Method and apparatus for tracking vehicle location and computer aided dispatch

• US 5,636,122 A
• Filed: 05/17/1995
• Issued: 06/03/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telematics Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mobile Information Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Shah, Mukesh C., Prabhakaran, Sanjiv
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/443,062
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 364/449, 364/460, 364/400, 364/401 R, 340/990, 340/995, 340/991, 342/357, 342/457, 395/153, 395/600
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• 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: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A computer aided dispatch apparatus including a a first memory portion, a second memory portion, and a third memory portion. The computer aided dispatch apparatus also includes a display 510, 626 with a first display segment 530. The first display segment includes a digitized representation of a selected geographical area 530, street data, and a user locatable mark 520. The user locatable mark 520 defines a mobile unit position for a mobile unit based upon a first value and a second value. The computer aided dispatch apparatus includes a dispatch system 811 operably coupled to the display 510, 626. The dispatch system includes order data from customers. A portion of the order data is transferred from a data acquisition device 801, 808 to the mobile unit 610.

Claims

1. Apparatus for computer aided dispatch comprising:

a plurality of mobile units, each of said plurality of mobile units comprising a navigation tracking device, said navigation tracking device comprising a radio;

a data acquisition device operably coupled to said navigation tracking device, said data acquisition device being adapted to capture a first value and a second value from said navigation tracking device to define a mobile unit position;

a mobile position database operably coupled to said data acquisition device, said mobile position database comprising said first value and said second value;

a raster database, said raster database comprising a digitized representation of a raster map;

a vector database comprising street information and vector text information to define said mobile unit position for each of said plurality of mobile units;

a display comprising a first display segment and a second display segment, said first display segment comprising said digitized representation of said raster map and a plurality of user locatable marks, each of said plurality of user locatable marks representative of one of said plurality of mobile units at said mobile unit position, said second display segment comprising said vector text information for each of said plurality of mobile units; and

a computer aided dispatch system operably coupled to said display;

said computer aided dispatch system comprising order data from customers, a portion of said order data being transferred from said data acquisition device to said radio in one of said plurality of mobile units.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mobile unit position is for a predetermined time period.

3. Apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a vector utility, said vector utility matching said first value and said second value to a major street cross-section.

4. Apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a raster map utility, said raster map utility matching said first value and said second value to a location on said raster map.

5. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said user locatable mark is an icon.

6. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said navigation tracking device comprises a microprocessor operably coupled to a global positioning system (GPS) navigational sensor and a mobile radio modem operably coupled to said microprocessor.

7. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said raster map is digitally scanned from a road map.

8. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first value is a latitude and said second value is a longitude.

9. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vector text information comprises a street name.

10. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vector text information comprises a block number.

11. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vector text information comprises a major street cross-section.

12. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first display segment and said second display segment are simultaneously displayed.

13. Apparatus for computer aided dispatch comprising:

a first memory portion comprising a first value and a second value, said first value and said second value defining a mobile unit location for a mobile unit at a selected time;

a second memory portion comprising raster map data, said raster map data defining a digitized representation of a selected geographical area;

a third memory portion comprising street data, said street data defining said raster map in vector form;

a display comprising a first display segment, said first display segment comprising said digitized representation of said selected geographical area, said street data, and a user locatable mark, said user locatable mark defining said mobile unit position based upon said first value and said second value; and

a dispatch system operably coupled to said display, said dispatch system comprising order data from customers, a portion of said order data being transferred from a data acquisition device to said mobile unit.

14. Apparatus of claim 13 wherein said third memory portion further comprises vector text data, said vector text data defining vector text information.

15. Apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a second display segment, said second display segment comprising said vector text information.

16. A method for computer aided dispatch comprising steps of:

providing a first memory portion, a second memory portion, and a third memory portion, said first memory portion comprising a first value and a second value to define a mobile unit position for a mobile unit at a selected time, said second memory portion comprising raster map data to define a digitized representation of a selected geographical area, said third memory portion comprising street data to define said digitized representation of said selected geographical area in vector form;

retrieving from said second memory portion said raster map data and displaying in a first display segment said digitized representation of said selected geographical area;

retrieving from said third memory portion said street data, and superimposing said street data onto said digitized represented of said selected geographical area;

retrieving from said first memory portion said mobile unit data and displaying said mobile unit data as a user locatable mark on a first display portion, said user locatable mark defining said mobile unit position; and

transmitting a customer order retrieved from a memory of a dispatch system to a mobile unit, said dispatch system operably coupled to said first display portion.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said third memory portion further comprises vector text data, said vector text data defining vector text information.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising a step of retrieving from said third memory portion said vector text data, and displaying said vector text information from said vector text data on a second display segment.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising a step of receiving from said mobile unit location data, said location data defining said first value and said second value at said selected time.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said first display segment and said second display segment are simultaneously displayed.