Wireless tractor-trailer communications

• US 7,932,815 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Danielson, Arvin, Martinez, Rene
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAI, ANNE VIET NGA
• Application Number:
  US11/835,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20080227411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 340/431, 340/933, 340/539.23, 340/686.6, 34053911-53932, 340/8.1, 340/573.1, 340/573.3, 340/573.4, 340/573.6, 246/6, 246/122.R, 246/123, 246/167.R, 455/41.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 701/19, 342/27, 342/28
• US Class Current: 340/431
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like

Abstract

Computer-readable media, systems, and methods for wirelessly communicating between a tractor and a set of trailers in a tractor-trailer environment are described. In embodiments, a tractor wireless communication device associated with a tractor is initialized and associated with a tractor initialization time. Additionally, a trailer wireless communication device associated with at least one trailer is initialized and associated with a trailer initialization time. In various embodiments, it is determined whether the tractor wireless communication device and the trailer wireless communication device are in physical proximity by comparing initialization times. Further, in various embodiments, tractor-trailer information events are communicated wirelessly between a tractor and a trailer.

Claims

1. A method in a tractor-trailer environment for wirelessly communicating between a tractor and a set of trailers, the method comprising:

initializing a tractor wireless communication device associated with the tractor;

initializing at least one trailer wireless communication device associated with at least one of the set of trailers;

associating the tractor wireless communication device with a tractor initialization time, wherein the tractor initialization time indicates a time at which the tractor wireless communication device was initialized;

associating each of the at least one trailer wireless communication device with a trailer initialization time, wherein the trailer initialization time indicates a time at which each of the at least one trailer wireless communication device was initialized;

establishing a communication link between the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device and exchanging event information between said devices; and

determining whether the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device are in physical proximity by comparing the tractor initialization time with the trailer initialization time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an initialization of the tractor communication device and the trailer communication device comprises providing power to the communication devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the tractor-trailer environment for a back-channel event; and

upon receiving the back-channel event, determining whether the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device remain in physical proximity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, if it is determined that the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device remain in physical proximity, the method further comprises maintaining the communication link between the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, if it is determined that the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device are not in physical proximity, the method further comprises terminating the communication link between the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the tractor initialization time and the trailer initialization time are counters that begin incrementing upon initializing the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the back-channel event is a brake signal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the back-channel event includes information associated with at least one of a blinker, a noise, and an optical observation.

9. A tractor-trailer communications system for providing wireless communication between a tractor and a set of trailers, the system comprising:

a tractor wireless communication device associated with the tractor, the tractor wireless communication device associated with a tractor initialization time, wherein the tractor initialization time indicates a time at which the tractor wireless communication device was initialized;

at least one trailer wireless communication device associated with at least one of the set of trailers, each of the at least one trailer wireless communication device associated with a trailer initialization time, wherein the trailer initialization time indicates a time at which each of the at least one trailer wireless communication device was initialized;

an initialization comparing component configured to determine if the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device are in physical proximity using an initialization information and an information event, wherein using the initialization information comprises comparing the tractor initialization time with the trailer initialization time; and

a database configured to store information associated with the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a monitoring component configured to monitor a tractor-trailer environment for a back-channel event; and

a back-channel comparing component configured to determine if the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer communication device are in physical proximity using a back-channel event information.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a presentation component configured to present the information associated with the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device includes at least one of a back-channel event, a transportation event, a status event, and a trailer historical information event.

13. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for wirelessly communicating between a tractor and a set of trailers, the method comprising:

establishing a communication link between the tractor and the set of trailers, wherein the communication link is established based on determining that a tractor wireless communication device and a trailer wireless communication device of each trailer in the set of trailers are in physical proximity by comparing a tractor initialization time for the tractor with a trailer initialization time corresponding to each trailer in the set of trailers, wherein the tractor initialization time indicates a time at which the tractor wireless communication device was powered and the trailer initialization time corresponding to each trailer in the set of trailers indicates a time at which each trailer wireless communication device of each trailer in the set of trailers was powered;

monitoring a tractor-trailer environment for one or more trailer information events; and

upon receiving the one or more tractor-trailer information events, processing tractor-trailer information in accordance with the one or more tractor-trailer information events.

14. The media of claim 13, further comprising presenting the processed tractor-trailer information.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the one or more tractor-trailer information events include one or more back-channel events.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the one or more tractor-trailer information events include one or more transportation events.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the one or more transportation events include information associated with at least one of a brake light, a blinker, a brake functionality measurement, and a hitch connectivity measurement.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein the one or more tractor-trailer information events include one or more status events.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the one or more status events include information associated with at least one of a trailer temperature, a trailer content, and a trailer weight.

20. The media of claim 14, wherein the one or more tractor-trailer information events include one or more trailer historical events.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein the one or more trailer historical events include information associated with at least one of a tire wear measurement, a trailer mile measurement, and a trailer age measurement.

22. A method for wirelessly communicating, the method comprising:

initializing a first wireless communication device, wherein the first wireless communication device is associated with a first initialization time, the first initialization time indicating a time at which the first wireless communication device was initialized;

initializing a second wireless communication device, wherein the second wireless communication device is associated with a second initialization time, the second initialization time indicating a time at which the second wireless communication device was initialized;

establishing a communication link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device, the communication link comprising a communications environment;

determining whether the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device are in physical proximity by comparing the first initialization time with the second initialization time;

monitoring the communications environment for an information event; and

upon receiving the information event, confirming that the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device are in physical proximity based upon the information event.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, if it is determined that the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device are in physical proximity, the method further comprises maintaining a communication link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein, if it is determined that the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device are not in physical proximity, the method further comprises terminating the communication link between the tractor wireless communication device and the at least one trailer wireless communication device.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the information event includes an electronic signal received by the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the information event includes an audio signal received by the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the information event includes an optical signal received by the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.