Vehicle data system with common supply of data and power to vehicle devices

• US 5,457,629 A
• Filed: 09/18/1992
• Issued: 10/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Norand Corporation (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Cargin, Keith K. Jr., Kubler, Joseph J., Hanson, George E., Miller, Phillip, Koenck, Steven E., Kunert, Steven R., Walter, Jerry L., Schultz, Darald R., Davis, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US07/947,820
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 364/403, 364/464.03, 364/483, 364/424.01, 364/424.03, 364/424.04, 364/550, 364/405, 364/709.04, 364/424.05, 235/375, 235/462, 235/472, 235/454, 235/487, 235/485, 340/825.52, 340/825.03-825.08, 455/89, 395/200, 395/325
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10574 Multiple sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 Focalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10841 Particularities of the light-sensitive elements semiconductor devices H01L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 : constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 : using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 : Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 : wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 : Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 : Waterproofing of transmission device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 : Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 : Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 : the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 : the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A vehicle for transport, fork lift or delivery route operations, for example, includes on-board peripherals which are coupled through a Local Area Network (LAN) into a data system. A LAN data bus provides selective access to the peripherals or data devices such as, for example, a large area display, a keyboard, a printer and a data terminal. The data system controls or provides data on tasks executed by or in connection with the operation of the vehicle. To increase the versatility of the vehicle, the data terminal, multiple data terminals, or any of the other data devices may be removably coupled to the LAN to be operable externally of the vehicle. A mobile mount adapter provides a secure electrical connection of a respective data terminal to the LAN to removably incorporate the data terminal into the data system, and provide a common supply of both data and power to the data device.

Claims

1. A vehicle data system comprising

vehicle local area network means for conveying data to different points in a vehicle, and

control means coupled with said vehicle local area network means, and automatically operable for non-specifically assigning unique addresses to data devices without an assigned address when said data devices are coupled with the vehicle local area network means at any of said different points in the vehicle.

2. A vehicle data system according to claim 1, with said data devices containing said control means, and having quick release signal coupling means for providing releasable data coupling with the vehicle local area network means, thereby to accommodate removal of the data devices from the vehicle for portable operation remote from the vehicle.

3. A vehicle data system according to claim 1, with network interface means for coupling respective data devices to the vehicle local area network means, and power switching means controlling application of operating power to said network interface means and controllable for automatically removing operating power therefrom.

4. A vehicle data system according to claim 3, with printer means coupled with the vehicle local area network means via one of said network interface means, said control means being automatically operable for effecting transmission of data from any of a plurality of said data devices to the printer means via the vehicle local area network means.

5. A vehicle data transmission system for controlling the transmission of data along a network which interconnects a plurality of data exchange points, each of the plurality of data exchange points being connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of portable data terminals, each of the plurality of data terminals comprising means for data gathering and a terminal power source, said system comprising:

a) a plurality of terminal mounting adaptors, each adaptor associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of data exchange points for receiving and mounting a corresponding one of the plurality of portable data terminals for movement with the vehicle;

b) vehicle data/power bus means for conveying data to and from the plurality of data exchange points and for applying power from a vehicle power source to each of said plurality of terminal mounting adaptors; and

c) a plurality of actuable data couplers, each data coupler associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of portable data terminals and a corresponding one of the plurality of data exchange points and actuatable in response to the receipt of a data transmission command to be disposed from an isolated state to a connected state wherein that data terminal mounted within said corresponding mounting adaptor is coupled to said vehicle data/power bus means to permit the data transmission via the corresponding one data exchange point, said isolated state places no load on said vehicle data/power bus means.

6. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 5, wherein each terminal mounting adaptor of said plurality of terminal mounting .adaptors comprises means for applying power from said vehicle data/power bus means to the portable data terminal inserted within said corresponding mounting adaptor.

7. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each data coupler of said plurality of data couplers comprises a power switch responsive to said data transmission command for applying power from said vehicle data/power bus means to said corresponding data coupler and for actuating said corresponding data coupler to its connected state.

8. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each data coupler of said plurality of data couplers comprises first and second data switches respectively coupled to corresponding ones of said plurality of data exchange points for the respective transmission of data to and from said corresponding data exchange points.

9. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said vehicle data/power bus means comprises a first data conduit connected to each of said plurality data exchange points and a second power conduit connected to said vehicle power source.

10. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said vehicle power source comprises an alternator driven by the vehicle'"'"'s motor for outputting power and a battery connected to said alternator for storing the outputted power.

11. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said vehicle data transmission system further includes a network controller and a junction box connected to said battery and to said first and second conduits for respectively applying data to said network controller and power therethrough to energize those portable data terminals inserted within corresponding ones of said plurality of terminal mounting adaptors.

12. A vehicle data transmission system for controlling the transmission of data, said system comprising:

a) a plurality of portable data terminals, each portable data terminal comprising a terminal power source;

b) a plurality of terminal mounting adaptors, each terminal mounting adaptor associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of data exchange points for receiving and mounting a corresponding one of said plurality of portable data terminals for movement with the vehicle;

c) vehicle data/power bus means for conveying data to and from said plurality of data exchange points and for applying power from a vehicle power source to each of said plurality of terminal mounting adaptors; and

d) a plurality of actuatable data couplers, each actuatable data coupler associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of portable data terminals and a corresponding one of said plurality of data exchange points and actuatable in response to the receipt of a data transmission command to be disposed from an isolated state to a connected state wherein that portable data terminal mounted within said corresponding mounting adaptor is coupled to said vehicle data/bus means to permit the data transmission via said corresponding data exchange point, said isolated state .places no load on said vehicle data/power bus means.

13. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each portable data terminal of said plurality of portable data terminals comprises data gathering means.

14. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said data gathering means comprises a data scanner.

15. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 14, wherein each portable data terminal of said plurality of portable data terminals comprises a large area display.

16. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 13, wherein each portable data terminal of said plurality of portable data/terminals comprises an RF modem.

17. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said data gathering means comprises a keyboard.

18. A vehicle data transmission system comprising:

a) a portable data terminal comprising means for data gathering, a first electrical contact and a terminal power source;

b) vehicle data/power bus means for conveying data to and from said first electrical contact and for applying power from a vehicle power source to a second electrical contact, said second electrical contact comprises a resilient, electrically conductive member disposable between a relaxed state and a depressed state;

c) a terminal mounting adaptor for receiving and mounting said portable data terminal for movement with the vehicle, said terminal mounting adaptor having said second electrical contact affixed thereto, means for defining a channel for receiving said portable data terminal in a received position therein so that said first electrical contact is aligned to electrically connect with said second electrical contact and to dispose said resilient, electrically conductive member to its depressed state, and means for releasably retaining said portable data terminal within said channel in said received position during the mobile use of the vehicle and for providing quick removal of said portable data terminal from said channel for portable use remote from the vehicle.

19. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said portable data terminal has an exterior housing, said channel and housing having at least one first dimension and one second dimension respectively, said second dimension being not greater than said first dimension so that said portable data terminal is frictionally held within said channel when said portable data terminal is received within said channel in said received position.

20. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said portable data terminal is frictionally held within said channel by sufficient force to secure said portable data terminal in its received position while also holding said second electrical contact in its depressed state to thereby exert a spring biasing action on said first electrical contact and to ensure efficient electrical engagement therebetween.

21. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said portable data terminal has an axis and said channel has a surface slanted with respect to said axis when said portable data terminal is received within said channel in said received position, to permit said portable data terminal to be frictionally held within said channel.

22. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said resilient, electrically conductive member comprises first and second ends, and means for supporting said first end, said second end being free to move in cantilever fashion between said relaxed state and said depressed state.

23. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said channel defining means comprises a first c-shaped member.

24. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said channel defining means comprises a second c-shaped member, said second c-shaped member disposed to oppose said first c-shaped member to receive said portable data terminal therebetween.

25. The vehicle data transmission system as claimed in claim 24, wherein said portable data terminal comprises a data transfer cable and means for connecting said data transfer cable to said portable data terminal, said first and said second c-shaped members disposed apart from each other to define a space therebetween to receive said cable as said portable data terminal is disposed into said channel.