Communications based on vehicle diagnostics and indications

Abstract

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 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of providing conversational vehicle diagnostic information to a receiving party, comprising:
 receiving, at a microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a signal from one or more components of a vehicle, the signal representing one or more of a code, warning, and indication;   interpreting, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a meaning associated with the signal;   determining, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a conversational meaning based on one or more rules to represent the meaning associated with the signal;   providing the conversational meaning to an occupant of the vehicle via a conversational presentation device, wherein the conversational presentation device includes at least one of a display and a speaker;   querying, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, other vehicle components for operational state information in response to receiving the signal;   identifying, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, an actual or potential malfunction associated with at least one of the other vehicle components based on at least one of a result of the query and a relationship between the at least one of the other vehicle components and the one or more components of the vehicle providing the signal; and   providing, via the conversational presentation device, conversational advice to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the conversational advice includes information configured to at least alert the occupant of the vehicle of the actual or potential malfunction associated with at least one of the other vehicle components.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , 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.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , 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.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the conversational meaning is provided to the occupant of the vehicle as a visual text output via a display associated with the vehicle or as an audible output via at least one speaker associated with the vehicle. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein prior to providing the conversational advice to the occupant of the vehicle, the method further comprises:
 contacting, by the microprocessor executable diagnostics module, a remote node for additional information relevant to the received signal, the additional information including the conversational advice to be provided to the vehicle operator.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , 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.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , 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.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the additional information includes one or more options provided for a selectable input from the occupant of the vehicle. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , 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.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the third party is at least one of a vehicle manufacturer, dealer, repair facility, mechanic, and code recording storage. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21 , 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. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the remote node is associated with at least one of a vehicle manufacturer, parts manufacturer, dealer, repair facility, mechanic, and government entity. 
     
     
         33 . A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform the method comprising:
 receiving, at a microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a signal from one or more components of a vehicle, the signal representing one or more of a code, warning, and indication;   interpreting, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a meaning associated with the signal;   determining, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, a conversational meaning based on one or more rules to represent the meaning associated with the signal;   providing the conversational meaning to an occupant of the vehicle via a conversational presentation device, wherein the conversational presentation device includes at least one of a display and a speaker;   querying, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, other vehicle components for operational state information in response to receiving the signal;   identifying, by the microprocessor executable diagnostic module, an actual or potential malfunction associated with at least one of the other vehicle components based on at least one of a result of the query and a relationship between the at least one of the other vehicle components and the one or more components of the vehicle providing the signal; and   providing, via the conversational presentation device, conversational advice to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the conversational advice includes information configured to at least alert the occupant of the vehicle of the actual or potential malfunction associated with at least one of the other vehicle components.   
     
     
         34 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 33 , 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.   
     
     
         35 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 34 , 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.   
     
     
         36 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 34 , 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.   
     
     
         37 . The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 33 , 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. 
     
     
         38 . 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; 
 provide the conversational meaning to an occupant of the vehicle; 
 query other vehicle components for operational state information in response to receiving the signal; 
 identify an actual or potential malfunction associated with at least one of the other vehicle components based on at least one of a result of the query and a relationship between the at least one of the other vehicle components and the one or more components of the vehicle providing the signal; and 
 provide conversational advice to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the conversational advice includes information configured to at least alert the occupant of the vehicle of the actual or potential malfunction associated with at least one of the other vehicle components. 
   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38 , 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 and the conversational advice to the occupant of the vehicle.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 38 , 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 within an area of a determined geographical location of the vehicle, and wherein the signal is received via the communication transceiver over a wireless network.