Vehicle Driver Identification via Sonic Ping Spatial Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current GPS systems are unable to accurately identify the driver of a vehicle when multiple occupants are present, leading to incorrect attribution of driving behavior data, as they rely on geographic coordinates and lack precision in distinguishing between drivers and passengers.
Innovation Solution
A network-based system using non-audible sonic pings exchanged between user computing devices to create a spatial map, determining the driver's position relative to other occupants and accurately identifying the driver through a driver identification server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS data is used to identify the driver, then the system can determine geographic location, but the measurement precision is insufficient to distinguish between drivers and passengers when multiple occupants are present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary acoustic field (sonic pings) as a mediator between the computing devices and the driver identification system. By exchanging acoustic signals through the vehicle interior, the system creates a new measurement dimension that reveals spatial relationships and driver status information that GPS alone cannot provide, thus resolving the information loss problem while improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional GPS geographic coordinates to three-dimensional spatial mapping within the vehicle interior using acoustic signal propagation. This dimensional change enables the system to distinguish between occupants based on their relative positions and movements inside the vehicle, providing the precision needed for accurate driver identification.
2Measurement precision
If multiple user computing devices exchange data to determine driver position, then driver identification accuracy improves, but device complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having each computing device autonomously execute the acoustic ping exchange process and independently generate its own spatial map. The devices perform the complex data processing locally without requiring centralized processing, which reduces system complexity while maintaining high measurement precision for driver position determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the driver identification task into independent modules: each computing device separately exchanges acoustic signals, processes the spatial data, and generates its own spatial map. This segmentation distributes the computational complexity across multiple devices rather than concentrating it in a single complex system, making the overall system more manageable.
3Reliability
If continuous acoustic ping exchange is performed to maintain spatial mapping, then driver identification remains accurate throughout the trip, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by having computing devices exchange acoustic pings at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. This periodic ping exchange maintains sufficient spatial mapping accuracy for reliable driver identification while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation, as the devices can enter low-power states between ping cycles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise identification of the vehicle driver without relying on GPS data, ensuring accurate attribution of telematics data and reducing errors in driver identification, while conserving device power through BLE P2P network connections.
Implementation Method 1
Each user computing device may emit and detect a series of non-audible sonic pings (e.g., non-audible sonic ping signals) as part of a ping exchange process
Data Source
AI summary
A user computing device for identifying a driver of a vehicle on a trip is provided. The user computing device is associated with a first vehicle occupant, and is programmed to: (i) detect a second user computing device associated with a second vehicle occupant, (ii) initiate a ping exchange process including emitting a set of non-audible sonic ping signals and detecting a set of signals from the second user computing device over a duration of the trip, (iii) generate a relative positioning map of the user computing device with respect to the second user computing device, (iv) determine that the first vehicle occupant is one of a driver and a passenger of the vehicle, and (v) transmit, to a driver identification (“DI”) server, a trip report including the determination and the generated relative positioning map.