july2022 - 36

DIAGNOS TIC S
ing the severity of the issue and if the vehicle
can continue to be driven, " he said.
Having the health status of the vehicle
readily available speeds decision making,
Gattamorta said. " Additionally, we have developed
predictive maintenance based on artificial
intelligence models and big data due to the
vast [amount] of information collected every
minute from the vehicles, " he explained. " We
need to give the fleets actionable information
to make educated decisions. "
Alexander said demand for remote diagnostics
and tools that support remote diagnostics
has been steadily increasing, and he expects
the trend to accelerate as newer technologies
continue to be introduced. " Elements such as
ADAS require specialized expertise to perform
the calibration process after a repair has been
completed, " he said.
Online programming of the numerous
» Cojali VP Bruno
Gattamorta said there are
thousands of scenarios
where remote diagnostics
can optimize fleets.
Photo: Cojali
Remote diagnostics helping
shops control downtime
Experts discuss the benefits of remote diagnostics tools.
By Mindy Long
Downtime costs money, and fleets are looking
for quick and efficient ways to diagnose
and program equipment to keep vehicles on
the road. Technicians are turning to tools to
help improve uptime and lessen the amount
of time in the shop, and customers are increasingly
requesting remote capabilities. However,
it not uncommon for users to confuse the various
remote solutions available to fleets and
vehicle owners.
" For example, remote diagnostics imply that
fault-based diagnostic information is available
to remotely monitor or manage the health of
the truck. This is vastly different from remote
» The TEXA Navigator
TXTs is a multibrand
diagnostic interface that
connects to a vehicle's
diagnostic socket
and communicates to
computers via Bluetooth.
Photo: TEXA USA
programming, which is essentially an overthe-air
software update, " said Jason Hedman,
product manager at Noregon Systems.
Benefits of remote diagnostics
With remote diagnostics, equipment is continuously
connected to an onboard diagnostic tool
in the vehicle. " This is what we do with our
telematics hardware that is ready to perform
remote diagnostic functions, " said Bruno
Gattamorta, VP of sales and marketing for
Cojali USA Inc. " There are thousands of scenarios
where remote diagnostics is the solution to
optimize their fleet and their business. "
Cojali built a diagnostics tool, put an antenna
on it, and put it on the truck. " We're connecting
directly to the ECM and not the CAN bus.
It reads it when it is going down the road, "
Gattamorta said, adding that Cojali's diagnostic
tools read fault codes, monitor the inputs
and outputs to the ECM, vehicle trip data, and
perform DPF regenerations and other bidirectional
routines.
Brandon Alexander, marketing manager for
Thinkcar, said he has seen increased demand
for field diagnostics. " This ability to perform
remote diagnostics is very helpful in determin36
Fleet Maintenance | July 2022
modules within vehicles has also added to
the demand for remote diagnostics. " More
and more technicians are relying on remote
services, which have easy access to vehicle
manufacturer software and can quickly
perform this process, " Alexander said.
However, Gattamorta said remote diagnostic
solutions cannot replace off-board diagnostics
equipment. " It is a different approach, and in
most cases, it is a complementary tool for technicians
and fleet managers to be able to read
the fault codes and schedule when the vehicle
should approach the bay, " he explained.
One of the main limitations on remote diagnostics
is the ability to feel how the vehicle is
operating and directly manipulate the physical
elements of the vehicle, Alexander said. The
process is also restricted by the availability of
and speed of the internet connection.
Increased demand for
remote programming
Hedman said in-shop diagnostic applications
typically cannot remotely program a vehicle
component. That requires a separate OE application.
However, in-shop OE applications can
reprogram a component while connected to
the truck, and it is typically considered best
practice to do so when in the shop for preventative
maintenance or other scheduled services.
Noregon has developed a combination of
hardware and software that can remotely
adjust parameters, such as max road and
cruise speeds and idle shutdown times, but
there's a major difference between parameter
adjustments and reflashing or programming
a module, Hedman said. " A remote parameter
adjustment sends a command to the vehicle
to change a value, but a reflash requires the
OE to release its new software version to a
particular module, such as an engine, for an
update, " he said.
Hedman said customers are asking for
increased remote programming capabilities,
but fleets don't have many options
when choosing an application that remotely
programs their trucks that can also be
july2022

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