Apparatus and method responsive to the on-board measuring of haulage parameters of a vehicle

• US 5,528,499 A
• Filed: 03/03/1995
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LeRoy G Hagenbuch
• Original Assignee: LeRoy G Hagenbuch
• Inventors: Hagenbuch, Leroy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/398,286
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.07, 364/567, 364/424.01, 364/403, 364/551.01, 364/424.04, 177/136, 177/145, 177/147
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/11 Mounting of sensors thereon
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/026 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/60 Load
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/61 Load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/042 Monitoring means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/0422 involving data transmission, e.g. via satellite or GPS; for data monitoring, telemetry or platooning purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/70 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• 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

An apparatus for processing data derived from the weight of a load carried by a haulage vehicle including a sensor processing unit for receiving data from pressure transducers and, in response thereto, detecting a change in the weight of the load and formulating data indicative of hauling conditions of the vehicle. Pressure data and indications of changes in the data are used by the sensor processing unit to establish a historical data base from which various hauling parameters may be monitored either by the sensor processing unit itself or by a remotely located central station linked to the on-board processing unit. Preferably, additional sensors are added to the vehicle to provide additional data that, when taken with the weight data, provides a historical data base which more completely reflects vehicle operating conditions. The accumulated data of the historical data base are used to formulate management decisions directed to the future operation of the vehicle and with this operation then intended to achieve a predetermined management goal.

Claims

1. A system on-board a vehicle for monitoring a load of material carried by the vehicle, the system comprising a first sensor on the vehicle for sensing when the material is first loaded onto the vehicle;

a second sensor for sensing an amount of material in the load carried by the vehicle;

a third sensor for sensing a dumping of the load of material from the vehicle; and

a processor on-board the vehicle responsive to the first, second and third sensors for determining a haulage condition of the vehicle.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first sensor is a switch located in a body of the vehicle.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second sensor is a hoist sensor for sensing a pressure change in a cylinder for hoisting a body of the vehicle.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the third sensor is a dump sensor for sensing a pivoting of a body of the vehicle to a dump position for dumping the material of the load from the vehicle.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 including a memory responsive to the processor on-board the vehicle for storing the haulage condition.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second sensor is a weight sensor.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the first sensor includes a means of the processor for detecting a change in the amount of material in the load carried by the vehicle and sensed by the weight sensor.