CIGARETTE LIGHTER ADAPTER FOR ENGINE STATUS MONITORING

• US 20140039751A1
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Hart, Mark K., Downing, Joshua N., Prashek, Mason A., Gentry, Richard V.
• Application Number:
  US13/567,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039751A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00

Abstract

A system for determining an idling status of a vehicle having an engine and a cigarette lighter socket may comprise a cigarette lighter adapter, a sensor, and a processor. The cigarette lighter adapter may be inserted in the cigarette lighter socket to sense a battery voltage of the vehicle. The sensor may be used to determine a speed of the vehicle. The processor may be coupled with the cigarette lighter adapter and the sensor. The processor may determine an engine status using the sensed battery voltage and determine a vehicle idling status using the determined engine status and the determined speed.

Claims

1. A system for determining an idling status of a vehicle having an engine and a cigarette lighter socket, the system comprising:

a cigarette lighter adapter operable to be inserted in the cigarette lighter socket to sense a battery voltage of the vehicle;

a sensor operable to sense movement of the vehicle; and

a processor coupled with the cigarette lighter adapter and the sensor, the processor operable to;

determine a speed of the vehicle using information provided by the sensor;

determine an engine status using the sensed battery voltage, and

determine a vehicle idling status using the determined engine status and the determined speed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a global positioning receiver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes an interface operable to access a data bus of the vehicle to acquire vehicle movement information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is integral with the cigarette lighter adapter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is a remote server outside of the vehicle and the sensor is operable to wirelessly communicate with the processor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the engine status has one of three states including a running state, a starting state, and an off state.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor determines that the vehicle is idling if the engine status is running and the determined speed is below a threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter operable to wirelessly transmit the vehicle idling status to an external system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor and processor are integral.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cable operable to communicate the vehicle idling status, the cable including a connector operable to couple with an electronic device.

11. A method for determining an idling status of a vehicle having an engine and a cigarette lighter socket, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing a battery voltage of the vehicle through the cigarette lighter socket;

determining an engine status of the vehicle using the sensed voltage;

determining a speed of the vehicle; and

determining a vehicle idling status using the determined engine status and the determined speed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the engine status has one of three states including a running state, a starting state, and an off state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the vehicle is determined to be idling if the engine status is running and the determined speed is below a threshold.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the speed of the vehicle includes receiving the speed from a data bus of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the speed of the vehicle includes receiving the speed from a global positioning receiver.

16. A system for determining an idling status of a vehicle having an engine and a cigarette lighter socket, the system comprising:

a cigarette lighter adapter operable to be inserted in the cigarette lighter socket to sense a battery voltage of the vehicle; and

an electronic device operable to couple with the cigarette lighter adapter, the electronic device including a processor and a sensor operable to sense movement of the vehicle, wherein the processor is operable to;

determine a speed of the vehicle using information provided by the sensor;

determine an engine status using the sensed battery voltage of the vehicle, wherein the engine status includes a first state of running, and

determine that the vehicle is idling when the determined engine status is running and the determined speed is below a threshold.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor includes a global positioning receiver.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is operable to access a data bus of the vehicle to determine the speed of the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the cigarette lighter adapter includes a cable with a connector operable to couple with the electronic device, the cable operable to communicate the battery voltage.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is operable to determine the speed of the vehicle using position data provided by the sensor.