System for processing fleet vehicle operation information

• US 9,014,876 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telogis Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mason, Ralph James, Mitchell, David John, Morris, John Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/921,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20130338855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/29.3, 701/29.1, 701/30.5, 701/33.4, 701/36
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for presenting fleet vehicle operation information in standardized forms includes a telematics module and a data standardizing module. The telematics module receives measurements related to operation of multiple vehicles in a fleet. The data standardizing module, using a first technique, estimates a first value for a parameter for at least one vehicle of the multiple vehicles based at least on the measurements. Further, the data standardizing module, using a second technique, estimates a second value for the parameter for at least one vehicle of the multiple vehicles based at least on the measurements. The second technique including using some measurement to estimate the second value different from the measurements used to estimate the first value according to the first technique. The data standardizing module outputs one or both of the first value and the second value for presentation to a user.

Claims

1. A system for presenting fleet vehicle operation information in standardized forms to a manager of vehicles in a fleet of vehicles, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising computer hardware configured to;

receive vehicle telematics data for a plurality of vehicles in a fleet of vehicles, the vehicle telematics data comprising measurements related to operation of the plurality of vehicles including a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle having different measurement reporting capabilities from the second vehicle such that the first vehicle is capable of providing a set of the measurements that the second vehicle is incapable of providing;

estimate a first value for a parameter for the first vehicle using the set of the measurements that the second vehicle is incapable of providing, the parameter being indicative of vehicle performance information;

estimate a second value for the parameter for the second vehicle using the measurements and without using the set of the measurements that the second vehicle is incapable of providing; and

output the first value and the second value to a display; and

the display configured to present the first value and the second value together to a manager of the plurality of vehicles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to estimate a third value for the parameter for the first vehicle using at least some of the measurements not used to estimate the first value.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to repeatedly determine the first value and the third value such that the first value is determined more frequently than the third value.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the data computer system comprising computer hardware is configured assign a first quality value to the first value based at least on the measurements used to estimate the first value and assign a second quality value to the third value based at least on the measurements used to estimate the third value.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to select one of the first value and the third value for presentation to the manager based at least on whether the first quality value or the second quality value is greater.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to assign the first quality value further based on quality metrics associated with the measurements used to estimate the first value and assign the second quality value further based on quality metrics associated with the measurements used to estimate the third value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to receive the measurements via a computer network from in-vehicle devices associated with the plurality of vehicles.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the measurements comprise vehicle diagnostic data and global positioning system (GPS) data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to estimate the first value further based on one or more previously estimated values for the parameter for the first vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprising computer hardware is configured to store to a memory the first value, the second value, the measurements used to estimate the first value, the measurements used to estimate the second value, and a first link between the first value and the measurements used to estimate the first value, and a second link between the second value and the measurements used to estimate the second value.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle is incapable of providing the set of the measurements due to design limitations of the second vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a distance traveled in a time period.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a number of hours that a vehicle engine has been turned on.

14. A method for presenting fleet vehicle operation information in standardized forms to a manager of vehicles in a fleet of vehicles, the method comprising:

accessing vehicle telematics data for a plurality of vehicles in a fleet of vehicles, the vehicle telematics data comprising measurements related to operation of the plurality of vehicles including a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle having different measurement reporting capabilities from the second vehicle such that the first vehicle is designed to output a first set of the measurements and the second vehicle is designed to output a second set of the measurements other than the first set of the measurements;

estimating a first value for a parameter for the first vehicle using the first set of the measurements, the parameter being indicative of vehicle performance information;

estimating a second value for the parameter for the second vehicle using the second set of the measurements and without using the first set of the measurements;

outputting the first value and the second value to a display; and

presenting the first value and the second value together on the display to a manager of the plurality of vehicles,

wherein the method is performed by a computer system comprising computer hardware.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the measurements used for estimating the first value based at least on a vehicle type of the first vehicle; and

selecting the measurements used for estimating the second value based at least on a vehicle type of the second vehicle, the vehicle type of the first vehicle being different from the vehicle type of the second vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said selecting the measurements used for estimating the first value comprises selecting the measurements used for estimating the first value further based on a first in-vehicle device used to determine the measurements, an amount of data used to store the measurements used for estimating the first value, and an accuracy of the first value.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating and transmitting a first configuration message to a first in-vehicle device associated with the first vehicle and a second configuration message to a second in-vehicle device associated with the second vehicle, the first configuration message instructing the first in-vehicle device to determine one or more of the measurements for the first vehicle, the second configuration message instructing the second in-vehicle device to determine one or more of the measurements for the second vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said selecting the measurements used for estimating the first value comprises selecting the measurements used for estimating the first value using a dependency tree, the dependency tree organizing and ranking at least some of the measurements usable to estimate the parameter.

19. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising instructions stored thereon for implementing, in one or more processors, a method for presenting fleet vehicle operation information in standardized forms to a manager of vehicles in a fleet of vehicles, the method comprising:

accessing vehicle telematics data for a plurality of vehicles in a fleet of vehicles, the vehicle telematics data comprising measurements related to operation of the plurality of vehicles including a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle having different measurement reporting capabilities from the second vehicle such that the first vehicle is designed to output a first set of the measurements and the second vehicle is designed to output a second set of the measurements other than the first set of the measurements;

estimating a first value for a parameter for the first vehicle using the first set of the measurements, the parameter being indicative of vehicle performance information;

estimating a second value for the parameter for the second vehicle using the second set of the measurements and without using the first set of the measurements;

outputting the first value and the second value to a display; and

presenting the first value and the second value together on the display to a manager of the plurality of vehicles.

20. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 19, wherein said estimating the first value comprises estimating the first value for at least one hundred vehicles of the plurality of vehicles including the first vehicle, and wherein said estimating the second value comprises estimating the second value for at least one hundred vehicles of the plurality of vehicles including the second vehicle.