AU772022B2

AU772022B2 - Vehicle speed monitoring

Info

Publication number: AU772022B2
Application number: AU72463/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Paul Amigo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-12-23
Filing date: 2000-12-21
Publication date: 2004-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-21
Also published as: AU7246300A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): PAUL AMIGO Invention Title: VEHICLE SPEED MONITORING The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 VEHICLE SPEED MONITORING FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a system that provides for the speed monitoring of a road vehicle and which provides also for the extraction at selected times of historical information relating to the performance of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various systems have been developed for regulating and/or monitoring the speed of vehicles. Governors have been installed in vehicles, usually heavy transport vehicles, for limiting the maximum speed at which the vehicles may travel. However, the governors must be set to the maximum permissible speed applicable to highway conditions and they cannot always be used to govern excess speeding in off-highway regions in which lower speed limits apply, even when the governors integrate both road speed and engine speed.

20 As a development of speed governing approaches, it is understood that a system has been proposed in which regionally located transmitters will provide control signals that represent the maximum allowable road speed in the respective regions. The proposed system further contemplates that vehicles will be equipped in their engine management systems with receivers that will function to detect the control signals and, using the engine management systems, regulate the speed of the vehicles with reference to information encoded in the 30 control signals. However, it is thought that, even if this approach should prove to be economically feasible, ooooo which is most unlikely, it could have dire consequences if a vehicle were to progress unexpectedly from one controlled region to another without the driver having control over the vehicle performance.

At a much simpler level, many modern road vehicles incorporate an overspeed alarm system that may be actuated Speci\40682 3 to provide an audible warning in the event that the vehicle is driven above a driver-selected speed. However, this system relies solely upon responsible behaviour of the driver and it does not establish a potential for any penalty in the event that speed restrictions are not observed.

In short, no existing system has been developed or proposed that takes into account the frequently conflicting aspects of economics, practical driving circumstances and driver behaviour.

Drivers may be categorised broadly as falling within one of four groups: i. Those who are excessively cautious and who regularly drive at dangerously slow speeds.

2. Those who behave consistently in an acceptable way and who normally drive at speeds that are within 10% of designated speeds in speed limited regions.

3. Those who are relatively cautious and who, depending upon traffic conditions, normally drive at speeds within 20 the range 10% to 30% of designated speeds.

4. Those who are unmindful of their social responsibilities and who drive in a manner that shows total disregard for legal and other constraints.

The present invention is directed to a selfregulating speed monitoring system that accommodates all of the above driver types by providing driver warning signals and, also, that provides automatically for the penalising of drivers who flout legal restrictions.

30 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Broadly defined, the present invention provides a oooo S•vehicle speed monitoring system which comprises: a data processor, means for periodically entering into the processor a first input signal that is representative of regional speed restrictions, means for entering into the processor a second Speci\40682 4 signal that is representative of the instantaneous value of actual vehicle speed, means associated with the processor for generating an output signal in the event that the actual vehicle speed as represented by the second input signal exceeds the prevailing regional speed restriction as represented by the first input signal, means arranged to receive the output signal and to provide a visual display and/or audible alarm that is representative of the output signal, means for storing in the processor data that represents an historical record of the actual vehicle speed during a predetermined time period, and means permitting accessing of the data that is representative of the historical record.

In operation of the above defined system the first 20 signal will be entered at a level appropriate to the speed restrictions in a given region and, consequently, as the vehicle moves from one region to another. Also, the second signal, which corresponds with that which normally is delivered to the vehicle's speedometer, is entered automatically with movement of the vehicle. Then, in the event that the vehicle speed exceeds the allowable regional speed, as input by the first signal, a warning signal will be generated for the driver's attention.

Also, and this is a point of distinction from known prior 9*e9o* 30 art systems, the historical record of the actual speed of the vehicle is stored for a predetermined period of time and data that is representative of the historical record S"is accessible for evaluation for policing purposes. The historical record data may be accessed by policing authorities at random times, when the driver is stopped for committing a traffic infringement, during breath testing or in the event of an accident. Penalties may be Speci\40682 5 imposed to reflect breaches of required speed limits, and the penalties may be imposed as fines, as restrictions on licence usage and/or as insurance policy influencing factors.

Thus, the present invention provides for selfregulation but with provision being made also for the imposition of penalties if recorded data indicates the absence of self-regulation.

PREFERRED FEATURES OF THE INVENTION In order to facilitate accessing of historical data from the above defined system, the present invention also provides a recording device for use in accessing and producing a print-out of the historical data. The recording device would normally be retained by policing authorities and be used randomly for accessing information from various vehicles.

The first input signal preferably will be entered by the vehicle driver using an input device.

20 The input device for generating the first signal preferably comprises a keypad that is conveniently mounted to a console or panel of the vehicle. The keypad .preferably includes a cluster of push-button type keys that are individually marked with appropriate regional speed limits, for example with the numerals 40, 50, 100 and 110. With this arrangement, the driver of a vehicle that enters a region with upper speed limit of kilometres per hour would depress the keypad showing the numeral 30 The means for receiving the output signal from the processor preferably comprises a group of three lamps S"which are arranged to be illuminated progressively when S"the vehicle's speed is recorded as occurring at the speed limit applicable to a region through which the vehicle is passing and, thereafter, when the speed is recorded as occurring up to the levels of 5 kilometres per hour and kilometres per hour over the speed limit that is Speci\40682 6 applicable to a region through which the vehicle is passing. An audible alarm preferably also is provided and is arranged to be actuated if the allowable regional speed is exceeded by 10 kilometres per hour.

The predetermined period over which the historical record of the actual vehicle speed is stored preferably is an interval in the order of five minutes. Also updating of the stored data preferably is effected at intervals. Thus, an historical record of the speed at which the vehicle has been driven for the preceding five minutes may be accessed at any time by use of the recording device.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention. The description is provided with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a 20 preferred form of the vehicle speed monitoring system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION S. As illustrated in Figure 1, the vehicle speed monitoring system comprises an electronic processor that is arranged to receive a first input signal that is representative of a regional speed restriction. The input signal is derived from a keypad 11 and the signal will be varied in accordance with whichever push-button 12 is selected and pressed by a driver of a vehicle in which the 30 system is installed. The respective push-buttons 12 carry numerals which represent the maximum allowable speeds in regions through which the vehicle is likely to pass, and a S"selected one of the push-buttons will be depressed by the driver as the vehicle enters a given region.

The processor 10 is also arranged to receive a second input signal that is representative of instantaneous speed of the vehicle and which is derived from a sensor 13 which Speci\40682 7 is associated with the vehicle gear box 14. The same signal is also conveyed to the vehicle's speedometer 15 in the usual way.

An output signal from the processor 10 is delivered to a buffer circuit 16 and, depending upon the level of the output signal, to one of three indicator lamps 17.

The processor 10 is arranged to provide an output signal which serves to cause illumination of a first of the lamps 17 in circumstances when the value of the vehicle speed input signal is equal in magnitude to the value of the input signal from the keypad. Thereafter, the system provides for illumination of the second and third indicator lamps when the instantaneous speed of the vehicle exceeds the allowed regional speed, as input from the keypad 11, by an amount up to 5 kilometres per hour and, at the final level, by an amount up to 10 kilometres per hour or more.

A further output signal from the processor 10 is employed to drive an alarm 18 by way of a buffer stage 19.

20 An audible signal is provided by the alarm in the event that the output signal from the processor 10 indicates an :i instantaneous vehicle speed which exceeds the regional speed (as entered from the keypad) at a level in the order of 10 kilometres per hour.

The processor 10 includes a memory circuit (not shown) for storing data that represents an historical record of the actual vehicle speed during the preceding five minutes. The memory circuit is arranged to increment at 30-second intervals and, so, contain a five-minute S 30 record of the vehicle's past performance.

A recording device 20, that incorporates a plug-in S"connector 21, is provided and is normally held by policing S"authorities for interrogating the processor memory and for providing a print-out that reflects the five-minute historical record of the vehicle's speed. In addition to providing the data that represents the historical record of the vehicle's speed, the processor 10 may also be Speci\40682 8 arranged to provide to the recording device 20 data that is relevant to: registration particulars of the vehicle, the last entered regional speed restriction, the current date and time of day, and such other information as may be of interest to policing authorities.

The print-out may also provide space and facilities for the entering of other relevant information that the policing authorities may wish to enter at the time of obtaining the print-out.

Variations and modifications may be made in respect of the invention as above described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

**o Speci\40682

Claims

2. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first input signal is entered from an input device which is arranged to be actuated by a driver of the vehicle. 30 3. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the input device comprises a keypad that ooooo is arranged to be mounted within the driving compartment S"of the vehicle.
4. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the keypad includes a cluster of push- button type keys that are individually marked with indicia that is significant of regional speed limits. Speci\40682 10 The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the second input signal is derived from a sensor associated with the vehicle gear box.
6. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the means for receiving the output signal from the processor comprises a visual display device.
7. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the display device comprises a group of lamps which are arranged to be illuminated progressively when the vehicle's speed is recorded as occurring at predetermined levels above the speed limit that is applicable to a region through which the vehicle is at a relevant time passing.
8. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the predetermined period over which the historical record of the actual vehicle speed is stored is an interval in the order of 20 five minutes.
9. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the processor is arranged to effect updating of the stored data at 30-second intervals. 0. The vehicle speed monitoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and further including a separate recording device for use in accessing and producing a print-out of the historical data.
11. The vehicle speed monitoring system substantially as shown in the accompanying drawing and substantially as 30 hereinbefore described with reference thereto. .oooo: DATED this 2 0 th day of DECEMBER 2000 S"PAUL AMIGO By his Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Speci\40682