VEHICLE PERFORMANCE BASED ON ANALYSIS OF DRIVE DATA

• US 20160244067A1
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hunt, Bryan, McQuade, Charles Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,527,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/10 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/10 Change speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/002 of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/029 the exhaust gas treating apparatus being a particulate filter
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

Data is collected during the operation of a vehicle and used to produce a ranking of a driver'"'"'s performance, and that ranking is shared on a hosted website, such that the drivers can compare their performance metrics to their peers. Fleet operators can use these performance metrics as incentives, by linking driver pay with performance. Individual fleet operators can host their own website, where driver rankings in that fleet can be compared, or the website can be hosted by a third party, and multiple fleet operators participate. The third party can offset their costs for operating the website by charging participating fleet operators a fee, and/or by advertising revenue. In some embodiments, all driver performance data is displayed in an anonymous format, so that individual drivers cannot be identified unless the driver shares their user ID.

Claims

1. A system for producing a performance metric indicative of a performance of a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

(a) at least one vehicle data acquisition component disposed at the vehicle, the at least one vehicle data acquisition component being configured to collect time indexed vehicle data, the time indexed vehicle data comprising;

(i) position data;

(ii) speed data;

(iii) torque data; and

(iv) engine speed data; and

(b) at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement the functions of;

(i) determining a slope the vehicle is traveling over at a specific point in time based on the vehicle position data at that point in time;

(ii) determining a mass of the vehicle at a specific point in time, based on the slope the vehicle is traveling over at that point in time, the speed data at that point in time, the torque data at that point in time, and the engine speed data at that point in time; and

(iii) producing the performance metric of the driver'"'"'s operation of the vehicle based at least in part on the mass of the vehicle, the mass having been determined using slope data derived from vehicle position data

(iv) based on the performance metric, identifying a change the driver can implement to improve performance; and

(v) presenting the change to the driver, where the change comprises at least one of;

(a) changing gear

(b) reducing RPM

(c) turning off an accessory device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises of changing gear.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises reducing RPM;

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the change comprises turning off an accessory device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor includes an onboard computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor includes a remote computer, wirelessly linked to the vehicle.

7. A system for improving the efficiency of a vehicle being driven by a driver, comprising:

(a) at least one vehicle data acquisition component disposed at the vehicle, the at least one vehicle data acquisition component being configured to collect time indexed vehicle data, the time indexed vehicle data comprising;

(i) position data;

(ii) speed data;

(iii) torque data; and

(iv) engine speed data; and

(b) at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement the functions of;

(i) determining a slope the vehicle is traveling over at a specific point in time based on the vehicle position data at that point in time;

(ii) determining a mass of the vehicle at a specific point in time, based on the slope the vehicle is traveling over at that point in time, the speed data at that point in time, the torque data at that point in time, and the engine speed data at that point in time; and

(iii) producing the performance metric of the driver'"'"'s operation of the vehicle based at least in part on the mass of the vehicle, the mass having been determined using slope data derived from vehicle position data

(iv) based on the performance metric, determining if a different fuel map would improve performance, and if so

(v) automatically instructing a vehicle controller to change to the more efficient fuel map.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor includes an onboard computer.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor includes a remote computer wirelessly linked to the vehicle.

10. A system for improving the efficiency of a vehicle being driven by a driver, comprising:

(a) at least one vehicle data acquisition component disposed at the a vehicle, the at least one vehicle data acquisition component being configured to collect time indexed vehicle data, the time indexed vehicle data comprising;

(i) position data;

(ii) speed data;

(iii) torque data; and

(iv) engine speed data; and

(b) at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement the functions of;

(i) determining a slope the vehicle is traveling over at a specific point in time based on the vehicle position data at that point in time;

(ii) determining a mass of the vehicle at a specific point in time, based on the slope the vehicle is traveling over at that point in time, the speed data at that point in time, the torque data at that point in time, and the engine speed data at that point in time; and

(iii) producing the performance metric of the driver'"'"'s operation of the vehicle based at least in part on the mass of the vehicle, the mass having been determined using slope data derived from vehicle position data

(iv) based on the performance metric, determining if a different fuel map would improve performance, and if so

(v) enabling the driver to approve of the change in the fuel map, and if the driver approves,

(vi) automatically instructing a vehicle controller to change to the more efficient fuel map.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor includes an onboard computer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor includes a remote computer wirelessly linked to the vehicle.