System, method, and apparatus for capturing telematics data with an active RFID tag
First Claim
1. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
- an active RFID tag comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first memory for storing said time-stamped data, wherein said data includes a current global position of said vehicle; and
a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, a second memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor,wherein said second memory is further configured for storing one or more pre-selected delivery positions and said portable data acquisition device is configured to compare said current global position to said one or more pre-selected delivery positions and execute one or more steps selected from a group consisting of;
(a) alerting said operator of a nearest of said delivery positions to said current global position; and
(b) providing an estimated time of arrival to each of said one or more pre-selected delivery positions to said operator.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Data collection and evaluation systems that, in various embodiments, include an active RFID tag for collecting, time-stamping, and storing vehicle sensor data. Examples of the type of data collected include door data, ignition data, oil pressure data, temperature data, speed data, global positioning data, and diagnostic and trouble code data. The system further includes an external data acquisition device, such as a mainframe computer system or a hand-held data acquisition device like an iPAQ. The external data acquisition device includes an RFID interrogator for communicating with the RFID tag, which enables the RFID tag to transmit the time-stamped data wirelessly to the external data acquisition device. The ability of the system to automatically collect and transfer data allows for the automation of fleet management processes, vehicle maintenance and repair processes, and certain security features.
109 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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an active RFID tag comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first memory for storing said time-stamped data, wherein said data includes a current global position of said vehicle; and a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, a second memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor, wherein said second memory is further configured for storing one or more pre-selected delivery positions and said portable data acquisition device is configured to compare said current global position to said one or more pre-selected delivery positions and execute one or more steps selected from a group consisting of;
(a) alerting said operator of a nearest of said delivery positions to said current global position; and
(b) providing an estimated time of arrival to each of said one or more pre-selected delivery positions to said operator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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an active RFID tag comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first memory for storing said time-stamped data, wherein said data includes a current global position of said vehicle; and a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, a second memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor, wherein; said second memory is further configured for storing one or more pre-selected delivery positions, and said portable data acquisition device is configured to (a) compare said current global position to said one or more pre-selected delivery positions and (b) use said current global position to determine if said vehicle has traveled outside a first geographic area. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A system for automating a collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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an active RFID tag comprising; (A) an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle in response to a collection triggering event, (B) a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and (C) a first memory for storing said time-stamped data, wherein said data includes a current global position of said vehicle; and a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising; (A) an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, (B) a second memory for storing said data, and (C) a data acquisition processor, wherein said second memory is further configured for storing one or more pre-selected delivery positions and said portable data acquisition device is configured to compare said current global position to said one or more pre-selected delivery positions. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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an active RFID tag comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle wherein the data the RFID tag collects comprises data selected from a group consisting of;
(a) one or more diagnostic codes, (b) door data, and (c) ignition data, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first memory for storing said time-stamped data, wherein said data includes a current global position of said vehicle; anda portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, a second memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor, wherein said second memory is further configured for storing one or more pre-selected delivery positions and said portable data acquisition device is configured to compare said current global position to said one or more pre-selected delivery positions. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A fleet management system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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an active RFID tag comprising; (A) an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors that are disposed within a vehicle, wherein the data includes data selected from a group consisting of;
(1) one or more diagnostic codes, (2) door data, and (3) ignition data,(B) a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and (C) a first memory for storing said data; and a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising; an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, a second memory for storing said data, a data acquisition processor, and a data radio for wirelessly communicating with a facility, wherein said second memory stores data parameters representative of normal vehicle operation conditions, and said portable data acquisition device is configured for comparing said data collected by said RFID tag to said data parameters in said second memory and transmitting an alarm signal if said collected data is outside of said data parameters. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A fleet management system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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an active RFID tag comprising; an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors that are disposed within a vehicle, and a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first memory for storing said data; and a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising; an RFID interrogator for receiving said data from said first memory, a second memory for storing said data, a data acquisition processor, and a data radio for wirelessly communicating with a facility, wherein said second memory stores data parameters representative of normal vehicle operation conditions, and said portable data acquisition device is configured for (a) comparing said data collected by said RFID tag to said data parameters in said second memory, (b) comparing said collected data to said data parameters in said second memory over a time interval, and (c) transmitting an alarm signal if said collected data is outside of said data parameters. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification