Speedometer drive system and method

• US 9,802,487 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Classic Automotive Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Classic Automotive Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Induni, Brian Anthony, Eaton, Glenn Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US15/044,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20160263998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096766 where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/00 Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound in general; Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A speedometer system is disclosed that replaces reliance on the feedback from a vehicle transmission and instead tracks the vehicle speed from an external source. In some embodiments, a global positioning unit (GPS) is connected to a microcontroller that drives an electric motor to turn and display a speed for an improved speedometer reading. The speedometer system further including a calibration unit that allows for the manipulation of the electric motor to display a predetermined calibration speed on the speedometer.

Claims

1. A speedometer system, comprising:

a housing having a connection, the connection coupled to a speedometer of a vehicle;

an electric motor coupled to the connection;

a speed information source communicating speed information of the vehicle with a microcontroller, the microcontroller driving the electric motor to spin the electric motor at a correlated revolutions per minute, the correlated revolutions per minute correlates with the speed information of the vehicle, and wherein the speedometer displays a speed of the vehicle from the correlated revolutions per minute of the electric motor;

mounting the speedometer;

removing at least a portion of speedometer cable from vehicle transmission and connecting speedometer cable to speedometer;

the connection is configured for receipt of a speedometer cable, the speedometer cable being connected directly to the speedometer of the vehicle;

the speed information source is a global positioning system subassembly having a global positioning system receiver in communication with a global positioning system source, the global positioning system receiver being connected to the microcontroller, the global positioning system receiver determining speed information of the vehicle from the global positioning system source;

the global positioning system subassembly further has a global positioning system antenna in communication with the global positioning system receiver and the global positioning system source, wherein the global positioning system antenna receives speed information of the vehicle from the global positioning system source, the antenna transmits the speed information to the global positioning system receiver;

the speedometer system is powered via a power source being at least one of vehicle power input, vehicle wiring, vehicle accessory assembly, and a battery; and

providing a calibration unit, the calibration unit being in connection with the microcontroller to initiate the electric motor to spin to a pre-set revolutions per minute and thereby displaying a speed on the speedometer;

providing power to calibration unit;

if the speed displayed on speedometer is different from a pre-determined calibration speed, then the calibration unit may manipulate the revolutions per minute of the electric motor to a calibrated revolutions per minute of the electric motor, the calibrated revolutions per minute of the electric motor being when the pre-determined speed is displayed on the speedometer.

2. The speedometer system of claim 1, wherein the global positioning system subassembly further includes a global positioning system antenna in communication with both the global positioning system receiver and the global positioning system source, wherein the antenna receives the location information of the vehicle from the global positioning system source and transmits the location information of the vehicle to the global positioning system receiver.

3. The speedometer system of claim 1, further comprising a gear box, the gear box being connected to the electric motor on a first end and the connection on a second end, such that the correlated revolutions per minute of the electric motor is reduced by the gear box.

4. The speedometer system of claim 1, further comprising a rotary encoder, the rotary encoder being connected with the electric motor and the microcontroller, the rotary encoder measures revolutions per minute of the electric motor and communicates this in feedback to the microcontroller.

5. The speedometer system of claim 1, further comprising a calibration unit, the calibration unit being in connection with the microcontroller that communicates to the electric motor to spin to a pre-set revolutions per minute, and wherein the calibration unit allowing for the manipulation of revolutions per minute of the electric motor to a calibrated revolutions per minute.

6. The speedometer system of claim 3, further comprising memory for saving information of the calibrated revolution per minute.

7. The speedometer system of claim 3, wherein the calibration unit is wirelessly connected to electric motor.

8. The speedometer system of claim 1, further comprising a plastic cap, the plastic cap covering a connection point on the vehicle, the connection point being located where the speedometer cable was originally to the vehicle.

10. The speedometer system method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

supplying power to the speedometer module.

11. The speedometer system method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a cap to cover a connection point on the vehicle transmission where the speedometer cable was connected.

9. A speedometer system method comprising the steps of:

providing a module with a housing having a connection, the connection coupled to a speedometer of a vehicle;

an electric motor coupled to the connection; and

a speed information source communicating speed information of the vehicle with a microcontroller, the microcontroller driving the electric motor to spin the electric motor at a correlated revolutions per minute, the correlated revolutions per minute correlates with the speed information of the vehicle, and wherein the speedometer displays a speed of the vehicle from the correlated revolutions per minute of the electric motor;

mounting the speedometer module;

removing at least a portion of speedometer cable from vehicle transmission;

connecting speedometer cable to speedometer module;

the connection is configured for receipt of a speedometer cable, the speedometer cable being connected directly to the speedometer of the vehicle;

the speed information source is a global positioning system subassembly having a global positioning system receiver in communication with a global positioning system source, the global positioning system receiver being connected to the microcontroller, the global positioning system receiver determining speed information of the vehicle from the global positioning system source;

the global positioning system subassembly further has a global positioning system antenna in communication with the global positioning system receiver and the global positioning system source, wherein the global positioning system antenna receives speed information of the vehicle from the global positioning system source, the antenna transmits the speed information to the global positioning system receiver;

the speedometer system is powered via a power source being at least one of vehicle power input, vehicle wiring, vehicle accessory assembly, and a battery; and

providing a calibration unit, the calibration unit being in connection with the microcontroller to initiate the electric motor to spin to a pre-set revolutions per minute and thereby displaying a speed on the speedometer;

providing power to calibration unit;

if the speed displayed on speedometer is different from a pre-determined calibration speed, then the calibration unit may manipulate the revolutions per minute of the electric motor to a calibrated revolutions per minute of the electric motor, the calibrated revolutions per minute of the electric motor being when the pre-determined speed is displayed on the speedometer.

12. The speedometer system method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

providing a memory source for saving the calibrated revolution per minute of the electric motor.