System and method for vehicle diagnostic tester coordination

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a "system and method for vehicle diagnostic tester coordination". A method and apparatus for coordinating multiple vehicle diagnostic testers are disclosed. An exemplary vehicle includes an off-vehicle diagnostic tester port, an in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) tester, and a gateway module. The gateway module is configured to enable communication with the IVD tester, determine that a diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles, and responsively block communication with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is related to application attorney docket number 026780-8958 filed on November 20, 2017. The contents of the related application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle system diagnostics, and more particularly to systems and methods for on-vehicle and off-vehicle diagnostic tester coordination. Background Art

[0004] Modern vehicles may include many systems related to locomotion, power control, lighting, passenger comfort, etc. These systems are often electronically coupled together using a communication bus so that one or more systems can issue commands, request information, and otherwise access data or information collected by the various systems.

[0005] Diagnostic information may be collected and used by one or more systems to provide indications to the driver (eg, warning lights) as well as to provide information regarding the status of various systems (eg, emissions data, vehicle computer health, etc.). Summary of the invention

[0006] The attached claims define the present application. This disclosure summarizes aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon studying the following drawings and detailed description, other implementations are contemplated based on the techniques described herein, and these implementations are intended to fall within the scope of the present application.

[0007] Exemplary embodiments describing systems, apparatus, and methods for coordinating a diagnostic tester of a vehicle communication network are shown. An exemplary disclosed vehicle includes an off-vehicle diagnostic tester port, an in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) tester, and a gateway module. The gateway module is configured to enable communication with the IVD tester, determine that a diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles, and responsively block communication with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port.

[0008] An exemplary disclosed method for controlling a diagnostic tester of a vehicle includes enabling, by a gateway module, communication with an in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) tester. The method also includes determining, by the gateway module, that a diagnostic tool is coupled to an off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles. And the method also includes responsively blocking communication with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the embodiments shown in the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and related elements may be omitted, or in some cases the proportions may be exaggerated in order to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. Additionally, as is known in the art, the system components may be arranged in different ways. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same reference numerals represent corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0010] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram of electronic components of a vehicle.

[0012] Figure 3 A flow chart of an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] While the invention may be embodied in various forms, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are shown in the drawings and will be described below, it being understood that this disclosure is considered as an example of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments shown.

[0014] As described above, a vehicle may include one or more systems or devices that are configured to collect information about the vehicle and provide the information for use by one or more other systems or devices. Some such systems may be referred to as on-board or in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) testers. These IVD testers may be internal vehicle components that are configured to monitor the status of one or more vehicle systems in order to provide warnings and alerts to the driver or other parties. A given vehicle may have multiple IVD testers, each of which is configured to monitor and / or provide alerts to a specific scenario.

[0015] The vehicle may also include an off-board diagnostic tester port into which a diagnostic tool may be plugged in. The diagnostic tool may be an aftermarket tool, such as a vehicle insurance company plug-in that may be used to monitor speed, vehicle usage, and other vehicle characteristics. Other exemplary diagnostic tools may include emission testing tools, manufacturer or maintenance tools, legally required vehicle operation tools, and the like.

[0016] The vehicle may also include an electronic control unit (ECU) that is configured to collect vehicle information via sensors, control various vehicle systems, and otherwise interact with other systems and devices on the vehicle communication network.

[0017] Some vehicle communication networks may include multiple different communication buses, each configured to allow communication between one or more ECUs, IVD testers, diagnostic tools, and other systems or devices. These communication buses (in addition to various computing systems and devices) may be configured to operate using the CAN protocol.

[0018] Within the framework of the apparatus and system described above (and elsewhere in this disclosure), problems may arise due to the fact that the communication framework may only allow one diagnostic tester to communicate with an ECU at a given time. Thus, problems may arise if two or more diagnostic testers request access to the same ECU. Furthermore, if one diagnostic tester constantly requests access to the ECU, other diagnostic testers may be prevented from requesting and receiving information.

[0019] Additional communication network limitations may include that many vehicles' off-board diagnostic tester ports are hardwired to one or more communication buses, meaning that when a diagnostic tool is plugged into the port, it is not possible to prevent the diagnostic tool from requesting information from various ECUs on the various communication buses to which it is hardwired. Thus, if the diagnostic tool requests information at the same time that an ECU is providing information to a different diagnostic tester, confusion may occur, resulting in communication problems, lost or mixed information requests, or even a shutdown of the communication network.

[0020] These problems may be particularly evident in situations where diagnostic tools (such as insurance dongles, GPS units for monitoring vehicle location, or other permanent or semi-permanent plug-in diagnostic tools) are plugged into or coupled to the off-board diagnostic tester port during normal operation of the vehicle. These diagnostic tools may continually request access to vehicle information from one or more ECUs, thereby interfering with in-vehicle diagnostic tester communication requests that occur as part of normal vehicle operation. For example, one or more in-vehicle diagnostic testers may be used while the vehicle is in motion to check for error codes or other faults that should be reported to the driver so that he or she can take corrective action and ensure safe operation of the vehicle. If these in-vehicle diagnostic testers fail to operate properly, the driver may not be made aware of important safety issues.

[0021] In view of the above problems, the examples disclosed herein may include providing a network or communication architecture that enables multiple in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) testers and off-vehicle diagnostic tools plugged into ports to coexist and operate without causing communication errors or interfering with each other. The gateway module can be used to coordinate IVD tester and off-vehicle diagnostic tool requests while maintaining the ability to allow emission tools, manufacturing or maintenance tools, and other tools to operate normally. The examples herein can determine one or more characteristics of a plug-in diagnostic tool to determine whether it will block or prevent the tool from accessing one or more ECUs for a period of time. By blocking or blocking the tool, the in-vehicle tester may be able to request and receive information to allow them to operate normally.

[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle 100 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle 100 may be a standard gasoline powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or any other type of vehicle that enables mobility. The vehicle 100 may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, or autonomous. The vehicle 100 may include components related to mobility, such as a powertrain with an engine, a transmission, a suspension, a drive shaft, and / or wheels, etc. In the example shown, the vehicle 100 may include one or more electronic components (as described below with respect to Figure 2 described above).

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown in , vehicle 100 may include an off-board diagnostic tester port 102 into which a diagnostic tool 104 may be inserted, an on-board diagnostic tester 106 , a gateway module 108 , and an ECU 110 , which may be communicatively coupled via communication buses 112 and 114 .

[0024] The off-board diagnostic tester port 102 may include an SAE J1962 connector having a plurality of pins configured to couple to a diagnostic tool, such as tool 104. The off-board diagnostic tester port 102 may be coupled to the gateway module 108 via the communication bus 114. The diagnostic tool 104 may be any device configured to be plugged into or coupled to the off-board diagnostic tester port 102. For example, the diagnostic tool 104 may be a safety device (such as a PROGRESSIVE TM dongle), a positioning device configured to monitor the vehicle's location via GPS, or other tools. Each tool can be configured to request and receive information from various vehicle ECUs, such as vehicle speed, acceleration, location, and other types of information determined by vehicle sensors.

[0025] In some examples, the diagnostic tool can be configured to request access to information from one or more ECUs multiple times per second. The gateway module can be configured to grant access to only one diagnostic tester (e.g., a diagnostic tool or an IVD tester) at a time. And the gateway module can also be configured to give the diagnostic tool priority over the IVD tester to ensure that any maintenance or manufacturing tools inserted are not denied access. In these examples, because the diagnostic tool takes precedence over the IVD tester, it may be difficult or impossible for the IVD tester to request and receive information.

[0026] The IVD tester 106 may include one or more processors and / or memories and may be configured to request information about other vehicle systems in order to determine whether an error or fault code, alarm, or other warning should be provided to the driver or other party. Some IVD testers may be related to vehicle computing system health, vehicle emissions, vehicle engine characteristics, etc. The IVD tester 106 may be embedded in the vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled to one or more communication buses so that it does not require access to an external port or plug-in to operate. Thus, the IVD tester 106 may be separate from a plug-in module coupled to the vehicle via the external port 102.

[0027] ECU 110 can monitor and control one or more subsystems of vehicle 100. ECU 110 can transmit and exchange information via communication bus 112. Additionally, ECU 106 can transmit attributes (such as the state of ECU 110, sensor readings, control states, errors and diagnostic codes, etc.) to other ECUs, diagnostic testers, or other systems or devices and / or receive requests from other ECUs, diagnostic testers, or other systems or devices. Some vehicles may have seventy or more ECUs located at various locations around the vehicle, which are communicatively coupled via vehicle data bus 112. ECU 106 may be a collection of discrete electronic devices that includes its own one or more circuits (such as integrated circuits, microprocessors, memory, storage devices, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and / or mounting hardware.

[0028] Some exemplary ECUs may include an engine control unit, a powertrain control module, a body control module, a driver seat module, a driver door module, an anti-lock braking system, a telematics control unit, etc. Each ECU may include one or more sensors, systems, or devices configured to collect information about one or more vehicle characteristics that are specific to a given ECU.

[0029] In some examples, each ECU may be configured to receive a request for information and responsively transmit the requested information via the communication bus 112. In addition, one or more ECUs may also include an IVD tester that may be configured to request information from other ECUs for use by the ECU of which it is a part.

[0030] The communication buses 112 and 114 may communicatively couple various systems and devices of the vehicle 100, including the IVD tester 106, the off-board diagnostic tester port 102, the ECU 110, and the gateway module 108. In some examples, the communication buses 112 and 114 may be implemented according to the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus protocol defined by the International Standards Organization (ISO) 11898-1. Alternatively, in some examples, the communication buses 112 and 114 may be a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) bus or a CAN Flexible Data (CAN-FD) bus (ISO 11898-7). Although Figure 1 Two communication buses are shown, but it will be appreciated that other numbers of communication buses may be used.

[0031] The gateway module 108 may include one or more processors and / or memories and may be configured to perform one or more actions or functions described herein. In the case where the vehicle includes multiple communication buses, the gateway module 108 may be communicatively coupled to all data buses. This may allow requests from an IVD tester (or diagnostic tool) coupled to a first bus to be distributed to one or more other buses, which may be coupled to a specific ECU requested by the IVD tester or diagnostic tool. The gateway module may also be configured to deny access to one or more communication buses, thereby preventing one or more IVD testers or diagnostic tools from communicating.

[0032] Thus, the gateway module 108 can be configured to act as middleware for IVD testers, diagnostic tools, and ECUs coupled to the same or different communication buses. The gateway module 108 can also be configured to receive requests from various IVD testers and diagnostic tools and grant access one at a time so that multiple requests are not active at the same time and confusion about the source, destination, and / or requested information does not occur.

[0033] The vehicle 100 may also have one or more systems or devices configured to communicate with the remote computing device 120. For example, the vehicle 100 may include one or more antennas, processors, and other systems or devices that enable wired or wireless communication via one or more communication protocols. The remote computing device 120 may be a server or other cloud-based device that is configured to provide computing system updates to the computing system of the vehicle 100. Thus, the remote computing device 120 may be controlled by the vehicle manufacturer and configured to push updates to the vehicle 100.

[0034] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram 200 is shown that illustrates electronic components of a vehicle 100, according to some embodiments. In the example shown, the electronic components 200 include a gateway module 208, a plurality of IVD testers 206A-206D, an off-board diagnostic tester port 202, and a plurality of ECUs 210A-210D, all of which are communicatively coupled via a plurality of communication buses 212, 214, 216, 218, and 220. Figure 2 Also shown is a diagnostic tool 204 coupled to the off-board diagnostic tester port 202 .

[0035] Each ECU, IVD tester, off-board diagnostic tester port, diagnostic tool and / or gateway module may include a microcontroller unit, a controller or processor and a memory. The processor may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices, such as but not limited to a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory may be a volatile memory (e.g., including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc. RAM), a non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, FLASH memory, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile solid-state memory based on memristor, etc.), an immutable memory (e.g., EPROM), a read-only memory and / or a high-capacity storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, etc.). In some examples, the memory includes a variety of memories, particularly volatile memories and non-volatile memories.

[0036] The memory may be a computer-readable medium on which one or more instruction sets may be embedded, such as software for operating the methods of the present disclosure. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logics described herein. For example, the instructions may reside completely or at least partially in any one or more of the memory, the computer-readable medium, and / or in the processor during execution of the instructions.

[0037] The terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers storing one or more sets of instructions. In addition, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include any tangible medium that can store, encode, or carry a set of instructions for execution by a processor or cause a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk and excludes propagating signals.

[0038] Figure 2 An exemplary vehicle communication network 200 is shown that can include multiple communication buses 212 to 220. One or more of the buses may be a high-speed bus (e.g., 500 kbps or higher), a medium-speed bus (e.g., 125 kbps), or any other speed bus. Each bus can be configured to couple one or more ECUs and / or IVD testers, which may be related in some cases (e.g., a given bus may couple a driver seat module, a driver door module, and other driver-side related ECUs).

[0039] The gateway module 208 can be configured to coordinate requests for information and / or communications with one or more ECUs by queuing the requests based on time or arrival. In some examples, the gateway module 208 can prioritize requests based on the ID of the requesting IVD tester, based on the ECU from which the information is being requested, or based on some other characteristic.

[0040] The gateway module 208 can be configured to enable communication with one or more IVD testers. In some examples, this can include enabling communication between a given IVD tester and a given ECU from which the IVD tester requests information. Optionally, this can include the gateway module 208 facilitating communication between the IVD tester and one or more other systems or devices by receiving and relaying data transmitted by the IVD tester, which can include a request from the IVD tester for information from the ECU. The gateway module 208 can also be configured to receive a response by the ECU and relay the response back to the requesting IVD tester.

[0041] The gateway module may also be configured to perform similar operations or functions for a diagnostic tool 204 coupled to the off-board diagnostic tester port 202. Thus, the diagnostic tool 204 may transmit a request for information from an ECU via the port 202, and the gateway module 208 may relay the information to the specific ECU from which the information is being requested.

[0042] In some examples, the gateway module 208 can be configured to block communications with one or more other IVD testers and / or diagnostic tools 204 / ports 202 while facilitating communications with another IVD tester or diagnostic tool 204 / port 202. In other words, the gateway module 208 can be configured to allow access to only one IVD tester or diagnostic tool 204 at a time, and simultaneously facilitate communications with that single tester / tool, blocking other testers / tools from gaining access to or communicating with the ECU.

[0043] The gateway module 208 may also be configured to determine that the diagnostic tool 204 is coupled to the off-board diagnostic tester port 202 for a given period of time, such as a plurality of ignition cycles. As described above, if the diagnostic tool is given priority to communicate with various ECUs, problems may arise when the diagnostic tool is inserted into the port for a long time. Therefore, it may be helpful to determine one or more characteristics of the diagnostic tool in order to determine whether it should be allowed to communicate. Some of these characteristics may include the number of continuous or discontinuous ignition cycles into which a given diagnostic tool is inserted, the type of information or ECU from which information is requested, and any initialization sequence, for example, performed. These characteristics may be used to determine whether the diagnostic tool is permanently or semi-permanently inserted, or whether it is a manufacturer or maintenance tool for short-term (i.e., not days or weeks) diagnosis of a car. Thus, the gateway module may be configured to determine and store information about the duration, number of ignition cycles, or other characteristics of any plug-in diagnostic tool in a memory.

[0044] The gateway module may then compare this data to a threshold value. For example, the gateway module may use a threshold value of five ignition cycles so that an action may be taken based on whether the diagnostic tool 204 has been inserted into more or less than five ignition cycles. It should be noted that smaller or larger threshold values ​​may also be used. Furthermore, the threshold value may be changed based on one or more characteristics of the diagnostic tool determined by the gateway module.

[0045] If it is determined that the diagnostic tool has been inserted beyond the threshold, the gateway module can be configured to responsively block communication with the off-board diagnostic tester port. This may result in the diagnostic tool requesting to communicate with the ECU via the port, but the gateway module blocks this. In addition, while the diagnostic tool is blocked from communicating with the ECU, the gateway module can facilitate or enable communication with one or more other IVD testers requesting information. In this way, the gateway module can prevent the diagnostic tool from constantly covering other IVD testers and preventing them from accessing information from the ECU.

[0046] In some examples, the diagnostic tool 204 and / or the diagnostic tester port 202 may be prevented from communicating with the ECU for a given period of time. The period of time may include a duration (e.g., 10 minutes), or may include a number of ignition cycles. The ignition cycles may be continuous (e.g., two in a row, after which communication with the diagnostic tester port 202 is restored), or may be non-continuous (e.g., communication with the diagnostic tester port 202 is restored and prevented on alternating ignition cycles). Other ignition cycle patterns and / or durations are also possible.

[0047] In some examples, the gateway module 208 may be configured to receive an initialization sequence from the diagnostic tool 204 via the diagnostic tester port 202. The gateway module may then determine one or more characteristics of the diagnostic tool 204 based on the initialization sequence. For example, the gateway module 208 may determine that the diagnostic tool 204 is an emissions tool and may modify the threshold number of ignition cycles in response. The threshold may be modified to allow the emissions tool to access the ECU regardless of the number of ignition cycles it is inserted into, in order to comply with any provisions or requirements of vehicle emissions standards. Other diagnostic tool characteristics may also be determined and may be used as a basis for modifying the thresholds used by the gateway module.

[0048] While the above examples may be described with respect to the number of ignition cycles being greater than a threshold, it should be noted that a duration may also be used instead of or in addition to the number of ignition cycles. For example, the threshold may include the number of ignition cycles over a period of time, such as a day. Or the threshold may include the number of ignition cycles over the course of several days, so that a diagnostic tool used by a repair shop that starts and shuts down a vehicle multiple times in rapid succession (while performing maintenance) is not blocked from accessing the desired information.

[0049] In some examples, the gateway module 208 may take one or more actions based on determining that the diagnostic tool has been inserted for less than a threshold number of ignition cycles. The vehicle may receive a message from a remote computing device indicating a request to provide an over-the-air vehicle software update. The update may be a secure or confidential update, in which case it would be advantageous for the IVD tester to have access to provide access to vehicle systems and information to the remote computing device (rather than blocking access to these vehicle systems and information because the diagnostic tool has been inserted). If a message is received from a remote computing device, the gateway module may responsively block communication with the off-board diagnostic tester port and / or the diagnostic tool, regardless of whether the diagnostic tool has been inserted for greater than or less than a threshold number or duration of ignition cycles. This may then allow the remote computing device to access ECU information via the IVD tester so that it can determine whether to provide a wireless software update, or what type of wireless software update should be provided.

[0050] Figure 3 A flow chart of an exemplary method 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 300 may enable a vehicle having an IVD tester and an off-board diagnostic tester port to coordinate and process information requests to one or more ECUs over multiple communication buses. Figure 3 The flowcharts of the embodiment represent machine-readable instructions stored in the memory and may include one or more programs that, when executed by the processor, may cause the vehicle 100 and / or one or more systems or devices to perform one or more functions described herein. Figure 3 The flowchart shown in describes an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for performing the functions described herein may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be rearranged or performed in series or in parallel with each other, and the blocks may be changed, eliminated, and / or combined to perform the method 300. In addition, because the combination Figure 1 to Figure 2 The method 300 is disclosed by the components of FIG. 3 , so some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0051] The method 300 may start at block 302. At block 304, the method 300 may include receiving a request to communicate with the ECU. The request may be received from an IVD tester or diagnostic tool plugged into an off-board diagnostic tester port. The request may be received by a gateway module.

[0052] At block 306, method 300 may include determining the source of the request. This may include determining whether the request was sent from an IVD tester, a diagnostic tool, and / or other information related to the source (such as which communication bus the source is coupled to, the ECU from which the information is requested, etc.).

[0053] At block 308, the method 300 may include determining whether the request is from an IVD tester. If the request is indeed from an IVD tester, the method 300 may include enabling communication between the IVD tester and the requested ECU at block 310. The method 300 may then return to block 304, or may end at block 324.

[0054] If the request is not from an IVD tester, block 312 may include determining whether the request is from an off-board diagnostic tester port. If the request is not from an off-board diagnostic tester port, method 300 may return to block 304 or may end at block 324.

[0055] But if the request does come from the off-board diagnostic tester port, block 314 of method 300 may include determining the number of ignition cycles that the diagnostic tool was coupled to or plugged into the port. Method 300 may then include comparing the determined number of ignition cycles to a threshold at block 316 .

[0056] If the diagnostic tool has been inserted for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles, method 318 may include blocking communication with the off-board diagnostic tester port and / or the diagnostic tool. It may also include enabling or facilitating communication between one or more IVD testers and the ECU.

[0057] Block 320 of method 300 may include determining whether a message has been received from a remote computing device, wherein the message indicates a request to provide a wireless vehicle software update. If a message has been received, the gateway module may block communications with the off-board diagnostic tester port and / or diagnostic tool, allowing one or more IVD testers to request and receive information that may be used by the remote computing device. The remote computing device may then determine whether to provide an update or what update should be provided based on the information collected by the IVD tester while blocking the off-board diagnostic tester port and / or diagnostic tool from communicating.

[0058] However, if the diagnostic tool has been inserted into less than the threshold number of ignition cycles and no message has been received, the method 300 may include enabling the diagnostic tester port and / or communication between the diagnostic tool and one or more ECUs at block 322. The method 300 may then return to block 304, or may end at block 326.

[0059] In some examples, priority may be given first whenever an off-board diagnostic tool is inserted. This is because it may not be known first whether the tool is a service tool, a dealer tool, an emissions tool, or another tool that should be given a delay. Then, when it can be checked or determined whether the received request is from an IVD, the gateway module can check to determine whether it is currently communicating with the off-board diagnostic tool. If it is currently communicating with the tool, the number of ignition cycles that the tool has been inserted into can be checked. If the number of cycles exceeds a threshold, the gateway module may block communication with the off-board diagnostic tool. However, if no IVD requests access, the gateway module may not be able to prevent access to the off-board diagnostic tool even if the tool has been inserted into more than a threshold number of ignition cycles.

[0060] In this application, the use of transitional conjunctions is intended to include conjunctions. The use of explicit or ambiguous articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, references to "the" object or "one" and "an" objects are also intended to represent one of a plurality of such objects. In addition, the conjunction "or" can be used to convey simultaneous features, rather than mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction "or" should be understood to include "and / or". The term "includes, including and include" is inclusive and has the same scope as "comprises, comprising and comprise", respectively.

[0061] The above embodiments, particularly any "preferred" embodiments, are examples of possible implementations and are intended only for a clear understanding of the principles of the present invention. Many changes and modifications may be made to one or more of the above embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the technology described herein. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

[0062] According to the present invention, a vehicle seat is provided, the vehicle having an off-vehicle diagnostic tester port, an in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) tester, and a gateway module, the gateway module being configured to enable communication with the IVD tester; determine that a diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles; and responsively block communication with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port.

[0063] According to an embodiment, the invention also features an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the gateway module is further configured to receive a request from the diagnostic tool for information from the ECU.

[0064] According to an embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to block communication with the IVD tester while enabling communication between the diagnostic tool and the ECU.

[0065] According to an embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to prevent communication with the off-board diagnostic tester port for a predetermined period of time.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the predetermined period of time comprises one or more consecutive ignition cycles.

[0067] According to an embodiment, the predetermined period of time comprises one or more non-consecutive ignition cycles.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to receive an initialization sequence from the diagnostic tool, determine that the diagnostic tool is an emissions tool based on the initialization sequence, and responsively modify the threshold number of ignition cycles.

[0069] According to an embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to determine that a diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-board diagnostic tester port for less than a threshold number of ignition cycles; receive a message from a remote computing device indicating a request to provide a wireless vehicle software update; and responsively block communications with the off-board diagnostic tester port.

[0070] According to an embodiment, a gateway module is communicatively coupled to an IVD tester and an off-board diagnostic tester port, wherein the gateway module is further configured to enable communication between an electronic control unit (ECU) and only one of the IVD tester and the off-board diagnostic tester port at a given time.

[0071] According to an embodiment, the IVD tester is coupled to the first communication bus and the off-board diagnostic tester port is coupled to the second communication bus.

[0072] According to the present invention, the method includes, by a gateway module, enabling communication with an in-vehicle diagnostic (IVD) tester, determining, by the gateway module, that a diagnostic tool is coupled to an off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles, and responsively preventing communication with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port.

[0073] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by preventing communication with the IVD tester while enabling communication between the diagnostic tool and the ECU.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by preventing communication with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for a predetermined period of time.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the predetermined period of time comprises one or more consecutive ignition cycles.

[0076] According to an embodiment, the predetermined period of time comprises one or more non-consecutive ignition cycles.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the invention further features a gateway module, an initialization sequence from a diagnostic tool, by which the gateway module determines that the diagnostic tool is an emissions tool based on the initialization sequence and responsively modifies a threshold number of ignition cycles.

[0078] According to an embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by determining that a diagnostic tool is coupled to an off-board diagnostic tester port for less than a threshold number of ignition cycles; receiving a message from a remote computing device indicating a request to provide a wireless vehicle software update; and responsively blocking communications with the off-board diagnostic tester port.

[0079] According to an embodiment, the gateway module is communicatively coupled to the IVD tester and the off-board diagnostic tester port to enable communication between an electronic control unit (ECU) and only one of the IVD tester and the off-board diagnostic tester port at a given time.

[0080] According to an embodiment, the IVD tester is coupled to the first communication bus and the off-board diagnostic tester port is coupled to the second communication bus.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: off-board diagnostic tester port; In-car diagnostic tester; and A gateway module, which is configured to: enabling communication with said in-vehicle diagnostic tester; determining that a diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles; and Communications with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port are responsively blocked.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the gateway module is further configured to receive a request from the diagnostic tool for information from the ECU, and wherein the gateway module is further configured to block communication with the in-vehicle diagnostic tester while enabling communication between the diagnostic tool and the ECU. 3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gateway module is further configured to prevent communications with the off-board diagnostic tester port for a predetermined period of time.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the predetermined period of time includes one or more consecutive ignition cycles.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gateway module is further configured to: receiving an initialization sequence from the diagnostic tool; determining, based on the initialization sequence, that the diagnostic tool is an emissions tool; and The threshold number of firing cycles is modified responsively.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gateway module is further configured to: determining that the diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for less than the threshold number of ignition cycles; receiving a message from a remote computing device indicating a request to provide a wireless vehicle software update; and Communications with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port are responsively blocked.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gateway module is communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle diagnostic tester and the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port, wherein the gateway module is further configured to enable communication between an electronic control unit (ECU) and only one of the in-vehicle diagnostic tester and the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port at a given time.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the on-board diagnostic tester is coupled to a first communication bus and the off-board diagnostic tester port is coupled to a second communication bus.

9. A method of controlling a diagnostic tester of a vehicle, comprising: Enables communication with in-vehicle diagnostic testers through a gateway module; determining, by the gateway module, that a diagnostic tool is coupled to an off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for more than a threshold number of ignition cycles; as well as Communications with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port are responsively blocked.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving, from the diagnostic tool, a request for information from an electronic control unit (ECU) via the gateway module; as well as Communication with the in-vehicle diagnostic tester is blocked while communication between the diagnostic tool and the ECU is enabled.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising preventing communications with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for a predetermined period of time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined period of time includes one or more consecutive ignition cycles.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving, by the gateway module, an initialization sequence from the diagnostic tool; determining, by the gateway module, that the diagnostic tool is an emissions tool based on the initialization sequence; as well as The threshold number of firing cycles is modified responsively.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining that the diagnostic tool is coupled to the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port for less than the threshold number of ignition cycles; receiving a message from a remote computing device, the message indicating a request to provide a wireless vehicle software update; as well as Communications with the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port are responsively blocked.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the gateway module is communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle diagnostic tester and the off-vehicle diagnostic tester port, the method further comprising: Communications between an electronic control unit (ECU) and only one of the on-vehicle diagnostic tester and the off-vehicle diagnostic tester ports are enabled at a given time.

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