US 6,738,697 · Granted 2004-05-18
The Patent That Turned Cars Into Remote-Controlled Diagnostic Machines
Imagine your car could talk to a distant repair shop and tell technicians exactly what's wrong with it before you even get there. This patent describes a system where sensors inside your vehicle constantly monitor its health, analyze the data with smart algorithms, and beam that information to a remote location via satellite or the internet so someone can help fix problems faster.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a telematics system that combines onboard sensors, a processing unit that analyzes sensor data (often using pattern recognition algorithms), and a communications device that transmits diagnostic information to a remote location. What's protected here is the specific architecture of mounting sensors on a vehicle, processing their measurements to identify the vehicle's state or component condition, and remotely transmitting that processed output—whether via satellite, internet, or other means. The patent also covers scenarios where the processor can actually control vehicle parts based on its analysis.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early and foundational approach to connected vehicle diagnostics, capturing the core concept of remote monitoring and predictive maintenance that has become central to modern automotive technology. By filing in 2002 and receiving the grant in 2004, Automotive Technologies International staked out intellectual property in a space that would eventually enable insurance telematics, fleet management, and preventive maintenance systems that millions of vehicles now rely on. The ability to diagnose vehicle state remotely without a mechanic physically inspecting the car was novel and valuable.
Real-world use
When a car manufacturer's OnStar or similar system alerts you that your engine needs service before you even notice a problem, or when a fleet company remotely tracks truck health across the country, you're encountering technology directly descended from this patent's core concept.
Original USPTO abstract
Vehicle diagnostic system which diagnoses the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle and generates an output indicative or representative thereof. A communications device transmits the output of the diagnostic system to a remote location, possibly via a satellite or the Internet. The diagnostic system can include sensors mounted on the vehicle, each providing a measurement related to a state of the sensor or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location, and a processor coupled to the sensors and arranged to receive data from the sensors and process the data to generate the output indicative or representative of the state of the vehicle or its component. The processor may embody a pattern recognition algorithm trained to generate the output from the data received from the sensors and be arranged to control parts of the vehicle based on the output.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,738,697
- Filing date
- 2002-07-03
- Grant date
- 2004-05-18
- Assignee
- Automotive Technologies International Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- BREED DAVID S.
- CPC class
- B60C19/00
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