PRIVATE, AUDITABLE VEHICLE POSITIONING SYSTEM AND ON-BOARD UNIT FOR SAME

• US 20070225912A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skymeter Corporation
• Original Assignee: Skymeter Corporation
• Inventors: Grush, Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/22 Multipath-related issues
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

This invention relates to a system and method to generate a private, auditable, evidentiary quality record of the location-history of an asset or person. This invention addresses ten critical improvements over existing systems that are proposed or used for metering for payment services for tolling roads, parking or pay-as-you-drive insurance, namely, cost-effective location accuracy in harsh signal environments, evidentiary assurance of location estimation, handling of dynamic and stationary positioning in a single device, high-ratio compression for a set of stationary positions in urban canyon, high-ratio compression for a dynamic tracklog in urban canyon, high-ratio compression for a set of asset motion behaviors, a method of remote device health check, including anti-tampering, removal of residual price assignment errors, anonymous use without on-board maps, and a method of deconsolidating payments to multiple payees with multiple payment regimes. This system can be applied to road-pricing, congestion-pricing, metered-by-the-minute parking and pay-as-you-drive insurance, incorporating privacy management, and legal admissibility of the evidentiary record. This same device can also be applied to vehicular fleets, military ordinance, or other location audits for assets whether motorized or not, as might be needed in evidence of contract fulfillment or other forms of non-realtime geofencing audits.

Claims

1. An on-board unit for tracking the position of a vehicle that is moving or stationary, the unit comprising:

(a) a GNSS receiver, including an antenna, for receiving positioning data with respect to the vehicle'"'"'s position in timed intervals;

(b) a processor in communication with the receiver and programmed for;

(i) determining if the vehicle is moving or stationary;

(ii) processing the positioning data to generate an estimated position of the vehicle by mitigating multipath error in the positioning data,

for the moving vehicle by;

applying a fault detection and elimination algorithm;

applying a forward and reverse constraint analysis; and

calculating speed and acceleration of the vehicle; and

for the stationary vehicle by;

applying a fault detection and elimination algorithm;

(iii) compiling a zonelog of the positioning data with respect to the vehicle while moving;

(iv) compiling a parklog of the positioning data with respect to the vehicle while parked;

(v) compiling a risklog of the positioning data comprising a compilation of the zonelog marked with the speed data represented as a speed profile and the acceleration data represented as an acceleration profile of the vehicle; and

(c) a memory and a wireless means to store the processed positioning signals after processing, and to forward them as separate positioning data streams to a system to enable billing a user of the vehicle for use of the vehicle according to the zonelog, parklog and risklog.

2. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein (b)(ii) further comprises signal weighting to improve the position estimate for either the moving or the stationary vehicle.

3. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein (b)(ii) further comprises applying wavelet transforms and analysis to improve the position estimate for the stationary vehicle.

4. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein (b)(ii) further comprises applying cluster analysis to improve the position estimate for the stationary vehicle.

5. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed for assessing and ascribing a position estimate characterization with respect to the estimated position to be compiled, stored and forwarded with the zonelog, parklog and risklog streams.

6. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed for compressing the zonelog or the parklog or the risklog prior to storing and forwarding.

7. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed for detecting possible tampering with the receiver and for wirelessly forwarding a status message to the billing center on detection of possible tampering.

8. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a pricing center capable of receiving the zonelog, parklog or risklog and calculating at least one amount payable by the user, remittable to the billing center.

9. The on-board unit of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a pricing center capable of receiving the zonelog, parklog and risklog and calculating at least one amount payable, the at least one amount payable being returned to the on-board unit for transmission to a billing center, the processor being programmed to conceal at least the zonelog and parklog from the billing center.

10. The on-board unit of claim 9, wherein the unit further comprises a payment instruction receiving means.

11. The on-board unit of claim 10, wherein the processor is further programmed to return a message to the billing center that a payment instruction was received.

12. The on-board unit of claim 9, wherein the processor is further programmed to conceal the identity of the user from the pricing center.

13. The on-board unit of claim 9, wherein the at least one amount payable is to be allocated to multiple payees.

14. The on-board unit of claim 13, wherein the processor is further programmed to conceal the identity of the user from the payees.