Routing Drivers to Trailers Effectively

• US 20090082962A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Contour, Michael Joseph, Doyle, Thomas Francis, Kim, Frederick Duke
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A method and apparatus for locating a specific asset using navigation technology or specific signaling capabilities. This system improves a driver'"'"'s productivity by providing location information or signals to a driver to assist him in locating a specific trailer. An embodiment includes a system for navigating/routing drivers to their assigned trailer, using GPS, and Navigation technology. Another embodiment includes an audio and/or visual signal from a specific trailer activated by a driver seeking the location of the specific trailer.

Claims

1. A system for routing a driver to a specific trailer, the system comprising:

a driver'"'"'s navigation system;

a trailer global positioning system (GPS) disposed on the specific trailer;

a wireless communication system; and

a means to calculate a route to the specific trailer based on location data from the trailer GPS sent over the wireless communication system to the driver'"'"'s navigation system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises a GPS.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises a display of the route.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises audio directions of the route.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the means to calculate a route comprises a remote computer in communication with the driver'"'"'s navigation system.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the means to calculate a route comprises the driver'"'"'s navigation system.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication system comprises a member from the group consisting of a satellite system;

a terrestrial system and a Wi-Fi system.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises a member from the group consisting of a mobile device, a hand-held device, a cellular phone, a PDA and a laptop computer.

9. A method of routing a driver to a specific trailer, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a location of the specific trailer by a transmitter disposed in the specific trailer;

receiving the location by a computational device;

calculating a route from a truck to the specific trailer; and

communicating the route to a driver'"'"'s navigation system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of transmitting a location comprises transmitting the location via a wireless communication system.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the location comprises a GPS location.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of calculating a route comprises calculating the route via the driver'"'"'s navigation system.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of calculating a route comprises remotely calculating the route.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of communicating the route to the driver'"'"'s communication system comprises displaying the route.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of communicating the route comprises providing audio directions.

16. A system for locating a specific trailer, the system comprising;

a wireless communication system comprising a trailer transceiver disposed in the specific trailer and a driver'"'"'s transceiver for communicating with the trailer transceiver; and

a signal generated by the driver'"'"'s transceiver to activate a signaling device disposed on the specific trailer.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the wireless communication system comprises a member from the group consisting of a satellite system, a terrestrial system and a Wi-Fi system.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the signaling device comprises a flashing light.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the driver'"'"'s transceiver comprises a member from the group consisting of a mobile device, a hand-held device, a cellular phone, a PDA and a laptop computer.

20. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to calculate a route from a driver'"'"'s location via a navigation system to a location of a trailer from data received from a GPS system disposed on the trailer; and

program code to provide the route to the drivers navigation system.

21. An apparatus for providing a route to a specific trailer comprising:

means for transmitting a location of the specific trailer to a driver'"'"'s navigation system;

means for calculating the route to the specific trailer; and

means for communicating the route to the driver.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises a GPS.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises a display of the route.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises audio directions of the route.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the means for calculating a route comprises a remote computer in communication with the driver'"'"'s navigation system.

26. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the means to calculate a route comprises the driver'"'"'s navigation system.

27. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the means for communicating comprises a member from the group consisting of a satellite system, a terrestrial system and a Wi-Fi system.

28. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the driver'"'"'s navigation system comprises a member from the group consisting of a mobile device, a hand-held device, a cellular phone, a PDA and a laptop computer.