Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-21
2001-05-22
Camby, Richard M (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S033000, C701S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236917
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a diagnostic tool for a motor vehicle and more specifically to a diagnostic tool that implements an open architecture to accommodate new features.
Today, motor vehicles include various electronic control units mounted in the vehicle. The control units may control various systems and/or subsystems within the vehicle. For example, a control unit may control an engine, the transmission, brakes or the steering mechanism. These control units are typically coupled to a variety of sensors and/or actuators.
Handheld diagnostic tools have been utilized to trouble-shoot faults associated with these control units. A typical diagnostic tool has included a microcontroller and an interface circuit to facilitate communication between the microcontroller and the control units in the vehicle. Such tools have also included a non-volatile memory (either internally or externally, i.e., a plug-in module, or both) that stored various routines to enable the tool to communicate with a user and the control units within the vehicle. These routines have been individually compiled and then linked to produce an executable binary, which was then downloaded into the tool's non-volatile memory. In tools using this approach, when one routine required changing or a new diagnostic routine was to be added, each routine was again compiled and linked with the other routines before being downloaded (as a whole) into the tool's non-volatile memory.
Various manufacturers have also marketed handheld computers for non-automotive applications. For example, a personal information manager (PIM) is a pen-based computer that has typically be utilized as a calendar and/or an address book. A personal digital assistant (PDA) or handheld personal computer (HPC) is a handheld device that combines computing, telephone, facsimile and networking features. PDAs and HPCs have normally included an operating system that is compiled and linked separately from any applications. For example, the Windows CE operating system (which is similar to Windows 95) has been implemented in some PDAs. An example of a real-time operating system (RTOS) that has seen some use in handheld computers is the Lynx operating system (LynxOS). The LynxOS is compatible with industry software standards, such as UNIX, and functions on a fairly broad range of hardware platforms (e.g., Intel, IBM, Motorola and Sun Microsystems).
While various handheld devices have utilized an operating system, no motor vehicle diagnostic tool has included an operating system that is compiled and linked separately from a plurality of diagnostic applications (routines).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a diagnostic tool for communicating with a plurality of motor vehicle control units. The diagnostic tool includes a processor, a main memory and a non-volatile storage device. The processor executes an operating system and a plurality of diagnostic applications. The non-volatile storage device is coupled to the processor and stores the operating system and the plurality of diagnostic applications. Each of the diagnostic applications is compiled and linked separately from the operating system and are separately downloadable into the storage device of the diagnostic tool. The diagnostic applications, when executed by the processor, function to provide at least one message to one of the control units and to receive control unit information from one of the control units in response to the at least one message.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.
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Liebl Troy J.
Raichle Kurt R.
Camby Richard M
Pepper Hamilton LLP
SPX Corporation
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