Fleet operations quality management system and automatic multi-generational data caching and recovery

• US 9,047,717 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appareo Systems LLC (AGCO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Appareo Systems LLC (AGCO Corporation)
• Inventors: Weinmann, Robert V., Batcheller, Barry D., Ohlsen, Tyler C., Halvorson, Jacob A., Johnson, Jeffrey L., Butts, Nicholas L., Schubert, Seth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/060,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20140081483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/3, 701/4, 701/5, 701/6, 701/7, 701/8, 701/14, 701/24, 340/961, 340/963, 340/964, 340/967, 340/969, 340970-983, 342/357.23, 342/357.34, 342/357.35, 34235736-35765, 244/3.15, 244/3.21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• 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 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A fleet operations quality management system for use with one or more vehicles which includes a data recording unit and separate memory subsystem mounted on each vehicle, a remotely located data collection station to collect, store and pre-process data from multiple vehicles, a centralized data storage and retrieval system designed to accept and assimilate recorded trip data, a web application designed to provide access to and analysis of the recorded trip data, and a graphical software application that can be used to view the recreated trip in a realistic simulated environment. An electronic system comprising a receiver module and a mobile device, whereby the receiver module is capable of receiving data transmissions from a network of ground stations and buffering the data for future use.

Claims

1. A vehicle behavior monitoring method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of vehicles;

providing a plurality of remote data recording units, wherein each said remote data recording unit is mounted to a separate said vehicle of said plurality of vehicles, and wherein each said remote data recording unit is configured to acquire raw sensor data relating to a trip of its corresponding said vehicle, wherein said raw sensor data comprises a plurality of separately recorded datasets, each said dataset having been recorded from a data source integral to said remote data recording unit, and to store said raw sensor data at an on-vehicle storage location, wherein a trip is defined as a continuous period of time over which said vehicle is operated;

providing each said vehicle with a data processing device;

configuring each said data processing device to receive said raw sensor data from said on-vehicle storage location of each said vehicle, and further configuring each said data processing device to transform said raw sensor data of each said trip into a separate trip file, wherein each said data processing device is located off-vehicle in relation to each of said plurality of vehicles, wherein said raw sensor data is transferred to said data processing device after a trip is entirely completed, and wherein sensor fusion is used to transform said raw sensor data into said trip file, wherein said sensor fusion comprises said data processing device combining and synchronizing in time and data frequency at least a first subset of said separately recorded datasets, and comparing at least a second subset of said separately recorded datasets comprising redundant sources of said raw sensor data to determine the most reliable and accurate source of said redundant sources to be used in said trip file, and wherein each said data processing device further comprises comparing said trip file against a corresponding trip profile, wherein each said trip profile defines a set of expected vehicle behaviors, and wherein each said trip profile is defined by and dependent on a type of said vehicle, a type of operation for which said vehicle is currently being used, and on a set of operational parameters defined by an operator of said vehicle, wherein two or more differently defined trip profiles may exist for any said vehicle;

providing a remote access station, wherein a listing of each deviation associated with each said trip file may be viewed at said remote access station, wherein each said deviation is an instance where said trip file fails to comply with said corresponding trip profile;

said deviation listings with each said trip file identifying the vehicle associated with the deviation;

providing an additional data capturing subsystem adapted for communicating with said remote data recording unit and providing additional trip data not available from said remote data recording unit;

said additional data capturing subsystem being adapted for video capture and voice recording;

providing a transmission buffering and display subsystem connected to said data processing device and comprising;

a mobile device;

a receiver module comprising;

a radio frequency receiving circuit;

a wireless communications means;

a microprocessor;

an embedded software program;

the embedded software program executing on the microprocessor and controlling the operation of the radio frequency receiving circuit and the wireless communication means; and

the receiver module receiving data transmitted from one or more radio transmission sources and buffering the data for future use;

the mobile device generating calls to the receiver module over the wireless communication means in order to access the buffered data; and

the receiver module sending the buffered data over the wireless communication means to the mobile device for display or playback.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

sensing at least some of said raw sensor data with a remote data recording unit mounted on said vehicle and comprising a processor and a plurality of sensors within a common housing, wherein said plurality of sensors comprises a plurality of accelerometers, a plurality of gyroscopes, and a GPS module; and

executing a fourth transmitting step comprising transmitting said raw sensor data from said remote data recording unit to said remote data storage system for said storing step, wherein an entirety of said fourth transmitting step is executed before initiating said first transmitting step.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said remote data recording unit further comprises a first memory within said housing, wherein said method further comprises the steps of executing a second storing step comprising storing said raw sensor data in said first memory, and retaining said raw sensor data in said first memory at least until a completion of said comparing step.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first transmitting step comprises a wireless transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said remote data storage system comprises a portable memory device, and wherein said first transmitting step comprises removing said portable memory device from said remote data storage system, transporting said portable memory device to said data processing device, and operatively interconnecting said portable memory device with said data processing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said transforming step comprises using sensor fusion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said transforming step comprises deriving a first operational parameter using each of first and second techniques and combining an outcome of said first and second techniques.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying step comprises using a web application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a three-dimensional representation of said trip file at said first location.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of configuring said trip file using a remote access station at said first location and prior to said comparing step.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of repeating said operating step, said first storing step, said first transmitting step, said transforming step, said transmitting said trip file step, said comparing step, said transmitting deviation information step, and said displaying said deviation information step for an entire vehicle fleet that comprises a plurality of said vehicles.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein said sensing step further comprises acquiring an additional amount of said raw sensor data from at least one additional data capturing subsystem.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one additional data capturing subsystem is a video capture subsystem.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one additional data capturing subsystem is a voice recording subsystem.

15. A vehicle behavior monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of vehicles;

a plurality of remote data recording units, wherein each said remote data recording unit is mounted to a separate said vehicle of said plurality of vehicles, and wherein each said remote data recording unit is configured to acquire raw sensor data relating to a trip of its corresponding said vehicle, wherein said raw sensor data comprises a plurality of separately recorded datasets, each said dataset having been recorded from a data source integral to said remote data recording unit, and to store said raw sensor data at an on-vehicle storage location, wherein a trip is defined as a continuous period of time over which said vehicle is operated;

a data processing device configured to receive said raw sensor data from said on-vehicle storage location of each said vehicle, and further configured to transform said raw sensor data of each said trip into a separate trip file, wherein said data processing device is located off-vehicle in relation to each of said plurality of vehicles, wherein said raw sensor data is transferred to said data processing device after a trip is entirely completed, and wherein sensor fusion is used to transform said raw sensor data into said trip file, wherein said sensor fusion comprises said data processing device combining and synchronizing in time and data frequency at least a first subset of said separately recorded datasets, and comparing at least a second subset of said separately recorded datasets comprising redundant sources of said raw sensor data to determine the most reliable and accurate source of said redundant sources to be used in said trip file, and wherein said data processing device further comprises comparing said trip file against a corresponding trip profile, wherein each said trip profile defines a set of expected vehicle behaviors, and wherein each said trip profile is defined by and dependent on a type of said vehicle, a type of operation for which said vehicle is currently being used, and on a set of operational parameters defined by an operator of said vehicle, wherein two or more differently defined trip profiles may exist for any said vehicle;

a remote access station, wherein a listing of each deviation associated with each said trip file may be viewed at said remote access station, wherein each said deviation is an instance where said trip file fails to comply with said corresponding trip profile;

said deviation listings with each said trip file identify the vehicle associated with the deviation;

an additional data capturing subsystem adapted for communicating with said remote data recording unit and providing additional trip data not available from said remote data recording unit;

said additional data capturing subsystem being adapted for video capture and voice recording;

a transmission buffering and display subsystem connected to said data processing device and comprising;

a mobile device;

a receiver module comprising;

a radio frequency receiving circuit;

a wireless communications means;

a microprocessor;

an embedded software program;

wherein the embedded software program executes on the microprocessor and controls the operation of the radio frequency receiving circuit and the wireless communication means; and

wherein the receiver module is capable of receiving data transmitted from one or more radio transmission sources and buffering the data for future use, and wherein the mobile device is capable of generating calls to the receiver module over the wireless communication means in order to access the buffered data, and wherein the receiver module is capable of sending the buffered data over the wireless communication means to the mobile device for display or playback.