Telemetry device for capturing vehicle environment and operational status history

• US 9,792,736 B1
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iQar Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invently Automotive Inc. (iQar Inc.)
• Inventors: Koebler, Martin, Goldstein, Nicole G., Brown, Stephen J., Harper, Jason H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pipala, Edward J
• Application Number:
  US14/711,084
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/645 Type of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/647 Surface situation of road, e.g. type of paving
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/667 Precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 : by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 : by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 : Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 : by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 : Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 : charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 : responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 : for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 : Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 : for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/10 : by utilising wheel movement for accumulating energy, e.g. driving air compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/586 : the retarders being of the electric type
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/04 : Hill descent control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 : Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 : operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 : initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 : including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 : including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 : including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 : Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 : Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 : Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/103 : Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 : Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 : Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 : Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 : Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 : Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 : using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• 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: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 : where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for managing the power consumption of an automotive vehicle, and thereby for optimizing the power consumption of the vehicle. The devices and systems for managing the power consumption of the vehicle typically include power management logic that can calculate an applied power for the vehicle engine based on information provided from the external environment of the vehicle, the operational status of the vehicle, one or more command inputs from a driver, and one or more operational parameters of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle telemetry device comprising:

a processor configured to execute control logic;

a memory coupled to said processor;

a communications element configured to communicate with a wireless communication network; and

a sensor interface configured to connect to a plurality of sensors within a vehicle, wherein (i) said control logic is configured to (a) acquire information from said sensor interface, (b) store said information in said memory, (c) communicate said information to a database external to said vehicle using said wireless communication network and (d) determine a route from a current location of said vehicle to a destination based on said information, (ii) said information from said sensor interface comprises a combination of (a) driver information, (b) vehicle operational status information and (c) external information received from said plurality of sensors, (iii) said information is stored in said database as records associated with a driver identity, a date, a time and location information of said vehicle corresponding to when said information was acquired and (iv) said driver information includes (a) said destination explicitly provided by a driver, (b) a preferred speed, (c) a maximum and minimum range of speed adjustments and (d) a preferred route to said destination.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external information is related to an external environment of said current location of said vehicle.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external information comprises one or more of a current elevation of said vehicle, upcoming elevations of said vehicle, a current slope/grade of said route, a predicted slope/grade of upcoming route segments, a condition of a known route, a condition of a predicted route, a condition of a portion of said route, traffic surrounding said vehicle, a location of stoplights, a timing of stoplights, a map of a roadway, a present angle of sunlight, a predicted angle of sunlight in said upcoming route segments, weather around said vehicle, a present wind direction, a predicted wind direction in said upcoming route segments, a present wind velocity, a predicted wind velocity in said upcoming route segments, a current temperature, a predicted temperature in said upcoming route segments, a current air pressure, a predicted air pressure in said upcoming route segments, a time of day, a date, a day of week, a visibility, present road conditions, predicted road conditions in said upcoming route segments, and a distance from other vehicles.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external information is acquired by measuring.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external information is detected from inputs.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external information is telemetry data received from a remote data source.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external information is derived from at least one of (i) other information and (ii) combinations of information and analysis logic.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle operational status information is selected from a group consisting of:

a current speed of said vehicle, a motor speed, a current orientation of said vehicle, an RPM of said motor of said vehicle, wheel rotations per minute, a battery state, a voltage of a battery, amp hours from said battery, a temperature of said battery, an age of said battery, a number of times said battery has charged and discharged, a tire pressure, a drag force due to rolling resistance of said vehicle, a weight of said vehicle, an amount of air going to an engine, an amount of gas going to said engine, and a weight of a driver.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said driver information is comprised of command inputs by said driver to said vehicle, said command inputs comprising at least one of acceleration applied by said driver, and braking applied by said driver.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said command inputs comprise inputs by said driver through a user interface element.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein said command inputs comprise driver behavior measurements acquired by said plurality of sensors.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein (i) said location information comprises a route segment from a series of route segments and (ii) a record in said database is associated with said route segment.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle operational status information includes (a) a tire pressure, (b) a drag force due to a rolling resistance of said vehicle, (c) a weight of said vehicle, (d) an amount of air going to an engine of said vehicle, (e) an amount of gas going to said engine and (f) a weight of said driver.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein (i) said external information includes a proximity to other vehicles in a direction of travel of said vehicle and (ii) a speed of said vehicle in said direction of travel is automatically adjusted based on said proximity to avoid a collision.

15. A vehicle telemetry device comprising:

a processor configured to execute control logic;

a memory coupled to said processor;

a communications element configured to communicate with a wireless communication network; and

a sensor interface configured to connect to a plurality of sensors within a vehicle, wherein (i) said control logic is configured to (a) acquire information from said sensor interface, (b) store said information in said memory, (c) communicate said information to a database external to said vehicle using said wireless communication network and (d) determine a route from a current location of said vehicle to a destination based on said information, (ii) said information is received from said plurality of sensors, (iii) said information is stored in said database as records associated with a driver identity, a date, a time and location information of said vehicle corresponding to when said information was acquired, (iv) said device is connected to a user interface unit configured to present messages to a driver based on processing of said information and (v) said information includes (a) a tire pressure, (b) a drag force due to a rolling resistance of said vehicle and (c) a weight of said vehicle.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein said information further includes (a) said destination explicitly provided by said driver, (b) a preferred speed, (c) a maximum and minimum range of speed adjustments, (d) a preferred route to said destination, (e) an amount of air going to an engine of said vehicle, (f) an amount of gas going to said engine and (g) a weight of said driver.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein said control logic is remotely updatable from a remote source.

18. A vehicle telemetry device comprising:

a processor configured to execute control logic;

a memory coupled to said processor;

a communications element configured to communicate with a wireless communication network; and

a sensor interface configured to connect to a plurality of sensors within a vehicle, wherein (i) said control logic is configured to (a) acquire information from said sensor interface, (b) store said information in said memory, (c) communicate said information to a database external to said vehicle using said wireless communication network and (d) determine a route from a current location of said vehicle to a destination based on said information, (ii) said information from said sensor interface comprises a combination of (a) driver identity information, (b) information from an environment external to said vehicle and (c) vehicle operational status information from said plurality of sensors, (iii) said information is stored in said database as records associated with said driver identity information, a date, a time and location information of said vehicle corresponding to when said information was acquired, (iv) said device is connected to a user interface unit that presents messages to a driver based on processing of said information, (v) said vehicle operational status information includes (a) an amount of air going to an engine of said vehicle, (b) an amount of gas going to said engine and (c) a weight of said driver.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein said information further includes (a) said destination explicitly provided by said driver, (b) a preferred speed, (c) a maximum and minimum range of speed adjustments, (d) a preferred route to said destination, (e) a tire pressure, (f) a drag force due to a rolling resistance of said vehicle and (g) a weight of said vehicle.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein said route minimizes an amount of gas consumed by said vehicle to reach said destination.