Fault isolation for vehicle using a multifunction test probe

US4757463A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Richard V. Ballou · Boynton Beach, US
• Joseph A. Boscove · Highland Beach, US
• Richard Alen Kraus · Farmington Hills, US
• Hobart L. Kurtz · Boca Raton, US
• Peter Langer · Munich, DE
• Kenneth M. Nicolson · Boca Raton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 2, 1986
• Grant date: Jul 12, 1988
• Expiry date: Jun 2, 2006

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S706/905
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In a computerized automotive vehicle diagnostic system, a test probe cable is attached to individual components and consists of a multiple conductor cable which is attached ultimately to the component and to a computer in a technician terminal. Where the probe cable enters the technician terminal the conductors contained within it are fed into a programmable crosspoint switch which is controlled by a microcontroller. Test functions are provided by three programmable resources: (1) A program controlled multimeter, (2) A program controlled DC voltage source and ground sink; and (3) the microcontroller itself which receives and interprets commands from the computer and controls the various probe elements based upon the test commands received.