SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING OPERATION OF VEHICLES

• US 20140095047A1
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New Flyer Industries Canada ULC (NFI Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: New Flyer Industries Canada ULC (NFI Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Naylor, David Glen
• Granted Patent: US 9,053,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/99
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and computer programming products useful for the gathering and use of data relating to structural loading and other operational use of transit and other vehicles, and their systems. Systems according to the invention can, for example, comprise one or more data acquisition devices such as strain gauges, accelerometers, or other sensors; data processors; memories; and communications systems. Such systems, methods, and programming are useful in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, monitoring the structural status and use of vehicles and their systems, including fatigue other operational analyses; gathering and applying data useful in the maintenance of such vehicles and the routes they travel; monitoring the use/abuse of such vehicles by operators and other individuals; reporting traffic events or anomalies; and routing transit and other vehicles around such events or anomalies. Rainflow, level-crossing and other peak-counting or event-counting algorithms are applied to advantage, such that required data storage is greatly reduced, and life-long monitoring is feasible.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A passenger bus comprising a system for acquiring data related to service operation of the passenger bus, the system comprising:

one or more sensors configured for sensing one or more service operating conditions experienced by at least one vehicle system of the passenger bus, and for providing corresponding output signals;

at least one data processor configured for applying an amplitude counting algorithm to count a number of times said output signals exceed at least one specified amplitude, and to generate data representing said count; and

memory usable by the at least one data processor for storing the data representing said count.

36. The passenger bus of claim 35, wherein said at least one amplitude represents a peak operating condition experienced by the at least one vehicle system.

37. The passenger bus of claim 35, wherein said memory stores only the data representing said count.

38. The passenger bus of claim 35, wherein said algorithm comprises a rainflow counting algorithm.

39. The passenger bus of claim 35, wherein said at least one vehicle systern comprises a vehicle engine.

40. The passenger bus of claim 35, wherein said at least one vehicle system comprises an environmental control system.

41. The passenger bus of claim 35, wherein said operating conditions comprise at least one structural loading.

42. A method of using a system for acquiring data related to service operation of a passenger bus,

the system comprising:

one or more sensors configured for sensing one or more service operating conditions experienced by at least one vehicle system of the passenger bus, and for providing corresponding output signals;

at least one data processor configured for applying an amplitude counting algorithm to count a number of times said output signals exceed at least one specified amplitude, and to generate data representing said count; and

memory usable by the at least one data processor for storing the data representing said count; and

the method performed by the same or another data processor, and comprising;

accessing, in the same or another memory, the data representing the count of the number of times the output signals exceed at least one specified amplitude, and

using the accessed data, monitoring operation of the passenger bus.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein monitoring operation of the passenger bus comprises scheduling maintenance for the passenger bus.

44. The method of claim 42, comprising associating the accessed data with a road traveled by the passenger bus, and scheduling maintenance for the road.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein monitoring operation of the passenger bus comprises associating the accessed data with a route travelled by the passenger bus, and causing the same or another bus to travel a different route.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein monitoring operation of the passenger bus comprises associating the accessed data with a route travelled by the passenger bus, and generating a report of a traffic event or anomaly.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein monitoring operation of the passenger bus comprises associating the accessed data with an operator of the passenger bus.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein the data representing the count of the number of times the output signals exceed at least one specified amplitude is accessed by using a wireless communication device, and the method is performed by a processor remote from the passenger bus.

49. A method of monitoring operation of a plurality of passenger buses,

each passenger bus comprising a system for acquiring data related to service operation of at least one vehicle system of the passenger bus, and each such system comprising:

one or more sensors configured for sensing one or more service operating conditions experienced by at least one vehicle system of the respective passenger bus, and for providing corresponding output signals;

at least one data processor configured for applying an amplitude counting algorithm to count a number of times said output signals exceed at least one specified amplitude, and to generate data representing said count; and

memory usable by the at least one data processor for storing the data representing said count; and

the method performed by at least one other data processor, and comprising;

accessing, in the same or another memory, data representing a count of the number of times the output signals exceed at least one specified amplitude for each of a plurality of said buses, and

using the accessed data, monitoring operation of the plurality of passenger buses.