Vehicle monitoring and reporting system and method

• US 20040158367A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Basu, Sabyasachi, Maggiore, John B., Frans, William R., Iverson, R. Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,065,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance

Abstract

The system and associated method for monitoring a vehicle receives data, which may be fault data and/or prognostic data, associated with operation of the vehicle, such as via a data gathering element. In addition, at least one user preference is applied to the data, such as via a customization element, and at least a portion of the data is presented, such as via a display element. The user preference(s) may be an alerting preference, which includes alerting the user one the data reaches a predetermined threshold, a prioritization preference, which includes prioritizing the data based upon historical data, and/or a data delivery preference, which includes delivering the data to one or more locations.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of components, wherein the monitoring system comprises:

a data gathering element capable of receiving data associated with operation of the vehicle;

a customization element for applying at least one user preference to the data, wherein the at least one user preference comprises at least one user preference selected from the group consisting of alerting preferences including directions to alert the user once the data reaches a predetermined threshold, prioritization preferences including directions to prioritize the data based upon historical data related to at least one of the vehicle and a type of the vehicle, and data delivery preferences including directions regarding where to deliver the; and

a display element for presenting at least a portion of the data received by said data gathering element after said customization element applies the at least one user preference to the data.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said data gathering element is capable of receiving at least one of fault data and prognostic data associated with operation of the vehicle.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said data gathering element is located in the vehicle, and said customization element is located outside the vehicle, and further comprising a communication link between said data gathering element and said customization element for transmitting data between said data gathering element and said customization element.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said data gathering element comprises said customization element.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said data gathering element is located outside of the vehicle, and further comprising a communication link between the vehicle and said data gathering element for transmitting data between the vehicle and said data gathering element.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said data gathering element is capable of integrating the data received from the vehicle with other data associated with at least one of a design of the vehicle, a maintenance history of the vehicle, a maintenance supply list for the vehicle, and an aggregate performance of the type of vehicle, and wherein said display element is capable of receiving and displaying the integrated data.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises events associated with operation of the vehicle, and wherein said customization element is capable of applying alerting preferences, which include directions to alert the user once the data indicates that a maximum number of events have occurred.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises events associated with operation of the vehicle, and wherein said customization element is capable of applying prioritization preferences, which include directions to prioritize the data based upon a probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event, and wherein data associated with a higher probability of vehicle failure has a higher priority than data associated with a lower probability of vehicle failure.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said customization element is capable of applying prioritization preferences, which include directions to display the data via said display element based upon the priority of the data.

10. The monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said customization element is capable of applying alerting preferences, which include directions to alert the user when the probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event in the data is at least a predetermined value, and data delivery preferences, which include directions to immediately deliver the data to the user when the probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event in the data is at least a predetermined value.

11. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said display element comprises at least one of a pager, an electronic mail display device, and a terminal, and wherein said customization element is capable of applying data delivery preferences, which include directions to deliver data to the user via at least one of the pager, an electronic email display device, and a terminal.

12. A method for monitoring a vehicle comprising a plurality of components, wherein the method comprises:

receiving data associated with operation of the vehicle;

applying at least one user preference to the data that has been received by applying at least one user preference selected from the group consisting of alerting preferences governing alerting the user once the data reaches a predetermined threshold, prioritization preferences governing prioritizing the data based upon historical data related to at least one of the vehicle and a type of the vehicle, and data delivery preferences governing delivering the data to at least one location; and

presenting at least a portion of the data after applying the at least one user preference to the data.

13. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said receiving data comprises receiving at least one of fault data and prognostic data associated with operation of the vehicle.

14. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising integrating the data regarding the operation of the vehicle with other data associated with at least one of a design of the vehicle, a maintenance history of the vehicle, a maintenance supply list for the vehicle, and an aggregate performance for the type of vehicle, and wherein presenting at least a portion of the data comprises presenting at least a portion of the integrated data.

15. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein presenting at least a portion of the data comprises displaying at least a portion of the data via a display element.

16. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the data comprises events associated with operation of the vehicle, and wherein applying at least one user preference comprises applying alerting preferences so as to alert the user once a maximum number of events occur in the data.

17. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the data comprises events associated with operation of the vehicle, and wherein applying at least one user preference comprises applying prioritization preferences based upon a probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event, wherein data associated with a higher probability of vehicle failure has a higher priority than data associated with a lower probability of vehicle failure.

18. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 17, wherein applying at least one user preference comprises applying prioritization preferences that provide directions for presenting the data based upon the priority of the data.

19. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 17, wherein applying at least one user preference comprises applying alerting preferences that provide directions to alert the user when the probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event in the data is a predetermined value, and applying data delivery preferences that provide directions to immediately deliver the data to the user when the probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event in the data is a predetermined value.

20. The method for monitoring a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein presenting at least a portion of the data comprises transmitting the data to at least one of a pager, an electronic mail display device, and a terminal, for display thereon, and wherein applying at least one user preference comprises applying data delivery preferences that provide directions to deliver data to the user via at least one of the pager, the electronic email display device, and the terminal.

21. A system for reporting vehicle monitoring data, comprising:

a data gathering element capable of receiving data representative of events associated with operation of a vehicle;

a processing element capable of consolidating the gathered data and determining a probability of failure of the vehicle over time from an occurrence of an event; and

a customization element capable of receiving and applying at least one user preference that provides directions to alert the user regarding the data when the probability of failure of the vehicle for the event associated with the data at least meets a predetermined value.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a storage element capable of storing at least one predetermined value representing at least one probability of failure of the vehicle for at least one event.

23. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a display element for displaying at least the data associated with events causing the probability of failure of the vehicle to meet the predetermined value.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said display element comprises at least one of a pager, an electronic email display device, and a terminal, and wherein said customization element is capable of applying delivery preferences, which include directions to deliver data to the user via at least one of the pager, the electronic email display device, and the terminal.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein said customization element is also capable of assigning a user-defined status to data associated with an event based upon the probability of failure of the vehicle for the event.

26. The system according to claim 21, wherein said data gathering element is capable of receiving at least one of fault data and prognostic data associated with operation of the vehicle.

27. The system according to claim 21, wherein said data gathering element is located in the vehicle, and said customization element is located outside the vehicle, and further comprising a communication link between said data gathering element and said customization element for transmitting data between said data gathering element and said customization element.

28. The system according to claim 21, wherein said data gathering element comprises said customization element.

29. The system according to claim 21, wherein said data gathering element is located outside the vehicle, and further comprising a communication link between the vehicle and said data gathering element for transmitting data between the vehicle and said data gathering element.

30. A method for reporting vehicle monitoring data, comprising:

receiving data comprising events associated with operation of a vehicle;

consolidating the data and determining a probability of failure of the vehicle over time from an occurrence of an event; and

applying at least one user preference that provide directions to alert the user regarding the data when the probability of failure of the vehicle for the event associated with the data at least meets a predetermined value.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising storing at least one predetermined value representing at least one probability of failure of the vehicle for at least one event.

32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising displaying at least the data associated with events causing the probability of failure of the vehicle to at least meets the predetermined value.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein displaying comprises transmitting the data to at least one of a pager, an electronic email display device, and a terminal, and wherein applying at least one user preference comprises applying delivery preferences, which include directions to deliver data to the user via at least one of the pager, the electronic email display device, and the terminal.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein consolidating the data comprises integrating the data regarding the operation of the vehicle with other data associated with at least one of a design of the vehicle, a maintenance history of the vehicle, a maintenance supply list for the vehicle, and an aggregate performance for the type of vehicle, and wherein displaying the data comprises displaying at least a portion of the integrated data.

35. The method according to claim 30, wherein applying at least one user preference comprises assigning a user-defined status to data associated with an event based upon the probability of failure of the vehicle for the event.

36. The method according to claim 30, wherein receiving data comprises receiving at least one of fault data and prognostic data associated with operation of the vehicle.