Method and system for collecting manufacturer-specific controller-area network data

1. A method for collecting manufacturer-specific CAN data for at least a first vehicle type of a plurality of vehicle types comprising:

a plurality of third subprocesses, each thereof associated with a unique HWID and at least one vehicle type of a plurality of vehicle types, a third subprocess including:

collecting vehicle CAN data based on definition data, definition data defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with each data type of the vehicle CAN data;

providing the vehicle CAN data to a fourth process;

collecting and processing undefined CAN data for determining first candidate data for defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with a first candidate for undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with a vehicle type corresponding to the third subprocess;

providing the first candidate data to a fourth subprocess;

upon receiving instruction data from the fourth subprocess, adding an indication of CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID of the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type to the definition data for forming new definition data;

collecting the vehicle CAN data based on the new definition data;

the fourth subprocess including:

receiving and processing the plurality of vehicle CAN data for providing an indication of vehicle CAN data associated with at least a first HWID;

processing a plurality of the first candidate data for determining a definition for the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type; and

providing instruction data to a portion of the plurality of third processes, first instruction data providing a definition of CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID of the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least a vehicle type includes a second vehicle type; and

providing first instruction data to a portion of the plurality of third processes includes providing instruction data to a first portion of the plurality of third processes associated with the second vehicle type.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least a vehicle type includes a second vehicle type and upon receiving instruction data from the fourth subprocess, adding an indication of CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID of the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type to the definition data for forming new definition data includes upon receiving instruction data from the fourth subprocess, adding an indication of CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID of the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the second vehicle type to the definition data for forming new definition data.

4. The method according to claim 1 further including adding a new third subprocess to the plurality of subprocesses, the new third subprocess associated with a third vehicle type other than a vehicle type of the plurality of vehicle types.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein collecting and processing undefined CAN data for determining first candidate data for defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with a first candidate for undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with a vehicle type corresponding to the third subprocess includes upon detecting by the new third subprocess undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data is other than included in definition data, collecting and processing undefined CAN data for determining first candidate data for defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with a first candidate for undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with a vehicle type corresponding to the third subprocess.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein collecting and processing undefined CAN data for determining first candidate data for defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with a first candidate for undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with a vehicle type corresponding to the third subprocess includes upon receiving a second instruction from the fourth process, collecting and processing undefined CAN data for determining first candidate data for defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with a first candidate for undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with a vehicle type corresponding to the third subprocess.

7. A telematics system for collecting manufacturer-specific CAN data for at least a first vehicle type comprising:

a plurality of monitoring devices, each thereof having a unique HWID and associated with a vehicle type of a plurality of vehicle types, a monitoring device configured for:

collecting vehicle CAN data based on definition data, definition data defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with each vehicle CAN data;

transmitting the vehicle CAN data;

determining first candidate data indicative of first candidates for manufacturer-specific CAN data;

transmitting the first candidate data;

upon receiving instruction data, modifying definition data to include a definition of manufacturer-specific CAN data;

collecting the vehicle CAN data based on the definition data including manufacturer-specific CAN data;

a remote server configured for:

receiving a plurality of vehicle CAN data;

processing the plurality of vehicle CAN data for providing an indication of vehicle CAN data associated with at least a first HWID;

receiving a plurality of first candidate data;

processing the plurality of the first candidate data for determining a definition for the manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type; and

transmitting instruction data to a portion of the plurality of monitoring devices, first instruction data indicating a definition of the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type.

8. The telematics system according to claim 7 wherein transmitting first instruction data to a portion of the plurality of monitoring devices includes transmitting instruction data to a first portion of the monitoring devices associated with the first vehicle type.

9. The telematics system according to claim 7 wherein upon receiving first instruction data, modifying definition data to include a definition of manufacturer-specific CAN data includes upon receiving first instruction data, modifying definition data to include a definition of manufacturer-specific CAN data provided the monitoring device is associated with the first vehicle type.

10. The telematics system according to claim 7 further configured for collecting manufacturer-specific CAN data for a second vehicle type including:

processing a plurality of the first candidate data for determining a first candidate for manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the second vehicle type; and

transmitting second instruction data to a portion of the plurality of monitoring devices associated with the second vehicle type.

11. The telematics system according to claim 7 wherein transmitting instruction data to a portion of the plurality of monitoring devices, first instruction data indicating a definition of the undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type includes transmitting first instruction data to a first portion of the plurality of monitoring devices associated with the first vehicle type and providing second instruction data to a second portion of the plurality of monitoring devices associated with a second vehicle type.

12. The telematics system according to claim 7 further configured for adding a new monitoring device to the plurality of monitoring device, the new monitoring device associated with a new vehicle type other than a vehicle type of the plurality of vehicle types; and

determining first candidate data indicative of first candidates for manufacturer-specific CAN data includes upon detecting by the new monitoring device manufacturer-specific CAN data is other than included in definition data, determining first candidate data indicative of first candidates for manufacturer-specific CAN data.

13. A telematics system for collecting manufacturer-specific CAN data for at least a first vehicle type comprising:

a plurality of monitoring devices, each thereof including a CAN bus interface, a network interface, a processing resource and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising first monitoring device instructions that when executed cause the processing resource to:

collect vehicle CAN data based on definition data, definition data defining CAN payload data bytes and CAN ID associated with each vehicle CAN data;

transmit the vehicle CAN data;

determine first candidate data indicative of first candidates for manufacturer-specific CAN data;

transmit the first candidate data;

upon receiving second monitoring device instructions, storing the second monitoring device instructions in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the second monitoring device instructions that when executed cause the processing resource to collect CAN payload data defined by definition data, definition data indicative of definitions of vehicle CAN data including a definition of manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type and transmit the vehicle CAN data;

a remote server comprising a second network interface, a second processing resource, a second non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed cause the second processing resource to:

receive from the plurality of monitoring devices a plurality of vehicle CAN data;

process the plurality of vehicle CAN data for providing an indication of vehicle CAN data associated with at least a first HWID;

receive a plurality of first candidate data;

process the plurality of the first candidate data for determining a definition for the manufacturer-specific CAN data associated with the at least a first vehicle type;

generate second monitoring device instructions; and

transmit second monitoring device instructions to a portion of the plurality of monitoring devices associated with the at least a first vehicle type.