[19]
`United States Patent
`
`
`Coiner et a1.
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`5,638,273
`
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`Jun. 10, 1997
`
`USOOS638273A
`
`[54]
`
`[75]
`
`[73]
`
`[21]
`
`[22]
`
`[51]
`[52]
`
`[5 8]
`
`[56]
`
`VEHICLE DATA STORAGE AND ANALYSIS
`SYSTEM AND METHODS
`
`Inventors: Ronald W. Coiner, N. Huntingdon;
`John M. Coiner, Penn; Ryan E.
`Drummond, Herminie, all of Pa.
`
`Assignee: Remote Control Systems, Inc., Irwin,
`Pa.
`
`Appl. No.: 412,881
`
`Filed:
`
`Mar. 29, 1995
`
`Int. Cl.6 ...................................................... G06F 19/00
`US. Cl. ................................ 364/424.04; 364/551.01;
`369/21; 360/5
`Field of Search ......................... 364/424.03, 424.04,
`364/551.01, 550; 73/1172. 117.3; 369/21;
`360/5, 6
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUNIENI‘S
`
`4,143,417
`4,258,421
`4,638,289
`
`............................. 364/900
`3/1979 Wald et a1.
`...... 364/424
`3/1981 Juhasz et al.
`
`1/1987 Zottnik .................................. 340/52 H
`
`5,046,007
`5,065,321
`5,327,347
`5,388,045
`5,446,659
`5,477,141
`5,526,269
`
`9/1991 McCrery et al.
`.................. 364/424.04
`11/1991 Bezos et al.
`.......
`364/424.04
`
`7/1994 Hagenbuch .......
`364/424.07
`.. 364/424.04
`2/1995 Kamiya et a].
`
`8/1995 Yamawaki .....
`364/424.03
`1W1995 Nather et a1.
`.
`324/160
`
`6/1996 Ishibashi et a1.
`.................. 364/424.03
`
`Primary Examiner—Michael Zanelli
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Larson and Taylor
`[57]
`ABSTRACT
`
`A system for monitoring, recording, and analyzing opera-
`tional and incident data from a machine, particularly a
`vehicle. The system includes a computer controlled device,
`mounted onboard the machine, which collects and records
`data supplied to it from a variety of sensors positioned to
`sense operational parameters of the machine. The device
`provides for storing operational data at one frequency while
`storing data surrounding an incident or triggering event at a
`higher frequency, thus, recording incident data with a higher
`resolution than that associated with normal operating data.
`The incident data is stored at a higher frequency for prede-
`termined periods both before and after the incident or
`triggering event.
`
`15 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
` SAMPLE SIGNALS
`
` CREATE DATA
`
`
`RECORDS AT
`FREQUENCY Z
`
`COMPARE SIGNALS
`TO THRESHOLD
`
`
`
`
`FREEZE DATA
`
`
`EXCEED
`RECORDS STORED
`
`YES
`
`
`
`THRESHOLD?
`AT FREQ. 3 FOR
`
`
`PERIODS BEFORE AND
`(TRIGGER)
`
`
`AFTER TRIGGER
`
`
`STORE DATA
`RECORDS AT
`
`
`FREQUENCY 2
`
`
`
`
`STORE DATA
`RECORDS AT
`FREQUENCY 3
`
`
`
`OWNER Ex. 2056, p. l
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 10, 1997
`
`Sheet 1 of 5‘
`
`5,638,273
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`OWNER EX. 2056, p. 2
`
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`
`
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 10, 1997
`
`Sheet 2 of 5
`
`5,638,273
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`OWNER EX. 2056, p. 3
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 10, 1997
`
`Sheet 3 of 5
`
`5,638,273
`
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`
`OWNER Ex. 2056, p. 4
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 10, 1997
`
`Sheet 4 of 5
`
`5,638,273
`
`408
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`DATE:4/12/95-INTERVAL1HR.VEHICLE124
`
`OWNER EX. 2056, p. 5
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 10, 1997
`
`Sheet 5 of 5
`
`5,638,273
`
`SAMPLE SIGNALS
`
`
`
`
`CREATE DATA
`RECORDS AT
`FREQUENCY Z
`
`COMPARE SIGNALS
`TO THRESHOLD
`
`
`
`
`FREEZE DATA
`
`YES
`EXCEED
`RECORDS STORED
`
`
`
`
`
`
`THRESHOLD?
`AT FREQ. 3 FOR
`
`
`PERIODS BEFORE AND
`(TRIGGER)
`
`
`AFTER TRIGGER
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`STORE DATA
`RECORDS AT
`FREQUENCY 2
`
`FIG. 5
`
`STORE DATA
`RECORDS AT
`FREQUENCY 3
`
`OWNER EX. 2056, p. 6
`
`

`

`1
`VEHICLE DATA STORAGE AND ANALYSIS
`SYSTEM AND METHODS
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`
`The present invention relates to a system for systemati-
`cally recording data corresponding to selected machine
`parameters over time and for downloading and analyzing
`that data once it has been recorded. More particularly, the
`present invention relates to a system for recording and
`analyzing vehicle data.
`2. The Prior Art
`
`It is often desirable to record information pertaining to the
`operation of a machine, particularly a vehicle, over time.
`This information is useful in analyzing both the operating
`condition of the machine and how the machine is being
`controlled by the operator during the monitoring period.
`Also, this information can be useful in determining the
`condition of a machine just prior to, or just after, a specific
`incident or event (such as engine overheating, brake failure,
`a vehicle accident, or the like) for maintenance, insurance,
`or legal purposes.
`Various systems to monitor and record vehicle data have
`been provided in the prior art. Many of these systems
`provide onboard devices that record the data for a period of
`time and then transfer the data to a remote location for later
`
`analysis. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,007, to McCrery et al., and
`US. Pat. No. 5,065,321, to Bezos et al.. provide examples
`of this type of system. While it is desirable to record many
`diiferent data signals for a long period of time, memory
`concerns limit the amount of data which may be stored in an
`on—board device.
`
`Rather than storing the data from each sensor in real time,
`a system can be more eflicient if it provides a means for
`compressing the data by storing only portions of the sensed
`data, while ensuring that at least the most relevant informa-
`tion is stored. With such compression, a given amount of
`memory can store data covering a much longer period of
`time.
`
`Various prior art systems provide for compressing vehicle
`data as the systems record such data. US. Pat. Nos. 5,327,
`347, to Hagenbuch, and 4,258,421, to Juhasz et al., which
`are herein incorporated by reference, are representative of
`microprocessor-based digital systems that compress data by
`sampling a plurality of sensors at a particular frequency and
`storing the data provided by the sensors only when they are
`sampled. The Juhasz et al. patent discloses a system that
`further compresses the data by comparing each data signal
`with a reference threshold and only storing the data signal if
`the data signal exceeds its reference threshold.
`While these type of systems increase the period of time
`the system is capable of recording data, it is also possible for
`an incident or event to occur during the time between
`samples. The data surrounding this incident can be
`extremely important. Thus, while decreasing the sampling
`rate or frequency increases the operating time that may be
`recorded in a memory of a particular capacity, it also
`decreases the likelihood that a sample will be taken at, or
`around, the time of an incident. Of course, the inverse of this
`is also true: increasing the sampling frequency decreases the
`operating time that may be recorded, but it increases the
`likelihood that a sample will be taken at, or around. the time
`of an incident.
`
`Further, even if a sample is taken at the time of an
`incident. if the sample frequency is too low, important
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`4o
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`5,638,273
`
`2
`
`information before and after the incident may be missed.
`Thus, while normal operating data can be useful if stored at
`a low frequency, data surrounding the time of an incident is
`most useful if it is stored at a high frequency so that better
`resolution is provided for analysis.
`US. Pat. No. 4,638,289, to Zottnik, discloses a system
`that records vehicle data just prior to an accident. The
`Zottnik patent provides for periodically sampling a plurality
`of sensors at a relatively high frequency and stores the
`record created by each sampling in memory. Once a prede-
`termined number of records are stored, the next record is
`stored over the oldest record. Thus, the memory always
`contains a predetermined number of the most recent records.
`Upon sensing an accident, the system freezes the data stored
`in memory, for later analysis. Because the system only
`retains the data immediately preceding an accident, a high
`sampling frequency may be used without encountering
`memory concerns.
`
`A further problem that exists with the prior art monitoring
`and recording systems occurs when a particular system
`provides for sampling a large number of sensors. There are
`difiiculties associated with installing the system in a vehicle
`if the installer has to connect each sensor to one predeter-
`mined input channel on the device. This procedure requires
`that the installer carefully match each input sensor to the
`predetermined input channel associated with that sensor and
`further requires that the input channel labels be determined
`prior to installation.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to a system for monitoring.
`recording and analyzing operational and incident data from
`a machine, particularly a vehicle. Once data is monitored
`and recorded, the system provides for analyzing the data to
`determine how the vehicle is being operated and how the
`vehicle is functioning.
`The system includes a computer controlled device,
`mounted onboard the vehicle, which collects and records
`data supplied to the device from a variety of sensors posi—
`tioned to sense operational parameters of the vehicle, such
`as engine temperature, vehicle speed, brake activation, plow
`location, and the like. These sensors are connected to the
`input channels of the device and the device samples the input
`channels at a predetermined frequency. The data collected
`during a sampling is compiled into a record. The sampled
`data is then compared to a set of predetermined thresholds
`(which are input by the user) to determine if any of the data
`exceed the applicable threshold, or, in the case of two-state
`data (on or ofi, up or down, and the like), if the threshold is
`attained. This exceeding or attainment of a threshold is
`considered to be an incident or trigger.
`the
`While the sampling frequency remains constant,
`device provides for storing normal operating data at one
`frequency and storing incident data at a higher frequency.
`Incident data is defined as that data that occurs for prede—
`termined times before and after an incident or trigger. Thus,
`the device provides the user with both low resolution
`operational data covering a long period of time and high
`resolution incident data.
`
`In a preferred embodiment, the sample interval or rate,
`which is the frequency at which the inputs are sampled, is
`preset. Certain other parameters used by the device are also
`preset. but may be changed by the user. These parameters
`include the operational mode storage interval, the trigger
`mode storage interval, the pro-trigger storage period, and the
`post-trigger storage period. The operational mode storage
`
`OWNER Ex. 2056, p. 7
`
`

`

`5,638,273
`
`3
`interval is the frequency at which records are stored during
`normal operating conditions. The trigger mode storage inter—
`val is the frequency at which records are stored during the
`time surrounding an incident or trigger event. The pre—
`trigger and post-trigger storage periods are the periods of
`time before and after a trigger event during which records
`will be stored at the trigger mode storage interval.
`After the onboard device has recorded the data, the data
`may be transferred to another computer for storage and
`analysis. A serial link is provided for connecting the other
`computer (a portable computer,
`in the preferred
`embodiment) to the onboard device. Data is downloaded to
`the portable computer and is either analyzed using the
`portable computer or is later transferred to a second, remote
`computer for storage and analysis.
`The system provides for downloading the data to a
`portable computer through a variety of communication
`methods including direct wire, infrared, radio, cellular, or
`optical.
`To overcome the installation difficulties mentioned above,
`the system further allows the installer to connect the sensors
`to the input channels of the device virtually arbitrarily. Once
`the sensors are connected, the installer may then label each
`input with the aid of a setup software program which is
`installed on a portable computer that is connected to the
`onboard device. The setup program also is used to further
`program the computer in the onboard device.
`Other objects, features, and advantages of the present
`invention will be set forth in, or will become apparent from,
`the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the
`invention which follows.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of
`the vehicle monitoring and recording system of the present
`invention.
`
`FIG. 2 shows the record storage section of the embodi—
`ment of FIG. 1 at a particular point in a recording cycle.
`FIG. 3 shows a generic record Rn representing the records
`as used in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2.
`FIG. 4 shows one type of display provided by the data
`analysis software.
`FIG. 5 shows the process steps performed by the CPU of
`FIG. 1.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODHVIENTS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of
`the vehicle monitoring and recording system of the present
`invention. An Onboard unit 104 comprises an isolated
`interface 106, a CPU (central processing unit) 108, a ROM
`(read only memory) 110. a RAM (random access memory)
`112. and a communications section 114. RAM 112 is divided
`into a setup section 120 and arecord storage section 122. An
`Indicator light 124 is used to indicate when record storage
`section 122 is nearly full or full.
`An operating program for controlling CPU 108 is stored
`in ROM 110. The setup parameters for the operating pro-
`gram are preset but can be altered by the user via a setup
`program which runs on a portable computer indicated at 116.
`These setup parameters include: the operational mode stor-
`age interval,
`the trigger mode storage interval, the pre-
`trigger storage period, and the post-trigger storage period
`The trigger mode storage interval and the operational mode
`storage interval are both constrained to be integer multiples
`
`4
`the
`of the sample interval. In a preferred embodiment,
`sample interval is 0.05 seconds. Thus, samples occur 20
`times per second.
`Data from the various vehicle parameters is provided by
`a plurality of sensors indicated at 102 which are connected
`to isolated interface 106 of onboard unit 104. CPU 108
`samples the inputs at interface 106 at a predetermined
`sample interval,
`(e.g., 0.05 seconds in this preferred
`embodiment). Each sample made at a time corresponding to
`the trigger mode storage interval forms a record and that
`record is stored in an area of record storage section 122 of
`RAM 112 which is set aside for pre-trigger data record
`storage. While some records are only temporarily stored in
`record storage section 122 and then discarded, other records
`are selected for long term storage in record storage section
`122. This selection is done according to a protocol deter-
`mined by the operating program stored in ROM 110. As
`noted above, setup parameters, which are used by the
`operating program, are stored in setup section 120 of RAM
`112.
`
`Once the RAM 112 is full, or at any time chosen by the
`user, the records stored in RAM 112 may be downloaded
`from the onboard unit to portable computer 116 through
`communications section 114. The records may then be
`transferred from portable computer 116, and further,
`to
`analysis computer 118 for storage or analysis.
`The protocol which determines which records are selected
`is explained with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows record
`storage section 122 of RAM 112 at a point in time when
`fifty-eight records have been either temporarily or long term
`stored in record storage section 122. For ease of description,
`record storage section 122 is shown as an array that holds
`records that are one hundred and four bits (b0 to b103) in
`length, with the bit numbers 220 being shown in FIG. 2
`down the right side of the array and the record storage
`positions 222 shown across the top of the array. However, it
`should be understood that in practice, the record storage
`section 122 need not be designated as such.
`FIG. 5 shows the process steps carried out by the CPU of
`FIG. 1 and these steps are described generally below.
`In the specific, non—limiting, example illusn'ated in FIG. 2,
`the sample interval is equal to one sample every 0.05
`seconds and the setup parameters are set as follows: the
`operational mode storage interval is set to once every 10
`seconds; the trigger mode storage interval is set to once
`every 1 second; the pre-trigger storage period is set to 8
`seconds; and the post-trigger storage period is set to 8
`seconds. In the preferred embodiment, the operational mode
`storage interval is user selectable from 0 to 999 seconds,
`wherein a 0 setting indicates no data will be stored. The
`trigger mode storage interval is user selectable from 0.05 to
`12.75 seconds. Both the trigger mode storage interval and
`the operational mode storage interval are integer multiples
`of the sample interval. Thus, the sample frequency is an
`integer multiple of both the trigger mode storage frequency
`and the operational mode storage frequency, since frequency
`is defined as the inverse of the interval.
`
`The inputs are sampled once every 0.05 seconds and
`every 20th sample is formed into a record (the trigger mode
`storage interval (1) divided by the sample interval (0.05)).
`Thus, given the parameters above, a record is formed every
`second The record is then coded with an 8 bit identification
`
`10
`
`15
`
`2O
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`code as a pre-trigger record and stored into a pre-trigger
`storage area 206 which is allocated in record storage section
`122. The size of the pre-trigger storage area 206 is allocated
`such that it is capable of holding a number of records equal
`
`OWNER Ex. 2056, p. 8
`
`

`

`_
`
`5 £38,273
`
`5
`
`to the pre-trigger storage period (8) divided by the trigger
`mode storage interval (1). Thus, given the parameters above
`in the specific example under consideration, pre-trigger
`storage area 206 is capable of holding 8 records.
`Pre-trigger storage area 206 will become full upon storage
`of the 8th record in the area. As this happens, successive
`records will then wrap around and be stored over the existing
`records in the pre-trigger storage area 206, the newest record
`overwriting the oldest record (e.g., R9 will overwrite R1).
`Thus, the pre-trigger storage area will always contain the
`most recent 8 records.
`
`Every 200th sample (the operational mode storage inter—
`val (10) divided by the sample interval (0.05)) is coded as an
`operational record and is stored in the next available address
`of operational storage area 208 of record storage section
`122, instead of in pre-trigger storage area 206. This occurs
`once every ten seconds, given the specific parameters
`described above. Thus, every 10th record is stored in opera—
`tional storage area 208. Before an operational record is
`stored in operational storage area 208, the record is given a
`8 bit code which identifies it as an operational record so that
`the record may be distinguished from any other type of
`record.
`
`After the inputs are sampled each time, the sampled data
`is compared with predetermined thresholds and if any of the
`data exceeds (or attains, in the case of two-state data) its
`associated threshold, a trigger is determined to have
`occurred during that record.
`FIG. 2 depicts the point in time when fifty—eight records
`have been stored at the rate of 1 per second, although some
`of the records have been overwritten. Briefly considering the
`storage operation, first, time/date record R0 was stored in the
`first available location in operational storage area 208 when
`the vehicle ignition was started. Second, records R1 through
`R36 (excluding operational records R10, R20, and R30) were
`then successively stored in pre-trigger storage area 206 eight
`at a time, with record R9 overwriting record R1, and so on,
`as explained above. In this example, a trigger event or
`incident was detected in record R36 and the records in the
`pre—trigger storage area 206 at that time were frozen (long
`term stored) there. Also, time and date information was
`added to record R36.
`As described above, every 10th record is considered an
`operational record and, in the example being discussed,
`these records were stored in operational storage area 208
`instead of pre-tn'gger storage area 206. Thus, after the
`time/date record (T/D), the first 3 records stored in opera-
`tional storage area 208 are operational records R10, R20, and
`R30, and these records were coded as operational records.
`Once a trigger incident was detected in record R36,
`post-trigger storage area 210 was allocated in the next
`available location after operational storage area 208. The
`records which were formed during the post-trigger period
`(the next 8 seconds) were stored in post-trigger storage area
`210. These are records R37 through R44 in the example
`shown. The record at the beginning of the post—nigger period
`(R37) and the record at the end of the post-trigger period
`(R44) were coded as such so that the post-trigger records can
`be distinguished from the operational records during later
`analysis.
`After the last post-trigger record, record R44, was stored,
`a new pre—trigger area 212 was allocated in record storage
`section 122 and the selection and storage process continued
`in a manner similar to that above. In the example shown,
`records R45 through R58 were stored in new pre-tn'gger area
`212 (R54 through R58 overwriting R45 through R49) and
`
`6
`operational record R50 was stored in the next available
`address, this address beginning the allocation of new opera-
`tional storage area 214. However, in this example, no trigger
`has been detected in records and, therefore, new records will
`continue to overwrite the older records in pre-trigger area
`212 until a trigger is detected, at which point the records in
`pre-tn'gger area 212 will be frozen there. After 8 post—trigger
`records are stored in the next allocated post-trigger storage
`area, another pre—trigger storage area will be allocated. The
`process continues as above until record storage section 122
`becomes full or until
`the data is downloaded from the
`on-board unit by the user. A new time/date record is placed
`in the current operational storage area each time the onboard
`unit is activated (i.e., by starting the vehicle ignition).
`In the example shown, the amount of record storage
`section 122 that is necessary to store the pre-trigger and
`post-trigger records surrounding an incident is an amount
`equal to 16 records. The operating program may be pro-
`grammed to give priority to trigger data over operational
`data. Thus, when record storage section 122 is getting close
`to full, an amount of memory necessary to store the 16 data
`records surrounding a trigger incident will be reserved for
`this data, and operational data records will no longer be
`stored. Also, indicator light 124 is provided to warn the
`vehicle operator or the user when record storage section 122
`is close to full or full. Alternatively, a plurality of lights or
`another type of indicator may be used for this purpose.
`FIG. 3 shows a generic record Rn representing the records
`as used in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2. As noted
`above, in this example, each record is one hundred and four
`bits long and the bits of the record are labeled along the right
`side as b0 through b103. The first 8 bits, indicated at 302, are
`used for record identification. The next 32 bits, indicated at
`304, are utilized for 32 digital inputs at one bit per input and
`the last 64 bits, indicated at 306, are utilized for 4 pulsed
`inputs at 16 bits per input The digital inputs are for two state
`indicators, such as whether a plow is up or down, whether
`a light is on or off, and whether a brake pedal is engaged or
`not The pulsed inputs are generally used for analog type
`indicators such as vehicle speed, engine speed. and the like.
`The first 8 bits are allocated to the record identification code
`which is used to distinguish among the different types of
`records (i.e., an operational record, a pre—trigger record, a
`post-trigger record, or a time/date stamp record).
`In a preferred embodiment, RAM 112, shown in FIG. 1,
`has a memory capacity of 1,835,008 bits. The first 12,288
`bits are allocated to setup section 120 and the remaining
`1,822,720 bits are allocated to record storage section 122. As
`noted above, setup section 120 contains information such as
`the names of the inputs, input terminal identification, the
`vehicle identification, calibration data, the incident storage
`rate, the operational storage rate, and the pre-trigger and
`post-trigger storage period.
`Of the 1,822,720 bits in record storage section 122, a
`portion are initially allocated to pre—trigger storage section
`206, shown in FIG. 2. This portion is equal to the number of
`records to be stored by the pre—trigger storage area multi-
`plied by the size of each record. In the embodiment shown
`in FIG. 2, pre—trigger storage area 206 is 8 times 104 bits, or
`832 bits, in size.
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`The amount of time it will take to fill the memory of the
`onboard device cannot be exactly predicted because that is
`dependent on the number of incidents or triggers that occur
`during recording. As each trigger occurs, a new pure-trigger
`area is allocated. thus reducing the memory area available
`for operational data record storage. Of course, the user may
`
`OWNER Ex. 2056, p. 9
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`5,638,273
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`7
`reduce the likelihood that a trigger event will occur by
`setting the thresholds sufliciently distant from the normal
`operating conditions and only defining triggers to have
`occurred when particularly important thresholds have been-
`exceeded or attained.
`As discussed above, a drawback of the prior art vehicle
`monitoring and recording systems is that the person install—
`ing the onboard unit on the vehicle must connect each sensor
`to a particular input channel which has been preset to accept
`that particular sensor. The present invention overcomes this
`drawback by allowing any of the 32 digital inputs to be
`connected to any 2-state device and any of the 4 pulsed
`inputs to be connected to any pulsed device. The inputs may
`then be identified and labeled later during setup.
`Typically,-after an onboard unit 104 is installed in a
`vehicle, portable computer 116 is connected to onboard unit
`104 with a serial cable via a serial port in communication
`section 114. Of course, computer 116 need not be portable,
`but portability facilitates connecting computer 116 to
`onboard unit 104 if a serial cable is to be used. A setup
`software program runs on portable computer 116 that allows
`the user to provide certain setup information to setup area
`120 of RAM 112. Through this setup software program the
`user may provide the setup parameters such as the opera-
`tional mode storage interval, the incident mode storage
`interval, and the pre-trigger and post-trigger storage periods.
`Also, the setup software program allows the user to provide
`vehicle identification, label the data inputs, visually monitor
`the data inputs, provide analog calibration data, and to
`provide time and date information.
`To label each data input, the program prompts the installer
`to operate the sensor. The program identifies the energized
`wire and prompts the installer to label that signal by input-
`ting a name or label. This procedure is repeated for each of
`the data inputs. In the preferred embodiment, the setup
`software program is menu driven.
`After data has been recorded by onboard unit 104, the user
`may download the data by again connecting portable com-
`puter 116 to onboard unit 104 via the serial port in comrnu—
`nications section 114. It should be noted that the commu-
`
`nication connection between onboard unit 104 and computer
`116 may be accomplished through means other than a serial
`cable. RF, infrared, cellular, or other communication means
`may be employed for this purpose. A software program that
`runs on portable computer 116 is provided to efliciently
`download the data.
`
`Further, a software program that runs on portable com-
`puter 116 or analysis computer 118 is provided to efficiently
`analyze the data once it has been downloaded into either
`computer, to efiiciently mark and store the data, and to
`output the data to a printer, disk, or the like. This software
`program also allows the user to monitor the data signals
`from sensors 102 in real time.
`
`FIG. 4 shows one type of display provided by the data
`analysis software. The display shown is a WindowsTM type
`display, with the trade name 402 of the device shown in the
`header bar. Several typical WindowsTM features 404 are
`shown just under the header bar, to the left. Along the left
`edge are 23 data labels 406 which identify the data shown in
`the graph to the right of each label. The top 4 labels are for
`pulsed type data inputs and the bottom 19 labels are for some
`of the 32 possible digital type inputs. Graphs 408 correlating
`with the labeled data versus time are shown in the middle of
`the display. Below the graphs are shown the date 410, the
`interval displayed 412 and the vehicle identification 414.
`This display allows the user to determine what the operating
`conditions of the vehicle were as particular vehicle param-
`eters varied.
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`Although the invention has been described in detail with
`respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent
`to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications
`can be effected in these embodiments without departing
`from the spirit and scope of the invention.
`We claim:
`1. An onboard device located on a machine for monitoring
`and recording data signals, said onboard device comprising:
`connector means for connecting a plurality of sensors
`mounted on said machine to said device;
`record storage means for storing data records;
`a central processing unit (CPU) for processing data sig-
`nals produced by said sensors, said data signals being
`representative of said machine parameters;
`program storage means for storing an operating program
`for controlling said CPU such that said CPU operates in
`accordance with said operating program to:
`sample said data signals at a first predetermined fre—
`quency;
`create data records corresponding to said sampled data
`signals at a second predetermined frequency, said
`first predetermined frequency being an integer mul—
`tiple of said second predetermined frequency;
`compare each of said data signals in each said data
`record to a corresponding predetermined threshold
`value to determine if any of said data signals equals
`or exceeds said corresponding predetermined thresh-
`old value to thus indicate a triggering event;
`store data records occurring at said second predeter-
`mined frequency;
`store data records occurring at a third predetermined
`frequency during a predetermined period immedi—
`ately preceding a triggering event in said record
`storage means, said first predetermined frequency
`being an integer multiple of said third predetermined
`frequency; and
`store data records occurring at said third predetermined
`frequency during a second predetermined period
`immediately succeeding a triggering event in said
`record storage means.
`2. An onboard device for monitoring and recording data
`signals as in claim 1, wherein said CPU further operates in
`accordance with said operating program to store in said
`record storage means a record containing the date and time
`when a trigger event is indicated.
`3. An onboard device for monitoring and recording data
`signals as in claim 1, further comprising an indicator light
`for indicating when said record storage means is full.
`4. An onboard device for monitoring and recording data
`signals as in claim 1, further comprising an indicator light
`for