INTEGRATED AUTONOMOUS FLEET MANAGEMENT USING SELF-AWARE VEHICLES

• US 20100057511A1
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Vian, John L., Mansouri, Ali R., Peters, John T.
• Application Number:
  US12/396,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057511A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• 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: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

An apparatus for managing a fleet of vehicles. On each of the vehicles are a plurality of vehicle subsystems, each subsystem capable of monitoring conditions and assessing capabilities of the subsystem. For each vehicle, a vehicle management system has one or more processors and memory configured to: monitor conditions and assess capabilities of the vehicle based on subsystem condition and capability information provided by the subsystems, and based on the monitored vehicle conditions and assessed vehicle capabilities, initiate performance of one or more fleet management functions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a fleet of vehicles, the apparatus comprising:

on each of the vehicles, a plurality of vehicle subsystems, each subsystem capable of monitoring conditions and assessing capabilities of the subsystem; and

for each vehicle, a vehicle management system having one or more processors and memory configured to;

monitor conditions and assess capabilities of the vehicle based on subsystem condition and capability information provided by the subsystems; and

based on the monitored vehicle conditions and assessed vehicle capabilities, initiate performance of one or more fleet management functions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fleet management system configured to continue performance of fleet management functions initiated by the vehicles.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to initiate performance of one or more fleet management functions comprises one or more of the following:

to predict a service event for the vehicle, to initiate scheduling of a service event for the vehicle, and to bid for a trip by the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the vehicle subsystems is a plug-in subsystem.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the vehicle subsystems are included in a subsystem configured to monitor conditions and assess capabilities of the included subsystems.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a vehicle management system for a vehicle is configured to provide information to one of the vehicle subsystems from another subsystem of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the vehicle management system of at least one of the vehicles comprising a transponder module configured to, in real time:

receive sensor input data from a plurality of different sensors of the vehicle via a sensor input interface;

use the sensor input data to determine conditions of a plurality of subsystems of the vehicle; and

based on the determined conditions and on data provided by an integrated vehicle health management (IVHM) system of the vehicle, determine a plurality of performance capabilities of the vehicle;

the vehicle management system further configured to initiate the performance based on the determined vehicle performance capabilities.

8. An automated method of managing a fleet of vehicles, comprising:

in each vehicle, each of a plurality of subsystems of the vehicle monitoring its subsystem condition and assessing its subsystem capabilities based on the monitored subsystem condition;

a vehicle management system for each vehicle monitoring conditions of the vehicle based on condition information from the subsystems and assessing capabilities of the vehicle based on the subsystem conditions and capabilities; and

based on the vehicle condition and capabilities, the vehicle management system for a given one or more of the vehicles performing one or more fleet management functions cooperatively with a fleet management system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the fleet management system continuing performance of one or more fleet management functions initiated by the one or more vehicles.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

one of the vehicle management systems predicting a service event for the corresponding vehicle; and

the fleet management system scheduling the service event.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

one of the vehicle management systems requesting a service event for the corresponding vehicle; and

the fleet management system scheduling the service event.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

one of the vehicle management systems bidding on a trip by the corresponding vehicle; and

the fleet management system scheduling the trip.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the subsystems of at least one of the vehicles includes a plug-in subsystem having an embedded functionality for providing subsystem diagnostics and prognostics.

14. A self-aware vehicle comprising:

a plurality of vehicle subsystems, each subsystem capable of monitoring conditions and assessing capabilities of the subsystem; and

a vehicle management system having one or more processors and memory configured to;

monitor conditions and assess capabilities of the vehicle based on subsystem condition and capability information provided by the subsystems; and

based on the monitored vehicle conditions and assessed vehicle capabilities, initiate performance of one or more fleet management functions.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein at least one of the vehicle subsystems is configured to provide a diagnosis of its condition and a prognosis as to its capabilities.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein to initiate performance of one or more fleet management functions comprises one or more of the following:

to predict a service event for the vehicle, to initiate scheduling of a service event for the vehicle, and to bid for a trip by the vehicle.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, the vehicle management system configured to receive fleet-related information from a fleet management system for use in performing the one or more fleet management functions.

18. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein at least one of the vehicle subsystems has functionality embedded therein for monitoring conditions and assessing capabilities of the subsystem.

19. The vehicle of claim 14, comprised by a fleet of self-aware vehicles each configured to bid for a trip scheduled by an automated fleet management system.

20. The vehicle of claim 14, comprising an aircraft.