I currently have a BS degree in computer engineering, and I have been contemplating persuing an MS degree. I am wondering if there are any resources out there that might give me ideas as to potential research projects. I would be looking for projects related to automotive computer systems, with specific interests in engine diagnostics. (Learning about OBD-II has captured my interest in this area.)
(Just to clarify, this is nothing more than pure brainstorming at this time. I am nowhere near a point where I can actually choose anything!)
Any links / pointers would be appreciated. Please copy any reply to my email address, thanks! [rk218 at hotmail.com]
The best advice I could give you would be to seek the advice of your campus graduate advisor for ideas. He would undoubtedly suggest that you research other research done in this field and discuss the results of that research with you. IMO, this would not be the best area for graduate work simply because there just isn't a whole lot of work to be done.
Automated diagnostics have been attempted by the big 3, and all have dropped the idea (so that should tell you something about that area).
There is no need to reverse engineer the OBD II diagnostics themselves as the specifications are readily available to anyone.
Building a diagnostic interface from scratch has been going on for 7+ years and the instructions are everywhere on the net. People have even built pure software interfaces that connect a PC RS232 connection directly to the vehicle with entirely no hardware interface device whatsoever. In fact, no PC is needed at all. The same connection can be made with a Palm or Windows CE device by simply porting over the PC software.
Wireless interface? Blue Tooth and 802.11 done.
Code reading driving past a Wireless node on the highway? Done.
Remote Diagnostics? Done.
Internet based mass reprogramming? Done.
Vehicle shutdown at owner's command? Done.
I do this for a living and I'll have to tell you that people have been coming out with solutions so fast that for most of them there really is no demand in the marketplace.
Hi, thank you for your straight-up opinions. I had a feeling this might be a subject matter that's both too complex and moves too quickly for any such project. But, I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least inquire about it. I will definitely keep your advice in mind as I ponder my future. =)
On another note, some of these things you mentioned, with regards to diagnostic technologies:
-Wireless interface - Blue Tooth and 802.11 -Code reading driving past a Wireless node on the highway -Remote Diagnostics -Internet based mass reprogramming -Vehicle shutdown at owner's command
Can you recommend any good websites/books that deal with these topics? Or maybe better yet, do you know of any magazines that have good articles about topics such as these? To me, this is the good stuff, which I'd really like to learn more about.
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