DRIVER AND VEHICLE ANALYSIS

• US 20140167946A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cartasite Incorporated (Geoforce Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cartasite Incorporated (Geoforce Incorporated)
• Inventors: Armitage, David L., Kushnir, Gregory Froim, Mason, Mark Alvin
• Application Number:
  US14/188,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20140167946A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/161 Explanation of functions, e.g. instructions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/161 Explanation of functions, e.g. instructions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Methods, systems, and software are disclosed for operating a driver analysis system, including receiving vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of vehicles by drivers, identifying a peer group associated with a target driver, processing at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, generating a driving report which identifies the driving performance of the target driver, and transferring the driving report to a target device for viewing by an entity, where the driving report includes an indication of status of a safety device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a driver analysis system, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of one or more vehicles operated by one or more drivers by the driver analysis system;

generating a driving report which identifies the driving performance of a target driver; and

transferring the driving report to a target device for viewing by one or more entities,

wherein the vehicle operation data comprises an indication of status of a safety system of at least one of the one or more vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of status of a safety system comprises a status of a safety belt system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the status of the safety belt system comprises an indication of the use of the safety belt system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation data is received at a communication interface in the driver analysis system from one or more monitoring systems located generally adjacent the one or more vehicles.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more monitoring systems is powered from an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port on the one or more vehicles.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more monitoring systems further comprises at least one of an accelerometer, GPS functionality, flash memory, a processor, a real-time operating system, satellite communication capabilities, cellular communication capabilities, and Bluetooth-type communication capabilities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the vehicle operation data is gathered from a source other than from the OBD port of the one or more vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the driving report comprises a safety score generally representing a level of safety of the driving performance of the target driver.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a plurality of graphical representations of the driving performance of the target driver.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a first graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises a disabled safety device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a second graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises rapid acceleration events.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a third graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises excessive speed events.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance of the target driver is compared to a best, worst, and average of the one or more other drivers.

19. The driver analysis system of claim 1, wherein the performance of the target driver is compared to a best, worst, and average of the peer group.

14. A driver analysis system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of a one or more of vehicles operated by one or more drivers;

a processing system configured to identify from one or more drivers a peer group associated with a target driver, process at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, and generate a driving score which generally identifies the driving performance of the target driver;

wherein the processing system is further configured to generate an indication of circumvention of a safety interlock.

15. The driver analysis system of claim 14, wherein indication of circumvention of a safety interlock comprises an indication of an abnormality with usage of a safety belt.

16. The driver analysis system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of monitoring systems located generally adjacent the plurality of vehicles wherein the communication interface is capable of receiving the vehicle operation data from the plurality of monitoring systems.

17. The driver analysis system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of monitoring systems is powered from an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port on each of the plurality of vehicles and gathers at least a portion of the vehicle operation data from a source other than the OBD port.

18. The driver analysis system of claim 17, wherein the source other than the OBD port comprises at least one of an accelerometer, GPS functionality, flash memory, a processor, a real-time operating system, satellite communication capabilities, cellular communication capabilities, and Bluetooth-type communication capabilities.

20. A driver analysis network, comprising:

a plurality of monitoring systems located on board a plurality of vehicles operated by a plurality of drivers wherein the plurality of monitoring systems is configured to transmit vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of the plurality of vehicles;

a server configured to receive the vehicle operation data at a communication interface, identify from the plurality of drivers a peer group associated with a target driver, process at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, generate a driving report which identifies the driving performance of the target driver, and transmit the driving report at the communication interface;

a target device configured to receive the driving report and display the driving report for viewing by the target driver or another entity, wherein the driving report comprises an indication of a condition of a safety device.