Web-enabled configurable quality data collection tool

Abstract

A method and system for configuring trigger parameters for captured test fleet vehicle data collection. The method includes selecting at least one vehicle identifier from a captured test fleet database, associating at least one trigger condition with the at least one selected vehicle identifier in the database, associating at least one vehicle parameter to be collected at an occurrence of the at least one associated trigger condition with the selected vehicle identifier in the database, and sending the at least one associated trigger condition and the at least one associated vehicle parameter from the database to a telematics unit of at least one test vehicle associated with the vehicle identifier via a wireless connection.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 509,606 filed Oct. 8, 2003.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention relates to vehicle design and manufacture, and more particularly to methods and systems for a web-enabled configurable quality data collection tool for a vehicle in a captured test fleet. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Vehicle design and manufacture typically includes an iterative development process to refine vehicle design parameters with each successive design. Various techniques are employed in the development of a new vehicle, including the building and testing of pilot vehicles. A pilot vehicle is usually a limited manufacturing run of a reasonably mature or even pre-production vehicle design. The pilot vehicle is frequently field tested in order to further refine the final production vehicle prior to large scale manufacture. However, present vehicle manufacturing technologies also allow for the ongoing refi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, the collected system data is limited to the data stored during the field operation, and the data is not available in real-time to a diagnostic system.

It is therefore impractical to collect data from more than a nominal number of vehicles of a particular model during a fixed duration field test exercise.

Additionally, while it is possible to integrate limited data collection components into a production vehicle, the test data may only be collected from a production vehicle each time the vehicle visits a facility where the test data may be downloaded; for example, an auto dealership.

Furthermore, production vehicles having integrated data collection components will generally be limited in storage and processing power due to increased costs of providing the data collection components, and therefore the collection components may not have enough capacity to collect data for a meaningful period between downloads, or may experience a data overflow prior to collecting statistically useful data.

Iterative vehicle design enhancement is then hindered by the inability to collect statistically relevant quantities of test data from a large number of vehicles of a selected model.

The inability to monitor collected data in real-time, or on production vehicles further prevents an interactive design process across a large sample group.

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