METHOD AND APPARATUS TO UTILIZE GPS DATA TO REPLACE ROUTE PLANNING SOFTWARE

• US 20070294031A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Compliance Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Brinton, Brett, McQuade, Charles Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096805 where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle with a positional tracking unit traverses a specific route while collecting actual route data that includes position data indicative of the actual route followed. The actual route data (including the position data) is stored as optimal route data for that specific route. Once the optimal route is defined and stored, future positional data (i.e., actual route data) collected during subsequent vehicle traversal of that specific route can be compared to the optimal route data. Whenever subsequently collected actual route data represents an improvement, as determined by one or more predefined criteria, the actual route data replaces the previously obtained optimal route data. Exception reports can be automatically generated by comparing the optimal route data to subsequently collected actual route data to determine when a deviation has occurred.

Claims

1. A method for automatically defining optimal route data for a specific route to be traversed by a vehicle, where the specific route will be traversed a plurality of different times, comprising the steps of:

(a) initially traversing the specific route using a vehicle equipped to collect vehicle geographical position data while the vehicle is traversing the specific route, to obtain actual route data for the initial traversal of the specific route, wherein the actual route data includes the vehicle geographical position data;

(b) defining the optimal route data based on the actual route data collected while initially traversing the specific route;

(c) completing a subsequent traversal of the specific route with a vehicle, while collecting vehicle geographical position data during the subsequent traversal, to obtain actual route data for the subsequent traversal of the specific route, wherein the actual route data for the subsequent traversal of the specific route includes the vehicle geographical position data for the vehicle collected during the subsequent traversal; and

(d) comparing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal of the specific route with the optimal route data, and if the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal represents an improvement over the optimal route data as determined by one or more predefined criteria, then redefining the optimal route data based on the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of planning the initial traversal of the specific route without using route planning software, such that the optimal route data is initially generated without requiring the use of route planning software to determine the route initially followed by the vehicle during the initial traversal of the specific route.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of matching a route identification included in the actual route data for the subsequent traversal with a route identification included in the optimal route data, before comparing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal of the specific route with the optimal route data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of matching a fingerprint of the actual route data for the subsequent traversal with a fingerprint of the optimal route data to ensure that the actual route data is for the same specific route as the optimal route data, before comparing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal of the specific route with the optimal route data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of subsequently traversing the specific route comprises the step of intentionally deviating from the previously determined optimal route data, in order to determine if such a deviation results in an improvement of the actual route data relative to the optimal route data while traversing the specific route.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal with the optimal route data comprises the step of generating an exception report whenever the actual route data deviates from the optimal route data by more than a predefined value in at least one category.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predefined value comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting essentially of:

a time required to traverse the specific route;

a mileage traveled to traverse the specific route;

an engine temperature reached while traversing the specific route;

an oil temperature reached while traversing the specific route;

a coolant temperature reached while traversing the specific route;

a maximum engine revolutions per minute value reached while traversing the specific route; and

, a number of engine operating hours required to traverse the specific route.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal with the optimal route data comprises the step of generating an exception report whenever the actual route data for the subsequent traversal does not represent an improvement over the optimal route data, and the actual route data deviates from the optimal route data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating the actual route data collected during the initial traversal of the specific route to a remote computing device for defining the optimal route data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of conveying the actual route data collected to a remote computing device for automatically comparing the actual route data with the optimal route data.

11. A memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for carrying out steps (b) and (d) of claim 1.

12. A memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for carrying out step (d) of claim 1.

13. A system for automatically defining optimal route data for a vehicle traversing a specific route, without using route planning software to develop the optimal route, comprising:

(a) a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions are stored;

(b) a data link for communicating geographical position data collected while operating the vehicle; and

(c) a processor coupled to the memory and to the data link, said processor executing the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions, including;

(i) automatically storing actual route data collected while a vehicle traverses the specific route for a first time, as optimal route data, where the actual route data comprises vehicle geographical position data collected while the specific route is initially being traversed; and

(ii) automatically comparing actual route data collected while a vehicle subsequently traverses the specific route with the optimal route data, and if the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal represents an improvement over the optimal route data, as determined by one or more predefined criteria, then storing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal as the optimal route data.

14. A method for defining optimal route data for a specific route, without using route planning software, comprising the steps of:

(a) initially traversing the specific route using a vehicle equipped to collect vehicle geographical position data while the vehicle is traversing the specific route, to obtain actual route data for the initial traversal of the specific route, wherein the actual route data includes the vehicle geographical position data;

(b) storing the actual route data collected while initially traversing the specific route, as the optimal route data;

(c) completing a subsequent traversal of the specific route with a vehicle, while collecting vehicle geographical position during the subsequent traversal, to obtain actual route data for the subsequent traversal of the specific route, wherein the actual route data for the subsequent traversal of the specific route includes the vehicle geographical position data for the vehicle collected during the subsequent traversal; and

(d) comparing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal of the specific route with the optimal route data, and if the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal represents an improvement over the optimal route data, as determined by one or more predefined criteria, then storing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal as the optimal route data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of completing a subsequent traversal of the specific route comprises the step of intentionally deviating from the specific route, as defined by the optimal route data, in order to determine if such a deviation results in an improved performance while traversing the specific route.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of comparing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal with the optimal route data comprises the step of generating an exception report whenever the subsequent traversal does not represent an improvement over the optimal route data, and the actual route data deviates from the optimal route data.

17. A memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for carrying out steps (b) and (d) of claim 14.

18. A system for automatically defining optimal route data for a vehicle traversing a specific route, where the specific route will be traversed a plurality of different times, comprising:

(a) a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions are stored;

(b) a data link for communicating geographical position data collected in connection with operation of the vehicle; and

(c) a processor, coupled to the memory and to the data link, said processor executing the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions, including;

(i) automatically defining actual route data collected while a vehicle traverses a specific route for a first time, as optimal route data, where the actual route data comprises vehicle position data collected while the specific route is initially traversed; and

(ii) automatically comparing actual route data collected while a vehicle subsequently traverses the specific route with the optimal route data, where the actual route data comprises vehicle position data collected while the vehicle subsequently traverse the specific route, and based on the comparison, implementing at least one of the following steps;

(A) if the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal represents an improvement over the optimal route data, as determined by one or more predefined criteria, then redefining the optimal route data based on the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal;

(B) generating an exception report whenever the actual route data deviates from the optimal route data by more than a predefined value in at least one category; and

(C) generating an exception report whenever the subsequent traversal does not represent an improvement over the optimal route data, as determined by one or more predefined criteria, and the actual route data deviates from the optimal route data.

19. A system for automatically updating optimal route data for a vehicle traversing a specific route, where the specific route will be traversed a plurality of different times, comprising:

(a) a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions and optimal route data are stored;

(b) a data link for communicating data collected in conjunction with operation of the vehicle; and

(c) a processor, coupled to the memory and to the data link, said processor executing the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions, including automatically comparing actual route data collected while a vehicle subsequently traverses the specific route with the optimal route data, and if the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal represents an improvement over the optimal route data, as determined by one or more predefined criteria, then storing the actual route data collected during the subsequent traversal as the optimal route data.