Systems and methods for vehicle performance analysis and presentation

• US 8,604,920 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cartasite Incorporated (Geoforce Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cartasite Incorporated (Geoforce Incorporated)
• Inventors: Armitage, David L., Kushnir, Gregory Froim, Mason, Mark Alvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/902,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/439, 340/425.5, 340/461, 701/29, 701/35
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A method of operating a driver analysis system, the method including receiving vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of vehicles by drivers, identifying a peer group associated with a target driver, processing at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, generating a driving report which identifies the driving performance of the target driver, and transferring the driving report to a target device for viewing by the target driver.

Claims

1. A method of operating a driver analysis system, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of a plurality of vehicles operated by a plurality of drivers;

identifying from the plurality of drivers a peer group associated with a target driver;

processing at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group;

generating a driving report which identifies the driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group; and

transferring the driving report to a target device for viewing by the target driver,

wherein the vehicle operation data is received at a communication interface in the driver analysis system from a plurality of monitoring systems located on board the plurality of vehicles and further comprising powering each of the plurality of monitoring systems from an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port on each of the plurality of vehicles and gathering at least a portion of the vehicle operation data from a source other than the OBD port,

wherein the driving performance of the target driver is compared to the best, worst and average of the peer group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the driving report is transferred from the communication interface for delivery to the target device over the internet.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the source other than the OBD port comprises an accelerometer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a safety score representing a level of safety of the driving performance of the target driver, wherein the driving report includes the safety score.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a plurality of graphical representations of the driving performance of the target driver relative to the driving performance of the peer group.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a first graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises hard braking events.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein a second graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises rapid acceleration events.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein a third graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises excessive speed events.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein a fourth graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises night time driving.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein a fifth graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises excessive lateral acceleration events.

11. A driver analysis system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of a plurality of vehicles operated by a plurality of drivers;

a processing system configured to identify from the plurality of drivers a peer group associated with a target driver, process at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, and generate a driving report which identifies the driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group;

the communication interface further configured to transfer the driving report to a target device for viewing by the target driver and

a plurality of monitoring systems located on board the plurality of vehicles, wherein each of the plurality of monitoring systems is powered from an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port on each of the plurality of vehicles and gathers at least a portion of the vehicle operation data from a source other than the OBD port,

wherein the driving performance of the target driver is compared to the best, worst and average of the peer group.

12. The driver analysis system of claim 11 wherein the communication interface receives the vehicle operation data over an internet from the plurality of monitoring systems, and wherein the driving report is transferred from the communication interface for delivery to the target device over the internet.

13. The driver analysis system of claim 11 wherein the source other than the OBD port comprises an accelerometer.

14. The driver analysis system of claim 11 wherein the processing system generates a safety score representing a level of safety of the driving performance of the target driver and includes the safety score in the driving report.

15. The driver analysis system of claim 11 wherein the processing system generates a plurality of graphical representations of the driving performance of the target driver relative to the driving performance of the peer group.

16. The driver analysis system of claim 15 wherein a first graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises hard braking events.

17. The driver analysis system of claim 15 wherein a second graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises rapid acceleration events.

18. The driver analysis system of claim 15 wherein a third graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises excessive speed events.

19. The driver analysis system of claim 15 wherein a fourth graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises night time driving.

20. The driver analysis system of claim 15 wherein a fifth graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations comprises excessive lateral acceleration events.

21. A driver analysis network comprising:

a plurality of monitoring systems located on board a plurality of vehicles operated by a plurality of drivers wherein the plurality of monitoring systems is configured to transmit vehicle operation data corresponding to operation of the plurality of vehicles, wherein each of the plurality of monitoring systems is powered from an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port on each of the plurality of vehicles and gathers at least a portion of the vehicle operation data from a source other than the OBD port;

a server configured to receive the vehicle operation data over an internet at a communication interface, identify from the plurality of drivers a peer group associated with a target driver, process at least a portion of the vehicle operation data to determine driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, generate a driving report which identifies the driving performance of the target driver relative to driving performance of the peer group, and transmit the driving report at the communication interface;

a target device configured to receive the driving report over the internet and display the driving report for viewing by the target driver,

wherein the driving performance of the target driver is compared to the best, worst and average of the peer group.