System and Method for Tracking Vehicle Mileage with Mobile Devices

• US 20120197484A1
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaarya LLC
• Original Assignee: Kaarya LLC
• Inventors: Nath, Ujjual, Sharma, Gaurav, Fletcher, William, MacGlashan, Douglas, Billett, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,655,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/32.4
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for tracking vehicle locations and accumulating mileage for said vehicles by detecting intervals when said vehicles are in proximity to mobile devices and utilizing the location aware sensors of said mobile devices to determine vehicle locations. Proximity between mobile devices and vehicles is determined by short range data communication identification. Multiple vehicles and drivers may thus be tracked for trip, interval, or overall mileage traveled.

Claims

1. A system for collecting and communicating vehicle information comprising:

one or more mobile devices;

a location aware sensor component of each said mobile device;

a wireless Internet data transceiver component of each said mobile device;

a short range wireless data communication component of each said mobile device, each including digits reserved for a substantially unique device identification code embedded in the transmission protocol for said short range communication component, a capability for detecting proximate devices which use the same said protocol and identifying said proximate devices by corresponding said identification codes for each proximate device, and further by specifically matching detected said identification codes for proximate devices against one or more registered device codes;

each said registered device code being associated with a unique vehicle;

a non-volatile memory component of each said mobile device for storing data including, instructions for data processing, user input data, registered device codes, sensor data, and processed data;

a volatile memory component of each said mobile device for temporary storage of data during capture of input or sensed data, and during data processing;

a central processing unit used to execute the stored instructions upon the sensed and stored data;

said data processing for each mobile device to include time logging of locations and times when such registered device codes were sensed as proximate, and the accumulation of computed mileage between sensed and logged locations for said device;

a central data server which communicates with each said mobile device, including data from each mobile device and corresponding accumulations of computed mileage for each registered device and corresponding vehicles;

said central data server which upon authorized request, will communicate any available recorded or processed data to any authorized recipient.

2. A system as in claim 1 further comprising;

one or more said mobile devices is a smart-phone.

3. A system as in claim 1 further comprising;

said location aware sensor for each mobile device is a global positioning system (GPS) sensor.

4. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

said short range data communication component of each mobile device uses the Bluetooth communication protocol.

5. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

said location aware sensor output is filtered to reduce signal noise.

6. A system as in claim 5 further comprising:

said filtering component is a Kalman filter.

7. A system as in claim 5 further comprising:

said filtering component is a Monte Carlo filter.

8. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

said central data hub responds to queries from authorized users, said response including accumulated vehicle and mobile device mileage for any mobile device in the system.

9. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

said central data hub sends data to said one or more mobile devices regarding one or more of accumulated mileage, scheduled vehicle service notification, and vehicle service discount notification.

10. A method for collecting and communicating vehicle information comprising the steps of:

identifying intervals of proximity between one or more mobile devices and one or more identified vehicles, each said mobile device including a location aware sensor, a wireless Internet data transceiver, non-volatile memory storing instructions for processing location data, a volatile memory, a central processing unit, and each said vehicle including a short range data communication device which is detected and identified by a compatible device embedded with each said mobile device;

calculating a mileage traveled by a particular identified mobile device and a particular identified vehicle, during said intervals;

accumulating said mileage and communicating said mileage to a central data server periodically.

11. A method as in claim 10 further comprising;

one or more said mobile devices is a smart-phone.

12. A method as in claim 10 further comprising;

said location aware sensor for each mobile device is a global positioning system (GPS) sensor.

13. A method as in claim 10 further comprising:

said short range data communication component of each mobile device uses the Bluetooth communication protocol.

14. A method as in claim 10 further comprising:

said central data server receiving said mileage data and accumulating records for said mileage for each said mobile device.

15. A method as in claim 10 further comprising:

said central data server receiving data queries from authorized or non-authorized users,

identifying said user authority to receive said mileage data,

sending requested said mileage data to said authorized users.

16. A method as in claim 10 further comprising:

said central data server sending notifications corresponding to said mobile devices including scheduled service notifications based upon accumulated mileage.

17. A method as in claim 16 further comprising:

said central data server sending advertisements to vehicle owners in conjunction with scheduled service notifications.