CA2055509A1 - Motor vehicle speed logger - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

An electronic computing apparatus which upon being installed in an motor vehicle, acquires and accumulates the velocity of the vehicle. This velocity data forms the vehicles' MAXIMUM SPEED HISTORY and would be used to prove maximum velocities the vehicle had attained. Upon request via a keyboard which is part of the apparatus, the velocity data may be printed to an attached paper printing device. (The appartus may become a legal measuring and storage device for motor vehicles.) The apparatus would be sealed against tampering.

Description

zc~ss~9 SPECIFICATION
This invention relales lo an eleclronic compulin~ appatalus for lhe use in a molor vehicle Ihal which records the vehicles` velocity Into eleclronlc memory.
The method of measuring a motor vehicles velocity~ is by ei~her a mechanical or electronic melhod and is displayed on an instrument commonly known as a spccdomeler. An associated ins~rument whlch permanen~ly measures and records lolal dislance Itavolled by Ihe vehicle is commonly known as an odomeler. The speedometer is merely an inslantaneous measuring inslrumenl and d<~es nol record any previous velocities which Ihe molor vehicle may have had allained. There comes siluallons where knowing Ihe hlslory of a molor vehicles velocities would become useful. One example is heing accused Ihat lhe molot vehicle in question had been movin~ at a particular velocity monitored by a police officers radar gun which may in fact be false. The police radar may have picked up anolher moving objecl or vehicle. The driwr of Ihe molor vehicb has no molhod or proving what velocity with wh~ch the motor vehicle was moving. Also if unmanned photo radar is used the vehicle in question does not have evidence at w~th what velocity the vehicle was moving at. The second example is a motor vehicle fleel ownet may experience significant motor vehicle fuel consumption but does not know at what velocities fleet drivers drive the vehicles at since driving faster increases fucl consumption. If the neet owner can attain knowledge of his fleet vehicles velocities then costs may be beller controlled and warn drivers to slow down.
A method which we found to solve this problem of not knowing the molor vehicles velocity hislory was to design an electronic apparalus which would sense and store electronically the velocities with which the molor vehicle is moving at. Upon installation of this apparatus it would continualb store the vehicles velocities and that the stored velocity history data would be available to be retrieved when it is deemed nesessary. This vehicle velocity information may now then prove the velocities with which the motor vehicb was moving at in tbe recent pasu The vehicle owner now has evidence lo prove otherwise what the police radar. police pace or photo radar had claimed.
The motor vehicle neet owner as well may now log his or her vehicles velocities along with distances travelled.
Itl the drawingwhich illustrates the embodiments of Ihe invention Figure I is a block diagtam of this embodiment.
The apparatus contains a microyrocessor the relaled software and n(M-volatile memory to which to store motor vehicle velosity data and a printing device to physically record vehicle velocity history when required. A keyboatd is used to enter the date and time of an event of which the vehicle velocities of a defined time proximity of the event are requested to be printed.
Asensing device of inductive or optical in nature instaUed in the veh~cle is used to translate Ihe rolational rate of the transmission output shaft or drive axle ioto an eleclrical signal. Most newer motor vehicles contain a speed sensor instaUed at the motor veh~cles manufacturing factory. This sensing device may be used by the motor vehicle manufacturer for the cruise control or anti-lock brakes or not used. Therefore this factory wouW be an ideal source for sensing vehicle velosity. If the vehicle is older and does not contain a factory SPEED SENSOR a sensing device would be externally mounted beside the drive axle of the vehicle with clearance to the rotating drive axle. A permanently magnedc device would be installed onto the drive axle that would activate the speed sensor upon each re~ olution.
The apparatus monitors the induced voltage potential produced from the speed sensor and filters it to obtain a stabb signal. The apparatus calculates velocity derived from the speed sensor by entering the frequency of its activation iDto an equation relevant for that type of vehicle. This speed is then saved into memory. Each vehicb typewould require individual calibration as to compensate for tire size and axle ratios.
A time~ut counter is started upon vehicle motion which is a pre-determined value (e.g. 30 seconds) and the maximum instantancous velocity atlained within that lime-out is stored in RAM (Random Access Memory).
Upon expiration of Ihis time-out the maximum velosity is stored into the uon-volatile static RAM and given a Real Time (the current date and time) stamp of that instant which is also stored. The time-out counter is then reset and the process continues again. The successive periods of vehicle velocities are stored in successive non-vohtile memory locations~ along with their individual Real Time stamp. Vehicle velocity data collection continues indefinitely once the device is installed in a vehicle.
The apparatus would store the vehicle velocity data for in a circular buffer rashion of a maximum pre-determined duration of time (e.g. 2 weeks I month or several months). The circular bu~fer simply implies that the current velocity data is kept at the end of the non-volatib memQq and keeps a history of past velocities. As new velocity data is stored it is written over ~he oldest data in the non-volatile memory. The duration of retaining the acquired speed data would be restricted by the amount of available memory cost of Ihe device and algorilhm used to store the speed data.

~;5S09 When the veloci~ies of an even~ ate desired ~o ho rclr~eved onlo a prlnl~n6 devh:c the dale and llme of lhe cvent is en~ercd in~o ~he keyboard. and the memory is lhen s~lrched for lhc approprlale da~a. If Ihc dl~a is no~ round for ~hal lime even~ an error is indicalcd requesling lor corrccl inl~rmaîlon. Once Ihe veloclly dalu is found il is primed onlo ~he altached prln~lng devlcc~ accompanied by lhe dale and llme of ~hal evcnt. Includcd in the prin~out are speeds of a pre-determined lime before ~he evcnl and ~he speeds of a prc-dc~crmined ~ime af~er lhc evenl (e~g~ lS minu~es before and IS mlnu~es aher lhe even~ ~herefore a ~o~al of 30 minu~e proximily of lhC evenl).
This ~ime span of the vehicles speed would allow ror any discrepancy of lime difference bc~wccn ~he recorded speed da~a and whom is questioning it~ This veloci~y data printout would serve as evidence ~o any queslioned vchicle velocities~ Tbe veloc~ty data may also be transferred to a secured non-volatib mcmory devicc such as a memory card to be used as evidence and that lhe stored velocity data bc prlnted or displaycd cxternal ~o thc motor vehicle at an official loca~iom The current time and date are obtained from a Real Time Clock embeddcd as parl of the non-volalile slalic RAM
device which is also used lo Slore lhe vehicle veloci~y da~a~
Each apparatus when installed in a motor vehicle would have its own distinct serial numben This serial number along with the vehicle scrlal number wouîd be printcd onto the printing devicc when the velocities of the motor vebicle are requcstcd.
Tbe printing device would be thermal in nature using thermal paper and would therefore alleviate any nced for printer ink ribbons.

Claims (3)

1. An electronic apparatus installed in the motor vehicle, to sense and continually record the velocity of a motor vehicle.

2. An electronic apparatus which will print, display, and/or transfer to a secured memory device, the recorded vehicle speed information, of the motor vehicle in which the apparatus is installed.

3. An electronic apparatus which records vehicle velocity and stores this velocity data along with a real-time stamp into non-volatile electronic memory.