Snap-on Inc.

Snap-on Technologies, Inc.

Snap-on Tools Company

Dale A Trsar

Yosuf M Taraki

Tyrone J Moritz

Mark H Petersen

Richard H Shepherd

Sunil Reddy

Jeff Grier

Jim J Cancilla

Bradley R Lewis

Keith A Kreft

Brad R Lewis

James Cancilla

Vaclav Hoffmeister

James J Cancilla

Kenneth A McQueeney

Carl J Krzystofczyk

Bill Duran

James M Normile

Thomas Loewe

Lee M Snorteland

Robert Hoevenaar

Dennis G Williamson, Jr

Terry Ogilvie

Neil A Davis

Ken Wang

Chris J Dewhurst

Robert P Edwards

Carl T Raff

Edward A Maron

Randall S Harbin

Mary Beth Siddons

David R Ellingen

Arnold Kop

Carel C Anthoni

Richard H Sheperd

Tyrone M Moritz

Mark H Peterson

Neil Davis

A method for providing open access to vehicle data is disclosed. From a vehicle under service, the method receives vehicle-diagnostic data in a manufacturer-specified format at a vehicle-service tool, and converts the vehicle data in the manufacturer-specified format into vehicle data in an open format.

Methods and systems for providing open access to vehicle data

A system and method for identifying and substituting procedures in an OEM diagnostic tree with alternate procedures analyzed by highly experienced technicians to eliminate the use of potentially unavailable equipment and make the diagnostic tree more accessible to a greater number of technicians. The system includes a diagnostic tree editor and a library.

Diagnostic tree substitution system and method

A system for test procedures using pictures for a vehicle diagnostic system that includes a processor, a storage device in communication with the processor, a diagnostic routine that is executed by the processor, and a display device also coupled to the processor. The storage device may house a database that includes a library of vehicle information items. These vehicle information items include text items that may relate to several items, for example: 1) a fault that may be experienced by a vehicle under diagnosis; 2) a test that may be performed on the vehicle for the purpose of diagnosing the causes of the faults; or 3) a solution that may be used to correct the faults. Further, the vehicle information items may also include a library of picture items that correspond to the text items.

Test procedures using pictures

An integrated diagnostic system includes interface connectors to connect to a plurality of instruments/instrument modules, including engine analyzers, gas analyzers, oscilloscopes, scanners, network connections, and/or other desired peripheral modules. These modules advantageously interface to the system through diverse parts, connections and with various protocols. The system may connect to a network, wired or wireless, for interfacing among processors and modules, and with an internet connection for interaction with remote resources including databases and expert systems.

Integrated diagnostic system

An expert diagnostic service system using a distributed architecture for generating expert diagnostic suggestions based on input received from a plurality of diagnostic systems. The expert service system collects data related to effective diagnostic results, such as effective fixes, corresponding to various symptoms/faults from a plurality of diagnostic systems via a data transmission network, and accumulates the number of each effective fix corresponding to each of the various symptoms. The expert service system then assigns at least one effective fix to one of the various symptoms based on a result of the accumulating step, such as the rank of the accumulated number of each fix. The expert service system uses the assigned fix corresponding to a symptom as expert suggestions.

Distributed expert diagnostic service and system

A method for test procedures using pictures for a vehicle diagnostic system that includes providing text items, examining text items, accessing a database of picture items corresponding to text items, correlating picture items with at least a portion of the text items, replacing the at least a portion of the text items with the corresponding picture items, and displaying an image including at least one picture item.

A method is provided for updating a fault tree used in diagnosis of a condition of a machine. The fault tree is a sequence of test modules. Each of the test modules is assigned a confidence score indicating the likelihood that the test module will lead to a diagnosis. The method comprising the steps of obtaining service data from a plurality of service occasions for like machines, revising the confidence score for at least one test module in the fault tree based on the service data; and revising the sequence of the test modules in the fault tree based on the revised confidence score(s). The sequence is revised such that the most likely modules to result in a diagnosis are listed first, and the least likely ones are listed last. The re-ordering is based on feedback from actual service instances in the field, and thus is more likely to reflect real-world conditions. The result is that service technicians using the revised fault trees work more efficiently, at least on a statistical basis.

Prioritized test procedure and step display using statistical feedback

Engine cylinder contribution analysis is provided. An engine cylinder contribution tester includes a displacement measurement device and a signal analyzer. The displacement measurement device detects engine block movements or displacement relative to a fixed position caused by a poorly contributing cylinder. The displacement measurement device provides a displacement signal to the signal analyzer. The signal analyzer includes a cylinder contribution module for evaluating the displacement signal. If a particular cylinder is contributing less than the average of the other cylinders, the displacement signal indicates engine block movement associated with a lack of contribution from that cylinder.

Reciprocating engine cylinder contribution tester and method

A diagnostic system includes a host system having a processor, storage media and a user interface including a display screen, and a plurality of support data sources, which may be resident at or remote from the host system. The storage media stores service or maintenance test designations and descriptions. System software responds to user selection of displayed vehicle systems or symptoms to be diagnosed by displaying test designations. Upon user selection of a test designation, the system displays the first page of the test description and simultaneously links to appropriate support data sources and displays pertinent support data on a portion of the display screen. A method includes selecting and displaying test descriptions and, in response to each such display, automatically retrieving and displaying related data from a support data source.

Diagnostic director

A digital engine analyzer has an oscilloscope display screen operable in single-trace and dual-trace modes and in live and freeze modes, and having signal pickup leads for respectively acquiring different input signal waveforms from the engine and digitizing them for storage and display. When the freeze mode is entered, the last-displayed screen display format is frozen, and can then be reconfigured by the user by altering one or more of the number of traces, the signal plotted on each trace, the engine sweep of each trace, the scale and the scale offset for each trace and, in the case of a cylinder sweep, the displayed cylinder. In dual trace screen display formats, the user can also select for display on trace a waveform pattern selected from a stored library of patterns.

System for reconfiguring oscilloscope screen in freeze mode

A display control apparatus includes a display screen and a mouse and a processor coupled to the screen and mouse for displaying a mouse cursor and icons graphically representing switches, with each switch having assigned thereto a circular list of indicia respectively representing different switch options. If the mouse button is clicked on an icon the switch associated with the icon is activated and if the mouse button is held down while the cursor is on an activated icon the list of indicia assigned to the icon switch is scrolled through the icon while the cursor remains trapped in the icon. The display screen is incorporated in an engine analyzer which stores frames of digitized waveform data, the screen having a frame icon which indicates number in a decimal number, the number of the frame being displayed. When the cursor button is held down while the cursor is on the frame icon, vertical movements of the mouse will scroll the whole or integer part of the frame number through the icon window, i.e., the digits to the left of the decimal point will be scrolled, and when the mouse is moved horizontally, the numbers to the right of the decimal point will be scrolled to display portions of two consecutive frames, thereby effectively shifting on the screen the position of the beginning of the frame.

Mouse control for scrolling switch options through screen icon for the switch

An engine analyzer stores acquired cylinder waveform data in circular buffers respectively associated with the cylinders in accordance with cylinder selection by the user, with each buffer including a plurality of storage cells respectively storing data for individual firing cycles of the associated cylinder, and simultaneously displays the waveform for a, single selected cylinder on one trace of a display screen and waveforms for all cylinders for which data is stored on a second trace, so that data can be acquired and displayed from direct ignition engines with the use of a single pickup lead connected to selected cylinders one cylinder at a time. Various display modes are possible, including a frozen mode in which all stored waveform data may be reviewed and displayed.

Scope analyzer for direct ignition engines

A digital engine analyzer includes an ADC which can become railed to clip an acquired waveform signal. The analyzer has a waveform display system which displays an indication of the rail level and the fact that a displayed waveform representation is clipped at the rail level. In one embodiment the rail level is displayed as a red line and the clipped portion of the waveform is displayed as a flat line substantially at the rail level. In another embodiment, the clipped portion of the waveform representation is displayed in red as a horizontal line at the rail level while the remainder of the waveform representation is displayed in green, and the rail level is otherwise not displayed.

Oscilloscope display with rail indicator

An engine analyzer has an oscilloscope screen display operable with a fixed-time sweep. The analyzer includes a data acquisition system for digitizing analog input waveforms and a memory for storing the digitized waveform data, the analyzer including sensors for detecting each cylinder firing and the firing of the no. 1 cylinder for identification of the cylinders. A processor includes trigger means for controlling the triggering of the oscilloscope display at a trigger point which corresponds to the firing of a trigger cylinder which is selectable by the user, so that the displayed waveform data begins with the stored data for the selected trigger cylinder. The user can also selectively vary the location of the trigger point on the screen display.

Engine analyzer with cylinder triggering of oscilloscope display having

An engine analyzer having a dual-trace digital oscilloscope includes a memory for storing a library of digitized waveform patterns, the patterns being stored together with identifying data for each pattern and lists of groups of patterns respectively corresponding to different vehicles and/or engines. The analyzer includes a user interface for inputting identifying information relating to the vehicle under test, a waveform acquisition module and a central processor for cooperation with the memory and the oscilloscope for acquiring, digitizing and storing an analog input waveform from the vehicle engine and displaying it on a first trace of the scope in accordance with selected display parameters. The system automatically selects a stored list of patterns corresponding to the vehicle under test and then compares the items in that list one at a time with each of a sequence of search criteria, which criteria may include the particular input pickup lead from which the input waveform is acquired and the sweep selected for the display of that waveform, eliminating from the list any library pattern which fails to meet all the search criteria to produce a set of relevant library, patterns which can then be displayed selectively, one-at-time, on the second trace of the scope.

Growing community of inventors

Mount Prospect, IL, United States of America

Dale A Trsar