Vehicle Electrical Diagnostics Using DTC-Based Repair Location Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Repair technicians face difficulties in troubleshooting and repairing complex vehicle electrical systems due to the need for in-depth understanding of wiring harnesses, module layouts, and circuit functionalities, leading to time-consuming and costly diagnostics.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic system that receives diagnostic trouble codes and specifications to determine possible repair locations, displaying them on a 3D model or wiring diagram, and ranking them based on repair difficulty, using data from similar vehicles to guide repairs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If repair technicians manually troubleshoot complex vehicle electrical systems using traditional methods, then they can diagnose and fix electrical problems, but the diagnostic time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-processes wiring harness data, module layouts, connector pin layouts, and circuit functionalities into structured databases before diagnosis is needed. When a diagnostic trouble code is received, the system has already organized all relevant information for rapid retrieval and analysis, eliminating the need for technicians to manually gather this information during troubleshooting.
Solution Approach 2:
The diagnostic system acts as an intermediary between the diagnostic trouble code and the technician. It receives the trouble code, automatically queries the pre-processed databases for relevant wiring circuits, connectors, and modules, and presents filtered results to the technician. This intermediary processing significantly reduces the time and complexity of manual troubleshooting while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If repair technicians study and memorize detailed wiring harness routing, module layouts, and connector specifications, then they can troubleshoot electrical systems more effectively, but the learning curve and training time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring technicians to memorize complex wiring harness routing, module layouts, and connector specifications, the system creates digital copies of this information in structured databases. These databases contain pre-processed wiring data, module locations, connector pin layouts, and circuit functionalities that can be quickly queried and displayed, replacing the need for extensive memorization while maintaining troubleshooting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical process of human memory and manual information retrieval with an automated computer-based system. Rather than technicians physically studying and recalling wiring diagrams and specifications, the computer system automatically accesses stored data, processes diagnostic trouble codes, and presents relevant information, thereby eliminating the need for extensive training while preserving troubleshooting effectiveness.
3Loss of information
If the diagnostic system provides detailed information about all possible repair locations, then technicians can make informed decisions, but the information overload makes it difficult to identify the most likely issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the large volume of diagnostic information into organized categories such as wiring circuits, connectors, and modules. Each category is separately processed and presented based on its relevance to the diagnostic trouble code. This segmentation allows technicians to access complete diagnostic information in a structured manner, reducing information overload while maintaining completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by providing different levels of information detail to different parts of the diagnostic process. Highly relevant information related to the specific trouble code is presented with greater detail and prominence, while less relevant information is provided in a more condensed format. This ensures that the most critical diagnostic information is easily accessible while maintaining overall information completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
A diagnostic system and method for troubleshooting an electronic system of a vehicle includes receiving a diagnostic trouble code set into a diagnostic system. The diagnostic trouble code set includes one or more diagnostic trouble codes. The method includes receiving diagnostic specifications. The diagnostic specifications associate connector pins and wires of the electronic system with possible diagnostic trouble codes. The method includes receiving wiring circuit specifications. The wiring circuit specifications associate wiring circuits of the electronic system with the connectors of the electronic system. The method includes determining a set of possible repair locations based on the diagnostic trouble code set, the diagnostic specifications, and the wiring circuit specifications, and displaying at least one possible repair location of the set of possible repair locations.