Vehicle Diagnosis Using Equivalent WLTC Driving Patterns

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for estimating battery deterioration in vehicles are impractical due to the difficulty in reproducing the Worldwide harmonized Light duty Test Cycle (WLTC) driving cycle for all vehicles, requiring significant equipment, time, and labor.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle diagnosis device and method that generates an equivalent driving pattern from actual vehicle data, allowing judgment on vehicle condition without requiring the vehicle to be driven in the predetermined pattern, using a characteristic data acquisition portion, equivalent pattern generator, and actual measurement extraction portion to analyze actual measurements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the vehicle is actually driven in the WLTC driving pattern on a measurement instrument, then the diagnosis accuracy is improved, but the equipment requirement, time consumption, and labor cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnosis accuracyVSAvoidequipment requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the WLTC driving pattern by processing actual driving data through the equivalent pattern generator. Instead of requiring physical driving on measurement instruments, the system generates an equivalent driving pattern that replicates the essential characteristics of WLTC, thereby achieving diagnosis accuracy without the complex equipment and time requirements of actual physical testing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical vehicle driving on measurement instruments with an information processing system. The equivalent pattern generator and actual measurement extraction portion process digital data to create virtual driving patterns and extract diagnostic measurements, substituting mechanical testing with computational analysis that eliminates the need for specialized measurement equipment and reduces time and labor requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If the vehicle is actually driven in the WLTC driving pattern on a measurement instrument, then the diagnosis accuracy is improved, but the time consumption and labor cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnosis accuracyVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-processing actual driving data to generate equivalent driving patterns and pre-extracting measurement data that will be needed for diagnosis. This allows the diagnosis to be conducted quickly by comparing pre-prepared equivalent patterns against diagnostic criteria, eliminating the need for time-consuming actual driving tests while maintaining diagnostic accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

By creating virtual copies of the driving pattern through data processing, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming physical driving tests. The equivalent pattern generator produces digital representations of WLTC driving conditions that can be analyzed instantly, reducing diagnosis time from hours or days of actual driving to minutes of computational analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If the vehicle is actually driven in the WLTC driving pattern on a measurement instrument, then the diagnosis accuracy is improved, but the labor cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnosis accuracyVSAvoidlabor cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables self-service by allowing the vehicle's own actual driving data to be automatically processed into equivalent driving patterns without requiring external measurement instruments or specialized operators. The system autonomously extracts measurement data and performs diagnosis by comparing the equivalent patterns against diagnostic criteria, eliminating the need for expensive specialized labor while maintaining diagnostic accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the need for specialized measurement instrument operators with an automated information processing system. The equivalent pattern generator and measurement extraction portions automatically process driving data and perform diagnostic analysis, substituting skilled manual operation with computational algorithms that reduce labor costs while maintaining or improving diagnostic accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4644932A1Vehicle diagnosis device, vehicle diagnosis method, and vehicle diagnosis program
Publication Date: 2025.11.05 HORIBA LTD
  • EP4644932A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4644932A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4644932A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle diagnosis device includes a characteristic data acquisition portion that acquires a plurality of sets of characteristic data included in a predetermined output pattern of a vehicle, an actual data acquisition portion that acquires output data based on the actual driving of the vehicle in a predetermined period in the past and actual measurement data obtained during driving of the vehicle in the predetermined period as representing actual measurements as to a parameter required in vehicle diagnosis, an equivalent pattern generator that cuts out points or sections that are similar to a plurality of sets of characteristic data from the output data in the predetermined period to generate an equivalent output pattern that is regarded as equivalent to the predetermined output pattern, and an actual measurement extraction portion that extracts, from the actual measurement data in the predetermined period, the actual measurements at each point or in each section in the equivalent output pattern.