Networked Diagnostic Devices for Workshop Event Alerting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicle diagnostic and programming devices in workshops often require prolonged employee presence and may lead to economic losses due to delayed reactions to critical events, such as low energy levels, resulting in potential control unit defects.
Innovation Solution
A networked workshop system where diagnostic and programming devices communicate over an Ethernet network, allowing for alerts to be sent to the last active device or another employee, enabling timely intervention without constant employee presence, thus reducing unnecessary distractions and increasing productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If diagnostic and programming devices operate independently without network connectivity, then device simplicity and ease of operation are maintained, but reliability decreases due to inability to detect and respond to critical events in real-time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network communication intermediary that connects diagnostic and programming devices to a central server or other devices. This intermediary enables real-time event detection and alerting without requiring complex changes to the core device functionality. The network acts as a mediator that transmits critical event data and alerts to appropriate recipients, thereby improving reliability while maintaining relative device simplicity.
2Reliability
If workshop employees continuously monitor diagnostic and programming devices, then critical events are detected immediately, but productivity decreases due to constant attention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service monitoring where the diagnostic and programming devices automatically detect critical events, generate alerts, and notify workshop employees through the network without requiring continuous manual monitoring. The devices serve themselves by autonomously identifying when intervention is needed and communicating this information to the appropriate personnel, thus improving event detection reliability while freeing employees to perform other productive tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where critical events are automatically detected by the devices, transmitted through the network, and alerts are sent to workshop employees. This closed-loop feedback system ensures that critical events are reliably detected and communicated without requiring continuous employee attention, thereby maintaining high reliability while preserving productivity by allowing employees to focus on other tasks until alerts indicate needed intervention.
3Productivity
If programming operations run without employee presence, then productivity increases by allowing parallel tasks, but reliability decreases due to risk of undetected critical events
Solution Approach 1:
The network communication system acts as an intermediary that continuously monitors programming operations even when employees are not physically present. Critical events are automatically detected and transmitted through this intermediary to alert employees remotely, enabling parallel task execution while maintaining reliable oversight of ongoing programming operations.
4Loss of time
If network communication is implemented for real-time alerts, then response time to critical events improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages existing Ethernet network infrastructure already present in modern workshops, making the network communication system multi-functional by utilizing it for both data transmission during programming operations and real-time alert communication. This universal use of existing infrastructure minimizes additional system complexity and cost while enabling rapid response to critical events through real-time network-based alerting.
Data Source
AI summary
A workshop system, with a plurality of diagnostic and/or programming devices, which are networked by means of data links and are intended for vehicles is provided. In order to enhance the reliability of workshop systems of the prior art, a warning indicating the occurrence of an event, which requires that a workshop employee intervene at a moment's notice at a first diagnostic and/or programming device of the networked devices is forwarded, as an alternative or in addition, to a second or an additional diagnostic and/or programming device to be communicated to the workshop employee.