TELEMATICS DEVICES AND SYSTEMS

• US 20180007504A1
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laird Technologies Incorporated (DuPont de Nemours, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Laird Technologies Incorporated (DuPont de Nemours, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Pranav
• Granted Patent: US 10,104,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are provided of telematics devices and exemplary corresponding methods. In an exemplary embodiment, a telematics device generally includes at least one hub device having a wireless network interface and a BLUETOOTH interface, and one or more peripheral devices. Each peripheral device includes a BLUETOOTH device in wireless communication with the hub device and/or at least one other peripheral device. Each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device. The hub device is configured to analyze received peripheral device information and transmit a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information to a remote station. Other exemplary embodiments include a camera interface for a telematics device, a smart lock assembly for a trailer, and a trailer tracking system.

Claims

1. An asset management system comprising:

at least one hub device, the hub device including a wireless network interface and a BLUETOOTH interface; and

one or more peripheral devices, each peripheral device including a BLUETOOTH device in wireless communication with the hub device and/or at least one other of the peripheral devices;

wherein each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device; and

wherein the hub device is configured to analyze received peripheral device information and transmit a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information to a remote station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more peripheral devices include multiple peripheral devices connected in a mesh-network topology; and

each of the multiple peripheral devices is configured to relay received peripheral device information from other peripheral devices to the hub device and/or to at least one other peripheral device, such that all peripheral device information is eventually received at the hub device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the hub device is positioned within a BLUETOOTH communication range of all of the one or more peripheral devices in a star-network topology; and

the hub device is configured to receive peripheral device information broadcasts directly from all of the peripheral devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the at least one hub device includes multiple hub devices; and

one of the multiple hub devices is an intermediary hub device configured to receive a report from another one of the multiple hub devices and transmit the received report to the remote station.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the one or more peripheral devices is coupled to at least one sensor to obtain data from the sensor; and

the peripheral device information broadcast by the at least one peripheral device includes the data obtained from the at least one sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the hub device further includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and

the hub device is configured to obtain a location of the hub device from the GPS receiver and to include the location of the hub device in the report transmitted to the remote station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the hub device is configured to transmit a report to the remote station when:

received peripheral device information is indicative of an alert condition based on one or more stored peripheral device information trigger values; and

/or

received peripheral device information is indicative of an absence of one or more of the peripheral devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each peripheral device is remotely configurable to specify:

the peripheral device identifier; and

/or

a time interval between periodic broadcast of peripheral device information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the hub device is configured to receive peripheral device information from only a subset of the one or more peripheral devices; and

the hub device is configured to transmit the report to the remote station based on analysis of only the peripheral device information received from the subset of the one or more peripheral devices.

10. A telematics device for a vehicle, the telematics device comprising:

a wireless network interface configured to transmit data from the telematics device to a remote station;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to determine a location of the telematics device; and

a camera interface adapted to couple to a camera to trigger the camera to obtain an image and to receive the obtained image from the camera;

wherein the telematics device is configured to trigger the camera to obtain an image when a specified event occurs; and

wherein the telematics device is configured to transmit an event alert and the obtained image to a remote station.

11. The telematics device of claim 10, wherein the camera interface is coupled to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) camera in a roof-top mounted antenna of the vehicle.

12. The telematics device of claim 10, wherein the telematics device is configured to compress the obtained image before transmitting the obtained image to the remote station.

13. The telematics device of claim 10, wherein the specified event includes a detected vehicle collision.

14. The telematics device of claim 13, further comprising an accelerometer adapted to detect an acceleration or deceleration of the telematics device, wherein the detected vehicle collision includes a detected deceleration that exceeds a specified threshold.

15. The telematics device of claim 13, further comprising a connector coupled to an information bus of the vehicle, wherein the telematics device is configured to detect a vehicle collision based on collision information received from the information bus of the vehicle.

16. The telematics device of claim 10, wherein the specified event includes at least one of:

a detection of a towing of the vehicle;

a detection of an unlocking of a trailer lock of a trailer of the vehicle where the camera is positioned at a top of the trailer; and

a detection of an opening of a fuel cap of the vehicle where the camera is positioned near the fuel cap.

17. The telematics device of claim 10, wherein the telematics device is configured to be remotely activated to obtain on image from the camera and transmit the obtained image to the remote station.

18. A smart lock assembly for a trailer, the assembly comprising:

a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism having a locked state and an unlocked state; and

a BLUETOOTH device coupled to the locking mechanism and including a BLUETOOTH wireless interface, the BLUETOOTH device configured to;

monitor the state of the locking mechanism;

transmit a monitored state of the locking mechanism to a remote telematics device via the BLUETOOTH wireless interface; and

in response to detection that the lock has been broken and/or unlocked, transmit an alert to the remote telematics device via the BLUETOOTH wireless interface.

19. The smart lock assembly of claim 18, wherein the BLUETOOTH device is configured to, in response to commands received from the remote telematics device via the BLUETOOTH wireless interface, unlock and/or lock the locking mechanism.

20. The smart lock assembly of claim 18, wherein the locking mechanism is an electronic switch and/or lever.

21. A smart lock system including the smart lock assembly of claim 18, the system further comprising:

a telematics device including;

a wireless network interface configured to transmit data from the telematics device to a remote station; and

a BLUETOOTH wireless interface in wireless communication with the BLUETOOTH wireless interface of the smart lock assembly;

wherein the telematics device is configured to obtain the monitored state of the locking mechanism from the smart lock assembly via the BLUETOOTH wireless interface of the telematics device, and to transmit the obtained state of the locking mechanism to a remote station.

22. The smart lock system of claim 21, wherein the telematics device is configured to transmit a lock and/or unlock command to the smart lock assembly via the BLUETOOTH wireless interface of the telematics device when a lock and/or unlock command is received at the telematics device from the remote station via the wireless network interface.

23. The smart lock system of claim 21, wherein the telematics device includes a general purpose input pin connected to a switch and the telematics device is configured to transmit a lock and/or unlock command to the smart lock assembly via the BLUETOOTH wireless interface of the telematics device when a switch input is detected at the general purpose input pin and to transmit a notification of the lock and/or unlock command to the remote station.

24. The smart lock system of claim 21, further comprising a camera coupled to the telematics device, wherein the telematics device is configured to:

trigger the camera to obtain an image when the locking mechanism is detected as unlocked and/or broken; and

transmit the obtained image to the remote station.

25. A trailer tracking system comprising:

a BLUETOOTH tracker adapted to be coupled to a trailer, the BLUETOOTH tracker including a BLUETOOTH wireless interface, a wireless network interface configured to transmit data from the BLUETOOTH tracker to a remote station, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to determine a location of the BLUETOOTH tracker; and

a telematics device adapted to be coupled to a vehicle for hauling the trailer, the telematics device including a wireless network interface configured to transmit data from the telematics device to a remote station, and a BLUETOOTH wireless interface configured to wirelessly communicate with the BLUETOOTH wireless interface of the BLUETOOTH tracker;

wherein the BLUETOOTH tracker is configured to, when the BLUETOOTH tracker is not in wireless communication with the telematics device, activate the GPS receiver and wireless network interface of the BLUETOOTH tracker and transmit tracker information to the remote station; and

wherein the BLUETOOTH tracker is configured to, when the BLUETOOTH tracker is in wireless communication with the telematics device, deactivate the GPS receiver and wireless network interface of the BLUETOOTH tracker, whereby the telematics device transmits location information to the remote station.

26. The trailer tracking system of claim 25, wherein the BLUETOOTH tracker and telematics device are configured to establish and maintain wireless communication with one another when the telematics device is within BLUETOOTH communication range of the BLUETOOTH tracker.

27. The trailer tracking system of claim 25, wherein:

the BLUETOOTH tracker is coupled to one or more sensors;

the BLUETOOTH tracker is configured to transmit sensor data obtained from the one or more sensors to the telematics device when the telematics device is in wireless communication with the BLUETOOTH tracker; and

the telematics device is configured to transmit the sensor data to the remote station.

28. The trailer tracking system of claim 27, wherein the one or more sensors include:

a temperature sensor adapted to sense a temperature inside the trailer; and

/or

a humidity sensor adapted to sense a humidity inside the trailer.