Electronic data recorder apparatus and method

• US 4,835,546 A
• Filed: 07/01/1987
• Issued: 05/30/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Walter L. Keller
• Original Assignee: Walter L. Keller
• Inventors: Keller, Walter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Albritton, C. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reinhart, Mark
• Application Number:
  US07/068,436
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 346/33 D, 346/33 R, 346/50, 346/59, 346/60, 346/79, 346/97, 346/18
• US Class Current: 346/33.00D
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/00 Recording measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

An improved electronic data recorder for use in a vehicle includes a housing having a pair of connectors. The housing encloses a modular converter, a printer module, a continuous roll of paper, a modular paper advance mechanism, conversion electronics, and memory and computation electronics. Also included in the housing are a driver code input keypad, a clock and date display, and keys for selecting a variety of functions. The data recorder connects to a free end of a rotatable odometer-speedometer cable between a rotating part of a vehicle to which the cable is attached and the vehicle odometer-speedometer. The data recorder also connects to the vehicle battery and ignition switch. The rotational motion of the cable is communicated into the housing of the data recorder by one of the connectors and from there into the modular converter. The converter converts the rotational motion into a plurality of unique electrical signals representative of mileage. The printer module and modular paper advance mechanism are responsive to the activation and deactivation of the vehicle'"'"'s ignition switch to print the driver code, date, current odometer reading, and elapsed mileage.

Claims

1. An electronic data recorder for use in a vehicle having a rotatable speedometer-odometer cable for recording electrical signals representative of mileage, comprising:

a housing;

connecting means mounted to said housing and adapted to releasably couple a free end of said cable thereto to transmit the rotational motion of said cable into said housing;

a plurality of rotatable parallel inner drums connected together in a geared odometer arrangement and coupled to said connecting means;

a plurality of fixed parallel outer drums surrounding said plurality of parallel inner drums in a one to one correspondence,

each outer drum having a plurality of electrically conductive sections, each conductive section being electrically isolated from every other section, and said plurality of conductive sections being arranged in pairs with each pair corresponding to a mileage digit;

a plurality of electrically conductive contact elements, one element of said plurality being attached to each inner drum, and extending outwardly therefrom to contact said corresponding outer drum, so that as said inner drum rotates, said contact element electrically connects the sections of each pair to generate an electrical signal representative of a unit of mileage; and

means for recording said electrical signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of electrical circuit means, each circuit means of said plurality being electrically connected to one of said pairs of conductive sections for producing a separate electrical signal when the adjacent sections of the corresponding pair are in electrical contact.

3. An electronic data recorder for use in a vehicle having a rotatable speedometer-odometer cable comprising:

a housing;

connecting means mounted in said housing and adapted to releasably couple an end of said cable;

modular means, mounted in said housing and adapted to be coupled to the connecting means for converting rotational motion of said cable into a plurality of electrical signals representative of mileage;

a continuous roll of paper stored on a rotatable shaft in said housing;

modular printing means mounted in said housing for receiving said electrical signals representative of mileage, and for printing said mileage from said signals in readable format on said paper;

modular paper advance means mounted in said housing responsive to signals from said printing means for advancing said paper from said roll past said printing means and thereafter out of said housing;

said means for converting said rotational motion into a plurality of electrical signals further comprising;

a plurality of rotatable parallel inner drums connected together in a geared odometer arrangement in said housing and adapted to be coupled to said connecting means;

a plurality of fixed parallel outer drums surrounding said plurality of parallel inner drums in a one to one correspondence, each outer drum having a plurality of electrically conductive sections, each conductive section being electrically isolated from every other conductive section, and said plurality of conductive sections being arranged in pairs with each pair representing a mileage digit; and

a plurality of electrically conductive contact elements, one of said contact elements attached to each said inner drum and extending outwardly therefrom to contact said corresponding outer drum so that as said inner drum rotates, said contact element sequentially electrically connects the sections of each pair of electrically conductive sections to generate an electric signal representative of mileage.

4. The electronic data recorder of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of electrical circuit means connected to said pairs of conductive sections for generating a plurality of electrical signals indicative of mileage.