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`Environment, Maggy Blagrove, no earlier than Jan., 2002.
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`Cosworth Technology, Inc. and North American Bus Indus-
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`tries (NABI) to Unveil the CompoBus TM Suited With the
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`Revolutionary i3000 {R} Predictive Diagnostic System at
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`640r-«//
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`FIG.1
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`May 18, 2004
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`US 6,738,697 132
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`Sheet 4 0f 38
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`FIG.4A
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`US. Patent
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`Sheet 8 of 38
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`Page 10 of 85
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`Page 11 of 85
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`Page 12 of 85
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`Page 12 of 85
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`US. Patent
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`May 18, 2004
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`Sheet 11 0f 38
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`US. Patent
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`May 18, 2004
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`Sheet 13 0f 38
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`US 6,738,697 132
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`US. Patent
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`May 18, 2004
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`Sheet 14 0f 38
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`US. Patent
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`May 18, 2004
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`Sheet 15 0f 38
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`—“
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`FIG. 15
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`US. Patent
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`May 18, 2004
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`Sheet 18 0f 38
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`FIG. 18A
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`PRIOR ART
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`FIG. 18
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`PRIOR ART
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`US. Patent
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`Sheet 19 0f 38
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`FIG- 19D
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`FIG. 19B
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`FIG. 190
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`FIG. 19E
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`Sheet 21 0f 38
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`FIG. 20C
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`Prior Art
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`Sensors
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`1
`TELEMATICS SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE
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`DIAGNOSTICS
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`CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
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`APPLICATIONS
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`This application is a continuation-in-part of US. patent
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`application Ser. No. 09/753,186 filed Jan. 2, 2001, now US.
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`Pat. No. 6,484,080, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of
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`US. patent application Ser. No. 09/137,918 filed Aug. 20,
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`1998, now US. Pat. No. 6,175,787, which in turn is a
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`continuation-in-part of US. patent application Ser. No.
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`08/476,077 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now US. Pat. No. 5,809,437.
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`This application is a continuation-in-part of US. patent
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`application Ser. No. 10/079,065 filed Feb. 19, 2002 which in
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`turn is a continuation-in-part of US. patent application Ser.
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`No. 09/765,558 filed Jan. 19, 2001, which claims priority
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`under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of US. provisional patent appli-
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`cation Ser. No. 60/231,378 filed Sep. 8, 2000.
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`This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)
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`of US. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/269,415
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`filed Feb. 16, 2001, US. provisional patent application Ser.
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`No. 60/291,511 filed May 16, 2001 and US. provisional
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`patent application Ser. No. 60/304,013 filed Jul. 9, 2001
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`through US. patent application Ser. No. 10/079,065 filed
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`Feb. 19, 2002.
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`This application is a continuation-in-part of US. patent
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`application Ser. No. 10/174,709 filed Jun. 19, 2002 and
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`claims benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/269,
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`415 filed Feb. 16, 2001.
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`All of the above-mentioned patents and applications are
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`incorporated by reference herein in their entirety as if they
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`had each been set forth herein in full.
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`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
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`The present invention relates to methods and apparatus
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`for diagnosing components in a vehicle and transmitting
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`data relating to the diagnosis of the components in the
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`vehicle and other information relating to the operating
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`conditions of the vehicle to one or more remote locations
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`distant from the vehicle, i.e., via a telematics link.
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`The present invention also relates to systems and method
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`for diagnosing the state or condition of a vehicle, e.g.,
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`whether the vehicle is about to rollover or is experiencing a
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`crash and whether the vehicle has a component which is
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`operating abnormally and could possibly fail resulting in a
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`crash or severe handicap for the operator, and transmitting
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`data relating to the diagnosis of the components in the
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`vehicle and optionally other information relating to the
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`operating conditions of the vehicle to one or more remote
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`locations, i.e., via a telematics link.
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`The present
`invention further relates to methods and
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`apparatus for diagnosing components in a vehicle and deter-
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`mining the status of occupants in a vehicle and transmitting
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`data relating to the diagnosis of the components in the
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`vehicle, and optionally other information relating to the
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`operating conditions of the vehicle, and data relating to the
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`occupants to one or more remote facilities such as a repair
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`facility and an emergency response station.
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`It is now generally recognized that it is important to
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`monitor the occupancy of a passenger compartment of a
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`vehicle. For example, US. Pat. No. 5,829,782 (Breed et al.)
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`describes a vehicle interior monitoring system that utilizes
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`pattern recognition techniques and wave-receiving sensors
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`to obtain information about the occupancy of the passenger
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`compartment and uses this information to affect the opera-
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`tion of one or more systems in the vehicle, including an
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`occupant restraint device, an entertainment system, a heating
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`system, a distress notification system, a light filtering system
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`and a security system.
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`the
`Of particular interest, Breed et al. mentions that
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`presence of a child in a rear facing child seat placed on the
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`right front passenger seat may be detected as this has
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`become an industry-wide concern to prevent deployment of
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`an occupant restraint device in these situations. The US.
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`automobile industry is continually searching for an easy,
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`economical solution, which will prevent the deployment of
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`the passenger side airbag if a rear facing child seat is present.
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`Another important aspect disclosed in Breed et al. relates
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`to the operation of the cellular communications system in
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`conjunction with the vehicle interior monitoring system.
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`Vehicles can be provided with a standard cellular phone as
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`well as the Global Positioning System (GPS), an automobile
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`navigation or location system with an optional connection to
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`a manned assistance facility. In the event of an accident, the
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`phone may automatically call 911 for emergency assistance
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`and report the exact position of the vehicle. If the vehicle
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`also has a system as described below for monitoring each
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`seat location, the number and perhaps the condition of the
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`occupants could also be reported. In that way, the emergency
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`service (EMS) would know what equipment and how many
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`ambulances to send to the accident site. Moreover, a com-
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`munication channel can be opened between the vehicle and
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`a monitoring facility/emergency response facility or person-
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`nel to determine how badly people are injured, the number
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`provided to the occupant(s) of the vehicle to assist in any
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`necessary first aid prior to arrival of the emergency assis-
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`tance personnel.
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`tance facility are also important for the purpose of diagnos-
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`ing problems with the vehicle and forecasting problems with
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`the vehicle, called prognostics. Motor vehicles contain com-
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`plex mechanical systems that are monitored and regulated
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`by computer systems such as electronic control units (ECUs)
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`and the like. Such ECUs monitor various components of the
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`vehicle including engine performance, carburation, speed/
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`(EGR), braking systems, etc. However, vehicles perform
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`such monitoring typically only for the vehicle driver and
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`without communication of any impending results, problems
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`and/or vehicle malfunction to a remote site for trouble-
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`shooting, diagnosis or tracking for data mining.
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`In the past, systems that provide for remote monitoring
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`did not provide for automated analysis and communication
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`of problems or potential problems and recommendations to
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`the driver. As a result, the vehicle driver or user is often left
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`stranded, or irreparable damage occurs to the vehicle as a
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`result of neglect or driving the vehicle without the user
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`knowing the vehicle is malfunctioning until it is too late,
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`such as low oil level and a malfunctioning warning light, fan
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`belt about to fail, failing radiator hose etc.
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`In this regard, US. Pat. No. 5,400,018 (Scholl et al.)
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`describes a system for relaying raw sensor output from an off
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`road work site relating to the status of a vehicle to a remote
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`location over a communications data link. The information
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`consists of fault codes generated by sensors and electronic
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`control modules indicating that a failure has occurred rather
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`than forecasting a failure. The vehicle does not include a
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`system for performing diagnosis. Rather, the raw sensor data
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`is processed at an off-vehicle location in order to arrive at a
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`diagnosis of the vehicle’s operating condition. Bi-directional
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`communications are described in that a request for addi-
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`tional information can be sent to the vehicle from the remote
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`location with the vehicle responding and providing the
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`requested information but no such communication takes
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`place with the vehicle operator and not of an operator of a
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`vehicle traveling on a road. Also, Scholl et al. does not teach
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`the diagnostics of the problem or potential problem on the
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`vehicle itself nor does it teach the automatic diagnostics or
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`any prognostics. In Scholl et al. the determination of the
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`problem occurs at the remote site by human technicians.
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`US. Pat. No. 5,754,965 (Hagenbuch) describes an appa-
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`ratus for diagnosing the state of health of a vehicle and
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`providing the operator of the vehicle with a substantially
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`real-time indication of the efficiency of the vehicle in
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`performing as assigned task with respect to a predetermined
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`goal. A processor in the vehicle monitors sensors that
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`provide information regarding the state of health of the
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`vehicle and the amount of work the vehicle has done. The
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`processor records information that describes events leading
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`up to the occurrence of an anomaly for later analysis. The
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`sensors are also used to prompt the operator to operate the
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`vehicle at optimum efficiency.
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`US. Pat. No. 5,955,942 (Slifkin et al.) describes a method
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`for monitoring events in vehicles in which electrical outputs
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`representative of events in the vehicle are produced,
`the
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`characteristics of one event are compared with the charac-
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`teristics of other events accumulated over a given period of
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`time and departures or variations of a given extent from the
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`other characteristics are determined as an indication of a
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`significant event. A warning is sent
`in response to the
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`indication, including the position of the vehicle as deter-
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`mined by a global positioning system on the vehicle. For
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`example, for use with a railroad car, a microprocessor
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`responds to outputs of an accelerometer by comparing
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`acceleration characteristics of one impact with accumulated
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`acceleration characteristics of other impacts and determines
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`departures of a given magnitude from the other character-
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`istics as a failure indication which gives rise of a warning.
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`Every automobile driver fears that his or her vehicle will
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`breakdown at some unfortunate time, e.g., when he or she is
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`traveling at night, during rush hour, or on a long trip away
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`from home. To help alleviate that fear, certain luxury auto-
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`mobile manufacturers provide roadside service in the event
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`of a breakdown. Nevertheless, unless the vehicle is equipped
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`with OnStar® or an equivalent service, the vehicle driver
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`must still be able to get to a telephone to call for service. It
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`is also a fact that many people purchase a new automobile
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`out of fear of a breakdown with their current vehicle. This
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`invention is primarily concerned with preventing break-
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`downs and with minimizing maintenance costs by predicting
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`component failure that would lead to such a breakdown
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`before it occurs.
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`When a vehicle component begins to fail, the repair cost
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`is frequently minimal if the impending failure of the com-
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`ponent is caught early, but increases as the repair is delayed.
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`Sometimes if a component in need of repair is not caught in
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`a timely manner,
`the component, and particularly the
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`impending failure thereof, can cause other components of
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`the vehicle to deteriorate. One example is where the water
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`pump fails gradually until the vehicle overheats and blows
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`a head gasket. It is desirable, therefore, to determine that a
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`vehicle component is about to fail as early as possible so as
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`to minimize the probability of a breakdown and the resulting
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`repair costs.
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`Page 42 of 85
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`4
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`There are various gages on an automobile which alert the
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`driver to various vehicle problems. For example, if the oil
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`pressure drops below some predetermined level, the driver
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`is warned to stop his vehicle immediately. Similarly, if the
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`coolant temperature exceeds some predetermined value, the
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`driver is also warned to take immediate corrective action. In
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`these cases, the warning often comes too late as most vehicle
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`gages alert the driver after he or she can conveniently solve
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`the problem. Thus, what is needed is a component failure
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`warning system that alerts the driver to the impending
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`failure of a component sufficiently in advance of the time
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`when the problem gets to a catastrophic point.
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`Some astute drivers can sense changes in the performance
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`of their vehicle and correctly diagnose that a problem with
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`a component is about to occur. Other drivers can sense that
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`their vehicle is performing differently but they don’t know
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`why or when a component will fail or how serious that
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`failure will be, or possibly even what specific component is
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`the cause of the difference in performance. The invention
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`disclosed herein will, in most cases, solve this problem by
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`predicting component failures in time to permit maintenance
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`and thus prevent vehicle breakdowns.
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`Presently, automobile sensors in use are based on specific
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`predetermined or set levels, such as the coolant temperature
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`or oil pressure, whereby an increase above the set level or a
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`decrease below the set level will activate the sensor, rather
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`than being based on changes in this level over time. The rate
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`at which coolant heats up, for example, can be an important
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`clue that some component in the cooling system is about to
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`fail. There are no systems currently on automobiles to
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`monitor the numerous vehicle components over time and to
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`compare component performance with normal performance.
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`Nowhere in the vehicle is the vibration signal of a normally
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`operating front wheel stored, for example, or for that matter,
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`any normal signal from any other vehicle component.
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`Additionally,
`there is no system currently existing on a
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`vehicle to look for erratic behavior of a vehicle component
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`and to warn the driver or the dealer that a component is
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`misbehaving and is therefore likely to fail in the very near
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`future.
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`Sometimes, when a component fails, a catastrophic acci-
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`dent results. In the Firestone tire case, for example, over 100
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`people were killed when a tire of a Ford Explorer blew out
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`which caused the Ford Explorer to rollover. Similarly, other
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`component failures can lead to loss of control of the vehicle
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`and a subsequent accident. It is thus very important
`to
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`accurately forecast that such an event will take place but
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`furthermore, for those cases where the event takes place
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`suddenly without warning, it is also important to diagnose
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`the state of the entire vehicle, which in some cases can lead
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`to automatic corrective action to prevent unstable vehicle
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`motion or rollovers resulting in an accident. Finally, an
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`accurate diagnostic system for the entire vehicle can deter-
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`mine much more accurately the severity of an automobile
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`crash once it has begun by knowing where the accident is
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`taking place on the vehicle (e.g., the part of or location on
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`the vehicle which is being impacted by an object) and what
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`is colliding with the vehicle based on a knowledge of the
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`force deflection characteristics of the vehicle at that location.
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`Therefore, in addition to a component diagnostic, the teach-
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`ings of this invention also provide a diagnostic system for
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`the entire vehicle prior to and during accidents. In particular,
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`this invention is concerned with the simultaneous monitor-
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`the best
`ing of multiple sensors on the vehicle so that
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`possible determination of the state of the vehicle can be
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`determined. Current crash sensors operate independently or
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`at most one sensor may influence the threshold at which
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`US 6,738,697 B2
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`5
`another sensor triggers a deployable restraint. In the teach-
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`ings of this invention,
`two or more sensors, frequently
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`accelerometers, are monitored simultaneously and the com-
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`bination of the outputs of these multiple sensors are com-
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`bined continuously in making the crash severity analysis.
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`Marko et al. (US. Pat. No. 5,041,976) is directed to a
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`diagnostic system using pattern recognition for electronic
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`automotive control systems and particularly for diagnosing
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`faults in the engine of a motor vehicle after they have
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`occurred. For example, Marko et al. is interested in deter-
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`mining cylinder specific faults after the cylinder is operating
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`abnormally. More specifically, Marko et al. is directed to
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`detecting a fault in a vehicular electromechanical system
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`indirectly, i.e., by