# US 10,311,656 B2 · Vehicle processor and method for tracking and reporting vehicle use and associated fuel cost > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,311,656 B2 - Document ID: US10311656B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/881,875 - Filed: 2015-10-13 - Published: 2017-04-13 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-13 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Omar Makke; Haysam M. Kadry - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311656B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/025: {Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation} - B60K 35/10: Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor - B60K 35/28: characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver - G06F 16/29: Geographical information databases - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - G07C 5/06: in graphical form - G07C 5/08: Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time - G07C 5/0825: {using optical means} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract A vehicle computing system includes a vehicle human-machine interface (HMI) and a vehicle processor coupled to the HMI and programmed to store trip information for multiple trips including consumed fuel cost for vehicle operation in response to a trip purpose input from the HMI. The trip purpose may be a business or personal purpose, for example. A fuel queuing model based on at least two fuel prices and corresponding fuel quantities may be used to determine the consumed fuel cost associated with fuel consumed from the vehicle fuel tank. Trip information, such as date, distance traveled, origin, destination, and consumed fuel cost may be output to a display, a wirelessly connected smartphone, and/or a remote server in response to a request from the HMI. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a vehicle HMI; and a vehicle processor coupled to the HMI, programmed to: store, in persistent memory, trip information for multiple trips including fuel cost for operation in response to a trip purpose input from the HMI using a fuel queueing model based on at least two fuel prices and corresponding fuel quantities, and output the trip information including the fuel cost in response to a request from the HMI. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a wireless transceiver in communication with the vehicle processor, the vehicle processor further programmed to obtain a fuel price from a remote database using the wireless transceiver in response to detecting vehicle fueling. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, the vehicle processor further programmed to communicate vehicle GPS coordinates using the wireless transceiver to obtain the fuel price based on a vehicle location during a detected vehicle fueling event. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, the vehicle processor further programmed to determine a fuel quantity in response to detecting vehicle fueling. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the fuel queueing model comprises a FIFO model. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the vehicle processor further programmed to output the trip information including the fuel cost for multiple trips to the HMI. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a wireless transceiver in communication with the vehicle processor, the vehicle processor further programmed to output the trip information including the fuel cost for multiple trips using the wireless transceiver. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, the vehicle processor further programmed to output the trip information including the fuel cost for multiple trips to a mobile device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, the vehicle processor further programmed to output the trip information including the fuel cost for multiple trips to a remote server. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the vehicle processor further programmed to delete selected trip information including the fuel cost from persistent memory in response to input received from the HMI that modifies the trip purpose. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the vehicle processor further programmed to reset the trip purpose to a default value in response to a vehicle ignition cycle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the vehicle processor further programmed to prompt for fuel price input via the HMI in response to detecting vehicle fueling. ### Claim 13 A method performed by a programmed vehicle computing system, comprising: storing a fuel cost and associated quantity for each vehicle fueling; storing trip information and an associated trip purpose including consumed fuel cost calculated using a fuel queueing model populated with the fuel costs and associated quantities that assigns consumed fuel to a purchased fuel batch; and outputting the trip information for all trips having a specified purpose in response to a user request. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, the trip information including a date, distance traveled, origin information, and destination information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, the cost of fuel consumed during a trip being calculated using a FIFO fuel queueing model. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising automatically detecting the associated quantity of fuel for each vehicle fueling. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein outputting the trip information comprises transmitting the trip information to a smartphone coupled wirelessly or through a wired connection. ### Claim 18 A computer program product embodied in non-transitory computer readable storage having instructions for programming a processor of a vehicle to communicate with a mobile device having a display, comprising instructions for: communicating cost of consumed fuel associated with trips having a specified purpose to the mobile device, the cost calculated using a FIFO fuel model to determine price of the consumed fuel based on a plurality of previously purchased fuel quantities and associated prices. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer program product of claim 18 further comprising instructions for detecting a vehicle fueling event and automatically determining an associated fuel quantity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising instructions for obtaining a fuel price for the associated fuel quantity in response to detecting the vehicle fueling event.