Telematics Control Unit for Usage-Based Vehicle Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a method and system to accurately and privately monitor and evaluate driver behavior to provide usage-based services without raising privacy concerns, as existing methods may mislead parties with incomplete or misleading data on vehicle usage parameters like speed, acceleration, and road conditions.
Innovation Solution
A telematics system utilizing GPS capabilities and two-way in-vehicle data communications, including a telematics control unit (TCU) with components like GPS receivers, processors, and communication modules, to collect and process data on vehicle performance metrics like MPG, speed, and driving behavior, while maintaining privacy and providing navigation solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If detailed data on speed, acceleration, and road conditions is collected to accurately evaluate driver behavior, then measurement precision is improved, but privacy concerns increase and data complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential performance demand metric (engine revolutions) needed to evaluate driver behavior, removing unnecessary detailed data collection on speed, acceleration, and road conditions. This extraction approach maintains measurement precision for behavior evaluation while reducing privacy concerns and data complexity by collecting only the minimum necessary information.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of collecting detailed driving data and then analyzing it to assess driver behavior, the patent inverts the approach by using a single inverted metric (engine revolutions as a proxy for performance demands) that directly indicates behavior patterns without revealing specific driving habits. This inversion preserves privacy while maintaining evaluation accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If multiple parameters (speed, acceleration, braking, road type) are monitored to comprehensively assess vehicle usage, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts a single key parameter (engine revolutions) that serves as a comprehensive proxy for multiple driving conditions and behaviors. This single metric captures the cumulative effect of speed, acceleration, braking, and road type variations, dramatically simplifying the data collection system while maintaining assessment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the engine revolutions metric universal, allowing it to serve multiple functions: evaluating driver behavior, assessing vehicle performance demands, and determining usage-based charges. This single metric replaces multiple separate monitoring systems, reducing device complexity while maintaining comprehensive assessment capability.
3Productivity
If real-time monitoring of driving parameters is implemented to provide usage-based services, then productivity is improved, but loss of information (privacy) increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential performance demand information needed to provide usage-based services, removing detailed personal driving data collection. By using engine revolutions as a privacy-preserving metric, the system maintains service efficiency and productivity while minimizing privacy intrusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces engine revolutions as an intermediary metric that mediates between the need for usage-based service data and driver privacy protection. This intermediary provides the necessary information for productivity improvement while acting as a barrier that prevents direct observation of specific driving habits and personal behavior patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A software method controlling a computer device compares operational performance data collected and stored from a vehicle to a predetermined criterion and determines, based on the comparison, whether to adjust a baseline charge for usage of a vehicle during the period. The software may compare data corresponding to one, or more, different parameters to determine the charge adjustment, the parameters including average MPG, engine revolutions, revolution-minutes, or fuel used during the period. The software method may use average values for MPG for the particular vehicle obtained prepared by a governmental agency. The method may also use criterion derived from governmental information. Or, the criterion may be a predetermined value based on a business consideration, such as number of engine revolutions corresponding to a given number of miles traveled. If the vehicle's engine turns more than the predetermined number during a period, the charge corresponding to use during period is increased.