Vehicle monitoring system

• US 8,311,858 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Progressive Casualty Insurance Company (Progressive Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Progressive Casualty Insurance Company (Progressive Corporation)
• Inventors: Everett, William Curtis, Hutchinson, Richard Ashton, Steigerwald, Wilbert John III, Say, William Andrew, O'Malley, Patrick Lawrence, Shrallow, Dane Allen, Ling, Raymond Scott, McMillan, Robert John
• Primary Examiner(s): Niquette, Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/399,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A data logging device tracks the operation of a vehicle or driver actions. The device includes a storage device, which may be removable or portable, having a first memory portion that may be read from and may be written to in a vehicle and a second memory portion that may be read from and may be written to in the vehicle. The second memory portion may retain data attributes associated with the data stored in the first removable storage device. A processor reads data from an automotive bus that transfers data from vehicle sensors to other automotive components. The processor writes data to the first memory portion and the second memory portion that reflect a level of risk or safety. A communication device links the storage device to a network of computers. The communication device may be accessible through software that allows a user to access files.

Claims

1. A system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components that is used to determine one or more levels of risk or is used to determine a cost of insurance comprising:

an in-vehicle monitor that filters data by selectively polling one or more in-vehicle controllers that transmit vehicle data related to a level of risk in operating the vehicle, the selected vehicle data is acquired at a predetermined interval or upon an event;

a processor programmed to store the selected vehicle data in an in-vehicle memory, the memory retains relationship data that links the selected vehicle data to a vehicle identifier and a wireless network;

a wireless transceiver configured to encrypt and encode the relationship data and the selected vehicle data and transmit the encoded data through a mobile communication network that provides access to a distributed network; and

a receiver tuned to receive continuously transmitted trilateral encoded signals through a bandwidth that is separate from the mobile communication network.

2. The system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components of claim 1 in which the processor is further programmed to execute a program or interface a hardware device that enables an audio node to transmit an audio alert within the vehicle based on at least some of the vehicle data.

3. The system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components of claim 1 where the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the encoded data through a pulse position protocol without varying the power level or phase of a transmitting signal.

4. The system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components of claim 1 where the wireless transceiver is compliant with a wireless transaction facilitator that throttles the transmission rates across the mobile communication network based on an available bandwidth of the mobile communication network.

5. The system of claim 1 where the processor comprises a plurality of processors.

7. The system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components of claim 1 where the mobile communication network comprises a mobile broadband communication network that provides full data exchange mobility to one, two or more vehicles in motion.

10. The system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components of claim 1 further comprising a location processor that processes external navigation signals that are stored in the in-vehicle memory and are transmitted through the mobile communication network.

11. The system of claim 1 where the in-vehicle monitor, the processor, and the wireless transceiver are linked within a portable device.

12. The system of claim 1 where the wireless transceiver comprises a single-chip cellular baseband processor.

13. The system of claim 12 where the single-chip cellular baseband processor is Global System for Mobile Communication compliant, Code Division Multiple Access compliant, or General Packet Radio Service compliant.

14. The system of claim 12 where the single-chip cellular baseband processor is Global System for Mobile Communication compliant and General Packet Radio Service compliant.

16. The system of claim 1 where the wireless transceiver comprises an embedded antenna element positioned adjacent to the in-vehicle monitor, the processor, and the memory.

17. The system of claim 16 where the embedded antenna element comprises a circuit board element.

18. The system of claim 1 where the wireless transceiver is further configured to respond to a trigger event by transmitting an alert to a third party when a driving incident occurs.

19. The system of claim 18 where the driving incident comprises exceeding a speed threshold, traveling outside of a designated area, a hard braking event or a lock out condition.

20. The system of claim 19 where the wireless transceiver is further configured to receive a communication from a third party and the alert comprises a text or an aural message.

6. A system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components that is used to determine one or more levels of risk or is used to determine a cost of insurance comprising:

an in-vehicle monitor that filters data by selectively polling one or more in-vehicle controllers that transmit vehicle data related to a level of risk in operating the vehicle, the selected vehicle data is acquired at a predetermined interval or upon an event;

a processor programmed to store the selected vehicle data in an in-vehicle memory, the memory retains relationship data that links the selected vehicle data to a vehicle identifier and a wireless network;

a wireless transceiver configured to encrypt and encode the relationship data and the selected vehicle data and transmit the encoded data through a mobile communication network that provides access to a distributed network; and

a dynamic memory allocation processor that allocates a portion of the memory to retain a copy of a legacy version of firmware that comprises input/output instructions when an updated firmware is transferred to the in-vehicle memory through the mobile communication network, the dynamic memory allocation processor de-allocates the portion of the in-vehicle memory when an error-free version of the updated firmware is stored or installed in the system or when a copy of the legacy version of the firmware is restored.

8. A system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components that is used to determine one or more levels of risk or is used to determine a cost of insurance comprising:

an in-vehicle monitor that filters data by selectively polling one or more in-vehicle controllers that transmit vehicle data related to a level of risk in operating the vehicle, the selected vehicle data is acquired at a predetermined interval or upon an event;

a processor programmed to store the selected vehicle data in an in-vehicle memory, the memory retains relationship data that links the selected vehicle data to a vehicle identifier and a wireless network; and

a wireless transceiver configured to encrypt and encode the relationship data and the selected vehicle data and transmit the encoded data through a mobile communication network that provides access to a distributed network;

where the wireless transceiver is compliant with two or more multiple packet architectures that are automatically detected and one or more multiple packet architectures that are automatically selected when a series of signals that acknowledge that a communication or transfer of information may occur are received by the wireless transceiver.

9. A system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components that is used to determine one or more levels of risk or is used to determine a cost of insurance comprising:

an in-vehicle monitor that filters data by selectively polling one or more in-vehicle controllers that transmit vehicle data related to a level of risk in operating the vehicle, the selected vehicle data is acquired at a predetermined interval or upon an event;

a processor programmed to store the selected vehicle data in an in-vehicle memory, the memory retains relationship data that links the selected vehicle data to a vehicle identifier and a wireless network; and

a wireless transceiver configured to encrypt and encode the relationship data and the selected vehicle data and transmit the encoded data through a mobile communication network that provides access to a distributed network;

where the wireless transceiver is responsive to an internal event-driven request to transfer the selected vehicle data and the selected relationship data retained in the in-vehicle memory to a remote server when the wireless service provider indicates an available channel capacity to transfer the selected vehicle data and the selected relationship data across the mobile communication network within a predetermined time period.

15. A system that monitors vehicle data transferred among components that is used to determine one or more levels of risk or is used to determine a cost of insurance comprising:

an in-vehicle monitor that filters data by selectively polling one or more in-vehicle controllers that transmit vehicle data related to a level of risk in operating the vehicle, the selected vehicle data is acquired at a predetermined interval or upon an event;

a processor programmed to store the selected vehicle data in an in-vehicle memory, the memory retains relationship data that links the selected vehicle data to a vehicle identifier and a wireless network; and

a wireless transceiver configured to encrypt and encode the relationship data and the selected vehicle data and transmit the encoded data through a mobile communication network that provides access to a distributed network;

where the wireless transceiver comprises a single-chip cellular baseband processor;

where the single-chip cellular baseband processor comprises integrated interface drivers that enable auxiliary components comprising loudspeakers, display, and memory modules to connect directly to the single-chip.