Title: Multi-application data display
Abstract: A data display firmware improvement for a scan tool adds the capability to view in a single presentation data uploaded from a motor vehicle's onboard diagnostic (OBD) computer synchronized with data from external test apparatus. The data display algorithms permit viewing of OBD data, including certain real-time oscilloscope-like waveforms, and allow viewing test results from compatible instruments, such as exhaust gas analyzers, including capturing realtime OBD signals, holding them until delayed events such as gas analyzer test results become available, then displaying the events on a common display as though available simultaneously in real time. The firmware upgrade is downloadable to existing products.
Patent Number: 6,937,926 Issued on 08/30/2005 to Lipscomb, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Lipscomb; Edward (Lakeville, MN);
Liebl; Troy (Owatonna, MN)
|
| Assignee:
|
SPX Corporation (Charlotte, NC)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
319577 |
| Filed:
|
December 16, 2002 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
701/29; 701/32; 340/505 |
| Intern'l Class: |
G01M 015/00; G01M 017/00 |
| Field of Search: |
701/29,33,32,35,99
340/505,101,425.5,438,439,459
702/183,188
73/116,117.3
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4831560 | May., 1989 | Zaleski.
| |
| 4866616 | Sep., 1989 | Takeuchi et al.
| |
| 5056023 | Oct., 1991 | Abe.
| |
| 5750886 | May., 1998 | Lambert et al.
| |
| 5916286 | Jun., 1999 | Seashore et al.
| |
| 6094609 | Jul., 2000 | Arjomand.
| |
| 6181992 | Jan., 2001 | Gurne et al.
| |
| 6225898 | May., 2001 | Kamiya et al.
| |
| 6604033 | Aug., 2003 | Banet et al.
| |
| 2002/0004694 | Jan., 2002 | McLeod et al.
| |
| 2002/0193925 | Dec., 2002 | Funkhouser et al.
| |
| 2004/0054503 | Mar., 2004 | Namaky.
| |
Primary Examiner: Black; Thomas G.
Assistant Examiner: Tran; Dalena
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Baker & Hostetler LLP
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority based upon copending U.S. application Ser.
No. 08/702,751 and Ser. No. 09/702,803, both filed Nov. 1, 2000, and Ser. No. 09/944,107,
filed Sep. 4, 2001, and Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/413,740 and 60/413,741,
both filed Sep. 27, 2002, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Claims
1. A device for acquiring and displaying motor vehicle data, comprising:
a scan interface component permitting communication between said device and a
motor vehicle onboard diagnostic (OBD) computer;
a first external test instrument interface component permitting communication
between said device and an external test instrument, which is linked to a subsystem
of a motor vehicle;
a display in communication with said scan interface and said first external test
instrument interface component, said display simultaneously or individually displaying
data from said scan interface and from said external test instrument; and
a subsystem of said device able to alter graphical display representation of
data collected from said vehicle OBD computer in response to data properties of
event time of occurrence, external test instrument data item acquisition rate,
and amplitude, for the purpose of permitting comparison between said data despite
disparities in properties.
2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of external device interface
components permitting communication between said device and a plurality of additional
test instruments.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to display
test and status data in graphical form, to include text messages.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to display
test and status data in graphical form, to include representation of a horizontal
axis representing time plotted against a vertical axis representing a test parameter,
such as voltage, temperature, concentration of oxides of nitrogen, and other parameters
of interest to test instrument users.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured able to display
data previously acquired.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to alter
the time representation of sets of data in order to present on the same display
sets of data that occurred at different times.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
and process data from a motor vehicle onboard diagnostic type II (OBD-II®)
computer scan interface using universal OBD-II interface ports and protocols.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to write
data to a motor vehicle onboard computer using universal OBD-II interface ports
and protocols.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
and process data from, and/or output commands and data to, external test instrument,
where such external test instrument employs an interface port and protocol unique
to the present inventive apparatus to supply data.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
and process data from external test instrument, where such external test instrument
employs an industry-standard Infrared Data Association® (IrDA) infrared interface
port and protocol to communicate.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
and process data from, and/or output commands and data to, external test instrument,
where such said external test instrument employs an industry-standard serial interface
port and protocol to communicate.
12. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
and process data from, and/or output commands and data to, said external test instrument,
where such interface employs an industry-standard Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association® (PCMCIA®) interface port and protocol to communicate.
13. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
and process data from, and/or output commands and data to, external test instrument,
where such said external test instrument employs an industry-standard universal
serial bus (USB) interface port and protocol to supply data.
14. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to output
data to said external test instrument, where such external apparatus employs a
Hewlett-Packard Corporation® (HP®) wireless interface port and protocol
to output data.
15. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
replacement executable binary code for said device from said external test instrument,
where such said external test instrument employs an industry-standard Class II
Compact Flash Card® interface port and protocol to supply replacement executable
binary code.
16. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to acquire
replacement executable binary code for said device from said external test instrument,
where such said external test instrument employs an industry-standard universal
serial bus (USB) interface port and protocol to supply replacement executable binary code.
17. A device for acquiring and displaying motor vehicle data, comprising:
a scan interface component permitting communication between said device and a
motor vehicle onboard diagnostic (OBD) computer;
a first external test instrument interface component permitting communication
between said device and an external test instrument, which is linked to a subsystem
of a motor vehicle;
a display in communication with said scan interface and said first external test
instrument interface component, said display simultaneously or individually displaying
data from said scan interface and from said external test instrument; and
a subsystem of said device able to alter graphical display representation of
data collected from said external test instrument in response to disparate data
properties of event time of occurrence, external test instrument data item acquisition
rate, and amplitude, for the purpose of permitting direct data comparison despite
disparities in event rate.
18. A device for acquiring and displaying motor vehicle data, comprising:
a scan interface component permitting communication between said device and a
motor vehicle onboard diagnostic (OBD) computer;
a first external test instrument interface component permitting communication
between said device and an external test instrument, which is linked to a subsystem
of a motor vehicle;
a display in communication with said scan interface and said first external test
instrument interface component, said display simultaneously or individually displaying
data from said scan interface and from said external test instrument;
a subsystem of said device able to alter graphical display representation of
data collected from said external test instrument in response to disparate data
properties of event time of occurrence, external test instrument data item acquisition
rate, and amplitude, for the purpose of permitting direct data comparison despite
disparities in time of occurrence.
19. A device for acquiring and displaying motor vehicle data, comprising:
a scan interface component permitting communication between said device and a
motor vehicle onboard diagnostic (OBD) computer;
a first external test instrument interface component permitting communication
between said device and an external test instrument, which is linked to a subsystem
of a motor vehicle;
a display in communication with said scan interface and said first external test
instrument interface component, said display simultaneously or individually displaying
data from said scan interface and from said external test instrument, a subsystem
of said device able to alter graphical display representation of data for the purpose
of permitting the horizontal (time) axis of a time-synchronized set of data traces
to display in part at a first rate and in part at a second rate.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to electronic test equipment. More particularly,
the present invention relates to diagnostic and display apparatus for troubleshooting
and repair of motor vehicles, to include interface with onboard motor vehicle control computers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Onboard control computers have become ubiquitous in motor vehicles, as safety,
economy, and emissions requirements have continued to escalate, and conventional
designs for reciprocating engines, friction braking systems, collision safety apparatus,
and traction control devices have proven unequal to the requirements set out in
law and the implicit demands of competitors' achievements. Successive generations
of onboard control computers have acquired increasing data sensing and retention
capability as the electronic art has advanced. Present external diagnostic and
display apparatus, known to those skilled in the art as Scan Tools, are commonly
limited to reporting the data acquired by the onboard control computer itself.
Increasingly subtle subsystem failures in automobiles overload the ability of maintenance
technicians not simply to read the faults detected and stored by the computers
themselves, but to combine those readings with peripheral measurements in order
to allow a technician to identify faults and decide on corrective actions with
both speed and accuracy.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide in the Scan Tool the ability
to acquire and evaluate test data from sources other than the motor vehicle's onboard
computer, and to combine those results with data acquired directly from the onboard
computer. The present invention, by enhancing the Scan Tool's ability to collect
data from external test devices via data input ports, and by merging the additional
data with data previously available from the onboard computer into a single display
with fully coordinated timing, presents to the technician a more complete picture
of the status of the motor vehicle under test.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing limitations of the prior art have been satisfied to a great extent
by the present invention, wherein, in a first aspect of the invention, a test apparatus
for acquiring and displaying motor vehicle data includes a scan interface subsystem
permitting communication between the test apparatus and a motor vehicle onboard
diagnostic (OBD) computer, an external device interface subsystem permitting communication
between the test apparatus and additional data acquisition devices, and a display
in communication with the scan interface and the external device interface component,
where the display presents data from the scan interface and from additional data
acquisition devices with which the external device interface component may be in communication.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the Scan Tool
is enhanced through the provision of means whereby vehicle status data from multiple
sources can be combined and displayed. The present invention provides means whereby
fixed data elements from the vehicle's OBD computer, data from the OBD computer
changing at any rate, fixed measurements from other data acquisition devices, and
dynamic signals from other data acquisition devices can be gathered, scaled with
respect to time delay, rate, and amplitude, then stored or displayed.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the Scan Tool
provides a method for acquiring and displaying motor vehicle diagnostic data that
includes the steps of obtaining data from a computer on a motor vehicle, obtaining
data from external test equipment, and displaying data from the computer on the
motor vehicle and data from the external test equipment.
There have thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features
of the invention, in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may
be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may
be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention
that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims
appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in
detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application
to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth
in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable
of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also,
it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as
well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded
as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which
this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of
other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of
the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded
as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the
spirit and scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1, an oblique front view of a hand-held Scan Tool, illustrates placement
of displays, controls, and ports of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2, an oblique rear view of the Scan Tool, illustrates connections to additional
ports of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3, a view similar to FIG. 2, shows the Scan Tool with a representative
Gas Analyzer fitted into a recess in its rear surface and mated to the connector therein.
FIG. 4 provides a representative view of the Scan Tool's display, in which typical
data items are presented and soft keys are shown, available for user activation.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional units of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a summarized flowchart illustrating the steps that may be followed
in performance of the functions of the present invention, including and identifying
new functions embodied in the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present inventive apparatus and method is illustrated
in FIG.
1. In this figure, a handheld interface unit
2 has a display
panel
4, a first button group
5, and a second button group
6.
The shape of the preferred embodiment of the unit
2 is designed to provide
large size to allow the display panel
4 to afford ease of viewing, while
providing a handle
8 that allows typical users to grip the unit securely.
The button group
5 in the preferred embodiment allows the bottom zone of
the display to be assigned as needed as a row of up to four "soft keys" for changeable
user interface options; alternative embodiments with any number of buttons and
corresponding "soft keys" are possible. The button group
6 provides a set
of switch closures independent of screen status, and serves as a primary user interface
to the microprocessor-based Scan Tool. Ports shown in FIG. 1 are a first custom
interface connector
10 for an OBD adapter, a serial port connector
12,
a USB port connector
14, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA)/Hewlett-Packard
(HP) Infrared connection
16, a PCMCIA type 2 connector
18 and a smart
card connector
20.
FIG. 2 shows the rear panel of a preferred embodiment of the invention; in this
view, a second custom interface connector, termed a hardware interface port, or
HIP,
22, is shown, which provides the Scan Tool with the capability of adapting
functions from earlier designs to operate with the present invention. A Compact
Flash® card connector
24, not visible, occupies a slot on another face
of the preferred embodiment. The ports shown in the views above are representative
of ports that could be included in a system design supporting the preferred embodiment
of the present invention. The battery box cover
26 allows the apparatus
to be powered from a built-in Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery. The preferred
design permits a power supply that can furnish the requisite direct-current (DC)
voltage at sufficient amperage to be plugged into a power jack
28, supporting
in-unit recharging of the NiMH battery and allowing indefinite operating time.
FIG. 3 shows the view of FIG. 2 with a typical Gas Analyzer
140 installed.
Such a Gas Analyzer, directly mating with the HIP connector
22, may carry
one of a variety of communications interfaces with which the inventive apparatus
is compatible. Other Gas Analyzer modules that can function with the preferred
embodiment may communicate with it through alternative ports, such as the serial
port
12, and may use other protocols than that used by the Gas Analyzer
140.
FIG. 4 illustrates the display of one embodiment, wherein a full-color display
screen
30 has facility to present a plurality of time (horizontal axis)
versus selected parameter (vertical axis) data events, as well as text information.
The capability of the concept is illustrated by a first trace
32 that shows
engine revolutions per minute (RPM) as a function of time during a particular test
session, and a second trace
34 that shows exhaust gas concentration of oxides
of nitrogen, the latter data having been acquired at a different time during the
same test interval. The horizontal axis of the display shows a low-resolution section
36 and a high-resolution section
38, which capability is a selectable
function of the preferred embodiment. A first dashed line
40 indicates the
exact point on the time axis that corresponds to a first text readout
42,
which provides a descriptive label, a value, and a unit reference; a first pair
of minimum and maximum readings
44 is provided to establish a scale. The
second trace
34 represents data from an external test device, which data
is available after a fixed delay. The display is offset accordingly, allowing the
two readings to be aligned in time. A second dashed line
46 indicates the
sample time for a second text display
48. A second scale indication
50
provides a second frame of reference.
The display shows a plurality of additional test items in the form of text only,
which can include labels
52, data values
54, and units
56
where relevant. The display further shows representative status information, such
as a note
58 indicating the delay time for the gas sensor. A group of "soft"
buttons
60 have functions dynamically defined, with activation for the immediate
definitions of the button functions triggered through the buttons shown in FIG.
1 as item
6. A slidebar
62, familiar to users of graphical user interface
(GUI)-based operating systems such as Lynx®, Apple® OS9®, and Microsoft®
Windows®, indicates the presence of and provides access to additional data
not presently visible on the display.
FIG. 5 illustrates the electronic circuitry in block diagram form. A power-input
subsystem
64 accepts available DC and converts it to the voltages needed
for all other subsystems within the apparatus. A computational subsystem
66
that includes a central processing unit
68, a dynamic data memory area
70,
a preprogrammed instruction memory area
72, a reprogrammable instruction
and data area
74, an interface control unit
76, a master clock
78,
and a watchdog timer
80, performs analysis and control of all functions.
A display subsystem
82 that includes a display screen
84, a dedicated
display voltage generator
86, a backlight voltage generator
88, a
display interface unit
90, a display image generator
92, and a display
driver
94, accepts, stores, and displays data generated by the computational
subsystem
66. An external data interface unit
96 that includes a
set of transceivers
98 and a dedicated data interface processor
100
receives digital data from installed external test instruments requiring such dedicated
handshaking and presents this data to the computational subsystem
66, which
collates and processes that data. The external data interface unit
96 further
transmits such digital handshaking and control data as the external test instruments
may require in order to continue providing measurements.
FIG. 6 shows one of the major elements included in the present invention. In
this flowchart, operation begins with basic initialization
102. The call
to the Vehicle Selection Front End Process
104 (VS Process) identifies the
vehicle under test through a process combining user interface and data table lookup.
In one embodiment, VS Process
104 software will guide an operator through
interpretation of the characters of the VIN, such as an "F" in the second position
indicating a Ford or a "G" in the tenth position representing the year 1986. For
each of several combinations of position and data value, the VS Process
104
permits the operator to compile a description of the vehicle under test.
In another embodiment, the operator can key in a vehicle identification number
(VIN) and the Scan Tool can determine the manufacturer, body style, year of manufacture,
engine type, emissions controls, settings that can be stored and changed in OBD
memory (spark advance timing and the like), and other details concerning that vehicle,
all of which may be stored in the Scan Tool in the reprogrammable instruction and
data area
74.
Some of the data acquired through any embodiment of the VS Process
104
is needed in running the diagnostics; other information, such as the part of the
VIN that is the serial number of the particular vehicle, is stored for printing,
added to a database where the service is performed, or otherwise used.
Once the vehicle has been selected, communication between the Scan Tool and
the vehicle must be established
106. Since several vehicle manufacturers
use OBD specification compliant interfaces that are not compatible with each other,
the process in
106 requires a dedicated interface driver and cable set as
well as a unique handshaking routine. A representative Scan Tool can manage this
process by directing the operator to assemble the system in the configuration required
for the particular vehicle. This process is complete when the Scan Tool is able
to verify that the test system components are correctly connected and has performed
handshaking with the vehicle's OBD electronics. For vehicles older than the industry's
adoption of the OBD system, other interconnect systems can be used.
Once communication is established
106, the Scan Tool can extract
108
from the OBD of the vehicle under test any static scan data of interest. As part
of this process, the Scan Tool may also determine criteria for extracting from
the OBD any data that may flow in real time and be susceptible to capture by the
Scan Tool in support of its testing. The first trace
32 in FIG. 4 is such
a realtime flow, captured and stored for subsequent display. Such a data flow could
also be displayed in real time and not captured, in much the same way that a vehicle
scope could monitor a spark plug waveform, for example.
FIG. 6 includes a specific query
110 related to Gas Analyzers. While
other external devices may be treated similarly, the management of Gas Analyzers
in particular is an illustrative example of the data management that is the subject
of the present invention. If no Gas Analyzer is needed (the NO branch at the decision
point
110), then the logic shown displays by default all acquired and selected
data in a single time frame
114. There are exceptions to this. The inventive
design allows data that arrive at the same time to be displayed offset in time;
the same data stream to be displayed more than once on separate lines, at the same
time or skewed in time; or data streams to be held indefinitely, displayed later,
printed, transmitted to an external device; and so on. Note that there is a loop
from the Data Display
114 that feeds back before the vehicle query
108.
This loop represents the continuous data acquisition that a representative Scan
Tool performs.
If inclusion of Gas Analyzer data was selected by the user, then another feature
of the inventive apparatus comes into play, because a multiplicity of Gas Analyzers,
some with incompatible communications interfaces, are in current use. In the case
where use of a Gas Analyzer as part of an analysis was previously selected, then
an additional step in the process combines
112 the Gas Analyzer data with
the remainder of the Scan Tool data according to the user's preferred format. Where
the Gas Analyzer was chosen but has not yet been started, the secondary loop path
from Data Display, which is normally inactive, responds to a manual input
116-in
this case, the manual input consists of scrolling to the desired setup window on
the display and pressing the button corresponding to the desired option-by launching
the setup routine. This begins by establishing communication with whichever Gas
Analyzer is connected
118. Next, the data link to the Gas Analyzer is exercised
according to the requirements of the unit that is installed, and flow of gas data
is begun
120. At this point data flow and Scan Tool operation substantially
merge with those of the default path described first, namely continuous reacquisition
of all available fixed and dynamic data from all sources, then displaying a subset
of it in accordance with user-selected options.
The system configuration here refers to accessory devices attached to the main
unit and active during the current session. Some devices may be unused, others
may be self-configuring, others still may require manual setup by the user. Among
devices nominally self-configuring, some may permit manual intervention. As an
example, the time lag for a particular model of Gas Analyzer might be known and
calibrated, but a technician might wish to alter the apparent time lag. Similarly,
the nominal time lag could be subject to drift and require compensation. Such manual
configuration changes could be made at this point in the logic flow.
Normal execution involves time-shared execution of all scheduled tasks. Time-slice
allocation is a task carried out by the operating system. The scheduled tasks are
managed as objects with hierarchical priority. Interrupts are controlled in such
fashion as to avoid system and task casualties.
One embodiment of the present invention can provide additional digital data input
management capability and a revised command package for an existing Scan Tool design.
The additional input capability can take the form of management of port connections
to permit multiple external devices to provide test results that can be displayed
by the Scan Tool. The revised command package can format and store test data from
external test equipment as well as data captured by the vehicle's OBD computer
and uplinked. The command package can further coordinate display of selectable
subsets of the stored data from all sources. Data arriving from stored sources
may typically be unchanging over the course of a test. Realtime data from onboard
and external sources may detect discrete events that occurred at different rates.
Continuous processes may have been sampled at different rates. As a consequence
of these factors, it can be a requirement of the command package to coordinate
and rationalize data from all sources in order to display disparate information
on a common timeline. This coordination and rationalization can take the form of
storing time versus data for each changeable item; storing values for items that
are intrinsically invariant over the course of a test; and storing correction factors
such as gain, characteristic or programmable time delay.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the Scan Tool has
the following new capabilities:
It can extract and store in its own memory all entries specified for an OBD-II-compliant
computer's storage, including indications of both normal and abnormal conditions,
time or event count information, and such other data as a particular OBD computer
may store.
It can acquire from external sources and retain any compatibly formatted data
furnished by additional test instruments monitoring the motor vehicle under test.
It can present to the display subsystem of the Scan Tool a combined test result,
composed of static (fixed or rarely changing) and dynamic (changing frequently
or continuously) reports from the OBD computer of the vehicle under test, as well
as static and dynamic reports from external test instruments.
It can furnish test results to the display subsystem of the Scan Tool selectively
from all those available, at the choice of the user.
It can allow control over the timing relationship between displays of individual
events, so that any display may be delayed with respect to a timing reference.
It can allow control over the time interval for the combined display, so that
the display presents events that occurred over a time segment that the user can select.
It can provide both compressed and expanded time intervals for the displayed
events,
so that the time axis can be in part "zoomed out" to permit display of large amounts
of data at low time resolution and "zoomed in" to permit display of smaller amounts
of data at higher time resolution.
It can provide control of the time window for the combined display, so that any
time segment within the capability of the hardware implementation may be displayed,
and the user may pass the display back and forth repeatedly through the stored
data, displaying any such data of interest.
It can permit input management parameter entry for characterization of source
signals, including but not limited to telemetry voltage excursion, telemetry signal
timing and format, digital signal numerical range, data acquisition time lag, signal
labeling, and units labeling.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed
specification, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such
features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and
scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will
readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention
to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly,
all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the
scope of the invention.
*
