Unified vehicle parameters

• US 8,587,420 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GeoTab Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Webtech Wireless Incorporated (GeoTab Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koen, Robert John
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US12/815,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20100265052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/539.13, 340/988, 701/35, 701/29, 701/438, 701/32
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

Data flow from a vehicle telematics device to a remote host, rationalized regardless of the source of the data and its format. Disclosed is a method to unify and process data from multiple sources into singular information for use within the telematics device for vehicle usage data, driver performance, and location data.

Claims

1. A method for reporting vehicle data composing processor implemented steps of:

assigning a rank to each of a plurality of sources of data for each of a plurality of parameters,

wherein the sources of data are connected to the processor, and

wherein the rank depends on at least one of

reliability of the source of data and

resolution of data obtainable from the source of data;

receiving a user specified parameter to be reported, which is selected from said plurality of parameters;

determining, from said plurality of sources of data which source of data to use for the selected parameter based on the ranks assigned to the sources of data,

wherein multiple of said sources of data can be used for the selected parameter;

obtaining data from the determined source of data; and

transmitting, to a remote host, a value of the selected parameter based on the obtained data;

wherein at least one source of data is a vehicle protocol data source; and

another source of data is an additional data provider;

further comprising one or more data concentrators;

wherein the value of the parameter is based on data obtained via one or more data concentrators, each data concentrator configured to perform a calculation on data obtained from multiple of the plurality of sources of data; and

the one or more processors are further configured to;

receive a user specified format in which the parameter is to be reported; and

convert the obtained data such that the value of the parameter transmitted is in the specified format.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the processor implemented steps of:

receiving a user specified format in which the selected parameter is to be reported; and

converting the obtained data into the specified format before transmitting.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the processor implemented step of performing a calculation on the obtained data before transmitting.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising the processor implemented step of performing a calculation on data obtained from at least two sources of data to result in the value of the selected parameter.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising the processor implemented step of combining obtained data having a high resolution with obtained data having a low resolution.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data is obtained via one or more data concentrators selected from the group comprising a speedometer, an odometer, an engine parameter service and a harsh driving service.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein:

at least one source of data is a vehicle protocol data source, and

another source of data is an additional data provider;

wherein the additional data provider is selected from the group comprising a GPS device and an accelerometer.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the sources of data are selected from the group comprising a GPS device and an accelerometer.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selected parameter is specified independently of the sources of data.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the value of the selected parameter is transmitted upon receiving a request from a user.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the value of the selected parameter is transmitted upon detecting a trigger which is specified by a user, wherein the trigger is selected from the group comprising ignition on, ignition off, driver login, driver logout, a count increment, an elapsed time and a geofence crossing.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of different selected parameters are specified and corresponding values of the different parameters are transmitted together.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selected parameter is a count of an event and the value of the selected parameter is incremented each time the obtained data indicates an occurrence of the event.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the value is transmitted only if it changes.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the event is selected from the group comprising speeding, excessive speeding, over RPM, extreme RPM, braking, hard braking, extreme braking, harsh acceleration, extreme harsh acceleration, sharp turn, extreme sharp turn and power take-off.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the value of the selected parameter is cleared after transmitting, cleared after an event or never cleared.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein data is received from the plurality of sources of data in one or more protocol standards selected from the group comprising J1587, J1708, J1939, J1979, OBD-II and proprietary.

18. A system for reporting vehicle data comprising:

one or more processors;

a user input;

a transmitter; and

a plurality of sources of data;

the one or more processors being configured, by executing code to;

receive, via the input, a user specified parameter to be reported;

determine, based on a rank assigned to each source of data for said user specified parameter, which source or sources of data to use for the parameter

wherein the rank depends on at least one of

reliability of the source of data and

resolution of data obtainable from the source of data, and

wherein multiple of said sources of data can be used for the parameter;

obtain data from the determined source or sources of data; and

transmit, via the transmitter, a value of the parameter based on the obtained data;

wherein at least one source of data is a vehicle protocol data source; and

another source of data is an additional data provider;

further comprising one or more data concentrators;

wherein the value of the parameter is based on data obtained via one or more data concentrators, each data concentrator configured to perform a calculation on data obtained from multiple of the plurality of sources of data; and

the one or more processors are further configured to;

receive a user specified format in which the parameter is to be reported; and

convert the obtained data such that the value of the parameter transmitted is in the specified format.