Wireless Sensor Trip Tracking for Automated Mileage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate automated mileage tracking for personal vehicles used for business purposes is challenging due to issues like start and stop traffic and loss of cell reception, leading to inaccuracies in software-based records.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that use a wireless sensor on a mobile device to detect and manage connections with a vehicle's wireless device, initiating and stopping trip tracking based on connection presence and termination, and resuming tracking if the termination is due to a dropped connection, thereby improving accuracy and restricting tracking to vehicles used for business travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If software-based mileage tracking is used, then automated tracking is achieved, but accuracy deteriorates due to start/stop traffic and loss of cell reception
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wireless connection detection as an intermediary mechanism between the software application and the physical act of trip starting/stopping. By detecting wireless connections (such as Bluetooth connections to vehicle systems) as proxies for trip events, the system achieves automated tracking without relying on unreliable cellular signals or manual user input, thereby resolving the contradiction between automation and accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If connection-based trip detection is used, then trip start and end points are accurately identified, but complexity increases due to handling dropped connections and connection termination scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring wireless connection status and using this information to adjust trip tracking state. The system receives feedback about connection terminations and implements logic to distinguish between genuine trip endings and temporary connection drops, thereby achieving accurate trip boundary identification while managing complexity through systematic feedback processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for automatically tracking mileage may include detecting a connection between a wireless sensor of a mobile device of a user and a wireless device, determining that the wireless device corresponds to a vehicle of the user, initiating tracking of a trip of the vehicle in response to detecting the connection, detecting termination of the connection using the wireless sensor, stopping tracking of the trip in response to detecting the termination of the connection, determining that the termination of the connection was caused by a dropped connection, and resuming tracking of the trip in response to determining that the termination of the connection was caused by the dropped connection.