Industrial vehicle fleet management system

• US 20090157305A1
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Manz, Damon M., Mallonee, Donald L. JR., Ding, Steven A.
• Application Number:
  US12/379,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157305A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Embodiments consistent with the invention are an apparatus for and method of generating data on current utilization of powered industrial vehicles, generating preferred routing assignments for powered industrial drivers, and presenting preferred routing assignments for powered industrial vehicle drivers.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. An apparatus for optimizing usage of a powered industrial vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

a transmitter on said vehicle transmitting data therefrom;

at least one load sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said load sensor being on said vehicle and generating data from which the presence of a pallet or container being transported by said vehicle can be determined;

a receiver disposed to receive transmissions of data from said transmitter from which the location of said vehicle and the presence of a pallet or container being transported can be determined;

a computer programmed to determine the optimal path of said vehicle and generate data commands;

a transmitter operatively coupled to said computer to transmit said data commands to said vehicle; and

a display disposed to display said commands in a form readable by a human operator of said vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data from which the number of pallets being transported can be determined.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data from which the number of containers being transported can be determined.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data indicating whether a pallet or container in said vehicle contains a load of mail.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data indicating a time and location where a pallet or container is removed from said vehicle.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data indicating a time and location where a pallet or container is loaded onto said vehicle.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data indicating identifiers of any pallets or containers being transported by said vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to said transmitter, said sensor generating data indicating a location of said vehicle or the path driven by said vehicle.