Method and device for identifying vehicles

A vehicle diagnostic unit for vehicle repair, comprising:

• a device for identifying a vehicle, the device having:
• an input interface configured to receive a first input of feature specificities of first features of the vehicle and an intended diagnosis of the vehicle by a user;
• a database device storing a component model, an identification model, and an information unit model, wherein definitions of vehicle components are stored as component instances in the component model, associations of features and corresponding feature specificities are stored in the identification model, and the information unit model stores items of diagnostic information and relations of the items of diagnostic information to the associated feature specificities stored in the identification model as well as component instances stored in the component model;
• a calculation device configured to ascertain, on a basis of the first input and with an aid of the component instances, associations and relations stored in the database device, second features of the vehicle which enable an unequivocal identification of the vehicle in relation to the intended diagnosis;
• and
• an output device configured to output to the user the second features ascertained by the calculation device;
• wherein the input interface is configured to receive a second input of feature specificities of the second features of the vehicle by the user, and
• wherein the calculation device is configured to ascertain, as a function of the second input, a relation associated with the intended diagnosis from the information unit model of the database device;
• and
• a diagnostic device configured to execute a test program for the vehicle, the diagnostic device controlling the test program as a function of the relation associated with the intended diagnosis ascertained by the calculation device.

A method for identifying and diagnosing a vehicle for vehicle repair, comprising:

• receiving a first input of feature specificities of first features of the vehicle and an intended diagnosis of the vehicle by a user via an input interface;
• ascertaining, by a calculation device, second features of the vehicle which enable an unequivocal identification of the vehicle in relation to the intended diagnosis, as a function of the first input, the calculation device ascertaining the second features with an aid of a database device which stores (i) a component model in which definitions of vehicle components are stored as component instances, (ii) an identification model in which associations of features and corresponding feature specificities are stored, and (iii) an information unit model which contains items of diagnostic information and relations of the items of diagnostic information to the associated feature specificities stored in the identification model as well as the component instances stored in the component model;
• outputting the second features ascertained by the calculation device to the user via an output device;
• receiving a second input of feature specificities of the second features of the vehicle via the input interface by the user;
• and
• ascertaining, by the calculation device, a relation associated with the intended diagnosis from the information unit model of the database device, as a function of the second input.