OPTIMUM ROUTE PLANNING FOR SERVICE VEHICLES
First Claim
1. An optimum route planning system for a vehicle comprising:
- an on-board computer located on board the vehicle and having access to destination information of multiple destinations to which the vehicle is to travel and road map information, the on-board computer calculating an initial optimum route the vehicle is to travel, including determining an order of the multiple destinations to which the vehicle is to travel;
a user interface to communicate the calculated optimum route to an operator of the vehicle;
a wireless communication system receiving updated information and communicating the same to the on-board computer;
wherein upon receipt of the updated information, the computer again calculates an optimum route based on the destination information, the road map information and the updated information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Transportation costs are minimized with a novel system for optimizing a route for a service vehicle, for example, a package delivery van. Based upon static and dynamic information, a computer on board the service vehicle determines an optimum route for the vehicle to travel between multiple locations. The computer on board the service vehicle communicates wirelessly to receive any pertinent dynamic information which has changed (e.g., traffic congestion, the presence of a customer at a deliver location, or a modification of location). The computer then recalculates the optimum route for the vehicle and guides the driver of the vehicle in accordance with the newly determined optimum route. The on board computer continues to check for any updates, and recalculates the optimum route throughout the day. Thus, the optimum route may be selected based upon the latest available information white avoiding heavy signal traffic on the wireless network.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An optimum route planning system for a vehicle comprising:
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an on-board computer located on board the vehicle and having access to destination information of multiple destinations to which the vehicle is to travel and road map information, the on-board computer calculating an initial optimum route the vehicle is to travel, including determining an order of the multiple destinations to which the vehicle is to travel; a user interface to communicate the calculated optimum route to an operator of the vehicle; a wireless communication system receiving updated information and communicating the same to the on-board computer; wherein upon receipt of the updated information, the computer again calculates an optimum route based on the destination information, the road map information and the updated information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 26)
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14. A method for optimizing a route for a vehicle, comprising:
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(a) obtaining initial destination information including locations of multiple destinations, (b) calculating, on board the vehicle, an initial optimum route between the multiple destinations, including determining an order to travel to the multiple destinations, (c) communicating the initial optimum route to the operator of the vehicle, (d) after steps (a)-(c), wirelessly receiving updated destination information, (e) calculating, on board the vehicle, an updated optimum route as a function of the updated destination information, and (f) communicating the updated optimum route to the operator of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification