Electronic odometer
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of measuring, displaying and permanently recording the accumulated distance traveled by an automotive vehicle comprising:
- providing a means for sensing the movement of said vehicle and providing an output signal indicative of predetermined portions of distance traveled;
monitoring said output signal from sensor means and accumulating data values corresponding to said portions of distance traveled until a predetermined increment of distance is sensed;
providing a memory means having a plurality of non-volatile and individually addressable locations each one of which is capable of storing data corresponding to a summation of all predetermined increments of distance traveled by said vehicle;
reading the most recently stored summation data stored in said NVM memory means as a base value;
accumulating each occurrence of said accumulated data values equaling said predetermined increment of distance until a predetermined number of increments is accumulated;
summing the data value corresponding to each occurrence of said accumulated data values equaling said increment and the base value read from said non-volatile memory means to derive a new value of accumulated distance traveled;
writing summation data to a location of said non-volatile memory means having an address that is different from that of the location containing the most recently stored summation data, when said summation data value exceeds the most recently written summation data value or said base value by a predetermined amount that is greater than said predetermined increment; and
providing a means for visually displaying the accumulated distance value; and
displaying the larger of said base value and said summation data value as the accumulated distance said vehicle has traveled.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for measuring distance traveled by a vehicle periodically updates the accumulated measurements, displays the updated measurements and electronically stores corresponding accumulations of updated distance data in a non-volatile memory device. The system employs a method of reading through the sequentially ordered storage locations of the non-volatile memory to determine the most recently stored correct data value as a value to be both displayed and used as a base value for subsequent measured distance accumulation.
33 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A method of measuring, displaying and permanently recording the accumulated distance traveled by an automotive vehicle comprising:
-
providing a means for sensing the movement of said vehicle and providing an output signal indicative of predetermined portions of distance traveled; monitoring said output signal from sensor means and accumulating data values corresponding to said portions of distance traveled until a predetermined increment of distance is sensed; providing a memory means having a plurality of non-volatile and individually addressable locations each one of which is capable of storing data corresponding to a summation of all predetermined increments of distance traveled by said vehicle; reading the most recently stored summation data stored in said NVM memory means as a base value; accumulating each occurrence of said accumulated data values equaling said predetermined increment of distance until a predetermined number of increments is accumulated; summing the data value corresponding to each occurrence of said accumulated data values equaling said increment and the base value read from said non-volatile memory means to derive a new value of accumulated distance traveled; writing summation data to a location of said non-volatile memory means having an address that is different from that of the location containing the most recently stored summation data, when said summation data value exceeds the most recently written summation data value or said base value by a predetermined amount that is greater than said predetermined increment; and providing a means for visually displaying the accumulated distance value; and displaying the larger of said base value and said summation data value as the accumulated distance said vehicle has traveled. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. In an electronic odometer, a method of reading data from a non-volatile memory (NVM) device having data stored in one or more of a predetermined number of sequentially ordered storage locations including the following ordered steps of:
-
(a) selecting a storage location in said NVM as a starting read location; (b) reading the data value present in the selected read location; (c) comparing parity coded portions of the read data value with predetermined correct parity values to determine if said read data value is parity correct or not; (d) advancing the reading location to the next sequential location in said NVM and repeating steps (b) and (c) only until the selected reading location is again equal to said starting reading location when said compared parity in step (c) is incorrect; (e) providing a data error indication and ending said method when said compared parity in step (c) is incorrect and said reading location is again equal to said starting read location; (f) temporarily storing the read data value in another memory device when the compared parity of step (c) is correct; (g) advancing the selection of the reading location to the next sequential location in said NVM; (h) providing said temporarily stored data value as a correct base odometer value and ending said method only when said selected read location is again equal to said starting read location; (i) reading the data value present in the advanced read location; (j) comparing the parity coded portions of the read data value with predetermined correct parity values to determine if said read data value is parity correct or not; (k) repeating sequential steps of (g) through (j) when said compared parity in step (j) is incorrect; (l) comparing the data value read in step (i) with the value temporarily stored in said other memory device when said compared parity in step (j) is correct to determine if said value read is within a predetermined relationship established with respect to the temporarily stored value; (m) replacing the previously temporarily stored data in step (f) with the read data value compared in step (l) when that read data value is within the predetermined relationship established with respect to the previously temporarily stored value; (n) repeating steps (g) through (m); (o) repeating step (g) when the read data value compared in step (l) is without the predetermined relationship established with respect to the previously temporarily stored value; (p) repeating steps (i) through (m) only until the selected read location is again equal to said starting read location; (q) advancing the selection of the starting read location to the next sequential location in said NVM; (r) repeat steps (b) through (q) only until the starting read location is again equal to the starting read location selected in step (a); and (s) providing a data error indication and ending said method when said starting read location is again equal to the starting read location selected in step (a). - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method of reading data from a non-volatile memory (NVM) device having data stored in one or more of a predetermined number of sequentially ordered storage locations including the following ordered steps of:
-
(a) selecting a storage location in said NVM as a starting read location; (b) reading the data value present in the selected read location; (c) comparing parity coded portions of the read data value with predetermined correct parity values and determining if said read data value is parity correct or not; (d) advancing the reading location to the next sequential location in said NVM and repeating steps (b) and (c) only until the selected reading location is again equal to said starting reading location when said compared parity in step (c) is incorrect; (e) providing a data error indication and ending said method when said compared parity in step (c) is incorrect and said reading location is again equal to said starting read location; (f) temporarily storing the read data value in another memory device when the compared parity of step (c) is correct; (g) advancing the selection of the reading location to the next sequential location in said NVM; (h) providing said temporarily stored data value as the correct read data and ending said method only when said selected read location is again equal to said starting read location; (i) reading the data value present in the advanced read location; (j) comparing the parity coded portions of the read data value with predetermined correct parity values and determining if said read data value is parity correct or not; (k) repeating sequential steps of (g) through (j) when said compared parity in step (j) is incorrect; (l) comparing the data value read in step (i) with the value temporarily stored in said other memory device when said compared parity in step (j) is correct to determine if said value read is within a predetermined relationship established with respect to the temporarily stored value; (m) replacing the previously temporarily stored data in step (f) with the read data value compared in step (l) when that read data value is within the predetermined relationship established with respect to the previously temporarily stored value; (n) repeating steps (g) through (m); (o) repeating step (g) when the read data value compared in step (l) is without the predetermined relationship established with respect to the previously temporarily stored value; (p) repeating steps (i) through (m) only until the selected read location is again equal to said starting read location; (q) advancing the selected starting read location to the next sequential location in said NVM; (r) repeat steps (b) through (q) only until the starting read location is again equal to the starting read location selected in step (a); and (s) providing a data error indication and ending said method when said starting read location is again equal to the starting read location selected in step (a). - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
Specification