System and method for interfacing between an on-board diagnostic output and a distance measuring instrument input

• US 8,447,464 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T.E.N. Holdings Inc.
• Original Assignee: North-Line Canada Ltd.
• Inventors: Gettner, Don, Timothy, Bernard, Gretchev, Val, Gretchev, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): Jayne, Darnell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Varghese, Sasha T
• Application Number:
  US12/222,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/213, 701/32.5, 701/468
• US Class Current: 701/32.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A method and system for interfacing and communicating between an in-vehicle device such as an on board diagnostic (OBD) system and an existing distance measurement instrument (DMI) are provided. In one embodiment, the interface sends a plurality of vehicle speed requests to the OBD system to obtain a plurality of vehicle speed measurements, uses the plurality of vehicle speed measurements and time stamps associated therewith to compute a distance travelled during a time interval, converts the distance travelled to a series of pulses, and sends the series of pulses to the DMI.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an interface device configured to translate data output by a first processor in an in-vehicle system operable to output data associated with a moving vehicle, into an input that is recognized by a second processor in an in-vehicle commercially available distance measurement instrument (DMI) to enable said DMI to operate while said vehicle is moving, without modifying how said DMI normally operates, said DMI comprising an interface for coupling the interface device thereto, said second processor, and a display for displaying real-time distance measurements;

communicating with the in-vehicle system to obtain data from which a distance that the vehicle has travelled can be ascertained, the data being generated by the first processor as the vehicle moves;

using said data to determine said distance;

converting said distance to a series of pulses that resemble pulses generated by a vehicle speed sensor (VSS) in said vehicle to generate the recognized input required by the DMI for said DMI to operate as said DMI normally would, said DMI otherwise requiring an installation kit to access a signal provided by said VSS, said DMI normally operable to count said pulses generated by said VSS to determine said distance; and

providing said series of pulses as said recognized input to said second processor, via an existing data connection with said interface provided by said DMI in real-time during use of said DMI while said vehicle is moving to enable said DMI to display said distance while said vehicle is moving.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said in-vehicle system comprises an on board diagnostic (OBD) system.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said communicating comprises sending a plurality of vehicle speed requests to said OBD system to obtain a plurality of vehicle speed measurements;

and wherein said distance is determined during a time interval using said plurality of vehicle speed measurements and time stamps associated therewith.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising:

accumulating fractional pulses over time and adding whole pulses to said series of pulses.

5. The method according to claim 2 wherein communicating with said OBD system comprises using a third processor to obtain said data by instructing an ELM chip to:

generate OBD messages;

send said OBD messages to said OBD system;

receive current speed measurements; and

return said current speed measurements to said third processor wherein said third processor converts said data to an integer format and processes said data to obtain said distance.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing a set of visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and using said LEDs to indicate communication status information.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing another interface for another computing device to enable any one or more of;

said other interface device to store said data for later use; and

said other computing device to program said other interface device.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said in-vehicle system comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising obtaining additional data from an accelerometer and using said additional data to interpolate said distance for time periods where said data cannot be obtained from said GPS receiver.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for operating an interface device configured to translate data output by a first processor in an in-vehicle system operable to output data associated with a moving vehicle, into an input that is recognized by a second processor in an in-vehicle commercially available distance measurement instrument (DMI) to enable said DMI to operate while said vehicle is moving, without modifying how said DMI normally operates, said DMI comprising an interface for coupling the interface device thereto, said second processor, and a display for displaying real-time distance measurements, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

communicating with the in-vehicle system to obtain data from which a distance that the vehicle has travelled can be ascertained, the data being generated by the first processor as the vehicle moves;

using said data to determine said distance;

converting said distance to a series of pulses that resemble pulses generated by a vehicle speed sensor (VSS) in said vehicle to generate the recognized input required by the DMI for said DMI to operate as said DMI normally would, said DMI otherwise requiring an installation kit to access a signal provided by said VSS, said DMI normally operable to count said pulses generated by said VSS to determine said distance; and

providing said series of pulses as said recognized input to said second processor, via an existing data connection with said interface provided by said DMI in real-time during use of said DMI while said vehicle is moving to enable said DMI to display said distance while said vehicle is moving.

11. An interface device configured to translate data output by a first processor in an in-vehicle system operable to output data associated with a moving vehicle, into an input that is recognized by a second processor in an in-vehicle commercially available distance measurement instrument (DMI) to enable said DMI to operate while said vehicle is moving, without modifying how said DMI normally operates, said DMI comprising an interface for coupling the interface device thereto, said second processor, and a display for displaying real-time distance measurements, said interface device comprising:

a first connection compatible with a connector for said in-vehicle system;

a second connection compatible with said DMI; and

a processor communicable with said first and second connections, wherein said processor is configured to;

communicate with said in-vehicle system to obtain data from which a distance that the vehicle has travelled can be ascertained, the data being generated by the first processor as the vehicle moves;

use said data to determine said distance;

convert said distance to a series of pulses that resemble pulses generated by a vehicle speed sensor (VSS) in said vehicle to generate the recognized input required by the DMI for said DMI to operate as said DMI normally would, said DMI otherwise requiring an installation kit to access a signal provided by said VSS, said DMI normally operable to count said pulses generated by said VSS to determine said distance; and

provide said series of pulses as said recognized input to said second processor, via an existing data connection with said interface provided by said DMI in real-time during use of said DMI while said vehicle is moving to enable said DMI to display said distance while said vehicle is moving.

12. The interface device according to claim 11 wherein said in-vehicle system comprises an on board diagnostic (OBD) system and said first connection is compatible with an OBD connector.

13. The interface device according to claim 12 wherein said interface device processor is further configured to send a plurality of vehicle speed requests to said OBD system to obtain a plurality of vehicle speed measurements;

and determine said distance during a time interval using said plurality of vehicle speed measurements and time stamps associated therewith.

14. The interface device according to claim 13 wherein said interface device processor is further configured to:

accumulate fractional pulses over time and add whole pulses to said series of pulses.

15. The interface device according to claim 12 wherein said interface device processor is further configured to:

instruct an ELM chip in send said interface device to generate OBD messages to obtain said data, instruct said ELM chip to send said OBD messages to said OBD system, instruct said ELM chip to receive current speed measurements and instruct said ELM chip to return said current speed measurements to said interface device processor wherein said interface device processor is further configured to convert said data to an integer format and process said data in said integer format to obtain said distance.

16. The interface device according to claim 11 further comprising a set of visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) wherein said interface device processor is further configured to use said LEDs to indicate communication status information.

17. The interface device according to claim 11 further comprising another interface to another computing device to enable any one or more of:

said other interface device to store said data for later use; and

said other computing device to program said other interface device.

18. The interface device according to claim 11 wherein said in-vehicle system comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and said second connection is adapted to communicate with said GPS receiver.

19. The interface device according to claim 18 wherein said interface device processor is further configured to obtain additional data from an accelerometer and use said additional data to interpolate said distance for time periods where said data cannot be obtained from said GPS receiver.

20. The interface device according to claim 11 comprising a housing configured to connect directly to the DMI such that the DMI is adjacent to said housing.

21. The interface device according to claim 20 wherein said housing comprises a docking station to connect said DMI to said interface device.

22. The interface device according to claim 20 wherein said housing comprises a backing portion for said DMI such that said interface device and said DMI appear as a single unit when connected.