# US 12,216,217 B2 · Method and system for adaptive GNSS sampling rate to improve mileage reporting accuracy of a road usage charge (RUC) system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,216,217 B2 - Document ID: US12216217B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/669,155 - Filed: 2024-05-20 - Published: 2024-11-21 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2023-05-19 - Assignees: Geotoll, Inc. - Applicants: Geotoll, Inc. - Inventors: Jaime Andres Borras; Wyatt Drake Geist - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216217B2 ## CPC - G01S 19/37: Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain - G01C 22/00: Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers - G01S 19/52: Determining velocity - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract A road usage charge system tracks and reports the distance travelled by a vehicle. The accuracy of the distance driven versus competing considerations such as battery drain of the mobile device doing the reporting is augmented by defining a speed threshold. When the vehicle is travelling faster than the speed threshold, location sampling is performed less frequently, over larger distance intervals. However, when the vehicle is travelling at a speed less than the speed threshold, the location sampling rate is increased such that location sampling is performed at shorter distance intervals. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining a distance driven by a vehicle, comprising: at the vehicle, determining a speed of the vehicle; when the speed of the vehicle is above at or above a first speed threshold value, sampling the location of the vehicle at a first rate; when the speed of the vehicle is below the first speed threshold value, sampling the location of the vehicle at a second rate such that sampling at the second rate occurs more frequently than sampling at the first rate; recording each location sample to produce a location record comprising a plurality of location samples; and determining distance driven by the vehicle by summing the distance offsets between successive location samples of all of the plurality of location samples. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the vehicle is on a private roadway, and while the vehicle is on the private roadway, suppressing location sampling, and when determining the distance driven determining a first sum that occurred before the vehicle entered the private roadway and a second sum that occurred after the vehicle left the private roadway and summing the first and second sums. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first rate and second rate are distance intervals, and not time intervals. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the first rate is every 100 meters of distance travelled. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the second rate is every 20 meters of distance travelled. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first rate is a distance interval and the second rate is a time interval. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first speed threshold is in a range equivalent to 35 to 45 miles per hour. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a geofence overlay defining a region in which a road usage charge is not assessed; determining that a portion of plurality of location samples are within the geofence overlay; and subtracting a distance driven in the region from the sum of the distance offsets. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that a satellite signal used for sampling the location, has been lost; responsive to determining that the satellite signal has been lost, saving the last location sample; determining that the satellite signal has been reacquired; and responsive to determining that the satellite signal has been reacquired, obtaining a new location sample, and calculating a distance driven while satellite signal was lost as a difference in distance between the last location sample and the new location sample. ### Claim 10 A system for determining a distance driven by a vehicle, comprising: at a mobile device in the vehicle, the mobile device is configured to: determine a speed of the vehicle; when the speed of the vehicle is above at or above a first speed threshold value, the mobile device samples the location of the vehicle at a first rate; when the speed of the vehicle is below the first speed threshold value, the mobile device samples the location of the vehicle at a second rate such that sampling at the second rate occurs more frequently than sampling at the first rate; record each location sample to produce a location record comprising a plurality of location samples; and determine distance driven by the vehicle by summing the distance offsets between successive location samples of all of the plurality of location samples. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to determine that the vehicle is on a private roadway, and while the vehicle is on the private roadway, suppress location sampling, and determine a first sum that occurred before the vehicle entered the private roadway and a second sum that occurred after the vehicle left the private roadway and sum the first sum and second sums. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the first rate and second rate are distance intervals, and not time intervals. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the first rate is every 100 meters of distance travelled. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the second rate is every 20 meters of distance travelled. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the first rate is a distance interval and the second rate is a time interval. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the first speed threshold is in a range equivalent to 35 to 45 miles per hour. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to: receive a geofence overlay defining a region in which a road usage charge is not assessed; determine that a portion of plurality of location samples are within the geofence overlay; and subtract a distance driven in the region from the sum of the distance offsets. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to: determine that a satellite signal used for sampling the location, has been lost; responsive to determining that the satellite signal has been lost, save the last location sample; determine that the satellite signal has been reacquired; and responsive to determining that the satellite signal has been reacquired, obtain a new location sample, and calculate a distance driven while satellite signal was lost as a difference in distance between the last location sample and the new location sample.