VEHICULAR DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM

• US 20130066512A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dasan Invest Co., Ltd. (Min-Woo Nam)
• Original Assignee: Alexandra Willard, Emmanouil Hatiris
• Inventors: Hatiris, Emmanouil, Willard, Alexandra
• Granted Patent: US 9,097,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• 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;

a data acquisition module configured and arranged to acquire data from signals generated by the OBD and received via the communication circuit, the signals including parameter indicators (PIDs);

a PID identification module configured and arranged to use the data acquired by the data acquisition module to identify at least one PID that characterizes vehicle operation; and

a feedback module configured and arranged to

generate data that characterizes vehicle operation based upon the at least one PID and 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 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.

3. 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 the acquired data that characterizes 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.

4. 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.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PID identification module is configured and arranged to use at least one of look-up tables and intuitive model data, which include data relating a plurality of types of OBD circuits to signals generated by the OBD circuits, to identify a specific type of OBD circuit, and to use the identified OBD circuit type to identify the at least one PID.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to, during operation of the vehicle and on-board the vehicle,

generate the data that characterizes vehicle operation by calculating at least one of fuel consumption data, throttle position data, braking data, and torque data based on the identified PID in real time, using the PID data and the data obtained from the OBD circuit, and

make the data available at the vehicle in real time, to provide feedback to a driver of the vehicle indicative of a driving characteristic.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate data that characterizes vehicle operation based upon the at least one PID and the acquired data by obtaining scaling data specific to the vehicle and using the scaling data to decode the acquired data for the PID.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to output a prompt directing a driver of the vehicle to operate the vehicle using a driver input to facilitate the identification of the at least one PID by the PID identification module.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate data that characterizes vehicle operation by populating at least one of an array and a matrix with the identified PID.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate data that characterizes vehicle operation by using the at least one of an array and a matrix together with a model of the operation of the vehicle indicative of driver input-based safety risk characteristics, and matching operation of the vehicle as characterized by the at least one PID with the model.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate data that characterizes vehicle operation by generating data that characterizes at least one of rapid acceleration, hard braking, and airbag deployment.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate data that characterizes vehicle operation using stored data that changes based upon at least one of a number of miles and a time in which the vehicle is in service.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PID identification module is configured and arranged to identify a plurality of PIDs that can be used to characterize vehicle operation corresponding to a safety risk-based driver input, and the feedback module is configured and arranged to use a vehicle operation model with the plurality of PIDs to generate the data that characterizes a safety-based driver input characteristic.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to generate data that characterizes vehicle operation using predefined data with the acquired data with a model of operation of the vehicle, the predefined data being used to provide inputs to the model for inputs not ascertained in the acquired data.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a positioning module configured and arranged to provide a position output indicative of a position of the vehicle, and wherein the feedback module is configured and arranged to determine the driver input characteristic using the position output.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a remote driver-specific performance assessment module configured and arranged to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of the feedback modules onboard a plurality of disparate vehicles, and to generate an output indicative of driver performance for the plurality of feedback modules based upon the driver input characteristics determined thereby.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the performance assessment module is configured and arranged to generate the output by generating a plurality of outputs indicative of different driver behaviors for each feedback module, based upon the driver input characteristics determined thereby.