Odometer data computing apparatus

• US 4,875,167 A
• Filed: 06/28/1988
• Issued: 10/17/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mileage Validator Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mileage Validator Incorporated
• Inventors: Brady, John F. III, Price, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/214,919
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.04, 364/550, 340/52 R, 340/52 F, 340/438, 340/459, 346/33 R
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0275 for measuring
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

An odometer data computing apparatus includes an odometer data computer device and a printer. The computer device includes a keypad, liquid crystal display, microcomputer electronics and continuous memory to record beginning and end of trip time, dates, and odometer readings, to separate pleasure trip mileage, from business mileage, to compute the business mileage for each trip up to sixty business trips at a given time, to accumulate the total business trip mileage for the year, to end the yearly record promptly at the end of the year by indicating a need to print out the trip information for the year, to store the total mileage for the previous year, and to continue the trip recording for the next year. Trip information, including total mileage information for the previous year, may be printed out at any time during the current year. Also, trip information for each trip currently in memory may be printed out at any time.

Claims

1. An odometer monitoring system for a vehicle comprising:

(a) a power supply means for producing a stable voltage from a vehicle power supply responsive to ignition switch turn on of the vehicle;

(b) a sensor means including a sensor for sensing the rotations of a drive shaft and a means for generating signals representative of the drive shaft rotations;

(c) a clock means for generating clock pulses and time and data information;

(d) input means including digit keys, odometer key, time/data key, start key, pause key, end of trip key, trip report key, and year to data key;

a calibration switch means for selecting either a distance calibration operation mode or a distance measurement mode of operation;

(f) a display means for displaying operation information; and

(g) an odometer computer means connected to the power supply means for receiving electrical operating power, said odometer computing means including counting means and first and second storage means, the counting means being connected to the sensor means for counting the number of signals output by the sensor means, means connected to the calibration switch means for activating the counting means for selectively determining the number of drive shaft rotations per measurement unit for calibration or for accumulating the number of drive shaft revolutions during a trip, means connected to the counting means for determining the distance being traveled using the number of drive shaft revolutions per measurement unit and the number of rotations counted during a trip for storage in the first storage means;

means connected to the odometer key and digit keys for entering an odometer reading into the first storage means;

means connected to the clock means and display means and responsive to the time and date key and digit keys for setting the clock, means connected to the start key for loading into the first storage means trip information for the beginning of a business trip including the current time and date and odometer reading and incrementing a trip number, means connected to the end of trip key for loading trip ending trip report information including time and date, trip distance, and odometer reading into the first storage means, means connected to the pause key for interrupting a business trip in progress for storing trip report information for a nonbusiness use and at the end thereof responsive to the pause key for resuming tallying the distance of the business trip for a business trip report, means connected to the clock and date means for determining whether the year has ended, means connected to the start key and clock means for determining whether a trip is in progress at the end of the year, means connected to the end of trip key for ending any trip in progress, means connected to the first storage means for accumulating total distance and business trip distance for a year and a year to date report, means interconnecting the first and second storage means for transferring the year or year to date report date to the second storage means and clearing the first storage means for receiving the next year to date information; and

means connected to the year to date key and a period key for outputting year to date report information selectively from either the first storage means or from the second storage means to an output port, and a trip report means connected to the trip report key for outputting the trip report information to the output port.

2. An odometer monitoring system for a vehicle comprising:

(a) a sensor means including a sensor for sensing the rotations of a drive shaft and a means for generating signals representative of the drive shaft revolutions;

(b) a clock means for generating clock pulses and time and date information;

(c) input means including digit keys, odometer key, time/date key, start key, end of trip key, year to date key, and trip report key;

(d) a display means for displaying operational information; and

(e) an odometer computer means connected to the power supply means for receiving electrical operating power, said odometer computer means including;

counting means connected to the sensor means and responsive to the start key being pressed for counting the number of drive shaft revolutions occurring during a business trip;

a first storage means connected to the counting means for storing the counted number of revolutions;

a first means connected to the first storage means for fetching the drive shaft revolution count periodically for determining the distance being traveled during said business trip and updating the distance traveled in the first storage means;

a second means connected to the odometer key and digit keys for entering an odometer reading into the first storage means at the beginning of said business trip;

a third means connected to the clock means for loading into the first storage means the time and date responsive to the pressing of the start key;

a fourth means connected to the first storage means for fetching the time and date and odometer reading at the beginning of each business trip and the miles traveled for the trip responsively to the pressing of the trip report key for preparation of a trip report for a preselected time period;

a fifth means connected to the clock means for determining whether the year has ended;

a sixth means connected to the start key and clock means for determining whether a trip is in progress at the end of the year;

a seventh means connected to the end of trip means for ending any trip in progress;

an eighth means connected to the first storage means for accumulating total distance for a year and a year to date report;

a nineth means interconnecting the first storage and a second storage means for transferring the year or year to date report data to the second storage means and clearing the first storage means for receiving the next year to date information; and

a tenth means connected to the year to date key and a period key for outputting year to date report information selectively from either the first storage means or from the second storage means to an output port, and a trip report means connected to the trip report key for outputting the trip report information to the output port.