Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-18
2004-03-02
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C340S439000, C340S441000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06701234
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to the field of automated electronic monitoring of a vehicle's movement. Specifically, the invention involves an improved system and method for monitoring the speed, location and acceleration of an automobile or other motor vehicle in order to both determine the driving habits of inexperienced drivers and to reward good driving habits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention was developed primarily in response to the high incidence of speed-related accidents involving teenagers and young adults and the need to monitor their driving habits. Crash rates are high for young drivers due primarily to the driver's immaturity and lack of driving experience. According to government statistics, teenagers account for 10-percent of the U.S. population (1999) but 14-percent of motor vehicle deaths. The risk of death from vehicle accidents is highest for 16-17 year olds. Statistically, a majority of deaths occur during the weekend, Friday through Sunday, and mostly during evening hours.
Various approaches have been implemented to reduce teen driving accidents, including stiffer or graduated licensing procedures, driver education requirements and stepped-up law enforcement activities. Despite these efforts, driving accidents remain a major cause of teenage injuries. Parental involvement is arguably one of the most effective deterrents; unfortunately, parents and guardians cannot accompany driving-age children every time they drive a car to keep them from driving aggressively.
As noted in the prior art described below, vehicle monitors have been used to assess the performance of a motor vehicle and the driving habits of a vehicle's driver. Many of these systems include parametric sensors for measuring the velocity, position, acceleration, braking pressure, fuel level and other vehicle parameters; a microprocessor and data storage devices for recording data; a communications or display system for transmitting or displaying the data to the driver or to a third party; and a mechanism for attaching the system to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,793, for example, discloses a vehicle speed measuring device that uses reflected optical, ultrasonic or microwave energy and appropriate emitter and receiver technology for instantaneous speed determinations for comparison with police radar measurements. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,087 and 5,805,079 disclose systems for monitoring vehicle speed, direction and location, along with instantaneous horizontal acceleration using global positioning system (GPS) circuitry and transducer technology common in the art. Still other patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,299 and 5,857,159, disclose systems and methods for detecting, among other things, engine or drive shaft rotation speed, transmission shifts, throttle position, oil pressure and intake air manifold temperature by tapping into electronic signals already collected by the vehicle's on-board computer or using transducers connected to various mechanical systems on the vehicle and engine.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,434 discloses using mercury-filled glass tubes as inertia sensors for monitoring acceleration. European patent EP 0,542,421 A2, discloses using engine rotation speed to predict acceleration. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,182 discloses using a vehicle's wheel and drive shaft rotation to estimate the vehicle's ground speed.
Most of the above disclosed inventions also record time associated the measurements. In some cases, parameters are not directly measured but are calculated from other measurements, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,500, where average speed is calculated using distance and time data that are directly measured.
As noted above, many of the prior art patents directed to vehicle performance monitoring disclose a computer associated with the monitoring system. Generally, a computer includes a microprocessor and memory elements for receiving and relaying electronic signals from the device, performing computations, and storing and relaying vehicle performance data. U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,793, for example, discloses a computer with a memory for storing signal data. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,087, 5,805,079 and 5,815,092 disclose a computer with a microprocessor for manipulating incoming signals and a memory for storing the incoming signals and processed data as data codes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,745,864 and 5,862,500 disclose using a data logger with electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) in addition to or in place of read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM) or other volatile memory devices. U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,610 discloses a computer that includes a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, and other data storage devices.
In addition to the above features, several of the prior art patents described herein disclose systems that are compact, detachable and portable, allowing the devices to be removed from the motor vehicle and transported to a remote location where, for example, the data may be downloaded to a computer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,862,500, 6,088,636 and 6,134,489, for example, disclose devices that are compact (approximately the size of a cellular telephone or package of cigarettes) and thus easily transportable by hand. U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,182 discloses a vehicle mounting unit that also includes a coupling for receiving power from the vehicle's battery power system. DE 4,103,599 A1 discloses a monitoring device that can be locked to the vehicle so as to be removed only by authorized persons.
Other features disclosed in the prior art include an operator interface for accessing stored data. The interface may include an alphanumeric display for displaying the monitoring information; a keypad, a plurality of buttons and/or switches for entering information; plugs and/or receptacles for transferring data by wire; and other data transfer methods including wireless transmitting and receiving circuitry common in the art. Typical prior art interface devices associated with vehicle performance monitoring systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,862,500 and 6,088,636.
Much of the prior art listed above is directed primarily to performing vehicle diagnostics and assessing a driver's performance. In some cases, the information collected about the driver's performance may be used by a third party, such as an employer of a commercial driver, a rental agent that rents vehicles to the public, or a public official that monitors compliance with traffic laws. Among other uses, the third party may use the information for assessing the driver's driving habits. U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,155, for example, is directed to a speed monitoring system where the recorded data may be used by public officials to remind a driver of the vehicle's speed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,087 discloses a monitoring system that is used to indicate whether the driver performed hazardous driving maneuvers or deviated from a planned course of travel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,610 is directed to a system that allows rental car companies to monitor their rental vehicles and to determine whether a driver traveled outside a predetermined area or was involved in an accident by monitoring acceleration and deceleration. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,499,182 and 5,758,299 disclose systems for training vehicle operators whereby driving information can be made available to a driving instructor for evaluation. Finally, EP 0,542,421 A2 discloses a method whereby the acceleration value of the vehicle is compared to a set value to determine whether the operator was complying with established driving standards.
Although many features of vehicle monitoring and driver performance systems are described in the prior art, none of the prior art patents are directed to a device specifically for use by a parent or guardian of an inexperienced driver for monitoring the driver's driving habits and rewarding good driving. There remains, therefore, the need for such a system to reduce the incidence of teenage and young adult vehicle deaths and injur
Blank Rome LLP
Zanelli Michael J.
LandOfFree
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