Ground location of work truck

• US 9,014,971 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Systec Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Systec Incorporated
• Inventors: Harris, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOTT, ADAM R
• Application Number:
  US13/544,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20120273566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 701/28, 701/408, 701/514, 701/519, 701/523, 700/258, 700/259, 700/254, 348/113, 348/116, 348/118, 348/119, 348/120, 348/164, 382/103, 382/104, 382/106, 382/153
• US Class Current: 701/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/01 adapted for specific applications or environments

Abstract

A vehicle tracking system for tracking a position of at least one vehicle of a plurality of vehicles within a region, includes a plurality of identifiers, an imaging device, and a controller. At least one of the identifiers is provided on each of the vehicles. The imaging device is configured to generate image data including (i) region data representative of the region and (ii) identifier data representative of the identifiers located in the region. The controller is configured (i) to process the identifier data to generate position data representative of a position of each of the identifiers within the region, (ii) to process the identifier data to generate identification data that are unique to each identifier, and (iii) to output at least one of the image data, the position data, and the identification data to a monitor.

Claims

1. A vehicle tracking system for tracking a position of at least one vehicle of a plurality of vehicles within a region, comprising:

a plurality of passive identifiers, at least one passive identifier of said plurality of passive identifiers provided on each of the vehicles;

an imaging device configured to generate image data including (i) region data representative of the region and (ii) identifier data representative of at least the at least one passive identifier associated with a corresponding vehicle located in said region; and

a controller including zone data based on a plurality of virtual zones in said region and configured (i) to process said identifier data to generate position data representative of a corresponding position of each passive identifier within said region, (ii) to process said identifier data to generate identification data that are unique to each passive identifier, (iii) to process said position data and said zone data to generate active zone data corresponding to said virtual zones in which one or more of said passive identifies are located, and (iv) to output said image data, said position data, said zone data, said active zone data, and said identification data to a monitor.

2. The vehicle tracking system of claim 1, wherein said controller processes said zone data and said active zone data such that said virtual zones corresponding to said zone data and said active zone data are displayed on the monitor differently than said virtual zones corresponding to only said zone data.

3. The vehicle tracking system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of passive identifiers includes an optical code.

4. The vehicle tracking system of claim 3, wherein said optical code is one of a linear barcode and a two dimensional barcode.

5. The vehicle tracking system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said passive identifiers is painted onto one of the vehicles.

6. The vehicle tracking system of claim 1, wherein at least some of said passive identifiers of said plurality of passive identifiers includes a character associated with at least some of the vehicles.

7. The vehicle tracking system of claim 1, wherein:

at least some of said passive identifiers of said plurality of passive identifiers includes a shape member associated with at least some of the vehicles, and

said shape member defines a shape that is unique to the region.

8. A vehicle tracking system for tracking a plurality of vehicles within a region, each of the vehicles being associated with a corresponding load, the vehicle tracking system comprising:

a plurality of passive identifiers, at least one passive identifier of said plurality of passive identifiers provided on each of the vehicles;

a plurality of detectors, at least one of said detectors provided on each of the vehicles, and each of said detectors configured to detect the load associated with the vehicle and to emit a corresponding load identifying signal;

an imaging device configured to generate image data including (i) region data representative of the region and (ii) and identifier data representative of at least the at least one passive identifier associated with a corresponding vehicle located in said region; and

a controller including zone data based on a plurality of virtual zones in said region and configured (i) to process said load identifying signals and said identifier data to generate load position data representative of a corresponding position of each of the loads within said region, (ii) to process said load position data and said zone data to generate active zone data corresponding to said virtual zones in which one or more of the loads are located, and (iii) to output said load position data, said image data, said identifier data, and at least one of said zone data and said active zone data to a monitor.

9. The vehicle tracking system of claim 8, wherein said controller processes said zone data and said active zone data such that said virtual zones corresponding to said zone data and said active zone data are displayed on the monitor differently than said virtual zones corresponding to only said zone data.

10. The vehicle tracking system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of passive identifiers includes an optical code.

11. The vehicle tracking system of claim 10, wherein said optical code is one of a linear barcode and a two dimensional barcode.

12. The vehicle tracking system of claim 8, wherein at least one of said passive identifiers is painted onto one of the vehicles.

13. The vehicle tracking system of claim 8, wherein at least some of said passive identifiers of said plurality of passive identifiers includes a character associated with at least some of the vehicles.

14. The vehicle tracking system of claim 8, wherein:

at least some of said passive identifiers include a shape member associated with at least some of the vehicles, and

said shape member defines a shape that is unique to the region.