Collaborative Automotive Diagnostic System for Mechanics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive diagnostic tools often lack sufficient information for mechanics to diagnose and repair vehicles, as they are limited to individual use and do not provide access to additional data or repair suggestions based on diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs).
Innovation Solution
A system and method that facilitates communication between multiple users by retrieving diagnostic data from a vehicle's processor, transmitting it to a server, and establishing a communication channel between mechanics with relevant expertise, while also providing incentives for user activity through a reward system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If diagnostic tools are used individually by a single mechanic, then the tool operation is simple and direct, but the diagnostic information is insufficient and repair accuracy is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple diagnostic tools and mechanics into a unified collaborative system. Multiple diagnostic tools connected to different vehicles are merged into a single networked system that shares diagnostic data, repair procedures, and expert knowledge across all participants, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy while distributing system complexity across multiple independent components
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that mediates between multiple diagnostic tools and mechanics. It receives diagnostic data from various tools, processes and matches it with repair procedures and expert knowledge, then delivers comprehensive diagnostic information back to the mechanics, enabling improved accuracy without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components
2Loss of information
If diagnostic tools provide only basic DTC data, then the tool design is simple, but the information provided is insufficient for accurate diagnosis and repair
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnostic system is designed with multi-functionality, serving not only as a basic DTC reader but also as a platform for sharing repair procedures, connecting with expert mechanics, accessing real-time diagnostic data from multiple vehicles, and providing collaborative problem-solving capabilities. This universal system addresses information completeness needs across various diagnostic scenarios without requiring separate specialized tools for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from providing only static DTC data to incorporating dynamic, multi-dimensional information including real-time diagnostic data from multiple vehicles, historical repair procedures, expert mechanic knowledge, and collaborative problem-solving interactions. This adds temporal, spatial, and knowledge-depth dimensions to the diagnostic information, comprehensively addressing information completeness
3Reliability
If a collaborative system connects multiple mechanics, then diagnostic accuracy improves through shared expertise, but the system complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as a mediating hub that manages all communications between mechanics and diagnostic tools. It orchestrates the matching of diagnostic issues with appropriate experts, facilitates structured information exchange, and coordinates collaborative problem-solving sessions, thereby improving repair reliability through organized expert collaboration while containing communication complexity within the server's centralized management architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where diagnostic results, repair outcomes, and expert recommendations are systematically collected and used to improve future diagnostics. The server tracks which experts provide accurate recommendations and uses this feedback to refine the matching algorithm, ensuring that reliability improvements from expert collaboration are sustained and enhanced over time while managing communication efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A method for facilitating communication for diagnosis of automotive repair issues includes retrieving diagnostic data from a first processor in a first vehicle using a first diagnostic tool, and transmitting the diagnostic data to a server with a request for assistance from a first user who operates the first diagnostic tool. The server identifies a second user who has received diagnostic data from a second processor in a second vehicle with a second diagnostic tool that corresponds to the diagnostic data retrieved by the first processor in the first vehicle, and the server transmits a communication notification to an electronic communication device that is associated with the second user to establish a communication channel between the first user and second user regarding the vehicle issue.