Vehicles for communicating vehicle parameters to a networked server

• US 8,818,697 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Rovik, Christopher Lee, Lota, Charan S., Restauri, Donald Anthony III
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US13/411,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20130231854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/29.3, 701/537, 701/540, 701/29.6, 701/32.1, 701/33.4, 701/34.2
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• 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 vehicle having a driver statistic system for interfacing with a network includes a wheel speed sensor, an engine control unit, network interface hardware for communicating with a network, and an electronic control unit communicatively coupled therebetween. The electronic control unit includes a processor and memory storing a computer readable and executable instruction set. When the instruction set is executed by the processor, the electronic control unit processes sensor signals received from the wheel speed sensor and the engine control unit to determine fuel consumption of the vehicle. The electronic control unit transmits a vehicle status signal to the network interface hardware, where the vehicle status signal is indicative of the fuel consumption of the vehicle. The network interface hardware transmits the vehicle status signal to the network. The network interface hardware further receives a vehicle performance signal from the network indicative of a driver performance ranking.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising a driver statistic system for interfacing with a network, the driver statistic system comprising:

a wheel speed sensor for measuring vehicle speed;

an engine control unit for measuring fuel consumption of the vehicle;

network interface hardware for communicating with a network; and

an electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the wheel speed sensor, the engine control unit, and the network interface hardware, wherein the electronic control unit comprises a processor and memory storing a computer readable and executable instruction set, wherein, when the instruction set is executed by the processor;

the electronic control unit processes sensor signals received from the wheel speed sensor and the engine control unit to determine fuel consumption of the vehicle;

the electronic control unit transmits a vehicle status signal to the network interface hardware, wherein the vehicle status signal is indicative of the fuel consumption of the vehicle;

the network interface hardware autonomously transmits the vehicle status signal to the network, wherein the vehicle status signal is associated with a pre-established user account on the network, the vehicle status signal further includes a source identifier that autonomously associates the vehicle status signal transmitted by the network interface hardware with the pre-established user account;

the network interface hardware receives a vehicle performance signal from the network indicative of a driver performance ranking, wherein the driver performance ranking is based on the fuel consumption of the vehicle and the driver performance ranking is indicative of the fuel consumption of the vehicle relative to other vehicles in a pre-defined user group; and

the network interface hardware receives an electronic marketing offer from the network, wherein the electronic marketing offer is transmitted to a number of vehicles that is less than the number of vehicles in the pre-defined user group and is based on the driver performance ranking of the vehicle relative to other vehicles in the pre-defined user group.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined user group comprises at least one of:

vehicles having a same vehicle type;

vehicles having a same vehicle model;

vehicles having a same vehicle configuration; and

vehicles located within a pre-determined geographic region.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an in-vehicle display communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit, wherein the electronic control unit transmits a display signal to the in-vehicle display such that the in-vehicle display displays the driver performance ranking.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the vehicle performance signal is indicative of the driver performance ranking of the vehicle as well as driver performance rankings for other vehicles in a pre-determined user group.

5. The vehicles of claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle further comprises an in-vehicle display communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit; and

when the instruction set is executed by the processor, the processor transmits a display signal to the in-vehicle display such that the in-vehicle display displays the driver performance ranking of the vehicle as well as the driver performance rankings for other vehicles in the pre-determined user group.

6. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the in-vehicle display comprises a sync indicator that is illuminated when the network interface hardware is transmitting a vehicle status signal to the network and when the network interface hardware is receiving a vehicle performance signal from the network.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a satellite navigation system receiver communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit, wherein the satellite navigation system receiver provides the electronic control unit with a position signal indicative of a location of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein:

the vehicle status signal further comprises the location of the vehicle as determined from the position signal; and

the vehicle performance signal received from the network is indicative of the driver performance ranking of the vehicle based on fuel consumption of the vehicle relative to other vehicles within a pre-determined distance of the location of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein:

the vehicle status signal further comprises the location of the vehicle as determined from the position signal; and

the vehicle performance signal received from the network is indicative of the driver performance ranking of the vehicle based on fuel consumption of the vehicle relative to other vehicles within a pre-determined geographic region with the vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle status signal further includes user account information that associates the vehicle status signal transmitted by the network interface hardware with the user account.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the network interface hardware transmits the driver performance ranking to a social media web portal.

12. A vehicle comprising a driver statistic system for interfacing with a network, the driver statistic system comprising:

at least one vehicle sensor for sensing a vehicle parameter;

an in-vehicle display;

network interface hardware for communicating with a network; and

an electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the vehicle sensor, the in-vehicle display, and the network interface hardware, wherein the electronic control unit comprises a processor and memory storing a computer readable and executable instruction set, wherein when the instruction set is executed by the processor;

the electronic control unit processes a sensor signal received from the vehicle sensor;

the electronic control unit transmits a vehicle status signal to the network interface hardware indicative of the vehicle parameter;

the network interface hardware autonomously transmits the vehicle status signal to the network, wherein the vehicle status signal is associated with a pre-established user account on the network, and the vehicle status signal further includes a source identifier that autonomously associates the vehicle status signal transmitted by the network interface hardware with the pre-established user account;

the network interface hardware receives a vehicle performance signal from the network, wherein the vehicle performance signal is indicative of a driver performance ranking based on the vehicle parameter and the driver performance ranking is indicative of the vehicle parameter relative to other vehicles in a pre-defined user group;

the network interface hardware receives an electronic marketing offer from the network, wherein the electronic marketing offer is transmitted to a number of vehicles that is less than the number of vehicles in the pre-defined user group and is based on the driver performance ranking of the vehicle relative to other vehicles in the pre-defined user group; and

the electronic control unit transmits a display signal to the in-vehicle display based on the vehicle performance signal received from the network such that the in-vehicle display displays the driver performance ranking.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle status signal is indicative of at least one of:

a fuel consumption of the vehicle;

an average speed of the vehicle;

a seat belt usage rate of occupants of the vehicle;

an average acceleration rate of the vehicle;

an average deceleration rate of the vehicle;

a carbon dioxide production of the vehicle;

average braking loads;

average steering loads;

average lateral vehicle loads;

average payload loads; and

average towing loads.

14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the pre-determined user group comprises at least one of:

vehicles having a same vehicle type;

vehicles having a same vehicle model;

vehicles having a same vehicle configuration; and

vehicles having located within a pre-determined geographic region.

15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle status signal further comprises vehicle performance and/or vehicle status data indicative of one or more of vehicle braking loads, steering loads, steering inputs, lateral vehicle loading, payload loads, towing loads, engine operation status, window open status, seat belt status, and turn signal usage rates.

16. The vehicle of claim 12 further comprising a satellite navigation system receiver communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit, wherein the satellite navigation system receiver provides the electronic control unit with a position signal indicative of a posted speed limit where the vehicle is operating, and the vehicle status signal is indicative of a speed of the vehicle and the posted speed limit to the network.

17. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle status signal further includes user account information that associates the vehicle status signal transmitted by the network interface hardware with the user account.

18. A method for a vehicle to interface with a network, comprising:

sensing at least one vehicle parameter with a vehicle sensor;

transmitting a sensor signal from the vehicle sensor and receiving the sensor signal at an electronic control unit of the vehicle, wherein the sensor signal is indicative of the vehicle parameter;

processing the sensor signal at the electronic control unit of the vehicle to produce a vehicle status signal;

transmitting the vehicle status signal from the electronic control unit to network interface hardware;

transmitting the vehicle status signal autonomously from the network interface hardware to the network, wherein the vehicle status signal is associated with a pre-established user account on the network and the vehicle status signal further includes a source identifier that autonomously associates the vehicle status signal transmitted by the network interface hardware with the pre-established user account;

receiving a vehicle performance signal from the network at the network interface hardware of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle performance signal is indicative of driver performance ranking based on the vehicle parameter relative to other vehicles in a pre-defined user group;

receiving an electronic marketing offer from the network at the network interface hardware, wherein the electronic marketing offer is transmitted to a number of vehicles that is less than the number of vehicles in the pre-defined user group and is based on the driver performance ranking of the vehicle relative to other vehicles in the pre-defined user group;

transmitting the vehicle performance signal from the network interface hardware to the electronic control unit; and

transmitting a display signal from the electronic control unit to a in-vehicle display, wherein the display signal is indicative of the driver performance ranking.