Multi-protocol vehicle diagnostic interface device and method

A multi-protocol vehicle diagnostic interface device, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory communicating with said processor and containing indicators of vehicle operational parameters from which a user may select to set up different ones of multiple filters;
• a communication module communicating with said processor;
• a calculation module communicating with said processor;
• and
• a plurality of protocol bus modules supporting different multiple vehicle diagnostic protocols and having multiple filters for set up in correspondence with the indicators of user-selected parameters;
• wherein said processor is configured to control said memory and modules to cooperate with one another to
• find the correct vehicle diagnostic protocol out of multiple supported vehicle diagnostic protocols,
• define the indicators corresponding to user-selected parameters by saving user-initiated filter setups,
• read data regarding user-selected parameters from a vehicle diagnostic communication port according to the filter setups,
• make calculations of the user-selected parameters,
• modify vehicle messages regarding the calculations to form vehicle messages having a unified format with a similar frame or frames regardless of the correct vehicle diagnostic protocol found;
• push said vehicle messages having said unified format to the communication module where said vehicle messages are wrapped in output messages having a unified structure;
• and
• output the output messages to an external communications device.

A multi-protocol vehicle diagnostic interface method, comprising:

• finding the correct vehicle onboard computer diagnostic protocol out of different multiple supported vehicle diagnostic protocols;
• defining the indicators corresponding to different user-selected multiple vehicle operational parameters by saving user-initiated filter setups;
• reading data regarding the user-selected parameters from a vehicle diagnostic communication port according to the filter setups;
• prior to pushing the data to a communication module, modifying the data depending on the correct vehicle diagnostic protocol found to form vehicle messages regarding the user-selected parameters, the vehicle messages being modified to have a unified format with a similar frame or frames regardless of the correct vehicle diagnostic protocol found;
• pushing the vehicle messages having said unified format to the communication module where said vehicle messages are wrapped in output messages having a unified structure;
• and
• outputting the output messages to an external communication device.