GB2273159A

GB2273159A - A method of diagnosing a condition of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2273159A
Application number: GB9225161A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Macdonald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-12-02
Filing date: 1992-12-02
Publication date: 1994-06-08
Also published as: GB9225161D0

Abstract

When it is desired to diagnose a condition in a vehicle such as a fault, which fault gives rise to some audible indication of its existence, the driver places a master cassette 11a of cassettes 11 into a cassette player 12. The master cassette 11a has recorded thereon a set of reference noises which noises correspond to different possible faults of the vehicle. For example sounds relating to different engine faults such as "knocking" and "pinking" or to a whining of the gearbox may be recorded on the master cassette 11a. The user then compares a sound being made by the vehicle with the reference noises recorded on the master cassette 11a, and sequentially played back via the cassette player 12. <IMAGE>

Description

A METHOD OF DIAGNOSING A CONDITION IN A VEHICLE The present invention relates to a method of diagnosing a condition in a vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of diagnosing a condition in a vehicle, the method comprising comparing a vehicle sound made by the vehicle with a reference sound recorded on a recording medium.

The method may comprise a method of diagnosing a fault in the vehicle.

The method may include listening to the vehicle sound, listening to the reference sound and comparing the vehicle sound with the reference sound.

The method may include comparing the vehicle sound with a plurality of reference sounds, selecting a matching reference sound which most closely matches the vehicle sound, and using recorded information about the nature of the matching reference sound to identify the fault in the vehicle.

Preferably the method includes listening to reference sounds and/or instructions recorded on a magnetic recording medium.

The method may include consulting visually presented information or audio-recorded information which information corresponds to the reference sounds recorded on the recording medium.

The method may include listening to recorded information, which information includes instructions on how the fault may be rectified.

The method may comprise comparing with a plurality of reference sounds a vehicle sound such as a sound produced by an engine of the vehicle, or such as a sound produced by a gear box of the vehicle or such as produced as a result of another operation of the vehicle.

The method may include listening to reference sounds and/or instructions recorded on an audio cassette.

Preferably the method includes playing back the audio cassette on an audio cassette player of the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising a recording medium having a plurality of reference sounds recorded thereon, and means to audibly play back the recording medium, the reference sounds corresponding to vehicle sounds made by the vehicle as a result of different operating conditions of the vehicle.

The invention also includes a method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing in which: Figure 1 shows the dashboard of a vehicle, having an audio cassette player.

Referring to Figure 1, which shows a vehicle dashboard generally at 10, when it is desired to diagnose a condition in a vehicle such as a fault, which fault gives rise to some audible indication of its existence, the driver places a master cassette ila of cassettes 11 into a cassette player 12. The master cassette ila has recorded thereon a set of reference noises which noises correspond to different possible faults of the vehicle.

For example sounds relating to different engine faults such as "knocking" and "pinking" or to a whining of the gear box may be recorded on the master cassette gila.

The user then compares the sound being made by the vehicle with the reference noises recorded on the master cassette lia, and sequentially played back via the cassette player 12.

With each reference noise recorded on the master cassette lia there is a brief recorded spoken description of the fault condition to which that reference noise relates.

The driver compares the noise from the vehicle with each of the reference noises recorded on the cassette until a reference noise is heard which matches the noise produced by the vehicle. By listening to the accompanying spoken description of that reference noise and the fault condition to which it relates, the user is able to identify the fault present in the vehicle.

Once the fault has been identified the driver turns to another cassette on which are recorded instructions as to how to rectify that particular fault. Alternatively the driver may turn to visually presented instructions as to how to rectify the fault, for example in the form of a manual.

The above described method advantageously enables the user to identify a fault by reference only to the sound which arises as a result of the fault. In many cases the only indication that a fault has occurred is an audible one.

The method may also enable the user to tune the engine of the vehicle to its best performance by listening to the appropriate reference sounds recorded on the audio cassette and making appropriate adjustments to the engine as directed by the instructions either recorded audibly on cassette or visually in a manual.

The instructions recorded on the cassette may also relate to other more routine aspects of the maintenance of the vehicle such as for example changing of the engine oil and changing of a tyre.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

CLAINS

1. A method of diagnosing a condition in a vehicle, the method comprising comparing a vehicle sound made by the vehicle with a reference sound recorded on a recording medium.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising a method of diagnosing a fault in the vehicle.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the method includes listening to the vehicle sound, listening to the reference sound, and comparing the vehicle sound with the reference sound.

4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3 including comparing the vehicle sound with a plurality of reference sounds, selecting a matching reference sound which most closely matches the vehicle sound, and using recorded information about the nature of the matching reference sound to identify the fault in the vehicle.

5. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4 including listening to reference sounds and/or instructions recorded on a magnetic recording medium.

6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 5 including consulting visually presented information or audiorecorded information which information corresponds to the reference sounds recorded on the recording medium.

7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6 including listening to recorded information, which information includes instructions on how the fault may be rectified.

8. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7 comprising comparing with a plurality of reference sounds a vehicle sound such as a sound produced by an engine of the vehicle.

9. A method according to any of claims 1 to 8 comprising comparing with a plurality of reference sounds a sound produced by a gearbox of the vehicle.

10. A method according to any of claims 1 to 9 comprising comparing with a plurality of reference sounds a sound produced as a result of an operation of the vehicle.

11. A method according to any of claims 1 to 10 including listening to reference sounds and/or instructions recorded on an audio cassette.

12. A method according to any of claims 1 to 11 including playing back the audio cassette on an audio cassette player of the vehicle.

13. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A vehicle comprising a recording medium having a plurality of reference sounds thereon, and means to audibly play back the recording medium, the reference sounds corresponding to vehicle sounds made by the vehicle as a result of different operating conditions of the vehicle.

15. A vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.