Diagnostic Tool Urgency Indicator Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers of recently manufactured vehicles face challenges in determining the urgency of issues indicated by the Maintenance Indicator Lamp (MIL), as they may not know if the problem is serious or not, and existing technologies do not provide clear recommendations for the stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs).
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic tool that processes vehicle data, includes a database with urgency levels for DTCs, and communicates with a user through indicators such as displays, speakers, and vibrations to recommend a course of action, allowing the tool to send indicators to a remote device like a smartphone for display or to the vehicle's audio and visual system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the MIL is illuminated to indicate a problem, then the driver is notified of the issue, but the driver cannot determine the severity or urgency of the problem
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single MIL indicator into multiple distinct indicators (first indicator for first level urgency, second indicator for second level urgency, etc.), where each indicator corresponds to a specific urgency level. This segmentation allows the driver to immediately understand the severity of the problem by observing which specific indicator is illuminated, rather than receiving a generic warning without context about the problem's seriousness.
2Loss of information
If multiple indicators are used to show different urgency levels, then the driver can understand the severity of the issue, but the complexity of the indicator system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a processor that serves multiple functions: it monitors various vehicle sensors and actuators, retrieves DTCs from memory, determines urgency levels based on multiple factors (sensor data, DTC information, vehicle operating conditions), and controls multiple indicators. This multi-functionality allows the system to provide comprehensive diagnostic information through a unified control architecture, managing complexity through functional integration rather than separate dedicated components for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
A diagnostic tool and method are provided wherein the diagnostic tool can be configured to communicate a message including indicators to indicate the condition of the vehicle using a database and the DTCs present in the vehicle. The message can indicate for each DTC retrieved from the vehicle, the level of repair urgency and whether the vehicle can be driven without damaging the vehicle through one or both of a display and a speaker.