System and method for monitoring remotely located objects

• US 6,879,910 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Rental Japan Limited (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bigrental Co., Ltd. (Komatsu Ltd.), Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Shike, Chikashi, Abe, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/237,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20030074134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 340988-991, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/208
• 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

The present invention makes it possible to precisely monitor remotely located objects. The construction vehicles each contain a GPS apparatus, and various sensors for capturing the states of vehicle parts, and are capable of reporting, as required, the current position captured by the GPS apparatus, and operation information captured by the various sensors to the TMS mail server via the satellite communication system. The TMS mail server and the rental company system are capable of communicating at any time via a communication network between computers. The TMS mail server collects the latest positional information, operation information, and so forth, on the construction vehicles being rented and relays such information in the form of electronic mail, for example, to the rental company system as required or periodically. The rental company system displays construction vehicles by means of marks in the current positions of the construction vehicles on a map represented by map data, or in the form of a list, based on the collected positional information and operation information, on a branch store computer terminal. The system also displays the operating states of rented construction vehicles based on the collected operation information, on the branch store computer terminal.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a plurality of remotely located construction machines, comprising:

region designating means for designating a region;

map displaying means for displaying a map including the designated region;

position detecting means for automatically detecting a position of one of the plurality of remotely located construction machines;

object selecting means for selecting an object positioned in the designated region, on the basis of the detected position of said object;

object position displaying means for displaying a marker representing the selected object in the position of said selected object, on a displayed map; and

state detecting means for automatically detecting the state of said one of the plurality of construction machines,

wherein said region designating means designates said region based on the following;

(a) user-selected mark displayed on said map and corresponding to a desired base and,

(b) a user-adjusted range that is specified in terms of distance from said desired base.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

object state displaying means for displaying the detected state of said selected object.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said state detecting means detects substantially the latest state by executing an operation for detecting said state as required or periodically.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein said object state displaying means displays the latest state of said object and a history of past states thereof.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein said object state displaying means is constituted to display the state of said selected object and a map indicating the position of said selected object.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying a marker that indicates at least one base, in the position of said base on said displayed map.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said desired base is a branch store of a rental company.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying a list of selected objects.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said position detecting means detects substantially the latest position by executing an operation for detecting said position as required or periodically.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said state detecting means automatically detects a plurality of operating states of said one of the plurality of construction machines, said operating states including a cumulative operating time, details of any anomalies or breakdowns, an engine oil pressure, an engine speed, a work machine oil temperature, a work oil pressure, a radiator water temperature, and a remaining fuel quantity.

11. A method for monitoring a plurality of remotely located construction machines, comprising the steps of:

designating a region;

displaying a map including the designated region;

automatically detecting a position of one of the plurality of remotely located construction machines;

selecting an object positioned in the designated region, on the basis of the detected position of said object;

displaying a marker representing the selected object in the position of said selected object, on a displayed map; and

automatically detecting the state of said one of the plurality of remotely located construction machines,

wherein said step of designating a region includes the following;

(a) selecting a mark displayed on said map that corresponds to a desired base, and

(b) adjusting a range by specifying distances from said desired base.

12. A computer program which is installed in a system for monitoring a plurality of remotely located construction machines and which has a computer to execute the steps of:

designating a region;

displaying a map including the designated region;

automatically detecting a position of one of the plurality of remotely located construction machines;

selecting an object positioned in the designated region, on the basis of the detected position of said object;

displaying a marker representing the selected object in the position of said selected object, on a displayed map, and

automatically detecting the state of said one of the plurality of remotely located construction machines,

wherein said step of designating a region includes the following;

(a) selecting a mark displayed on said map that corresponds to a desired base, and

(b) adjusting a range by specifying distances from said desired base.