Onboard execution of flight recorder application

1 . An apparatus, comprising:

an onboard controller that is onboard a vehicle and comprises an onboard operating system (OS); and

a flight recorder application that is executable onboard the vehicle by the onboard operating system.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the onboard controller comprises an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the flight recorder application accesses one or more onboard vehicle controllers through onboard execution of the flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the onboard controller through execution of the flight recorder application onboard the vehicle by the onboard operating system stores data recorded by one or more onboard vehicle controllers in a mass storage device.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the onboard controller comprises an onboard memory device, wherein the mass storage device comprises one or more of the onboard memory device of the onboard controller, an onboard hard drive that is onboard the vehicle, an onboard memory device that is onboard the vehicle, and/or a connectable memory device that is connectable with the vehicle through an interface of the vehicle.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the onboard controller is coupled with an internal bus of the vehicle, wherein the flight recorder application accesses one or more onboard vehicle controllers over the internal bus of the vehicle through onboard execution of the flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flight recorder application comprises an onboard flight recorder application that is stored onboard the vehicle.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the onboard operating system supports onboard execution of the onboard flight recorder application.

8 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the onboard controller comprises an electronic control unit (ECU), the apparatus further comprising:

an onboard storage device that is local to the onboard operating system;

wherein the onboard flight recorder application is stored in the onboard storage device that is local to the onboard operating system, wherein the onboard flight recorder application that is stored in the onboard storage device that is local to the onboard operating system accesses one or more onboard vehicle controllers through onboard execution of the onboard flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

9 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the onboard controller comprises an electronic control unit (ECU), the apparatus further comprising:

an onboard storage device that is separate from the onboard operating system;

wherein the onboard flight recorder application is stored in the onboard storage device that is separate from the onboard operating system, wherein the onboard flight recorder application that is stored in the onboard storage device that is separate from the onboard operating system accesses one or more onboard vehicle controllers through onboard execution of the onboard flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flight recorder application is stored in a connectable device that is connectable with the onboard processor and supportable by the onboard operating system for execution onboard the vehicle of the flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the onboard controller comprises an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein upon a connection of the connectable device with the onboard operating system the flight recorder application that is stored in the connectable device accesses one or more onboard vehicle controllers through onboard execution of the flight recorder application stored in the connectable device, by virtue of support by the onboard operating system of the onboard execution of the flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

12 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the onboard controller comprises an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the connectable device is connected with the onboard processor through a universal serial bus (USB) connection, wherein the flight recorder application that is stored in the connectable device accesses one or more onboard vehicle controllers through onboard execution of the flight recorder application stored in the connectable device connected through the USB connection, by virtue of support by the onboard operating system of the onboard execution of the flight recorder application by the onboard operating system.

13 . An apparatus, comprising:

a flight recorder application that is executed by an onboard operating system (OS) that is onboard a vehicle;

wherein the flight recorder application assists diagnosis of one or more intermittent faults in the vehicle.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the flight recorder application monitors a status of a set of technician-selected, pre-defined signals that relate to real-time sensor and/or actuator values stored in one or more electronic control units (ECUs).

15 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the flight recorder application records a set of signal triggers selected by a technician subsequent to an identification by an operator of the vehicle of the one or more intermittent faults in the vehicle, wherein the set of signal triggers comprise a user trigger that is invocable by one or more of:

the operator of the vehicle upon experience of a condition of concern;

a sensor read of parameter identification (PID) value that reaches or exceeds a technician-defined level; and/or

an onboard controller that raises a diagnostic trouble code (DTC);

wherein upon a recurrence of one or more of the one or more intermittent faults in the vehicle and/or an occurrence of one or more other intermittent faults in the vehicle, one or more of the same set of signal triggers and/or one or more other signal triggers are selectable by the technician.

16 . A method, comprising the step of:

executing onboard a vehicle a flight recorder application by an operating system that is located onboard the vehicle.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application comprises the steps of:

locating the flight recorder application any of onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle with a connection to the operating system; and

executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application by the operating system that is located onboard the vehicle whether the flight recorder application is located onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle with the connection to the operating system.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application comprises the steps of:

locating the flight recorder application any of onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle with a connection to the operating system;

indicating in the flight recorder application located any of onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle with the connection to the operating system one or more signals to be monitored onboard the vehicle and/or one or more trigger conditions to be executed onboard the vehicle; and

executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application by the operating system to monitor the one or more signals onboard the vehicle and/or execute the one or more trigger conditions onboard the vehicle.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application comprises the steps of:

locating the flight recorder application any of onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle with a connection to the operating system;

indicating in the flight recorder application located any of onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle with the connection to the operating system a request for a performance of a recording through employment of one or more onboard vehicle controllers based on a perception of an occurrence of an intermittent event; and

executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application by the operating system to execute onboard the vehicle the performance of the recording through employment of the one or more onboard vehicle controllers.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the step of executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application by the operating system to execute onboard the vehicle the performance of the recording through employment of the one or more onboard vehicle controllers comprises the step of:

executing onboard the vehicle the flight recorder application by the operating system to execute onboard the vehicle a storage, any of onboard the vehicle or offboard the vehicle, of data obtained through employment of the one or more onboard vehicle controllers in the performance of the recording.