Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-10
2001-04-10
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C307S010100, C369S021000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216069
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a data acquisition device and, more particularly, to a miniature non-volatile data acquisition module to be mounted in an inconspicuous location on a vehicle to acquire event and duration data from an electrical vehicle component for an extended period of time.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many vehicle components and devices are tested to insure that they operate according to predetermined specifications. It may be desirable in certain cases to monitor the operation of the vehicle component over an extended period of time, for example up to three years, to determine the number of times the device is activated and the length of each operation, to monitor device longevity and reliability. For example, it may be desirable to monitor the operation of a vehicle starter over an extended period of time to determine the number of times the vehicle starter is activated, and the duration of each start, so that the starter can be reliable for the life of the vehicle.
In order to monitor a vehicle component for an extended period of time, it would be desirable to have the monitoring device mounted at an inconspicuous location on the vehicle so that it does not interfere with the everyday operation of the vehicle. In order to allow the monitoring device to be inconspicuously mounted to the vehicle during normal vehicle operation, it is necessary that the device be small in size. Also, it would be desirable if the monitoring device would only draw a small amount of current during operation. Further, because of the length of the testing period, it is necessary that the monitoring device retain its data even if the vehicle battery is drained or removed.
Known data acquisition devices for monitoring and testing vehicle components typically are large devices that cannot be inconspicuously located in the vehicle, do not retain data if the vehicle battery is removed, are expensive, and have mechanical parts. These known data acquisition devices are thus not suitable for long term data acquisition of the type described above.
What is needed is a small, cost effective data acquisition device that is readily mounted to a vehicle in an inconspicuous location, and is capable of monitoring electrical events and their duration for a long period of time without losing data from loss of vehicle power. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such a data acquisition module.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a hidden acquisition module (HAM) is disclosed that is compact, non-volatile, and readily mounted at an inconspicuous location in the vehicle to provide electrical monitoring of the operation of a particular vehicle component for an extended period of time. The HAM monitors the particular vehicle component, and stores each activation of the component and its duration in an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) to be downloaded at a future time. In one embodiment, a microprocessor and a bank of EEPROMs are provided, where the count is stored in the microprocessor and the duration is stored in the bank of EEPROMs. The address of a particular EEPROM in the bank is the location of where an event duration is stored.
Additional objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Goudie Greg P.
Mahadevappa M. S.
Wind Robert C.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Fuller III Roland A.
Zanelli Michael J.
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