Vehicle data display system and method

• US 20070100512A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nology Engineering Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nology Engineering Corporation
• Inventors: Funk, Werner
• Application Number:
  US11/640,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100512A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/24 Devices for determining the value of power, e.g. by measuring and simultaneously multiplying the values of torque and revolutions per unit of time, by multiplying the values of tractive or propulsive force and velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/247 by measuring and simultaneously multiplying tractive or propulsive force and velocity

Abstract

A vehicle data display system, method and article of manufacture are provided. The vehicle data display system of the present invention communicates with a vehicle network through a connector located in the vehicle passenger compartment and displays and manipulates the data obtained from the vehicle network. One embodiment of the present invention includes a computer program product for directing a general purpose digital computer to obtain specific vehicle data from the vehicle network and manipulate the data to obtain a vehicle power. The vehicle power represents a power that is generated at a driving wheel of the vehicle, thereby allowing an enthusiast or technician to obtain a power value that represents the power delivered to the vehicle'"'"'s wheels.

Claims

1. A computer program product for directing a general purpose digital computer to perform a set of computer readable instructions to obtain a vehicle power, comprising:

multiplying a vehicle mass by a vehicle acceleration to obtain a vehicle force, the vehicle acceleration obtained from a vehicle network;

multiplying the vehicle force by a distance value to obtain a product, with the distance value obtained from the vehicle network; and

dividing the product by a time value.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the vehicle network is selected from a group consisting of:

an OBD-II system;

a controller area network; and

an Intelligent Transportation Systems Data Bus.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the general purpose digital computer is directed to perform method steps to obtain the vehicle acceleration, the method steps comprising:

obtaining from the vehicle network a first velocity;

establishing a start time when the first velocity is obtained;

obtaining from the vehicle network a second velocity;

establishing an end time when the second velocity is obtained;

subtracting the first velocity from the second velocity to obtain a velocity difference;

subtracting the start time from the end time to obtain a time difference; and

dividing the velocity difference by the time difference.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the general purpose digital computer is directed to perform method steps to obtain the distance value, the method steps comprising:

obtaining from a vehicle network a first velocity;

establishing a start time when the first velocity is obtained;

obtaining from the vehicle network a second velocity;

establishing an end time when the second velocity is obtained;

subtracting the first velocity from the second velocity to obtain a velocity difference;

subtracting the start time from the end time to obtain a time difference;

multiplying the velocity difference by the time difference to obtain a product; and

dividing the product by 2.

5. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the general purpose digital computer is directed to perform method steps to obtain the time value, the method steps comprising:

establishing a start time when a first velocity is obtained from a vehicle network;

establishing an end time when a second velocity is obtained from the vehicle network; and

subtracting the start time from the end time.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the general purpose digital computer is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a laptop computer, a portable phone, an electronic assistant, an electronic organizer, an electronic notepad, a hand-held computer, and a global computer network.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program is stored on a medium selected from the group consisting of:

a compact disk, a floppy disk, and a flash memory module.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the set of computer readable instructions to obtain the vehicle power includes an aerodynamic drag correction factor.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the set of computer readable instructions to obtain the vehicle power includes an altitude correction factor.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the set of computer readable instructions to obtain the vehicle power includes a tire rolling resistance correction factor.

11. A computer program product for directing a general purpose digital computer to perform a set of computer readable instructions to obtain a vehicle acceleration, comprising:

obtaining from a vehicle network a first velocity;

establishing a start time when the first velocity is obtained;

obtaining from the vehicle network a second velocity;

establishing an end time when the second velocity is obtained;

subtracting the first velocity from the second velocity to obtain a velocity difference;

subtracting the start time from the end time to obtain a time difference; and

dividing the velocity difference by the time difference.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the vehicle network is selected from a group consisting of:

an OBD-II system;

a controller area network; and

an Intelligent Transportation Systems Data Bus.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the general purpose digital computer is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a laptop computer, a portable phone, an electronic assistant, an electronic organizer, an electronic notepad, a hand-held computer, and a global computer network.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program is stored on a medium selected from the group consisting of:

a compact disk, a floppy disk, a flash memory module, and a general purpose digital computer.

15. A method for obtaining a vehicle power, the method comprising the steps of:

multiplying the vehicle mass by a vehicle acceleration to obtain a vehicle force, the vehicle acceleration obtained from a vehicle network;

multiplying the vehicle force by a distance value to obtain a product, the distance value obtained from the vehicle network; and

dividing the product by a time value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle power comprises a power generated at a driving wheel of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method steps for obtaining the vehicle acceleration comprises the steps of:

obtaining from a vehicle network a first velocity;

establishing a start time when the first velocity is obtained;

obtaining from the vehicle network a second velocity;

establishing an end time when the second velocity is obtained;

subtracting the first velocity from the second velocity to obtain a velocity difference;

subtracting the start time from the end time to obtain a time difference; and

dividing the velocity difference by the time difference.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the method steps for obtaining the distance value comprises the steps of:

obtaining from a vehicle network a first velocity;

establishing a start time when the first velocity is obtained;

obtaining from the vehicle network a second velocity;

establishing an end time when the second velocity is obtained;

subtracting the first velocity from the second velocity to obtain a velocity difference;

subtracting the start time from the end time to obtain a time difference;

multiplying the velocity difference by the time difference to obtain a product; and

dividing the product by 2.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the method for obtaining the time value comprises the steps of:

establishing a start time when a first velocity is obtained from a vehicle network;

establishing an end time when a second velocity is obtained from the vehicle network; and

subtracting the start time from the end time.