US 12,725,459 B2 · Smart OBD scanner with automated DTC prioritization and resolution

Abstract

A vehicle on-board diagnostics tester provides a listing of fixes for multiple, concurrent vehicle issues in a prioritized order to address critical needs first and avoid missed problems or creation of new problems. The tester reads Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) from a vehicle on-board diagnostic port when the vehicle malfunction indicator lamp is illuminated. A received DTC is checked to determine if it is currently in a pending and confirmed state, and if there are other pending and confirmed DTCs. No action is completed of the received DTC is inactive and there are no other active and confirmed DTCs. If the received DTC is active and there no other active and confirmed DTCs, a fix is displayed to a user associated with the received DTC. If there are multiple confirmed and active DTCs, fixes are generated to the user such that more critical DTC fixes are provided first, and less critical DTCs are provided earlier. Each DTC is associated with a priority group, and fixes for all DTCs in a priority group are provided before providing fixes for all DTCs in a next lower level priority group.

Claims25

Dependent claims

An On-Board Diagnostics scanner with automated diagnostic trouble code (DTC) prioritization and resolution comprising:

a processor;
memory, wherein the memory includes software that provides automated DTC prioritization and resolution;
a data interface configured to receive DTC output from an associated vehicle on-board diagnostic port;
a diagnostic connector configured to place the scanner in data communication with the associated vehicle when plugged into its DLC port;
and
a user interface including a user input and a display;
wherein the processor is configured to:
receive, via the data interface, the DTC output from the associated vehicle on-board diagnostic port;
identify, from the DTC output, one or more confirmed DTCs and one or more pending DTCs;
for each confirmed DTC, determine whether the one or more pending DTCs include a pending DTC having a same DTC code as the confirmed DTC;
wherein, when the one or more pending DTCs include the pending DTC having the same DTC code as the confirmed DTC, the processor is further configured to classify the confirmed DTC as an active DTC to mitigate false-positive repair indications associated with confirmed DTCs for which a corresponding pending DTC is absent;
and
wherein the processor is further configured to show a fix for the active DTC on the display.

10 more elements

A method for automated diagnostic trouble code DTC prioritization and resolution comprising:

receiving, into memory, DTC output from an associated vehicle on-board diagnostic port;
identifying, via a processor from the DTC output, one or more confirmed DTCs and one or more pending DTCs;
for each confirmed DTC, determining, via the processor, whether the one or more pending DTCs include a pending DTC having a same DTC code as the confirmed DTC;
when the one or more pending DTCs include the pending DTC having the same DTC code as the confirmed DTC, classifying, via the processor, the confirmed DTC as an active DTC to mitigate false-positive repair indications associated with confirmed DTCs for which a corresponding pending DTC is absent;
and
showing a fix for the active DTC on a display.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Smart OBD scanner with automated DTC prioritization and resolution

Life of this patent

Smart OBD scanner with automated DTC prioritization and resolution

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25