Monitoring Using Vehicles

• US 20150142209A1
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,666,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A monitoring arrangement including vehicles, a locating system in each vehicle that provides location data about the vehicle, a sensor system in each vehicle that detects presence of at least one chemical in the air at a location at which the vehicle is situated when the sensor system is analyzing air, and a monitoring facility. Each vehicle also includes a communication system that generates a signal based on data provided by the sensor system about the detected presence of at least one chemical in the air and a signal based on the location data and directs the signals to the monitoring facility. Data provided by the sensor systems and sent via the communication systems is analyzed at the monitoring facility in association with location data about the vehicles determined by the locating systems.

Claims

1. A monitoring arrangement, comprising:

a plurality of vehicles;

a plurality of locating systems, each of said locating systems being arranged on a respective one of said vehicles and being configured to provide location data about the respective one of said vehicles;

a plurality of sensor systems, each of said sensor systems being arranged on a respective one of said vehicles, said sensor systems being configured to detect presence of at least one chemical in the air at a location at which the respective one of said vehicles is situated when said sensor system is analyzing air;

a monitoring facility; and

a plurality of communication systems, each of said communication systems being arranged on a respective one of said vehicles and coupled to said sensor system and said locating system on said vehicle, said communication systems being configured to generate a signal based on data provided by said sensor system about the detected presence of at least one chemical in the air and a signal based on the location data and direct the signals to said monitoring facility;

data provided by said sensor systems and sent via said communication system being analyzed at said monitoring facility in association with location data about said vehicles determined by said locating systems.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising an alert system coupled to said monitoring facility and that generates an alert based on the analysis of the data by said monitoring facility.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said locating systems are each configured to determine a location of the respective one of said vehicles such that the location data is data about the determined location of the respective one of said vehicles.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensor systems is configured to detect or measure presence of a pollutant in the air.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensor systems is further configured to detect or measure presence of radioactivity in the air.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensor systems is configured to detect or measure presence of bacteria in the air.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the chemical is alcohol.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of said sensor systems is configured to detect the presence of a chemical in air within the respective one of said vehicles.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of said sensor systems is configured to detect the presence of a chemical in air exterior of the respective one of said vehicles.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the monitoring facility is separate and apart from the vehicles.

11. A monitoring method, comprising:

detecting presence of at least one chemical in the air using a plurality of sensor systems each at a location at which a respective one of a plurality of vehicles is situated, each sensor system being situated on the respective one of the vehicles;

obtaining location data about each of the plurality of vehicles using a respective locating system situated on each of the plurality of vehicles;

generating signals using a respective communication system on each of the plurality of vehicles based on data provided by the sensor system on the vehicle about the detected presence of at least one chemical in the air and based on the location data provided by the locating system on the vehicle;

directing the signals from the communication systems to a common monitoring facility; and

analyzing the data provided by the sensor systems and sent via the communication systems at the monitoring facility in association with location data about the vehicles determined by the locating systems and sent via the communication systems.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating an alert based on the analysis of the data by the monitoring facility.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of obtaining location data about each of the plurality of vehicles using a respective locating system situated on each of the plurality of vehicles comprises determining a location of each of the plurality of vehicles such that the location data is data about the determined location of the respective one of the vehicles.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the sensor systems is configured to detect or measure presence of a chemical pollutant in the air.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the sensor systems is further configured to detect or measure presence of radioactivity in the air.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of said sensor systems is further configured to detect or measure presence of bacteria in the air.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the chemical is alcohol.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the sensor systems is configured to detect the presence of a chemical in air within the respective one of the vehicles.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the sensor systems is configured to detect the presence of a chemical in air exterior of the respective one of said vehicles.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of directing the signals from the communication systems to a common monitoring facility comprises wirelessly transmitting the signals from the vehicles to the monitoring facility which is separate and apart from the vehicles.