Commercial transportation information presentation techniques

• US 9,262,934 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XRS Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: XRS Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mohn, Charles, Sekula, Christopher A., Kakumanu, Sarat, Tuttle, Odell R., Fuglewicz, Daniel P., Anderson, Peter S., Martin, Thomas J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US13/730,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20140045429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/523, 455/424, 455/425, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/67.11, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 340/905
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 7/00 Details or accessories common to the registering or indicating apparatus of groups G07C3/00 and G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• 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: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A portable wireless data transfer and display device includes a user interface, a display, a processor, and a short-range wireless communication module configured to wirelessly receive vehicle data, in real-time, from a data acquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the data acquisition device. The device is configured to receive an input of driver information and driver communications from a user via the user interface. The short-range wireless communication module is configured to communicate two ways, in real-time, the driver communications via a long-range wireless network. The device is configured to process into a trip schedule at least one of: the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications via the processor. The device is further configured to present the trip schedule and the driver communications to the user via the display.

Claims

1. A portable wireless data transfer and display device comprising:

a user interface;

a display;

a processor; and

a short-range wireless communication module configured to wirelessly receive vehicle data, in real-time, from a data acquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the data acquisition device, the portable wireless data transfer and display device being associated with a driver of the vehicle, wherein the data acquisition device is in communication with an engine control module of the vehicle and automatically adapts to a detected type of communication protocol employed by the engine control module,

wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is configured to receive an input of driver information and driver communications from the driver via the user interface,

wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is configured to communicate, in real-time, the driver communications to a remote network device via a long-range wireless network,

wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is configured to process into a trip schedule at least one of;

the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications via the processor, and

wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is further configured to present the trip schedule and the driver communications to the driver via the display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the trip schedule presented by the portable wireless data transfer and display device via the display is selected from a group consisting of:

the driver'"'"'s current location;

destinations for the trip;

times when the vehicle is expected to reach its destination;

a time remaining to complete route;

a trip route;

a trip map;

a time for which the driver may remain on duty; and

one or more safety graphics.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device presents via the display a list of the driver communications in reverse chronological order.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a long-range wireless communication module, wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is configured to wirelessly communicate the vehicle data, the driver information, and a driver summary electronic report with at least one remote network device or other portable wireless data transfer and display device via the long-range wireless communication module.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the elements of the portable wireless data transfer and display device comprises cellular phone device that displays hours of service information, the hours of service information being updated in response to wirelessly receiving vehicle usage information from the data acquisition device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless communication module is a Bluetooth wireless communication module.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition device and the portable wireless data transfer and display device provide two-way wireless communication such that the portable wireless data transfer and display device wirelessly receives at least the vehicle usage information from the data acquisition device via the short-range wireless communication module and the data acquisition device wirelessly sends confirmation of receipt of the vehicle usage information to the portable wireless display unit.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device wirelessly communicates via the short range wireless communication module, at predetermined times, with the data acquisition device when the data acquisition device is mounted in the vehicle and the portable wireless data transfer and display device is in close proximity to the vehicle.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a long-range wireless communication module selected from a group consisting of:

a cellular network;

a satellite communication link;

a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMax) link; and

a long term evolution (LTE) network.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a long-range wireless communication module, wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is further configured to receive processed data from a remote network device via the long-range wireless communication module and a long-range wireless network.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a long-range wireless communication module, wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is further configured to send driver communications via a communication module to at least one of:

other portable wireless data transfer and display device, remote computer via the long-range wireless communication module and a long-range wireless network.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a long-range wireless communication module, wherein the portable wireless data transfer and display device is further configured to receive driver communications via the long-range wireless communication module and a long-range wireless network from at least one of:

other portable wireless data transfer and display devices, and remote computer via a long-range wireless network.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising an installation module configured to download and independently install configuration updates from a remote network device.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising a processor configured to process vehicle information and driver data into a driver summary electronic report.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the portable wireless is configured to wirelessly transmit the driver summary electronic report to a remote computer via a wireless network.

22. The portable wireless data transfer and display device of claim 1, wherein the remote network device is one of a control center or another portable wireless data transfer and display device.

23. The portable wireless data transfer and display device of claim 1, wherein:

the trip schedule includes a plurality of factors configurable by a user, and

the plurality of factors include one or more mandatory factors.

16. A portable wireless data transfer and display device comprising:

a means for wirelessly receiving vehicle data from a data acquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the data acquisition device, the device being associated with a driver of the vehicle, wherein the data acquisition device is in communication with an engine control module of the vehicle and automatically adapts to a detected type of communication protocol employed by the engine control module;

a means for accepting inputs of driver communications from the driver;

a means for sending driver information, the vehicle data and the driver communications through the communication module to a remote network device via a long-range wireless network;

a means for processing, into a trip schedule, at least one of;

the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications; and

a means for presenting, in real-time, the trip schedule and the driver communications to the driver.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the trip schedule is selected from a group consisting of:

the driver'"'"'s current location;

destinations for the trip;

times when the vehicle is expected to reach its destination;

a time remaining to complete route;

a trip route;

a trip map;

a time for which the driver may remain on duty; and

one or more safety graphics.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the device and the data acquisition device provide two-way wireless communication such that the device wirelessly receives at least the vehicle usage information from the data acquisition device via the short-range wireless communication module and the data acquisition device wirelessly sends confirmation of receipt of the vehicle usage information to the device.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising a means for communicating, at predetermined times, with the data acquisition device when the data acquisition device is mounted in the vehicle and the device is in close proximity to the vehicle.

20. The device of claim 16, further comprising a processor configured to process vehicle information and driver data into a driver summary electronic report.

21. A device comprising:

a user interface;

a display;

a processor; and

a short-range wireless communication module configured to wirelessly receive vehicle data, in real-time, from a data acquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the data acquisition device, wherein the data acquisition device is in communication with an engine control module of the vehicle and automatically adapts to a detected type of communication protocol employed by the engine control module,

wherein the device is configured to receive driver communications from a user driver of a vehicle via the user interface,

wherein the device is configured to communicate, in real-time, the driver communications to a remote network device via a long-range wireless network,

wherein the device is configured to process into a trip schedule at least one of;

the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications via the processor, and

wherein the device is further configured to present the trip schedule and the driver communications to the user driver via the display.