Vehicle tracking, communication and fleet management system

• US 7,489,993 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Robert W., Coffee, John R., Marvin, Kevin M., Dye, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/125,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20060142913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/29, 366 1- 2, 366 53- 61, 366/349, 366/8, 366/38, 366/41, 137/101.19, 180/209
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/422 Controlling or measuring devices B28C5/4227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/02 Controlling the operation of the mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/028 by counting the number of revolutions performed, or by measuring the mixing time
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/00 General arrangement or layout of plant B28C7/0061, B28C7/0481 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/03 for transporting money or other valuables
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0085 detecting a given structure in the signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

A vehicle fleet management information system identifies location and direction of movement of each vehicle in a fleet in real-time, and automatically reports such information, as well as status of predetermined events in which the vehicle is engaged, directly to the fleet manager. One aspect relates to automated reporting of status of a ready mix slurry material truck having a mixer drum. A sensor detects the begin pour event by detecting the mixer drum being run in a discharge direction.

Claims

1. A system for automated reporting of status of a ready mix slurry material mixer truck having a mixer drum, including status of events related to the operation, of the truck, to a management office for system users including dispatchers and managers using a wireless network, the management office including a dispatch software application for issuing dispatch instructions over the wireless network to said truck, the automated reporting system comprising, on board the truck:

sensors which automatically detect the current status of the beginning and ending of a pour event at the job site, wherein the beginning pour event is detected by detecting the mixer drum being run in a discharge direction,

computer apparatus configured to receive inputs from said of the respective detected pour beginning and end status and configured to store for transmission data denoting the status of the pour event to the management office over the wireless network, and

navigation apparatus configured to automatically detect the current geographic location of the truck, said navigation apparatus and sensors automatically detecting begin pour at the job site, and end pour at the job site, said computer apparatus also receiving inputs from said navigation apparatus.

2. The automated reporting system of claim 1, wherein the data are stored when the vehicle is outside of the wireless network coverage area.

3. The automated reporting system of claim 1, wherein the stored data are transmitted when the vehicle returns to the wireless network coverage area.

4. The automated reporting system of claim 1, wherein the stored data are transmitted when the vehicle is in the vicinity of a plant site.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the truck is a ready mix concrete truck.

6. A system for automated determination of status of a ready mix slurry material mixer truck, including status of events related to the usage function, operation, location, systems or cargo of the truck, the automated determination system comprising, on board the truck:

a sensor system which automatically detects a begin pour event and an end pour event of the truck, said begin pour event detected by detection of a mixer drum being run in a discharge direction, and

computer apparatus computer apparatus inputs from said sensor system indicative of the respective detected begin pour and end pour events, and to compute the status of events, derived from the event-indicative inputs.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the truck is a ready mix concrete truck.

8. A system for automated determination of a status of a ready mix slurry material mixer truck having a mixing drum, including status of events related to the operation, of the truck, the automated determination system comprising, on board the truck:

a sensor system which detects parameters related to the operation of the truck said parameters indicative of various selected ones of said events, and

computer apparatus configured to receive inputs from said sensor system indicative of the respective detected or measured events, and to compute the status of events of interest, derived from the event-indicative input, wherein the sensor system is configured to automatically detect the direction of rotation of the drum.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the truck is a ready mix concrete truck.