Computerized vehicle control system for fleet routing

• US 10,528,062 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Looman, William George, Hidayat, Jefferson Ray Tan, Kok, Katherine Winnie, Dunlop, Mark Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/456,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20170277198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 701 26
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A computerized vehicle control system for fleet routing includes a fleet of vehicles where each vehicle in the fleet of vehicles is configured to travel over streets and including an engine and wheels. Each vehicle further includes an in-vehicle electronic device comprising digital logic circuitry and a port configured to couple with a vehicle computer installed in the vehicle and in communication with a plurality of sensors disposed about the vehicle. The in-vehicle electronic device further comprises a display. The computerized vehicle control system further includes a vehicle management system comprising memory and computer hardware and configured to communicate over a network with each in-vehicle electronic device in the fleet of vehicles.

Claims

1. A computerized vehicle control system for fleet routing, the computerized vehicle control system comprising:

a fleet of vehicles, each vehicle in the fleet of vehicles configured to travel over streets and including an engine and wheels, each vehicle further including an in-vehicle electronic device comprising digital logic circuitry and a port configured to couple with a vehicle computer installed in the vehicle and in communication with a plurality of sensors disposed about the vehicle, the in-vehicle electronic device further comprising a display; and

a vehicle management system comprising memory and computer hardware and configured to communicate over a network with each in-vehicle electronic device in the fleet of vehicles, wherein the computer hardware is configured to;

access stop data representing a plurality of stops for one or more vehicles in the fleet of vehicles;

generate and output a user interface that facilitates user management of constraints associated with one or more of the following;

the one or more vehicles, one or more vehicle drivers, policies of an organization associated with the fleet of vehicles, and one or more customers associated with the plurality of stops;

receive via the user interface, a user input associated with the constraints;

adjust the constraints based on the user input;

calculate proposed routes between the plurality of stops on a network of the streets in a geographic region;

evaluate the proposed routes based on a degree to which the proposed routes satisfy the constraints;

penalize the proposed routes based on the degree to which the proposed routes do not satisfy the constraints without excluding a first subset of the proposed routes that violate one or more of the constraints;

select a second subset of the proposed routes to be selected routes based at least in part on said evaluating;

output the selected routes to a selected in-vehicle electronic device to display on the display associated with the selected in-vehicle electronic device; and

output a real-time suggested driving route modification to the selected routes based on traffic or weather conditions to the display;

wherein the computer hardware is further configured to apply a higher penalty to a first one of the proposed routes that exceeds a first one of the constraints by a first amount than a second one of the proposed routes that exceeds the first one of the constraints by a second amount less than the first amount.

2. The computerized vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to penalize first and second proposed routes of the proposed routes at different rates based on a type of constraints being violated by the first and second proposed routes.

3. The computerized vehicle control system of claim 2 wherein a first constraint of the constraints is associated with a weightier first penalty for exceeding the first constraint than a second penalty associated with exceeding a second constraint of the constraints.

4. The computerized vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to allow company policy constraints and customer constraints to be violated.

5. The computerized vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to prioritize the constraints associated with the one or more customers over the constraints associated with the policies of the organization, and to adjust penalties, based on said prioritizing, for violating the constraints associated with the policies of the organization and the constraints associated with the one or more customers.

6. The computerized vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein the computer hardware is further configured to prioritize a first customer constraint over a second customer constraint from a same customer based on a degree of importance of the first and second customer constraints as specified by the customer.