Odometer monitoring and redundant storage system

• US 9,361,739 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Biondo, William A., Proefke, David T., Fondaw, Kevin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bendidi, Rachid
• Application Number:
  US13/403,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/33.4, 701/33.9, 701/32.5, 701/36, 701/37, 701/33.3, 701/33.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A vehicle control system includes a computer and logic executable by the computer. The logic is configured to read an odometer value from a storage system. The odometer value corresponds to an accrued mileage obtained from an odometer. The accrued mileage is determined at a beginning of a current driving event. The logic is also configured to read an odometer value for the vehicle from another storage system. The odometer value from the other storage system corresponds to an accrued mileage obtained from the storage system at the beginning of a driving event that precedes the current driving event. The logic is further configured to compare the odometer value from the storage system to the odometer value from the other storage system and calculate a reduction value from the difference, upon determining the odometer value from the other storage system is greater than the odometer value from the storage system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a vehicle control system including a computer processor, the computer processor communicatively coupled to an odometer, the computer processor configured to implement a method, the method comprising;

reading an odometer value for a vehicle from a first storage system, the odometer value corresponding to an accrued mileage obtained from the odometer, the accrued mileage determined at a beginning of a current driving event, the first storage system configured to track all accrued mileage from the odometer;

reading an odometer value for the vehicle from a second, portable storage system, the odometer value from the second storage system corresponding to a mileage reading obtained for the vehicle at the beginning of a driving event that precedes the current driving event, the second, portable storage system comprising one of a plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, wherein each of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems store accrued mileage attributable to a driving event associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems;

comparing the odometer value from the first storage system to the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems;

calculating a reduction value from the difference between the odometer value from the first storage system and the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, in response to the comparing and upon determining the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems is greater than the odometer value from the first storage system, the reduction value indicative of a mileage rollback event with respect to the odometer; and

storing the reduction value in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage system is a memory device internal to the vehicle control system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems comprises a memory device internal to at least one of:

a key fob; and

a smart phone;

wherein the storing further includes storing a date in which the reduction value is calculated and a location of the vehicle in the second storage system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems comprises a key fob, and wherein storing the reduction value and the date in which the reduction value is calculated is performed when the key fob is placed in an ignition system of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is further configured to implement:

storing the odometer value from the first storage system in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, in response to the comparing and upon determining the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage is less than or equal to the odometer value from the first storage system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer processor is further configured to implement:

comparing a maximum odometer value stored in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems to the odometer value stored in the first storage system; and

upon determining the maximum odometer value is less than the odometer value from the first storage system, storing the odometer value from the first storage system as a new maximum odometer value in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is further configured to implement:

distinguishing driving events among multiple ones of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, each of the ones of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems having an identifier stored thereon, including distinguishing odometer values stored on each of the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems according to the respective identifier.

8. A method, comprising:

reading, via an odometer that is communicatively coupled to a computer processor of a vehicle control system, an odometer value for the vehicle from a first storage system, the odometer value corresponding to an accrued mileage obtained from the odometer, the accrued mileage determined at a beginning of a current driving event, the first storage system configured to track all accrued mileage from the odometer;

reading an odometer value for the vehicle from a second, portable storage system, the odometer value from the second storage system corresponding to a mileage reading obtained for the vehicle at the beginning of a driving event that precedes the current driving event, the second, portable storage system comprising one of a plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, wherein each of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems store accrued mileage attributable to a driving event associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems;

comparing, via the computer processor, the odometer value from the first storage system to the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems;

calculating, via the computer processor, a reduction value from the difference between the odometer value from the first storage system and the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, in response to the comparing and upon determining the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems is greater than the odometer value from the first storage system, the reduction value indicative of a mileage rollback event with respect to the odometer; and

storing the reduction value in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first storage system is a memory device internal to the vehicle control system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems comprises a memory device internal to at least one of a key fob and a smart phone, the method further comprising transmitting the reduction value to a central collection system over a network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems comprises a key fob, and wherein storing the reduction value and the date in which the reduction value is calculated is performed when the key fob is placed in an ignition system of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the odometer value from the first storage system in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, in response to the comparing and upon determining the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems is less than or equal to the odometer value from the first storage system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing a maximum odometer value stored in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems to the odometer value stored in the first storage system; and

upon determining the maximum odometer value is less than the odometer value from the first storage system, storing the odometer value from the first storage system as a new maximum odometer value in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

distinguishing driving events among multiple ones of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, each one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems having an identifier stored thereon, including distinguishing odometer values stored on each one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems according to the respective identifier.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, which when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to implement a method, the method comprising:

reading an odometer value for a vehicle from a first storage system via an odometer that is communicatively coupled to the computer processor, the odometer value corresponding to an accrued mileage obtained from the odometer, the accrued mileage determined at a beginning of a current driving event, the first storage system configured to track all accrued mileage from the odometer;

reading an odometer value for the vehicle from a second, portable storage system, the odometer value from the second, portable storage system corresponding to a mileage reading obtained for the vehicle at the beginning of a driving event that precedes the current driving event, the second, portable storage system comprising one of a plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, wherein each of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems store accrued mileage attributable to a driving event associates with a corresponding one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems;

comparing the odometer value from the first storage system to the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems;

calculating a reduction value from the difference between the odometer value from the first storage system and the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, in response to the comparing and upon determining the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems is greater than the odometer value from the first storage system, the reduction value indicative of a mileage rollback event with respect to the odometer; and

storing the reduction value in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first storage system is a memory device internal to the vehicle control system.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems comprises a memory device internal to at least one of:

a key fob; and

a smart phone;

wherein the storing further includes storing a date in which the reduction value is calculated and a location of the vehicle in the second storage system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems comprises a key fob, and wherein storing the reduction value and the date in which the reduction value is calculated is performed when the key fob is placed in an ignition system of the vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions further implement:

storing the odometer value from the first storage system in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems, in response to the comparing and upon determining the odometer value from the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems is less than or equal to the odometer value from the first storage system.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions further implement:

comparing a maximum odometer value stored in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems to the odometer value stored in the first storage system; and

upon determining the maximum odometer value is less than the odometer value from the first storage system, storing the odometer value from the first storage system as a new maximum odometer value in the one of the plurality of secondary, portable storage systems.