Telecommunication Terminal for Vehicle Maintenance via Optical Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing diagnostic devices for vehicle maintenance and repair often fail to provide clear explanations of error codes and necessary spare parts, especially for non-professional users, and require manual input of vehicle identification information, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors.
Innovation Solution
A telecommunications terminal with a diagnostic interface, camera, and wireless communication capabilities that captures vehicle identification information optically and transmits vehicle status information, allowing for automated processing and access to external databases for comprehensive maintenance and repair guidance, including price comparisons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual input of vehicle identification information is used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases and reliability worsens due to potential input errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual input system with an optical scanning system using a camera and image processing algorithms. The camera captures images of vehicle identification information (license plates, barcodes), and automated recognition software extracts the data, eliminating the need for manual typing and reducing errors while improving efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the vehicle identification information to be automatically captured and processed without requiring user intervention for data entry. The camera and recognition system perform the identification task autonomously, improving productivity and reliability
2Loss of information
If comprehensive vehicle status information is transmitted, then information completeness improves, but loss of time increases due to transmission duration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the most critical and relevant vehicle status information for transmission, rather than transmitting all available data. The system identifies and transmits essential diagnostic data, error codes, and vehicle identification information, achieving information completeness for maintenance purposes while minimizing transmission time and data volume
3Ease of operation
If optical detection of vehicle identification information is used, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases due to camera and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the smartphone's existing camera and image processing capabilities, which are universal components already present in mobile devices. By leveraging these multi-functional elements rather than adding dedicated scanning hardware, the system improves ease of operation while minimizing the increase in device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a communication module as an intermediary that bridges the vehicle's diagnostic system and the smartphone. This module handles the complex tasks of data extraction, formatting, and transmission protocols, allowing the smartphone to maintain simplicity while still achieving comprehensive vehicle diagnostics
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates the simple, inexpensive, and comprehensive reading of error codes and required maintenance measures by eliminating manual input errors and providing users with detailed vehicle condition information, maintenance recommendations, and spare part lists, while enabling efficient communication with external databases for price comparisons.
Implementation Method 1
vehicle identification information being attached to the vehicle in such a way that the vehicle identification information is optically detectable
Data Source
AI summary
The telecommunication terminal (40) has a communication module (30) with a wireless interface (35), another wireless interface (45) and a camera device (41), where the communication module is connected with a diagnostic interface (21). The diagnostic interface and the two wireless interfaces are configured to transmit the vehicle condition-related information to the telecommunication terminal. The camera device is configured to capture the vehicle identification information. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) a method for assisting in maintenance and repair of vehicles; (2) a computer program for executing the method; and (3) a computer program product for executing the method.