AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THEREFOR

• US 20100253488A1
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rork, Joseph Paul, Lee, Chiwei John, Whitaker, Matthew, Wu, Yitah Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,193,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.500
• 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

An automotive vehicle includes one or more computers. The one or more computers are configured to, in a first mode of operation, receive and store, at a plurality of instances, inventory information about assets in a vicinity of the vehicle, and identify patterns in asset inventories based on a history of days and times when the inventory information was received. The one or more computers are also configured to, in a second mode of operation, generate output representing an alert if an asset expected to be in the vicinity of the vehicle on a particular day and time, based on the identified patterns, is not in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle comprising:

one or more computers configured to

in a first mode of operation, receive and store, at a plurality of instances, inventory information about assets in a vicinity of the vehicle, and identify patterns in asset inventories based on a history of days and times when the inventory information was received, and

in a second mode of operation, generate output representing an alert if an asset expected to be in the vicinity of the vehicle on a particular day and time, based on the identified patterns, is not in the vicinity of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, identify patterns in asset inventories based on a history of vehicle locations associated with the inventory information.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the inventory information is received and stored at vehicle start-up.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the inventory information is received and stored at vehicle shut-down.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the output is generated after vehicle start-up.

6. An automotive vehicle comprising:

one or more radio frequency receivers configured to detect signals generated by activated wireless identification tags in a vicinity of the vehicle, the signals representing identifiers embedded in the wireless identification tags; and

one or more computers in communication with the receivers and configured to

in a first mode of operation, record occurrences of detected identifiers, and identify one or more tags based on the recorded occurrences, wherein the one or more tags have been within the vicinity of the vehicle on more than a predetermined number of occasions, and

in a second mode of operation, determine whether the identified tags are in the vicinity of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the second mode of operation, generate output representing an alert if any of the identified tags are not in the vicinity of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein the output is generated during or after vehicle start-up.

9. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, record, by date, occurrences of detected identifiers.

10. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, record, by time, occurrences of detected identifiers.

11. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, record, by vehicle location, occurrences of detected identifiers.

12. An asset management system comprising:

one or more radio frequency transmitters configured to generate activation signals for wireless identification tags affixed to assets in a vicinity of the one or more transmitters;

one or more radio frequency receivers configured to detect signals generated by activated wireless identification tags in the vicinity of the one or more transmitters, the signals representing identifiers embedded in the wireless identification tags; and

one or more computers in communication with the transmitters and receivers and configured to

in a first mode of operation, record occurrences of detected identifiers, and identify one or more tags based on the recorded occurrences, wherein the one or more tags have been within a vicinity of the one or more receivers on more than a predetermined number of occasions, and

in a second mode of operation, determine whether the identified tags are in the vicinity of the one or more receivers, and generate output representing an alert if any of the identified tags are not in the vicinity of the one or more receivers.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, record, by date, occurrences of detected identifiers.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, record, by time, occurrences of detected identifiers.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more receivers are positioned on or within a vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the output is generated after vehicle start-up.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the first mode of operation, record, by vehicle location, occurrences of detected identifiers.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to activate the one or more transmitters upon vehicle start-up.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to activate the one or more transmitters upon vehicle shut-down.