Accelerometer and voltage based key-on and key-off detection

• US 9,449,435 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Telematics Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalinadhabhotla, Dedeepya, Akula, Sneha, Hamby, Benjamin J., Berkobin, Alex D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US14/061,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20150112539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A device may receive a first type of measurement associated with a vehicle and receive a second type of measurement associated with a power source connected to the vehicle. The second type of measurement may be different than the first type of measurement. The device may determine a key-on or a key-off status of the vehicle based on the first type of measurement and the second type of measurement without communicating with a vehicle diagnostic system associated with the vehicle. The key-off status may correspond to an engine of the vehicle being powered off and the key-on status may correspond to the engine of the vehicle being powered on. The device may initiate communications with the vehicle diagnostic system based on determining the key-on status.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, accelerometer measurements associated with a vehicle;

receiving, by the device, voltage measurements associated with a power source connected to the vehicle;

determining, by the device, a key-on status or a key-off status of the vehicle based on the accelerometer measurements or the voltage measurements without communicating with a vehicle diagnostic system associated with the vehicle,

the key-off status corresponding to an engine of the vehicle being powered off, and the key-on status corresponding to the engine of the vehicle being powered on;

initiating, by the device, communications with the vehicle diagnostic system to obtain first vehicle data based on determining the key-on status;

receiving the first vehicle data based on initiating the communications with the vehicle diagnostic system;

validating the key-on status if the first vehicle data received from the vehicle diagnostic system indicates the engine of the vehicle is powered on; and

receiving second vehicle data, different than the first vehicle data, from the vehicle diagnostic system based on validating the key-on status.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an average standard deviation of the accelerometer measurements; and

determining an average of the voltage measurements,

wherein determining the key-off status of the vehicle includes determining that the average standard deviation does not satisfy a first threshold or that the average of the voltage measurements does not satisfy a second threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an average standard deviation of the accelerometer measurements; and

determining average of the voltage measurements,

wherein determining the key-on status of the vehicle includes determining that the average standard deviation satisfies a first threshold or that the average of the voltage measurements satisfies a second threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a first device,

the method further comprising:

determining the key-off status after determining the key-on status and receiving the second vehicle data;

marking the second vehicle data as trip data corresponding to data received during a period between when the key-on status is determined and when the key-off status is determined; and

providing the second vehicle data to a second device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an initial acceleration of the vehicle,

wherein receiving the accelerometer measurements and the voltage measurements are based on detecting the initial acceleration of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an initial connection to the vehicle diagnostics system,

wherein receiving the accelerometer measurements and the voltage measurements are based on detecting the initial connection to the vehicle diagnostics system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing communications with the vehicle diagnostic system over a particular channel based on determining the key-off status.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

invalidating the key-on status if the first vehicle data received from the vehicle diagnostic system indicates the engine of the vehicle is powered off; and

ending the communications with the vehicle diagnostic system based on invalidating the key-on status.

9. The method of claim 1, where the first vehicle data indicates an engine speed of the engine, and

validating the key-on status includes validating the key-on status if the engine speed is greater than zero.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

invalidating the key-on status if the engine speed is not greater than zero; and

ending the communications with the vehicle diagnostic system based on invalidating the key-on status.

11. The method of claim 1, where the first vehicle data indicates a voltage of a battery included in the vehicle, and

validating the key-on status includes validating the key-on status if the voltage indicates the battery is being charged.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

invalidating the key-on status if the voltage indicates the battery is not being charged; and

ending the communications with the vehicle diagnostic system based on invalidating the key-on status.

13. A device comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive accelerometer measurements associated with a vehicle;

receive voltage measurements associated with a power source connected to the vehicle;

determine a key-on status or a key-off status of the vehicle based on the accelerometer measurements or the voltage measurements without communicating with a vehicle diagnostic system associated with the vehicle,

the key-off status corresponding to an engine of the vehicle being powered off, and the key-on status corresponding to the engine of the vehicle being powered on;

initiate communications with the vehicle diagnostic system to obtain first vehicle information based on determining the key-on status;

receive the first vehicle information based on initiating the communications with the vehicle diagnostic system;

validate the key-on status if the first vehicle information received from the vehicle diagnostic system indicates the engine of the vehicle is powered on; and

receive second vehicle information, different than the first vehicle information, from the vehicle diagnostic system based on validating the key-on status.

14. The device of claim 13, where the one or more processors are further to:

prohibit communications with the vehicle diagnostic system over a key-on channel based on determining the key-off status.

15. The device of claim 13, where the one or more processors, when initiating communications with the vehicle diagnostic system to obtain the first vehicle information, are to:

communicate with the vehicle diagnostic system via a serial connection port included in the vehicle.

16. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

an accelerometer to detect the accelerometer measurements; and

a voltage meter to detect the voltage measurements,

the accelerometer and the voltage meter being separate from the vehicle diagnostic system.

17. The device of claim 13, where the one or more processors are further to:

invalidate the key-on status when the first vehicle information received from the vehicle diagnostic system indicates the engine of the vehicle is powered off and the accelerometer measurement indicates an acceleration greater than a threshold value.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive accelerometer measurements associated with a vehicle;

receive voltage measurements associated with a power source connected to the vehicle;

determine a key-on status or a key-off status of the vehicle based on the accelerometer measurements or the voltage measurements independent of communicating with a vehicle diagnostic system associated with the vehicle,

the key-off status corresponding to an engine of the vehicle being powered off, and the key-on status corresponding to the engine of the vehicle being powered on;

initiate communications with the vehicle diagnostic system to obtain first vehicle information based on determining the key-on status;

receive the first vehicle information based on initiating the communications with the vehicle diagnostic system;

validate the key-on status if the first vehicle information received from the vehicle diagnostic system indicates the engine of the vehicle is powered on; and

receive second vehicle information, different than the first vehicle information, from the vehicle diagnostic system based on validating the key-on status.