2005-01-1428

SAE TECHNICAL PAPER SERIES

Overview of Remote Diagnosis and Maintenance for Automotive Systems

Song You, Mark Krage and Laci Jalics
Delphi Corporation

Reprinted From: Vehicle Diagnostics (SP-1922)

2005 SAE World Congress Detroit, Michigan April 11-14, 2005

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2005-01-1428

Overview of Remote Diagnosis and Maintenance for Automotive Systems

Song You, Mark Krage and Laci Jalics
Delphi Corporation
Copyright 2005 SAE International

ABSTRACT Advances in wireless communications, model-based diagnostics, human-machine interfaces, electronics and embedded system technologies have created the foundation for a dramatic shift in the way the vehicles are diagnosed and maintained. These advances will enable vehicle diagnosis and maintenance to be performed remotely while the vehicle is being driven. There also has been recent strong consumer interest in Remote Diagnosis and Maintenance (RD&M). As a consequence, RD&M is drawing increased attention in the automotive industry. This paper provides the current status of vehicle remote diagnosis and maintenance, analyses the potential features of RD&M and their significance, and discusses how next generation automotive products could benefit from research and development in this area. KEYWORDS Remote Diagnosis, Remote Maintenance, Telematics, Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI).

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Current vehicle diagnosis All cars and light trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996 are required to be equipped with On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD-II). While the primary impetus for OBD-II was diagnostics for emission systems, the range of vehicle sub-systems addressed by this standard is quite broad. As shown in Figure 1, the OBD-II Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) are made up of 5 digits [1]. While these codes are useful to identify faulty subsystems, they are typically not sufficient to identify specific faulty components. The trouble codes are typically accessed through a scan tool that is plugged into a special OBD-II vehicle connector. This connector is located in the passenger compartment and can be accessed from the driver's seat. Hand-held scan tools are usually limited to vehicles from one or more manufacturer. In general, Chrysler products, all European and most Asian imports use the ISO 9141 standard for in-vehicle OBD-II communications. GM cars and light trucks use SAE J1850 VPWM (Variable Pulse Width Modulation), and

B:Body C:Chassis P:Powertrain U:Network

0: SAE 1: MFG

Faults (00 to 99)

1:Fuel & Air Metering;2:Fuel & Air Metering (Injector);3:Ignition System or Misfire;4:Auxiliary Emission Controls;5:Vehicle Speed & Idle Control System; 6:Computer Output Circuit;7:Transmission; 8:Transmission;9:Reserved;0:Reserved.
Fig. 1 Decomposition of Diagnostic Trouble Codes 1

Fords use SAE J1850 PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) [2]. 1.2. Problems with current vehicle diagnosis approaches From above description we can see, there are several problems in the current approach to vehicle diagnosis. 1. The diagnosis is not standardized among vehicle manufacturers. This leads to higher costs when vehicles from different manufacturers are to be diagnosed by a given facility. 2. The diagnosis requires driving to a repair facility. This is an inconvenience to the driver and a source of uncertainty in scheduling vehicle diagnosis and repair. The driver may be told to leave the vehicle for the day when the problem can be solved in an hour.

manufacturers, however, recommend much longer intervals for normal driving conditions. Studies have revealed that most the equipment failures are not related to the number of hours of operation [4]. Many drivers use a mix of corrective and preventative strategies, depending on the subsystem involved. 1.4. Problems with current vehicle maintenance practices Corrective and preventative vehicle maintenance practices are sub-optimal strategies in terms of the cost of vehicle ownership and driver convenience. Neither strategy accounts for actual vehicle driving conditions or current component/fluid health. In addition, vehicle operators often do not read the maintenance schedules in their owners manual or, if they do, have difficulty in deciding between moderate or severe operating conditions. According to a September 15, 2003 report published by the Commission of the European Community, repair and maintenance accounts for 40% of the total lifetime costs of vehicle ownership [5]. Thus, the affordability of vehicles depends not only on initial vehicle cost but the cost of repair and maintenance. 2. SIGNIFICANCE OF REMOTE DIAGNOSIS & MAINTENANCE Recent advances in remote communications, humanmachine interfaces, model-based diagnostics, electronics and embedded system technologies are leading to a dramatic shift in the way the vehicles is diagnosed and maintained. These advances equip the automobiles with the capability share in-vehicle sensor and diagnostic information with remote computers, enabling vehicle diagnosis and maintenance be performed remotely while the vehicle is being driven. In addition, vehicle parameters can be monitored while the vehicle is being driven to determine when maintenance is necessary. These capabilities coupled with increased consumer interest are the reasons why vehicle RD&M is drawing increasing attention in the automotive industry. 2.1. Remote Diagnosis & Maintenance Background RD&M is a multidisciplinary subject that embodies many vehicle subsystems and their associated diagnostic and maintenance needs, a remote analysis center, and wireless communication. A number of recent patents [6][7][8][9][10] and articles [11][12][13][14] have addressed a variety of application-specific issues related to RD&M. Examples include a vehicle communication system to establish a two-way communications link between the vehicle and a remote computer, and an automated voice response system to provide a method for remotely diagnosing a vehicle. Also NASA has

3. A complete diagnosis may need special equipment and trained technician help. This can make the diagnosis very expensive. 4. The DTC information is typically not accurate enough to pinpoint the source of the problem. Better vehicle diagnostic algorithms and strategies could reduce the time needed to diagnose problems. 5. With the increased sophistication of electronic control systems in vehicles, there is a concomitant increase in the difficulty of identifying component malfunctions [3]. One symptom of this is the diagnosis of replaced parts as no trouble found. 1.3.Current vehicle maintenance strategies Current vehicle maintenance strategies generally consist of corrective and preventive maintenance approaches or a combination of these. In the corrective maintenance approach, the vehicle is maintained on an as-needed basis, i.e. after a fault has occurred. This can be a risky approach as it may, over time, lead to unexpected breakdowns and more costly repairs due to higher levels of damage. At the other extreme, preventive maintenance relies on replacing components and fluids based on a conservative schedule to prevent possible failures. Although preventive maintenance programs may increase system availability, they lead to increased cost of vehicle ownership due to the replacement of parts and fluids well before the end of their useful life. In general, preventive maintenance schedules are typically time or mileage-based strategy and do not account for actual vehicle operating conditions or subsystem health. As an everyday example, drivers have little idea of how to trade off the many factors in oil life and are admonished by the oil-change industry to change their oil every 3,000 miles; many vehicle

developed a remote diagnosis server to monitor the health of the space shuttle. Several companies, including GMs OnStar; NEXIQ Technologies Inc., ATX Technologies Inc., Toyota, Vetronix Inc., Jentro AG, BMW, Volkswagen, IBW, and Dearborn Group, either already have or are actively developing RD&M applications [15][5]. GMs OnStar system has evolved from being an option on Cadillacs to standard equipment on nearly all GM vehicles. OnStar integrates cell phone service, roadside assistance, emergency service, and simple remote diagnostics based on Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). GM projects that OnStar system will be installed in 4 million vehicles by 2005 [16]. A few other car manufacturers, including Toyota, Volkswagen and BMW, are working on similar telematics systems and are rolling out models with integrated early-generation remote diagnostics technology as well [5]. 2.2 Advantages of RD&M As described in the scenarios at the beginning of this report, RD&M should have the ability to unobtrusively diagnose vehicle health without the need to drive to a special repair facility. RD&M systems can examine automotive fault codes and internal sensor values no matter if the car is running on the road or parked in the garage, without the involvement of a vehicle service technician. These readings can be wirelessly transmitted to a remote RD&M server, where vehicle information, such as records of vehicle service and previous repair are stored. A RD&M server can use powerful processing capability to assess vehicle health and remind owners if maintenance is recommended. If a problem is detected, the driver can be warned of the malfunction, can get help from an advisor to assess the severity of problem and to schedule maintenance or repair. If needed, advanced diagnostic algorithms could be remotely downloaded to the vehicle for performing complex diagnostic tasks, and recovery and rescue services could be activated to deal with faulty conditions and, possibly, save lives. Remote maintenance program can aid in reducing operating costs and increase safety by, for example, early detection of low tire pressure, determining when an oil change is needed, or when brake linings are in need of replacement. Early warnings of problems may prevent some on-the-road breakdowns and, in some cases, may avert accidents. RD&M should give drivers peace of mind by taking much of the ambiguity out of the current approaches to diagnostics and maintenance. Vehicle manufacturers can also use RD&M as an early warning system to detect vehicle warranty problems early in the model year. The authors believe that as the

number of automobiles equipped with RD&M increases, consumers will increasingly recognize the long-term cost-to-benefit ratio of these systems. 2.3 Potential Consumer Interest in RD&M Automotive telematics is growing rapidly and RD&M is generally regarded as one of the most important telematics services. According to a recent survey by InfoMove, a Seattle provider of personalized, locationbased applications and wireless services for automobiles, 73 percent of consumers would like automakers and dealers to be able to diagnose car problems remotely. Projections by Allied Business Intelligence [16], an Oyster Bay, NY-based research firm, indicate that telematics products and services are expected to grow from an aggregate $2.2 billion global market in 2001 to more than $12.3 billion by 2007. A good indication of the strength of consumer interest in automotive telematics services is the growth of OnStar subscribers, and the emulation of OnStar type services by other OEMs.

100%
75 73 72

42

Real-time traffic update

Fig. 2 Consumer Interest Survey according to InfoMove http://www.mobil ecomputing.com 2.4 RD&M for X-By-Wire systems X-By-Wire systems were introduced in aircraft well over a decade ago, first in military and then in commercial aircraft. These systems replace hydraulic and mechanical systems with electronically controlled systems. In a "true" X-By-Wire system, there is no hydraulic backup to the electronic system. X-By-Wire systems are gaining momentum in the automotive environment for steering and braking systems, and provide the maximum opportunity for optimizing ride, handling and active safety performance. Applications

E-mail while driving

Navigation

Remote Diagnosis

0%

such as vehicle stability control, rollover prevention assistance and collision avoidance benefit from coordinated control of steering and braking dynamics and offer additional integration capability with other vehicle functions [17]. With actively developing X-By-Wire automotive technologies and products, more electronics will be introduced into the vehicle. The increase in vehicle electronics requires improved diagnosis and maintenance strategies especially for safety critical systems, and safety will be a fundamental concern in the development of these systems. As an essential part of safety, robust diagnosis is becoming more difficult for systematic fault detection and isolation, and future automotive X-By-Wire products will require betterintegrated diagnosis and maintenance strategies. As discussed earlier, current diagnosis and maintenance strategies are not standard and unstructured, and do not meet the needs of X-By-Wire systems. The research on RD&M will try to find an efficient and uniform diagnostic strategy for X-By-Wire systems to reduce complexity of diagnosis and enhance system safety. 3. AN EXAMPLE RD&M ARCHITECUTRE

Figure 3 is a schematic of an RD&M system that illustrates how such a system might work. A communications link between the service center (or an remote authorized advisor) and the vehicle to be diagnosed allows the remote service center to access the vehicle's Electronic Control Unit (ECU - the 'brains' of the vehicle) and retrieve the vehicles performance parameters and fault codes for analysis. The service center advisor advises the driver as to the seriousness of any problems, provides necessary support services, and arrange for the necessary maintenances or repairs to prevent or rectify problems. In general, a RD&M system should have following major components: Intelligence in the vehicle to provide trouble codes, key sensor values, maintenance-related information to a RD&M center and the capability to accept downloads or system software upgrade. Advanced real-time diagnosis and maintenance modules with appropriate humanmachine interfaces in both the vehicle and the remote service center.

3.1. The Major Elements

A RD&M service center with an authorized advisor who runs the advanced diagnostic and maintenance programs and is responsible for interacting with the driver.

Wireless Link Vehicle Manufacturer

Catastrophic Hazardous Severe-major Major Minor Necessary Maintenance Optional Maintenance Normal

Authorized D&M User Diagnosed Vehicle

Remote D&M Service Center

Emergency Contact person

Mobile Aid Services

Repair & Maintenance Center

Communication Channel Fig. 3 Schematics of vehicle Remote Diagnosis and Maintenance

 A data communication link connecting RD&M service center with the corresponding vehicle, and a voice communication link with the driver. The center should also have links to related resources, such as vehicle manufacturer, repair and maintenance centers, and emergency aid service. 3.2. Physical and Logical architectures A physical architecture corresponding to Figure 3 is given in Figure 4. Again, the vehicle to be diagnosed is linked to the remote service center through a two-way wireless communications module. An advisor in the RD&M center can run any of several diagnostic and maintenance program modules in real-time, including remote monitoring of sensors, advanced diagnosis, and intelligent maintenance. The in-vehicle diagnosis and maintenance program modules can work stand-alone, or cooperate with the remote center to transmit fault codes and appropriate sensor information. Other resources, such as a manufacturing data center, roadside assistance, and repair and maintenance shops, could be accessed by the center. Vehicle manufacturing data could be acquired from the manufacture data center to assist diagnosis and analysis when needed. The center, in turn, could provide information on failures to vehicle manufacturers. Repair and maintenance appointments could be set up on behalf of the vehicle owners as needed. The RD&M system logical architecture is given in Figure 5. The vehicle diagnosis and maintenance

process utilizes a number of software-based modules: A vehicle protocol converter, an intelligent driver interface unit, a recovery and rescue unit, wireless communication unit, an advanced diagnostic unit, and an intelligent maintenance unit. The vehicle protocol converter receives the status information, which may vehicle or manufacturer specific, and converts this vehicle data into a standard format. This unit also translates diagnosis and maintenance commands into the appropriate formats for the vehicle. The intelligent driver interaction unit displays warnings to the driver through an in-vehicle human-machine interface, such as voice or a visual display. The advanced diagnostic unit, intelligent maintenance unit, and recovery and rescue unit, just as the names imply, perform the diagnosis, maintenance and recovery tasks in terms of real-time vehicle operating condition in conjunction with remote diagnosis and maintenance programs. Correspondingly, remote diagnosis and maintenance modules in the remote D&M center are comprised of similar units that manage and cooperate with the in-vehicle D&M modules. 4. RESEARCH FOCUSES AND GOALS A RD&M system can be quite complicated, and there are a lot of issues related to its feasibility, affordability and implementability that still need to be addressed. Most of current remote diagnosis approaches are built on DTCs. This approach is not adequate to achieve high accuracy diagnoses in complicated subsystems. Since accurate, efficient and cost effective diagnostic and

Remote Monitorin g Advance d diagnosis Intelligent Maintenance Crash Processin g

Manufacture Data Center

Vehicle
Roadside Assistant In-Vehicle Diagnosis

Remot e D&M Advisor

Remote wireless Communicatio n Module

Diagnosed Vehicle Repair & Maintenanc e Shops

Driver
In-Vehicle Maintenance

Acciden t analysi s

PostCrash Rescue

Hospita l

Police Depart.

Remote Service Center Fig. 4 RD&M system physical architecture

Driver
Action taking Vehicle In-vehicle systems ( Brake, steering, powertrain, Chassis, engine) Diagnose & M aintain vehicle Warning

Intelligent Driver Interaction Unit Vehicle Protocol Converter

Recovery and Rescue Unit Wireless Comm. Unit Advanced Diagnostic Unit

a Gather vehicle status information

Intelligent Maintenance Unit

In-vehicle Diagnosis & Maintenance Module

Manufactures, Repair center, Emergency Rescue system

Available Resources

Transmitting/Receiving fault codes and diagnostic results

Downloading/Updating software

Recovery and Rescue Unit Intelligent Maintenance Unit

Wireless Comm. Unit Advanced Diagnostic Unit

Remote Diagnosis & Maintenance Module (Remote D&M Center) Fig. 5 RD&M System Logical Architecture maintenance algorithms are needed for subsystems in vehicles from various manufacturers, our efforts will focus on developing a generalized architecture for vehicle diagnostics as well as the development of modular diagnosis and maintenance algorithms for specific automotive subsystems (especially X-By-Wire systems). Specific topics to be addressed include: 1. Developing modular diagnostic and maintenance architecture to standardize the diagnosis and maintenance for different kinds of vehicles, and developing means to simplify the integration of remote diagnostics and maintenance into complex automotive systems. We recently proposed the concept of Generalized Diagnostic Components (GDCs) for X-By-Wire automotive systems, and a modular fault diagnostic strategy for safety critical automotive systems [18]. An infrastructural component, leading to common diagnostic and maintenance architecture, will be refined to meet RD&M needs. New intelligent model-based diagnostic methodologies, observer-based diagnostics

and recognition, and hierarchical fault detection and isolation technologies will be applied to this topic [19]. 2. Developing advanced in-vehicle diagnostic algorithms based on the ECUs (Electronic Control Units) located in X-By-Wire systems. This work will leverage previous diagnostic work developed by authors and provide the hooks and intelligence needed for remote diagnosis by using a modelbased diagnostic strategy [19]. The diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and relevant onboard diagnostic sensor information on vehicles can serve as the starting point for this purpose. As discussed earlier, this information is useful but does not provide enough detail. In the future, advanced model-based diagnostic algorithms will be built into the ECUs. With the generalized components-based diagnostic structure implemented in the vehicle, the remote diagnostic programs can diagnose vehicle problems in real-time or obtain more complete information on the sources of the problems. If needed, special diagnostic algorithms can be developed that can be downloaded into the vehicle

from the remote service center for complex diagnostic tasks. 3. Develop an intelligent condition-based maintenance module for remotely determining whether vehicle servicing or maintenance is required. While conventional time-based or rule-based vehicle maintenance strategies can serve as a starting point, it is anticipated that more complete vehicle information can be used to infer more intelligent and cost effective maintenance schedules. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) based information, including previous records of vehicle servicing, driver operational habits, and sensor data such as temperatures and pressures of fluids, vehicle tires pressure, battery voltage, and so on, will be fully used to develop a highly efficient vehicle maintenance strategy. To achieve those goals, we propose the RD&M research structure provided in Figure 6. Our research on RD&M systems will be focused on this structure and deployed in the following two parts: a). Preventive diagnosis and maintenance. In this part, we will look into intelligent maintenance approaches, fault notification methodologies and proactive diagnostics strategies. b). Reactive diagnosis and recovery. In this part, we will research into real-time fault detection and isolation strategies, complex diagnosis algorithms, upgrade and download, post-diagnostics recovery solutions. In light of RD&M research structure, we will also put forth efforts to in-vehicle diagnostic and maintenance

design and implementation, and conduct our research to investigate how to improve safety and reliability for automotive systems. Other issues, such as advisordriver-vehicle interaction interface, communication within the vehicle (multi-bus communication), and management of remote service center (or website) will not be addressed. 5. DISCUSSION The reduction of vehicle downtime and needless expenditure through effective use of technology is an important goal. There is little question that RD&M systems can help with this aim. Some simple remote diagnostic systems (such as remote engine checking) are available today that provide value and safety for the consumer for a modest fee. In the past, several factors have limited market penetration levels of RD&M systems. One is the lack of RD&M awareness. At present, this is an emerging area and the general public has little awareness about remote diagnosis and maintenance systems and their possible benefits. Dealerships and repair shops are also largely unaware of the capabilities of these systems. Another factor that may have slowed the development of remote diagnosis and maintenance for the automotive market is the cost of deployment and the chicken and egg problem of service centers needing a sufficient number of equipped vehicles and equipped vehicles needing a sufficient number of service centers. There is a need to develop low cost or no cost approaches to diagnostics and maintenance by leveraging other developments. In the case of the OnStar system, once one has the communications channel in place, it can serve multiple functions at essentially the same cost.

Remote Diagnosis and Maintenance

Preventive Diagnosis and Maintenance

Reactive Diagnosis and Recovery

Intelligent Maintenance

Vehicle Initiate Fault Notification

Proactive Diagnostics

Real-time Fault Detection and Isolation

Complex diagnosis algorithms and upgrade

Post-Diagnostics recovery solutions

Fig. 6 RD&M Research Structure

One expected issue with diagnostic and maintenance systems is the privacy of diagnostic and maintenance information. As a potential buyer of a used vehicle, I would be very interested in knowing what problems were flagged and how the previous owner dealt with them. If the seller represents their car as trouble free and the purchaser encounters multiple problems after the sale, the purchaser may take legal action to gain access to the sellers diagnostic and maintenance history. On the other hand, sellers who have good records would likely find this to be an asset in selling their vehicles. This problem will play out in due time. However, OEMs that produce vehicles that turn out to have many problems flagged could find this type of information to be a sensitive issue. If they use this information to correct the problems early in the model year, it could enhance their image. On the other hand, if the problems recur, it could harm their quality image. As a consequence, OEMs that are quality leaders are more likely to be early adopters of this technology. 6. CONCLUSIONS RD&M is emerging as an important new area in the automotive industry. Our research in RD&M is focused on developing advanced real-time diagnosis and maintenance strategies and techniques for next generation automotive products. 1. RD&M has many possible advantages compared to conventional vehicle diagnosis and maintenance: Unobtrusive diagnosing while the vehicle is in use. Vehicle maintenance based on vehicle use and history. Tremendous computational capacity located in a RD&M center to diagnosis vehicle problems and assess maintenance needs. Reduced warranty and vehicle ownership costs through preventive diagnosis and maintenance. 2. An RD&M architecture is proposed that is consistent with current aftermarket initiatives. 3. The proposed research will leverage our safetycritical work on automotive systems. 7. REFERENCE
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