System, method, and apparatus for collecting telematics and sensor information in a delivery vehicle
First Claim
1. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations said system comprising:
- a telematics device comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting said data; and
a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising a second data radio for receiving said data from said first data radio of said telematics device, a memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor;
wherein said first and second data radios are configured for communicating data over a wireless personal area network.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is directed to a data collection and evaluation system that includes a telematics device for collecting, time-stamping, and storing vehicle sensor data. Examples of the type of data collected include door data, ignition data, speed data, global positioning data, and diagnostic and trouble code data. The system further includes an external data acquisition device, such as a mainframe computer system or a hand-held computing device like an iPAQ. The external data acquisition device is configured to communicate with the telematics device over a wireless network, which enables the telematics device to transmit the time-stamped data to the external data acquisition device and receive information and instructions from the external data acquisition device. The ability of the system to automatically collect and transfer data and communicate with an external data acquisition device allows for the automation of fleet management processes, vehicle maintenance and repair processes, and certain security features.
248 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations said system comprising:
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a telematics device comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting said data; and
a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising a second data radio for receiving said data from said first data radio of said telematics device, a memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor;
wherein said first and second data radios are configured for communicating data over a wireless personal area network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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a telematics device comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting said data, wherein said data includes a current global position of said vehicle; and
a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising a second data radio for receiving said data from said first data radio of said telematics device, a memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor, wherein said memory is further configured for storing one or more pre-selected delivery positions and said data acquisition processor compares said current global position to said one or more pre-selected delivery positions. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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a telematics device comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors that are disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting said data; and
a portable data acquisition device accessible to a vehicle operator, said portable data acquisition device comprising a second data radio for receiving said data from said first data radio of said telematics device, a memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor, wherein said memory of said portable data acquisition device stores threshold data parameters representative of normal vehicle operation conditions, and said data acquisition processor is configured for comparing said data collected by said telematics device to said data parameters in said memory and transmitting an alarm signal if said collected data is outside of said data parameters. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A fleet management system for automating security features of one or more vehicles in a fleet, said system comprising:
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a telematics device disposed within a vehicle, said telematics device comprising a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting data to a portable data acquisition device and an interface for communicating with a switching mechanism disposed within said vehicle, wherein said switching mechanism is configured for automatically locking or unlocking doors of a vehicle and stopping or preventing said vehicle'"'"'s engine from running; and
a portable data acquisition device comprising a second data radio, wherein said portable data acquisition device communicates wirelessly via the second data radio with the first data radio of the telematics device while said portable data acquisition device is within a particular geographical range of said telematics device;
wherein, in response to said portable data acquisition device moving outside of said geographical range, said telematics device is configured to transmit a signal through said interface to said switching mechanism to lock the doors of said vehicle and to prevent said engine from running.
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12. A fleet management system for automating security features of one or more vehicles in a fleet, said system comprising:
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a telematics device disposed within a vehicle, said telematics device comprising a first data radio for wirelessly communicating with a portable data acquisition device; and
an external data acquisition device comprising a second data radio, wherein said external data acquisition device communicates wirelessly via the second data radio with the first data radio of the telematics device;
wherein said telematics device is configured to detect a security triggering event, and in response to detecting said security triggering event, said telematics device is further configured for sending a signal to said external data acquisition device via said first data radio. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for managing traffic and equipment within a fleet facility hub, said system comprising:
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a telematics device disposed within a vehicle, said telematics device comprising a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting data to an external data acquisition device and an input interface for receiving data from one more sensors disposed within the vehicle, said data including an identity of said vehicle and identities of any cargo and hazardous materials being transported within said vehicle; and
an external data acquisition device comprising a second data radio, wherein said external data acquisition device communicates wirelessly via the second data radio with the first data radio of the telematics device while said external data acquisition device is within a particular geographical range of said telematics device, wherein, in response to said telematics device being within said particular geographical range of said external data acquisition device, said telematics device is configured to transmit said data to said external data acquisition device. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system for detecting whether a vehicle is unsecured, said system comprising:
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a telematics device comprising an input interface for receiving data from a one or more sensors disposed within a vehicle and a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting said data to a portable data acquisition device, wherein said data includes door data indicating whether a door is unlocked or locked, engine data indicating whether the engine is running, and speed data indicating whether the vehicle is in motion; and
a portable data acquisition device comprising a second data radio for communicating with said first data radio, a memory for storing said data, and a data acquisition processor;
wherein, in response to said data indicating that said door is unlocked, said engine is running and said speed is zero, said portable data acquisition device is configured for notifying an operator of said vehicle.
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23. A system for automating the collection of vehicle sensor data for fleet operations of a parcel delivery service, said system comprising:
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a telematics device comprising an input interface for collecting data from one or more sensors that are disposed within a vehicle, a processor for associating a time-stamp with at least a portion of said data, and a first data radio for wirelessly transmitting said data; and
an external data acquisition device located at a facility, said external data acquisition device comprising a second data radio for receiving said data from said first data radio of said telematics device and a memory for storing said data, wherein said data and an identity of said vehicle are uploaded to said external data acquisition device upon said vehicle'"'"'s entry into or exit from said facility via said first data radio. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A method of collecting work study data for evaluating vehicle fleet operations, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a telematics device within one or more fleet vehicles, said telematics device configured for communicating with one or more vehicle sensors disposed in each of said one or more vehicles;
collecting, time-stamping, and storing data received from said one or more vehicle sensors using said telematics device;
in response to a pre-determined event, transmitting said data from said telematics device to an external data acquisition device via a wireless data radio; and
utilizing said data to perform work studies of vehicle and driver performance. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A method of automating security functions for one or more vehicles in a fleet, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a telematics device in one or more fleet vehicles, said telematics device being configured for communicating with one or more vehicle sensors and a switching mechanism disposed in each of said one or more vehicles, said switching mechanism being configured for automatically locking or unlocking one or more doors of a vehicle and preventing said vehicle'"'"'s engine from running;
providing a portable data acquisition device for communicating with said telematics device when said portable data acquisition device is within a certain range of said telematics device; and
in response to said portable data acquisition device being moved from within said certain range to outside said certain range such that said portable data acquisition device moves from a point where it is in communication with said telematics device to a second point where said portable data acquisition device is no longer in communication with said telematics device, securing said vehicle by transmitting a signal to said switching mechanism to lock one or more doors of said vehicle and prevent the engine from running.
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28. A method of automating security functions for one or more vehicles in a fleet, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a telematics device in one or more fleet vehicles, said telematics device configured for communicating with one or more vehicle sensors, a switching mechanism disposed in each of said one or more vehicles, and a portable external data acquisition device, said switching mechanism being configured for automatically locking or unlocking one or more doors of a vehicle and preventing said vehicle'"'"'s engine from running;
providing a portable data acquisition device for communicating with said telematics device when said portable data acquisition device is within a certain range of said telematics device, said portable data acquisition device being configured to transmit an alarm signal to said telematics device; and
in response to said portable data acquisition device sending an alarm signal to said telematics device, securing said vehicle by transmitting a signal to said switching mechanism to lock one or more doors of said vehicle and prevent the engine from running.
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Specification