Internet-based method for determining a vehicle's fuel efficiency

• US 6,594,579 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Networkcar Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Cowart, James, Banet, Matthew J., Borrego, Diego, Lowrey, Larkin Hill, Lightner, Bruce, Myers, Chuck
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/922,954
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 701/24,29,30,33,102,103,104,123 340/438,439,442,450,450.2
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A method for characterizing a vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency including generating parameter-related data from the vehicle that describes at least one of a plurality of vehicle parameters including: vehicle speed, fuel level, engine speed, load, mass air flow, manifold air pressure, odometer reading; transferring the parameter-related data to a wireless appliance including a wireless transmitter; transmitting the parameter-related data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and analyzing the transmitted parameter-related data with the host computer system to calculate the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency, wherein the analyzing involves determining an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during an interval, determining a distance traveled by the vehicle during the interval, and calculating the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency from the amount of fuel consumed and the distance traveled during the interval.

Claims

1. A method for characterizing a vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency comprising:

generating parameter-related data from the vehicle that describes at least one of a plurality of vehicle parameters including;

vehicle speed, fuel level, engine speed, load, mass air flow, manifold air pressure, odometer reading;

transferring the parameter-related data to a wireless appliance comprising a wireless transmitter;

transmitting the parameter-related data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and

analyzing the transmitted parameter-related data with the host computer system to calculate the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency, the analyzing comprising determining an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during an interval, determining a distance traveled by the vehicle during the interval, and calculating the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency from the amount of fuel consumed and the distance traveled during the interval.

2. The method of claim 1, further including summing the transmitted parameter-related data for one of the plurality of vehicle parameters or a property derived therefrom to yield a summed property.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the analyzing further involves multiplying the summed property by a time interval.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the analyzing further involves multiplying the transmitted parameter-related data for said one of the plurality of vehicle parameter or a property derived therefrom by a time interval prior to summing.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the summed property is one of mass air flow, load, and load multiplied by engine speed.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the summed property is one of mass air flow, load, and load multiplied by engine speed multiplied by a time interval.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the summing involves using a microchip that is part of the wireless appliance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the summing occurs prior to the transmitting.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the summed property is mass air flow, and the analyzing further comprises processing the summed property to determine an amount of fuel consumed.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the summed property is mass air flow multiplied by a time interval, and the analyzing further comprises processing the summed property multiplied by a time interval to determine an amount of fuel consumed.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the mass air flow or a product thereof is summed to generate an integrated mass air flow.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the analyzing further comprises processing the integrated mass air flow to determine an amount of fuel consumed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing further comprises:

i) dividing the integrated mass air flow by an air/fuel ratio; and

ii) dividing the results from step i) by a density of fuel to determine an amount of fuel consumed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the analyzing further comprises processing the amount of fuel consumed to determine fuel efficiency.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analyzing further comprises dividing the amount of fuel consumed by the distance traveled to determine fuel efficiency.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter-related data also describes at least one of load, load multiplied by engine speed, load multiplied by a time interval, or load multiplied by engine speed multiplied by a time interval.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the load, load multiplied by engine speed, or a product thereof is summed to generate an integrated value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the analyzing further comprises processing the integrated value to determine an amount of fuel consumed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the analyzing further comprises multiplying the integrated value by a constant value to determine an integrated synthetic mass air flow.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the analyzing further comprises:

i) dividing the integrated synthetic mass air flow by an air/fuel ratio; and

ii) dividing the results from step i) by a density of fuel to determine an amount of fuel consumed.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the analyzing further comprises processing the amount of fuel consumed to determine fuel efficiency.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the analyzing further comprises dividing the amount of fuel consumed by a distance traveled to determine fuel efficiency.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis further comprises processing the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency to determine a secondary property of the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the secondary property of the vehicle is one of tire pressure, status of a fuel-injection system, or fuel quality.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency to a pre-determined parameter.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising sending the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency or a property derived from the fuel efficiency to a user.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the sending comprises sending an electronic text, data, or voice message to a computer, cellular telephone, or wireless device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the electronic text, data, or voice message describes the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the data or a property calculated therefrom on a web site.

30. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying fuel efficiency on a web site.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring involves serially transferring the data through an OBD-II connector or equivalent thereof in the vehicle to the wireless appliance.

32. A method for characterizing a vehicle'"'"'s tire pressure comprising:

generating parameter-related data from the vehicle that describes at least one of a plurality of vehicle parameters including;

vehicle speed, fuel level, engine speed, load, mass air flow, manifold air pressure, odometer reading;

transferring the parameter-related data to a wireless appliance comprising a wireless transmitter;

transmitting the parameter-related data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system;

analyzing the transmitted parameter-related data with the host computer system to calculate the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency, the analyzing comprising determining an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during an interval, determining a distance traveled by the vehicle during the interval, and calculating the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency by processing both the fuel consumed and the distance traveled during the interval; and

processing the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency to estimate a tire pressure value.

33. A method for characterizing a vehicle'"'"'s fuel-injection system comprising:

generating parameter-related data from the vehicle that describes at least one of a plurality of vehicle parameters including;

vehicle speed, fuel level, engine speed, load, mass air flow, manifold air pressure, odometer reading;

transferring the parameter-related data to a wireless appliance comprising a wireless transmitter;

transmitting the parameter-related data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system;

analyzing the transmitted parameter-related data with the host computer system to calculate the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency, the analyzing comprising determining an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during an interval, determining a distance traveled by the vehicle during the interval, and calculating the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency by processing both the fuel consumed and the distance traveled during the interval; and

processing the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency to characterize the vehicle'"'"'s fuel-injection system.

34. A method for characterizing an amount of fuel consumed by a vehicle comprising:

generating parameter-related data from the vehicle that describes at least one of a plurality of vehicle parameters including;

engine speed, load, mass air flow;

transferring the parameter-related data to a wireless appliance comprising;

i) a microprocessor, and

ii) a wireless transmitter in electrical contact with the microprocessor;

integrating the parameter-related data over time with the microprocessor to generate integrated data;

transmitting the integrated data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and

analyzing the transmitted integrated data with the host computer system to determine the amount of fuel consumed by a vehicle.

35. A method for characterizing a vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency comprising:

generating data from the vehicle;

transferring the data to a wireless appliance comprising a wireless transmitter;

transmitting a data packet comprising the data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and

analyzing the transmitted data with the host computer system to determine the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency, the analyzing comprising determining an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during an interval, determining a distance traveled by the vehicle during the interval, and calculating the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency from the fuel consumed and the distance traveled during the interval.

36. A method for characterizing the amount of fuel consumed by a vehicle comprising:

generating data from the vehicle;

transferring the data to a wireless appliance comprising;

i) a microprocessor, and

ii) a wireless transmitter in electrical contact with the microprocessor;

integrating the data over time with the microprocessor to generate integrated data;

transmitting the integrated data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and

analyzing the transmitted integrated data with the host computer system to determine the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle.

37. A method for characterizing an amount of fuel consumed by a vehicle comprising:

generating data from the vehicle that describes a vehicle'"'"'s fuel level;

transferring the data to a wireless appliance comprising a wireless transmitter;

transmitting the transferred data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and

analyzing the transmitted data with the host computer system to determine the amount of fuel consumed by a vehicle.

38. A method for characterizing a vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency comprising:

generating data from the vehicle that describes a vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency;

transferring the data to a wireless appliance comprising a wireless transmitter;

transmitting the transferred data with the wireless transmitter over an airlink to a host computer system; and

analyzing the transmitted data with the host computer system to determine the vehicle'"'"'s fuel efficiency.