Crown Equipment Corporation

James W Gaskell

Timothy A Wellman

Donald T Meiring

A diagnosis system for materials handling vehicles leads service personnel step-by-step through diagnosis and repair of faults within the vehicle. Faults are assigned corresponding event codes so that when a fault is detected, its corresponding event code is displayed. The event codes uniquely identify systems of the vehicle in which faults have occurred by having the event codes for a given vehicle system all start with the same number. Thus, the technician knows from the event code what system needs to be diagnosed/repaired and what tools and probable parts will be needed. The event code is used to access diagnosis information identifying the portion of the vehicle wherein the malfunction has occurred, the components which caused the malfunction and, preferably, provides a pictogram of that portion of the vehicle. The technician advances to the malfunctioning portion of the vehicle where another pictorial depiction of the components of that portion of the vehicle assists in locating the components. All components are marked within the vehicle by identifiers which are consistently used throughout the diagnostic information, pictorial representations and service manuals. The diagnostic information tells the technician what to do to diagnose the components with the diagnosis being preformed using the electronic control system of the vehicle to monitor inputs to and outputs from the electronic control system and to apply limited duration full power test signals to components to be tested. The diagnostic information is configured so that testing is done from the end of control paths back to the controller.

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Troy, OH, United States of America

James W Gaskell