Remote monitoring of a plurality of vehicles

• US 8,954,225 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mission Motor Company (Vayon Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mission Motor Company (Vayon Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: LaForge, Seth, Wagner, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US13/092,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 701 322- 334, 701 342- 344, 340/438, 455/424
• US Class Current: 701/33.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A method for remotely monitoring and gathering information about a plurality of vehicles, including the steps of accessing the plurality of vehicles wherein each vehicle is individually operated, selecting vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles, communicating the vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles to a remote processor, and processing the plurality of vehicle data into population data by the remote processor. The individual operation of each vehicle preferably includes the steps of generating vehicle data, operating the vehicle based on the vehicle data with a vehicle controller, and storing the vehicle data in a database located on the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for remotely monitoring a plurality of individually operated vehicles, each vehicle comprising a first and second component controlled by a first and second component module, the method comprising the steps of:

at a vehicle;

generating first and second module data based on a first and second set of sensors configured to monitor first and second component operation, respectively;

controlling the first and second components based on the first and second module data with a first and second component module, respectively;

generating vehicle data based on the first and second module data;

controlling the first and second component module operation with a vehicle controller based on the vehicle data;

storing the vehicle data in a database located on the vehicle;

in response to receipt of a first set of extraction instructions by the first vehicle from a remote system, calculating desired data from vehicle data based on the first set of extraction instructions by the data extraction module of the first vehicle; and

sending the desired data to the remote system based on the extraction instructions;

at the remote system;

in response to receipt of the desired data, processing the desired data into vehicle operation trend data for the vehicle;

processing the vehicle operation trend data for the vehicle and secondary vehicle operation trend data for a secondary vehicle into population data;

analyzing the vehicle operation trend data for the vehicle based on the population data;

generating a second set of extraction instructions, different from the first set, for the vehicle based on the analysis; and

sending the second set of extraction instructions for the vehicle to the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles at the remote system and processing the plurality of vehicle data into population data, wherein the step of processing the plurality of vehicle data into population data by the remote system further includes the steps of processing vehicle data for each vehicle into vehicle trend data and processing the vehicle trend data into population data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, at the remote system:

generating first and second set of extraction instructions for a first and second subset of vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, respectively, based on the population data, wherein the first set of extraction instructions for the first subset of vehicles is different from the second set of extraction instructions for the second subset of vehicles;

sending the first and second set of extraction instructions from the remote system to each of the first and second subset of vehicles, respectively; and

receiving desired data from each of the first and second subset of vehicles, the desired data calculated by a data extraction module of the vehicle from the respective vehicle data based on the first and second set of extraction instructions, respectively.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles;

in response to the vehicle data from the first subset of vehicles surpassing a predetermined threshold, selecting the second subset of vehicles from the plurality of vehicles.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle trend data comprises average battery health over time.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle trend data comprises average motor power consumption across the plurality of vehicles.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle trend data is the communicated vehicle data.

8. The method of claim 1, further including the step of allowing third party generation of extraction instructions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of allowing third party generation of extraction instructions includes allowing access of an API to the vehicle trend data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the sever data to a remote system includes the step of encrypting the vehicle data before the vehicle data is communicated.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles to a remote system is performed by a plurality of wireless transmitters, each coupled to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and a wireless receiver coupled to the remote system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data extraction module is isolated from the vehicle controller by having read-only access to the vehicle data.

13. The method of claim 1, further includes the steps of:

determining desired vehicle data for a first vehicle by the remote system;

generating extraction instructions for the first vehicle based on the desired vehicle data by the remote processor;

sending the extraction instructions by the remote system to the first vehicle; and

,

receiving extraction instructions by the first vehicle;

wherein the step of extracting vehicle data from the vehicle database is performed by the data extraction module of the first vehicle, wherein the extracted vehicle data is based on the extraction instructions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote processor determines the desired vehicle data for each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, generates extraction instructions for each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and sends the extraction instructions for each vehicle to each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the desired vehicle data includes a desired vehicle data set and a desired vehicle data amount.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the desired vehicle data is determined from the vehicle data of the first vehicle communicated to the remote processor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the remote processor monitors the communicated vehicle data for a trigger event, and determines a second desired vehicle data when the trigger event is met.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the vehicle data communicated to the remote processor comprises a value, wherein the trigger event is the determination of proximity of the value to a predetermined operational threshold.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the desired vehicle data is at least one of the group consisting of:

battery data, motor data, location data, transmission data, and cooling data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the extraction instructions further include processing steps to be applied to the vehicle data, wherein the step of communicating vehicle data to the remote processor further includes the step of processing the vehicle data before it is communicated to the remote processor by the data extraction module.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is stored on non-volatile memory located on the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing the module data into vehicle data includes calculating the vehicle data from the module data.

23. The method of claim 1, controlling the first and second component module operation based on the vehicle data with the vehicle controller includes changing the operation of the first module based on vehicle data generated from the second module data of the second module by the vehicle controller.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first module includes a battery module that controls battery operations, and the second module includes a motor module that controls motor operations.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the first and second module data further includes the steps of measuring a series of operation parameter measurements of the component, storing the series of operation parameter measurements, and processing the series of operation parameter measurements into module data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the operation parameter measurements are performed by a sensor.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the sensor is one of the group consisting of:

an impedance sensor, a voltage sensor, and a current sensor.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the sensor is a GPS sensor.