2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb.
04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India
On Road: A car assistant application
Akhila V Khanapuri, Anagha Shastri, Gareth D’souza, Shannon D’souza,
Department of Information Technology, DBIT
khanapuri.akhilaa@gmail.com, anaghashastri@yahoo.com, garethdsou@gmail.com, shannondsouza20@gmail.com
Abstract — With ever rising fuel prices and number of vehicles
on road there is an immediate need for fuel efficient techniques to
be implemented. Also there has been an exponential increase in
the number of cars on road, number of road accidents and
vehicle breakdown cases recorded. Finding effective ways to
achieve maximum fuel efficiency without hampering the internal
structure of these vehicles along with providing a response
system to combat mishaps is a challenging task. In this paper, an
android application is proposed which monitors parameters like
Engine RPM, fuel status, throttle position through an On board
Diagnostics (OBD-II) being able to help amateur drivers with
gear changing and provide assistance in case of vehicle
breakdown. The final goal is to assist drivers to achieve a better
fuel economy.
Index Terms — OBD-II; Android smartphone; Fuel efficient
driving; Vehicle breakdown assistance.
I. INTRODUCTION
Since the dawn of the smartphone era, phones are used for
much more than just a simple device for communication.
These phones possess processing power capable of performing
complex functionalities. In addition, On Board Diagnostics
(OBD-II) standard which has been mandated since 1994, is
finding use for in-vehicle applications due to the availability
of Bluetooth OBD-II connectors. These connectors bind to the
vehicle’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and enable
transparent connectivity between smartphone device and
vehicle’s ECU.
Endless possibilities are attainable with the relationship
between smartphones and vehicles, for instance, allowing fault
detection of cars via mobile device wherein data is collected
through On Board Unit (OBU) of the vehicle and sent to a
platform which aids in diagnosis and vehicle maintenance.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows: Section II
briefly reviews previous related works. Then, Section III
provides a brief understanding about OBD-II adapter. The
overview of the On Road application architecture along with
the features of the android application is described in more
detail in section IV. Results and application screenshots are
shown in section V and finally, section VI presents the
conclusions of our work.
II. RELATED WORK
To understand OBD II adapter and various applications that
use it a few published papers were studied. An OBD-II adapter
is used in vehicle diagnosis program [1] includes navigation
system and it is used to diagnose the various kinds of vehicle
978-1-4799-8187-8/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE
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malfunctions that can occur. An OBD II adapter which
transmits diagnostic data from ECU to the navigation system
is used. It transmits data using Bluetooth wireless
communication protocol. Multimedia and geometry
information services along with enhanced services are
provided to the users.
A driving style application analyzes the driver’s behavior
along each route using backpropagation data mining algorithm
and neural networks [2]. It takes in parameters like speed,
revolutions per minute and acceleration and then neural
network based algorithm is applied which then characterizes
and classifies the road on which the vehicle is currently
moving. It also analyses the degree of aggressiveness of the
driver.
The higher objective of this application is to promote a safe
and more ecological driving method which encourages drivers
to be more conscious about their behavior on road.
A mathematical model is developed for predicting vehicle fuel
consumption using instantaneous engine RPM (Revolutions
per minute) and TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) through OBD-
II [3]. The fuel consumption varies highly with the model
variables engine RPM and TPS. It is seen that the model using
instantaneous engine RPM, TPS and (RPM, TPS) can predict
the fuel consumption quite well.
An embedded system to detect vehicle condition [4] helps
monitor the internal parameters. This information is vital to
the travellers to provide safety, security and mobility and also
improves the reliability of travel. Continuous data on
performance of vehicle and status of its internal components is
sent as information to the traveller. In this process, the vehicle
also acts as an eco-friendly vehicle as it monitors the
emissions and regulates the environment pollution. The data
required to alert the user about future errors is obtained using
OBD-II protocol. LabVIEW is used as a platform that has
automotive diagnostic command set tool kit which helps in
building up the software required to communicate with the
vehicle’s ECU through OBD-II system. LabVIEW is a
system-design platform and development environment for a
visual programming language.
In “On-Board diagnostic system for vehicles” [5], an OBD
system consists of Arduino Board with ATMEGA
microcontroller that acts like a processing unit. The program
uses Arduino software, sensors, LCD and keypad as user
interface. The data is collected from sensors that are installed
at different parts of the vehicle to sense various vehicle results
are viewed from LCD display. ZigBee is used for wireless
2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb. 04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India

data transmission. ZigBee is a new kind of short distance, low
power consumption, low cost, low rate and low complexity
wireless network technology.
An android-based application that monitors the vehicle
through OBD-II interface[6] detects accident. This application
calculates the G force. It is the measurement of the type of
acceleration that is caused by mechanical contact-forces
between object surfaces. Using G force experienced by the
passengers in case of a frontal collision and along with airbag
triggers accidents are detected and are followed by automatic
phone calls to the emergency services.
A knowledge-based framework for a driving assistance via
smartphone [7] uses OBD-II protocol to extract vehicle
information. Later the data acquired from smart-phone
embedded micro-devices and information retrieved from the
Web are properly combined. To identify and annotate relevant
contexts and events in real time Data fusion and classification
algorithms are used. Further, semantic-based matchmaking is
exploited to infer dysfunctional situations [7].
result of this standardization, a single device can query the on-
board computer(s) in any vehicle. This OBD-II came in two
models OBD-IIA and OBD-IIB.
The OBD-II specification provides for a standardized
hardware interface—the female 16-pin (2x8) J1962 connector
[8]. The OBD-II connector is required to be within 2 feet (0.61
m) of the steering wheel within reach of the driver.
IV. PROPOSED SYSTEM
The flow diagram below helps explain to us the flow of the
events or activities that take place in the application. The
Bluetooth connection is first setup between the OBD II and the
application. Through OBD II protocol, data is collected from
the adapter and sent to the android application. The data
obtained is analyzed and pre-processed and later the necessary
data is stored in appropriate database. Finally reports are
generated to cater to a specific feature.

III. ABOUT OBD-II ADAPTER

On-board diagnostics [8] (OBD) is an automotive term
referring to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability.
OBD systems give the vehicle owner or repair technician
access to the status of the various vehicle sub-systems. The
amount of diagnostic information available via OBD has
varied widely since its introduction in the early 1980s'
versions of on-board vehicle computers. Early versions of
OBD would simply illuminate a malfunction indicator light or
"idiot light" if a problem was detected but would not provide
any information as to the nature of the problem. Modern OBD
implementations use a standardized digital communications
port to provide real-time data in addition to a standardized
series of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) which allow one to
rapidly identify and remedy malfunctions within the vehicle.
OBD 1.5 refers to a partial implementation of OBD-II which
General Motors used on some vehicles in 1994 and 1995.
OBD-II is an improvement over OBD-I in both capability and
standardization. The OBD-II standard specifies the type of
diagnostic connector and its pin out, the electrical signaling
protocols available, and the messaging format. It also provides Fig. 1. Flow Diagram of the application
a candidate list of vehicle parameters to monitor along with
how to encode the data for each. There is a pin in the
connector that provides power for the scan tool from the
vehicle battery, which eliminates the need to connect a scan
tool to a power source separately. However, some technicians
might still connect the scan tool to an auxiliary power source
to protect data in the unusual event that a vehicle experiences
a loss of electrical power due to a malfunction. Finally, the
OBD-II standard provides an extensible list of DTCs. As a

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2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb. 04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India

Fig. 2. On Road : A car assistant application architecture

The application requires several configuration options to be [4] Fuel top up logs
defined related to car profile. It includes name of the car
This is a view where the user is informed how much fuel he
manufacturer, fuel type, engine capacity, car model etc. The
refills over time and gets a monthly view of how much fuel and
connection must be established between the adapter and the
is consumed on a weekly/monthly basis. The user has to
smartphone using Bluetooth. The device once paired with the
manually input the cost of fuel and the amount of fuel that was
smartphone, appears as available devices for application. Also
refilled into the car.
GPS activation is needed for a few features in the application.

Some of the features of the applicaion are discussed below: Input cost per litre and amount of fuel

[1] Eco Shift User refilled is presented with total fuel consumed
On Road
on monthly/yearly basis.
In this feature the user gets voice alert to change gears at the
optimum time according to engine RPM and other parameters.
The user gets suggestion to shift gears using real-time Fig. 4. Block diagram for Fuel top-up logs feature
information.
[5] Idling at traffic time
RPM,Speed and Checks threshold and
Torque gives indication This is simple parameter that gives the user an idea how much
time the car is left on and is in an idle position. These act like
an indication to how much fuel will get wasted while the car is
left on.
Android On Road [6] Fault Detection
OBD II
Phone (App)
In this feature the user initiates the fault detection checker in
OBD-II adapter. The application passes a number of values to
Fig. 3. Block diagram for Eco shift feature be tested and accordingly if the error matches the fault code the
user is presented with the fault and a corresponding fix.
[2] Maximum distance on current fuel
This feature allows the user to view the distance that he/she can Sends the code
travel on the current fuel present in the tank. Since the fuel Online
consumption depends on various parameters such as frequency On Road
Database
Gets fault error with description
of gear change, use of air conditioner, type of fuel, tyre
pressure, road traffic condition etc. The feature aims to display
maximum distance on current fuel in all these conditions. Fig. 5. Block diagram for Fault detection feature

[3] Fuel efficiency Calculator

[7] Parking location tracker
This is a parameter that gives the user the running average fuel
Location tracker gets enabled when the Bluetooth connection
economy of the vehicle. The fuel status and the distance
between application and the OBD – II adapter is lost. This
travelled are checked to calculate the fuel economy.
functionality works along with Google maps to provide the
user a way back to where the car is parked.

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2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb. 04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India
Key is removed from
The ignition and
Co-ordinate is plotted
on the map and
[10] No Talking While Driving
sensor is Displayed to the user.
disconnected. This feature restricts allow the user to interact with the
telephony functionalities of the phone while the car is on. The
user can however select a whitelist where the numbers from
GPS Location
this list can bypass the restriction and calls can be received.
OBD II On Road
And Maps

V. RESULTS

Fig. 6. Block diagram for parking location tracker feature

[8] Vehicle breakdown assistance

This feature provides the user with one touch calling to any of
the three preselected contacts along with information about a
towing service. The numbers have to input by the user while
setting up the application for the 1st time and can be later
changed and modified in the settings.

Car Breaks Down

If phone is If phone is NOT

Connected to Connected to
internet internet

Fig. 9. Home screen

Searches for Distress SMS

SMS containing
Nearest relief along with
Location of driver
location important numbers

Fig. 7. Block diagram for Vehicle breakdown assistance feature

[9] Eco Drive

This is car-based UI that allows the user to record his/her drive
giving the user various useful parameters that help the user
analyse his drive. These parameters include average speed,
distance covered, fuel left in the tank, fuel economy of the
drive etc.

Fig. 10. Enabling Bluetooth connection

Fig. 8. Block diagram for Eco drive feature

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2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb. 04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India

Fig. 11. Pairing between adapter and application Fig. 13. Eco shift- shift gear

Fig. 12. Application menu Fig. 14. Eco shifter- shift gear

Fig. 15. No talking while driving

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2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb. 04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India
VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
In this paper On Road: a car assistant application, that
integrates mobile devices with data obtained from the
Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to help the driver achieve better
fuel efficiency. The overall objective of this application is to
help promote a safer and more ecological driving style by
letting the drivers be more conscious about the way in which
driving style hampers the fuel economy. The application offers
helpful voiceover tips to help minimize fuel consumption.
REFERENCES
[1] Mi-JinKim, Jong-Wook Jang, Yun-Sik Yu,”A Study on In-Vehicle
Diagnosis System using OBD-II with Navigation”, IJCSNS International
Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.10 No.9,
September 2010.
[2] Javier E. Meseguer, Carlos T. Calafate, Juan Carlos Cano, Pietro
Manzoni, “Driving Styles: a smartphone application to assess driver
behaviour”.
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[3] Min Goo Lee, Yong Kuk Park, Kyung Kwon Jung and Jun Jae Yoo,
“Estimation of Fuel Consumption using In-Vehicle Parameters”
International Journal of u- and e- Service, Science and Technology, Vol.
4, No. 4, December, 2011.
[4] M.Jyothi kiran, S.Ravi teja, "Vehicle health monitoring system”
International Journal of Engineering Research and pplications (IJERA),
Vol. 2, Issue 5, September- October 2012.
[5] D.Nandhini, G.Nandhini, M.Nandhini, R.Vidhya, "On-Board diagnostic
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Computer Engineering & Technology (IJARCET).Volume 3 Issue 3,
March 2014.
[6] Jorge Zaldivar, Carlos T. Calafate, Juan Carlos Cano, Pietro Manzoni,
"Providing Accident Detection in Vehicular Networks Through OBD-II
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[7] Michele Ruta, Floriano Scioscia, Filippo Gramegna, Giuseppe Loseto,
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[8] Wikipedia.
2015 International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICTSD-2015), Feb. 04 – 06, 2015, Mumbai, India