Vehicle Head Unit Mobile Device Association for Cost Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle monitoring systems fail to accurately track and allocate costs among multiple users, as they lack efficient methods to associate vehicle usage events with individual users and calculate fair cost distributions based on usage patterns.
Innovation Solution
An in-vehicle head unit connects with mobile devices via short-range radio transceivers, tracks events from sensors, and associates them with individual identifiers to generate usage reports and allocate costs, allowing for fair distribution among users by analyzing events such as miles traveled, fuel usage, and driving habits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a monitoring system tracks vehicle events without associating them with individual users, then the system complexity is reduced, but the ability to allocate costs accurately among multiple users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments vehicle usage events by associating them with individual user identifiers through mobile devices. Each user's usage data is separated and tracked independently, enabling accurate cost allocation while maintaining manageable system complexity through structured data organization.
Solution Approach 2:
Mobile devices serve as intermediaries between users and the monitoring system. These devices store user identifiers and facilitate the association between users and vehicle events, enabling accurate cost tracking without requiring direct complex integration between all system components.
2Measurement precision
If the system associates every vehicle event with individual user identifiers, then cost allocation accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is designed with multi-functionality to handle both event tracking and user association through a unified architecture. The same system components serve multiple purposes: tracking vehicle events, identifying users via mobile devices, associating events with users, and generating cost allocation reports, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically associates events with users by leveraging mobile device identifiers and connection data. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual user identification and data matching, reducing system complexity while maintaining high accuracy in cost allocation.
3Loss of information
If the system tracks and analyzes detailed usage events for multiple users, then cost transparency improves, but the processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-associating mobile devices with user identifiers and pre-categorizing event types before full analysis. This preparation enables faster processing during actual usage, maintaining cost transparency while reducing real-time computational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system generates feedback reports that summarize cost allocations for multiple users. These feedback mechanisms provide transparent cost information while the aggregated nature of the reports reduces processing time compared to analyzing every individual event in detail, as the system can use pre-computed summaries.
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 accurate tracking and cost allocation among multiple vehicle users by linking sensor data with individual user identities, providing a comprehensive report that reflects fair usage costs, enhancing cost transparency and management.
Implementation Method 1
a short-range radio transceiver operable to connect to a plurality of mobile devices
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate generally to devices and methods for tracking events of a vehicle and associating those events with the driver and/or passengers within the vehicle at the time the events occurred. This may be accomplished by associating an individual identifier of a mobile device with a driver and/or passenger and connecting the mobile device to the head unit of the vehicle, wherein the head unit of the vehicle then associates the individual identifier of the mobile device with the tracked events.