Obtaining vehicle usage information from a remote location

• US 6,832,140 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At Road Incorporated
• Inventors: Fan, Rodric C., Nguyen, Kenny Man D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/095,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33, 701/32, 701/35, 701/200, 701/208, 701/213, 701/36, 701/24, 701/201, 701/202, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Presented are a method and a system by which an individual can obtain usage information of a vehicle. A mobile unit, which may be located inside a vehicle, receives data from a part of the vehicle (e.g., the odometer) and/or Global Positioning System satellites and derives parameters such as the velocity and the travel distance from the received data. Using these parameters, the mobile unit may determine time information such as the amount of time the vehicle is traveling, in idle, or in a parked state within a given time period. Alternatively, the mobile unit may transmit the parameters to a remote computer, which then determines the time information. When a user submits a query requesting a parameter or a mathematical operation on a parameter, either the mobile unit or a remote computer prepares a response and transmits the response to the appropriate user interface.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining vehicle usage information, said method comprising:

receiving a measurement request through a user interface of a monitoring unit on-board the vehicle;

receiving at said monitoring unit operational information through a vehicle status bus of a vehicle, said information comprising data regarding the operation of said vehicle;

receiving positioning information through a receiver of a positioning signal in said monitoring unit;

in said monitoring unit, in accordance with the measurement request, processing said operational information to obtain values of one or more operational parameters, and processing said positioning signal to obtain a location of said vehicle and values of one or more motion parameters regarding the motion of said vehicle; and

transmitting said operational information from said monitoring unit, said location and said values of said operational and motion parameters over a data network to be stored in a database for query by another via a user request over said data network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing said values of said operational and motion parameters in said database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said positioning information comprises Global Positioning System code sequences and said motion parameter comprises at least one of:

a velocity of said vehicle, and a travel distance of said vehicle within a predefined time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said operational parameters comprise information regarding an ignition status of said vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining values of a third type of parameters based on said values of said operational and motion parameters.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said third type of parameters comprises at least one of:

idle time, travel time, and parked time of said vehicle within a predefined time period.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing a mathematical operation on values of at least one of said operational parameters, said motion parameters, and said third type of parameters in response to a said user request; and

transmitting a result of said mathematical operation to a sender of said user request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said mathematical operation comprises:

comparing a first value indicated in said user request against a second value; and

indicating in said result whether said first value and said second value fulfill a predefined relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said operational information comprises an ignition status and an odometer reading of said vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said processing said operational information further comprises calculating a parameter based on said odometer reading.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said calculated parameter comprises at least one of:

a velocity and a travel distance of said vehicle within a predefined time period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said predefined time period is defined by said ignition status.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing at least one of:

said ignition status, said odometer reading, said velocity, and said travel distance in a database.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising deriving another parameter from at least one of said ignition status, said odometer reading, said velocity, and said travel distance.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing a mathematical operation on said calculated parameter in response to a said user request; and

transmitting a result of said mathematical operation to a sender of said user request.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said mathematical operation comprises:

comparing a first value indicated in said user request against a second value; and

indicating in said result whether said first value and said second value fulfill a predefined relationship.

17. An apparatus for tracking vehicle usage of a vehicle, said apparatus being provided on-board said vehicle comprising:

a user interface for receiving a measurement request;

an interface to a vehicle status bus coupled to receive from sensors installed in said vehicle operation information of said vehicle;

a receiver of a positioning signal;

a processor connected to said interface to said vehicle status bus and said receiver, said processor receiving from said user interface said measurement request and in accordance therewith processing (a) said operational information received on said vehicle status bus to obtain values of operational parameters of said vehicle, and (b) said positional signal to obtain a location of said vehicle, and values of motion parameters relating to the motion of said vehicle; and

a transmitter connected to said processor for transmitting said location and said values of said operational and motion parameters;

wherein, using said transmitter, said processor further provides an interface over a data network between said apparatus and a database, such that location and said values of said operational and motion parameters are accessible by another via a user request over said data network.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a database accessible by said processor, said database storing values of at least one of said operational and motion parameters.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said values of said operational parameters comprise an ignition status of said vehicle.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said motion parameter comprises at least one of:

a velocity, and a travel distance of said vehicle.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising determining values of a third type of parameters based on said operational and motion parameters.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said third type of parameters comprises at least one of:

idle time, travel time, and parked time of said vehicle within a predefined time period.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said processor performs a mathematical operation on values of at least one of said operational and motion parameters and said third type of parameters in response to a said user request and transmits a result to a sender of said user request.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said mathematical operation comprises comparing a first value indicated in said user request against a second value to determine whether said first value and said second value fulfill a predefined relationship.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said operational information includes at least one of an ignition status and an odometer reading.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said processor calculates from said operational information values of a parameter comprising at least one of a velocity and a travel distance of said vehicle within a predefined time period.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said predefined time period is defined by the ignition status.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a database accessible by said processor, said database storing said values of said calculated parameter.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said processor performs a mathematical operation on said calculated parameter in response to a said user request and transmits a result of said mathematical operation to a sender of said user request.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said mathematical operation comprises:

comparing a first value indicated in said user request against a second value; and

indicating in said result whether said first value and said second value fulfill a predefined relationship.