DESC:
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to performance monitoring in an automobile (hereinafter interchangeably referred to as “automobile,” “car”, “dumper” or “vehicle”). In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems, method, and process for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith, wherein the elements may include but are not limited to components, parts, functionalities and/or features of the automobile/vehicle.

BACKGROUND
[0002] The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed disclosure, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Automobile is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to six people, typically have four wheels and be constructed principally for transportation of people rather than goods.
[0004] It is well known that the manner in which a vehicle is operated on road by its driver is largely responsible for both the degree of wear and tear on the vehicle as well as economic efficiency of the vehicle operation. This is the principal reason why instrument gauges such as speedometer, tachometer, and others are included in vehicle for providing a real time visual display containing information related to efficiency of vehicle operation. For example, speedometer and tachometer typically include a visual display indicative of vehicle speed and engine operating speed. The driver, aware of the fact that continued high vehicle speed or high engine operating speed could result in unnecessarily inefficient vehicle operation, would then reduce vehicle speed or engine operating speed to improve vehicle efficiency. Efficient vehicle operation is particularly desirable in large scale, multiple vehicle operations such as trucking lines where maximization of efficient vehicle operation would result in significant savings. A traditional problem for multiple vehicle operations achieving improved vehicle operating efficiency is that some vehicle operators tend to disregard recommendations that would achieve improved vehicle efficiency. A need has arisen, therefore, for a method of determining how efficiently a driver is operating the vehicle.
[0005] One of the earliest vehicle monitoring systems developed involved use of a "tach chart", wherein during operation of a vehicle, output of tachometer would be recorded on a chart as a function of time, which chart can then be utilized to evaluate how efficiently the driver had operated the vehicle over a period of time. Periods of inactivity, idling, or over-revving of the engine could be readily determined upon analysis of the chart. Such devices were, however, unable to record tachometer output over long periods of time due to physical limitations on size or length of the recording medium. Thus, monitoring devices were of little use in vehicle operations where a single vehicle would be on the road for weeks at a time. Furthermore, tach chart devices were unable to distinguish between drivers when multiple drivers operated the same vehicle being monitored on a single trip. Common driver practices, for example, the practice of "slip seating" where two drivers assigned to a single vehicle will exchange seats during the trip, would reduce usefulness of the collected data. While analysis of the data would provide information on efficiency of vehicle operation, slip seating and other driver practices would make recorded data useless in evaluating performance of specific drivers.
[0006] In recent years, use of computers and other processing devices in vehicle performance monitoring systems has become popular. Typically, computer-based vehicle performance monitoring systems include multiple sensors for determining a number of vehicle operating characteristics indicative of efficiency of operation of the vehicle. The data would be stored in an on-board memory system and, at the completion of the trip; the on-board memory system would be plugged into a host computer. Stored data would be dumped into the host computer for subsequent analysis of efficiency with which the driver had operated the vehicle. Unfortunately, such computer-based monitoring systems can easily cost very high, say five to ten thousand rupees per vehicle. To outfit an entire fleet of vehicles, therefore, would need a substantial investment, often in excess of what the industry is willing to pay.
[0007] Furthermore, computer-based monitor system was not particularly useful in assisting drivers to improve efficiency of their driving. Typically, performance reports were not available for review by the driver until long after the trip had been completed and when the driver's memory was sketchy. Computer-based vehicle performance monitoring systems also generally fail to provide immediate feedback to the driver of how efficiently the vehicle is being operated each moment. This failure to provide sufficient guidance to the driver on how to optimize performance of the vehicle renders the system unable to train the driver how to operate a vehicle to maximize driving efficiency. Since computer-based monitoring systems tend to produce information useful only to supervisors in evaluating a driver's performance, they became very unpopular with drivers. To retaliate, some drivers would even disable or damage the monitoring systems while others would modify the monitoring systems to falsify the results.
[0008] Numerous vehicle monitoring systems that detect and record information related to vehicle operation for later analysis are known. In general, however, a driver interacts with such monitoring systems only to provide additional data for recording. The collected data would neither be available to nor analyzed for the driver. For example, United States Patent 4,067,061 to Juhasz discloses a vehicle monitoring and recording system that records mileage travelled, fuel consumed, and elapsed time on a tape cassette. At the end of a trip, the recorded information is transferred to a computer for display of information related to the mileage and fuel consumption of the vehicle. Similarly, United States Patent 4,072,850 to McGlynn discloses a system for monitoring usage of a vehicle. In McGlynn, data useful in determining usage of the vehicle would be automatically collected and recorded on magnetic tape. Later, the recorded data would be transferred to an external computer system for processing. United States Patent 4,188,618 to Weisbart discloses a vehicle monitoring system that detects numerous vehicle performance characteristics including vehicle speed, elapsed trip distance, an engine RPM, total engine revolutions, total fuel consumption, rate of fuel consumption and the like as a function of time. There data are stored in an on-board memory for later transfer to a fixed base computer for processing of the collected vehicle performance information.
[0009] Numerous vehicle monitoring systems that provide information related to operating characteristics of vehicle to driver are also known. One such system may be seen in United States Patent 4,093,939 to Mitchell, which discloses a vehicle monitoring system having sensors for determining if vehicle speed, engine operating speed, and/or acceleration exceeds corresponding threshold values. An alarm is activated to alert the driver when a threshold value has been or is about to be exceeded, thereby resulting in operation of the vehicle under "abusive" conditions. The amount of time that the vehicle is operated under one or more "abusive" conditions is also recorded. Mitchell additionally provides for recording the total time during which the vehicle is in motion as well as the total time during which the engine is in operation.
[00010] However, particular operating characteristic information that has been supplied to the driver by prior-art vehicle monitoring systems does not provide information that is most useful in determining whether the vehicle is being operated improperly. For example, while the total time during which the vehicle operates at excess speeds provides information regarding driver's compliance with speed regulations, an excess speed recorder also can mislead a truck company manager as to whether the vehicle has been operated under excessive conditions. Downhill stretches of road tend to promote excess speed conditions even while the vehicle is otherwise being operated normally. Uphill stretches of road, on the other hand, tend to promote excessive engine operating conditions despite vehicle speeds well within the desired operating range. For the same reason, total time at which the vehicle accelerates at an excessive rate may be misleading as to whether the vehicle has been operated properly. The total time during which the engine has operated at an excessive engine speed, on the other hand, is not the most direct method of measuring engine operation and may not always be the best indicator of improper driving habits such as a habit of excessively accelerating the vehicle.
[00011] While devices that measure manifold pressure of a vehicle engine are known, there have been only limited applications of data related to manifold pressure being collected and provided to the driver as an indicator of the improper operation of the vehicle. Prior uses of information related to the manifold pressure have been directed primarily towards the collection of non-cumulative information, and more particularly non-cumulative fuel consumption information. United States Patent 3,812,710 issued to Bauman discloses a device that uses manifold pressure and other engine parameters to produce an electrical output indicative of fuel consumption, distance travelled and time travelled. Output of the Bauman device is a variable output that drives a meter to display increase/decrease in fuel mileage. United States Patent 4,067,232 to Murray discloses a system that monitors pressure and vacuum to mechanically operate a switch that shows changes in the rate of fuel consumption utilizing a set of colored lights.
[00012] Finally, existing vehicle performance monitoring systems have never been configured to permit driver to readily determine detailed information most closely related to operating efficiency of the vehicle during a trip so that much information can be readily forwarded by the driver to the trucking company office/remote locations/remote administrators, for example automatically over network, for immediate analysis of both the efficiency of the vehicle and the driver.
[00013] Thus, it may be clearly notedfrom the above that the prior-art or techniques or products currently available today are designed only to provide information to users/drivers in the vehicle. The focus of the prior-art or techniques or productavailable today is primarily providing information to the driver in the cabin. In case of any abnormality, a display on the dashboard provides suitable indicators to the driver who can take suitable corrective action. Limitation to such prior-arts or techniques or products available as on today is that the information is not captured, stored and/or analyzed for future references. More precisely, such prior-art or techniques or products available today in the market have the limitation of information sharing with the other personnel/stakeholders in the system.
[00014] There is therefore a need for an improved vehicle monitoring system and method that can remotelymonitor performance of vehicles based on theircapability of providing real-time information related to various elements associated with the vehicle. Further, there is also a need to provide animproved vehicle monitoring system and method that enables integration of information related to various elements associated with a vehicleon one or more platformsand utilize the same to analyse performance of the vehicle in real-time under different operating conditions. Furthermore, there is also a need to utilize informationrelated to various components, parts, or features associated with a vehiclefor predictive analytics to obtain vehicle performance tracking and managing costs associated with the vehicle.
[00015] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
[00016] In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or dimensions of items, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the disclosure are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the disclosure are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the disclosure may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[00017] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[00018] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the disclosure.
[00019] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the disclosure disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[00020] It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide system, method, and process for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith.
[00021] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method that determines real-time information related to how efficiently a driver operates a vehicle during a trip.
[00022] It is another object of the disclosure to provide a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method that helps driver in avoiding inefficient operation of a vehicle.
[00023] It is yet another object of the disclosure to provide a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method of monitoring efficiency of one or more vehicle drivers spread across one or more locations from a central location.
[00024] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method for remotely monitoring performance of vehicles based on their capability of providing real-time information related to various elements associated with the vehicle.
[00025] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method for integrating information related to one or more elements associated with the vehicle one or more platforms and utilizing the integrated information for analyzing performance of vehicle in real-time under different operating conditions.
[00026] It is still another object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method for utilizing information relating to various elements associated with the vehicle for predictive analytics to obtain vehicle performance tracking and managing costs associated with the vehicle.

SUMMARY
[00027] The present disclosure relates to performance monitoring in an automobile. In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems, method, and process for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith, wherein the elements may include but are not limited to components, parts, functionalities and/or features of the automobile/vehicle.
[00028] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an efficient, effective, reliable, improved vehicle monitoring system and method. The vehicle monitoring system and method for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated.
[00029] Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle monitoring (VM) controller. The VM controller includes one or more processors, one or moretransceiver, a data conversion unit, and an embedding unit. The transceivers can control the one or more processors to retrieve vehicle operating data corresponding to vehicle behavior, said vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of a vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components. The data conversion unit can control the one or more processors to convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data. The embedding unit can control the one or more processors to embed a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data. The embedding unit can configure the one or more transceivers to transmit the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle.
[00030] In an aspect, at least information associated with the one or more components of the vehicle can be retrieved form one or more sensors coupled to the one or more components.
[00031] In an aspect, at least information associated with the one or more components of the vehicle can be retrieved form one or more radio-frequency identification system coupled to the one or more components.
[00032] In an aspect, the transceiver can include a plurality of receivers to receive the information associated with the one or more components of the vehicle; each of the plurality of receivers is configured to receive the information in a plurality of pre-configured data formats.
[00033] In an aspect, the information can include a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle.
[00034] In an aspect, the data conversion unit can be configured to derive one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.
[00035] In an aspect, the portion of the set of vehicle operating data can be utilized to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle.
[00036] In an aspect, the portion of the vehicle operating data can be transmitted to the host computer system via a wireless network or via a wired network.
[00037] In an aspect, the VM controller can include at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) module or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) module to transmit the set of vehicle operating data to the host computer system, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) for tracking the VM controller.
[00038] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to vehicle monitoring (VM) system (interchangeably referred as vehicle performance monitoring system). The vehicle monitoring (VM) system can include one or more sensors and a vehicle monitoring (VM) controller. The sensors can be coupled to one or more components of a vehicle and are configured to sense vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of the vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components. The VM controller can retrieve the vehicle operating data corresponding to the one or more components. The VM controller can convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data. A controller identifier can embed corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data. The controller data can transmit to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle. The host computer system can be configured to utilize the controller data to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle, the vehicle operating data comprise a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle, wherein the host computer system derives one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.
[00039] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for vehicle monitoring (VM). The method includes the steps of: one or more sensors coupled to one or more components of a vehicle can sense vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of the vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components;a vehicle monitoring (VM) controller can retrieve the vehicle operating data corresponding to the one or more components; the VM controller can convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data; the VM controller can embed a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data; the VM controller can transmit the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle; and a host computer system can utilize the controller data to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle, the vehicle operating data comprise a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle, wherein the host computer system derives one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.
[00040] In contrast to the conventional system, the present disclosure provides a vehicle monitoring system, method for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith. Further, in contrast to the conventional device, the present disclosure provides a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method that determines real-time information related to how efficiently a driver operates a vehicle during a trip. Furthermore, in contrast to the conventional system, the present disclosure provides a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method that helps driver in avoiding inefficient operation of a vehicle.
[00041] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[00042] The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation of the present disclosure, and wherein:
[00043] FIG. 1 illustrates exemplarynetwork architecture of the proposed system for monitoring performanceof one or more vehicles having plurality of sensors and controllersin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00044] FIGs. 2A-2B illustrate exemplary network architectures of the proposed system for monitoring performance of vehicles having a plurality of sensors and a controllerconfigured at a remote locationin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00045] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary placement of a sensor and a controllerin the vehicle in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00046] FIGs. 4A-B illustrates exemplary functional modules of the proposed system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00047] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of the proposed vehicle monitoring system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[00048] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details.
[00049] Embodiments of the present disclosure include various steps, which will be described below. The steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, and firmware and/or by human operators.
[00050] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, PROMs, random access memories (RAMs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions (e.g., computer programming code, such as software or firmware).
[00051] Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present disclosure with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present disclosure may involve one or more computers (or one or more processors within a single computer) and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the disclosure could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
[00052] If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[00053] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[00054] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. These exemplary embodiments are provided only for illustrative purposes and so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. The disclosure disclosed may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Various modifications will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure). Also, the terminology and phraseology used is for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments and should not be considered limiting. Thus, the present disclosure is to be accorded the widest scope encompassing numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents consistent with the principles and features disclosed. For purpose of clarity, details relating to technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the disclosure have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure.
[00055] Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods embodying this disclosure. The functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named element.
[00056] All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the disclosure.
[00057] The present disclosure relates to performance monitoring in automobiles. In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith, wherein the elements may include but are not limited to components, parts, functionalities and/or features of the automobile/vehicle.
[00058] It should be appreciated that components, parts, features, functionalities of vehicle can be referred individually or collectively as “elements” hereinafter. Further, it should be appreciated that the communication between the various sensors and/or devices and/or servers can be continuously or periodically or at a pre-defined interval of time.
[00059] Even though the systems, method, and process for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith are disclosed, it should be further appreciated that the information pertaining to one or more elements associated with the automobile can be fetched offline or in batches. Hence the usage of expressions “real-time” shall not restrict the scope of the present disclosure.
[00060] The present disclosure relates to performance monitoring in an automobile (hereinafter interchangeably referred to as “automobile,” “car”, “dumper” or “vehicle”). In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for remotely monitoring performance of automobiles capable of providing real-time information relating to various elements associated with the automobile.
[00061] In an aspect, the present disclosure proposes a vehicle monitoring system that includes one or more sensors that are communicably/communicatively coupled with one or more controllers to transmit data associated with one or more components, parts, functionalities, or features of a vehicle to evaluate/determine performance of the vehicle.In an aspect, the one or more controllers can be in communication with one or more remote servers and/or data analytic systemsand/or cloud serversto automatically and/or periodically transmit data associated with the one or more components, parts, functionalities, or featuresof the vehicle for analytically utilizing data foranalyzing/predicting performance of the vehicle for current and/or future references (point of view).
[00062] In an aspect, the vehicle can be a mobile machine that transports people or cargo. Typical vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, trucks, and buses), railed vehicles (trains, trams), watercraft (ships, boats), aircraft and spacecraft. It may be appreciated that autonomous as well as semi-autonomous vehicles falls within the scope of the vehicle according to the present disclosure.
[00063] In an aspect, the one or more sensors and the one or more controllers can be integrated/configured inside the vehicleduring implementation of the proposed system. In another aspect, the one or more sensors can be integrated/configured inside the vehicle while the one or more controllers can be remotely located outside the vehicle. In yet another aspect, the one or more sensors and the one or more controllers can be integrated/configured into a single device and such a device can be integrated/configured inside the vehicle.
[00064] In an aspect, the one or more sensors and the one or more controllers integrated/configured inside the vehicle or the one or more sensors integrated / configured inside the vehicle while the one or more controller remotely located or the one or more sensors and the one or more controllers integrated/ configured into a single device are in communication with a remote server and/or a data analytic system and/or a cloud server such that data received from the sensors and/or controllers can be stored in a database provided at the remote server or the data analytic system or the cloud server.
[00065] In an aspect, the one or more sensors can be configured at different locations inside the vehicle to monitorone or more components/parts/functionalities of the vehicle selected from any or combination of a tire/tyre wear, a tyre-identification using a smart tag for inventory management, vehicle vibrations, a wheel alignment, a vehicle load, an engine fuel, brake system, steering, mirrors, lights, speed, tire air pressure, tire air temperature, and the like. In another aspect, one or more sensors can be configured either inside the tire or outside the tire to monitor one or more components/parts/functionalities.
[00066] In an aspect, one or more sensors, say vibration sensors, acoustic wave sensor, and the like sensors, can be configured at different locations inside the vehicle to monitor one or more components/parts/functionalities of the vehicle which transmits the monitored information of the one or more components/parts/functionalities to the one or more controllers. In another aspect, the one or more controllers can transmit the monitored information of the one or more components/parts/functionalities to the remote server and/or data analytic system and/or cloud server for processing the information to obtain / understand the quality of a road. In an example implementation, the obtained quality of the road can be used to map the road on a road quality index or to provide feedback on the best route/road to travel.In another example implementation one or more controllers or the remote server and/or data analytic system and/or cloud server can utilize different analytics techniques and/or machine learning mechanism for processing the information to obtain / understand the quality of a road.
[00067] In an aspect, the one or more controllers communicate with the remote server and/or data analytic system and/or cloud serverin a continuous manner or at periodic intervals or at pre-defined intervals of time. In another aspect, the one or more controllers communicate with the remote server and/or data analytic system and/or cloud server using wired or wireless network. In yet another aspect, the one or more controllers communicate with the remote server and/or data analytic system and/or cloud serverfor analytically analyzing data received from the sensors and/or controllers to determine/monitor performance of the vehicle, and accordingly intimate the driver/user about the performance and/or store the analytical results in the database so as to utilize them as records for future rides of the vehicles.
[00068] In an aspect, the present disclosure proposes a controller configured to aggregate data monitored/tracked/supervised associated with one or more components, parts, functionalities (also referred to a features hereinafter) of the vehicle for determining performance of the vehicle. In an aspect, the controller can transmit the aggregateddata to remote server and/or data analytic system and/or cloud server for further analysis. It is to be appreciated that any or a combination of the remote server, the data analytic system, and the cloud server can be simply referred to as a remote device hereinafter.
[00069] In an aspect, controller can include a receiver module, a CAN BUS integration module, a GSM/transmitter module, a GPS module, a data backup module, and a power receiver module.
[00070] In an aspect, the receiver module can be configured to receive data monitored/tracked/supervised,by one or more sensors,associated with one or more elements of the vehicle.Inan aspect, CAN BUS integration module can be configured to receive data associated with the one or more elements for vehicle health monitoring. In an aspect,the GSM/transmitter modulecan be configured to transmit aggregated data continuously or periodically or at pre-defined intervals of time to remote device for performance analysis of the vehicle.
[00071] In an aspect, GPS module can be configured to transmit location data associated with vehicle to the remote device. In an aspect, data backup module can be configured to store data received via the receiver module and the data received via the CAN BUS integration module in the memory of the controller.In an aspect, the power receiver module can be configured to receive power for operation of the controller from one or more internal and/or external sources for its working.
[00072] In an aspect, the present disclosure proposes a method for remotely monitoring performance of a vehicle capable of providing real-time information relating to various elements associated with the vehicle. In an aspect, the method can include the steps of receiving data monitored/tracked/supervised from one or more sources, for example, sensors or CAN bus associated with one or more elements of the vehicle, andmonitoring the data associated with the one or more elements of the vehicle for determining performance of the vehicle, and/or transmitting the data to remote device for performance analysis of the vehicle.
[00073] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like features.
[00074] In an embodiment, the present disclosure utilizes Integrated IoTtechnology platform for real-time and remote monitoring of vehicle performance. In another exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure enables capturing of vehicle performance data on a real-time basis. In an example, vehicle data can pertain to tyre performance monitoring. For example, key factors affecting performance of a tyre can include pressure and temperature of air in the tyre chamber, wherein variations in these variables can affect life of the tyre, fuel performance, and affect performance of the vehicle. The proposed system enables capturing of tyre pressure and temperature on a real-time basis, and provides timely feedback to drivers and maintenance managers to manage performance of tyres. The present disclosure also enables real-time monitoring of tyre wear, tyre-identification using smart tag for inventory management, vehicle vibrations, wheel alignment, vehicle load, engine fuel monitoring on the proposed IoT platform.
[00075] In an exemplary embodiment, the smart tag can be mounted on tyres to monitor the health of the tyres of the vehicle. In an example, a Bluetooth / RFID or RF (e.g., 433 MHz) along with other hardware components, such as chips (Bluetooth chips/RID chips) together know asTyre/smart Tag can be mounted on each tyre to enable transmission of the monitored parameters to the controller of the present disclosureto capture tyre inventory on real time basis. Further, the smart tags can be configured to continuously transmit information associated with the tyres, say unique tyre id to the controller and the server.
[00076] In another exemplary embodiment, one or more sensors can be configured either inside the tire or outside the tire to monitor one or more components/parts/functionalitiesand/or to measure tyre wear of the tyres in real time.
[00077] In an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure enables to map inventory of tyres in real-time, distance travelled by tyres during lifetime, map life of a tyre based on information received from the smart tag. In another exemplary embodiment, the information received from the smart tag can be further utilized to predict life of a tyre, predict tyre burst, abnormalities such as vehicle imbalance, match tyre models with applications, etc.
[00078] In another exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure can be configured to measure tyre wear of the tyres in real time. In an example, the present disclosure enables tyre images captured by any device (smart device or feature phones) or independent cameras to (configure to capture tyre images)to be suitably processed by image processing algorithms to analyze the tyre wear during real time. In another example,sensors, preferably acoustic sensor or Laser sensor or Infrared sensor or Optics based sensors, may be integrated with the controllerto transmit tyre wear data to remote server where to be analyzed suitable algorithms to predict the actual tyre wear.
[00079] In an embodiment, the present disclosure enables transmission of information to one or more desired users/stakeholders such as maintenance managers, which can help keep track of any issues associated with the vehicle and keep everyone (the driver / owner / administrator / company) updated. Further, information fetched from the vehiclecan be used to create analytical models to provide inputs for predictive maintenance.
[00080] FIG. 1 illustrates network architecture of the proposed system 100 for monitoring performance of vehicles having a plurality of sensors and/or controllers in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.It should be appreciated that although the disclosure is being explained with reference to one or more controllers, there can easily be only one controller per vehicle or one controller shared by multiple vehicles or any other desired configuration. System 100of the present disclosure can include one or more vehicles (1, 2…..n) 102-1, 102-2… and 102-n (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 102) that are communicably coupled with a server 110 (also referred to as a remote device 110) via a network 108.
[00081] In one embodiment, a vehicle 102 can include one or more sensors 104-1a, 104-1b… and 104-1n (hereinafter referred to as sensor(s) 104) and a controller 106-1 (hereinafter referred to as controller 106). It may be appreciated that each vehicle can have one or more sensors and one or more controllers, respectively. For example, vehicle 102-1 can include one or more sensors 104-1a, 104-1b, …., and 104-1n and a controller 106-1, and similarly vehicle 102-2 can include one or more sensors 104-2a, 104-2b, …, and 104-2n and a controller 106-2, and the like. For understanding purposes, FIG. 1 would be explained from vehicle 1’s point of view however, it may be appreciated that this explanation shall not restrict the scope of the present disclosure and is applicable for other vehicles of the system 100 as well. Also, vehicles of the proposed system can be of different configuration, construction, capacity, purpose, function, size, dimensions, and can include different number of sensors and/or controllers.
[00082] In an embodiment, a plurality of sensors 104 can be provided in a vehicle 102 formonitoring/tracking/supervising/sensing one or more elements of the vehicle 102, wherein the sensors 104 can be providedtomonitor/sensethe one or more elements of the vehicle selected from any or combination of a tire/tyre wear, a tyre-identification using a smart tag for inventory management, vehicle vibrations, a wheel alignment, a vehicle load, an engine fuel, brake system, steering, mirrors, lights, speed, tire air pressure, tire air temperature, and the like.
[00083] In an embodiment, as shown in system 100, each vehicle can include one or more controllers 106 to accumulate, aggregate, or receiveinformationthat is monitored for one or more elements of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, controller 106 (interchangeably can be referred as vehicle monitoring (VM) controller) can utilize accumulateddata to evaluate performance of the vehicle. In another exemplary embodiment, controller 106 can transmit the accumulated / aggregated / received information / data to the server 110 via network for evaluating/determining performance of the vehicle at remote locations. In an example, server 110 can be a remote server and/or a data analytic system and/or a cloud server.
[00084] In an exemplary implementation, controller 106 can automatically and/or periodically transmit data associated with the one or more components/parts/functionalities of the vehicle to the server 110 for analytically utilizing data for analyzing/predicting performance of the vehicle for current and/or future references (point of view).
[00085] In one implementation, network 108 may be a wireless network, a wired network or a combination thereof. The network can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and the like. The network may either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like, to communicate with one another. Further the network 106 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, and the like.
[00086] FIGs. 2A-2B illustrates network architecture of the proposed system for monitoring vehicle performance with vehicles having plurality of sensors and a controller at remote location, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00087] As shown in FIG. 2A, in an exemplary embodiment, the controller 106 can be located outside the vehicle 102-1for to accumulating / aggregating / receiving the information / data that is monitored / tracked / supervised / sensed for the one or more components/parts/functionalities of a vehicle.In such exemplary embodiment, the sensors 104-1a and 104-1b can be configured to monitor/sense the one or more elements of the vehicle and accordingly transmit the monitored / tracked / supervised / sensed data to the controller 106 for to evaluating/determining the performance of the vehicle via network 108a (similar to the network 108 above).
[00088] In another such exemplary embodiment, the controller 106 can be communicatively coupled with the server 110 via network. The controller 106 can transmit the accumulated / aggregated / received information / data to the server 110 via network 108b (similar to the network 108 above) for evaluating/determining performance of the vehicle at remote locations. In an example, the server 110 can be remote servers and/or a data analytic systems and/or cloud servers.
[00089] As shown in FIG. 2B, in an exemplary embodiment, the controller 106 can receive the information / data from one or more vehicles 102-1, 102-2, 102-3… 102-n. Each of the one or more vehicles 102-1, 102-2, 102-3… 102-n can have one or more sensors located inside the vehicle. For example, the vehicle 102-1 can include one or more sensors 104-1a, 104-1b… 104-1n and a controller 106-1, wherein the vehicle 102-1 can include one or more sensors 104-2a, 104-2b… 104-2n and a controller 106-2, and the like.
[00090] In such exemplary embodiment, the sensors 104-1a and 104-1b can be configured to monitor the one or more elements of the vehicle and accordingly transmit the monitored data to the controller 106 for to evaluating/determining the performance of the vehicle via network 108a (similar to the network 108 above).
[00091] In another such exemplary embodiment, the controller 106 can be communicatively coupled with the server 110 via network. The controller 106 can transmit the accumulated / aggregated / received data to the server 110 via network 108b (similar to the network 108 above) for evaluating/determining performance of the vehicle at remote locations. In an example, the server 110 can be remote servers and/or a data analytic systems and/or cloud servers.
[00092] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary placement of a sensor and a controller in a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, as shown in vehicle 300, an exemplary sensor 302 can be provided/configured/embedded at one or more tyres of the vehicle,wherein the sensor 302 can be configured in communication with a controller device 304 provided at the vehicle 300.
[00093] In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor 302 can provided/configured/manufactured dedicatedly for automotive applications.In an exemplary implementation, the sensor can transmit data over Radio Frequency (RF) or any of the existing communication means like wired and/or wireless network. Data transmission using RF reduces possibility of data loss due to distance and interference. In an implementation, according to the present disclosure,different types of sensors that may suit specific customer/vehicle needs and type of tyre can be provide, i.e. sensors that can be attached from the outside and/or the inside of the tyre. In an implementation, the sensors can be powered by easily available coin cells. The life of the sensor battery can depend on the frequency of data transmission which can range from a few seconds to several minutes. In an implementation, a custom RF tag can be provided for tyre for inventory control. In such implementation, the tag can transmit an ID to a receiver integrated in the controller 304. Such sensors can communicate with the controller 304through proprietary protocol.
[00094] In an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides a customizable, configurable, and/or re-configurable controller 304. The controller can be an integrated embedded middleware and can include various components that may include, but are not limited to, a controller/manager, a GSM module, a GPS module, one or more receivers, a CAN Bus interface, database, and a battery.
[00095] In an implementation, the controller/manager can be considered as a responsible electronics to manage the overall operation on the controller. The GSM module enables data transmission to cloud interface. The GPS module provides location information. The one or more receivers can receive information from a plurality of sensors that may be integrated in the vehicle, The CAN Bus interface can enable integration for various parameters associated with such as engine, ignition, fuel, transmission, etc.directly from vehicle for vehicle health monitoring. The database can provide a provision for onboard data backup, and can be used to store the data received by the receiver module and CAN Bus interface. The controller can be provide with a battery for providing poser for the operation of various electronic components of the controller and/or receive power from external source.
[00096] In an implementation, the controller 304 can be placed in the vehicle cabin and powered by vehicle battery (requires 5V). The controller 304 can be configured to control the frequency of data transmission, type of alerts, location of vehicle, etc.
[00097] In an implementation, the controller 304 can communicates the data to a data server and performance and location data are logged for further analysis. The connectivity to the remote server can be established using SAS tokens instead of IP based connectivity. This can improve the security of data and significantly reduces the chances of manipulation of data in the whole platform architecture.
[00098] FIG. 4A illustrates a functional modules of system proposed, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00099] Although the present subject matter is explained considering that the present disclosure is implemented as a controller, it may be understood that the controller may also be implemented in a variety of computing systems, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a notebook, a workstation, a mainframe computer, a server, a network server, and the like. It will be understood that the controller may be accessed by multiple users or applications residing on the controller.
[000100] In one embodiment, the controllermay include at least one processor (not shown), an input/output (I/O) interface (not shown), and a memory (not shown). The processor may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the at least one processor is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory.
[000101] The I/O interface may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces, for example, a web interface, a graphical user interface, and the like. The I/O interface may allow the mobile device to interact with a user directly or through the client devices. Further, the I/O interface may enable the controllerto communicate with other computing devices, such as web servers and external data servers (not shown). The I/O interface can facilitate multiple communications within a wide variety of networks and protocol types, including wired networks, for example, LAN, cable, etc., and wireless networks, such as WLAN, cellular, or satellite. The I/O interface may include one or more ports for connecting a number of devices to one another or to another server.
[000102] The memory may include any computer-readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes. The memory may include modules and data.
[000103] The modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In one implementation, the modules may includea receiver module 402, a CAN BUS interface module 404, a GSM module 406, a GPS module 408, a data backup module 410, and a power receiver module 412.
[000104] In an embodiment, the receiver module402 can be configured to receive data from one or more sensors located at various parts of the vehicle. For example, a sensor located nearby the fuel tank can sense the data associated with the fuel level in the fuel tank of the vehicle and transmit the same to the receiver module 402. In another example, the sensor located nearby the fuel tank can sense the data associated with the fuel level in the fuel tank as well as the fuel tank cap status and transmit the same to the receiver module 402.
[000105] In an exemplary embodiment, the sensors can capture vehicle performance data on a real-time basis. For example, in tyre performance monitoring the sensors determine key factors affecting the performance of a tyre are pressure and temperature of the air in the tyre chamber. The variations in these variables can affect the life of the tyre, fuel performance and affect the performance of the vehicle. Thus, the sensors according to the present disclosure capture tyre pressure and temperature on a real-time basis and provide timely feedback to drivers and maintenance managers to manage the performance of tyres and accordingly transmit the captured tyre pressure and temperature to the receiver module 402.
[000106] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiver module 402 can receive data associated with real-time monitoring of Tyre wear, Tyre-identification using smart Tag for inventory management, vehicle vibrations, wheel alignment, vehicle load, Engine fuel monitoring from a single or plurality if sensors provide in the vehicle. In another exemplary embodiment, the receiver module 402 can receive for example: service hours; current, minimum and maximum engine speed (rpm); current, minimum and maximum oil pressure; current, minimum and maximum water temperature; and other diagnostic parameters. Odometer information may also be provided including vehicle idle time, vehicle speed, fuel economy (instantaneous and running average values).
[000107] A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other in applications without a host computer. It is a message-based protocol, designed originally for multiplex electrical wiring within automobiles, but is also used in many other contexts. To facilitate the use of electronic networks in vehicles, vehicle busses were developed. One such common vehicle bus includes a controller area network (“CAN”). A CAN bus has proven to be a relatively inexpensive, low-speed serial bus for interconnecting automotive components. CAN is a serial bus standard for connecting at least ECM's. CAN was initially created for the automotive market as a vehicle bus, but now is available for a number of vehicles including heavy industrial equipment. The SAE J1939 standard defines a large number of parameters that may or may not be available on a CAN bus installed on a particular vehicle. Vehicle manufacturers and equipment manufacturers for vehicles decide which parameters to support. Vehicle manufacturers and equipment manufacturers for vehicles may also add unique proprietary parameters
[000108] In an embodiment, the CAN bus interface module 404 enables to receive/fetch the CAN bus related/monitored/read information associated with the various parameters of the vehicle to obtain the diagnostic of the vehicle. In an example, the parameters associated with the vehicle such as engine, ignition, fuel, transmission, etc can be fetched using CAN Bus integration for vehicle health monitoring.
[000109] In an embodiment, the GSM/transmitter module 406 enables to data transmission to cloud interface. The transmitter module 406 can include a wireless communications system adapted at least to communicate with a remote vehicle from a base station.
[000110] In an exemplary embodiment, the GSM/transmitter module 406 can include a communications system operatively connected across a mobile wireless communications system that includes a vehicle on-board mobile computing platform. The GSM/transmitter module 406 is capable of at least tracking, communicating with, and monitoring a vehicle and vehicle conditions by mobile two-way satellite and/or terrestrial means to enable an asset manager to monitor vehicle data of a remote vehicle, vehicle operator data, a transportation network, and vehicle deployment conditions. QUALCOMM Incorporated's GlobalTRACS™ system is an exemplary GSM/transmitter module 406 that may be used in conjunction with a mobile wireless communications system, to monitor vehicle data across a mobile wireless communications system. In general the GSM/transmitter module 406, includes an array of operatively connected communication devices adapted to receive and transmit at least electromagnetic signals across a wireless communications system without cables, using infrared light and radio signals, and also includes a telecommunications system in which electromagnetic waves, rather than some form of wire, carry the signal over all or part of the communication path. Messages may be routed through a provider center, a location from which the messages may be routed to a third party customer of the provider who may operate the provider center as an asset manager, and may also include third party applications to achieve monitoring of assets unique to the customer.
[000111] In an embodiment, the GPS module 408 can be configured to provide location/position information associated with the vehicle. In an exemplary implementation, GPS module 408 may be implemented as a satellite positioning system (SPS). The GPS module 408 may receive and transmit signals including, location parameters, from satellites, including satellites that are part of the Global Positioning System (“GPS”), Galileo, GLONASS, NAVSTAR, GNSS, a system that uses satellites from a combination of these systems, or any satellite positioning system subsequently developed (collectively referred to generally in this document as a Satellite Positioning System, or “SPS.” As used in this document, an SPS also includes pseadolite (pseudo-satellite) systems. As a person of skill in the art will appreciate, the system according to the present disclosure may include terrestrial components that may be used either independently of an SPS system, or in conjunction with an SPS system. A terrestrial-based position determination system may be used, as one non-exclusive example, in connection with Assisted GPS equipment and Local Positioning Systems (“LPS”) systems that may be associated with RFID and a Wi-Fi RSSI system. As a person skilled in the art also will appreciate, however, the technology of SPS and terrestrial systems is constantly being improved. New as yet unknown technologies for location determination may he developed that may he used with the method of monitoring CANbus information of this document, and are included in the meaning of “SPS.”
[000112] In an embodiment, the term “location” and “position” mean the physical and geographic location of one or more remote vehicles and one or more asset managers determined by any technique, technology, or system, or any combination of techniques, technologies, or systems, known or as yet unknown, for determining location parameters. Currently, such techniques and apparatus used for various SPS systems are used in combination with a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), and so on. A WWAN may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, among others. A CDMA network may implement one or more radio access technologies such as cdma2000, Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), among others. Cdma2000 includes IS-95, IS-2000, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. GSM and W-CDMA are described in documents from a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). Cdma2000 is described in documents from a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3CPP2 documents are publicly available. A WLAN may be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a WPAN may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN and/or WPAN.
[000113] In an embodiment, the data backup/storage module 410 can be configured to back up the data received by the receiver module 402 and the CAN bus interface module 404 in the local data store. The data can be stored in any of the retrievable forms using any or the existing techniques in the prior-art.
[000114] In an embodiment, the power receiver module 412 can be configured to receive the power source for the operation of the system form local or external source of the energy. The local source of energy can be batter where as the eternal source of energy can be a power socket.
[000115] In an exemplary embodiment, the power receiver module 412 can be powered by vehicle battery (requires 5V).
[000116] In order to summarize, the present disclosure provides a system that integrates all the information associated with the one or more elements fetched from the sensors of the vehicle on one or more platforms to use it develop analytical model to analyze the performance of vehicle in real-time under different operating conditions. The model so generated will be used for predictive analytics for vehicle performance tracking and manage the costs associated.
[000117] Further, the objective of the present disclosure is to transmit the information to other personnel such as maintenance managers. This will help keep track of any issues associated with vehicle and keep everyone updated. Further the information can be used to create analytical models to provide inputs for predictive maintenance.
[000118] FIG. 4B illustrates a functional modules of system proposed, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[000119] Although the present subject matter is explained considering that the present disclosure is implemented as a controller, it may be understood that the controller may also be implemented in a variety of computing systems, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a notebook, a workstation, a mainframe computer, a server, a network server, and the like. It will be understood that the controller may be accessed by multiple users or applications residing on the controller.
[000120] In one embodiment, the controller may include at least one processor (not shown), an input/output (I/O) interface (not shown), and a memory (not shown). The processor may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the at least one processor is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory.
[000121] The I/O interface may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces, for example, a web interface, a graphical user interface, and the like. The I/O interface may allow the mobile device to interact with a user directly or through the client devices. Further, the I/O interface may enable the controller to communicate with other computing devices, such as web servers and external data servers (not shown). The I/O interface can facilitate multiple communications within a wide variety of networks and protocol types, including wired networks, for example, LAN, cable, etc., and wireless networks, such as WLAN, cellular, or satellite. The I/O interface may include one or more ports for connecting a number of devices to one another or to another server.
[000122] The memory may include any computer-readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes. The memory may include modules and data.
[000123] The modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In one implementation, the modules may include a processor 452, a transceiver 454, and a data conversion unit 456, an embedding unit 458, GSM module 460, WI-FI module 462 and GPS module.
[000124] In an embodiment, the transceiver 454 can control the one or more processors to retrieve vehicle operating data corresponding to vehicle behavior, said vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of a vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components.
[000125] In an embodiment, the data conversion unit 456 can convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data.
[000126] In an embodiment, the embedding unit 458 can embed a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data; and configuring the one or more transceivers to transmit the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle.
[000127] In an embodiment, the global system for mobile communications (GSM) module 460 or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) module 462 can transmit the set of vehicle operating data to the host computer system, and the Global Positioning System (GPS) module 464 can track the VM controller.
[000128] In an embodiment, the vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 can monitor the direct and/ or indirect parameters associated with the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the direct parameter can be selected from any or combination of tyre pressure, tyre temperature, location of vehicle, speed of vehicle and vibrations of vehicle. In another exemplary embodiment, the indirect parameters can be selected from any or combination of tyre life in Kms and hours, tyre inventory management and vehicle condition.
[000129] For instance, in tyre performance monitoring system, the pressure sensors provided at the vehicle can capture tyre pressure on a real-time basis. The tyre pressure information along with a unique ID associated with the pressure sensor and the associated monitored tyre ID can be transmitted/communicatedwith the vehicle monitoring controller.The controller can send or transmit the received data along with its controller ID to cloud or server using any of the available communication means such as, but not limited tom, WI-FI or GSM. The remote server and/or a data analytic system and/or a cloud server can derive tyres’ life or vehicle condition (indirect parameters) based on captured tyre pressure.
[000130] For another instance, the vibration sensor can sense the vibration of the vehicle and the sensed data can be transmitted to the controlleralong with a unique ID associated with the vibration sensor and the associated monitored component (for example, doors of the vehicle) ID. The controller can transmit the sensed data with its controller ID to the cloud or server. Cloud or server can derive tyre life/condition based on sensed vibration of the vehicle.
[000131] In another exemplary embodiment, one or more sensors can capture different direct parameters such as tyre pressure or tyre temperature or location of vehicle or speed of vehicle or vibration of vehicle. The controller can club the sensed data from all the sensors and the controller is in proximity of the sensor. For example, the six tires can have different sensors such as pressure sensor or temperature sensor or vibration sensor and the sensed data from these sensors can club by the controller.
[000132] In an exemplary embodiment, the proposed system can be utilized for tyre inventory management. In tyre inventory management, the tyre theft can be alerted/ notified in real-time. For example- by using web based platform, the tyre theft can be alerted or notified to the driver or user. The driver or supervisor can alert by SMS or pop up notification or email through GPRS in real-time.
[000133] In an exemplary embodiment, the proposed system can include load sensor to sense the load in real- time. For example- truck or vehicle can include load sensor to sense the load of the truck, if the truck is overloaded then it can be unloaded. The load sensor can be used with vibration sensor so that, load and vibration at the time of loading vehicle can be sensed.
[000134] In an exemplary embodiment, the controller is the central processing unit which has a 32bit cortex M4 microcontroller, Open CPU GSM / GPRS, GPS module, Wi-Fi module a Power circuit, Secondary Memory for data storage and power back up. The controller internally works on 3.3 to 5.0V and is powered externally by 12Volts to 36Volts vehicle battery power. On a standby mode, the controller works on 230milliamperecurrent and when powered the controller works on a maximum 1.7amp current.
[000135] In an exemplary embodiment, the Vehicle Performance monitoring system can include transmitter, receiver and controller and cloud server. The transmitter can transmit the data of tyre pressure and temperature to the receiver. The receiver is interfaced with the controller. The controller is the central processing unit which has a 32bit cortex M4 microcontroller, Open CPU GSM / GPRS, GPS module, Wi-Fi module a Power circuit, Secondary Memory for data storage and power back up. The controller internally works on 3.3 to 5.0V and is powered externally by 12Volts to 36Volts vehicle battery power. On a standby mode, the controller works on 230milliamperecurrent and when powered the controller works on a maximum 1.7amp current. The transmitter communicates by radio frequency (Sub GHz, 433.92Mhz), whereas the controller can communicate on RF, BLE, Zigbee, LoRA based sensors or transmitters. The microcontroller collects data from all receivers, vibration sensors, GPS module and transmits the data to cloud server via the GPRS/GSM Cellular network or Wi-Fi network. It represents a unique combination compared to other Telemetry solutions. The Micro controller, GSM module and the Wi-Fi module are separately programmed to collect and process the data seamlessly. A unique communication protocol can be used for transmission of data between controller to cloud server is HTTP / MQTT. The data transmission from transmitters to controller is through Radio frequency (433.92 MHz). The Gateway is also capable of accepting Bluetooth signals, Zigbee, Wi-Fi and Radio frequency. The gateway also has a capability to store information for about 4 to 6 hours. The server is designed to receive information from the all such gateways, store and process the information. The information is stored on a cloud server and passes through several stages to the customer interface or tyre express web portal Tyre express web portal enables customer to view real time information on the tyre and vehicle performance and take actions. Algorithms built on the controller and cloud server enables the system to predict tyre life in KMs and hours, manage inventory of Tires on real-time and monitor vehicle health and condition on a real-time basis.
[000136] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of the proposed vehicle monitoring system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[000137] At step 502, one or more sensors coupled to one or more components of a vehicle can sense vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of the vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components.
[000138] At step 504, a vehicle monitoring (VM) controller can retrieve the vehicle operating data corresponding to the one or more components.
[000139] At step 506, the VM controller can convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data.
[000140] At step 508, the VM controller can embed a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data.
[000141] At step 510, the VM controller can transmit the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle.
[000142] At step 512, a host computer system can utilize the controller data to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle, the vehicle operating data comprise a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle, wherein the host computer system derives one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.
[000143] Even though the present disclosure recites that the system, method and process integrates all the information received fromthe one or more sensors on one or more platforms to use it develop analytical model, it should be appreciated thatinstead of developing the analytical model the information received can be utilized for plurality of other purposes directly of by further processing. Thus the development of the analytical model shall not restrict the scope of the present disclosure by any manner whatsoever.
[000144] As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term "coupled to" is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are used synonymously. Within the context of this document terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are also used euphemistically to mean “communicatively coupled with” over a network, where two or more devices are able to exchange data with each other over the network, possibly via one or more intermediary device.
[000145] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C ….and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
[000146] While embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as described in the claim.
[000147] In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.
[000148] Some portions of the detailed description have been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
[000149] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “computing”, “comparing”, “determining”, “adjusting”, “applying”, “creating”, “ranking,” “classifying,” or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
[000150] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be constructed for the intended purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.
[000151] It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. The scope of the disclosure should therefore be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[000152] The present disclosure provides a system, method, and process for remote monitoring of performance of an automobile that is capable of providing real-time information pertaining to one or more elements associated therewith.
[000153] The present disclosure provides a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method that determines real-time information related to how efficiently a driver operates a vehicle during a trip.
[000154] The present disclosure provides a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method that helps driver in avoiding inefficient operation of a vehicle.
[000155] The present disclosure provides a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method of monitoring efficiency of one or more vehicle drivers spread across one or more locations from a central location.
[000156] The present disclosure provides a vehicle performance monitoring system and a method for remotely monitoring performance of vehicles based on their capability of providing real-time information related to various elements associated with the vehicle.
,CLAIMS:
1. A vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 comprising:
one or more processors 452;
one or more transceivers 454 to control the one or more processors to retrieve vehicle operating data corresponding to vehicle behavior, said vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of a vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components;
a data conversion unit 456 to control the one or more processors to convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data;
an embedding unit 458 to control the one or more processors to embed a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data; and
configuring the one or more transceivers 454 to transmit the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least information associated with the one or more components of the vehicle is retrieved form one or more sensors coupled to the one or more components.

3. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least information associated with the one or more components of the vehicle is retrieved form one or more radio-frequency identification system coupled to the one or more components.

4. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more transceivers 454 includes a plurality of receivers to receive the information associated with the one or more components of the vehicle, each of the plurality of receivers is configured to receive the information in a plurality of pre-configured data formats.

5. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information comprise a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1 and claim 5, wherein data conversion unit 456 is configured to derive one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.

7. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portion of the set of vehicle operating data is utilized to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portion of the vehicle operating data is transmitted to the host computer system via a wireless network or via a wired network.

9. The vehicle monitoring (VM) controller 450 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VM controller includes at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) module 460 or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) module 462 to transmit the set of vehicle operating data to the host computer system, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) 464 for tracking the VM controller.

10. A vehicle monitoring (VM) system comprising:
one or more sensors coupled to one or more components of a vehicle and are configured to sense vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of the vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components;
a vehicle monitoring (VM) controller to:
retrieve the vehicle operating data corresponding to the one or more components;
convert the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data;
embed a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data; and
transmit the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle; and
the host computer system configured to utilize the controller data to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle, the vehicle operating data comprise a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle, wherein the host computer system derives one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.

11. A method for vehicle monitoring (VM), the method comprising:
sensing, at one or more sensors coupled to one or more components of a vehicle, vehicle operating data comprising at least information associated with one or more components of the vehicle along with a component identifier corresponding to each of the one or more components;
retrieving, at a vehicle monitoring (VM) controller, the vehicle operating data corresponding to the one or more components;
converting, at the VM controller, the vehicle operating data of said one or more components into a compatible format to generate a portion of the vehicle operating data;
embedding, at the VM controller, a controller identifier corresponding to the VM controller in the portion of the vehicle operating data to obtain a controller data;
transmitting, at the VM controller, the controller data to a host computer system for monitoring one or more components of the vehicle; and
utilizing, at a host computer system, the controller data to derive at least behavior of the one or more components of the vehicle, the vehicle operating data comprise a plurality of direct parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle, wherein the host computer system derives one or more indirect parameters associated with the one or more components of the vehicle from at least one of plurality of direct parameters.