Apparatus for diagnosing a technical object, especially a motor vehicle

Claim 1

An apparatus for performing the diagnostic checking of a technical object, such as a motor vehicle, according to a predetermined checking program formed by a sequence of checking points, comprising a manually operable portable control device having a housing formed in the shape of a box adapted to be held by a single hand, at least a pair of signal keys associated with a state of the instantaneously performed checking point disposed on the same housing side of said control device, an information storage device remotely displaced from said control device and adapted to store checking result data for said checking points, information channels for said checking result data between said control device and said information storage device, electrical contact means arranged in said housing and operable by said signal keys, said contact means lying in electrical circuits for delivering electrical signals representing said checking result data to said information channels upon actuation of one of said signal keys, checking point identification means in said control device comprising a printed tape carrying checking point identifications on lines running transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension thereof, means for stepwise advancing said tape, and a window provided in the housing on said same side thereof and adapted to show one line of said tape, said means for advancing including movable means connected to all of said signal keys, such that actuation of any of said signal keys causes operation of only the associated one of said contact means as well as advancing said tape to identify the checking point to be performed next in conformity with said sequence.

Claim 2

An apparatus for performing the diagnostic checking of a technical object, such as a motor vehicle, according to a predetermined checking program formed by a sequence of checking points, comprising a manually operable portable control device having a housing formed in the shape of a box adapted to be held by a single hand, at least a pair of signal keys associated with a state of the instantaneously performed checking point disposed on the same housing side of said control device, an information storage device remotely displaced from said control device and adapted to store checking result data for said checking points, information channels for said checking result data between said control device and said information storage device, electrical contact means arranged in said housing and operable by said signal keys, said contact means lying in electrical circuits for delivering electrical signals representing said checking result data to said information channels upon actuation of one of said signal keys, checking point identification means in said control device comprising a printed tape carrying checking point identifications on lines running transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension thereof, means for stepwise advancing said tape, and a window provided in the housing on said same side thereof and adapted to show one line of said tape, said means for advancing including movable means connected to all of said signal keys, such that actuation of any of said signal keys causes operation of only the associated one of said contact means as well as advancing said tape to identify the checking point to be performed next in conformity with said sequence.

Claim 6

An apparatus for performing the diagnostic checking of a technical object, such as a motor vehicle, according to a predetermined checking program formed by a sequence of checking points, comprising a manually operable portable control device having a housing formed in the shape of a box adapted to be held by a single hand, at least a pair of signal keys associated with a state of the instantaneously performed checking point disposed on the same housing side of said control device, an information storage device remotely displaced from said control device and adapted to store checking result data for said checking points, information channels for said checking result data between said control device and said information storage device, electrical contact means arranged in said housing and operable by said signal keys, said contact means lying in electrical circuits for delivering electrical signals representing said checking result data to said information channels upon actuation of one of said signal keys, checking point identification means in said control device comprising a printed tape carrying checking point identifications on lines running transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension thereof, means for stepwise advancing said tape, and a window provided in the housing on said same side thereof and adapted to show one line of said tape, said means for advancing being operatively connected to all of said signal keys, such that actuation of any of said signal keys causes operation of only the associated one of said contact means as well as advancing said tape to identify the checking point to be performed next in conformity with said sequence, said means for advancing comprising a rocking means, all said signal key means being arranged on said rocking means for effecting a pivoting thereof when actuated.

Claim 7

An apparatus for performing the diagnostic checking of a technical object, such as a motor vehicle, according to a predetermined checking program formed by a sequence of checking points, comprising a manually operable portable control device having a housing formed in the shape of a box adapted to be held by a single hand, at least a pair of signal keys associated with a state of the instantaneously performed checking point disposed on the same housing side of said control device, an information storage device remotely displaced from said control device and adapted to store checking result data for said checking points, information channels for said checking result data between said control device and said information storage device, electrical contact means arranged in said housing and operable by said signal keys, said contact means lying in electrical circuits for delivering electrical signals representing said checking result data to said information channels upon actuation of one of said signal keys, checking point identification means in said control device comprising a printed tape carrying checking point identifications on lines running transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension thereof, means for stepwise advancing said tape, and a window provided in the housing on said same side thereof and adapted to show one line of said tape, said means for advancing being operatively connected to all of said signal keys, such that actuation of any of said signal keys causes operation of only the associated one of said contact means as well as advancing said tape to identify the checking point to be performed next in conformity with said sequence, said means for advancing comprising a rocking means, all said signal key means being arranged on said rocking means for effecting a pivoting thereof when actuated.

Claim 8

An apparatus for performing the diagnostic checking of a technical object, such as a motor vehicle, according to a predetermined checking program formed by a sequence of checking points, comprising a manually operable portable control device having a housing formed in the shape of a box adapted to be held by a single hand, at least a pair of signal keys associated with a state of the instantaneously performed checking point disposed on the same housing side of said control device, an information storage device remotely displaced from said control device and adapted to store checking result data for said checking points, information channels for said checking result data between said control device and said information storage device, electrical contact means arranged in said housing and operable by said signal keys, said contact means lying in electrical circuits for delivering electrical signals representing said checking result data to said information channels upon actuation of one of said signal keys, checking point identification means in said control device comprising a printed tape carrying checking point identifications on lines running transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension thereof, means for stepwise advancing said tape, and a window provided in the housing on said same side thereof and adapted to show one line of said tape, said means for advancing being operatively connected to all of said signal keys, such that actuation of any of said signal keys causes operation of only the associated one of said contact means as well as advancing said tape to identify the checking point to be performed next in conformity with said sequence, said means for advancing comprising a rocking means, all said signal key means being arranged on said rocking means for effecting a pivoting thereof when actuated, said means for advancing further comprising a driving axle and a ratchet mechanism coupling said rocking means to said driving axle.

Claim 9

An apparatus for performing the diagnostic checking of a technical object, such as a motor vehicle, according to a predetermined checking program formed by a sequence of checking points, comprising a manually operable portable control device having a housing formed in the shape of a box adapted to be held by a single hand, at least a pair of signal keys associated with a state of the instantaneously performed checking point disposed on the same housing side of said control device, an information storage device remotely displaced from said control device and adapted to store checking result data for said checking points, information channels for said checking result data between said control device and said information storage device, electrical contact means arranged in said housing and operable by said signal keys, said contact means lying in electrical circuits for delivering electrical signals representing said checking result data to said information channels upon actuation of one of said signal keys, checking point identification means in said control device comprising a printed tape carrying checking point identifications on lines running transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension thereof, means for stepwise advancing said tape, and a window provided in the housing on said same side thereof and adapted to show one line of said tape, said means for advancing being operatively connected to all of said signal keys, such that actuation of any of said signal keys causes operation of only the associated one of said contact means as well as advancing said tape to identify the checking point to be performed next in conformity with said sequence, said means for advancing comprising a rocking means, all said signal key means being arranged on said rocking means for effecting a pivoting thereof when actuated, said means for advancing further comprising a driving axle and a ratchet mechanism coupling said rocking means to said driving axle.