DE102014224447A1 - Electronic system for installation in a motor vehicle and method for data processing for a motor vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic system for analyzing the driving behavior / maintenance of a motor vehicle from current or previous owners. The electronic system receives information from electronic sensors scattered in a vehicle and calculates the obtained information, as a result of which a quality grade of the car's handling / maintenance performance is revealed by its current / previous owners. The grade - an optical signal - is displayed on a dial and its purpose is to determine how much stress and wear the vehicle under analysis has experienced while in the hands of its current / previous owners. This information, in turn, serves the interest of potential buyers of the vehicle who, assisted by the optical signal, can determine the true value of an automobile based on the current wear experienced by the vehicle.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electronic system and a method of data processing for analyzing and classifying the driveability profile of a given motor vehicle, such as an automobile, a motorcycle, a light, medium and heavy commercial vehicle, a bus or any other Vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicle display assemblies typically display information to occupants of passenger or commercial vehicles on one or more display surfaces. Such a vehicle display is an instrument panel having a fuel gauge and / or other instrumentation to indicate to the vehicle occupant important information and values, such as weather conditions, time, or oil levels. Conventional instrument cluster assemblies typically include a housing and a display surface. Typically, one or more light sources are mounted to illuminate the display surface within the housing for visibility of the vehicle occupants.

Today, some objective information is available when a buyer wants to buy a used car. In particular, for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles, this information is the vehicle model, the year of construction, important variants and the displayed mileage. On the basis of these first four pieces of information, the buyer can consult special catalogs which determine the market value of the vehicle which he or she wishes to buy. A good example of a special catalog in the automotive sector is the Kelley Blue Book Value (for example Kelley Blue Book Used Car Guide: Consumer Edition October-December 2014. Ed. Kelley Blue Book Editorial Staff. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc., October 7, 2014 ), which is often used to support purchases made in that country.

Based on the fourth objective piece of information, the vehicle mileage, a buyer can get an idea of the wear experienced by the vehicle during its use. Theoretically, a below-average mileage suggests a greater sales value than in the tables of the Kelley Blue Book; On the other hand, an above-average mileage indicative of a vehicle with more signs of wear (for example, mechanical problems will be more likely) causes a lower sales value than the value set in said table.

However, the mileage displayed on a vehicle odometer merely gives an incomplete picture of how much wear a vehicle has suffered during its use.

A vehicle that has been poorly maintained, poorly maintained (for example, without proper preventative maintenance) and exposed to harmful environmental conditions (pollution, bad fuel, extreme temperatures, etc.) wears faster than a vehicle that has been carefully driven, well maintained, and environmental conditions which are less likely to contribute to its decline.

In this regard, it is well known that, for example, police vehicles, ambulances and school buses which are exposed to harsh driving conditions are typically sold at lower prices than vehicles of the same model, optional features, year of construction and mileage since the buyer is aware of these particular cases in that the desired vehicle was exposed to a significantly higher degree of load / driven kilometers than a comparison vehicle in the market.

In any case, when buying an ordinary used vehicle, the customer does not have an objective parameter at hand indicating the quality of how the vehicle was driven in use.

With today's purchase of a used vehicle, the buyer only has tips and confidence in the seller's good faith regarding the grade of drivability / maintenance of a given vehicle.

Some examples in the prior art are directed to examining the driving profile of some drivers, but without incorporating the wear they impose on their respective vehicles.

For example, US Patent Application US 2012/0109418 discloses a system for identifying a driving profile which is adapted to serve the interests of employers, fleet managers, car insurance employees and the like.

This documentation system processes data such as, inter alia: approaching the vehicle to external objects during vehicle transportation; Acceleration; deceleration; and fuel consumption. On the basis of this Information determines the system, whether a driver has driven a vehicle responsibly or irresponsibly. This type of information may be useful to an employer, an insurance company, or a car rental company, but it is irrelevant to a potential car buyer. Because the system disclosed in this prior art aims to calculate the collision risk of a car and not the degree of wear imposed on the car by its driver.

The US patent US 8,352,118 discloses tasks and techniques similar to the tasks of the document US 2012/0109418 , In any case, the document is concerned US 8,352,118 Rather with the provision of information to statutory authorities, parents of young people who own vehicles, and other interested parties, with the intention of determining whether the driver of a vehicle normally disregards traffic rules or his or her own life and the lives of inmates take great risks exposes.

The US patent US 8,352,118 achieves its objectives through procedures such as: synchronization of a GPS system; a database that limits the speed and speedometer of a vehicle; a camera configured to detect the behavior of the driver during the shifting of the vehicle; and an electronic system linking the collected data to capture careless maneuvers.

That's why it's in the US patent US 8,352,118 The technology shown, as well as US Patent Application US 2012/0109418, is inappropriate to provide relevant information to a potential vehicle purchaser.

To overcome these disadvantages, the present invention seeks to provide a prior art solution that provides a method for identifying the level of stress imposed on a vehicle by its previous owners due to faulty driving or vehicle maintenance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and efficient system for providing load level information to a potential purchaser of a used motor vehicle, such as an automobile, motorcycle, light, medium or heavy commercial vehicle or bus this vehicle was imposed by its previous owners.

The object of the invention is also a simple and efficient method for analyzing the load level imposed on a vehicle due to improper handling by its previous owners.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by an electronic system installed in a motor vehicle, the system including a calculation algorithm associated with one or more electronic sensors and at least one dial installed in the motor vehicle.

The calculation algorithm is included in a control unit configured to receive input information from the electronic sensors and configured to process information from the electronic sensors, thereby obtaining an electronic signal corresponding to the driveability / maintenance quality of the motor vehicle , and to transmit the electronic signal to the dial. The dial is adapted, after receiving the electronic signal, to display an optical signal comprised between a range of at least three qualitative values, namely a regular value, a maximum value and a minimum value for the driveability / maintenance quality of the motor vehicle.

The objects of the present invention are also achieved by a method of processing data to display an overall average relating to the handling and maintenance performance of the motor vehicle, which includes receiving input from electronic sensors; processing the information obtained in the preceding step and generating an electronic signal as a result; and decoding the electronic signal and displaying an optical signal on the dial as a final result corresponding to the driveability / maintenance quality of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a front view of a first vehicle digit sheet in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein an optical signal is displayed, indicating the driving performance / maintenance of a motor vehicle;

2 shows a front view of a second vehicle digit sheet in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein an optical signal is displayed, indicating the performance / maintenance of a motor vehicle;

3 FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic system according to the present invention; FIG.

4 shows a front view of a vehicle dashboard, which includes a dial of the present invention in a further embodiment according to the present invention; and

5 shows a front view of a vehicle digit sheet in a second alternative embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the application or uses thereof.

Referring generally to 1 to 5 For example, the present invention includes an electronic system installed in a motor vehicle (such as an automobile, a motorcycle, a light, medium, or heavy commercial vehicle, a bus, a tractor, or agricultural machines) that includes a control unit 12 comprising a predetermined calculation algorithm (see 3 ) and operable with a variety of electronic sensors 14 and at least one dial 16 is coupled.

The control unit 12 is an electronic control unit (ECU) as provided by an instrument cluster of a motor vehicle, but alternative ECUs are also contemplated. At any time, precise information about the condition of the vehicle is displayed. The ECU, for example the instrument cluster, receives several parameters from the vehicle sensors and their algorithm processes the information to calculate a result or value, also referred to herein as a "car care index". The car care index (or "CCI") is an average of vehicle handling / care / maintenance over the life of the vehicle. Preferably, such a value is in the range between 1 and 10, indicating the level of treatment with which the user considered the particular vehicle, with 10 being the highest and best level of treatment. This is a significant advantage over an odometer value, as the car care index more fully indicates the level of treatment that the car has experienced during its lifetime. Conversely, odometer readings require extrapolating from this single data point and visual assessments, or more specifically, guessing which drivability / care / maintenance quality the vehicle may or may not have received. It is also known that visual assessments can fail, as has been widely reported, for example, in connection with fraudulent used vehicle sales of damaged vehicles that looked visually acceptable but were in fact partially or wholly submerged in flood water, which the buyer was not aware of.

In the ECU, z. Built-in CCI is much more precise, capable of accessing parameters not externally available to the instrument cluster, and is usable and follows the same standards for all makes, validation tests and overall quality, while also allowing for the correct comparison between different vehicles becomes.

The instrument cluster is one of the main ECUs in a vehicle and is operable with the plurality of electronic sensors 14 and optionally additionally coupled to at least one other module via hard-wired connections, controller area network (CAN bus), local interconnect network (LIN bus), and the like. The various parameters available in the vehicle are also operatively available to the instrument cluster, and its car care index algorithm uses these parameters in the conversion of data into a value indicative of vehicle handling over its lifetime. The CCI is storable in the memory of the instrument cluster and / or in any other existing module connected to the vehicle network, for example in a permanent memory 13 , Preferably, the CCI is stored in multiple locations to avoid intentional and unauthorized manipulation or corruption of the information, thereby providing a further significant advantage. Furthermore, previous CCI values are stored. This has the further significant advantage of generating additional information for consideration, such as temporal "snapshots" using these previous CCI values.

Some exemplary predetermined parameters or data used for the CCI include engine speed, engine temperature, vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, fuel consumption, braking usage, number of engine occasions per day, regular maintenance by an authorized dealer, odometer, time and any other desired parameter.

The predetermined parameters must be normalized to become a standard value suitable for use with all types of automobiles, for example buses, motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, regardless of engine sizes / types, fuel types and other variables between motor vehicles. There are several vehicle models / types on the market with different engine sizes and configurations etc. In order to make the CCI value comparable between the models / types, the parameters must be normalized, in other words, adjusted to the same scale.

The electronic sensors 14 perform the function of data collection for operation, driveability, maintenance of a vehicle and the surrounding environment throughout its useful lifetime, starting at a dealer as a new vehicle.

By way of non-limiting example, the electronic sensors are 14 designed as a potentiometer, microswitch sensors, temperature sensors and liquid level sensors. It should be noted that, to the appearance of the sensors 14 to allow in the figures a symbol which is commonly used to represent a potentiometer; however, a potentiometer is not the only type of electronic sensor that can be used in the present invention. These electronic sensors 14 are positioned in strategic areas of the vehicle with a view to gathering data which together or individually indicate the driving behavior / maintenance of the vehicle.

Preferably, but not in a limiting sense, these sensors are available 14 with a crankshaft speedometer 1 (Speed sensor), a thermometer, which directly with the engine coolant of the vehicle 2 connected to a speedometer 3 , an accelerator pedal 4 , a fuel gauge 5 , a brake activation 6 , a motor starter 7 , an electronic preventive maintenance register for an authorized dealer 8th , an odometer 9 and a digital clock 10 in conjunction.

To link data obtained via sensors like these, the algorithm can 12 detect inappropriate handling / maintenance activities, including, but not limited to: increased crankshaft torque after starting the vehicle, with the engine being exposed to low temperatures; Stalling due to low speeds; Overloading of the engine by high speeds for extended periods of time; Accumulation of fuel clogging in the fuel tank for extended periods of non-compliance with preventive maintenance by authorized dealers; increased and abrupt braking; simultaneous use of brake and accelerator pedal; and overloading of the engine at high temperatures.

By increasing the number of some alternative electronic sensors, it is possible to identify other inadequate vehicle handling / maintenance activities that reduce the life of the vehicle. Examples of alternative electronic sensors 14 are: sensors for checking the viscosity of the lubricating oil from the crankcase; Tire pressure; Activity of the suspension; Outside temperature; Use of the coupling; and sensors for air pollution and fuel quality.

After collecting and sorting out the data obtained via the electronic sensors, the algorithm sends 12 an electronic signal 15 , which corresponds to the driving / maintenance quality of the vehicle, to the above dial 16 , The dial 16 , which is operatively installed in the vehicle, shows after receiving the electronic signal 15 as output an optical signal 17 , which falls within a range of at least three qualitative values, namely a regular value, a maximum value and a minimum value for the driveability / maintenance quality of the vehicle.

In a preferred configuration, the electronic system of this invention includes means to prevent corruption of the data by the vehicle owner. Thus, unlike conventional odometer, the electronic system can not be easily reset or set to zero, making it extremely difficult to corrupt the data obtained. The system also includes redundancies such as persistent storage 13 for saving indefinitely since the last update, which is on the dial 16 is shown.

The electronic system of the present invention preferably includes a fraud protection system which, similar to modern odometer, has means for communicating with the vehicle's center module. Through these means of communicating, the system constantly updates grade changes made on the dial 16 appears, saves a copy (backup copy) of this grade in the central module of the vehicle and also makes it more difficult to Degree of sabotage given by the electronic system.

The preferred indication of the degree of grade for the driving / maintenance of the vehicle is in the 1 and 2 shown. In this preferred display, a number greater than or equal to 0.0 and less than or equal to 10.0 is in Arabic numerals as an optical signal 17 shown (10.0 is the highest grade, that is the grade of a new car). This optical signal 17 is on a dial 16 displayed, which consists of a digital liquid crystal structure and which in addition to the optical signal 17 also displays data such as the local time, the distance traveled and the mileage of the vehicle.

Other alternative forms (not limiting) for indicating the driveability / maintenance level of the vehicle are described in U.S. Pat 4 and 5 shown. 4 shows an electronic dashboard 20 , which with a dial 16 equipped with a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) or the like aligned in a horizontal arrangement; the LED further to the left of the dial corresponds to the vehicle's worst handling / maintenance grade and the opposite LED to the right of the dial 16 indicates the best performance grade of the vehicle. In this specific example, only one LED is illuminated when the vehicle's ignition switch is activated. On this dial 16 the said luminous LED corresponds to the optical signal 17 ,

As an alternative to the configuration described above, in which the LEDs are horizontally aligned, the LEDs may be vertically aligned, with the lowest LED in the row indicating the lowest possible drivability / maintenance grade of the vehicle being inspected.

Another alternative form of indicating the vehicle's handling / maintenance grade is the shape displayed on the dial 16 of the 5 is shown. In this configuration, the optical signal exists 17 from the letter "A", which is to the right of the one on the dial 16 displayed mileage is placed.

In this second alternative form for indicating the vehicle handling / maintenance grade, the available range of grades runs from the letter "A" (highest grade) to the letter "F" (lowest grade), over the letters "B", " C "," D "and" E "in progress. Alternatively, the same area may have fewer or more letters because the letter "A" indicates the best possible vehicle handling / maintenance grade and all letters in that area have been lined up according to the Roman alphabet.

It should be noted that in the 1 . 2 . 4 and 5 the abbreviation "CCI" on the dials 16 is shown. As already stated, CCI is the abbreviation for car care index. This abbreviation was created while the present invention was developed to provide the optical signal 17 to accompany and thus establish a recognizable pattern of a quality index. In the preferred configuration of the present invention, after having found the abbreviation CCI on a car dial, the knowledgeable buyer will know that the number that accompanies that abbreviation and is immediately adjacent to these three initials is the driveability / maintenance grade of the particular one examined vehicle relates.

The importance of the CCI would be particularly high during the period in which a used car is sold / purchased in order to define maintenance periods or to obtain discounts from insurances in the insurance of the vehicle. Furthermore, naturally, the quantity of good and responsible drivers will increase, which will have an impact on overall traffic safety.

The methods of display shown in the figures and described herein are examples of embodiments of the present invention. Based on the present teaching, it is possible to design innumerable embodiments of the present invention, which are not exact copies of the examples shown herein, but nonetheless are protected from the scope of the present invention.

In addition to the electronic system described above, the present invention also includes, within the scope of protection, a method of data processing for automobiles comprising the following steps: First Step 31 : Getting input information from electronic sensors 14 ; Second step 32 : Processing the information obtained in the previous step, wherein an electronic signal 15 is generated as a result; Third step 33 : Decoding the electronic signal 15 , where an optical signal 17 as the final result on the dial 16 is displayed, which corresponds to the driving behavior / maintenance quality of the vehicle.

The description of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations which do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such changes are not regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 8352118 [0013, 0013, 0014, 0015]
• US 2012/0109418 [0013]

Cited non-patent literature

• Kelley Blue Book Used Car Guide: Consumer Edition October-December 2014. Ed. Kelley Blue Book Editorial Staff. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc., October 7, 2014 [0003]

Claims (20)

Electronic system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a control unit operatively coupled to a plurality of electronic sensors operable to collect predetermined data of the motor vehicle and to generate signals representative of the predetermined data, the control unit being provided with a predetermined algorithm which generates the data an electronic signal representing a value based on the predetermined data received from the plurality of electronic sensors, the electronic signal being decodable into an optical signal; at least one dial having at least one optical display, the dial being operable to display the optical signal; and at least one light source adjacent to the optical display and operably positioned to selectively illuminate at least a portion and / or surface of the optical display to display the optical signal corresponding to a ride quality and / or maintenance quality of the motor vehicle. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the dial receives the electronic signal and, upon receiving the electronic signal as output, displays the optical signal falling within a range of at least three qualitative values. Electronic system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least three qualitative values comprise a regular value, a maximum value and a minimum value of the drivability / maintenance quality of the motor vehicle. An electronic display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dial receives the electronic signal and, upon receiving the electronic signal as output, displays the optical signal which is a single numerical value and additionally as output another optical signal in a range of at least three qualitative values shows. An electronic display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dial receives the electronic signal and, upon receiving the electronic signal as output, displays the optical signal which is a single numerical value and / or a single letter. An electronic display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is an instrument cluster operably coupled to said plurality of sensors and optionally to at least one module via hardwired connections, CAN bus and / or LIN bus. The electronic display system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic system further includes a permanent electronic memory configured to store the electronic signal last sent to the dial for a predetermined duration. An electronic display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic system further includes a permanent electronic memory adapted to receive the electronic signal last sent to the dial as well as any previous values indicative of past driveability / maintenance performance Motor vehicle correspond to store for an indefinite period. Electronic system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined data are normalized such that the data are adapted to the same predetermined scale so that the value is comparable between vehicle models. Electronic system which is installed in a motor vehicle and which comprises: a control unit formed with a calculation algorithm, the control unit operably coupled to one or more electronic sensors and to at least one dial, the calculation algorithm operably configured to receive input information from the electronic sensors, the input information from the electronic sensors to process to obtain an electronic signal which corresponds to the drivability / maintenance of the motor vehicle, and to transmit the electronic signal to the dial; the dial being operable to indicate, upon receipt of the electronic signal, an optical signal comprising a range of at least three qualitative values and / or a numerical value, a regular value, a maximum value and a minimum value of the drivability / maintenance quality the vehicle are reflected. The electronic system of claim 10, wherein the dial is adapted to display as an optical signal an Arabic number consisting of three digits, the three digits comprising a decimal digit and two digits to the left of the decimal point, the Arabic numeral being from zero runs to 10, where "10.0" is the value which indicates the highest drivability / maintenance quality of the vehicle, and "0.00" is the value corresponding to the lowest drivability / maintenance quality of the vehicle. An electronic system according to any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein the dial is adapted to display as an optical signal an Arabic number consisting of two non-decimal digits, the Arabic number being between 0 and 10, with "10" being the highest drivability - / Maintenance quality of the vehicle indicates and "0" corresponds to the lowest performance / maintenance of the vehicle. The electronic system according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the dial is adapted to display a letter as an optical signal including a limited sequential range of letters of the Roman alphabet, the letter "A" representing the highest grade of drivability / maintenance quality of the alphabet Vehicle corresponds and the last letter in this area is the lowest grade of drivability / maintenance quality. The electronic system of any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the dial further includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) aligned in a horizontal arrangement, the dial, when activated, showing only one lit LED, which is lit. LED includes the optical signal corresponding to the drivability / maintenance quality of the motor vehicle such that the LED further from the side surface of the vehicle represents the lowest grade of drivability / maintenance quality and the LED at the opposite end represents the highest grade. The electronic system of any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the dial comprises a plurality of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) aligned in a vertical arrangement, the dial, when activated, showing only one lit LED, said one luminous LED comprises the visual signal corresponding to the drivability / maintenance quality of the motor vehicle such that the LED closer to the floor of the vehicle represents the lowest grade of drivability / quality of the said vehicle and the LED at the opposite end the highest grade represents. The electronic system of any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the electronic sensors are each connected to a crankshaft speed meter, a thermometer directly connected to the engine coolant of the vehicle, a tachometer, an accelerator pedal, a fuel gauge, brake activation, an engine starter, an electronic register for preventive maintenance at an authorized dealer, an odometer and / or a digital clock. The electronic system of any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the electronic system further includes a permanent electronic memory configured to store the electronic signal last sent to the dial for an indefinite time. The electronic system of any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the electronic system further comprises an anti-fraud system. An electronic system according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein an anti-fraud system includes means for communicating with the central module of the vehicle, said means for communicating being often for the electronic signal sent last to the dial, in the electronic register to update the central module of the vehicle. A method for obtaining and displaying an overall average vehicle behavior / maintenance performance comprising the steps of: Providing a control unit operably coupled to a plurality of electronic sensors operable to collect predetermined data of the motor vehicle and to generate signals representing the predetermined data, the control unit being provided with a predetermined algorithm operable is to control the generation of an electrical signal based on the predetermined data received from the plurality of electronic sensors, wherein the electronic signal is decodable into an optical signal; Providing at least one dial operable to display the optical signal; Receiving input information from the electronic sensors in a first step; Processing the information obtained in the first step and generating the electronic signal as a result in a second step; and Decoding the electronic signal and displaying the optical signal corresponding to the drivability / maintenance quality of the vehicle as a final result on the dial in a third step.

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