Integrated GPS Scan Tool for Altitude-Aware Diagnostics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive diagnostic tools lack the ability to determine the location and altitude of a vehicle when diagnosing issues, making it difficult for technicians to verify repairs and reproduce intermittent problems.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic tool equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) and altimeter, allowing it to connect to a vehicle's computer via a data link connector, communicate using various protocols, and retrieve diagnostic data while determining the vehicle's location and altitude.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a conventional scan tool is used to retrieve diagnostic trouble codes, then the technician can access vehicle diagnostic data, but the tool cannot determine the location and altitude where the diagnostic issue occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a conventional scan tool with a global positioning system (GPS) receiver into a single integrated device. The GPS receiver captures location and altitude data that is then correlated with diagnostic trouble codes retrieved from the vehicle's computer system. This merging eliminates the need for separate tracking devices and enables comprehensive diagnostic information collection including geographic context.
Solution Approach 2:
The scan tool is enhanced to perform multiple functions: traditional diagnostic code retrieval and interpretation, plus location tracking and altitude measurement via GPS. This multi-functional capability allows the single device to serve both automotive diagnostic purposes and geographic data collection, eliminating the need for multiple separate tools.
2Productivity
If a technician manually tracks location and altitude separately while diagnosing, then location information can be obtained, but the process becomes more time-consuming and less accurate
Solution Approach 1:
The GPS receiver operates continuously throughout the diagnostic process, automatically capturing location and altitude data without interrupting the technician's workflow. The system continuously monitors and records geographic information alongside diagnostic data, eliminating the need for separate manual tracking activities and ensuring uninterrupted data collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system automatically correlates GPS location data with diagnostic trouble codes without requiring manual intervention. The processor automatically matches retrieved DTCs with corresponding geographic information, generating comprehensive diagnostic reports that include both vehicle data and location context without additional technician effort.
3Reliability
If diagnostic data is retrieved without location context, then the diagnostic process is simpler, but intermittent issues cannot be verified or reproduced under the same conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback by comparing current diagnostic data with previously recorded data from the same or similar locations. The processor analyzes patterns in DTCs correlated with geographic information, enabling technicians to identify recurring issues at specific locations and verify whether repairs have resolved the problems under identical operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-correlates diagnostic trouble codes with location and altitude data as they are retrieved, creating a comprehensive data set that includes geographic context from the moment of diagnosis. This preliminary correlation ensures that all necessary information for future verification and reproduction of intermittent issues is captured and stored together, eliminating the need for separate tracking later.
Data Source
AI summary
A diagnostic tool and method are provided wherein the diagnostic tool includes a global positioning system. The diagnostic tool can provide diagnostic data, global position and altitude to the user. The diagnostic tool can alert the user or the owner if the tool determines that it has been removed from a predefined area. The tool retrieves data from the determined altitude so that the vehicle can be serviced for optimal operations at that altitude.