Mobile device based vehicle diagnostic system
AssigneeInnova Electronics Corporation
InventorIeon C. Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicular diagnostic communications system, and components thereof, are provided for an apparatus and technique for communicating vehicular diagnostic information over a cellphone network. The system includes a code reader having a vehicle diagnostic port connector for receiving vehicle diagnostic information from the vehicle diagnostic port. The code reader also has a local connectivity network circuit for communicating vehicle diagnostic information between the vehicle diagnostic port connector and a local connectivity circuit. A cellphone is arranged in communication with the local connectivity network for communicating vehicle diagnostic information between the code reader and a cellular telephone network.
Claims20
A vehicular diagnostic system for use with a vehicle associated with vehicle identification information, the vehicular diagnostic system comprising:
- a diagnostic device having:
- a vehicle diagnostic port connector for receiving vehicle diagnostic data from a vehicle diagnostic port located on the vehicle;
- and
- a local wireless communication circuit, in communication with the vehicle diagnostic port, for communicating vehicle diagnostic data between the vehicle diagnostic port connector and a local wireless communication network;
- an intermediate wireless communication device in communication with the local wireless communication network for receiving vehicle diagnostic data from the diagnostic device;
- a diagnostic database in wireless communication with the intermediate wireless communication device, the diagnostic database being configured to match the diagnostic data from the vehicle with a most likely solution associated with a repair part;
- and
- a repair parts database in communication with the diagnostic database, the repair parts database being configured to match the repair part with a universal part identification number based in part on the vehicle identification information associated with the vehicle.
A method of diagnosing a vehicle having vehicle identification information, the method comprising the steps of:
- retrieving vehicle diagnostic data from the vehicle using a diagnostic device;
- communicating the vehicle diagnostic data from the diagnostic device to a remote diagnostic database using wireless communication therebetween;
- analyzing the vehicle diagnostic data at the diagnostic database to match the diagnostic data from the vehicle with a most likely solution associated with a repair part;
- and
- matching the repair part with a universal part identification number based in part on the vehicle identification information associated with the vehicle.
A wireless vehicular diagnostic communication system for wireless communication of vehicle diagnostic information from a vehicle to a remote service provider over a cellular telephone network, the system comprising:
- a hand transportable diagnostic device having a vehicle diagnostic port connector connectable to a vehicle diagnostic port for receiving the vehicle diagnostic information from the vehicle diagnostic port;
- the diagnostic device also having a diagnostic device local connectivity circuit for wireless communication of the vehicle diagnostic information between the diagnostic device and a wireless local connectivity network;
- and
- a cellphone having a cellphone local connectivity circuit for wireless communication with the wireless local connectivity network for communicating the vehicle diagnostic information between the diagnostic device and the cellular telephone via a first wireless communication pathway from the diagnostic device to the cellphone, the cellphone being in communication with the cellular telephone network for communicating the vehicle diagnostic information between the cellphone and the cellular telephone network via a second wireless communication pathway between the cellphone and the cellular telephone network, the cellular telephone network being in communication with the remote service provider for communicating the vehicle diagnostic information from the cellular telephone network to the remote service provider;
- wherein the diagnostic device comprises an autonomous data transfer circuit for communicating the vehicle diagnostic information between the code reader and the cellphone, in response to receipt of the vehicle diagnostic information at the diagnostic device diagnostic port connector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.