EP3011541B1 - Module and system for vehicle diagnosis - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a system and a method for vehicle diagnostics, in particular for motor vehicle diagnostics, which uses wireless data transmission.

State of the art

It is known in motor vehicle workshops to read out and analyze data from a motor vehicle control unit in order to determine errors and/or wear of components of the motor vehicle, such as the engine, in particular the injection system, the air conditioning system, the navigation system, the exhaust gas purification system, etc.

To do this, the vehicle must be taken to a workshop that will carry out the diagnosis. The visit to the workshop, for which an appointment usually has to be made, is time-consuming and inconvenient for the vehicle owner.

The US 2008/082221 A1 discloses a Vehicle Interface Module (VIM) that is connected to the vehicle via a SAE J1962 connector and has access to the vehicle ECU data. The VIM communicates with a mobile phone and sends it vehicle and location data. The mobile phone forwards this data to a web server. There the data is available for viewing or further processing by software applications. The VIM can perform vehicle diagnostics while the vehicle is on the road. A server is also disclosed that provides access management and personalization information. A dealer is selected based on the location information provided. It is also disclosed how the user can download installation software via their mobile phone when installing the VIM in the vehicle.

At the WO 2004/104604 and the EN 10 2006 009 098 A1 The data evaluation takes place in an evaluation unit outside the vehicle.

Disclosure of the invention

It is therefore an object of the invention to simplify motor vehicle diagnostics and to make them more convenient, in particular for the owner of the motor vehicle.

A diagnostic module is capable of reading diagnostic data relating, for example, to the engine, in particular the injection system, the air conditioning system, the navigation system and/or the exhaust gas purification system, from at least one control unit of a motor vehicle, analyzing it and transmitting analysis results wirelessly, in particular via a mobile network and/or the Internet, to a server.

For this purpose, a diagnostic module comprises in particular a communication unit which is designed to read diagnostic data from the control unit of the motor vehicle; a diagnostic unit which is designed to analyze the diagnostic data read by the communication unit in order to carry out a diagnosis of the motor vehicle; and a transmission unit which is designed to transmit data, which in particular comprise diagnostic data transmitted by the communication unit and/or results of the analysis, from the communication module, in particular via a mobile network and/or the Internet, to a server.

A system according to the invention for motor vehicle diagnosis comprises at least one diagnostic module and, in addition, a server which is designed to receive diagnostic data from the at least one diagnostic module, in particular via a mobile network and/or the Internet, and to make it available to at least one user. The server can in particular be designed to anonymize the diagnostic data before it is made available to the at least one user.

The transmission of the diagnostic data via the mobile network and/or the Internet can be encrypted in order to prevent unauthorized access to the data and/or spying on the data during transmission. With a system for motor vehicle diagnostics according to the invention, a motor vehicle owner can independently carry out a motor vehicle diagnosis at any time by establishing a data connection between the communication unit of the diagnostic module and the control unit of the motor vehicle at any time he wishes. For this purpose, the diagnostic module can be designed, for example, with a suitable connector that can be plugged into a corresponding socket (in particular an "on-board diagnostics (OBD) socket") of the motor vehicle.

Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit can be designed to communicate wirelessly, e.g. via a WLAN or Bluetooth ^® connection, with the control unit of the motor vehicle in order to exchange diagnostic data. Wireless data transmission between the motor vehicle and the communication unit is particularly convenient for the motor vehicle owner, as he does not have to search, e.g. in the footwell or engine compartment of the motor vehicle, for a suitable, possibly difficult to access and/or possibly dirty socket in order to establish the data connection between the diagnostic module and the vehicle's control unit.

The diagnostic module additionally has a diagnostic module receiving unit which is designed to receive data from the server, in particular via a mobile radio network and/or the Internet. By receiving data from a suitably designed server, which in particular has a correspondingly suitable transmitting device or is connected to such a transmitting device, the diagnostic module can be remotely controlled by the server.

According to the invention, after the diagnostic module has determined the exact type of motor vehicle by reading the type of motor vehicle and/or a vehicle identification number (Vehicle Communication Number, VIN) uniquely assigned to the motor vehicle from the motor vehicle's control unit and transmitting it to the server, a suitably designed server can select a suitable diagnostic software that is specifically adapted to the respective motor vehicle and transmit it to the diagnostic module via the wireless data connection. In this way, the motor vehicle diagnosis can always be carried out by the diagnostic module using up-to-date diagnostic software that is optimally adapted to the respective specific vehicle type.

In one embodiment, the server additionally has a user data receiving device, which is designed in particular to receive SMS and/or email messages. The server is then preferably designed to display the user data received by the user data receiving device together with the diagnostic data obtained from the diagnostic module. In this way, the motor vehicle owner can transmit additional information, e.g. his name and/or his contact details, including his telephone number, to the server by sending an SMS or email message to the server.

The contact details transmitted in this way can then be displayed together with the diagnostic data to enable a workshop that has Diagnostic data as necessary to enable the repair order to be accepted by the vehicle owner. The display of additional user data may be linked to the vehicle owner releasing the data by giving his consent to the display of the data, so that the data is only displayed after appropriate authorization by the vehicle owner. In one embodiment, the vehicle owner can also determine that the data is only displayed to members of a selected group of users who have authenticated themselves to the server, e.g. by entering a password, a key card or similar.

In one embodiment, the diagnostic module is additionally equipped with a location determination module, e.g. a GPS module, which makes it possible to determine the current position of the motor vehicle and to transmit the current position data of the motor vehicle to the server via the transmitting device, so that the server can display the current position of the motor vehicle together with the diagnostic data belonging to the motor vehicle.

Alternatively or additionally, the server can be designed to display suitable workshops, preferably located near the current position of the motor vehicle, based on the transmitted position data and the known vehicle type and/or to contact them at the request of the motor vehicle owner to inquire whether they can take on the current repair order. In this way, suitable workshops near the current position of the motor vehicle can be particularly easily identified and conveniently contacted by the motor vehicle owner.

The diagnostic module can in particular have small dimensions and is preferably no larger than a standard cigarette pack. The diagnostic module can be purchased or rented, for example, in a commercial establishment such as a petrol station, a car dealership, a workshop and/or a shopping centre in order to carry out a motor vehicle diagnosis.

Character description:

• Figur 1 eine schematische Ansicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Diagnosesystems mit einem Kraftfahrzeug; und
• Figur 2 eine schematische vergrößerte Ansicht eines Diagnosemoduls eines erfindungsgemäßen Diagnosesystems, wie es in der Fig. 1 gezeigt ist.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the attached figures.

• Figure 1 a schematic view of an embodiment of a diagnostic system according to the invention with a motor vehicle; and
• Figure 2 a schematic enlarged view of a diagnostic module of a diagnostic system according to the invention, as shown in the Fig.1 is shown.

Figure 1 shows schematically a motor vehicle 2 with a control unit 4, with which a diagnostic module 6 can be connected via a Figure 1 not visible, plug connection.

The diagnostic module 6 is designed to Figure 1 not shown the connector to read diagnostic data from the control unit 4 of the motor vehicle 2 and via a Figure 1 schematically shown antenna 16 to transmit wirelessly to an associated receiving station 8.

The antenna 16 is in the Figure 1 shown outside the motor vehicle 2 for reasons of better illustration only. The antenna 16 can also, unlike in the Figure 1 shown, be arranged entirely within the motor vehicle 2 and/or within the diagnostic module 6.

The received diagnostic data are transmitted from the receiving station 8 to a suitable server 12, e.g. via the Internet 10, for example using a cloud service. The server 12 is designed to anonymize the received diagnostic data if necessary and to display at least part of the received diagnostic data on a suitable display device 26.

The display device 26 can be arranged, e.g. in the form of a screen, directly on or in the server 12. Additionally or alternatively, further display devices 28 can be provided which are installed at a greater spatial distance, e.g. in workshops connected to the diagnostic system, and are also connected to the server 12 via the Internet 10, in particular a cloud service.

The server 12 also has a receiving device 14 which is designed to receive SMS and/or email messages which may have been sent in particular by the owner of the motor vehicle. For this purpose, a telephone number and/or email address to which the SMS or email message is to be sent so that it can be received by the server 12 can be printed on the diagnostic module 6 or the accessories such as the operating instructions and/or the packaging of the diagnostic module 6.

The server 12 is designed to display the additional data transmitted by SMS or email, possibly after approval by the vehicle owner, together with the diagnostic data of the vehicle 2 that have been transmitted by the diagnostic module 6, on at least one of the display devices 26, 28. In this way, workshops that are interested in taking on a repair order resulting from the vehicle diagnosis can contact the vehicle owner using the data transmitted by the vehicle owner by SMS or email, e.g. to arrange a workshop appointment and/or the collection of the vehicle 2.

The Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a diagnostic module 6 in an enlarged schematic view.

The Figure 2 The embodiment of the diagnostic module 6 shown in the Figure 2 The side shown on the left has a suitable connector 24 which makes it possible to plug the diagnostic module 6 into a suitable socket which is electrically connected to a control unit 4 of the motor vehicle 2 in order to establish a data connection between the control unit 4 and the diagnostic module 6. The socket can in particular be a so-called on-board diagnostic socket ("OBD socket").

The diagnostic module 6 also has a communication unit 18 which is designed to read diagnostic data required for a motor vehicle diagnosis from the control unit 4 of the motor vehicle 2 via the data connection established with the connector 24 and to transmit it to a diagnostic unit 20 which is also provided in the diagnostic module 6.

The diagnostic unit 20, which can in particular comprise a microprocessor, is designed to carry out a diagnosis of the motor vehicle 2 on the basis of the diagnostic data transmitted by the communication unit 18. In a first step, the diagnostic unit 20 can read the type and/or the vehicle identification number (“Vehicle Communication Number”, VIN) of the motor vehicle 2 currently being examined from the control unit 4 and transmit this data to the server 12 via a transmitting unit 22, which is formed in the diagnostic module 6, the antenna 16, the wireless data connection 34, which can in particular be established via a mobile radio network, the receiving station 8 and the Internet 10.

The server 12 then determines a diagnostic software that is optimally suited for the motor vehicle 2 currently being examined and transmits it via the Internet 10, a transmitting device 9 and the wireless data connection 34 to the diagnostic unit 20, which receives the transmitted diagnostic software with a suitable diagnostic module receiving unit 32 and imports it into the diagnostic unit 20.

The transmitting device 9 can be formed integrally with or separately from the receiving station 8.

The diagnostic unit 20 then carries out a diagnosis of the motor vehicle 2 using the current diagnostic software that is optimally tailored to the vehicle type to be examined, which has been transmitted from the server 12 to the diagnostic module 6 as described above, using the diagnostic data read out by the communication unit from the control unit 4 of the motor vehicle 2 and sends the diagnostic results with the aid of the transmitting unit 22 and the antenna 16 to the receiving station 8, which transmits the diagnostic results to the server 12 via the Internet 10, in particular a cloud service.

The diagnostic results can be displayed on at least one of the display devices 26, 28, in particular if a fault and/or maintenance requirement of the motor vehicle 2 has been determined during the diagnosis of the motor vehicle 2.

In order to ensure the anonymity of the vehicle owner, the diagnostic results can be anonymized before they are displayed so that no conclusions can be drawn about the identity of the vehicle owner and/or the vehicle 2 from the data displayed. The anonymization can be lifted by the vehicle owner if necessary to enable a workshop to contact the vehicle owner, e.g. to arrange a workshop appointment.

The Figure 2 The diagnostic module 6 shown is additionally equipped with a location determination module 30, in particular a GPS module, which makes it possible to determine the current position of the motor vehicle 2 and to transmit current position data of the motor vehicle 2 to the server via the transmitting device 22. 12 so that the server 12 can display the current position of the motor vehicle 2 together with the associated diagnostic data. In this way, it is particularly easy to locate the motor vehicle 2 in order to determine the nearest workshop and/or to provide assistance in the event of a breakdown.

In order to prevent unwanted monitoring of the vehicle owner, the diagnostic module 6 and/or the server 12 can be designed such that they only determine and/or display the current position of the vehicle 2 if this function has been enabled by the vehicle owner, e.g. after a breakdown.

Claims (9)

1. System for vehicle diagnosis having a diagnosis module (6) and a server (12), wherein the diagnosis module (6) comprises:

   a) a communication unit (18) which is designed for data transmission with a control unit (4) of a motor vehicle (2);

   b) a diagnosis unit (20) which is designed to carry out a diagnosis of the motor vehicle (2) on the basis of the diagnosis data transmitted from the control unit (4) to the communication unit (18);

   c) a transmit unit (22) which is designed to transmit diagnosis data from the diagnosis module (6) via a mobile radio network and/or the Internet from the diagnosis module (6) to a server (12);

   d) a receive unit (32) which is designed to receive data from the server via a mobile radio network and/or the Internet;

   wherein the type of the motor vehicle and/or a vehicle identification number uniquely assigned to the motor vehicle is read from the control unit (4) into the diagnosis module (6) and is transmitted from the diagnosis module (6) to the server (12);

   wherein the server (12) is designed to evaluate the received type of the motor vehicle and/or the vehicle identification number uniquely assigned to the motor vehicle in order to select suitable diagnosis software specially adapted to the respective motor vehicle and transmit it to the diagnosis module (6);

   wherein diagnosis data are read from the control unit (4) into the diagnosis module (6), and a vehicle diagnosis is carried out with the diagnosis software transmitted to the diagnosis module (6), and the results of the vehicle diagnosis, and optionally the diagnosis data also, are transmitted from the diagnosis module (6) to the server (12).
2. System according to Claim 1, wherein the diagnosis module (6) is connectable via a plug-in connection (24) which, in particular, comprises an OSB socket, to the control unit (4) of a motor vehicle (2) for the data transmission.
3. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the diagnosis module (6) is connectable via a radio connection, in particular a Bluetooth and/or WLAN connection, to the control unit (4) of a motor vehicle (2) for the data transmission.
4. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the diagnosis module (6) has a location determination module (30) which is designed to determine the current position of the motor vehicle (2); and wherein the transmit unit (22) is designed to transmit, in addition to the diagnosis data received from the control unit (6), position data which describe the current position of the motor vehicle (2) to the server (12) .
5. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the server (12) is designed to provide diagnosis data for retrieval; and
   the receive station (8) is designed to receive diagnosis data from the diagnosis module (6) and forward said diagnosis data to the server (12).
6. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the server (12) is designed to anonymize the received data.
7. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the server (12) is designed to receive position data from the diagnosis module (6) and to identify and display workshops close to the motor vehicle (2) on the basis of the received position data, and/or to contact at least one of the identified workshops.
8. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the server (12) additionally has a user data receive device (14) and is designed to display user data received from the user data receive device (14) together with the diagnosis data, wherein the user data receive device (14) is designed, in particular, to receive SMS messages and/or emails.
9. Method for vehicle diagnosis with a system according to Claim 1, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

   i) reading the type of the motor vehicle and/or a vehicle identification number uniquely assigned to the motor vehicle from a control unit (4) of the motor vehicle into the diagnosis module (6), and transmitting these data from the diagnosis module (6) to the server (12);

   ii) evaluating the type of the motor vehicle and/or the vehicle identification number uniquely assigned to the motor vehicle in the server (12) in order to select suitable diagnosis software specially adapted to the respective vehicle, and transmitting the selected diagnosis software from the server (12) to the diagnosis module (6);

   iii) reading diagnosis data from the control unit (4) of the motor vehicle into the diagnosis module (6);

   iv) performing a diagnosis of the motor vehicle (2) on the basis of the diagnosis data read from the control unit (4) with the previously transmitted diagnosis software; and

   v) transmitting the results of the vehicle diagnosis and optionally, in addition, the diagnosis data from the diagnosis module (6) via a mobile radio network and/or the Internet to the server (12).

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