Idle detection for improving fuel consumption efficiency in a vehicle

• US 8,805,639 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greenroad Driving Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Greenroad Driving Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Musicant, Oren, Hayun, Yaakov, Raz, Ofer Nissim
• Primary Examiner(s): HENSON, MISCHITA L
• Application Number:
  US13/071,389
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 702/33
• US Class Current: 702/127
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

A data processing system which comprises: a first sensor adapted to provide indications of a first type on a vehicle'"'"'s engine operational mode; a second sensor adapted to provide indications of a second type related to the vehicle movement; and a processor adapted to identify one or more vehicle idling periods, based on at least one indication of the first type and at least one indication of the second type.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

a first sensor adapted to provide indications relating to a vehicle'"'"'s engine operational mode;

a second sensor adapted to provide indications related tote vehicle movement;

a processor adapted to identify whether the vehicle'"'"'s engine has undergone one or more idling periods, based on at least;

one indication that relates to the vehicle'"'"'s engine operational mode and at least one indication that relates to the vehicle movement;

wherein the indication that relates to the vehicle'"'"'s engine operational mode is derived from at least one of;

an engine computer module (ECM), a vehicle ignition switch, or a measurement of the voltage output from the vehicle; and

wherein the processor is further configured to classify one or more idling periods based upon a driving session occurring before or after the idling periods and to distinguish between four types of idling periods as follows;

a first type of idling period defined as an idling period completely outside the driving session, wherein a driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and turned off the engine without moving the vehicle at all, and without triggering start of another driving session, wherein the first type of idling period is not associated with the driving session, but is reported in an idling report;

a second type of idling period defined as an idling period immediately prior to a beginning of a driving session, wherein the driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and then moved the vehicle before turning off the engine and thus began a driving session, wherein the second type of idling period is associated with the driving session that begins immediately following the end of the idling period;

a third type of idling period defined as an idling period that overlaps/immediately follows an end of the driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle, left the engine running for longer than an idling threshold duration value, and did not move the vehicle again before turning off the engine, wherein the third type of idling period is associated with the driving session that immediately precedes it; and

a fourth type of idling period defined as an idling period entirely within a driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle during a driving session and left the engine running for a period shorter than a time duration value by which the termination of a driving session is defined, but longer than the idling threshold duration, wherein the fourth type of idling period is associated with the driving session in which it is embedded.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is configured to obtain a vehicle battery voltage value and wherein the processor is configured to detect one or more changes in the vehicle'"'"'s operational status based on the vehicle battery voltage value.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to detect one or more voltage signatures in the vehicle'"'"'s battery voltage output, each of the signatures associated with a different operational mode of an engine of the vehicle.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to compensate for variations in the detected voltage signatures for various types of vehicles.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor is configured to obtain acceleration data which relate to the vehicle'"'"' s movement, and wherein the processor is configured to detect a change in the vehicle'"'"'s operational status based on one or more acceleration changes which the vehicle has undergone.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means of displaying indications to a driver which relate to the idling periods.

7. A method comprising:

obtaining a threshold parameter that identifies an idling period;

obtaining at least one first indication of an operational mode of a vehicle'"'"'s engine from at least one of;

an engine computer module (ECM), a vehicle ignition switch, or measurement of the vehicle'"'"'s voltage output;

obtaining at least one second indication of movement of the vehicle;

analyzing the at least one first indication and the at least one second indication and, based on information retrieved from said at least one first indication and said the at least one second indication, identifying, based on the threshold parameter, one or more idling periods which the vehicle'"'"'s engine has undergone;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices; and

classifying one or more idling periods based upon a driving session occurring before or after the idling periods and distinguishing between four types of idling periods as follows;

a first type of idling period defined as an idling period completely outside the driving session, wherein a driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and turned off the engine without moving the vehicle at all, and without triggering start of another driving session, wherein the first type of idling period is not associated with the driving session, but is reported in an idling report;

a second type of idling period defined as an idling period immediately prior to a beginning of a driving session, wherein the driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and then moved the vehicle before turning off the engine and thus began a driving session, wherein the second type of idling period is associated with the driving session that begins immediately following the end of the idling period;

a third type of idling period defined as an idling period that overlaps/immediately follows an end of the driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle, left the engine running for longer than an idling threshold duration value, and did not move the vehicle again before turning off the engine, wherein the third type of idling period is associated with the driving session that immediately precedes it; and

a fourth type of idling period defined as an idling period entirely within a driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle during a driving session and left the engine running for a period shorter than a time duration value by which the termination of a driving session is defined, but longer than the idling threshold duration, wherein the fourth type of idling period is associated with the driving session in which it is embedded.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the retrieved information is obtained by detecting a voltage output value of a battery of the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising detecting one or more voltage signatures in the voltage output value, each of the signatures associated with a different operational mode of an engine of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising classifying one or more of the idling periods based upon driving sessions occurring before or after the idling periods.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising calculating changes in the vehicle'"'"'s acceleration, and applying one or more of the calculated acceleration changes to detect a change in the vehicle'"'"'s operational status.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising transmitting the first indication and the second indication towards a server computer, to enable identifying unnecessary idling periods at the server computer.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more sequences of instructions which when executed cause one or more processors to perform:

detecting a change in an operational mode of a vehicle'"'"'s engine, based on one or more first input signals from a first sensor, the one or more first input signals derived from at least one of;

an engine computer module (ECM), a vehicle ignition switch, or measurement of the vehicle'"'"'s voltage output;

detecting a change in movement of the motor vehicle based on one or more second input signals from a second sensor;

identifying one or more idling periods which the motor vehicle has undergone, based on the first input signals and the second input signals;

storing data representing the one or more idling periods; and

classifying one or more idling periods based upon a driving session occurring before or after the idling periods and distinguishing between four types of idling periods as follows;

a first type of idling period defined as an idling period completely outside the driving session, wherein a driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and turned off the engine without moving the vehicle at all, and without triggering start of another driving session, wherein the first type of idling period is not associated with the driving session, but is reported in an idling report;

a second type of idling period defined as an idling period immediately prior to a beginning of a driving session, wherein the driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and then moved the vehicle before turning off the engine and thus began a driving session, wherein the second type of idling period is associated with the driving session that begins immediately following the end of the idling period;

a third type of idling period defined as an idling period that overlaps/immediately follows an end of the driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle, left the engine running for longer than an idling threshold duration value, and did not move the vehicle again before turning off the engine, wherein the third type of idling period is associated with the driving session that immediately precedes it; and

a fourth type of idling period defined as an idling period entirely within a driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle during a driving session and left the engine running tor a period shorter than a time duration value by which the termination of a driving session is defined, but longer than the idling threshold duration, wherein the fourth type of idling period is associated with the driving session in which it is embedded.

14. The storage media of claim 13, further comprising instructions which when executed cause obtaining a voltage value from a battery of the motor vehicle.

15. The storage media of claim 14, further comprising instructions which when executed cause detecting one or more voltage signatures in the voltage value, wherein each of the signatures is associated with a different operational mode of an engine of the motor vehicle.

16. The storage media of claim 14, further comprising instructions which when executed cause compensating for variations in the detected voltage signatures for various types of vehicles.

17. The storage media of claim 14, further comprising instructions which when executed cause identifying the one or more idling periods based upon data describing one or more driving sessions occurring before or after the idling periods.

18. The storage media of claim 14 further comprising instructions which when executed cause displaying indications to a driver which relate to the idling periods.

19. The storage media of claim 14, further comprising instructions which when executed cause storing driver identification data that associates one or more of the idling periods to one or more particular drivers.

20. The storage media of claim 14, further comprising instructions which when executed cause storing driver identification data that associates one or more of the idling periods to one or more particular motor vehicles.

21. A data processing system, comprising:

a first sensor adapted to provide indications relating to a vehicle'"'"'s fuel based engine operational mode;

a second sensor adapted to provide indications related to the vehicle movement;

a processor adapted to identify one or more vehicle idling periods, based on at least;

one indication that relates to the vehicle'"'"'s engine operational mode and at least one indication that relates to the vehicle movement;

wherein the indication that relates to the vehicle'"'"'s engine operational mode is derived from at least one of;

an engine computer module (ECM), a vehicle ignition switch, or a measurement of the voltage output from the vehicle; and

wherein the processor is further configured to classify one or more idling periods based upon a driving session occurring before or after the idling periods and to distinguish between four types of idling periods as follows;

a first type of idling period defined as an idling period completely outside the driving session, wherein a driver started the vehicle'"'"'s engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and turned off the engine without moving the vehicle at all, and without triggering start of another driving session, wherein the first type of idling period is not associated with the driving session, but is reported in an idling report;

a second type of idling period defined as an idling period immediately prior to a running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and then moved the vehicle before turning off the engine and thus began a driving session, wherein the second type of idling period is associated with the driving session that begins immediately following the end of the idling period;

a third type of idling period defined as an idling period that overlaps/immediately follows an end of the driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle, left the engine running for longer than an idling threshold duration value, and did not move the vehicle again before turning off the engine, wherein the third type of idling period is associated with the driving session that immediately precedes it; and

a fourth type of idling period defined as an idling period entirely within a driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle during a driving session and left the engine running for a period shorter than a time duration value by which the termination of a driving session is defined, but longer than the idling threshold duration, wherein the fourth type of idling period is associated with the driving session in which it is embedded.