System and method for monitoring and reporting out-of-route mileage for long haul trucks

• US 5,068,656 A
• Filed: 12/21/1990
• Issued: 11/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MiX Telematics North America, Inc. (MiX Telematics Limited)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
• Inventors: Sutherland, Dennis W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US07/633,639
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 340/989, 340/431, 340/425.5, 340/434, 340/901, 340/904, 340/902, 340/988, 340/990, 340/991, 340/993, 340/438, 340/439, 342/457, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 364/424.04, 364/449
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring and reporting out-of-route mileage for long haul trucks which includes transmitting route data from a dispatcher to a distant truck where comparisons aboard the truck are made of its current position with predetermined acceptable positions and exception reports are generated and transmitted back to the dispatcher from the truck if the current position is not included in the set of predetermined acceptable positions.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and reporting out-of-route mileage trucks comprising:

means for transmitting signals corresponding to geographic coordinates from a central dispatch station to a truck at some distant point;

means for receiving the signals corresponding to the geographic coordinates from the central dispatch;

means for generating route rectangles indicative of areas surrounding road segments to be travelled on board a truck and without driver action having the geographic coordinates at either a first end of a second end of a route rectangle;

means for providing a position signal corresponding to the current position of the truck;

means for comparing the position signal on board a truck and without driver action with a set of predetermined acceptable positions within a route rectangle;

means for generating an exception report without driver intervention if the position signal is not included in the set of acceptable positions;

means for transmitting the exception report to the central dispatcher; and

means for receiving an exception report on a real-time basis and alerting a central dispatcher of an out-of-route status in a timely manner.

2. A method of monitoring and reporting out-of-route mileage trucks comprising the steps of:

determining, at a first location, a specific route for a predetermined origin and destination;

transmitting signals corresponding to the origin and the destination from the first location to a vehicle at a second location;

generating route rectangles indicative of areas surrounding road segments to be travelled on board the vehicle based on the signals from the first location, wherein the rectangles define a plurality of acceptable positions;

providing a position signal corresponding to the current position of the vehicle;

comparing the position signal with the plurality of acceptable positions;

generating an exception report if the position signal is not included in the plurality of acceptable positions; and

,

transmitting the exception report from the vehicle at the second location to the first location.

3. A method of monitoring and reporting out-of-route mileage trucks comprising the steps of:

determining at a first location a specific route for a predetermined origin and destination;

dividing the route into a series of one or more route segments each having a predetermined route length;

transmitting signals to a vehicle from the first location corresponding to the geographic coordinates representing the endpoints of each of the route segments together with the predetermined length for each route segment;

generating on board a vehicle an area of acceptable positions disposed around the endpoints;

providing an accumulated mileage signal corresponding to the accumulated mileage the vehicle has traversed;

providing a current position signal corresponding to the position of the vehicle;

comparing the current position signal with the area of acceptable positions after the accumulated mileage signal has reached the predetermined route length for the route segment; and

,

transmitting an exception report from the vehicle to the first location if the current position signal is not in the area of acceptable positions.