US 6,192,303 B1Granted

Vehicle diagnosing apparatus

AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsKeiji Takakura, Hiroyuki Aiba

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A portable diagnosing unit is connected to an electronic control unit (ECU) which is mounted on a vehicle. The diagnosing of the vehicle is performed by the portable diagnosing unit via the ECU according to the diagnosing program corresponding to the kind of ECU. The diagnosing data are transmitted to the host computer for processing. In this vehicle diagnosing apparatus, a diagnosing program for each kind of ECU is stored in the host computer. A diagnosing program corresponding to that kind of ECU which is read out by the portable diagnosing unit is transmitted from the host computer to the portable diagnosing unit. When the kind of ECU of the preceding vehicle is the same as the kind of ECU of the succeeding vehicle, the diagnosing program that was earlier received by the portable diagnosing unit which is connected to the ECU of the preceding vehicle is transmitted from that portable diagnosing unit to the portable diagnosing unit which is connected to the ECU of the succeeding vehicle.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A vehicle diagnosing apparatus comprising:

a portable diagnosing unit which is connected to an electronic control unit mounted on a vehicle;
and
a host computer which wirelessly communicates with said portable diagnosing unit such that the vehicle is diagnosed by said portable diagnosing unit via said electronic control unit according to a diagnosing program corresponding to the kind of electronic control unit and that diagnosing data are transmitted from said portable diagnosing unit to said host computer for processing the diagnosing data therein;
characterized in:
that said host computer comprises a memory means for storing therein a diagnosing program of each kind of electronic control unit;
and
that a diagnosing program corresponding to those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the vehicle is transmitted from said host computer to said portable diagnosing unit;
wherein said portable diagnosing unit is provided in a plurality of units;
and
wherein, when those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by a portable diagnosing unit connected to an electronic control unit of a proceeding vehicle coincide with those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by a portable diagnosing unit connected to an electronic control unit of a succeeding vehicle, a diagnosing program received by said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the preceding vehicle is transmitted from said portable diagnosing unit of the preceding vehicle to said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the succeeding vehicle.

7 more elements

A vehicle diagnosing apparatus comprising:

a portable diagnosing unit which is connected to an electronic control unit mounted on a vehicle;
and
a host computer which wirelessly communicates with said portable diagnosing unit such that the vehicle is diagnosed by said portable diagnosing unit via said electronic control unit according to a diagnosing program corresponding to the kind of electronic control unit and that diagnosing data are transmitted from said portable diagnosing unit to said host computer for processing the diagnosing data therein;
characterized in:
that said host computer comprises a memory means for storing therein a diagnosing program of each kind of electronic control unit;
and
that a diagnosing program corresponding to those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the vehicle is transmitted from said host computer to said portable diagnosing unit;
wherein said memory means of said host computer contains therein various kinds of diagnosing function programs which are constituent elements of said diagnosing program;
said portable diagnosing unit further comprises a memory means for storing therein flag data which determine a combination of diagnosing function programs and which are prepared for each kind of electronic control unit;
wherein diagnosing function programs which are designated by the flag data corresponding to the data on the kind of electronic control unit are transmitted as said diagnosing program from said host computer to said portable diagnosing unit;
wherein said portable diagnosing unit is provided in a plurality of units;
and
wherein, when those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by a portable diagnosing unit connected to an electronic control unit of a preceding vehicle coincide with those data on the kind of electronic control unit which are read by a portable diagnosing unit connected to an electronic control unit of a succeeding vehicle, diagnosing function programs received by said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the preceding vehicle are transmitted from said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the preceding vehicle to said portable diagnosing unit connected to said electronic control unit of the succeeding vehicle.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.