METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DETERMINING VEHICLE ENGINE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE AND GEAR POSITION INFORMATION USING LOCATION INFORMATION

• US 20100305819A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pihlajamaki, Mikko Valtteri
• Application Number:
  US12/475,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305819A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity

Abstract

An apparatus for determining vehicle gear information and vehicle engine RPM data based in part on usage of location information may include a processor and a memory storing executable computer program code that causes the apparatus to at least perform operations including evaluating first location information identifying one or more positions of a vehicle at respective times in order to determine a speed of the vehicle. The computer program code may further cause the apparatus to compare the determined speed to a first range of speeds that correspond to gears of the vehicle and determine a current gear that the vehicle is operating in based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the first range of speeds associated with a gear. Corresponding computer program products and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

evaluating first location information identifying one or more positions of at least one vehicle at respective times to determine a speed of the vehicle;

comparing the determined speed to a first range of speeds that correspond to one or more respective gears of the vehicle; and

determining, via a processor, a current gear that the vehicle is operating in based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the first range of speeds associated with one of the gears.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically determining whether the vehicle is decelerated by a predefined amount during a predefined time period;

comparing a determined speed to a second range of speeds corresponding to the gears in response to detection of deceleration of the vehicle by the predefined amount; and

determining that the current gear should be changed to a lower gear of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the second range of speeds associated with at least one of the gears.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the first location information comprises at least one of latitude, longitude and altitude data corresponding to at least one location or position of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically determining whether the vehicle is accelerated by a predefined amount; and

determining whether there is a pause or interruption in the acceleration in response to detecting that the acceleration equals or exceeds the predefined amount.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein when the determination does not detect a pause or interruption in the acceleration the method further comprises:

determining whether the vehicle continues to accelerate by the predefined amount; and

generating an indication to be sent to a device indicating that at least one gear of the vehicle should be changed to a higher gear in response to the vehicle continuing to accelerate by the predefined amount.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining whether the duration of the pause or interruption lasts a predetermined amount of time.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle continues to accelerate by a predetermined amount after a detection of the pause or interruption; and

determining that at least one gear of the vehicle is changed to a higher gear in response to detection of the continued acceleration of the vehicle by the predetermined amount.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that the at least one gear is not changed in response to detecting that the acceleration of the vehicle is not resumed after detection of the pause.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting a current speed of the vehicle based on evaluating second location information identifying one or more different positions of the vehicle at corresponding times;

comparing the current speed to a third range of speeds corresponding to the gears; and

determining a higher gear that the vehicle should be changed to based at least in part on the current speed corresponding to a speed in the third range of speeds associated with a respective one of the gears.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

evaluate first location information identifying one or more positions of at least one vehicle at respective times to determine a speed of the vehicle;

compare the determined speed to a first range of speeds that correspond to one or more respective gears of the vehicle; and

determine a current gear that the vehicle is operating in based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the first range of speeds associated with one of the gears.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to:

periodically determine whether the vehicle is decelerated by a predefined amount during a predefined time period;

compare a determined speed to a second range of speeds corresponding to the gears in response to detection of deceleration by the predefined amount; and

determine that the current gear should be changed to a lower gear of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the second range of speeds associated with at least one of the gears.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to determine that the first location information comprises at least one of latitude, longitude and altitude data corresponding to at least one location or position of the vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to:

periodically determine whether the vehicle is accelerated by a predefined amount; and

determine whether there is a pause or interruption in the acceleration in response to detecting that the acceleration equals or exceeds the predefined amount.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the determination does not detect a pause or interruption in the acceleration the computer program code further causes the apparatus to:

determine whether the vehicle continues to accelerate by the predefined amount; and

generate an indication to be sent to a device indicating that at least one gear of the vehicle should be changed to a higher gear in response to the vehicle continuing to accelerate by the predefined amount.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to determine whether the duration of the pause or interruption lasts a predetermined amount of time.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to:

determine whether the vehicle continues to accelerate by a predetermined amount after a detection of the pause or interruption; and

determine that at least one gear of the vehicle is changed to a higher gear in response to detection of the continued acceleration of the vehicle by the predetermined amount.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to determine that the at least one gear is not changed in response to detecting that the acceleration of the vehicle is not resumed after detection of the pause.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the computer program code further causes the apparatus to:

detect a current speed of the vehicle based on evaluating second location information identifying one or more different positions of the vehicle at corresponding times;

compare the current speed to a third range of speeds corresponding to the gears; and

determine a higher gear that the vehicle should be changed to based at least in part on the current speed corresponding to a speed in the third range of speeds associated with a respective one of the gears.

19. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

program code instructions for evaluating first location information identifying one or more positions of at least one vehicle at respective times to determine a speed of the vehicle;

program code instructions for comparing the determined speed to a first range of speeds that correspond to one or more respective gears of the vehicle; and

program code instructions for determining a current gear that the vehicle is operating in based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the first range of speeds associated with one of the gears.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

program code instructions for periodically determining whether the vehicle is decelerated by a predefined amount during a predefined time period;

program code instructions for comparing a determined speed to a second range of speeds corresponding to the gears in response to detection of deceleration by the predefined amount; and

program code instructions for determining that the current gear should be changed to a lower gear of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined speed corresponding to a speed in the second range of speeds associated with at least one of the gears.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

program code instructions for periodically determining whether the vehicle is accelerated by a predefined amount; and

program code instructions for determining whether there is a pause or interruption in the acceleration in response to detecting that the acceleration equals or exceeds the predefined amount.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein when the determination does not detect a pause or interruption in the acceleration, the computer program product further comprises:

program code instructions for determining whether the vehicle continues to accelerate by the predefined amount; and

program code instructions for generating an indication to be sent to a device indicating that at least one gear of the vehicle should be changed to a higher gear in response to the vehicle continuing to accelerate by the predefined amount.