Vehicle telematics system

• US 7,317,975 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haldex Brake Products Corporation (Nippon Steel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Haldex Brake Products AB (SAF-HOLLAND SE)
• Inventors: Carlsson, Roger, Woolford, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/770,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20050171660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/33, 701/35, 701/36, 701/70, 701/200, 701/207, 701/213
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• 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

Disclosed is a system providing tracking and wireless communications for remote diagnostics of a vehicle which transmits data communicated over a vehicle system'"'"'s CAN bus to a remote location, which is adapted to use data received from a vehicle in order to compare the performance of the vehicle and/or of the operator of the vehicle with the performance of other vehicles and/or operators of other vehicles, which incorporates advanced power management functionality for conserving power, particularly when the system is disconnected from a main power supply, and which facilitates the identification of vehicles that have not reported back to the system or that have not moved within a specified time period.

Claims

1. A system for wireless transmission of vehicle data from a vehicle to a remote location, said system comprising:

a vehicle system controller;

at least one vehicle system component adapted to be controlled by said vehicle system controller;

a control area network bus connecting said vehicle system controller with said at least one vehicle system component, said vehicle system controller and said at least one vehicle system component communicating vehicle system data between one another via said control area network bus; and

a transmitter connected to said control area network bus, said transmitter wirelessly transmitting the vehicle system data communicated over said control area network bus to said remote location.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said vehicle system controller comprises an electronic brake system controller and wherein said at least one vehicle system component comprises a component of an electronic brake system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle system data comprises a control signal communicated from said vehicle system controller to said at least one vehicle system component.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle system data comprises a signal indicative of a condition of said at least one vehicle system component communicated from said at least one vehicle system component to said vehicle system controller.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one vehicle system sensor connected to said control area network and in communication with said vehicle system controller via said control area network.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the vehicle system data comprises a signal indicative of a condition sensed by said at least one vehicle system sensor communicated from said at least one vehicle system sensor to said vehicle system controller.

7. A system for wireless transmission of vehicle data from a vehicle to a remote location, said system comprising:

a vehicle system located on said vehicle;

a transmitter located on said vehicle, said transmitter wirelessly transmitting data indicative of operation of said vehicle system and indicative of a geographic location of said vehicle to said remote location;

a processor located at said remote location, said processor receiving the data transmitted by said transmitter and comparing the received data to data received from at least one other vehicle to produce comparison; and

wherein said vehicle system comprises an electronic brake system.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said processor compares the received data to aggregate data received from a plurality of other vehicles to produce comparison data.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said processor aggregates the received data with data received from a plurality of other vehicles to produce first aggregate data, and compared the first aggregate data to second aggregate data received from a plurality of other vehicles to produce comparison data.

10. A system for wireless transmission of vehicle data from a vehicle to a remote location, said system comprising:

a transmitter located on said vehicle, said transmitter wirelessly transmitting data indicative of operation of said vehicle system and indicative of a geographic location of said vehicle to said remote location;

wherein said transmitter operates in a first mode when said system is connected to a main power supply; and

wherein said transmitter operates in a second mode when said system is disconnected from the main power supply.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said transmitter transmits the data more often in the first mode than in the second mode.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said transmitter operates in a third mode when said vehicle remains idle for a first time period.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said transmitter transmits the data more often in the first mode than in the second mode, and said transmitter transmits the data more often in the second mode than in the third mode.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the first time period comprises a time period when a brake system of said vehicle has not been actuated.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein said transmitter operates in a fourth mode when said vehicle remains idle for a second time period.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said transmitter transmits the data more often in the first mode than in the second mode, said transmitter transmits the data more often in the second mode than in the third mode, and said transmitter transmits the data more often in the third mode than in the fourth mode.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the first time period and the second time period comprise a time period when a brake system of said vehicle has not been actuated.

18. A system for wireless transmission of vehicle data from a vehicle to a remote location, said system comprising:

a transmitter located on said vehicle, said transmitter wirelessly transmitting data indicative a geographic location of said vehicle to said remote location periodically or from time to time;

a processor located at said remote location, said processor receiving the data transmitted by said transmitter and determining based at least in part on the received data whether said vehicle has moved a specified distance in a specified time period; and

a display device in communication with said processor, said processor displaying on said display device information concerning said vehicle in a first manner if it is determined that said vehicle has moved the specified distance in the specified time period, and in a second manner visually distinctive from the first manner if it is determined that said vehicle has not moved the specified distance in the specified time period.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein display in the first manner comprises display in a first color and wherein display in the second manner comprises display in a second color.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said processor further determines whether data has been received from said vehicle within a second specified time period, and wherein said processor displays on said display device the information concerning said vehicle in a third manner visually distinctive from the first manner and the second manner if it is determined that data has not been received from said vehicle within the second specified time period.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein display in the first manner comprises display in a first color, wherein display in the second manner comprises display in a second color, and wherein display in the third manner comprises display in a third color.

22. A system for wireless transmission of vehicle data from a vehicle to a remote location, said system comprising:

a vehicle system controller;

at least one vehicle system component adapted to be controlled by said vehicle system controller;

a control area network bus connecting said vehicle system controller with said at least one vehicle system component, said vehicle system controller and said at least one vehicle system component communicating vehicle system data between one another via said control area network bus;

a transmitter connected to said control area network bus, said transmitter wirelessly transmitting, periodically or from time to time, the vehicle system data communicated over said control area network bus and data indicative of a geographic location of said vehicle to said remote location;

a processor located at said remote location, said processor receiving the data transmitted by said transmitter and comparing the received data to data received from at least one other vehicle to produce comparison data, said processor determining based at least in part on the received data whether said vehicle has moved a specified distance in a specified time period;

a display device in communication with said processor, said processor displaying on said display device information concerning said vehicle in a first manner if it is determined that said vehicle has moved the specified distance in the specified time period, and in a second manner visually distinctive from the first manner if it is determined that said vehicle has not moved the specified distance in the specified time period;

wherein said transmitter operates in a first mode when said system is connected to a main power supply; and

wherein said transmitter operates in a second mode when said system is disconnected from the main power supply.

23. A system for wireless transmission of vehicle data from a vehicle to a remote location, said system comprising:

a vehicle system located on said vehicle;

a transmitter located on said vehicle, said transmitter wirelessly transmitting data indicative of operation of said vehicle system and indicative of a geographic location of said vehicle to said remote location;

a processor located at said remote location, said processor receiving the data transmitted by said transmitter and comparing the received data to data received from at least one other vehicle to produce comparison data; and

wherein said processor aggregates the received data with data received from a plurality of other vehicles to produce first aggregate data, and compared the first aggregate data to second aggregate data received from a plurality of other vehicles to produce comparison data.