System and method for sensing cargo loads and trailer movement

• US 8,779,948 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Faus, Juan, Parisi, Mark Dominic
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/472,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20120223826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 340/989, 340/995.17, 340/438, 340/689, 340/991, 340/994, 340/995.16, 34099525-99526, 340/440, 340/429, 340/431, 340665-666
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• 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 specification and drawing figures describe and illustrate a system for sensing cargo loads and trailer movement that includes a mobile wireless communications system. A mobile computing platform is mounted on a remote vehicle and operatively connectable across the mobile wireless communications system. Sensor data are collected and stored in the mobile wireless communications system and the mobile computing platform, and may be transmitted across the mobile wireless communications system. At least one program is stored either in the mobile wireless communications system or the mobile computing platform, or both, for using the sensor data to determine equipment use, placement, and positioning in relation to a vehicle and sending one or more sensitivity reports to the asset manager.

Claims

1. A vibration sensing system comprising:

a mobile computing platform associated with a cargo container and communicatively coupled to a remote server, wherein the cargo container is configured to carry cargo and to be movable by a vehicle, and the mobile computing platform receives and stores data associated with the cargo container;

a sensor, disposed in the cargo container, that outputs a vibration signal indicative of vibrations in the cargo container; and

a processor that receives the vibration signal from the sensor, determines a motion state indicating whether the cargo is being moved relative to the cargo container based on the vibration signal, and communicates the determined motion state of the cargo container to the mobile computing platform.

2. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile computing platform communicates with the remote server through one of a satellite communication system or a terrestrial communication system.

3. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the motion state comprises an in-motion state based on a vibration averaging over time.

4. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 3, wherein a vibration rate is a product of a number of active periods and a vibration active period divided by the vibration averaging time multiplied by one hundred percent.

5. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 4, wherein a vibration active period is a function of a vibration sampling period.

6. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 5, wherein the vibration sampling period is less than five seconds.

7. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 5, wherein the vibration active period is a function of a number of vibration pulses detected by the sensor within a vibration sampling period.

8. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor determines that the motion state comprises a not-in-motion state in response to a vibration rate being less than a not-in-motion vibration percentage averaged over a vibration average time.

9. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 8, wherein the vibration rate is a product of a number of active periods and a vibration active period divided by the vibration averaging time multiplied by one hundred percent.

10. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 9, wherein the vibration active period is a function of a vibration sampling period.

11. The vibration sensing system as recited, in claim 10, wherein the vibration sampling period is less than five seconds.

12. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the vibration active period is a function of a number of pulses detected by the sensor.

13. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile computing platform is connected to a position determination transceiver.

14. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 13, wherein the position determination transceiver is a Global Positioning System (GPS) transceiver or a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) transceiver.

15. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile computing platform includes memory located in the mobile computing platform for storing vehicle data.

16. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the motion state comprises identifies cargo activity in relation to movement of the cargo container.

17. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor detects the vibrations in a predetermined location of the cargo container.

18. The vibration sensing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor suspends a determination of the motion state when the processor determines that the cargo container is in motion.

19. The vibration sensing system of claim 1, wherein the motion station comprises a quiet state and a vibrating state corresponding to a predetermined level of vibration, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a transition between that the quiet state and the vibrating state.

20. A vibration sensing apparatus comprising:

mobile computing means associated with a cargo container for receiving and storing data associated with the cargo container, the mobile computing means being communicatively coupled to a remote server, wherein the cargo container is configured to carry cargo and be movable by a vehicle;

sensing means, disposed in the cargo container, for outputting a vibration signal indicative of vibrations in the cargo container; and

processing means for receiving the vibration signal from the sensor, determining a motion state indicating whether the cargo is being moved relative to the cargo container based on the vibration signal, and communicating the determined motion state of the cargo container to the mobile computing means.

21. The vibration sensing apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the sensing means detects the vibrations in a predetermined location of the cargo container.

22. The vibration sensing apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the processor suspends the determining of the motion state when the processor determines that the cargo container is in motion.

23. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to receive and store data associated with a cargo container, wherein the cargo container is configured to carry cargo and be movable by a vehicle;

a second set of codes for causing the computer to receive a vibration signal from a sensor disposed in the cargo container;

a third set of codes for causing a computer to determine a motion state indicating whether the cargo is being moved relative to the cargo container; and

based on the vibration signal

a fourth set of codes for causing the computer to communicate the determined motion state of the cargo container to a mobile computing platform communicatively coupled to a remote server.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, wherein the sensor detects the vibrations in a predetermined location of the cargo container.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to suspend a determination of the motion state when the computer determines that the cargo container is in motion.

26. A method of vibration sensing, comprising:

receiving in a memory and storing data associated with a cargo container, wherein the cargo container is configured to carry cargo and be movable by a vehicle;

receiving, via a sensor disposed in the cargo container, a vibration signal indicative of vibrations in the cargo container;

determining, via a processor, a motion state that indicates whether the cargo is being moved relative to the cargo container based on the vibration signal; and

communicating the determined motion state of the cargo container to a mobile computing platform communicatively coupled to a remote server.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising detecting the vibrations in a predetermined location of the cargo container.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising suspending the determining of the motion state when the processor determines that the cargo container is in motion.