Methods and systems for remotely monitoring sensor data in delivery vehicles

• US 20020032517A1
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RMC Industries Corporation (CEMEX España SA)
• Original Assignee: RMC Industries Corporation (CEMEX España SA)
• Inventors: Goff, Ken, Buckelew, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,484,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/204
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/422 Controlling or measuring devices B28C5/4227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/02 Controlling the operation of the mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/00 General arrangement or layout of plant B28C7/0061, B28C7/0481 take precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for remotely monitoring and reporting sensor data associated with the delivery of construction materials by a delivery vehicle is provided. This is achieved by obtaining sensor data from at least one of a plurality of status sensors associated with the delivery vehicle; automatically monitoring the sensor data to determine whether a transmission event has occurred; and, automatically delivering event data associated with the transmission event to a predetermined location in response to the occurrence of a transmission event. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the delivery vehicle is a concrete delivery mixing truck that contains status sensors sufficient to read and monitor the slump of the concrete mixture in the mixing barrel.

Claims

1. A method for remotely monitoring and reporting the status of a delivery to a client site using a delivery vehicle comprising a plurality of associated status sensors communicatively connected to a computing device, the method comprising:

obtaining sensor data from at least one of the plurality of status sensors;

automatically monitoring the sensor data obtained from the status sensor using the computing device;

determining whether a predefined transmission event has occurred based on the sensor data; and

in response to the occurrence of a transmission event, automatically delivering event data associated at least in part with the transmission event to a predetermined location or device, wherein the event data comprises information indicating a status of the delivery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically monitoring the sensor data obtained from the status sensor using the computing device comprises automatically monitoring a Global Positioning System receiver capable of determining a geographic location of the delivery vehicle and wherein determining whether a predefined transmission event has occurred based on the sensor data obtained from the status sensor comprises determining whether the delivery vehicle has arrived at a client site.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein automatically delivering event data associated at least in part with the transmission event to a predetermined location or device comprises automatically delivering the geographic location of the delivery vehicle determined by the Global Positioning System receiver and a time at which the delivery vehicle arrived at a client site.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein automatically delivering event data associated at least in part with the transmission event to a predetermined location or device comprises automatically delivering the geographic location of the delivery vehicle to a dispatch center.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the geographic location at the dispatch center and storing the geographic location in a memory device as the geographic location of the client site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery vehicle comprises a concrete delivery mixing truck and wherein obtaining sensor data from at least one of the plurality of status sensors comprises obtaining slump related data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether a predefined transmission event has occurred comprises monitoring the slump related data, calculating a slump value based on the slump related data, comparing the slump value to a delivery slump value, and indicating that a transmission event has occurred if a difference between the delivery slump value and the calculated slump value exceeds a tolerance level.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying the slump value on a display device associated at least in part with the concrete delivery mixing truck.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically delivering event data associated with the transmission event to a predetermined location or device comprises automatically delivering the slump value to a dispatch center associated with the concrete delivery mixing truck.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one of the obtained sensor data and the event data in a memory device associated with the delivery vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising manually initiating the transfer of at least one of the obtained sensor data and the event data from the memory device to a database remote from the delivery vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing the database to validate the quality of a delivery.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the plurality of status sensors comprises a Global Positioning System receiver capable of determining a geographic location for the delivery vehicle and wherein the transmission event is the arrival of the delivery vehicle at a client site.

15. The system claim 14, wherein the computing device transmits event data comprising at least the geographic location of the delivery vehicle determined by the Global Positioning System receiver.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a dispatch center that receives the geographic location of the delivery vehicle and stores the geographic location in a memory device as the geographic location of the client site.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a memory device associated with the computing device, wherein the memory device stores at least one of the sensor data and the event data.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising a database remote from the delivery vehicle and that receives and stores at least one of the sensor data and the event data for later retrieval and analysis.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the monitoring and reporting program comprises at least computer program logic capable of:

calculating a slump value based at least in part on the slump related data;

comparing the slump value to a delivery slump value; and

indicating that a slump related transmission event has occurred if a difference between the delivery slump value and the calculated slump value exceeds a tolerance level.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the communications device transmits the slump value to a dispatch center in response to an occurrence of a slump related transmission event.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a display device associated with the delivery vehicle capable of displaying the slump value.

23. The system of claim 19, further comprising a memory device associated with the computing device, wherein the memory device stores at least one of the sensor data and the event data.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising a database remote from the delivery vehicle that receives and stores at least one of the sensor data and the event data for later retrieval and analysis.

13. A system for monitoring and reporting sensor data associated with the delivery of construction material from a provider site to a client site by a delivery vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of status sensors associated with the delivery vehicle;

a communications device that receives and transmits data; and

a computing device communicatively connected to the plurality of status sensors and the communications device;

wherein the computing device;

reads sensor data from at least one of the plurality of status sensors at a predetermined interval,

monitors the data to determine whether a predefined transmission event has occurred, and

in response to the occurrence of a transmission event, transmits event data associated with the transmission event indicating the status of the delivery to a predetermined location or device using the communication device.

19. A system for monitoring and reporting sensor data associated with the delivery of concrete from a provider site to a client site by a concrete delivery mixing truck, the system comprising:

a plurality of status sensors that collect sensor data associated with the concrete delivery mixing truck, wherein at least one of the plurality of status sensors is capable of obtaining slump related data;

a computing device communicatively connected to the plurality of status sensors, wherein the computing device reads sensor data from the plurality of status sensors at a predetermined interval;

a monitoring and reporting program associated with the computing device, wherein the monitoring and reporting program analyzes the sensor data, determines whether a transmission event has occurred and, in response to the occurrence of a transmission event, collects event data associated with the transmission event; and

a communications device communicatively connected to the computing device, wherein the communications device receives event data from the monitoring and reporting program in response to the occurrence of a transmission event and delivers the event data to a remote location or device.