Method to prevent odometer fraud

• US 6,980,923 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Manakkal, Raj
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Tung S.
• Application Number:
  US10/608,823
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 702/165, 702/158, 702/29, 701/29, 701/115, 701/93, 701/815, 714/25, 324/110, 307/10, 307/10.1, 307/101, 340/438, 298/40
• US Class Current: 702/165
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/02 by conversion into electric waveforms and subsequent integration, e.g. using tachometer generator G01C22/002, G01C22/004, G01C22/006 take precedence

Abstract

A system and method to prevent odometer fraud in a vehicle are described, including determining whether the vehicle is driven for a predetermined period of time, such as an hour, and checking whether input to the odometer is consistent with such determination. For example, if an insufficient number of vehicle speed pulses have been received during the period of time that the vehicle has been driven, then it can be concluded that the vehicle speed pulse input has been removed from the odometer and various fraud prevention actions can be taken, such as changing the odometer display to output “ERROR” or disabling the odometer from working, even after the vehicle speed pulse input is reconnected to the odometer.

Claims

1. A method for preventing fraudulent tampering of an odometer disposed within a vehicle, comprising:

determining whether the vehicle has been driven for a predetermined period of time;

counting a number of pulses on an input to the odometer during the predetermined period of time; and

signaling an odometer fraud condition based on the number of pulses and said determining whether the vehicle has been driven for the predetermined period of time, wherein the odometer fraud condition is signaled when the number of pulses is zero.

2. A method for preventing fraudulent tampering of an odometer disposed within a vehicle, comprising:

determining whether the vehicle has been driven for a predetermined period of time;

counting a number of pulses on an input to the odometer during the predetermined period of time; and

signaling an odometer fraud condition based on the number of pulses and said determining whether the vehicle has been driven for the predetermined period of time, wherein the predetermined period of time is at least an hour.

3. A method for preventing fraudulent tampering of an odometer disposed within a vehicle, comprising:

determining whether the vehicle has been driven for a predetermined period of time;

counting a number of pulses on an input to the odometer during the predetermined period of time;

signaling an odometer fraud condition based on the number of pulses and said determining whether the vehicle has been driven for the predetermined period of time; and

in response to signaling an odometer fraud condition, causing an error indication to be displayed on the odometer.

4. A method as according to claim 3, further comprising:

in response to signaling an odometer fraud condition, disabling operation of a speedometer when the pulses are received on the input to the odometer.

5. A computer-readable medium bearing instructions arranged to cause one or more processors to perform the method according to claim 3.

6. An instrumentation display system comprising a memory and a controller and configured to perform the method according to claim 3.

7. A method for preventing tampering of a recording device disposed within a vehicle, comprising:

determining whether the vehicle has been driven for a predetermined period of time, wherein the predetermined period of time is at least an hour;

counting a number of pulses on an input to the recording device during the predetermined period of time;

comparing the counted number of pulses with a predetermined threshold; and

if the vehicle has been driven for the predetermined period of time and if the counted number of pulses is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold, then signaling a fraud condition.

8. A method as according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined threshold is zero.

9. A method as according to claim 7, wherein the recording device includes a digital odometer.

10. A computer-readable medium bearing instructions arranged to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 7.

11. An instrumentation display system comprising a memory and a controller and configured to perform the method according to claim 7.

12. A method for preventing tampering of an odometer disposed within a vehicle, comprising:

determining whether the vehicle has been driven for at least an hour;

counting a number of pulses on an input to the odometer during the hour; and

if the vehicle has been driven for the hour and if the counted number of pulses is zero, then causing an error indication to be displayed on the odometer.

13. A computer-readable medium bearing instructions arranged to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 12.

14. An instrumentation display system comprising a memory and a controller and configured to perform the method according to claim 12.