Internet-based system for monitoring vehicles

Abstract

The invention provides a method for monitoring a vehicle that features the steps of: 1) generating a data packet including vehicle data retrieved from the vehicle using a wireless appliance; 2) transmitting the data packet over an airlink with the wireless appliance so that the data packet passes through a network and to a host computer system; 3) processing the data packet with the host computer system to generate a set of data; and 4) displaying the set of data on a web page hosted on the internet.

Claims

1. A method .[.for monitoring a vehicle with a vehicle computer device located in the vehicle,.]. comprising: .[.(a).]. acquiring.Iadd., by a vehicle computer device connected to an engine control unit (ECU) of a vehicle via an OBD or OBD-II connector, .Iaddend.vehicle data comprising numerical diagnostic data .[.or location-based data.]. associated with the vehicle; .[.(b).]. processing.Iadd., by the vehicle computer device connected to the ECU of the vehicle via the OBD or OBD-II connector, .Iaddend.the vehicle data according to a mathematical algorithm to generate derived diagnostic .[.or location.]. information that is at least in part derived from the .[.acquired.]. vehicle data, and wherein the derived .Iadd.diagnostic .Iaddend.information has a meaning distinct from the .[.acquired.]. vehicle data; .[.(c).]. formatting.Iadd., by the vehicle computer device connected to the ECU of the vehicle via the OBD or OBD-II connector, .Iaddend.the derived diagnostic .[.or location.]. information for display on an application running on a host computer device, wherein the application can provide an interface for presenting information associated with the vehicle, wherein the interface includes at least one of an icon .[.and.]. .Iadd.or .Iaddend.a data field associated with derived .Iadd.diagnostic .Iaddend.information indicative of .[.the vehicle's.]. emissions performance.[.,.]. .Iadd.of the vehicle; .Iaddend.and .[.(d).]. wirelessly transmitting.Iadd., by a cellular modem included in the vehicle computer device connected to the ECU of the vehicle via the OBD or OBD-II connector and via an internet, .Iaddend.the derived .Iadd.diagnostic .Iaddend.information in a communication to the host computer device.Iadd., the derived diagnostic information for a first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed being monitored and wirelessly transmitted at a first temporal interval or mileage interval set based on the first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed, and the derived diagnostic information for a second diagnostic problem to be diagnosed being monitored and wirelessly transmitted at a second temporal interval or mileage interval set based on the second diagnostic problem to be diagnosed, the first temporal interval or mileage interval being simultaneous with and different than the second temporal interval or mileage interval.Iaddend..

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application includes a browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing .[.further.]. includes extracting information representative of at least one of the following vehicle parameters from the .[.received.]. .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.data: numerical data, an alphanumeric text message, .[.and.]. .Iadd.or .Iaddend.a vehicle identification number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the numerical diagnostic data includes at least one of the following numerical parameters: diagnostic trouble codes, vehicle speed, fuel level, fuel pressure, miles per gallon, engine RPM, mileage, oil pressure, oil temperature, tire pressure, tire temperature, engine coolant temperature, intake-manifold pressure, engine performance tuning parameters, alarm status, accelerometer status, cruise-control status, fuel injector performance, spark-plug timing, .[.and.]. .Iadd.or .Iaddend.a status of an anti-lock braking system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the host computer device is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless smartphone, or a personal computer.

6. A vehicle computer device.[., located in a vehicle, configured to perform a method, the method.]. comprising: .Iadd.a cellular modem; a connector that connects to an OBD or OBD-II connector of a vehicle; and a processor to:.Iaddend. .[.(a) acquiring.]. .Iadd.acquire .Iaddend.vehicle data comprising numerical diagnostic data .[.or location-based data.]. associated with the vehicle .Iadd.via the OBD or OBD-II connector of the vehicle.Iaddend.; .[.(b) processing.]. .Iadd.process .Iaddend.the vehicle data according to a mathematical algorithm to generate derived diagnostic .[.or location.]. information that is at least in part derived from the .[.acquired.]. vehicle data, and wherein the derived .Iadd.diagnostic .Iaddend.information has a meaning distinct from the .[.acquired.]. vehicle data; .[.(c) formatting.]. .Iadd.format .Iaddend.the derived diagnostic .[.or location.]. information for display on an application running on a host computer device, wherein the application can provide an interface for presenting information associated with the vehicle, wherein the interface includes at least one of an icon .[.and.]. .Iadd.or .Iaddend.a data field associated with derived .Iadd.diagnostic .Iaddend.information indicative of .[.the vehicle's.]. emissions performance.[.,.]. .Iadd.of the vehicle; .Iaddend.and .[.(d).]. wirelessly .[.transmitting.]. .Iadd.transmit, using the cellular modem, .Iaddend.the derived .Iadd.diagnostic .Iaddend.information in a communication .Iadd.via an internet .Iaddend.to the host computer device.Iadd., the derived diagnostic information for a first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed being monitored and wirelessly transmitted at a first temporal interval or mileage interval set based on the first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed, and the derived diagnostic information for a second diagnostic problem to be diagnosed being monitored and wirelessly transmitted at a second temporal interval or mileage interval set based on the second diagnostic problem to be diagnosed, the first temporal interval or mileage interval being simultaneous with and different than the second temporal interval or mileage interval.Iaddend..

7. The .[.method.]. .Iadd.vehicle computer device .Iaddend.of claim 6, wherein the application includes a browser.

8. The .[.method.]. .Iadd.vehicle computer device .Iaddend.of claim 6, .Iadd.wherein the processor, when processing the vehicle data, is to:.Iaddend. .[.wherein the processing further includes extracting.]. .Iadd.extract .Iaddend.information representative of at least one of the following vehicle parameters from the .[.received.]. .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.data: numerical data, an alphanumeric text message, .[.and.]. .Iadd.or .Iaddend.a vehicle identification number.

9. The .[.method.]. .Iadd.vehicle computer device .Iaddend.of claim 6, wherein the numerical diagnostic data includes at least one of the following numerical parameters: diagnostic trouble codes, vehicle speed, fuel level, fuel pressure, miles per gallon, engine RPM, mileage, oil pressure, oil temperature, tire pressure, tire temperature, engine coolant temperature, intake-manifold pressure, engine performance tuning parameters, alarm status, accelerometer status, cruise-control status, fuel injector performance, spark-plug timing, .[.and.]. .Iadd.or .Iaddend.a status of an anti-lock braking system.

10. The .[.method.]. .Iadd.vehicle computer device .Iaddend.of claim 6, wherein the host computer device is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital.Iadd., .Iaddend.assistant (PDA), a wireless smartphone, or a personal computer.

.[.11. A graphical user interface running on a host computer device for displaying derived diagnostic or location information corresponding to a vehicle wherein the derived diagnostic or location information displayed by the graphical user interface includes diagnostic or location information wirelessly transmitted by, a vehicle computer device coupled to the vehicle to acquire diagnostic and location vehicle data generated thereby, and wherein the vehicle computer device processes the diagnostic or location vehicle data according to a mathematical algorithm, and wherein the information comprises at least one of vehicle status reports and vehicle service recommendations to generate the derived information so that it has a meaning distinct from the acquired diagnostic and location vehicle data, wherein the graphical user interface includes at least one of an icon and data field associated with derived information indicative of the vehicle's emissions..].

.[.12. The graphical user interface of claim 11 wherein the displayed graphical user interface includes a web browser..].

.[.13. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface is configured for displaying information formatted according to at least one wireless access protocol (WAP)..].

.[.14. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the host computer device is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless smartphone, or a personal computer..].

.Iadd.15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a vehicle computer device connected to an engine control unit (ECU) of a vehicle via an OBD or OBD-II connector, cause the one or more processors to: acquire vehicle data comprising numerical diagnostic data associated with the vehicle via the OBD or OBD-II connector of the vehicle; process the vehicle data according to a mathematical algorithm to generate derived diagnostic information that is at least in part derived from the vehicle data, and wherein the derived diagnostic information has a meaning distinct from the vehicle data; format the derived diagnostic information for display on an application running on a host computer device, wherein the application can provide an interface for presenting information associated with the vehicle, wherein the interface includes at least one of an icon or a data field associated with derived diagnostic information indicative of emissions performance of the vehicle; and wirelessly transmit, using a cellular modem included in the vehicle computer device, the derived diagnostic information in a communication via an internet to the host computer device, the derived diagnostic information for a first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed being monitored and wirelessly transmitted at a first temporal interval or mileage interval set based on the first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed, and the derived diagnostic information for a second diagnostic problem to be diagnosed being monitored and wirelessly transmitted at a second temporal interval or mileage interval set based on the second diagnostic problem to be diagnosed, the first temporal interval or mileage interval being simultaneous with and different than the second temporal interval or mileage interval..Iaddend.

.Iadd.16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the application includes a browser..Iaddend.

.Iadd.17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to process the vehicle data, cause the one or more processors to: extract information representative of at least one of the following vehicle parameters from the vehicle data: numerical data, an alphanumeric text message, or a vehicle identification number..Iaddend.

.Iadd.18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the numerical diagnostic data includes at least one of the following numerical parameters: diagnostic trouble codes, vehicle speed, fuel level, fuel pressure, miles per gallon, engine RPM, mileage, oil pressure, oil temperature, tire pressure, tire temperature, engine coolant temperature, intake-manifold pressure, engine performance tuning parameters, alarm status, accelerometer status, cruise-control status, fuel injector performance, spark-plug tinting, or a status of an anti-lock braking system..Iaddend.

.Iadd.19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the host computer device is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital, assistant (PDA), a wireless smartphone, or a personal computer..Iaddend.

.Iadd.20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first temporal interval or mileage interval is a temporal interval, and the derived diagnostic information for the first diagnostic problem to be diagnosed is wirelessly transmitted by the cellular modem a plurality of times each minute based on the temporal interval to provide the derived diagnostic information to the host computer device in real-time..Iaddend.

.Iadd.21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first temporal interval or mileage interval is a mileage interval..Iaddend.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The features and advantages of the present invention can be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken with the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a website with a login process that renders a series of web pages associated with either a dealer interface or a customer interface;

(3) FIG. 2 is a screen capture of a web page from the web site of FIG. 1 wherein a user enters a login and password;

(4) FIG. 3 is a screen capture of a web page from the web site of FIG. 1 that shows a list of customers corresponding to a single dealership;

(5) FIG. 4 is a screen capture of a web page from the web site of FIG. 1 that shows an alert message, generated by an odometer reading, for a customer's vehicle;

(6) FIG. 5A is a screen capture of a web page from the web site of FIG. 1 that shows two alerts, each generated by a separate DTC, for a customer's vehicle;

(7) FIG. 5B is a screen capture of a web page associated with the web page of FIG. 5A that shows two 5-digit DTCs corresponding to the two alert messages shown in FIG. 5A;

(8) FIG. 6 is a screen capture of a web page from the web site of FIG. 1 that shows recent diagnostic data for a customer's vehicle; and

(9) FIG. 7 is a screen capture of a web page from the website of FIG. 1 that shows several time-dependent sets of diagnostic data for a customer's vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(10) FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a login process 10 for a website 20 that displays diagnostic data for a series of customer vehicles associated with a vehicle dealership. Within each vehicle is a wireless appliance that retrieves data from the vehicle's engine computer, and then sends these data, formatted in a data packet, wirelessly through a network. The data eventually are transferred from the network to the website 20 where they are formatted and displayed and processed as described below.

(11) A user logs into the website 20 by entering a username and password that, once entered, are compared to a database associated with the website. The comparison determines if the user is a dealer or a customer. If the user is determined to be a dealer, the website renders a dealer interface 27 that contains, e.g., diagnostic information for each vehicle purchased from the particular dealership. Users viewing the dealer interface 27 do not have access to data corresponding to vehicles sold by other dealerships. If the user is determined to be a customer, the website 20 renders a customer interface 29 that contains diagnostic information for one or more vehicles corresponding to the customer. The customer interface contains diagnostic information for each vehicle corresponding to the customer.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a screen capture from a home web page 40 of an actual website. The web page 40, corresponding to the web page 20 shown in FIG. 1 as www.networkcar.com, is accessed from a conventional web browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator). It renders a dealer/customer login portion 43 that prompts a user for a login and a password. The web page 40 includes a login region 42 where the user enters a login (in this case the user's email address), and a password region 44 where the user enters a corresponding password. The user then clicks the login button 46 to authenticate the login and log the user into the website as either a customer, dealer, or an invalid user. The authentication process is performed with conventional database software. Here and throughout the application, the term clicks means a computer mouse is used to select or initiate a software-based feature on the web page.

(13) The wireless appliance that provides a diagnostic data to the website is described in more detail in WIRELESS DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES, filed Feb. 1, 2001, the contents of which have been previously incorporated by reference. Each wireless appliance contains logic for retrieving data from the host vehicle and formatting the data in a data packet, and a wireless transmitter that transmits the data packet over an airlink to a wireless network (e.g., Cingular's Mobitex network). Each appliance typically transmits a data packet at either a predetermined time interval (e.g., once each day), or shortly (e.g., within a few seconds) after a DTC is generated. The format of each data packet, along with the data contained therein, is described in the above-mentioned patent application. In general, each data packet contains information of its status, an address describing its destination, an address describing its origin, and a payload that contains diagnostic data from the vehicle. The process for transmitting diagnostic data from a vehicle to a website is described in more detail in the above-referenced patent application.

(14) FIG. 3 is a screen capture of a web page 50 included in the dealer interface indicated in FIG. 1. The host computer system renders this page once the user is determined to be a dealer following the login process. The screen capture features a customer list 52 corresponding to a single dealership that includes: customer names 56 for each customer; a vehicle description 58 that includes the vehicle's year, make and model; a unique 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) 60 that functions as the vehicle's serial number; and an alert listing 62 that provides a number of alerts, described in more detail below, for each vehicle.

(15) An alert is generated when data, sent from the vehicle's wireless appliance to the host computer system, indicates either 1) a mechanical/electrical problem with the vehicle; or 2) that a scheduled maintenance is recommended for the vehicle. For example, the customer list 52 includes a data field 54 that lists the user Five, Loaner with an associated 2001 Toyota Corolla. The data field 54 also includes the number 1 in the alert listing 62, indicating the presence of one of a single alert.

(16) FIG. 4 is a screen capture of a web page 60 entitled a Vehicle Check Page that describes in more detail the alert and other data for Five, Loaner. The web page 60 for this user, or any other user in the customer list 52, is accessed by clicking on the highlighted name in the data field 54 shown in the web page 50 of FIG. 3. The web page 60 features a header 61 that lists general information corresponding to this particular user, e.g. name, vehicle description, and VIN. The header 61 also include diagnostic data such as a field 70 showing the vehicle's odometer reading (5229 miles), a time/date stamp 72 indicating the last time the host computer system received data from the vehicle, and an icon and data field 71 indicating the vehicle's emissions performance. In this last case, the green box with a checkmark indicates that the vehicle's emissions are within the levels mandated by the EPA. It is present when the vehicle has no DTCs that are associated with its emissions system.

(17) The web page 60 is separated into four categories describing, respectively, a status of the vehicle's emission system 62, transmission/brakes system 64, engine/fuel system 66, and other systems 68. For this vehicle, the emission 62, transmission/brakes 64, and engine/fuel 66 system categories have no associated alerts. This is indicated by, respectively, messages 62, 64, 66 preceded an icon that features a green box with a checkmark similar to that shown in the data field 71 describing the overview vehicle's emissions status. These icons indicate that no DTCs corresponding to the respective categories were detected. Conversely the other system category 68 includes an alert message 68 that includes a text message field preceded by an icon that features a yellow box with a question mark. The presence of this single alert message 68 is what generates the 1 listed in the data field 54 in FIG. 3. The alert message 68 is generated in response to an odometer reading (i.e., 5229 miles) transmitted in the most recent data packet sent by the vehicle.

(18) The alert message 68 is first generated when the vehicle's mileage is within 1000 miles of the mileage corresponding to a recommended scheduled maintenance, which in this case is 5000 miles. Thus, an alert in generated and first appears on the web page 60 when the vehicle's odometer reading is 4000 miles or greater. Mileage values corresponding to this and other recommended schedule maintenances are entered into the system in a Scheduled Maintenance section 75 on the same page. The alert message 68 appears on the web page 60 until: 1) the recommended service is performed on the vehicle; or 2) the vehicle's mileage is greater than 1000 miles from the mileage corresponding to a recommended scheduled maintenance (i.e., 6000 miles). In either case, the alert is cleared from the web page 60 and is stored in a History of Alert section 75 that, when clicked, historically lists all the cleared alerts corresponding to this particular vehicle.

(19) FIGS. 5A and 5B show, respectively, screen captures of web pages 80 and 100 that indicate alert messages 62a, 62b triggered by the presence of separate emissions-related DTCs within the vehicle. The DTC is sent from the vehicle in the data packet described above. The web pages 80, 100 feature the same general format as shown for FIG. 4, i.e. four categories describing the vehicle's emission system 62, transmission/brakes system 64, engine/fuel system 66, and other systems 68. In this case, the transmission/brakes 64, engine/fuel 66 and other 68 systems have no associated alerts, and thus include messages 64, 66, and 68 preceded an icon that features a green box with a checkmark as before. In contrast, the emissions system 62 includes two alert messages 62a, 62b. Each message includes a brief text message: engine may not be processing exhaust gasses efficiently. The text message is included in a database and associated with each of the 5-digit DTCs. Note that the presence of the alert messages 62a, 62b means that there is a problem with this vehicle's emission system, and thus the icon in the data field 71 in the page's header 61 is red with an exclamation point.

(20) FIG. 5B shows a screen capture of a web page 100 that includes more details for the alert messages 62a, 62b from FIG. 5A. The web page 100 renders when a user clicks on the View Emissions System Details link 85 in the emissions category 62 and includes alert messages 62a, 62b. These messages are essentially more detailed versions of the alert messages 62a, 62b shown in FIG. 5A. They include the same text description as alert messages 62a, 62b in addition to a more detailed text description (Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Insufficient Detected for alert message 62a; Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Excessive Detected for alert message 62b) and the 5-digit DTC (P0401 for alert message 62a; P0402 for alert message 62b). Detailed diagnostic data corresponding to the DTCs is accessed by clicking on the To System Diagnostic Measurements field 90 in FIG. 5B. As shown in FIG. 6, this field 90 renders a web page 120 that lists a detailed data set 122 transmitted from the vehicle-based wireless appliance to the host computer system. The host computer system receives the data set 122 at a time described by a time/date stamp 72 listed in the header 61. The data set 122 includes a data parameter name 125, a corresponding numerical value 127, and a description of the units 129 of the numerical value 127. Some of the numerical values (e.g., the status of the MIL light 131) are dimensionless, i.e. they do not have units. As described above, to generate the numerical values 127 the wireless appliance queries the vehicle's ECU at a set time interval (e.g. every 20 seconds), and transmits a data set 122 at a longer time interval (e.g. every 10 minutes). Thus, the numerical values in the data set can represent instantaneous values that result from a single query to the ECU, or they can represent average values that result from an average from multiple sequential queries.

(21) The data parameters within the set 122 describe a variety of electrical, mechanical, and emissions-related functions in the vehicle. Several of the more significant parameters from the set are listed in Table 1, below:

(22) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Parameters Monitored from Vehicle Pending DTCs Ignition Timing Advance Calculated Load Value Air Flow Rate MAF Sensor Engine RPM Engine Coolant Temperature Intake Air Temperature Absolute Throttle Position Sensor Vehicle Speed Short-Term Fuel Trim Long-Term Fuel Trim MIL Light Status Oxygen Sensor Voltage Oxygen Sensor Location Delta Pressure Feedback EGR Pressure Sensor Evaporative Purge Solenoid Dutycycle Fuel Level Input Sensor Fuel Tank Pressure Voltage Engine Load at the Time of Misfire Engine RPM at the Time of Misfire Throttle Position at the Time of Misfire Vehicle Speed at the Time of Misfire Number of Misfires Transmission Fluid Temperature PRNDL position (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 = neutral, 6 = reverse) Number of Completed OBDII Trips Battery Voltage

(23) The parameters listed in Table 1 were measured from a Ford Crown Victoria. Similar sets of data are available for nearly all vehicles manufactured after 1996. In addition to these, hundreds of other vehicle-specific parameters are also available from the vehicle's ECU.

(24) The data set 122 shown in FIG. 6 represents a current data sent from the vehicle's wireless appliance to the host computer system. Data sets sent at earlier times can also be analyzed individually or in a group to determine the vehicle's performance. These historical data, for example, can by used to determine trends in the vehicle's performance. In some cases data analyzed in this manner can be used to predict potential problems with the vehicle before they actually occur.

(25) Referring to FIG. 7, a web page 130 includes a historical data set 132 containing data parameter names 125, units 129 and a series of data sets 127a-127c transmitted at earlier times from the in-vehicle wireless appliance. Each of these data sets is similar to the data set 122 shown in FIG. 6, but is received by the host computer system at an earlier time indicated by a timestamps 140a-140c. For example, the first two data sets 127c, 127b where transmitted with time stamps 140b, 140c of 11:42 and 11:52 on Feb. 12, 2001; the last data set 127a was transmitted the next morning with a time stamp 140a of 6:05. Time-dependent data shown in this manner can be analyzed to determine trends in a vehicle's performance. The trends can then be used to diagnose or predict a problem with the vehicle.

(26) Other embodiments are also within the scope of the invention. In particular, the web pages used to display the data can take many different forms, as can the manner in which the data are displayed. Web pages are typically written in a computer language such as HTML (hypertext mark-up language), and may also contain computer code written in languages such as Java for performing certain functions (e.g., sorting of names). The web pages are also associated with database software (provided by companies such as Oracle) that is used to store and access data. Equivalent versions of these computer languages and software can also be used.

(27) Different web pages may be designed and accessed depending on the end-user. As described above, individual users have access to web pages that only show data for their particular vehicle, while organizations that support a large number of vehicles (e.g. dealerships or distributors) have access to web pages that contain data from a collection of vehicles. These data, for example, can be sorted and analyzed depending on vehicle make, model, odometer reading, and geographic location. The graphical content and functionality of the web pages may vary substantially from what shown in the above-described figures. In addition, web pages may also be formatted using standard wireless access protocols (WAP) so that they can be accessed using wireless devices such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and related devices.

(28) The web pages also support a wide range of algorithms that can be used to analyze data once it is extracted from the data packets. For example, the above-mentioned method alert messages are sent out in response to a DTC or when a vehicle approaches a pre-specified odometer reading. Alternatively, the message could be sent out when a data parameter (e.g. engine coolant temperature) exceeded a predetermined value. In some case, multiple parameters (e.g., engine speed and load) can be analyzed to generate an alert message. In general, an alert message can be sent out after analyzing one or more data parameters using any type of algorithm. These algorithms range from the relatively simple (e.g., determining mileage values for each vehicle in a fleet) to the complex (e.g., predictive engine diagnoses using data mining techniques). Data analysis may be used to characterize an individual vehicle as described above, or a collection of vehicles, and can be used with a single data set or a collection of historical data. Algorithms used to characterize a collection of vehicles can be used, for example, for remote vehicle or parts surveys, to characterize emission performance in specific geographic locations, or to characterize traffic.

(29) Other embodiments of the invention include algorithms for analyzing data to characterize vehicle accidents and driving patterns for insurance purposes; algorithms for determining driving patterns for use-based leasing; and algorithms for recording vehicle use and driving patterns for tax purposes. In general, any algorithm that processes data collected with the above-described method is within the scope of the invention.

(30) Similarly, the temporal or mileage frequency at which data is collected can be adjusted to diagnose specific types of problems. For example, characterization of certain types of vehicle performance indicators, such as emissions, may need to be monitored relatively frequently (e.g., once every few minutes). Other properties, such as mileage and fluid levels, may only need to be monitored every few days, or in some cases just a few times each year.

(31) In other embodiments, additional hardware can be added to the in-vehicle wireless appliance to increase the number of parameters in the transmitted data. For example, hardware for global-positioning systems (GPS) may be added so that the location of the vehicle can be monitored along with its data. Or the radio modem used to transmit the data may employ a terrestrial GPS system, such as that available on modems designed by Qualcomm, Inc. In still other embodiments, the location of the base station that transmits the message can be analyzed to determine the vehicle's approximate location. In addition, the wireless appliance may be interfaced to other sensors deployed in the vehicle to monitor additional data. For example, sensors for measuring tire pressure and temperature may be deployed in the vehicle and interfaced to the appliance so that data relating the tires' performance can be transmitted to the host computer system.

(32) In other embodiments, data processed using the above-described systems can be used for: remote billing/payment of tolls; remote smog and emissions checks; remote payment of parking/valet services; remote control of the vehicle (e.g., in response to theft or traffic/registration violations); and general survey information.

(33) Still other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.