GB2317956A

GB2317956A - Separate recording of distance travelled for different vehicle uses

Info

Publication number: GB2317956A
Application number: GB9620855A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Michael Hoyland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-10-07
Filing date: 1996-10-07
Publication date: 1998-04-08
Also published as: ID17479A; GB9620855D0

Abstract

A vehicle has two odometer displays (1,2), a driving gear (3) driven from the vehicle wheels (not shown), and a selection gear (5) for selectively connecting the driving gear (3) to one or other of the displays (1,2), so that distances travelled by the vehicle for different purposes (eg business or pleasure) may be recorded separately. A visible and/or audible alarm warns of the need to select: the ignition circuit may be disabled. The selection gear (5) may be lockable. The two displays (1,2) may be in a single instrument (eg a speedometer) or separate.

Description

VEHICLE ODOMETERS Motor vehicles are commonly used from time to time for different purposes and it maybe necessary to record the distance travelled on each purpose. For example a car owner may on some occasions use his car for business purposes and on other occasions use it for social, domestic or pleasure purposes. In order to claim expenses from his employer or work out the cost of travel for his business he needs a record and if he wishes to claim the cost of business travel against bis tax it is a legal requirement to keep a record. Most vehicles are 21 with a odometer (or odometer) which gives a visible display of the total distance travelled by the vehicle and many of such odometers include a second display, commonly called a "trip" display which can be reset by tbe user so as to record the distance travelled on a particular journey. Drivers can keep records from such a odometer but as soon as the vehicle moves again the reading or readings will change so there is no permanem record of a particular journey. Whilst some drivers keep careful notes of the readings, others are known to make notes on scraps of paper which later get lost.

According to this invention a vehicle includes two odometer displays, driving means arranged to cause either of them to record cumulatively distances travelled by the vehicle and selection means for connecting the driving means selectively to one or the other of the odometer displays.

With this arrangement, a first of the odometer displays can be reserved for joumqrs for one purpose, for example business travel, and the second can be used for all other purposes. The vehicle driver has only to select the appropriate connection of the driving means before commencing a journey and will then be able to lead off at any time the total distance travelled by the vehicle for the selected purposes.

Preferably the vehicle includes visible and/or audibie alarm means actuated by some necessary action of a driver about to commence a journey to remind the driver to select the correct connection of the driving means. The alarm means may include means to disable the vehicle until a selection has been made. It may, for example, be linked to the ignition circuit in a petrolengined vehicle.

The selection means may be lockable to prevent unautòori d disconnection of the driving means from one or other of the odometer displays.

The two odometer displays may be in a single instrument or there may be two separate instruments.

The invention includes an odometer for fitting in a vehicle, the odometer having two display means, driving means for connection to a part of the vehicle which rotates in a fixed relationship with the rotation of the ground wheels of the vehicle and selection means for connecting the driving means selectively to one or the other of the display means.

The odometer may include the usual cumulative display of the total distance travelled by the vehicle on all journeys and a trip display. It may include more than two displays to which the driving means can selectively be connected. There may be a resettable trip display driven in synchronism with each of the two or more delectable cumulative displays.

The driving means may in known manner be mechanical or eleR c, for example a rotatable flexible shaft connected to an element of the vehicle power train or an decuromagnetic sender unit located close to a rotatable magnet secured to a wheel axle. Such driving means and odometers utilising them are well known and the technology need not be explained here. The selection means may be a simple anangement oi ear when the driving means is mechanical or may be an electric switching circuit when elec(romqntic driving means is used.

When musing a vehicle including an odometer as described a driver will have at any time a cumulative display of the miles or kilometres travelled by the vehicle whilst the driving means was connected to the respective displays. If the displays have been utilized, for example, for business and private use, the driver will have a record which may be presented to authenticate a claim for expenses or a tax claim related to business use of the vehicle. Technology exists to enable the odometer to produce printed records of journeys.

Vehicle sharing has been proposed as a means of reducing road congestion. With an odometer according to the invention in a shared vehicle, each owner or driver may select one display and have a key to lock the selection means so that his own use of the vehicle is recorded separately from use by any other owner or driver.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example by the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a front view of the display face of a vehicle odometer, Figure 2 is a diagrammatic sketch showing selection means for connecting driving means in the odometer selectively to one or other of the odometer displays, and Figure 3 is a front vtew of the display face of a different odometer.

The odometer display face includes two displays 1 and 2 and the odometer includes a driving gear 3 which can be connected by a flexible shaft 4 to a part of a vehicle which rotates in a feed relationship with the rotation of the ground wheels, such as the driven piton usually provided for the purpose in a vehicle gearbox. A selection gear S meshes with the driving gear 3 and can be moved axially to mesh also selectively with gears 6 and 7 which are respectively connected to the displays 1 and 2. Thus rotation of the gear 6 will advance the display 1 and rotation of the gear 7 will advance the display 2. The driving gear 3 may thus be connected selectively to one or other of the displays 1 and 2. The displays 1 and 2 are not readily capable of being reset soothe total of their displays indicates the total distance travelled by the vehicle.

There are resertable trip displays 8 and 9 driven synchonously with respective displays 1 and 2 to indicate journey distances. The displays and 2 and their respective trip displays 8 and 9 are identified by the words "BmiaeJs" and "Private" and the display face includes a displayed question "Business or Private?", the word "or" being on a slideable button 10 which is connected inside the instrument to a selector 11 carrying the selection gear S. By moving the button 10 towards either of the words "Business" and "Private" the selection gear 5 can be moved to mesh respectively with the gear 6 or the gear 7 so that movement of the vehicle will advance either the "Business" display 1 or the "Private" display 2.

The odometer includes a circuit (not shown) for connection to the vehide ignition or other immobilising circuit, arranged to cause the question to be illuminated when the ignition key or similar switch is activated The circuit will prevent operation of the vehicle until the button 10 is moved to connect the driving gear 3 to one of the displays 1 and 2.

Thus, if a driver is about to commence a journey on business, when the displayed question is illurninated he will move the button S towards "Business" to connect the driving gear 3 to display 1. The distance travelled on that purney will then be added to the reading in display 1 as "Business" use of the vehicle. It will also be shown in display 8.

The illumination of the question may be arranged to flash andlor cause an audible signal to sound until a selection between the displays 1 and 2 is made by means of the button S.

Figure 3 shows the display face of a speedometer incorporating an odometer according to the invention. The speometer includes the usual odometer displays 12 and 13, the display 12 being incapable of being reset by a driver without tools and showing the total distance travelled by the vehicle and the display 13 being a "trip" display, resettable and showing the distance travelled since it was last reset. Below the two displays 12 and 13 are two further displays 14and 15 which correspond respectively to the displays 1 and 2 of the odometer shown in Figure 1. Either of these displays 14 and 15, but not both simultaneonsly, can be connected to the driving means of the speedometer by pressing the button 16 or 17 alongside the respective display, which simultaneously disconnects the other display from the driving means. Also alonXsisle the displays 14 and 15 are the legends "Business" and "Private" to indicate to a driver that one or other should be activated by pressing the respective button 16 or 17 on oornmencement of a joreey, according to the purpose of the pumey. Correct operation of the odometer can be checked in that the total of the figures shown in displays 14 and IS should be equal to the figures shown in the display 12.

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. A vehicle including two odometer displays, driving means arranged to cause either of them to record cumulatively distances travelled by the vehicle and selection means for connecting the driving means selectively to one or the other of the odometer displays.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 including visible and/or audible alarm means actuated by some necessary action of a driver about to commence a journey to remind the driver to select the desired connection of the driving means.

3. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the alarm means includes means to disable the vehicle until a selection has been made.

4. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 3 having a petrol engine wherein the alarm means is linled to the ignition circuit of the engine.

5. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim in which the selection means is lockable to prevent unauthorized disconnection of the driving means from one or the other of the odometer displays.

6. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the two odometer displays are in a single instrument

7. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the instrument is also a speedometer.

8. A vehicle as claimed any of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the two odometer displays are each in a separate iflstrmt.

9. An odometer for fitting in a vehicle, the odometer having two display means, driving means for connection to a part of the vehicle which rotates in a fixed reltionship with the rotation of the ground wheels of the vehicle and selection means for connecting the driving means selectively to one or the other of the display means to cause it to record cumulatively distance travelled by the vehicle.

10. An odometer as claimed in Claim 9 including visible andlor audible alarm means actcated by some necessary action of a driver about to commence a journey to remind the driver to select the desired connection of the driving means.

11. An odometer as claimed in Claim 10 wherein the alarm means includes disabling means for connection to a part of a vehicle to which the odometer is fitted so as to disable the vehicle until a selected connection has been made.

12. An odometer as claimed in Claim 11 for fitting in a vehicle having a petrol engine wherein the dialing means is adapted to be linked to the ignition circuit of the engine.

13. An odometer as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 12 wherein the selection means is lockable to prevent unauthorlzed disconnection of the driving means from one or the other of the display means.

14. An odometer as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 13 which is combined with a someter.

15. An odometer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A vehicle having fitted therein an odometer as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 15.