Design and Implementation of a Vehicle Fault Detection System (FDS) with online and SMS fault reporting: Case Study of Ford Motors

摘要

Vehicle fault detection has always been done by manual method. This process simply involves trial and error processes where a mechanical engineer or auto technician is called in to diagnose automotive device (vehicle) to detect the fault(s). Though there have being recent developments in the fault detection system (FDS) which involves the use of an application displayed in a digital device to detect faults but this cannot send report online to mechanics or auto technicians. The manual method involves trial and error processes with involves series of rigorous processes before troubleshooting is completed. This method is inefficient, stressful, time consuming, and wearing and tearing of some mechanical parts. Th ese leads to high cost of maintenance. The paper proposed a vehicle fault detection system that is a computer- based application with an advanced feature of online fault reporting. This system works with the assistance of computer software which captures and display faults for the user and also the user can send the report to the mechanics via email and SMS for immediate response. The proposed system helps to reduce human labor and rigorous activity of trying to detect fault. It also helps to reduce cost of troubleshooting and vehicle maintenance by cutting down on time wa sted on trial and error troubleshooting. This system was designed using the Microsoft Visual Studio.net as the frontend and the Structured Query Language (SQL) of Microsoft-Access database as the backend to store information of the series of faults which may have originated from the system. The system was tested and worked successfully according to the design specification and model.