System and method for monitoring and managing logistics employing global positioning subsystem

• US 6,753,808 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2002
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Alex, Yang, Xiaobing, Luo, David, Hu, Cheng-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US10/172,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20030151546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.07, 342/357.09, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 342/357.46
• 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

A system and method for monitoring and controlling transportation of material. The system comprises a central managing device (130), a vehicle information inputting device (110), a material information inputting device (120), a central monitoring device (400), and a global positioning subsystem. Information input through the vehicle information inputting device and the material information inputting device is stored in the central managing device and can be accessed by the central monitoring device. Information on a current location of a vehicle (180) transporting material is sent to a web server (150) via the global positioning subsystem and accessed by the central monitoring device. The central monitoring device can control logistics by checking whether the current location of the vehicle is along a predetermined route of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A logistics monitoring and controlling system for monitoring transportation of material, the system comprising:

a central managing device for managing information on vehicles serving for an organization and information on material transported by the vehicles;

a vehicle information inputting device for inputting the information on the vehicles to the central managing device;

a material information inputting device for inputting the information on the material transported by the vehicles to the central managing device;

a central monitoring device for monitoring transportation of the material by tracking movement of the vehicles; and

a global positioning subsystem for providing current locations of the vehicles serving for the organization, the global positioning subsystem comprising a receiving device, a satellite, and a plurality of vehicle locators fixed to corresponding vehicles, the global positioning subsystem being linked to the central monitoring device via a network, the network comprising the Internet, an intranet or a combination thereof;

wherein

the central monitoring device comprises a logistics monitoring computer, a material information display computer, and a vehicle information display computer;

wherein

the central monitoring device further comprises a monitoring platform for sending a request to a vehicle locator of the global positioning subsystem for current location information on a vehicle corresponding to the vehicle locator.

2. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle locators are provided for sending location information on the vehicles to the satellite of the global positioning subsystem.

3. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vehicle locators have Subscriber Identity Module cards for identification of the vehicle locators by the central monitoring device.

4. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the receiving device of the global positioning subsystem is provided for receiving the location information on the vehicles sent from the satellite of the global positioning subsystem.

5. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle information display computer and the material information display computer in the central monitoring device are linked to the central managing device for accessing information on the vehicles and information on the material.

6. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein information on each of the vehicles comprises license plate number, owner of the vehicle, group of the vehicle, vehicle type, and SIM card number of a vehicle locator fixed on the vehicle.

7. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information on the material comprises bill of material number, order number, material number, material name, units of material, quantity, and route for transportation.

8. A logistics monitoring and controlling system for monitoring transportation of material, the system comprising:

a central managing device for managing information on vehicles serving for an organization and information on material transported by the vehicles;

a vehicle information inputting device for inputting the information on the vehicles to the central managing device;

a material information inputting device for inputting the information on the material transported by the vehicles to the central managing device;

a central monitoring device for monitoring transportation of the material by tracking movement of the vehicles; and

a global positioning subsystem for providing current locations of the vehicles serving for die organization, the global positioning subsystem comprising a receiving device, a satellite, and a plurality of vehicle locators fixed to corresponding vehicles, the global positioning subsystem being linked to the central monitoring device via a network, the network comprising the Internet, an intranet or a combination thereof;

wherein

the vehicle locators are provided for sending location information on the vehicles to the satellite of the global positioning subsystem.

9. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the vehicle locators have Subscriber Identity Module cards for identification of the vehicle locators by the central monitoring device.

10. The logistics monitoring and controlling system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the receiving device of the global positioning subsystem is provided, for receiving the location information on the vehicles sent from the satellite of the global positioning subsystem.