OBTAINING AND USING VEHICLE RELATED DATA

• US 20150379784A1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thinxnet GmbH
• Original Assignee: Thinxnet GmbH
• Inventors: Gtz, Oliver, Hutzschenreuter, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 10,115,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A mobility status of a vehicle is estimated based on received data from a data collection device associated with a vehicle. The received data includes a first data set collected at a first point of time and a second data set collected at a second point of time. The mobility status of the vehicle is estimated based on a difference between values or a status change of at least one common parameter of the first data set and the second data set and based on the time difference between the first point of time and the second point of time. The estimated mobility status of the vehicle is stored at multiple points of time in a vehicle-specific mobility status database.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining and using vehicle related data, the method comprising:

maintaining a bonus account that is associated with at least one of a user of a vehicle and a data collection device associated with a vehicle;

receiving data from the data collection device, wherein the received data comprises at least information regarding at least one of a location and a mobility status of the vehicle;

crediting a bonus to the bonus account; and

processing the data for marketing purposes.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the data collection device is a retrofitted device that is removably installed in the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the data received from the data collection device further comprises information that represents status and status change information of vehicle components.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the bonus depends on at least one of a time interval during which the data collection device collects the data, a driven distance during which the data collection device collects the data, an amount of data collected by the data collection device, and an amount of data received from the data collection device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering the data collection device to at least one user, wherein the at least one user is entitled to spend bonus from the bonus account to obtain a reward.

6. The method according to claim 5,

wherein the reward comprises at least a partial payment for a transaction.

7. A method for triggering a task, the method comprising:

defining a user action to be performed at a determined location of a vehicle;

receiving data from a data collection device associated with the vehicle, wherein the received data comprises at least information regarding a detected user action and a location of the vehicle; and

if the collected data comprises information indicative of the defined user action at the determined location, triggering a task.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

maintaining a bonus account that is associated with at least one of a user and the data collection device associated with the vehicle;

wherein triggering a task comprises spending bonus from the bonus account to release a reward.

9. A method for estimating a mobility status of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving data from a data collection device associated with a vehicle, wherein the received data comprises a first data set collected at a first point of time and a second data set collected at a second point of time;

estimating a mobility status of the vehicle based on a difference between values or a status change of at least one common parameter of the first data set and the second data set and based on the time difference between the first point of time and the second point of time; and

storing the estimated mobility status of the vehicle at multiple points of time in a vehicle-specific mobility status database.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving at least one third data set, wherein the third data set has been collected by the data collection device at a third point of time different from the first and second points of time,

wherein estimating the mobility status is further based on the difference between values or the status change of at least one common parameter of the first, second and third data sets.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining a location of the vehicle from the received data, wherein each estimated mobility status refers to a respective determined location, and wherein storing the estimated mobility status at multiple points of time further comprises storing the location in the vehicle-specific mobility status database.

12. The method according to claim 11,

determining a distance between the location of the vehicle at the first point of time and the location of the vehicle at the second point of time;

if the determined distance is within a predetermined position accuracy and if the difference between the first point of time and the second point of time exceeds a predetermined parking time threshold, estimating that the mobility status of the vehicle is “

parking”

.

13. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the at least one common parameter comprises arrival information that is indicative of at least one of (i) a person leaving a parked vehicle and (ii) shutting off an engine of the vehicle;

if the arrival information indicates that a person has left the vehicle or has shut off the engine of the vehicle, estimating that the mobility status of the vehicle is “

parking”

.

14. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the at least one common parameter comprises arrival information that is indicative of at least one of searching for a parking lot and driving into a parking lot;

if the arrival information indicates the searching of a parking lot or the driving into a parking lot, estimating that the mobility status of the vehicle is “

preparing to park”

.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining a distance between the location of the vehicle at the first point of time and the location of the vehicle at the second point of time;

if the determined distance exceeds a predetermined position accuracy, estimating that the mobility status of the vehicle is “

driving”

.

16. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the at least one common parameter comprises driving information that is indicative of a vehicle operated in moving traffic;

if the driving information indicates that the vehicle is operated in moving traffic, estimating that the mobility status of the vehicle is “

driving”

.

17. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the at least one common parameter comprises departing information that is indicative of at least one of (i) a person entering the parked vehicle and (ii) starting an engine of the vehicle;

if the latest estimated mobility status is “

parking” and

if the departing information indicates that a person has entered the vehicle or has started the engine of the vehicle, estimating that the mobility status of the vehicle is “

preparing to drive”

.

18. A data collection device for coupling an on-board diagnosis system of a vehicle to a server, the data collection device comprising:

an interface for vehicle related data, the interface being configured to be connected to the on-board diagnosis system;

a communications module that is configured to communicate with the server;

wherein the data collection device is configured to collect data by reading vehicle related data from the on-board diagnosis system over the vehicle related data interface and to send the collected data to the server over the communications module;

wherein the data collection device is further configured to allow the reading of at least one determined type of vehicle related data from the on-board diagnosis system or to deny the reading of at least one determined type of vehicle related data from the on-board diagnosis system.

19. The data collection device according to claim 18,

wherein the data collection device is further configured to reduce accuracy of collected data that are sent to the server.

20. The data collection device according to claim 18,

wherein the data collection device is further configured to collect data by retrieving location information of the vehicle via the vehicle related data interface or from a receiver of a satellite navigation system coupled to the data collection device.

21. The data collection device according to claim 18,

wherein the data collection device is further configured to collect data about persons or devices in or around the vehicle obtained from a sensor or a wireless communications module coupled to the data collection device.