Fleet Vehicle Management Systems and Methods

• US 20140122187A1
• Filed: 01/03/2014
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XRS Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: XRS Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Warkentin, Colin D., Kalirai, Rakinder, Sekula, Christopher Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 10,134,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• 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

Some embodiments of a system for communicating vehicle information can provide equipment for use inside a fleet vehicle to facilitate prompt and efficient transfer of vehicle and driver information. In particular embodiments, the system may include an electronic onboard recorder mountable in a vehicle and a mobile communication device that is configured to wireless communication with the electronic onboard recorder.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method for providing a hours of service report for a driver of vehicle, comprising:

wirelessly communicating vehicle usage information from an electronic onboard recorder unit mounted to a vehicle to a mobile phone device, the electronic onboard recorder unit comprising;

a short-range wireless communication device to wirelessly communicate said vehicle usage information to said mobile phone device when the mobile phone device is positioned inside the vehicle, a wired connection to the vehicle, and a USB connection port configured to removably receive a USB data connector of a vehicle inspector computer system;

wirelessly receiving, at the electronic onboard recorder unit, from the mobile phone device a hours of service report for a driver of the vehicle which was generated at the mobile phone device based upon the vehicle usage information wirelessly communicated from the electronic onboard recorder unit, the hours of service report including identification information for a driver and hours of service information for the driver;

removably receiving a USB data connector of the vehicle inspector computer system in the USB connection port of the electronic onboard recorder unit mounted to the vehicle; and

in response to receiving a wireless communication at the electronic onboard recorder unit from the mobile phone device indicative of a user request input to the mobile phone device, transferring the hours of service report for the driver of the vehicle to the USB data connector of the vehicle inspector computer system from the electronic onboard recorder unit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit is a displayless unit, and wherein the vehicle usage information is wirelessly communicated from the electronic onboard recorder unit to the mobile phone device so that the mobile phone device is operative to display the hours of service information updated in response to the vehicle usage information from the electronic onboard recorder unit.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the short-range wireless communication device of the electronic onboard recorder unit comprises a Bluetooth wireless communication device for communicating with the mobile phone device when the mobile phone device is positioned inside the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle usage information is collected and stored by the electronic onboard recorder unit in addition to being wirelessly communicated from the electronic onboard recorder unit, at least a portion of the vehicle usage information being indicative of travel distance and time.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit and the mobile phone device provide two-way wireless communication such that the mobile phone device wirelessly receives at least the vehicle usage information from the electronic onboard recorder unit and the electronic onboard recorder unit wirelessly receives at least the driver identification information from the portable wireless display unit.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving vehicle data at the electronic onboard recorder unit via a connector mated with an engine control module of the vehicle, wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit comprises a memory module that stores the vehicle data from the engine control module.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit is configured to simultaneously communicate via multiple protocols of at least one engine control module.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit is a displayless unit having a maximum length of 8 inches, a maximum width of 6.5 inches, and a maximum height of 1.5 inches.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising detecting, at the electronic onboard recorder unit, a type of communications protocol employed by the engine control module so that the electronic onboard recorder unit is operative to automatically recognize the type of vehicle in which it is installed.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit houses one or more accelerometers configured to detect movements of the vehicle, and wherein the electronic onboard recorder unit houses a GPS receiver device to receive location signals from at least one GPS satellite.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the USB data connector of the vehicle inspector computer system comprises a vehicle inspector'"'"'s USB cable extending from a vehicle inspector'"'"'s external computer device configured to receive the hours of service report for the driver of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the USB data connector of the vehicle inspector computer system comprises a vehicle inspector'"'"'s USB thumb drive or USB-equipped portable hard drive configured to receive the hours of service report for the driver of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, at the electronic onboard recorder unit, a location of the vehicle, and wirelessly communicate location information indicative of the location of the vehicle from the electronic onboard recorder unit to the mobile phone device positioned within the vehicle for displaying the location on an onscreen map.