Vehicle with internal and/or external monitoring

• US 10,329,723 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Signal Corporation
• Original Assignee: Federal Signal Corporation
• Inventors: Rohrbaugh, Scott Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E
• Application Number:
  US14/969,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20160177524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/228 Measuring or indicating means, e.g. of level, volume, weight
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/01 Devices or auxiliary means for setting-out or checking the configuration of new surfacing, e.g. templates, screed or reference line supports form rails E01C19/50; Applications of apparatus for measuring, indicating, or recording the surface configuration of existing surfacing, e.g. profilographs E01C23/07 takes precedence; measuring roughness or irregularity in general G01B
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/00 Removing undesirable matter from roads or like surfaces, with or without moistening of the surface for snow or ice E01H5/00; cleaning tramway rails E01H8/00; obstruction removers on vehicles B60R19/00; in combination with application of bitumen or the like E01C19/16; in combination with application of traffic line E01C23/16 ; Sweeping apparatus, particularly for lawns A01G20/30, A01G20/40; removing undesirable matter from floors and similar surfaces A47L5/00 - A47L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/02 Brushing apparatus, e.g. with auxiliary instruments for mechanically loosening dirtE01H1/003, E01H1/005, E01H1/006 and E01H1/08 - E01H1/14 take precedence; loosening by means of gas jets or streams E01H1/0818, E01H1/0872; with brushes functioning under vacuum or combined with independent suction nozzles E01H1/0827; loosening by means of liquid streams E01H1/101; mechanical loosening instruments other than brushes E01H1/105; for railway tracks E01H8/00; brushes in general A46B; for floors or similar surfaces A47L11/22, A47L11/24
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/08 Pneumatically dislodging or taking-up undesirable matter or small objectsE01H1/006 and E01H1/005 take precedence; suction cleaners in general A47L5/00 - A47L9/00; sucking-off liquids or semi-liquids E01H1/108; Drying by heat only or by streams of gas permanently-installed heating or blowing devices E01C11/26; heating or drying for road- building or repairing E01C23/14; devices for melting snow or ice in situ E01H5/10, E01H8/08; for scorching undesirable vegetation E01H11/00; Cleaning by projecting abrasive particles sand-blasting in general B24C; roughening of road surfaces E01C23/08; cleaning of road joints E01C23/0906
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/30 for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/06 Indicating or recording devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

A system can include: a street sweeper configured to clean a street, the street sweeper including: a meter module to detect a consumption of water by the street sweeper, wherein the meter module is programmed to quantify an amount of water used by the street sweeper and to send the amount of water to a central server; and a street surface deviation detection device coupled to the street sweeper, the street surface deviation detection device being configured to measure changes in a surface of the street and send the changes to the central server; and the central server programmed to receive the amount of water.

Claims

1. A street sweeper, comprising:

at least one broom or sprayer configured to clean a street, and

a meter module to detect a consumption of water by the street sweeper;

wherein the meter module is programmed to quantify an amount of water used by the street sweeper in a given period of time during cleaning of the street and to send the amount of water to a central server.

2. The street sweeper of claim 1, wherein the meter module is part of an analysis module programmed to measure a plurality of parameters associated with the street sweeper.

3. The street sweeper of claim 2, wherein the plurality of parameters includes parameters associated with operation of the street sweeper.

4. The street sweeper of claim 3, wherein the plurality of parameters includes parameters associated with an environment surrounding the street sweeper.

5. The street sweeper of claim 1, further comprising a position device configured to determine a position of the street sweeper.

6. The street sweeper of claim 1, further comprising a street surface deviation detection device coupled to the street sweeper, the street surface deviation detection device being configured to measure changes in a surface of the street.

7. The street sweeper of claim 6, wherein the street surface deviation detection device is a scanning laser rangefinder.

8. A system, comprising:

a street sweeper configured to clean a street, the street sweeper including a meter module to detect a consumption of water by the street sweeper, wherein the meter module is programmed to quantify an amount of water used by the street sweeper during cleaning of the street and to send the amount of water to a central server; and

the central server programmed to receive the amount of water.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the central server includes a central management system programmed to display the amount of water and provide alerts.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the meter module is part of an analysis module programmed to measure a plurality of parameters associated with the street sweeper.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of parameters includes parameters associated with operation of the street sweeper.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of parameters includes parameters associated with an environment surrounding the street sweeper.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of parameters includes parameters associated with an environment surrounding the street sweeper.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising a street surface deviation detection device coupled to the street sweeper, the street surface deviation detection device being configured to measure changes in a surface of the street.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the street surface deviation detection device is a scanning laser rangefinder.

16. A system, comprising:

a street sweeper configured to clean a street, the street sweeper including;

a meter module to detect a consumption of water by the street sweeper, wherein the meter module is programmed to quantify an amount of water used by the street sweeper during cleaning of the street and to send the amount of water to a central server; and

a street surface deviation detection device coupled to the street sweeper, the street surface deviation detection device being configured to measure changes in a surface of the street and send the changes to the central server; and

the central server programmed to receive the amount of water and the changes in the surface of the street, wherein the central server is programmed to create a profile displaying the changes in the surface of the street overlaid upon a map.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the central server includes a central management system programmed to display the amount of water and provide alerts.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the meter module is part of an analysis module programmed to measure a plurality of parameters associated with the street sweeper.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of parameters includes parameters associated with operation of the street sweeper and with an environment surrounding the street sweeper.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the street surface deviation detection device is a scanning laser rangefinder.