—E[—~ COMPUTER 36
Contents
1. 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 14 the customer and operator can now compare esti mate with the final services That same information is supplied to the service station files to maintain a record of the work performed and may be converted to micro fiche record storage The foregoing operations of the system as shown in FIGS 2A and 2B and the initial part of FIG 2C have been mostly related to an individual vehicle customer and service order The system permits the operator to produce a tally of daily operations and work in progress to assist in maintaining an efficient service operation The CRT 14 may provide a display of many categories of records maintained in the storage capacity available through the network computer As illustrated the oper ator may access the disk 46 through the network com puter 26 to display a daily recap of work in progress a monthly summary of work performed a service history for individual vehicles or a class of vehicles a display of present work in progress and a recap of parts failure history The foregoing summaries and up dates are rep resentative of the type and kind of information avail able By separately identifying particular parts and ser vices supplied by the dealer the record can supply a recap of categories such as tires and batteries tune up wheel and brake services or any other separate item As illustrated in the right most side of FIG 2C an end of the day display i2. ifications on particular vehicle engines because of de sign improvements original errors or changes in regula tions Communication of these original specifications the changes and other pertinent information relating to groups of engines or specific vehicles has become diffi cult It is both difficult to get the information to the vehicle owner and to get the information to the vehicle services agency Sometimes it is even more difficult to get the person to whom the information is sent to read and apply the information to the diagnostic and servic ing function It has been known to provide manuals for service information and more recently to provide the service information in microfilm form for review on a view _ screen Such microfilm systems require updating by physical replacement of outdated information and therefore have the same problem of communication 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65 2 dependent to some extent upon interest of the receiver of the information Most manufacturers supply some essential vehicle specifications in readable form fixed to the vehicle Such specifications provide identification for the vehi cle and other pertinent information that will enable a person servicing the vehicie to identify vehicle and engine specifications If changes are made in the vehi cle the identification fixed to the vehicle may no longer apply Further if the manufacturer or a regulator
3. 22 12 8 2 1 4 rA 4 55 COMPARE oE FROM DECAL DATA CRT 21 DISPLAY esELECT ORDER VEHICLE NUMBER DATA e WORK VEHICLE FIG_2A U S Patent 13 1983 Sheet 3 of 4 4 404 639 DIAGNOSIS REPAIR e SELECT PARTS FROM STOCK VEHICLE USING TUNE UP PARTS LIST TO ANALYZER MMT ADD PARTS e INITIAL DIAGNOSIS VEHICLE eFINAL DIAGNOSIS ae 228 lt STRIP PRINTERS 541 e 6 PRINTER TRANSMIT RESULTS jp e TUNE UP PARTS OF INITIAL DIAGNOSIS LIST TO WORK ORDER C Fe RESULTS SCHEMATICS 22 m eREPAIR INFO MICROFICHE MICROFICHE INFORMATION VIEWER 14 TE 7 UPDATE DISPLAY WORK A VEHICLE IS ORDER REMARKS FILE ON REQUEST PARTS e DOWNLOAD SELECTED VEHICLE SPECS TO ANALYZER INFO TO PRINTER eDISPLAY MICROFICHE 3 INDEX AT CRT ON REQUEST e STAPLE CUSTOMERS INVOICE COPY OF STATION AND EMISSION INSPECTION FORM TO ORIGINAL CORY SYSTEM GENERATED INVOICE AND DIAGNOSTIC STAPLE STATION FILE COPY OF STATION TUNE UP AND EMISSION INSPECTION FORM TO CARBON COPY OF SYSTEM GENERATED INVOICE AND DIAGNOSTIC REPORT FIG_ 2B U S Patent Sep 13 1983
4. s invoice copy of the Tune Up and Emission In spection form for the customer The copy of the system generated service invoice and diagnostic report will be attached to the station file copy of the Tune Up and Emission Inspection form for the dealer Daily Recap The daily recap can be performed at any time al though it is assumed that the daily recap will be per formed at the end of a working day or at the beginning of the next working day This will be a batch procedure initiated from the service station The daily recap goes through the Work Order In Progress file and tallies items such as Tires Batteries Accessories Parts Lubrication Labor Other products Sales tax Total sales Work orders completed Work orders outstanding For those jobs that are incomplete the original date of the work order will be printed This recap may be printed on the printer in one of the following modes a daily recap and a month to date recap When a daily recap has been displayed and printed the dealer may be asked if he wants to close his daily recap If the dealer elects to close the daily recap that information may be carried forward in the month to date recap On a 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65 4 404 639 10 month to date recap dealer may be asked if he wishes to close his monthly recap If a monthly recap has not as yet been printed the dealer may be asked if he wishes to print the monthly
5. from the vehicle data base through the network computer Measured diagnostic data from the diagnostic test equipment is supplied to the record stor age system through the network computer as well as to display and printing equipment at the service agency The data stored and displayed and the unique vehicle specifications are sorted by the unique identification of the vehicle The apparatus permits data base access for improvements and changes to the data base The stor age permits retrieval of data by vehicle type of service and summary records to provide improved service agency operation 25 Claims 4 Drawing Figures VEHICLE SPECIALIST U S Patent Sep 13 1983 Sheet 1 of 4 4 404 639 30 28 34 SERVICE VEHICLE DATA VEHICLE DATA AND SPECIALIST CUSTOMER DATA INFORMATION VEHICLE DATA PARTS LABOR DATA SERVICE ORDER DATA NETWORK COMPUTER 29 ee ao ee SERVICE STATION p STATION MICROFICHE 1 MECHANIC FILE 37 MICROFICHE See to PRINTER cer ANALYZER 1 j KEYBOARD 5 RG ee U S Patent 13 1983 Sheet 2 of 4 4 404 639 CUSTOMER SERVICE VEHICLE VEHICLE ESTIMATE ORDER IDENTIFICATION DATA CAPTURE FORM TO PRINTER eENTER ENGINE DECAL INFO ON CAPTURE FORM
6. has not been exceeded Both the customer and the dealer may wish to be aware that an estimate has or may be exceeded so as to avoid conflict with consumer pro tection legislation which has been enacted in several states of the United States The dealer may contact the customer for additional repairs authorization and then note either a confirmation or refusal of the additional repairs Should the work order be complete dealer would proceed with invoicing All information pertaining to that invoice would be displayed upon the CRT The dealer has the option to use the prices in the dealer price file and the dealer s labor file for total invoicing or should the dealer elect to alter any price When all the charges for labor parts and sublet work repairs have been tallied and accepted by the dealer the system will calculate the applicable state and local tax and generate the total amount for that invoice When an invoice has been accepted as complete by the dealer it will be marked as such and retained in the Work Order In Progress file for daily recap purposes When an invoice has been completed it will be printed on the printer If an analysis was performed on the vehicle the diagnostic report may be printed start ing on a new page following the invoice The distribu tion of the printed output will be as follows The original of the system generated service invoice and diagnostic report will be attached to the custom er
7. ii said means for controlling said diagnostic test equipment and iii said index data parts data diagnostic and service remarks and control functions 7 The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for controlling said diagnostic test equipment includes a microprocessor and said data base storage means in cludes software routines for said microprocessor in said diagnostic test equipment and means for transferring said software routines to said microprocessor in said diagnostic test equipment 8 The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for transferring measured data from said diagnostic test equipment to said display means includes means for transferring digitized waveform said measured data 9 The apparatus of claim 1 including means for com paring said transferred measured data with said specifi cation data unique to said vehicle transferred to said display means and means for identifying differences between said measured data and said specification data 10 The apparatus of claim 9 including means for producing a printed record and a stored record of ser vices performed and to be performed on said vehicle based on said differences between said measured data and said specification data 11 The apparatus of claim 10 including means for storing and retrieving said record of said services per formed and to be performed for access according to said vehicle identification data 12 The apparatus of claim 10 including mean
8. in step c is a set of software routines unique to said vehicle being serviced which programs said diagnostic 10 4 5 20 25 30 35 45 50 55 60 65 18 test equipment to perform said routines said routines being then retrievably installed in said diagnostic test equipment to control operation of said diagnostic test equipment and performing said sequence of diagnostic tests in accord with said routines 20 The method of claim 19 wherein said software routines are supplied to a microprocessor in said diag nostic test equipment then programming said micro processor in accord with said software routines whereby said software routines control operation of said microprocessor in performing diagnostic tests on said vehicle 21 In the method of claim 18 said communicating network computer being functionally connected as the interface between one vehicle data base one storing means and a plurality of diagnostic test equipment display means and printing means the step of program ming said network computer for routing said communi cating between said vehicle data base said storing means and said plurality of diagnostic test equipment display means and printing means in accordance with said unique vehicle identification 22 In the method of claim 18 wherein said storing means contains separate storage for each vehicle being serviced each vehicle previously serviced and records pertaining to servicing
9. of other vehicles said vehicle data base contains vehicle data and information pertain ing to classes of vehicles and unique vehicles the step of programming said communicating network computer a to access said storing means contents and said vehi cle data base in accord with said unique vehicle identifi cation to establish control of said diagnostic test equip ment from said data base b to cause display at said means and to produce printed records at said print ing means 23 The method of claim 18 with the additional step of accessing said one data base for changing vehicle speci fications and diagnostic data at said data base whereby a single data base change provides vehicle specification and diagnostic data in accord with said change to a plurality of diagnostic test equipment through said com municating network computer 24 In the method of claim 18 the step of program ming said communicating network computer to access said storing means and said vehicle data base in accord with said unique vehicle identification to retrieve said stored data in accord with said unique vehicle identifi cation and to maintain a record of services performed on a vehicle in accord with said unique vehicle identifi cation for future retrieval 25 In the method of claim 24 the step of storing said information in said storing means by type of services performed whereby a stored record for each unique vehicle is maintained current wi
10. place the analyzer into manual mode These tests may be performed in any sequence and as each test is completed and a new test is requested the results of each test will be available on the printer The reason for retaining the printed display of each test is so that if a change is made in a subsequent test the dealer can refer back to the prior test to see what effect that modification or adjustment had made As part of the vehicle identification procedures a list of parts required for tune up is printed by the printer 12 With this parts list the mechanic can then remove from stock and assign to the vehicle being serviced those parts necessary for a tune up During the repair mode of a vehicle being serviced the operator can access the Service Invoice Update function of the system using the CRT 14 adjacent to the analyzer 16 By entering the work order number the dealer can update the parts record with those parts that have been added to the vehicle being serviced The dealer need only enter the part number and the quantity for each item and the system will display a confirmation of the quantity and the part number followed by a description of the part its unit retail price and the total price for that part If the part replacement was due to failure or if the part was detected to have failed during use the dealer will note this accordingly in the part failure column This information will be transmitted to the vehicle specialist 34
11. recap prior to closing the monthly recap When a recap is printed the closing on a monthly recap record will be cleared to start a new month If the dealer elects to close the daily recap all com pleted work orders will be transferred to the Service Invoice History file Extracted information from the completed work orders will be transferred to the Mas ter History file Parts failure data will be recorded for evaluation by the Vehicle Specialist 34 Service Invoice History File The dealer s Service Invoice History file will contain a copy of all completed service invoices Print Formats The printer 14 is used for the generation of Invoices Vehicle data capture forms Vehicle diagnostic reports Recap reports Tune up parts lists Vehicle subsystem manual microfiche title labels and index address references Bulletins Video Formats When the dealer wishes to perform diagnostic and service function the system will prompt the dealer for the correct entry At any time during system operation the dealer may return to the Master Menu or log off the system In addition to the password required to log on the security S in the communication links 24 27 29 and 35 in the system requires a dealer supplied password for Recap Dealer file update The purpose of the two level password access is to prevent unauthorized personnel from using the system The system security access passwords are preferably centrally c
12. senting the current operating condition of said vehicle displaying and storing said first set of data mea sured in step d in a manner permitting comparison to said specifications that apply to operation of said vehicle f determining from said display and comparison the diagnosis and services to be performed on said vehicle to accomplish servicing of said vehicle g storing said diagnosis and services to be per formed with respect to said vehicle h deriving from said data base information pertain ing to said vehicle and said diagnosis and services to be performed with respect to said vehicle i based on said diagnosis and services to be per formed servicing said vehicle to change said oper ating conditions and measuring said data with said diagnostic test equipment to produce a second set of data representing serviced operating condition of said vehicle j displaying and storing said second set of data mea sured in step i k supplying to said storing means data pertaining to parts and services involved in servicing said vehi cle including pricing data applicable thereto 1 retrieving at least part of said data stored in said storing means and producing a printed record of said retrieved data m and maintaining a record of said stored data with respect to said unique vehicle identification 19 The method of claim 18 wherein said supplying of unique sequence of diagnostic tests from said data base
13. shown in FIG 1 illustrates the station 10 con nected by a communication link 24 to a network com puter 26 which functions to address process route prioritize and other data processing functions between the station 10 and sources of supply information FIG 1 further illustrates several sources of informa tion which may be accessed by the service station Those sources include as here illustrated vehicle data and information 28 service station data 30 and a vehi cle specialist resource 34 By way of explanation and without limitation blocks 28 30 and 34 shown in FIG 1 are intended to contain the following Vehicle data and information 28 contains the detail specifications on each vehicle model made available from the manufacturer including electrical mechanical and operational specifications on all available combina tions of body engine drive train and accessories It is expected that this single source of specifications will be as up to date as possible and it will be constantly moni tored by vehicle specialists shown as block 34 to main tain accuracy to effect changes as supplied by the man ufacturer and to supply footnote or reference data as may be helpful to the station operator in diagnosing or servicing specific vehicles Service Station data 30 contains information which is available to individual service stations concerning 0 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 shared data on either indiv
14. work in progress disk 46 in accordance with work order so that a comparison may be supplied for any particular vehicle It is also contemplated that the status of any work order in progress can be viewed by the operator by accessing that information on the CRT 14 The work order is continuously updated with any activity with respect to that work order including entering parts labor and sublet work as well as any comments that the operator may want to enter with regard to separate reports such as parts failure or other vehicle conditions not covered by the work order in progress The system of the present invention allows the analy zer 16 to be programmed from the vehicle specification disk 2 through the network computer 26 In that mode it is possible to control the sequence of tests performed 4 404 639 13 by analyzer 16 on vehicle 22 and to control the display of measured data from the vehicle with respect to specification data supplied to the analyzer 16 from the vehicle specification data This feature of the pres ent invention permits the diagnosis and analysis of an automotive vehicle in many different operating condi tions and permits the vehicle specialist 34 shown in FIG 1 to be able to optimize the operation of the motor analyzer 16 The analyzer 16 must either be capable of accepting these downloaded instructions or the me chanic may view the recommendations on a CRT 14 and manually control the analyzer acc
15. M Spark plug firing voltage and duration by cylinder at specified RPM and snap acceleration Maximum firing voltage by cylinder Coil output Oil temperature EXHAUST GAS Measures Engine RPM and variation Oil temperature Exhaust temperature minimum and maximum Fuel pump pressure volume and vacuum O2 CYLINDER POWER BALANCE i Measures By cylinder Engine RPM drop p1 HC temperature Exhaust temperature CYLINDER SUMMARY Display by Cylinder Cranking amps 10 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65 HC change Power balance The results of each test will be transmitted back to the network computer 26 to be stored for that work order in progress At the dealer s option the printer 12 may be activated so that results from each test will not only be transmit ted back to the network computer but also displayed on the printer This function is also useful should a diagno sis be performed for a vehicle without a valid accompa nying work order since the test results will not be trans mitted to the network computer but will be optionally available on the printer for future reference At the end of the initial diagnosis a vehicle for which only a diagnosis is being performed would be discon nected from the analyzer and the customer advised of that service only A vehicle 22 for which a tune up is to be performed would remain connected to the analyzer 16 and the operator would then
16. Sheet 4 of 4 4 404 639 INVOICING DAILY RECAP END OF DAY CUSTOMERS VEHICLE RELEASED DISPLAY WORK ORDER TALLY DAILY RECAP SIGN OFF REVIEW AND MATCH CARRY FORWARD FOR SYSTEM AGAINST DIAGNOSIS MONTH TO DATE TOTAL INVOICE UPDATE PARTS FAILURE DECEASE COMPLETED MARK WORK ORDER PORK ORDERS TO DAILY WORK ORDER SERVICE HISTORY 14 14 RER RESORT HISTORY eae eT ee O 22 STATION FILE CABINET FIG_2C 4 404 639 1 AUTOMOTIVE DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to a system for facilitating the diagnosis and servicing of an automotive vehicle More particularly the invention relates to a system that makes equipment or vehicle identification specifications ser vice history and present condition readily available to those involved in diagnosing and servicing the equip ment and provides a means for advising the equipment owner and the servicing agency with information on the present status of the diagnosis and service activities being performed 2 Prior Art The servicing of modern automotive vehicles has become extremely complicated and to some extent virtually impossible for some persons because of the complexity of the vehicle the inadequacy of available specifications on the vehicle and the changes in regula tory requirements applicable to the veh
17. United States Patent McGuire et al 11 4 404 639 45 Sep 13 1983 54 AUTOMOTIVE DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM 75 Inventors John F McGuire Orinda J Steven Hurt Alameda Ronald L Wilkerson Novato all of Calif Chevron Research Company San Francisco Calif 21 Appl No 212 301 22 Filed Dee 2 1980 51 0 11 32 GO6F 15 20 52 364 551 364 424 364 431 11 364 579 58 Field of Search 364 424 431 01 431 11 364 431 12 551 579 580 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 128 005 12 1978 et al 364 431 01 4 270 174 5 1981 Karlin et al 364 551 4 271 402 6 1981 Kastura et al 364 431 11 73 Assignee Primary Examiner Jerry Smith Attorney Agent or Firm D A Newell E J Keeling SERVICE STATION DATA CUSTOMER DATA VEHICLE DATA PARTS LABOR DATA 35 5 Bile al SERVICE ORDER STATION MICROFICHE FILE VEHICLE DATA AND INFORMATION NETWORK COMPUTER 57 A method and apparatus disclosed for facilitating the diagnosis and servicing of automotive vehicles wherein a communicating network computer interfaces between a plurality of service agencies and a vehicle data base plus a record storage system The service agencies have diagnostic test equipment that are pro vided with unique vehicle specifications and diagnostic information
18. ake year and model vehicle automo bile manufacturers affix decals to engines denoting the specification particulars for each engine such as Federal or State i e California etc Carburetor Design level Air conditioning equipped Calibration number Revision levels Further distinguishing specifications will also be lo cated on various underhood decals By requesting the Vehicle Identification option on the CRT the dealer will key in the work order number of the vehicle to be identified and the system will re spond with a printed data capture form constructed by the Vehicle Specialist This form will direct the dealer on engine identification data capture Since the work order in the work order in progress file already con tains the make year model and VIN number the dealer will not be required to reenter this information 10 20 25 30 35 50 55 65 6 However should the dealer wish to perform an analysis on a vehicle for which a work order has not been cre ated the dealer may enter the vehicle s make year model and VIN and proceed as above The Specification Compare option of the Vehicle Identification menu will confirm the work number make year model and VIN of the last vehicle for which a capture form was generated This will elimi nate the need for reentering the confirming information however it will give the dealer the flexibility of prepar ing capture forms for multiple veh
19. ata 30 FIG 1 to provide details to complete the service invoice generation and to provide back ground information if available on the customer and vehicle being serviced As shown in FIG 2A the net work computer enters information into and derives information from a storage disk 46 in service station data 30 containing work order in progress information Available information is displayed on the CRT 14 screen with blanks for unavailable information If cus tomer or vehicle information is not available on storage in disk 46 the dealer or operator enters such informa tion through keyboard 15 to complete the service in voice At this time the vehicle identification number VIN is determined from inspection of the vehicle All vehicle manufacturers are required to install in an accessible location a vehicle identification number plate a vehicle certification label and a series of various underhood tags plates decals and labels The information con tained on these supplies an observer with the 1 consecutive unit number for the vehicle 2 body serial code 3 model year code 4 assembly plant code 5 body type code 6 engine code 7 color code 8 trim code 9 transmission code 10 rear axle code 11 district special equipment 12 vehicle type With that code information the dealer may refer to the manufacturer s manuals to identify details for a particular car The dealer must also identify the e
20. d specifications Daily bulletin Daily recap Vehicle remarks display Operator information update As with most data processing systems there is a need for providing an identification that functions as an ad dress for each separate transaction In the present inven tion that identification is the service invoice number and is the key to entering a new vehicle into the system When a customer s vehicle arrives at the station for either a diagnosis and or a tune up basic information is entered into the system and on an inspection form con taining a preprinted invoice number The operator uses the keyboard 15 for display on CRT 14 to enter the customer information into the system This is accomplished by requesting a Service Invoice Generation option which displays on the CRT the form of the service order A preassigned invoice number on the form is entered into the system to be come the work order number Those blanks on the work order that will require an entry by the operator are identified by prompting marks on the CRT The information for each new service invoice will be Date 4 404 639 5 Customer Name Address street city state and zip code Business and or home phone numbers Estimate service order numbers Estimate amount 25 Method of payment Charge authorization number Mileage License number and state Make year and model Vehicle identification number VIN from vehicle Other optional informati
21. graphically depict the work flow In accordance with the present invention an individ ual service station has available a group of separate equipment pieces that function together to assist the station operator in providing service to his customer As here shown the service station 10 includes equip ment in the form of a printer 12 a video display device 14 with keyboard 15 an analyzer 16 and a viewer 18 which most likely will be adapted to view microfilm records now supplied in a form known as microfiche The station 10 will have its own records and files 20 preferably in the form of microfiche files which may include the microfiche records as well as other informa tion generally concerning vehicle servicing or specific to certain service or certain vehicles As shown in this illustration the station equipment and particularly the motor analyzer is attached in at least a functional sense to a vehicle 22 A mechanic 23 completes the minimum essential elements within the service station As previously stated it is now recognized that the complexity of individual vehicles and their performance specifications have made it very difficult for individual service station operators to have access to the data they need to diagnose and service an individual vehicle To alleviate that problem and to provide the station opera tor or mechanic with the most accurate and up to date vehicle specifications on an individual vehicle the sys tem
22. hicle to be serviced e means for selecting from said data base the specifi cation data unique to said vehicle in accordance with said vehicle identification data and means for transferring said selected specifications to said di agnostic test equipment attached to said vehicle f means for transferring measured data representing the current operating condition of said vehicle from said diagnostic test equipment to said display means g means for producing a printed record and a stored record of said transferred measured data and said specification data h means for selecting service manual index data unique to said vehicle from said data base in accor dance with said vehicle identification data and means for transferring said indices to said display means i means for selecting parts data unique to said vehi cle from said data base in accordance with said vehicle identification data and means for transfer ring said parts data to said display means j means for selecting diagnostic and service remarks unique to said vehicle from said data base in accordance with said vehicle identification data and means for transferring said diagnostic and service remarks data to said display means and k means for producing a stored record and a printed record of said data supplied to said display means 2 The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said data base storage means includes means for controlling said diag nostic test equipment i
23. icle Further the capability of some diagnostic equipment used in diagnosing and servicing vehicles has not kept pace with changes in the vehicles Added to these complica tions is a growing scarcity of personnel trained in ser vicing such complicated equipment For example whereas it had been possible to service many vehicles with internal combustion engines by checking the con dition of ignition parts adjustments of carburetors or condition of electrical systems and replacing some or all parts the newer vehicles have engines that do not have the older conventional ignition parts the fuel supply is not easily adjusted and the electrical system is some times separately controlled by its own built in com puter Further some governmental regulatory agencies prohibit some adjustments or have established operating conditions for vehicle engines that require adjustments to an engine s operation that can only be accomplished with special test equipment In addition to the complexity of individual parts of a vehicle s drive system the specifications for some vehi cles are further complicated by the many options that are available to the vehicle owner in body style engine size and type transmission and accessory equipment Some vehicles have different specifications depending upon the factory where the vehicle was assembled or the time in the model year when the vehicle was com pleted In some cases manufacturers have changed spec
24. icles awaiting tune ups Should a capture form have been subsequently generated for other than the current vehicle the dealer need only reenter the work order number Considering only those vehicles existing at the time of filing of this application over 800 combinations of make year model and vehicle identification number have been identified with a structured breakdown of approximately 4 000 individual vehicle specification records By entering all the information requested on the capture form the selection of a vehicle specification record from the displayed list of matching criteria re cords at the CRT will be reduced significantly When a match has been found between the informa tion captured on capture form and the information displayed for a vehicle specification record on the CRT the dealer will select the record number displayed adja cent to the vehicle specification record This record number will be stored in the respective work order record The dealer will then select one or more of the following options Print the tune up parts list Select the vehicle subsystem e g ignition Display an index of the manufacturer s service man ual on the CRT Print the manufacturer s service manual indexes on the printer Download the engine specifications to the analyzer The last option is valid only if the analyzer is not cur rently in use Diagnosis and Repair The downloading of engine specifications to the a
25. idual vehicle or a group of 55 vehicles with regard to for example past service on a vehicle or recommendations for specific vehicles as well as information on local or regional parts or service availability The individual station data may also in clude an individual station s accounting or service re cords which machine stored and retrievable through the network computer link The vehicle specialist 34 is a source of information and operational responsibility for management of the vehicle data and information The specialist can be expected to be aware of details on a narrow class of vehicles any changes in specifications or regenerations with regard to that narrow class and any trends that 60 65 4 might develop indicating needs for particular or pecu liar service for those vehicles In each of the communication links 24 27 and 29 there is shown a security block marked S which is in tended to illustrate the protection of the particular data from tampering or access from unauthorized persons or sources It should be understood that specifications must be dependable and accurate to serve the function here illustrated Further some shared data and cus tomer data must be protected from unauthorized access One additional communication link is illustrated by dotted line 36 connecting the service station 10 and the vehicle specialist 34 This line is intended to illustrate the accessibility of the specialist to the l
26. inter 12 for access by an operator and the index or menu of other data may be displayed on the CRT 14 With that infor 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65 12 mation an operator will have operation specifications for the vehicle a parts list and a reference chart of other available vehicle information The other available vehicle information may include such necessary items as a wiring diagram or mechanical diagram of engine elements that may be viewed through an appropriate viewer In FIG 2B the menu is display able on CRT 14 to inform the operator where the de sired diagram can be found in a suitable manual or sta tion microfiche file 20 FIG 1 At this point in the process of the present invention the operator or dealer has the vehicle 22 attached to the motor analyzer 16 the motor analyzer has supplied to it the specifications for tune up of the particular vehicle 22 and the operator has a means for identifying and viewing additional information concerning the vehicle 22 It is contemplated that the analyzer is capable of measuring and providing an output display or signal that will show the present operating condition of the vehicle and or the difference between the present con dition and the manufacturers specifications for opera tion of the vehicle Condition and operation are contem plated to include motor operation as well as electrical and mechanical conditions on the vehicle that are capa ble of being
27. is benefited by having an accessible dependable set of specifications to which he can perform services The system also provides access to a specialist for the unusual or complex service re quest The operator also gets a system that can supply his record keeping demands The general public is bene fited by having up to date vehicle specifications avail able to the service operator so that the services supplied can be expected to meet the specifications that have been established for satisfying environmental protection regulations While certain preferred embodiments of the inven tion have been specifically disclosed it should be under stood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the 4 404 639 15 art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims What is claimed is 1 An apparatus for facilitating the diagnosing and servicing of an automotive vehicle from service request to completed servicing and invoicing comprising a diagnostic test equipment including means for attaching said equipment to said vehicle and means for measuring operating conditions of said vehicle b a display means c means for entering into said display means vehicle identification data unique to said vehicle d data base storage means said data base including specifications for automotive vehicles including said ve
28. measured and compared to established specifications The output from the analyzer 16 should be most if not all of the conditions stated under the heading of DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR The com parative data may be selected items which will permit the dealer or operator to establish a preliminary diagno sis of any changes in vehicle operating conditions that would be expected to improve vehicle operation or bring the vehicle into conformance with the specifica tions for that vehicle Engine analyzers of the type contemplated herein are available from manufacturers such as Bear Automotive Service Equipment Inc Sun Electric Co Allen Equipment Co and United Technologies The comparative information from the analyzer 16 will be supplied to a printer 12 where the operator may analyze the information from the analyzer and recom mend remedial action to the vehicle Some of the analy zers listed above provide diagnostic output information that will supplement or assist an operator in providing a diagnosis If parts are required or adjustments are to be made to the vehicle those actions may be taken and the operation of the vehicle measured again The initial diagnosis of the vehicle condition will have been sup plied to the work in progress disk 46 and stored in ac cordance with the work order that identifies vehicle being analyzed When the repairs have been completed for that vehicle the then operating conditions are sup plied to the
29. n accordance with data unique to said vehicle 3 The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for controlling said diagnostic test equipment is selected in accordance with said vehicle identification data unique to said vehicle 4 The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means for controlling said diagnostic equipment transfers control functions including control of said means for measuring operating conditions of said vehicle and said means for transferring measured data to said display means and wherein said means for controlling transfers said con trol functions from said data base storage means to said diagnostic test equipment 5 The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for controlling said diagnostic test equipment also includes service manual index data means for selecting parts data diagnostic and service remarks for vehicles and control functions for control of said diagnostic equip ment comprising i diagnostic tests for vehicles ii display of diagnostic test results and 5 10 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65 16 iii control means transferable to said diagnostic test equipment to cause said test equipment to perform said diagnostic tests and display said diagnostic test results 6 The apparatus of claim 5 including means for ac cessing said data base storage means to change the data base stored in said storage means including at least i said specifications for automotive vehicles and
30. na lyzer has transmitted diagnostic information to the ana lyzer and the analyzer is ready to be connected to the vehicle The analyzer will be provided with the neces sary linking connections that will permit the analyzer to have all of the necessary condition signals that will permit the analyzer to diagnose the condition of the engine Most analyzers require connections to elec trical systems the timing systems the fuel and carbure tion systems the exhaust system and other systems which will be known to those skilled in this art When all the connectors have been attached to the vehicle the dealer will then begin the initial diagnosis A representative series of tests on an engine are as follows STATIC VOLTAGE Measures Battery surface voltage Ignition primary voltages coil and and amperage CRANKING Measures Battery voltage drop Ignition primary voltages 4 404 639 7 Cranking RPM Cranking amperage by cylinder Oil temperature ALTERNATOR Measures Alternator voltage and amperage loaded and un loaded Engine RPM Field terminal voltage Ripple Oil temperature IGNITION PRIMARY Measures Engine RPM Dwell percent and degrees Ignition primary voltages Cam error Distributor variation Oil temperature IGNITION TIMING Measures Engine RPM Basic timing Engine vacuum Advance at specified RPM Advance curves Vacuum Centrifugal Oil temperature IGNITION SECONDARY Measures Engine RP
31. ocal station operator or mechanic by conventional communication link such as telephone for consultation with regard to a specific vehicle While such contact is expected to be minimal it is helpful to an individual station operator or mechanic or vehicle owner to make such a contact route available The information communicated from the various sources 28 30 and 34 through the network computer 26 to the service station 10 can be supplied to each of the equipment devices 12 14 and 16 to permit hard cop ies to be made to permit visual displays and to permit the analyzer to be supplied with down loaded vehicle specifications Dotted line communication link 37 be tween each of the devices is intended to illustrate the potential interaction between each of these pieces of equipment as will be further explained hereinafter FIG 1 further illustrates by extension of communica tion link 27 that the vehicle data and information is available to other network computers and by the dotted connections to communication link 24 that the network computers 26 illustrated may also service a number of other service stations within the same regional area The system functions are referred to as options to the user These options or functions appear to the user on the cathode ray tube CRT 14 adjacent to the analyzer 16 These options are Service invoice generation Service invoice update Service invoice history Vehicle identification an
32. on may be added to the ser vice order at this time such as Warranty number Time wanted a m or p m Deliver l Job taken and estimated by Customer remarks Last tune up mileage an date Road tests with or without the customer Motor vehicle inspection certification required Fuel type regular unleaded premium diesel To assist dealers in servicing their regular customers new work orders may be generated from existing in voice history file records for the same vehicle By enter ing the VIN selected customer and vehicle information may be supplied to the CRT for the dealer to modify This will allow the dealer to use the existing vehicle specification record after entering current work order information to Print the tune up parts list Print the addresses to selected subsystem service manu als Download engine specifications to the analyzer Once the work order has been entered into the sys tem it becomes a work order in progress thus acces _sible by several keys Work order number Customer name Make year model Vehicle identification number License number Assuming that the vehicle has not been previously serviced at a service station that has collected vehicle identification information the next step of data capture 45 for diagnosis and servicing is the identification of the engine for specification selection Because of the wide range of engine ignition and carburetion combinations for a particular m
33. ontrolled service station financial data ac cess security in station data 30 may be controlled by the individual dealer FIGS 2A 2B and 2C illustrate the system of the present invention in relative time sequence from left to right through FIG 2A FIG 2B and FIG 2C As illustrated in the upper left corner of FIG 2A the customer 40 and vehicle 22 arrive at the station with a known or unknown operational problem As previously described the customer supplies some information per taining to the vehicle 22 to the station operator or dealer to create an initial service estimate with a copy 41 for the station records a copy 42 for the customer and the original 43 for working within the system Dotted lines illustrate the expected use of the estimate copies From the information on original copy 43 an entry is made into the system of this invention by selecting the option service invoice generation for creating a work order against which all work on the specific vehicle 22 will be recorded This selection is implemented by dis playing on the CRT 14 the available options and by the dealer or operator selecting the function of service invoice generation through keying an appropriate key on keyboard 15 4 404 639 1 The entry of a service invoice generation command with appropriate customer identification will permit the network computer NET COMP to search for previ ous service orders for the same customer in the service station d
34. ordingly Also shown in FIG 2B is a Vehicle Remarks File disk 3 containing pertinent information for the operator with regard to specific or classes of automotive vehi cles The information from disk 3 constitutes a part of the vehicle data and information 28 shown in FIG 1 and is accessible through the network computer 26 for viewing on the CRT 14 The diagnosis or analysis produced by the motor analyzer 16 by measuring data from the motor vehicle with respect to specifications supplied from the vehicle specification disk 3 is made available to the printer 12 where a hard copy of measured and specification data may be produced for further analysis by a mechanic That data is also supplied to the work order in progress disk 46 through the network computer 26 where it is stored with respect to the particular vehicle in accor dance with its individual work order number The system of the present invention has so far sup plied to a mechanic or service station operator the pres ent condition of the vehicle the specifications for proper operation of the vehicle the operating routines for an analyzer if needed and an indication of the differ ences between the present vehicle condition and specifi cations The invention may also indicate the preferred change in vehicle condition to bring the vehicle into agreement with the specifications Whether that change is auto matically supplied by the analyzer 16 or whether the differences be
35. rtaining to said vehicle and measured with respect to 4 404 639 17 said vehicle a vehicle data base including vehicle speci fications and diagnostic data pertaining to operation of said diagnostic test equipment a communicating net work computer for interconnecting said diagnostic test equipment said storing means and said data base dis play means for displaying data from said diagnostic test equipment said storing means and said vehicle data base and printing means for producing a printed record of said retrieved data said method comprising the steps of a connecting said vehicle having said unique identi fication to said diagnostic test equipment and iden tifying said vehicle in said test equipment by said unique identification said diagnostic test equip ment having the capability of sensing a plurality of conditions representing the operating condition of said vehicle b supplying to said diagnostic test equipment from said data base the specifications that apply to oper ation of said vehicle in accordance with said vehi cle identification c supplying to said diagnostic test equipment from said data base any unique sequence of diagnostic tests for operating said diagnostic test equipment in sensing said conditions representing the operation of said vehicle d measuring data with said diagnostic test equip ment in accordance with said unique sequence of diagnostic tests to produce a first set of data repre
36. s available at the CRT 14 This function permits the operator to access information within the disk storage at any CRT 14 that may be attached to the disk through the network computer 26 That location need not be at the actual service location but may be at any CRT 14 having access to the network computer 26 An operator having several service loca tions may access the information at a single location and thus avail himself of summary information in prepara tion for parts or mechanic labor requirements As herein described the system permits an accurate record to be kept on each service order in progress and completed Because the records are accessed through a network computer it is possible to reproduce a record of previous services performed on a vehicle at another service location Having the vehicle identification num ber VIN it is possible to retrieve the record of previ ous services stored in the service station data 30 Access to such information may require entry through a secu rity screen established to provide security for both the vehicle owner and the service operator It is contemplated that the system of the present in vention will benefit the vehicle owner the service oper ator and the general public in many ways The vehicle owner is benefited by having a clear estimate of services to be performed based on the actual up to date manu facturers specifications applicable to that particular vehicle The service operator
37. s for retrieving said stored record of services performed and to be performed according to degree of completion 13 The apparatus of claim 10 including means for storing and retrieving said record of services performed and to be performed according to types of services performed 14 The apparatus of claim 1 including means for entering to said display means the identification and quantity of parts labor hours by labor category and description and amount of sublet service work per formed in servicing said automotive vehicle 15 The apparatus of claim 14 including means for storing pricing data with respect to parts services and sublet service work for services performed in servicing said vehicle and means for supplying said pricing data to said display means 16 The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for producing a printed record includes means for produc ing a final invoice based on said data supplied to said display means with respect to servicing said vehicle 17 The apparatus of claim 1 including a network computer for communicating between at least said data base storage means and said diagnostic test equipment said display means and said means for producing said printed record and stored record 18 A method for facilitating the diagnosing and ser vicing of an automotive vehicle having a unique vehicle identification with apparatus including diagnostic test equipment storing means for storing and retrieving data pe
38. th services performed and said stored information is accessible through said communicating network computer to permit a display at any of said display means and a printed record at any of said printers of status reports of at least work in progress work completed work by type of service inventory control on substantially any time period report for all unique vehicle stored records
39. through the network computer 26 for evaluation of parts failure By requesting the labor update option the dealer can enter the number of hours assigned to that vehicle and the labor rate from the dealer s labor file will be applied to that work order for later invoicing By requesting the sublet work update option the dealer can enter the purchase order number the subcontrac tor s name and the sales amount Upon completion of the repair mode or tune up mode the analyzer is placed back in the automatic mode for the final diagnosis This is to ensure that the vehicle is now in compliance with the specifications Again the results of each test are transmitted back to the network computer for retention within the Work Order In Progress file When it has been verified that the services to the vehicle have been completed the motor analyzer is disconnected from the vehicle and invoicing from that vehicle is ready to be completed Invoicing An invoice can be generated for any vehicle in the Work Order In Progress file at any stage during the vehicle s servicing should the dealer select to close out 9 that work order Since all information regarding that vehicle has been entered from the time that work order was initiated the dealer has a complete record of all parts labor and sublet work associated with that vehi cle As an option the dealer can run a subtotal on all parts and labor to date to verify that the original esti mate
40. tween present condition and specification is analyzed by a mechanic makes no difference in the present invention it is only important that the vehicle be serviced or tuned up to change its operating con dition When a change in vehicle operation has been accom plished the vehicle is again attached to the analyzer and its operating condition determined and further com pared to specifications It is of course expected that the vehicle s operation will come into conformance with the specifications supplied to the analyzer The final operating conditions are supplied to the work in progress disk 46 from the analyzer through the network computer 26 That final diagnosis is viewable at the CRT 14 through the network computer 26 and a hard copy is producable at the printer 12 directly from the analyzer 16 The printer output can include all parts labor and sublet work charged to the service order identifying the vehicle and may also include additional remarks concerning part failures or service remarks concerning the vehicle FIG 2C illustrates the final record keeping and sum maries that are producable with the method and appara tus of the present invention In producing an invoice for the customer after the servicing has been completed the CRT 14 displays the information contained in the work in progress disk 46 through the network computer 26 That disk contained the original service estimate so that 15 20 25 30
41. vehicle what has previously been done to the vehicle and what is recommended to be done to the vehicle The system further provides the owner with a visible and or printed record of what services are recom mended and a record showing that the services are in progress or have been completed The system provides the service operator with a record of individual vehicle services being recommended and performed all ser vices of a particular class or type being performed on vehicles in that service location and recap capabilities on daily or other time intervals to assist in record keep ing scheduling and inventory control The objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the appended drawings and specification illustrated pre ferred embodiments BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a block diagram illustrating the relationship of the several elements of the system of the present invention FIGS 2A 2B and 2C are a flow chart diagram of the system of the present invention This invention relates to the work flow involved in diagnosing and servicing a vehicle from the time a cus tomer arrives for an estimate of charges until the in voice has been completed for that vehicle FIG 1 illus trates in block diagram form the relationship of an individual service station to the vehicle and the data 4 404 639 3 available regarding that vehicle FIGS 2A 2B and 2C
42. xhaust emission specification decal on a vehicle being serviced Having produced the vehicle identification number and entered it into the service invoice form through keyboard 15 the dealer has identified complete details on the customer and vehicle and has caused that infor mation to be entered into the work order in progress disk 46 That information may then be printed at printer 12 to produce a hard copy reference to be attached to the vehicle The identification of a vehicle by its vehicle identification number VIN has also permitted the system to access the specifications for that particular vehicle through the network computer 26 to the storage disk 2 where complete vehicle specifications for each vehicle have previously been stored FIG 2B depicts the system functions for diagnosis and repair for a vehicle With the vehicle 22 connected to an analyzer 16 and both connected through the net work computer 26 to the vehicle data and information 28 FIG 1 including vehicle specifications storage disk 2 the engine specifications for a particular vehicle may be down loaded i e transferred to the motor analy zer 16 for retrievable storage The specification stored in the disk 2 may also contain a listing of parts associ ated with the tune up of that vehicle and an index or menu of other available visual data that may be accessed for that vehicle The parts list may be down loaded through the network computer 26 to the pr
43. y agency makes changes that apply to a particular vehi cle those changes will not be known from a reference to the specifications fixed to the vehicle Engine analyzers are also known some are general purpose for use with many vehicles and some are spe cific to a particular manufacturer s vehicle and some manufacturers have built microprocessers into the vehi cle so as to provide part or all of the engine analysis function Some engine analyzers merely measure exist ing conditions in a vehicle and are unable to compare the measured conditions to a standard on a particular specification Other analyzers provide complete diag nostic capabilities including advising the operator on what corrections should be made The summary of the foregoing with regard to the state of the prior art the modern complicated and regulated vehicle engine diagnosis and service business is that there is a growing need for a system that will permit an operator or vehicle owner to know the oper ating specifications for a vehicle the present condition of the vehicle the recommended services that could be performed on the vehicle to improve its operation and the service that has previously been performed on the vehicle The system of the present invention is intended to satisfy that need and to provide the vehicle owner and service operator with a means for communicating with records on the owner s vehicle to determine the specifi cations for the
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