METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL ALERT

• US 20120146778A1
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Harvey, John, Patrick, Lynne, Rusnak, Scott, DAVIS, STEVEN J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

System for providing a hazardous materials hazardous material alert. The system includes a method for transmitting a hazardous material alert for use with a vehicle that is transporting hazardous material. The method comprises steps of detecting a hazard event, and transmitting the hazardous material alert in response to the hazard event, wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method for providing a hazardous material alert for use with a vehicle that is transporting hazardous material, the method comprising:

detecting a hazard event at a detection system; and

transmitting the hazardous material alert in response to the hazard event, wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material, wherein transmitting the hazardous material alert comprises locally broadcasting a transmission from a transmitter comprised in the detection system such that the broadcast transmission can be directly received by emergency personnel responding to the hazard event.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein broadcasting the hazardous material alert includes broadcasting an audio signal.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a message from the detection system to a remote control center via a wireless communications system located on the vehicle outside the detection system.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

providing the detection system in a detachable trailer of the vehicle, wherein the detection system is configured to connect to the wireless communications system provided in a tractor portion of the vehicle via a communications link.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving instructions from a remote control center via the wireless communications system; and

activating at least one vehicle system based on the received instructions from the remote control center.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

outputting at least one status message to a remote location upon detecting a hazard event.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein detecting the hazard event further comprises receiving an emergency code, and

wherein transmitting the hazardous material alert is further in response to receiving the emergency code.

25. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a message from a remote location, the message including initialization information; and

downloading and storing the initialization information at the detection system, wherein the initialization information includes information relating to the hazardous material, wherein the hazardous material alert is based at least in part on said initialization information in combination with real time information.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein locally broadcasting the hazardous material alert further comprises broadcasting using at least one of an AM carrier, a FM carrier, a citizen-band channel, a short wave channel, and an emergency broadcast channel.

27. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

controlling a power level of a transmitter broadcasting the hazardous material alert based on at least one of a type of the hazard event and a location of the hazard event.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein controlling the power level of the transmitter further comprises increasing the power level based on at least one of the hazardous material having a relatively high hazardous level and the location of the hazard event being remote.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

operating the detection system in a stand-alone mode via power from a battery.

30. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, based on timing logic stored in the detection system, at least one of when to transmit the hazardous material alert, how fast to transmit the hazardous material alert, how long to transmit the hazardous material alert, when to activate a vehicle system, and when to deactivate the vehicle system.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the determination is made when to activate or deactivate the vehicle system based on the timing logic, the vehicle system including at least one of a cargo door lock and a vehicle ignition system.

32. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

storing a measured cargo state;

tracking a history of stored cargo states;

determining a change in the cargo state compared to the tracked history of stored cargo states; and

wherein detecting the hazard event further comprises determining occurrence of the hazard event based upon the change in the cargo state.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein detecting the hazard event further comprises detecting based on at least one of:

a condition of the vehicle;

an input received from a vehicle operator; and

a message received from a remote location.

34. The method of claim 18, further comprising activating one or more vehicle systems in response to the hazard event.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the activated vehicle system comprises at least one of an alarm, a warning light, a door lock, and a hazard protection system.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the activated vehicle system comprises a hazard protection system, the hazard protection system comprising at least one of a fire control system and a temperature control system.

37. A detection system for providing a hazardous material alert for use with a vehicle that is transporting hazardous material, the apparatus comprising:

detection logic for detecting a hazard event; and

a local transmitter for locally broadcasting the hazardous material alert in response to the hazard event, wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material, and wherein the broadcast transmission comprises a transmission from the detection system that can be directly received by emergency personnel responding to the hazard event.

38. The detection system of claim 37, wherein the transmitter is further configured to broadcast the hazardous material alert comprising an audio signal.

39. The detection system of claim 37, further comprising:

a communication link to a wireless communications system located outside the detection system.

40. The detection system of claim 39, wherein the detection system is configured for placement in a detachable trailer of the vehicle.

41. The detection system of claim 39, wherein the communications link connects the detection system to the wireless communications system onboard a tractor portion of the vehicle.

42. The detection system of claim 39, further comprising:

message processing logic for sending a message to a remote control center via the wireless communications system.

43. The detection system of claim 42, wherein the message processing logic is further configured to activate one or more vehicle systems in response to a message received from the remote control center.

44. The detection system of claim 42, wherein the detection logic for detects the hazard event at least in part by receiving an emergency code, and

wherein the hazardous material alert is transmitted further in response to receiving the emergency code.

45. The detection system of claim 39, further comprising:

memory for storing initialization information relating to the hazardous material, wherein the initialization information is received as a message from a remote location via the communication link, and wherein the hazardous material alert is based at least in part on the initialization information.

46. The detection system of claim 42, wherein the message processing logic is further configured to activate one or more vehicle systems in response to the hazard event.

47. The detection system of claim 37, wherein the transmitter is configured to locally broadcast the hazardous material alert via at least one of an AM carrier, an FM carrier, a citizen-band channel, a short wave channel, and an emergency broadcast channel.

48. The detection system of claim 37, wherein the transmitter is configured to control a transmit power level based on at least one of a type of the hazard event and a location of the hazard event.

49. The detection system of claim 37, further comprising:

a battery configured to power the detection system in a stand-alone mode.

50. The detection system of claim 37, further comprising:

timing logic for determining at least one of when to transmit the hazardous material alert, how fast to transmit the hazardous material alert, how long to transmit the hazardous material alert, when to activate a vehicle system, and when to deactivate the vehicle system.

51. The detection system of claim 37, further comprising:

memory for storing a measured cargo state; and

wherein the detection logic further comprises logic for tracking a history of stored cargo states, determining a change in the cargo state based upon the tracked history of stored cargo states, and determining occurrence of the hazard event based upon the change in the cargo state.

52. An apparatus for providing a hazardous material alert for use with a vehicle that is transporting hazardous material, the method comprising:

means for detecting a hazard event at a detection system; and

means for transmitting the hazardous material alert in response to the hazard event, wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material, wherein transmitting the hazardous material alert comprises locally broadcasting a transmission from a transmitter comprised in the detection system such that the broadcast transmission can be directly received by emergency personnel responding to the hazard event.

53. A computer-readable medium comprising instruction for execution by a hazard detection system that is used with a vehicle transporting hazardous material, the instructions, when executed by the hazardous detection system, cause a hazardous material alert to be transmitted, the computer-readable media comprising:

instructions for detecting a hazard event at a detection system; and

instructions for transmitting the hazardous material alert in response to the hazard event, wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material, wherein transmitting the hazardous material alert comprises locally broadcasting a transmission from a transmitter comprised in the detection system such that the broadcast transmission can be directly received by emergency personnel responding to the hazard event.

54. A method of identifying hazardous material alerts, the method comprising:

receiving a locally broadcast hazardous material alert transmitted directly from a vehicle detection system when moving into the area of a vehicle, wherein the hazard event was detected by the vehicle detection system, and wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material.

55. A hazardous material alert detection system comprising:

means for receiving a locally broadcast hazardous material alert transmitted directly from a vehicle detection system when moving into the area of a vehicle, wherein the hazard event was detected by the vehicle detection system, and wherein the hazardous material alert includes information relating to the hazardous material; and

means for determining the location of the hazard event from the hazardous material alert.