EMERGENCY EVENT BASED VEHICLE DATA LOGGING

• US 20170345232A1
• Filed: 08/16/2017
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: HUNT, BRYAN
• Granted Patent: US 11,170,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

System and method for enabling predefined events to be used to trigger the collection of vehicle position data. A combination GSM device and GPS device is used to collect vehicle position data and to convey that position data to a remote computing device for review and/or analysis. There is a tradeoff between collecting too much data (cell phone bill is too high) and collecting too little data (value added analytics cannot be achieved without sufficient data). The concepts disclosed herein relate to method and apparatus to enable the data collection/transmission paradigm of such a GSM/GPS to be varied (or triggered) based on the detection of one or more predefined events. This enables data which can contribute to value added analytics to be acquired, without wasting airtime on unimportant data.

Claims

1. A telematics system for use in a vehicle, the telematics system being configured to collect at least one type of vehicle data during operation of the vehicle, the system comprising:

(a) at least one data collecting component for collecting vehicle data;

(b) a memory for storing vehicle data;

(c) a processor for implementing the functions of;

(i) triggering the logging of vehicle data according to a predefined data logging paradigm; and

(ii) changing the predefined data logging paradigm to collect additional vehicle data in response to the activation of an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle, the item of emergency equipment comprising at least one element from a group consisting of;

(A) an emergency siren;

(B) an emergency light;

(C) an emergency communications data link; and

(D) a panic button.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one data collecting component comprises a positioning sensing component for collecting geographical position data from the vehicle during vehicle operation, the geographical position data being time indexed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor further implements the function of combining data defining the item of emergency equipment that was activated and the geographical position data together at the vehicle to produce emergency encoded position data.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data link for conveying the vehicle data to at least one of an external memory and a remote computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link comprises a relatively short range wireless data link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link comprises a relatively long range wireless data link.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further implements the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm once the item of emergency equipment emergency equipment is deactivated.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further implements the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm after at least one of the following events:

(a) the item of emergency equipment is deactivated;

(b) the vehicle is turned off;

(c) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time;

(d) a predetermined period of time elapses;

(e) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and

(f) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location.

9. A non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for controlling the automatic logging of vehicle data during the operation of a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of:

(a) triggering the logging of vehicle data according to a predefined data logging paradigm; and

(b) changing the predefined data logging paradigm to collect additional vehicle data in response to the activation of an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle, the item of emergency equipment comprising at least one element from a group consisting of;

(i) an emergency siren;

(ii) an emergency light;

(iii) an emergency communications data link; and

(iv) a panic button.

10. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the machine instructions, when implemented by the processor, further carry out the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm after at least one of the following events:

(a) the item of emergency equipment is deactivated;

(b) the vehicle is turned off;

(c) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time;

(d) a predetermined period of time elapses;

(e) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and

(f) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location.

11. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the machine instructions, when implemented by the processor, further carry out the function of combining data defining the item of emergency equipment that was activated and geographical position data together at the vehicle to produce emergency encoded position data.