Route-based vehicle selection

• US 10,748,355 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2018
• Issued: 08/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XL Hybrids, Inc. (The Shyft Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: XL Hybrids
• Inventors: Ashton, Justin, Brenner, Neal Ennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US15/924,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20180211451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The computing device also includes a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations that include receiving data representative of one or more travel parameters for one or more vehicles. The data for each of the one or more travel parameters being represented with distribution ranges. For each of the one or more vehicles, operations include calculating one or more metric values based on the one or more travel parameter data distributions. Operations also include assigning a score to each of the one or more vehicles based on the calculated one or more metric values, and, presenting a ranking of the one or more vehicles based on the assigned scores.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method comprising:

causing one or more sensors of a plurality of vehicles to transmit data representative of one or more travel parameters for each vehicle traveling a route to a respective information management device of each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles, each of the one or more sensors are internally or externally located on the respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles having a distinct type of propulsion system selected from the group consisting of;

a combustion engine, an electrical motor, and a hybrid system, wherein for the propulsion system being the combustion engine, the combustion engine is connected to a driveline of the respective vehicle, wherein for the propulsion system being the electric motor, the electric motor uses a replenishable electrical energy storage, and wherein for the propulsion system being the hybrid system, the hybrid system is connected to the driveline of the respective vehicle and uses a replenishable electrical energy system;

cataloging the data at a remote server into a plurality of distribution ranges for each of the one or more travel parameters;

calculating one or more performance metric values for each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles based on the one or more travel parameters, wherein each performance metric value in the one or more performance metric values is assigned a weighted value based on the plurality of distribution ranges;

assigning a score to each of the one or more vehicles based on the calculated one or more performance metric values;

ranking the vehicles in the plurality of vehicles for traveling along the route based on the assigned scores;

identifying, based on the ranking, a vehicle selected from the plurality of vehicles for operation along the route; and

causing a controlling operation of the propulsion system of the selected vehicle using a control command, wherein causing the controlling operation of the propulsion system of the selected vehicle comprises transmitting the control command from the remote data server to the information management device of the selected vehicle.

2. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data collected from the one or more vehicles represents at least one of a vehicle position, a vehicle speed and a time and wherein the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to zero.

3. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the travel parameters represents a distance traveled by the vehicle.

4. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metric values represents a percentage of a distance traveled by the vehicle below a particular speed.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metric values is based on a distance traveled by the vehicle for a period of time.

6. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metric values represents a vehicle acceleration.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more vehicle control strategies from the data distributions.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metric values represents fuel efficiency.

9. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metric values represents operating cost.

10. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a control command from the remote data server to the respective information management device of the vehicle selected.

11. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the travel parameters represents a distance traveled by the vehicle.

12. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

causing one or more sensors of a plurality of vehicles to transmit data representative of one or more travel parameters for each vehicle traveling a route to a respective information management device of each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles, each of the one or more sensors are internally or externally located on the respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles having a distinct type of propulsion system selected from the group consisting of;

a combustion engine, an electrical motor, and a hybrid system, wherein for the propulsion system being the combustion engine, the combustion engine is connected to a driveline of the respective vehicle, wherein for the propulsion system being the electric motor, the electric motor uses a replenishable electrical energy storage, and wherein for the propulsion system being the hybrid system, the hybrid system is connected to the driveline of the respective vehicle and uses a replenishable electrical energy system;

cataloging the data at a remote server into a plurality of distribution ranges for each of the one or more travel parameters;

calculating one or more performance metric values for each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles based on the one or more travel parameters, wherein each performance metric value in the one or more performance metric values is assigned a weighted value based on the plurality of distribution ranges;

assigning a score to each of the one or more vehicles based on the calculated one or more performance metric values;

ranking the vehicles in the plurality of vehicles for traveling along the route based on the assigned scores;

identifying, based on the ranking, a vehicle selected from the plurality of vehicles for operation along the route; and

causing a controlling operation of the propulsion system of the selected vehicle using a control command, wherein causing the controlling operation of the propulsion system of the selected vehicle comprises transmitting the control command from the remote data server to the information management device of the selected vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the data collected from the one or more vehicles represents at least one of a vehicle position, a vehicle speed and a time and wherein the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to zero.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein one of the performance metric values represents a percentage of a distance traveled by the vehicle below a particular speed.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein one of the performance metric values is based on a distance traveled by the vehicle for a period of time.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein one of the performance metric values represents a vehicle acceleration.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein one of the performance metric values represents fuel efficiency.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein one of the performance metric values represents operating cost.