COMMUNICATIONS BASED ON VEHICLE DIAGNOSTICS AND INDICATIONS
Methods and systems for communicating vehicle conditions based on vehicle component diagnostics and indications are provided. Specifically, various components of a vehicle may provide diagnostic information that can be collected and interpreted by a diagnostics module. The diagnostics module may determine to present the diagnostic information to a third party and/or vehicle occupant according to predetermined settings. Such diagnostic information may be presented in a conversational manner. Moreover, diagnostic information may be automatically evaluated in determining to provide course of action advice and other communications via the diagnostic module.
1 . A method of providing conversational vehicle diagnostic information to a receiving party, comprising:
receiving a signal from one or more components of a vehicle, the signal representing one or more of a code, warning, and indication;
interpreting a meaning associated with the signal;
determining a conversational meaning based on one or more rules to represent the meaning associated with the signal; and
providing the conversational meaning to an occupant of the vehicle.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing the meaning associated with the signal in memory; and
determining to transmit the meaning associated with the signal to a third party.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the conversational meaning further comprises:
referring to a set of data, wherein the set of data includes a plurality of conversational meanings mapped to corresponding signals; and
selecting an appropriate conversational meaning from the plurality of conversational meanings based on the set of data.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the conversational meaning is provided to the occupant of the vehicle as a visual text output via a display associated with the vehicle.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the conversational meaning is provided to the occupant of the vehicle as an audible output via at least one speaker associated with the vehicle.
6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
transmitting the meaning associated with the signal to the third party automatically and based at least partially on the one or more rules.
7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein providing the conversational meaning to the occupant of the vehicle, further comprises:
providing additional information to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the additional information is associated with the conversational meaning.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the additional information includes one or more options provided for a selectable input from the occupant of the vehicle.
9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
transmitting the meaning associated with the signal to the third party based at least partially on the selectable input from the occupant of the vehicle.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the third party is at least one of a vehicle manufacturer, dealer, repair facility, mechanic, and code recording storage.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is received via a remote node in wireless communication with the vehicle, and wherein the signal represents information relating to the one or more components of the vehicle.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the remote node is associated with at least one of a vehicle manufacturer, parts manufacturer, dealer, repair facility, mechanic, and government entity.
13 . A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform the method comprising:
receiving a signal from one or more components of a vehicle, the signal representing one or more of a code, warning, and indication;
interpreting a meaning associated with the signal;
determining a conversational meaning based on one or more rules to represent the meaning associated with the signal; and
providing the conversational meaning to an occupant of the vehicle.
14 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
storing the meaning associated with the signal in memory; and
determining to transmit the meaning associated with the signal to a third party.
15 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
providing additional information to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the additional information is associated with the conversational meaning, the additional information including one or more options provided for a selectable input from the occupant of the vehicle; and
transmitting the meaning associated with the signal to the third party based at least partially on the selectable input from the occupant of the vehicle.
16 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
transmitting the meaning associated with the signal to the third party automatically and based at least partially on the one or more rules.
17 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the signal is received via a remote node in wireless communication with the vehicle, and wherein the signal represents information relating to the one or more components of the vehicle.
18 . A system for providing conversational vehicle diagnostic information to a receiving party, comprising:
a vehicle having one or more components;
at least one sensor operatively connected to the one or more components;
a memory; and
a microprocessor executable diagnostic module operable to:
receive a signal from at least one of the one or more sensors and the one or more components, the signal representing one or more of a code, warning, and indication;
interpret a meaning associated with the signal;
determine a conversational meaning based on one or more rules stored in the memory to represent the meaning associated with the signal; and
provide the conversational meaning to an occupant of the vehicle.
19 . The system of claim 18 , further comprising:
a conversational meaning presentation device, wherein the conversational meaning presentation device includes at least one of a display and a speaker, and wherein the conversational meaning presentation device is configured to provide the conversational meaning to the occupant of the vehicle.
20 . The system of claim 18 , further comprising:
a communication transceiver, wherein the communication transceiver is configured to communicate with a remote node, the remote node associated with at least one of a vehicle manufacturer, parts manufacturer, dealer, repair facility, vehicle owner, mechanic, and government entity, and wherein the signal is received via the communication transceiver over a wireless network.