Other items of interest include fault
codes for identifying particular faults that may be occurring at present,
or may have occurred in the past, and programmable parameters that are
specified by a vehicle manufacturer for the particular vehicle. Some
examples of the foregoing items are: engine speed, engine oil pressure,
engine oil temperature out of range high, and cruise control vehicle speed
high limit.
Diagnostic equipment such as an EST is typically purchased or leased by a
service facility, such as a motor vehicle dealer or repair facility. It
may represent a significant capital investment. Accordingly, it often
desirable for a particular piece of equipment to be capable of servicing
as large a universe of vehicles as possible. Because new vehicle models
are periodically introduced by vehicle manufacturers, an EST that has
already been in service may be unable to service the new models.
It has heretofore been necessary for service facilities to procure new
EST's for servicing new vehicle models, or to update their existing ones.
In either instance, the vehicle manufacturer is the original source for
either new update information and/or new equipment specifications. One
known way of updating a piece of service equipment such as an EST is for a
vehicle manufacturer to specify that the piece of equipment have a
replaceable a cartridge that can be removed and replaced from time to time
by an updated cartridge containing new items of information for its
vehicles, either additional to existing items, or in replacement of
certain existing items.
One can therefore appreciate that a vehicle manufacturer must devote
significant resources to enable service equipment in the field to handle
all of its vehicles. Accordingly, procedures that accomplish that
objective and that are less burdensome on resources, both manufacturers'
and servicing facilities', are believed beneficial to improving
organizational efficiencies and cost-effectiveness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a new method for
accomplishing those objectives. Briefly, the present invention relies upon
a new vehicle itself to furnish certain information for updating an
existing piece of service equipment such as an EST. At time of service,
information is exchanged between a vehicle and an EST. If the EST is found
to lack certain information for proper servicing of the particular
vehicle, data for the missing information is transmitted from the vehicle
to the EST and stored in the EST. The stored data is then used during
service evaluation of the vehicle by the EST. Examples of such data
include a) programmable parameters, b) fault codes, and c) industry
standard parameters.
One generic aspect of the present invention relates to a method for
updating an EST that has an electronic data processing (EDP) system which
is placed in bi-directional data communication with an EDP system in an
electrical system of a motor vehicle when the vehicle is being serviced.
With the vehicle motor not running, but with electric power being applied
to the vehicle's EDP system, a compatibility request is transmitted from
the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to solicit a return of
data identifying a current set of vehicle-related parameters stored in the
vehicle's EDP system.
The EST's EDP system processes the returned data and data identifying each
of one or more sets of vehicle-related parameters stored in the EST's EDP
system to distinguish a match of the identity of the set of
vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system with that of
any of the sets of vehicle-related parameters stored in the EST's EDP
system from a non-match.
After a non-match has been disclosed, the EST transmits an update request
to the vehicle to solicit a return of set data containing the current set
of vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system. That
data is then stored in the EST's EDP system as another set of
vehicle-related parameters.
Those parameters are subsequently used by the EST to evaluate the vehicle.
Another generic aspect of the invention relates to a method for servicing a
motor vehicle with an EST that has an electronic data processing (EDP)
system placed in bi-directional data communication with an EDP system in
an electrical system of the motor vehicle. The method comprises: a) with
the vehicle's motor not running, but with electric power being applied to
the vehicle's EDP system, updating the EST by transmitting, from the
vehicle's EDP system to the EST's EDP system, set data containing a
current set of vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP
system; and b) with the motor running, servicing the vehicle with the EST
using the set data transmitted by step a).
The foregoing, along with further features and advantages of the invention,
will be seen in the following disclosure of a presently preferred
embodiment of the invention depicting the best mode contemplated at this
time for carrying out the invention. This specification includes drawings,
now briefly described as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating practice of the invention when a
motor vehicle is being serviced by an electronic service tool.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of various steps of an exemplary method
for practice of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary motor vehicle 10, a truck for example, comprising
an electrical system that includes an electronic data processing (EDP)
system 12, the particular example here being an engine, or motor, control
system that controls an internal combustion engine that powers the
vehicle. System 12 processes data from various sources according to
various stored algorithms to develop various control data for controlling
various aspects of engine operation. The data processed by system 12 may
originate at external sources, such as sensors on the engine and vehicle,
and/or be generated internally. Some data is externally programmed into
memory of system 12 as programmable parameters, one example of which is
"cruise control vehicle speed high limit". Other data is programmed into
memory of system 12 in accordance with certain industry standards, an
example of which is ATA (American Trucking Association) standards.
System 12 also has a capability for logging certain faults that may occur
during vehicle operation. OBDII is a common requirement for logging
certain types of faults, particularly in the engine and in emission
control devices in the vehicle. The faults are logged in system 12 under
certain defined fault codes.
When vehicle 10 is serviced, a piece of service equipment, such as an EST
14, is associated with system 12 so that electronic data can be exchanged
between them. EST 14 comprises its own EDP system that is placed in
bi-directional data communication with EDP system 12. Such communication
may take place by wire, by wireless, or by a combination of both.
FIG. 2 discloses steps of an exemplary method 16 in accordance with
principles of the invention. Step 18 is an initial step that is followed
by a step 20 that checks to make sure that the engine of vehicle 10 is not
running, but that electrical power to system 12 is on.
A step 22 then transmits a compatibility request from the EDP system of EST
14 to EDP system 12 in vehicle 10 to solicit a return of data from system
12 to EST 14 identifying one or more current sets of vehicle-related
parameters stored in system 12. A step 24 represents the data return.
Steps 26A, 26B, and 26C represent the EDP system of EST 14 then processing
the returned data for each such set and data identifying each of one or
more corresponding sets of vehicle-related parameters stored in the EDP
system of EST 14 to distinguish a match of the identity of each set of
vehicle-related parameters stored in system 12 with that of any of the
corresponding sets of vehicle-related parameters stored in EST 14 from a
non-match.
In the example given here, a first set PP_LIST of vehicle-related
parameters comprises programmable parameters; a second set FC_LIST, fault
codes; and a third set AP_LIST, ATA parameters. If step 26A discloses a
match, there is no need to update the programmable parameter set PP_LIST
already stored in EST 14, in which case step 26B occurs. If step 26B
discloses a match, there is no need to update the fault code sets PC_LIST
already stored in EST 14, in which case step 26C occurs. If step 26C
discloses a match, there is no need to update the ATA parameter sets
AP_LIST already stored in EST 14, in which case the methods ends by
represented by step 28.
If step 26A however discloses no match, then EST 14 is updated with a new
set of programmable parameters corresponding to the set stored in system
12 in vehicle 10. A step 30 comprises transmitting an update request from
EST 14 to system 12 to solicit a return of set data containing the current
set of programmable parameters stored in system 12. That step is followed
by a step 32 comprising system 12 transmitting to EST 14 the set data
containing the current set of programmable parameters stored in system 12.
Finally EST 14 performs a step 34 of processing and storing the set of
programmable parameters that it just received from vehicle 10. Once that
is complete, step 26B occurs.
If step 26B discloses no match, then EST 14 is updated with a new set of
fault codes corresponding to the set stored in system 12 in vehicle 10. A
step 36 comprises transmitting an update request from EST 14 to system 12
to solicit a return of set data containing the current set of fault codes
stored in system 12. That step is followed by a step 38 comprising system
12 transmitting to EST 14 the set data containing the current set of fault
codes stored in system 12. Finally EST 14 performs a step 40 of processing
and storing the set of fault codes that it just received from vehicle 10.
Once that is complete, step 26C occurs.
If step 26C discloses no match, then EST 14 is updated with a new set of
ATA parameters corresponding to the set stored in system 12 in vehicle 10.
A step 42 comprises transmitting an update request from EST 14 to system
12 to solicit a return of set data containing the current set of ATA
parameters stored in system 12. That step is followed by a step 44
comprising system 12 transmitting to EST 14 the set data containing the
current set of ATA parameters stored in system 12. Finally EST 14 performs
a step 46 of processing and storing the set of ATA parameter codes that it
just received from vehicle 10. Once that is complete, the method ends at
step 28.
It should be under stood that updating may comprise either adding a
complete new set of the relevant parameters in EST 14 as an additional
stored set or selectively updating individual items in an existing set.
Assuming that EST 14 has been updated by method 16, the motor is then
started and with the motor running, the vehicle is serviced with EST 14
using the updated data.
While a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been
illustrated and described, it should be appreciated that principles of the
invention apply to all embodiments falling within the scope of the
following claims.
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