TELEMETRY-BASED VEHICLE POLICY ENFORCEMENT

• US 20140278840A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Inventors: Scofield, Christopher L., Sedlik, Scott Marshall
• Application Number:
  US13/843,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20140278840A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles

Abstract

Vehicles operation is often regulated by vehicle operation policies, such as operator and vehicle licensing, safe operation rules, and emissions testing, as well as advisory policies (e.g., safety tips) and infrastructure policies (e.g., traffic congestion reduction). However, enforcement of vehicle operation policies may be infrequent, costly, inaccurate, and/or ineffective for particular types of problems. Presented herein are techniques for enforcing vehicle operation policies using vehicle telemetrics detected by a vehicle telemetry sensor and reported to telemetric monitoring components during operation of the vehicles. For example, in-car emissions sensors may regularly report emissions data to roadside monitors, enabling continuous monitoring, early detection of emissions problems, and accurate measurements during road travel. Additional telemetric exchange may promote the persuasion of advisory vehicle operation policies, such as safety tips, and the transmission of travel information of interest to other vehicles and individuals, such as road hazards, traffic congestion, and available parking spots.

Claims

1. A system for enforcing a vehicle operation policy to a vehicle on a device having a processor, a memory, and a vehicle operation policy, the system comprising:

a vehicle telemetry component comprising instructions stored in the memory that, when executed on the processor, cause the device to, while the vehicle is currently traveling in a travel region, receive from at least one telemetry sensor of the vehicle a transmission encoding at least one operating telemetric of the vehicle;

a vehicle operation policy evaluating component comprising instructions stored in the memory that, when executed on the processor, cause the device to, upon receiving the at least one operating telemetric from the vehicle, compare the at least one operating telemetric to the vehicle operation policy to identify a policy result; and

a policy result applying component comprising instructions stored in the memory that, when executed on the processor, cause the device to apply the policy result to the vehicle.

2. A method of enforcing a vehicle operation policy to a vehicle, the method involving a device having a processor and comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

receive from a telemetry sensor of the vehicle a transmission encoding at least one operating telemetric of the vehicle while traveling in the travel region;

compare the at least one operating telemetric to the vehicle operation policy to identify a policy result; and

apply the policy result to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, the at least one operating telemetric selected from an operating telemetric set comprising:

a vehicle occupancy;

a vehicle location;

a vehicle velocity;

a vehicle acceleration;

a vehicle braking measurement;

a vehicle emissions measurement;

a vehicle tire pressure of at least one tire of the vehicle;

a vehicle operating light setting;

a vehicle windshield wiper setting;

a vehicle climate control setting;

a vehicle temperature measurement;

a vehicle water measurement;

a vehicle ice measurement;

a vehicle identifier;

a vehicle type descriptor;

a vehicle operator identifier; and

a vehicle operator demographic descriptor.

4. The method of claim 2:

receiving the at least one operating telemetric comprising;

from at least two vehicles traveling in the travel region, receiving from the telemetry sensors of respective vehicles a transmission encoding at least one operating telemetric of the vehicle; and

aggregating the operating telemetrics of the at least two vehicles into at least one aggregated operating telemetric of the vehicles traveling in the travel region.

5. The method of claim 2:

receiving the at least one operating telemetric comprising;

at a first time, receiving from the telemetry sensors of respective vehicles a first transmission encoding at least one first operating telemetric of the vehicle; and

at a second time, receiving from the telemetry sensors of respective vehicles a second transmission encoding at least one second operating telemetric of the vehicle; and

comparing the at least one first operating telemetric and the at least one second operating telemetric to identify a historic operating telemetric of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 2:

the vehicle operation policy comprising a toll applicable to vehicles in the travel region, the toll proportional to the operating telemetric; and

applying the policy result to the vehicle comprising;

charging the toll to the vehicle in accordance with the vehicle operation policy and the operating telemetric.

7. The method of claim 2:

the vehicle operation policy comprising a vehicle emissions policy;

the at least one operating telemetric comprising a vehicle emissions metric detected by a vehicle emissions detector during operation of the vehicle in the travel region; and

identifying the policy result comprising;

comparing at least one vehicle emissions metric included in the at least one operating telemetric to the vehicle emissions policy.

8. The method of claim 2:

the vehicle operation policy comprising an occupancy minimum of an occupancy-restricted area of the travel region;

the at least one operating telemetric comprising an occupancy of the vehicle; and

identifying the policy result comprising, upon detecting a presence of the vehicle in the occupancy-restricted area, comparing the occupancy of the vehicle with the occupancy minimum specified by the vehicle operation policy.

9. The method of claim 2:

the vehicle operation policy associated with a travel region usage of the travel region by the vehicles; and

identifying the policy result comprising;

performing a comparison of the travel region usage indicated by the operating telemetric of the vehicle with the travel region usage by other vehicles in the travel region; and

applying the policy result to the vehicle in accordance with the comparison.

10. The method of claim 9, the travel region usage selected from a travel region usage set comprising:

a vehicle count of the vehicles operating in the travel region in a time period;

a vehicle weight of the vehicles operating in the travel region in a time period;

a vehicle speed of the vehicles operating in the travel region in a time period; and

a vehicle emission set of the vehicles operating in the travel region in a time period.

11. A method of facilitating an individual in operating a vehicle in a travel region, the method involving a device having a processor and comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to, while the vehicle is currently traveling in a travel region;

receive from a telemetry sensor at least one operating telemetric of the vehicle;

transmit the at least one operating telemetric to a telemetric monitoring component positioned outside of the vehicle in the travel region; and

upon receiving from the telemetric monitoring component at least one policy result of a vehicle operation policy applied to the at least one operating telemetric, apply the at least one policy result to the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, the instructions further configured to, before transmitting the at least one operating telemetric to the telemetric monitoring component:

present an offer to the individual to transmit the at least one operating telemetric to the telemetric monitoring component, and

receive from the individual an acceptance of the offer.

13. The method of claim 12, the instructions further configured to, upon transmitting the at least one operating telemetric to the telemetric monitoring component, confer a benefit upon the individual.

14. The method of claim 11, the instructions further configured to, upon receiving from the telemetric monitoring component an operating suggestion for operating the vehicle, present the operating suggestion to the individual.

15. The method of claim 12, the instructions further configured to, upon detecting an operating change by the individual conforming with the operating suggestion, confer a benefit upon the individual.

16. The method of claim 11, the instructions further configured to transmit the operating telemetric to the telemetric monitoring component through a second vehicle operating in the travel region.

17. The method of claim 11, the instructions further configured to share the operating telemetric with at least one second vehicle operating in the travel region.

18. The method of claim 17, the instructions further configured to anonymize the operating telemetric shared with the at least one second vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, the operating telemetric indicative of at least one travel region property detected by the vehicle within the travel region, the travel region property selected from a travel region property set comprising:

at least one velocity of at least one vehicle in the travel region;

at least one traffic congestion location of traffic congestion in the travel region;

at least one road hazard arising within the travel region; and

at least one available parking location in the travel region.

20. The method of claim 11, the instructions further configured to, upon receiving from a second vehicle in the travel region at least one operating telemetric indicative of at least one travel region property, present the at least one travel region property to the individual.