Vehicle tracking, communication and fleet management system

• US 20060142913A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David A. Dye, John Coffee, Kevin M. Marvin, Mark Billings, Mark L. Kirchner, Richard W. Rudow, Robert D. Sleeper, Robert F. Allen, Robert W. Lewis, William A. Tekniepe
• Original Assignee: David A. Dye, John Coffee, Kevin M. Marvin, Mark Billings, Mark L. Kirchner, Richard W. Rudow, Robert D. Sleeper, Robert F. Allen, Robert W. Lewis, William A. Tekniepe
• Inventors: Tekniepe, William A., Billings, Mark, Kirchner, Mark L., Allen, Robert F., Lewis, Robert W., Rudow, Richard W., Coffee, John R., Marvin, Kevin M., Dye, David A., Sleeper, Robert D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,489,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/422 Controlling or measuring devices B28C5/4227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/02 Controlling the operation of the mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/028 by counting the number of revolutions performed, or by measuring the mixing time
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/00 General arrangement or layout of plant B28C7/0061, B28C7/0481 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/03 for transporting money or other valuables
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• 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: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0085 detecting a given structure in the signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

A vehicle fleet management information system identifies location and direction of movement of each vehicle in a fleet in real-time, and automatically reports such information, as well as status of predetermined events in which the vehicle is engaged, directly to the fleet manager. Each fleet vehicle has an assigned time slot to transmit its reporting information over a communications network without interfering with transmissions from other vehicles in their own respective time slots. A timing control phase lock loop (PLL) provides precise time synchronization for timing corrections from a global positioning system (GPS) based time reference. A dual band full-duplex interface of the network has TDMA on one-half and broadcast on the other half. Microprocessor time processing units in components of the network perform precise clock synchronization. Space diversity performed on received vehicle transmitted messages avoids data corruption. Different vehicles have different periodic transmission intervals, by dynamically allocating the slots for various update rates. Auxiliary reporting slots enable prompt reporting of important data by the respective vehicle transmitters independent of the slower periodic transmission intervals.

Claims

1. A sensor apparatus for producing a signal that indicates the speed and direction of a drum on a ready mix truck comprising an array of magnets mounted about the axis of rotation of the truck'"'"'s mixer drum, and dual magnetic field sensors mounted in fixed confronting relation thereto, wherein the magnets activate the sensors in sequence as they pass in front of the sensors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal is an electrical signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the level of the electrical signal indicates direction of the drum.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the frequency of the electrical signal indicates the speed of the drum.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least two electrical signals are produced, and wherein the frequency of one of the signals indicates the speed of the drum, and the relative phase between the two signals indicates the direction of the drum.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the array of magnets comprises at least two individual magnets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the array of magnets comprises a strip of magnetized material containing alternating north and south poles.

8. A system for automated reporting of the status of a material transport truck, including the status of events related to the usage, function, operation, location, systems or cargo of the truck, to a remote location for system users including dispatchers and managers using a wireless network, the automated reporting system comprising, on board the truck:

at least one sensor for measuring vehicle engine data bus parameters, and computer apparatus for automatically receiving an input from engine data bus parameter measurements, and for transmitting data denoting the measurements to the remote location over the wireless network, said truck being a semi-tractor trailer for carrying the material.

9. A system for automated reporting of status of a ready mix slurry material mixer truck, including status of events related to the usage, function, operation, location, systems or cargo of the truck, to a management office for system users including dispatchers and managers using a wireless network, the management office including a dispatch software application for issuing dispatch instructions over the wireless network to said truck, the automated reporting system comprising, on board the truck:

a plurality of sensors for automatically detecting or measuring the current status of various selected ones of said events,

computer apparatus for receiving inputs from said plurality of sensors indicative of the respective detected or measured events, and for storing for later transmission data denoting the status of events of interest, derived from the event-indicative inputs, to the management office over the wireless network, and

navigation apparatus for automatically detecting the current geographic location of the truck, said navigation apparatus and sensors among said plurality of sensors automatically detecting at least one of the events of truck (i) arrival at its slurry material plant site, (ii) loading at the plant site, (iii) departure from the plant site, (iv) arrival at its designated job site, (v) begin pour at the job site, and (vi) end pour at the job site, (vii) undergoing a wash at the job site, and (viii) departure from the job site, said computer apparatus also receiving inputs from said navigation apparatus.

10. The automated reporting system of claim 9, wherein the data are stored when the vehicle is outside of the wireless network coverage area.

11. The automated reporting system of claim 9, wherein the stored data are transmitted when the vehicle returns to the wireless network coverage area.

12. The automated reporting system of claim 9, wherein the stored data are transmitted when the vehicle is in the vicinity of a plant site.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the truck is a ready mix concrete truck.

14. A system for automated determination of status of a ready mix slurry material mixer truck, including status of events related to the usage function, operation, location, systems or cargo of the truck, the automated determination system comprising, on board the truck:

a plurality of sensors for measuring parameters related to the usage function operation location systems, or cargo of the truck, said parameters indicative of various selected ones of said events, and

computer apparatus for receiving inputs from said plurality of sensors indicative of the respective detected or measured events, and for computing the status of events of interest, derived from the event-indicative inputs, wherein at least one of the events is a loading event, a begin pour event, an end pour event, or the truck undergoing a wash.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the truck is a ready mix concrete truck.

16. A system for automated determination of a status of a ready mix slurry material mixer truck having a mixing drum, including status of events related to the usage, function, operation, location, systems or cargo of the truck, the automated determination system comprising, on board the truck:

a plurality of sensors for measuring parameters related to the usage, function, operation, location, systems, or cargo of the truck said parameters indicative of various selected ones of said events, and

computer apparatus for receiving inputs from said plurality of sensors indicative of the respective detected or measured events, and for computing the status of events of interest, derived from the event-indicative input, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to detect at least one of the speed of rotation of the drum, the direction of rotation of the drum, the weight of the truck, the weight of the drum and its contents, water flowing from a pressurized tank on the truck, or opening of the driver'"'"'s door.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the truck is a ready mix concrete truck.