ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20110130893A1
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David S. Gilleland, Michael Layton Gregory, Pieter Erasmus, Rob Satchwell Tennant
• Original Assignee: David S. Gilleland, Michael Layton Gregory, Pieter Erasmus, Rob Satchwell Tennant
• Inventors: Gregory, Michael Layton, Tennant, Rob Satchwell, Erasmus, Pieter, Gilleland, David S.
• Application Number:
  US12/889,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20110130893A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

A vehicle power controller and a control method are described. The vehicle power controller is arranged to receive a remote command to set an inactivity time interval and to shut down a component of a vehicle, such as an engine, if it is inactive for the time interval.

Claims

1. A programmable vehicle power controller comprising a wireless communication interface, and a vehicle inactivity detector for detecting inactivity affecting a component of a vehicle and a shutdown controller coupled to shut down at least the component of the vehicle, wherein the shutdown controller is arranged to receive over the wireless communication interface a command to set an inactivity time interval based on the received command and to shut down the component following inactivity for the time interval.

2. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 1 wherein the shutdown controller is further configured to shut down the vehicle in response to a received shut down command.

3. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle inactivity detector is coupled to a CANBUS of the vehicle to detect inactivity of a vehicle component.

4. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 3 wherein the component is an engine of the vehicle.

5. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 1 arranged to set an inactivity time interval based on a received command and vehicle operator information.

6. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 5, configured to derive vehicle operator information from an authorisation control unit arranged to record an identifier of a vehicle operator.

7. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 6 wherein vehicle operator information is derived from a removable reprogrammable token adapted for use with the authorisation control unit.

8. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 6 wherein the vehicle power controller is configured to set the time interval based on a time of day and vehicle operator information.

9. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 8 coupled to communicate with a database storing an association between vehicle operator information and an indication of shift timings of the operator, wherein the programmable vehicle power controller is configured to determine a time of day and to select an inactivity time interval based on the shift timings of the operator and the time of day, wherein at least one of:

the database is stored in a memory carried on the vehicle; and

the programmable vehicle power controller is arranged to communicate wirelessly with the database.

10. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 9 wherein the indication of shift timings comprise an indication of first and second periods and wherein the controller is arranged to select a first inactivity time interval during the first period and to select a second inactivity time interval during the second period, wherein the first period is associated with an operator'"'"'s working shift.

11. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 1 having a position determining system for determining the location of a vehicle in a facility.

12. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 11, the position determining system comprising:

a memory storing an association between one or more positions in the facility and a plurality of machine readable identifiers positioned about the facility; and

a proximity reader for reading a machine readable identifier of the plurality of machine readable identifiers in a reading range of the reader; and

a processor, in communication with the reader wherein the processor is arranged to determine a position of the mobile asset based on the stored association.

13. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 12 wherein the mobile asset comprises logic for comparing an identifier with a stored association to determine a position of the mobile asset based on the stored association.

14. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 12 wherein the machine readable identifiers are positioned with a separation of at least five times the reading range of the reader.

15. A programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 11 in communication with a memory storing an association between a location of the facility and a stored inactivity time interval and configured to set the inactivity time interval based on the location of the vehicle in the facility.

16. A materials handling vehicle comprising a programmable vehicle power controller according to claim 1.

19. A facility comprising a plurality of materials handling vehicles according to claim 16 and a facility monitoring and control system comprising a server having a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with a plurality of vehicle controllers to receive vehicle information;

a database storing at least one association between vehicle information and an inactivity time interval; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to retrieve a time interval from the database based on received vehicle information and to transmit a command comprising the inactivity time interval over the communication interface to a vehicle controller of the plurality of vehicle power controllers.

20. The facility of claim 19 comprising a plurality of machine readable markers each marker associated with a location;

and one or more warehouse vehicles comprising a proximity reader for reading the machine readable markers; and

comparison logic for comparing information read from the markers with a stored association to determine a location of the vehicle.

17. A facility monitoring and control system comprising a server having a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with a plurality of vehicle controllers to receive vehicle information;

a database storing at least one association between vehicle information and an inactivity time interval; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to retrieve a time interval from the database based on received vehicle information and to transmit a command comprising the inactivity time interval over the communication interface to a vehicle controller of the plurality of vehicle power controllers.

18. A facility monitoring and control system according to claim 17 in which the database stores an association between a plurality of vehicles and a single inactivity time interval and wherein the processor is configured to transmit a remote command comprising the single inactivity time interval to the plurality of vehicles.