Event-triggered dynamic landmark creation system and method

• US 8,896,440 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GeoTab Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Webtech Wireless Incorporated (GeoTab Incorporated)
• Inventors: Saeedi, Fara, Jebara, Rami, Venn, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US13/480,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20130316724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/988, 340/995.24, 340/994, 340/426.19, 340/573.1, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• 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: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

An event-triggered dynamic landmark creation system includes a management system and tracking devices attached to mobile objects. Each tracking device is configured to wirelessly transmit information pertaining to current time, identification and location of tracking devices, and status of mobile objects. The management system is configured to wirelessly communicate with each tracking device and is operable: to receive information transmitted from each tracking device; in response to occurrence of an initial event respecting status of a first mobile object, to create a non-physical dynamic landmark about the first mobile object relative to location of a first tracking device attached thereto; and in response to occurrence of successive subsequent events respecting location of a second tracking device attached to a second mobile object, to record a visit of the second mobile object within the dynamic landmark about the location of the first mobile.

Claims

1. An event-triggered dynamic landmark creation system, comprising:

a plurality of tracking devices, each of the tracking devices attached to one of a plurality of mobile objects and configured to wirelessly transmit information pertaining to the current time, the identification and location of the tracking device, and the status of the mobile object to which the tracking device is attached; and

a management system configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the tracking devices and being operable to;

receive the information from each of the tracking devices,

in response to the received information concerning the occurrence of an initial event with respect to the status of a first of the mobile objects, create a non-physical dynamic landmark about the first mobile object relative to the location of a first of tracking devices attached thereto; and

in response to the received information concerning the occurrence of successive subsequent events with respect to the location of a second of the tracking devices attached to a second of the mobile objects, record a visit of the second mobile object within the dynamic landmark about the location of the first mobile.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the occurrence of the initial event is detection by the first tracking device is a pre-defined change of the status of the first mobile object.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the occurrence of a first of the successive subsequent events is recognition by the management system of entry of the second mobile object to inside of the dynamic landmark about the first mobile object.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the occurrence of a second of the successive subsequent events is recognition by the management system of exit of the second mobile object to outside of the dynamic landmark about the first mobile object.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein in response to the recognition of the entry and exit of the second mobile object to inside and outside of the dynamic landmark about the first mobile object, the management system is also operable to record the times of entry into and exit from the dynamic landmark and the duration of the visit.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the management system is also operable to record the times and duration of the visit in a co-location report.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein in response to the creating the dynamic landmark about the location of the first mobile object, the management system is also operable to set a trigger event to remove the dynamic landmark the trigger event being either an elapsed time or a telemetry event.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the management system is also operable to recognize the entry of the mobile objects into an area of exclusion with respect to which dynamic landmarks are not created.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the area of exclusion is a static landmark.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the area of exclusion is a geofence.

11. An event-triggered dynamic landmark creation method, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting information pertaining to the current time, the identification and location of each of a plurality of tracking devices attached to one of a plurality of mobile objects, and the status of the mobile object to which one of the tracking devices is attached;

wirelessly receiving at a management system the information from each of the tracking devices;

in response to the received information concerning the occurrence of an initial event with respect to the status of a first of the mobile objects, creating a non-physical dynamic landmark about the first mobile object relative to the location of a first of tracking devices attached thereto; and

in response to the received information concerning the occurrence of successive subsequent events with respect to the location of a second of the tracking devices attached to a second of the mobile objects, recording a visit of the second mobile object within the dynamic landmark about the location of the first mobile object.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the occurrence of the initial event is the first tracking device detecting a pre-defined change of the status of the first mobile object.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the occurrence of a first of the successive subsequent events is the management system recognizing the entry of the second mobile object to inside of the dynamic landmark about the first mobile object.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the occurrence of a second of the successive subsequent events is the management system recognizing the exit of the second mobile object to outside of the dynamic landmark about the first mobile object.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein in response to recognizing the entry and exit of the second mobile object to inside and outside of the dynamic landmark about the first mobile object, recording by the management system the times of entry into and exit from the dynamic landmark and the duration of the visit.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising recording by management system the times and duration of the visit in a co-location report.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein in response to creating the dynamic landmark about the location of the first mobile object, setting by the management system the capability of expiring the existence of the dynamic landmark by means of a trigger event being one of a vehicle movement or telemetry event.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising recognizing by the management system the entry of the mobile objects into an area of exclusion with respect to which dynamic landmarks are not created.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the area of exclusion is a static landmark.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the area of exclusion is a geofence.