Automated Mileage Tracking via GPS Trip Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tracking business mileage is challenging due to the lack of efficient methods for recording and categorizing trips, making it difficult to claim reimbursement or deductions on taxes.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a mobile device to detect trips based on global positions and timestamps, categorize origins and destinations into location categories, and calculate mileage, allowing for automatic trip categorization and mileage reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual tracking methods are used for business mileage, then users can record trips, but the process is time-consuming and prone to errors in categorization and calculation
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects trips using GPS data from the mobile device, categorizes them based on location information, and calculates mileage without requiring user intervention. The mileage tracking application autonomously monitors device position, identifies trip start and end points, determines location categories through geocoding, and computes distances, enabling completely automated mileage tracking that eliminates manual recording efforts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with an automated electronic system using GPS satellite signals, mobile device sensors, and computer processing. The system substitutes human manual recording with automated detection algorithms that process GPS coordinates, timestamps, and location data to identify trips and calculate mileage, significantly improving efficiency and accuracy
2Extent of automation
If automated GPS tracking is implemented, then mileage can be calculated automatically, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mileage tracking application leverages existing multi-functional components of mobile devices, including GPS receiver, accelerometer, gyroscope, and operating system location services. By utilizing these pre-existing universal components for mileage tracking purposes, the system achieves automated trip detection without adding significant hardware complexity, as the device's existing sensors and processors are repurposed for this function
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a mileage tracking application as an intermediary software layer that coordinates between GPS data collection, location categorization services, and mileage calculation algorithms. This software intermediary manages the complexity by organizing data flow and processing steps, allowing the automated system to function coherently without requiring complex hardware architecture
3Measurement precision
If detailed location categorization is performed for each trip, then accurate trip categorization is achieved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary geocoding of frequently visited locations to create a cached database of location categories before they are needed for trip categorization. When the mobile device visits a location, the system checks the cache first and retrieves pre-determined location categories without performing real-time geocoding, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining accurate location categorization for mileage tracking
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and computer readable medium for tracking mileage. The method includes obtaining global positions of a mobile device and timestamps corresponding to the global positions, and detecting, based on the global positions and the timestamps, a completed trip having global positions and timestamps. The global positions include an origin and a destination. The method further includes categorizing, from location categories, the origin into an origin location category, categorizing, from location categories, the destination into a destination location category, and categorizing, based on the origin location category and the destination location category, the completed trip into a completed trip category from trip categories. The method further includes calculating mileage based on the global positions of the completed trip, and storing, for the completed trip, the mileage and the completed trip category.