Systems and methods for tracking device control and report

• US 9,111,403 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: On Board Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: On Board Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Westerlage, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, HARRY Y
• Application Number:
  US12/949,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20120130636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 701/408
• 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 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• 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

Systems and methods for systems and method for tracking device control and reporting are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving first location information from a vehicle tracking device associated with a vehicle, the first location information indicating a location of a vehicle at a first location. The method also includes receiving second location information from the vehicle tracking device, the second location information indicating a location of the vehicle at a second location and a distance traveled by the vehicle from the first location. The method further includes determining based on the second location information, an actual distance traveled by the vehicle from the first location to the second location. The method also includes determining, based on the first location information and the second location information, an expected distance between the first location and the second location and comparing the actual distance traveled by the vehicle to the expected distance.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving first location information from a first vehicle tracking device associated with a first vehicle, the first location information indicating a first location of the first vehicle, the first location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a first predetermined amount of time;

determining, with a control processor, based on the first location information, a first category identifier associated with the first location;

receiving second location information from the first vehicle tracking device, the second location information indicating a second location of the first vehicle, the second location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a second predetermined amount of time;

determining, with the control processor, based on the second location information, a second category identifier associated with the second location;

receiving third location information from the first vehicle tracking device, the third location information indicating a third location of the first vehicle, the third location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a third predetermined amount of time;

determining, with the control processor, based on the third location information, a third category identifier associated with the third location;

determining, with the control processor, based on the first location information, the second location information, and the third location information, an actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location, wherein determining the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location comprises determining a distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the third location and a distance traveled from the third location to the second location;

determining, with the control processor, based on the first location information, the second location information, and the third category identifier, an expected distance between the first location and the second location, wherein determining the expected distance comprises determining a distance from the first location to the second location that excludes a distance from the first location to the third location and a distance from the third location to the second location based on the third category identifier;

wherein the first, second, and third category identifiers are determined by the control processor based on;

one or more fourth category identifiers associated with one or more of the first, second, and third locations received from one or more second vehicle tracking devices associated with one or more second vehicles; and

one or more fourth locations representing predicted stop locations associated with the first vehicle tracking device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing, with the control processor, the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle to the expected distance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected distance of the trip comprises a shortest route from the first location to the second location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an expected distance between the first location and the second location comprises determining a shortest route from the first location to the second location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating, with a control device, vehicle tracking with the first vehicle tracking device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising based on the comparison of the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle to the expected distance, determining a compensation amount for the travel from the first location to the second location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a maintenance schedule associated with the first vehicle, based at least in part on the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, based at least in part on the first location information and the second location information, a report indicating the actual distance traveled and the expected distance traveled by the first vehicle.

9. A system comprising:

a first vehicle tracking device operable to;

transmit first location information indicating at least a location of a first vehicle at a first location, the first location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a first predetermined amount of time;

transmit second location information indicating at least a location of the first vehicle at a second location, the second location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a second predetermined amount of time; and

transmit third location information indicating at least a location of the first vehicle at a third location, the third location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a third predetermined amount of time; and

a processor operable to;

receive the first location information, the second location information, and the third location information;

determine, based on the first location information, a first category identifier associated with the first location;

determine, based on the second location information, a second category identifier associated with the second location;

determine, based on the third location information, a third category identifier associated with the third location;

determine based on the first location information, the second location information, and the third location information, an actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location, wherein determining the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location comprises determining a distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the third location and a distance traveled from the third location to the second location; and

determine, based on the first location information, the second location information, and the third category identifier, an expected distance between the first location and the second location, wherein determining the expected distance comprises determining a distance from the first location to the second location that excludes a distance from the first location to the third location and a distance from the third location to the second location based on the third category identifier;

wherein the first, second, and third category identifiers are determined by the control processor based on;

one or more fourth category identifiers associated with one or more of the first, second, and third locations received from one or more second vehicle tracking devices associated with one or more second vehicles; and

one or more fourth locations representing predicted stop locations associated with the first vehicle tracking device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control processor is further operable to compare the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle to the expected distance.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the expected distance of the trip comprises a shortest route from the first location to the second location.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is operable to determine an expected distance between the first location and the second location by determining a shortest route from the first location to the second location.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a control device operable to initiate vehicle tracking with the first vehicle tracking device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to determine, based on the comparison of the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle to the expected distance, a compensation amount for the travel from the first location to the second location.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to determine, based at least in part on the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location, a maintenance schedule associated with the first vehicle.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to generate, based at least in part on the first location information and the second location information, a report indicating the actual distance traveled and the expected distance traveled by the first vehicle.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with logic, the logic operable, when executed on a processor, to:

receive first location information from a first vehicle tracking device associated with a first vehicle, the first location information indicating a first location of the first vehicle, the first location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a first predetermined amount of time;

determine, based on the first location information, a first category identifier associated with the first location;

receive second location information from the first vehicle tracking device, the second location information indicating a second location of the first vehicle, the second location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a second predetermined amount of time;

determine, based on the second location information, a second category identifier associated with the second location;

receive third location information from the first vehicle tracking device, the third location information indicating a third location of the first vehicle, the third location determined by the first vehicle tracking device based on the first vehicle being stationary for a third predetermined amount of time;

determine, based on the third location information, a third category identifier associated with the third location;

determine based on the first location information, the second location information, and the third location information, an actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location, wherein determining the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location comprises determining a distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the third location and a distance traveled from the third location to the second location; and

determine, based on the first location information, the second location information, and the third category identifier, an expected distance between the first location and the second location, wherein determining the expected distance comprises determining a distance from the first location to the second location that excludes a distance from the first location to the third location and a distance from the third location to the second location based on the third category identifier;

wherein the first, second, and third category identifiers are determined by the control processor based on;

one or more fourth category identifiers associated with one or more of the first, second, and third locations received from one or more second vehicle tracking devices associated with the one or more second vehicles; and

one or more fourth locations representing predicted stop locations associated with the first vehicle tracking device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable to compare the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle to the expected distance.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the expected distance of the trip comprises a shortest route from the first location to the second location.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the logic is operable to determine an expected distance between the first location and the second location by determining a shortest route from the first location to the second location.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable to receive, from a control device, an instruction initiating vehicle track with the first vehicle tracking device.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the logic is further operable to determine, based on the comparison of the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle to the expected distance, a compensation amount for the travel from the first location to the second location.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable to determine, based at least in part on the actual distance traveled by the first vehicle from the first location to the second location, a maintenance schedule associated with the first vehicle.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable to generate, based at least in part on the first location information and the second location information, a report indicating the actual distance traveled and the expected distance traveled by the first vehicle.