Vehicular diagnostic system

• US 10,198,880 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dasan Invest Co., Ltd. (Min-Woo Nam)
• Original Assignee: Tantalum Innovations Limited (Tantalum Corp. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Willard, Alexandra, Hatiris, Emmanouil
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US14/794,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20160035157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 11/00 Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus , e.g. for catalytic activity safety, indicating or supervising devices for internal combustion engines F02B77/08; testing of machines G01M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/606 Driving style, e.g. sporty or economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/36 Control for minimising NOx emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0235 in relation with the state of the exhaust gas treating apparatus control of exhaust gas treating apparatus per se F01N
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1495 Detection of abnormalities in the air/fuel ratio feedback system
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2403 using essentially up/down counters
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/10 by monitoring exhaust gases or combustion flame
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are implemented for characterizing one or more driver inputs. As may be relevant to one or more embodiments herein, particular aspects are directed to determining a driver input characteristic and using the determined input characteristic to assess a risk metric to the driver. In some implementations, the driver input characteristic is determined based upon a prediction of one or more of actual fuel used and torque. In some implementations, the prediction is determined in real-time and may be transmitted to a remote terminal for storage and/or analysis. The data for the prediction is obtained from a vehicle diagnostic system, and is used to determine (e.g., predict and/or infer) information as presented by other vehicle systems to the vehicle diagnostic system, without necessarily communicating directly with the respective other vehicle systems. In various implementations, the driver risk characteristic is used for assessing an insurance-based risk metric.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a communication circuit configured and arranged to couple to and communicate with a vehicle on board diagnostics (OBD) circuit that is connected to receive data from an engine control unit;

a data acquisition module configured and arranged to acquire data from signals generated by the OBD circuit and received via the communication circuit;

an identification module configured and arranged to use the data acquired by the data acquisition module to identify a plurality of variables that respectively characterize different operational characteristics of the vehicle as provided via the engine control unit; and

a feedback module configured and arranged to

generate data that characterizes vehicle operation based upon at least one of the variables and based upon the acquired data, and

determine a driver input characteristic of the vehicle being driven based upon the data that characterizes vehicle operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate the data that characterizes the vehicle operation by processing at least one of the variables as inputs with a model of the operation of the vehicle, and therein outputting the data that characterizes the vehicle operation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate the data that characterizes the vehicle operation by matching operation of the vehicle as characterized by the variables with a model of the operation of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate the data that characterizes the vehicle operation by:

accessing at least one of the variables from a data storage circuit, and

executing a model of the operation of the vehicle using at least one of the accessed variables as input, and therein generating the data that characterizes the vehicle operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate the data that characterizes the vehicle operation by:

populating at least one of an array and a matrix with the at least one of the variables, and

using the at least one of the array and matrix together with a model of the operation of the vehicle indicative of driver input-based safety risk characteristics, matching operation of the vehicle as characterized by the at least one of the variables with the model.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the data acquisition module is configured and arranged to operate with the OBD circuit to request data, using an OBD protocol, from a particular vehicle sensor coupled to the engine control unit, and

the identification module is configured and arranged to identify the variables by identifying a variable that corresponds to the data obtained, by the engine control unit, from the particular vehicle sensor communicatively coupled to the engine control unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification module is configured and arranged to identify the variables by identifying a variable that represents bit-mapped state information for a particular vehicle sensor communicatively coupled to the engine control unit, the bit-mapped state information being provided via the engine control unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification module is configured and arranged to identify variables that characterize different operational characteristics of different vehicles having respective types of OBD circuits by, for each vehicle, identifying a variable that corresponds to data obtained, by the engine control unit, from a particular vehicle sensor communicatively coupled to the engine control unit, based upon the type of OBD circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to determine the driver input characteristic by determining an input characteristic indicative of driver performance based upon the data that characterizes vehicle operation and stored data correlating vehicle operation to driver performance.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to determine the driver input characteristic by determining an input characteristic indicative of driver input-based safety risk characteristics, based upon the data that characterizes vehicle operation and stored data correlating vehicle operation to driver input-based safety risk characteristics.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to determine the driver input characteristic by determining an input characteristic indicative of driver risk based upon aspects of the acquired data that characterize at least one of torque, throttle angle, engine temperature, vehicle braking, vehicle speed and fuel consumption for the vehicle, and based upon stored data correlating the at least one of torque and fuel consumption to driver risk.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to determine an insurance risk metric, using the determined driver input characteristic with insurance-based data that correlates the driver input characteristic with the insurance risk metric.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for acquiring data from signals generated by a vehicle on board diagnostics (OBD) circuit that is connected to receive data from an engine control unit;

means for identifying, using the acquired data, a plurality of variables that respectively characterize different operational characteristics of the vehicle as provided via the engine control unit; and

means for generating data that characterizes vehicle operation based upon at least one of the variables and based upon the acquired data, and

means for determining a driver input characteristic of the vehicle being driven based upon the data that characterizes vehicle operation.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the means for generating data includes means for populating at least one of an array and a matrix with the at least one of the variables, and

the means for determining the driver input characteristic includes means for, using the at least one of the array and matrix together with a model of the operation of the vehicle indicative of driver input-based safety risk characteristics, matching operation of the vehicle as characterized by the at least one of the variables with the model.

15. A method comprising

acquiring data from signals generated by a vehicle on board diagnostics (OBD) circuit that is connected to receive data from an engine control unit;

using the acquired data, identifying a plurality of variables that respectively characterize different operational characteristics of the vehicle as provided via the engine control unit;

generating data that characterizes vehicle operation based upon at least one of the variables and the acquired data; and

determining a driver input characteristic of the vehicle being driven based upon the generated data that characterizes vehicle operation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the data that characterizes the vehicle operation includes processing at least one of the variables as inputs with a model of the operation of the vehicle, and therein outputting the data that characterizes the vehicle operation.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein generating the data that characterizes the vehicle operation includes matching operation of the vehicle as characterized by the variables with a model of the operation of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

populating at least one of an array and a matrix with the at least one of the variables, and

using the at least one of the array and matrix together with a model of the operation of the vehicle indicative of driver input-based safety risk characteristics, matching operation of the vehicle as characterized by the at least one of the variables with the model.

19. The method of claim 15,

further including obtaining data, via the OBD circuit and the engine control unit, from a particular vehicle sensor communicatively coupled to the engine control unit, using communications between the OBD circuit and the engine control unit in accordance with an OBD protocol to cause the engine control unit to provide the data from the particular vehicle sensor, and

wherein identifying the plurality of variables includes identifying a variable that corresponds to the obtained data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying the plurality of variables includes identifying a variable that represents bit-mapped state information for a particular vehicle sensor communicatively coupled to the engine control unit, the bit-mapped state information being provided via the engine control unit.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the driver input characteristic of the vehicle includes determining a driver input characteristic selected from the group consisting of:

driver performance, driver risk, and a combination of driver performance and driver risk.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory electronically readable medium having stored instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps including

acquiring data from signals generated by a vehicle on board diagnostics (OBD) circuit that is connected to receive data from an engine control unit;

using the acquired data, identifying a plurality of variables that respectively characterize different operational characteristics of the vehicle as provided via the engine control unit;

generating data that characterizes vehicle operation based upon at least one of the variables and the acquired data; and

determining a driver input characteristic of the vehicle being driven based upon the data that characterizes vehicle operation.