FINAL OFFICE ACTION
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2015/0113328 A1), hereinafter referred to as Jiang, in view of Chen et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2019/0304213 A1), hereinafter referred to as Chen in further view of Olsen, III et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2013/0030641 A1), hereinafter referred to as Olsen, in further view of Wang et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2024/0028491 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wang.
Regarding Claim 1, Jiang teaches:
A diagnostic system configured to group and prioritize CAN-related faults across multiple ECUs based on shared fault conditions for controller area network (CAN) bus fault detection, comprising:
a processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; ([0018-0019]);
a communication interface configured to communicate with a plurality of vehicle electronic control units (ECUs) via at least one CAN bus using a wireless or wired data connection to the vehicle's diagnostic system; ([0022]);
Jiang fails to explicitly disclose but Chen teaches:
a user interface including a display; ([0073]; regarding, “The dongle 14 may be in wireless communication with the driver's smartphone 22, which may include a display screen 58 for displaying data or information related to the vehicle 12. The smartphone 22 may additionally include a microphone 60 to receive verbal commands from the use”);
wherein the processor is configured, in response to diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) retrieved from the at least one CAN bus, to autonomously identify a subset of the retrieved DTCs that are indicative of CAN bus communication faults by filtering out DTCs unrelated to CAN communications; ([0104]; regarding, “If a component or system 52 on the vehicle 12 is not operating within acceptable limits or fails a self-test, one or more diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may be generated and stored on the ECU 26. The DTCs may include four main categories of codes: Powertrain (“P”) codes, Body (“B”) codes, Chassis (“C”) codes, and Network Communications (“U”) codes… U codes relate to controller area network wiring bus and modules.”);
determine a repair priority for each fault group based on criteria including one or more of severity, fault integrity, or historical vehicle data; ([0077]; regarding, “For instance, the remote diagnostic server 16 may also be capable of determining an urgency associated with repairing or otherwise addressing the identified diagnostic condition. For instance, the server 16 may categorize identified diagnostic conditions as being either a low urgency or a high urgency.”);
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang with the teachings of Chen. Doing so could convey information audibly and in regularly understood verbiage, providing advancement over non-verbal systems (Chen, [0101]).
Jiang in view of Chen fail to explicitly disclose but Olsen teaches:
group the identified CAN-related DTCs from different ECUs into one or more fault groups… each fault group corresponding to a common CAN bus fault condition; ([0038]; regarding, “the monitoring process is adapted for implementation by a common carrier in order to monitor its delivery fleet. The first step of the monitoring process involves establishing parameters to evaluate the various fault codes that may be received from a particular vehicle 110. Accordingly, in Step 310, the monitoring process begins with analyzing historical data collected on fault codes received from different vehicles 110 within the common carrier's fleet and on maintenance performed on the different vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered. The purpose of conducting this particular step in various embodiments is to establish relationships between fault codes received for particular vehicles 110 and maintenance required on these particular vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered.”);
and show on the display fault information for each fault group, including the grouped CAN-related DTCs and corresponding repair guidance. ([0032]; regarding, “A display device/input device 64 for receiving and displaying data is also included in the monitoring server 200.”; [0073]; regarding, “The screen displays a number of different pieces of information for each record provided in the listing. For instance, the screen displays a vehicle number 620 for each record along with a fault code (e.g., flash code) 625 triggered for the vehicle 110. In addition, the screen displays the number of counts 630 the fault code 625 was triggered during the selected time period and the failure code 635. Further, the screen displays additional information such as the failure 640, the failure mode 645, the engine type 650, and the automotive technician 655 responsible for working on the vehicle 110.”; [0074]; regarding, “in particular embodiments, the failure field 640 may include a malfunction indicator lamp 665 to signal failure that may require some type of action (e.g., immediate attention). Further, in particular embodiments, the fault codes 625 may be displayed in colors to represent the level of priority associated with each fault code (e.g., the state for each fault code).”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang and Chen with the teachings of Olsen. Doing so could be helpful in revising and establishing parameters used to analyze received fault data (Olsen, [0075]).
Jiang in view of Chen in further view of Olsen fails to explicitly disclose but Wang teaches:
group the identified CAN-related DTCs…based on a definition of each identified CAN-related DTC and an associated reporting ECU… ([0030]; regarding, “… Suggestions are prioritized, including that the diagnostic bus can work, reading the bus fault of the communication fault code of the ECU, making full use of the self-diagnosis function of the ECU, reading the communication fault code from the ECU, and repairing according to the communication fault code.”; [0032]; regarding, “…the bus faults are sorted, summarized and classified, the most likely causes and locations of bus faults are analyzed, and a most efficient troubleshooting scheme is calculated.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang, Chen, and Olsen with the teachings of Wang. Doing so can allow the position of an automobile bus fault to be quickly located, and the efficiency of user troubleshooting can be improved. (Wang, [0017]).
Regarding Claim 2, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the system of claim 1 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen, in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the communication interface is further configured to monitor CAN bus traffic in real time and detect anomalies indicative of communication degradation or node isolation. (Jiang, [0019]; regarding, “The control module has a set of control routines executed to provide the desired functions… Routines may be executed at regular intervals, for example each 100 microseconds, 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 100 milliseconds during ongoing engine and vehicle operation. Alternatively, routines may be executed in response to occurrence of an event.”; [0015]; regarding, “In one embodiment, one of the controllers, e.g., controller 40, is configured to monitor the CAN 50 and the CAN bus 15, and may be referred to herein as a monitor, a CAN monitor, or a monitoring node. Alternatively, or in addition, each of the controllers 10, 20, 30 and 40 may be configured to monitor the CAN 50 and the CAN bus 15.”).
Regarding Claim 3, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the system of claim 1 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen, in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein retrieving diagnostic trouble codes comprises polling each of the plurality of ECUs via the CAN bus using a standard diagnostic protocol to request stored DTCs and receiving the DTCs from each ECU in response. (Olsen, [0023]; regarding, “The ECM is a type of electronic control unit”; [0024]; regarding, “the ECM 130 includes a microprocessor that processes inputs from engine sensors in real time. In these particular embodiments, the ECU 130 may contain hardware and software… such a configuration is referred to as an electronic Engine Management System (EMS).”; [0025]; regarding, “the EMS may also communicate with transmission control units or directly interface with electronically-controlled automatic transmissions, traction control systems, and the like. In many instances, the Controller Area Network or CAN bus automotive network is often used to achieve communication between these devices. Further, in particular instances, the ECM triggers diagnostic information known as fault codes”; [0027]; regarding, “the vehicle 110 also includes a telematics system 140 that receives information such as fault codes from the ECM 130. In general, telematics systems are configured to collect information from various control systems and sensors located on a vehicle and transmit the information through a communications network (e.g., a cellular, WAN, or other wireless network). Thus, in particular embodiments, the telematics system 140 on the vehicle 110 receives information on various fault codes triggered from the ECM 130 and transmits the information over a communication network 150 (e.g., a mobile cellular network) to a central location.”).
Regarding Claim 4, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the system of claim 1 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein identifying the subset of DTCs indicative of CAN bus communication faults comprises comparing retrieved DTCs to communication fault codes stored in memory and applicable to an associated vehicle type; (Olsen, [0038]; regarding, “The first step of the monitoring process involves establishing parameters to evaluate the various fault codes that may be received from a particular vehicle 110. Accordingly, in Step 310, the monitoring process begins with analyzing historical data collected on fault codes received from different vehicles 110 within the common carrier's fleet and on maintenance performed on the different vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered.”);
identifying a DTC as CAN-related if it corresponds to an error condition associated with bus-off status, signal timeout, message framing, or arbitration loss; (Jiang, [0020]; regarding, “A CAN message can be corrupted, with known errors including stuff errors, form errors, ACK errors, bit 1 errors, bit 0 errors, and CRC errors. The errors are used to generate an error warning status including one of an error-active status, an error-passive status, and a bus-off error status. The error-active status, error-passive status, and bus-off error status are assigned based upon increasing quantity of detected bus error frames, i.e., an increasing bus error count.”);
and excluding DTCs that are unrelated to network communication issues. (Jiang, [0035]; regarding, “The fault signatures can be subsequent employed to isolate a fault in the CAN 500 using a suitable fault detection and isolation algorithm.”).
Regarding Claim 5, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the system of claim 1 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein grouping the identified CAN-related DTCs comprises: generating a fault group when two or more ECUs reside on a shared CAN segment indicating a potential segment level communication fault. (Jiang, [0022]; regarding, “FIG. 2 illustrates a network topology for an exemplary CAN 200 including controllers ECU1 202, ECU2 204 and ECU3 206”; [0025]; regarding, “The derived fault signatures enable fault diagnosis for in-vehicle communication faults including faults associated with the communications link 201, power link 211 and ground link 221 in the form of one or more link-open faults, controller faults, and link-short faults.”).
Regarding Claim 6, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the system of claim 1 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein determining the repair priority for each fault group comprises evaluating at least one of: a number of ECUs affected by the fault, a severity level associated with the fault, or an impact on vehicle operation, and assigning a higher priority to fault groups indicating more widespread or severe communication failures. (Chen, [0067]; regarding, “The diagnostic data acquisition and transfer device 14 may broadly refer to a diagnostic dongle, code reader, scan tool, or other hardware, to facilitate the retrieval of diagnostic data, operational data, or vehicle information from the ECU 26.”; [0070]; regarding, “The vehicle identification information may be used by the dongle 14 to determine communication protocols of the vehicle 12 and the systems or components thereon, as well as to identify any diagnostic rules or information that may be specific to the vehicle 12. The diagnostic data may include diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), sensor data, live data, freeze frame data, system data, etc., that may be trigger, or may be indicative of a problem with the vehicle 12.”; [0077]; regarding, “the remote diagnostic server 16 may also be capable of determining an urgency associated with repairing or otherwise addressing the identified diagnostic condition. For instance, the server 16 may categorize identified diagnostic conditions as being either a low urgency or a high urgency.”).
Regarding Claim 7, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the system of claim 1 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the memory further stores a local fault code database of known CAN bus communication fault codes and corresponding repair information, and wherein the processor is further configured to utilize the fault code database to generate the repair guidance displayed for each fault group. (Jiang, [0072]; regarding, “The fault signatures can be stored in memory, and/or communicated to an off-board device 45 to remotely isolate a fault in the CAN 50 in response to an indicated fault. Isolating a fault in the CAN 50 includes identifying one or a plurality of controllers and/or communication links at which the fault occurs using the fault signature sets.”); (Olsen, [0041]; regarding, “…the state for the fault code is changed to "Critical" and the associated action is to take immediate action to address the triggered fault code. Such immediate action may involve, for example, scheduling the vehicle 110 for repair or replacing the component associated with the particular fault code. As should be understood, the states, actions, and conditions (e.g., minimums and maximums) are for illustration purposes only and are not meant to be limiting. Indeed, any states, actions, and associated conditions may be established for the various fault codes as desired.”).
Regarding Claim 8, Jiang teaches:
A method of computer assisted grouping and prioritizing of CAN-related faults across multiple ECUs based on shared fault conditions for diagnosing and guiding repair of a vehicle communication network, the method comprising:
connecting a diagnostic device to a vehicle communication port; (Jiang, [0015]; regarding, “one of the controllers, e.g., controller 40, is configured to monitor the CAN 50 and the CAN bus 15, and may be referred to herein as a monitor, a CAN monitor, or a monitoring node. Alternatively, or in addition, each of the controllers 10, 20, 30 and 40 may be configured to monitor the CAN 50 and the CAN bus 15. Controller 40 signally connects to a communications device 42 that is configured to communicate a digital message to an off-board device 45 employing a direct hard-wire connection 43 and/or a wireless telematics connection 44. The direct hard-wire connection 43 and the wireless telematics connection 44 employ any suitable communications protocol(s).”);
Jiang fails to explicitly disclose but Chen teaches:
filtering the retrieved DTCs to identify those associated with CAN bus communication faults; (Chen, [0104]; regarding, “If a component or system 52 on the vehicle 12 is not operating within acceptable limits or fails a self-test, one or more diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may be generated and stored on the ECU 26. The DTCs may include four main categories of codes: Powertrain (“P”) codes, Body (“B”) codes, Chassis (“C”) codes, and Network Communications (“U”) codes… U codes relate to controller area network wiring bus and modules.”);
generating, based on DTC status and grouping, a prioritized list of CAN-related DTCs requiring repair; (Chen, [0077]; regarding, “For instance, the remote diagnostic server 16 may also be capable of determining an urgency associated with repairing or otherwise addressing the identified diagnostic condition. For instance, the server 16 may categorize identified diagnostic conditions as being either a low urgency or a high urgency.”);
receiving user input confirming repair actions; (Chen, [0124]; regarding, “a possible diagnostic solution may be identified based on an analysis of the data. The database may transmit a signal back to the smartphone 22, which allows the user to view the possible diagnostic solution on the smartphone 22.”);
automatically re-scanning the CAN network to determine if faults are resolved; (Chen, [0124]; regarding, “The possible diagnostic solution may be verified by requesting live data from the ECU 26.”);
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang with the teachings of Chen. Doing so could convey information audibly and in regularly understood verbiage, providing advancement over non-verbal systems (Chen, [0101]).
Jiang in view of Chen fails to explicitly disclose but Olsen teaches:
automatically scanning a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus to retrieve diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs); (Olsen, [0023]; regarding, “The ECM is a type of electronic control unit”; [0024]; regarding, “the ECM 130 includes a microprocessor that processes inputs from engine sensors in real time. In these particular embodiments, the ECU 130 may contain hardware and software… such a configuration is referred to as an electronic Engine Management System (EMS).”; [0025]; regarding, “the EMS may also communicate with transmission control units or directly interface with electronically-controlled automatic transmissions, traction control systems, and the like. In many instances, the Controller Area Network or CAN bus automotive network is often used to achieve communication between these devices. Further, in particular instances, the ECM triggers diagnostic information known as fault codes”; [0027]; regarding, “the vehicle 110 also includes a telematics system 140 that receives information such as fault codes from the ECM 130. In general, telematics systems are configured to collect information from various control systems and sensors located on a vehicle and transmit the information through a communications network (e.g., a cellular, WAN, or other wireless network). Thus, in particular embodiments, the telematics system 140 on the vehicle 110 receives information on various fault codes triggered from the ECM 130 and transmits the information over a communication network 150 (e.g., a mobile cellular network) to a central location.”).
grouping DTCs that share identical definitions across multiple ECUs… (Olsen, [0038]; regarding, “the monitoring process is adapted for implementation by a common carrier in order to monitor its delivery fleet. The first step of the monitoring process involves establishing parameters to evaluate the various fault codes that may be received from a particular vehicle 110. Accordingly, in Step 310, the monitoring process begins with analyzing historical data collected on fault codes received from different vehicles 110 within the common carrier's fleet and on maintenance performed on the different vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered. The purpose of conducting this particular step in various embodiments is to establish relationships between fault codes received for particular vehicles 110 and maintenance required on these particular vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered.”);
displaying to a user, via a user interface, the prioritized DTCs along with one or more of associated definitions, affected systems, possible causes, and suggested repairs; (Olsen, [0032]; regarding, “A display device/input device 64 for receiving and displaying data is also included in the monitoring server 200.”; [0073]; regarding, “The screen displays a number of different pieces of information for each record provided in the listing. For instance, the screen displays a vehicle number 620 for each record along with a fault code (e.g., flash code) 625 triggered for the vehicle 110. In addition, the screen displays the number of counts 630 the fault code 625 was triggered during the selected time period and the failure code 635. Further, the screen displays additional information such as the failure 640, the failure mode 645, the engine type 650, and the automotive technician 655 responsible for working on the vehicle 110.”; [0074]; regarding, “in particular embodiments, the failure field 640 may include a malfunction indicator lamp 665 to signal failure that may require some type of action (e.g., immediate attention). Further, in particular embodiments, the fault codes 625 may be displayed in colors to represent the level of priority associated with each fault code (e.g., the state for each fault code).”).
and updating the display to reflect post-repair DTC status. (Olsen, [0074]; regarding, “the vehicle field 620 may also include a folder 660. This folder indicates an individual (e.g., an automotive technician 655) has entered a note regarding the condition associated with the particular fault code record. In these particular embodiments, a user of the screen may select the folder 660 to view the individual's note.”; [0075]; regarding, “a further illustration of a screen providing a listing of triggered fault codes for vehicles 110 and a pop-up screen on which an individual (e.g., an automotive technician 655) can provide a comment for a particular fault code 710 triggered during a particular time period for a particular vehicle 715. In this instance, the pop-up screen displays the failure 720 and the failure mode 725 associated with the fault code 710. Thus, the individual may type in a note in the area provided 730 listing the work performed to address the particular fault code 710.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang and Chen with the teachings of Olsen. Doing so could be helpful in revising and establishing parameters used to analyze received fault data (Olsen, [0075]).
Jiang in view of Chen in further view of Olsen fails to explicitly disclose but Wang teaches:
…grouping DTCS that share identical definitions…corresponding to a common CAN bus fault condition; (Wang, [0032]; regarding, “…the bus faults are sorted, summarized and classified, the most likely causes and locations of bus faults are analyzed...”);
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang, Chen, and Olsen with the teachings of Wang. Doing so can allow the position of an automobile bus fault to be quickly located, and the efficiency of user troubleshooting can be improved. (Wang, [0017]).
Regarding Claim 9, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the method of claim 8 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the filtering step comprises matching DTC definitions to keywords including "communication", "timeout", "bus-off', "invalid data", or terms that are semantically or conceptually equivalent thereto. (Jiang, [0020]; regarding, “A CAN message can be corrupted, with known errors including stuff errors, form errors, ACK errors, bit 1 errors, bit 0 errors, and CRC errors. The errors are used to generate an error warning status including one of an error-active status, an error-passive status, and a bus-off error status. The error-active status, error-passive status, and bus-off error status are assigned based upon increasing quantity of detected bus error frames, i.e., an increasing bus error count.”);
Regarding Claim 10, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the method of claim 8 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein grouping comprises associating repeated DTCs with each reporting ECU and tagging the group as a systemic fault. (Jiang, [0022]; regarding, “FIG. 2 illustrates a network topology for an exemplary CAN 200 including controllers ECU1 202, ECU2 204 and ECU3 206”; [0025]; regarding, “The derived fault signatures enable fault diagnosis for in-vehicle communication faults including faults associated with the communications link 201, power link 211 and ground link 221 in the form of one or more link-open faults, controller faults, and link-short faults.”).
Regarding Claim 11, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the method of claim 8 as referenced above Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein prioritizing comprises applying a scoring algorithm that considers one or more of: the DTC status, number of affected ECUs, and system criticality. (Chen, [0115]; regarding, “an algorithm may be stored on the dongle 14 or included in a smartphone app downloadable onto the smartphone 22 for prioritizing the ordering and frequency of performing scans”; [0067]; regarding, “The diagnostic data acquisition and transfer device 14 may broadly refer to a diagnostic dongle, code reader, scan tool, or other hardware, to facilitate the retrieval of diagnostic data, operational data, or vehicle information from the ECU 26.”; [0070]; regarding, “The vehicle identification information may be used by the dongle 14 to determine communication protocols of the vehicle 12 and the systems or components thereon, as well as to identify any diagnostic rules or information that may be specific to the vehicle 12. The diagnostic data may include diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), sensor data, live data, freeze frame data, system data, etc., that may be trigger, or may be indicative of a problem with the vehicle 12.”; [0077]; regarding, “the remote diagnostic server 16 may also be capable of determining an urgency associated with repairing or otherwise addressing the identified diagnostic condition. For instance, the server 16 may categorize identified diagnostic conditions as being either a low urgency or a high urgency.”).
Regarding Claim 12, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the method of claim 8 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
further comprising retrieving updated DTC definitions and known fault conditions from a remote server. (Jiang, [0072]; regarding, “The fault signatures can be stored in memory, and/or communicated to an off-board device 45 to remotely isolate a fault in the CAN 50 in response to an indicated fault. Isolating a fault in the CAN 50 includes identifying one or a plurality of controllers and/or communication links at which the fault occurs using the fault signature sets.”).
Regarding Claim 13, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the method of claim 8 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein displaying the prioritized DTCs further comprises assigning a visual indicator to each DTC representing urgency level. (Olsen, [0074]; regarding, “in particular embodiments, the fault codes 625 may be displayed in colors to represent the level of priority associated with each fault code (e.g., the state for each fault code).”).
Regarding Claim 14, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the method of claim 8 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein user input includes marking DTCs as repaired or deferred, and such feedback is stored for historical tracking or adaptive learning. (Chen, [0099]; regarding, “a user may make verbal requests, which are then translated into executable diagnostic commands by the voice conversion tool 20, for implementation via the diagnostic hardware, such as a dongle 14.”; [0079]; regarding, “the vehicle conditions derived from the diagnostic data may include predicted conditions based on the current diagnostic data. The predicted conditions may be derived based on a comparison of the current diagnostic data with historical diagnostic data, which has been associated with a future diagnostic condition.”; [0091]; regarding, “it is also contemplated that the system 10 may include the capabilities of receiving a verbal request by a user and executing that verbal request.”).
Regarding Claim 15, Jiang teaches:
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a vehicle diagnostic device, cause the device to perform operations for grouping and prioritizing CAN-related faults across multiple ECUs based on shared fault conditions for CAN bus fault detection, the operations comprising:
obtaining, via a communication interface of the diagnostic device coupled to a vehicle's CAN bus, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) from a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) in the vehicle; (Jiang, [0022]);
Jiang fails to explicitly disclose but Chen teaches:
filtering the obtained DTCs to identify those DTCs that indicate faults in CAN bus communication, while excluding DTCs unrelated to CAN bus issues; (Chen, [0104]; regarding, “If a component or system 52 on the vehicle 12 is not operating within acceptable limits or fails a self-test, one or more diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may be generated and stored on the ECU 26. The DTCs may include four main categories of codes: Powertrain (“P”) codes, Body (“B”) codes, Chassis (“C”) codes, and Network Communications (“U”) codes… U codes relate to controller area network wiring bus and modules.”);
assigning a repair priority to each fault group based on predefined criteria that account for scope of impact or severity of the corresponding CAN bus fault; (Chen, [0077]; regarding, “For instance, the remote diagnostic server 16 may also be capable of determining an urgency associated with repairing or otherwise addressing the identified diagnostic condition. For instance, the server 16 may categorize identified diagnostic conditions as being either a low urgency or a high urgency.”);
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang with the teachings of Chen. Doing so could convey information audibly and in regularly understood verbiage, providing advancement over non-verbal systems (Chen, [0101]).
Jiang in view of Chen fail to explicitly disclose but Olsen teaches:
consolidating the identified CAN bus-related DTCs from different ECUs into one or more groups… each group corresponding to a particular CAN bus fault condition affecting multiple components; (Olsen, [0038]; regarding, “the monitoring process is adapted for implementation by a common carrier in order to monitor its delivery fleet. The first step of the monitoring process involves establishing parameters to evaluate the various fault codes that may be received from a particular vehicle 110. Accordingly, in Step 310, the monitoring process begins with analyzing historical data collected on fault codes received from different vehicles 110 within the common carrier's fleet and on maintenance performed on the different vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered. The purpose of conducting this particular step in various embodiments is to establish relationships between fault codes received for particular vehicles 110 and maintenance required on these particular vehicles 110 as a result of the fault codes being triggered.”);
and presenting, on a display of the diagnostic device, information for each fault group including the consolidated DTCs and a recommended repair action for addressing the CAN bus fault. (Olsen, [0032]; regarding, “A display device/input device 64 for receiving and displaying data is also included in the monitoring server 200.”; [0073]; regarding, “The screen displays a number of different pieces of information for each record provided in the listing. For instance, the screen displays a vehicle number 620 for each record along with a fault code (e.g., flash code) 625 triggered for the vehicle 110. In addition, the screen displays the number of counts 630 the fault code 625 was triggered during the selected time period and the failure code 635. Further, the screen displays additional information such as the failure 640, the failure mode 645, the engine type 650, and the automotive technician 655 responsible for working on the vehicle 110.”; [0074]; regarding, “in particular embodiments, the failure field 640 may include a malfunction indicator lamp 665 to signal failure that may require some type of action (e.g., immediate attention). Further, in particular embodiments, the fault codes 625 may be displayed in colors to represent the level of priority associated with each fault code (e.g., the state for each fault code).”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang and Chen with the teachings of Olsen. Doing so could be helpful in revising and establishing parameters used to analyze received fault data (Olsen, [0075]).
Jiang in view of Chen in further view of Olsen fails to explicitly disclose but Wang teaches:
consolidating the identified CAN bus-related DTCs… based on a definition of each identified CAN bus-related DTC and an associated reporting ECU… (Wang, [0030]; regarding, “… Suggestions are prioritized, including that the diagnostic bus can work, reading the bus fault of the communication fault code of the ECU, making full use of the self-diagnosis function of the ECU, reading the communication fault code from the ECU, and repairing according to the communication fault code.”; [0032]; regarding, “…the bus faults are sorted, summarized and classified, the most likely causes and locations of bus faults are analyzed, and a most efficient troubleshooting scheme is calculated.”);
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang, Chen, and Olsen with the teachings of Wang. Doing so can allow the position of an automobile bus fault to be quickly located, and the efficiency of user troubleshooting can be improved. (Wang, [0017]).
Regarding Claim 16, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the medium of claim 15 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the instructions for obtaining the diagnostic trouble codes comprise instructions to automatically query each of the plurality of ECUs over the CAN bus using a diagnostic communication protocol and to collect the DTCs reported by each ECU in response. (Olsen, [0023]; regarding, “The ECM is a type of electronic control unit”; [0024]; regarding, “the ECM 130 includes a microprocessor that processes inputs from engine sensors in real time. In these particular embodiments, the ECU 130 may contain hardware and software… such a configuration is referred to as an electronic Engine Management System (EMS).”; [0025]; regarding, “the EMS may also communicate with transmission control units or directly interface with electronically-controlled automatic transmissions, traction control systems, and the like. In many instances, the Controller Area Network or CAN bus automotive network is often used to achieve communication between these devices. Further, in particular instances, the ECM triggers diagnostic information known as fault codes”; [0027]; regarding, “the vehicle 110 also includes a telematics system 140 that receives information such as fault codes from the ECM 130. In general, telematics systems are configured to collect information from various control systems and sensors located on a vehicle and transmit the information through a communications network (e.g., a cellular, WAN, or other wireless network). Thus, in particular embodiments, the telematics system 140 on the vehicle 110 receives information on various fault codes triggered from the ECM 130 and transmits the information over a communication network 150 (e.g., a mobile cellular network) to a central location.”).
Regarding Claim 17, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the medium of claim 15 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the instructions for filtering the obtained DTCs include instructions to recognize diagnostic trouble codes associated with CAN communication errors and to disregard DTCs that pertain to non-CAN- related faults. (Jiang, [0020]; regarding, “A CAN message can be corrupted, with known errors including stuff errors, form errors, ACK errors, bit 1 errors, bit 0 errors, and CRC errors. The errors are used to generate an error warning status including one of an error-active status, an error-passive status, and a bus-off error status. The error-active status, error-passive status, and bus-off error status are assigned based upon increasing quantity of detected bus error frames, i.e., an increasing bus error count.”; [0035]; regarding, “The fault signatures can be subsequent employed to isolate a fault in the CAN 500 using a suitable fault detection and isolation algorithm.”).
Regarding Claim 18, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the medium of claim 15 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the instructions for consolidating the identified CAN bus-related DTCs include instructions to determine when multiple ECUs have recorded communication loss with a specific ECU or network segment and to merge such records into a single fault group corresponding to that communication loss. (Jiang, [0022]; regarding, “FIG. 2 illustrates a network topology for an exemplary CAN 200 including controllers ECU1 202, ECU2 204 and ECU3 206”; [0025]; regarding, “The derived fault signatures enable fault diagnosis for in-vehicle communication faults including faults associated with the communications link 201, power link 211 and ground link 221 in the form of one or more link-open faults, controller faults, and link-short faults.”).
Regarding Claim 19, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the medium of claim 15 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the instructions for assigning the repair priority include instructions to rank the fault groups, or collection of fault groups, based on criteria including a number of ECUs reporting the fault and a severity classification of the fault or based on a comparison of freeze frame data or live data from an associated vehicle on-board diagnostic device. (Chen, [0067]; regarding, “The diagnostic data acquisition and transfer device 14 may broadly refer to a diagnostic dongle, code reader, scan tool, or other hardware, to facilitate the retrieval of diagnostic data, operational data, or vehicle information from the ECU 26.”; [0070]; regarding, “The vehicle identification information may be used by the dongle 14 to determine communication protocols of the vehicle 12 and the systems or components thereon, as well as to identify any diagnostic rules or information that may be specific to the vehicle 12. The diagnostic data may include diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), sensor data, live data, freeze frame data, system data, etc., that may be trigger, or may be indicative of a problem with the vehicle 12.”; [0077]; regarding, “the remote diagnostic server 16 may also be capable of determining an urgency associated with repairing or otherwise addressing the identified diagnostic condition. For instance, the server 16 may categorize identified diagnostic conditions as being either a low urgency or a high urgency.”).
Regarding Claim 20, Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang teaches the medium of claim 15 as referenced above. Jiang in view of Chen in view of Olsen in further view of Wang further teaches:
wherein the instructions for presenting the information include instructions to display for each fault group a descriptive fault summary and troubleshooting guidance derived from data stored locally on the device. (Jiang, [0072]; regarding, “The fault signatures can be stored in memory, and/or communicated to an off-board device 45 to remotely isolate a fault in the CAN 50 in response to an indicated fault. Isolating a fault in the CAN 50 includes identifying one or a plurality of controllers and/or communication links at which the fault occurs using the fault signature sets.”); (Olsen, [0041]; regarding, “…the state for the fault code is changed to "Critical" and the associated action is to take immediate action to address the triggered fault code. Such immediate action may involve, for example, scheduling the vehicle 110 for repair or replacing the component associated with the particular fault code. As should be understood, the states, actions, and conditions (e.g., minimums and maximums) are for illustration purposes only and are not meant to be limiting. Indeed, any states, actions, and associated conditions may be established for the various fault codes as desired.”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 07/06/2026 have been fully considered.
Applicant argues the combination of Jiang, Chen, and Olsen is improper. Examiner respectfully disagrees. Jiang discloses detecting and isolating a fault in a CAN. Chen discloses analyzing diagnostic data and generating alert signals when the data represents a preset vehicle condition. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang with the teachings of Chen. Doing so could convey information audibly and in regularly understood verbiage, providing advancement over non-verbal systems (Chen, [0101]) and reduce overall scanning time (Chen, [0115]). Further, Olsen discloses recording and analyzing fault codes triggered while a vehicle is in operation. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine Jiang and Chen with the teachings of Olsen. Doing so could be helpful in revising and establishing parameters used to analyze received fault data (Olsen, [0075]). Jiang in combination with Chen and Olsen are analogous to the claimed invention.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the previous rejection on independent Claim 1, and similarly Claims 8 and 15, have been considered and a new grounds of rejection has been provided addressing the newly claimed matter. Please see the above detailed rejection of the newly recited subject matter.
Newly cited reference Wang, in combination with Jiang, Chen, and Olsen teaches the DTC-based grouping/consolidation workflow.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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/MICHAEL MASKULINSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2113
/M.D.G./Examiner, Art Unit 2113
Prosecution Insights