Automotive driving instruction system

• US 4,500,868 A
• Filed: 11/24/1981
• Issued: 02/19/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Uno, Toshihiko, Tokitsu, Naoki, Fujiwara, Toshitaka, Kato, Toranosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US06/324,488
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52 F, 340/52 R, 340/53, 340/573, 340/27 R, 340/27 SS, 340/27 AT, 340/963-966, 340/971, 340/973, 340/978, 200/42 R, 434/62, 434/64, 434/65, 434/66, 434/68, 434/71, 364/424, 180/271, 180/272, 180/282
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles

Abstract

An automotive driving instruction system which comprises a plurality of sensors including a vehicle speed sensor etc. mounted at various parts of the automobile, a computer for reading the outputs of the sensors for calculating the driving conditions of the automobile, and a replaceable external memory unit. The computer calculates a plurality of values representing the driving conditions of the automobile on the basis of the outputs of the sensors, and controls to generate an alarm when any of the values thus calculated becomes to corresponding one of a plurality of predetermined values. Also, the accumulated value of the alarms and the respective accumulated values of the alarms for each of causes of alarming are stored in the external memory unit. At the end of a driving, the external memory unit is demounted, so that any habits of the driver is determined from the data stored in the external memory unit to contribute to the correction thereof.

Claims

1. An automotive driving instruction system comprising:

a plurality of sensors disposed at various parts of the automobile for detecting the driving conditions of the automobile;

a computer for reading the outputs of said sensors, calculating a plurality of values representing the driving conditions of the automobile, and controlling issuance of an alarm when any of the results of the calculations of said values becomes equal to the corresponding one of predetermined settings associated with the values;

a replaceable external memory unit for storing the accumulated values of said alarm, and the accumulated values of said alarm for respective causes by the processing operation of said computer, said external memory being adapted to indicate the stored data by the processing operation of a data processing unit.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an indication device, said computer applying a signal representing the accumulated value of an alarm to said indication device when controlling issuance of said alarm, said indication device accordingly indicating the number of generations of alarms.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said computer contains an internal memory operative as a plurality of counters corresponding to said plurality of values representing the driving conditions, and means for incrementing the data of a corresponding counter and storing the same each time the calculation of said plurality of values reaches the predetermined settings and the generation of alarm is controlled.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of switches corresponding to the working conditions of the driver respectively, a clock, and means for storing the states of said switches and the time of operation thereof in said external memory unit in accordance with the operation of said switches.

5. A system according to claim 2, further comprising means for storing the code of the driver at a predetermined address of said external memory unit, said computer reading out the data stored at said address at regular intervals of time for detecting any replacement of said external memory unit, said computer reading out the accumulated value of generations of the alarms and the accumulated value of the alarms and rewriting the same therein in response to the detection of the replacement of said external memory unit, means for accumulating the subsequent alarms on the basis of the values after the rewriting, for storing the accumulated value in said external memory unit, and means for applying said accumulated value to said indication device and indicating the same thereon at the time of an issuance of an alarm.

6. An automotive driving instruction system comprising:

a plurality of sensors disposed at various parts of the automobile for detecting the driving conditions of the automobile including running speed of the automobile and rotational speed of the automobile engine;

a computer for reading the outputs of said sensors, calculating a plurality of values representing respective duration of at least one of (a) excess running speed of the automobile, (b) excess acceleration of the automobile and (c) excess rotational speed of the automobile engine, and controlling issuance of an alarm when any one of the results of the calculations of said values reaches the corresponding one of predetermined settings associated with the values; and

a replaceable external memory unit for storing the accumulated values of said alarm, and the accumulated values of said alarm for respective causes by the processing operation of said computer.

7. A system according to claim 6, further comprising an indication device, said computer applying a signal representing the accumulated value of an alarm to said indication device when controlling issuance of said alarm, said indication device accordingly indicating the number of generations of alarms.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein said computer contains an internal memory operative as a plurality of counters corresponding to said plurality of values for measuring said respective durations, and means for incrementing the data of a corresponding counter and storing the same each time the calculation of said plurality of values reaches the predetermined settings and the generation of alarm is controlled.

9. A system according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of switches corresponding to the working conditions of the driver respectively, a clock, and means for storing the states of said switches and the time of operation thereof in said external memory unit in accordance with the operation of said switches.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising means for storing the code of the driver at a predetermined address of said external memory unit, said computer reading out the data stored at said address at regular intervals of time for detecting any replacement of said external memory unit, said computer reading out the accumulated value of generations of the alarms and the accumulated value of the alarms and rewriting the same therein in response to the detection of the replacement of said external memory unit, means for accumulating the subsequent alarms on the basis of the values after the rewriting, for storing the accumulated value in said external memory unit, and means for applying said accumulated value to said indication device and indicating the same thereon at the time of an issuance of an alarm.