Mobile Odometer Recognition for Privacy-Aware Road Usage Charges
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing efficiency of vehicles has led to insufficient fuel excise tax revenues for road maintenance and projects, prompting the need for a road usage charge based on distance driven, while concerns over privacy arise with GPS tracking solutions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using a mobile device to detect a vehicle's PAN beacon, pair with it, and determine distance traveled, reporting to a remote server for settlement of road usage charges, avoiding GPS tracking by using short-range communication and image recognition of the odometer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS tracking is used to determine distance driven for road usage charge, then measurement precision is improved, but privacy is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical character recognition to create a digital copy of the odometer reading instead of directly tracking the vehicle's location with GPS. The mobile device captures an image of the odometer display and extracts the distance value from this copy, eliminating the need for continuous GPS monitoring and associated privacy concerns while maintaining accurate distance measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the vehicle's odometer and the road usage charge determination system. Instead of directly monitoring the vehicle with GPS infrastructure, the system uses the mobile device to periodically capture odometer readings and transmit them to the server, serving as a mediator that obtains distance data without requiring government tracking of vehicle locations.
2Measurement precision
If a black box GPS tracker is installed in the vehicle, then distance tracking accuracy is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the vehicle's existing odometer, which is already part of the standard vehicle instrumentation, rather than adding a separate GPS tracking system. The mobile device uses its own built-in camera and processing capabilities to capture and interpret the odometer reading, eliminating the need for specialized tracking hardware in the vehicle while maintaining accurate distance measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the odometer reading through image capture and processing. This copying approach allows the system to access distance data that already exists in the vehicle without requiring additional sensors or tracking devices, thereby avoiding increased device complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If continuous GPS monitoring is implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time is worsened due to privacy concerns and public resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic odometer reading capture instead of continuous GPS monitoring. The mobile device captures images of the odometer at regular intervals during the trip, and the server processes these discrete readings to determine the total distance. This periodic approach reduces data collection burden and public concern while maintaining sufficient measurement precision for road usage charge calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
By using optical character recognition to copy and extract information from the odometer display at periodic intervals, the system avoids the need for continuous electronic monitoring. This copying method reduces the time and resources required for data collection while maintaining accurate distance measurement, thereby reducing implementation time and public resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for determining a distance travelled by a vehicle for the purpose of assessing and settling, a road usage charge allows for determining a distance travelled with a vehicle. A mobile device can acquire odometer values which are subsequently reported to a system that confirms the distance drive and determines a road usage charge. Once the actual distance travelled by the vehicle is determined by the system, a road usage charge can be determined. Fuel excise taxes paid by the vehicle operator for fuel used by the vehicle and tolls can be subtracted from the road usage charge to determine a road usage settlement amount that can be paid from, or refunded to a financial account associated with the vehicle.