# US 8,751,099 B2 · Method and apparatus for data acquistion, data management, and report generation for tractor trailer subsystem testing and maintenance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,099 B2 - Document ID: US8751099B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/015,798 - Filed: 2013-08-30 - Published: 2014-05-01 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-01 - Assignees: LITE-CHECK Fleet Solutions, Inc. - Applicants: Lite-Check Fleet Solutions, Inc. - Inventors: Robert Marion Blair - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751099B2 ## CPC - G01M 17/007: Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles (G01M17/08 takes precedence) - G06Q 10/20: Administration of product repair or maintenance - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - G07C 2205/02: using a vehicle scan tool - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract Techniques for operating, testing, and generating a testing report for the electrical and air subsystems of a vehicular trailer, without the use of an associated truck tractor are disclosed. The system includes a portable testing unit with self-powered electrical and air subsystems which are interconnected to the corresponding subsystems of the vehicular trailer under test. The portable testing unit can be rolled about on a stand and functions as a mini-truck tractor, in the sense that it selectively provides electrical power and air to the VUT. The testing unit is controlled by a small, portable hand held radio frequency remote control that communicates test and data signals to a radio receiver in the portable testing unit. The system acquires testing data from both automatic and manual means from disparate sources. The system stores the testing data and automatically generates testing reports. The system manages the testing data and generated reports. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for data acquisition, data management, and report generation for testing systems of a vehicle, the method comprising: coupling a portable testing unit to a plurality of subsystems of the vehicle via a connector, wherein the portable testing unit includes an electrical power supply and a pneumatic power supply; operating a selected subsystem of the plurality of subsystems by selectively delivering electrical and pneumatic power from at least one of the electrical power supply or the pneumatic power supply to the selected subsystem through the connector, wherein the selected subsystem includes at least one of an electrical light component or a pneumatic brake mechanism; capturing raw test data in a first electronic file, wherein the raw test data is generated in response to the operation of the selected subsystem and encodes information relating to the operational performance of the selected subsystem and wherein the raw test data includes at least one of voltage, amperage, or air pressure; analyzing a data stream with a processor device, wherein the data stream includes the raw test data; generating a processed data set based on the analysis of the data stream; generating a final test report with the processor device based on at least the processed data set; and storing the final test report in a second electronic file. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the portable testing unit includes a first radio-frequency (RF) transceiver and is operated by a hand-held operating device which includes a second RF transceiver, wherein the portable testing unit and the hand-held operating device are configured to communicate by employing the respective RF transceivers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data stream includes auxiliary information acquired at least in part via a user manually providing information to the portable testing unit or a hand-held operating device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the raw test data is determined based on a plurality of data signals received at the portable testing unit through the connector. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the data stream to an analysis server, wherein the analysis server analyzes the data stream and generates the final test report. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data stream further includes historical test data of the vehicle or a plurality of vehicles of which the vehicle is a member and the final test report is based on at least a portion of the historical test data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically generating a report specifying a work order or acquisition of a replacement part based at least in part on the processed data set. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing computer-executable instructions for configuring a computing system to acquire data and generate reports for automatically testing systems of a vehicle, by performing operations comprising: coupling a portable testing unit to a plurality of subsystems of the vehicle via a connector, wherein the portable testing unit includes an electrical power supply and a pneumatic power supply; operating a selected subsystem of the plurality of subsystems by selectively delivering electrical or pneumatic power from at least one of the electrical power supply or the pneumatic power supply to the selected subsystem through the connector, wherein the selected subsystem includes at least one of an electrical light component or a pneumatic brake mechanism; capturing raw test data in a first electronic file, wherein the raw test data is generated in response to the operation of the selected subsystem and encodes information relating to the operational performance of the selected subsystem and wherein the raw test data includes at least one of voltage, amperage, or air pressure; analyzing a data stream with a processor device, wherein the data stream includes the raw test data; generating a processed data set based on the analysis of the data stream; generating a final test report with the processor device based on at least the processed data set; and storing the final test report in a second electronic file. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the portable testing unit includes a first radio-frequency (RF) transceiver and is operated by a hand-held operating device which includes a second RF transceiver, wherein the portable testing unit and the hand-held operating device are configured to communicate by employing the respective RF transceivers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the data stream includes auxiliary information acquired at least in part via a user manually providing information to the portable testing unit or a hand-held operating device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the raw test data is determined based on a plurality of data signals received at the portable testing unit through the connector. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising: transmitting the data stream to an analysis server, wherein the analysis server analyzes the data stream and generates the final test report. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the data stream further includes historical test data of the vehicle or a plurality of vehicles of which the vehicle is a member of and the final test report is based on at least a portion of the historical test data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising automatically generating a report specifying a work order or acquisition of a replacement part based on the processed data set. ### Claim 15 A portable testing unit for testing systems of a vehicle, the portable testing unit comprising: an electrical testing subsystem; a pneumatic testing subsystem; a connector configured to couple the electrical testing subsystem and the pneumatic testing subsystem to a plurality of subsystems of the vehicle; wherein the portable testing unit is configured to: operate a selected subsystem of the plurality of subsystems by selectively delivering electrical or pneumatic power from at least one of an electrical power supply or a pneumatic power supply to the selected subsystem through the connector, wherein the selected subsystem includes at least one of an electrical light component or a pneumatic brake mechanism; and capture raw test data in a first electronic file, wherein the raw test data is generated in response to the operation of the selected subsystem and encodes information relating to the operational performance of the selected subsystem and wherein the raw test data includes at least one of voltage, amperage, or air pressure; and a processor configured to: analyze a data stream, wherein the data stream comprises the raw test data; generate a processed data set based on the analysis of the data stream; generate a final test report based on at least the processed data set and a characterization of the selected subsystem; and store the final test report in a second electronic file. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The portable testing unit of claim 15, wherein the portable testing unit includes a first radio-frequency (RF) transceiver and is operated by a hand-held operating device which includes a second RF transceiver, wherein the portable testing unit and the hand-held operating device are configured to communicate by employing the respective RF transceivers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The portable testing unit of claim 15, wherein the data stream includes auxiliary information acquired at least in part via a user manually providing information to the portable testing unit or a hand-held operating device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The portable testing unit of claim 15, wherein the raw data is determined based on a plurality of data signals received at the portable testing unit through the connector. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The portable testing unit of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the data stream to an analysis server, wherein the analysis server analyzes the data stream and generates the final test report. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The portable testing unit of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically generate a report specifying a work order or acquisition of a replacement part based on the processed data set.