Vehicle state mileage determination system

• US 5,954,773 A
• Filed: 12/13/1996
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Luper, Jack F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US08/763,375
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 701/13, 701/29, 701/35, 701/201, 701/202, 701/207, 701/213-216, 701/225, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• 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 system and method for monitoring and recording the number of miles that a vehicle has traveled within each of a set of geographic entities. Current vehicle location data points are compared to entity boundary line approximations to determine which of a set of entities the location point falls within. Once an entity has been confirmed for a given location point obtained, the incremental mileage traveled by the vehicle since the previous location point was obtained is added to an accumulated mileage value for that entity.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and recording the number of miles that a vehicle has traveled within each of a set of predefined geographic entities wherein the location of said vehicle and the boundaries of said entities can be defined by coordinate data points in a common coordinate system, said method comprising the steps of:

for each said geographic entity;

storing a set of ordered coordinate data points representing the boundary of said entity;

storing at least three coordinate data points wherein said points can be joined to form an imaginary polygon which substantially encloses said geographic entity boundary; and

providing a storage location for storing the accumulated mileage traveled by said vehicle within the boundary of said entity;

providing a geographic position sensing means on-board said vehicle, said position sensor for providing an electrical signal including a present vehicle position coordinate data point which is indicative of the present geographical location of said vehicle; and

for each present vehicle location coordinate data point;

comparing said location point to a set of said polygon coordinate data points to determine whether said location point lies on or within a said imaginary polygon;

for a polygon having said location point lying thereon or therein, comparing said location point to said boundary coordinate data points for said entity to determine whether said location point lies on or within said entity boundary; and

for a location point lying on or within said entity boundary, determining incremental mileage traveled by said vehicle and adding said incremental mileage to said stored accumulated mileage for said entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said location point is first compared to a set of said polygon coordinate data points corresponding to a previously confirmed entity having an entity boundary on or within which the previous location point was determined to exist.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein for a location point not lying on or within said previously confirmed entity boundary, checking additional polygons of entities adjacent said previously confirmed entity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said imaginary polygon is a rectangle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least three coordinate data points comprises substantially fewer data points than said set of boundary coordinate data points.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least three coordinate data points comprise the coordinate extremes of said boundary coordinate data points of an entity.

7. A system for monitoring and recording the number of miles that a vehicle has traveled within each of a set of predefined geographic entities wherein the location of said vehicle and the boundaries of said entities can be defined by coordinate data points in a common coordinate system, said system for monitoring and recording comprising:

a vehicle position determination system installed on-board said vehicle for generating a present vehicle location point;

a memory, said memory storing for each said entity;

a set of ordered coordinate data points representing the boundary of said entity;

at least three coordinate data points wherein said points can be joined to form an imaginary polygon which substantially encloses said geographic entity boundary; and

the accumulated mileage traveled by said vehicle within the boundary of said entity;

a device for calculating the mileage traveled by said vehicle; and

a processor coupled with said position determination system and said memory for comparing said present vehicle location point to at least one set of said polygon coordinate data points and for a said polygon having said location point lying therein, comparing said location point to said boundary coordinate data points for the entity corresponding to said polygon and, if said location point lies on or within said boundary, adding the incremental mileage traveled by said vehicle to said memory.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a transceiver and antenna coupled to said position determination system for transmitting said present vehicle location point to an off-board computer.

9. The system of claim 7 further comprising a transceiver and antenna coupled to said processor for transmitting processor results to an off-board computer.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said position determination system is a global positioning system.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least three coordinate data points comprises substantially fewer data points than said set of boundary coordinate data points.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least three coordinate data points comprise the coordinate extremes of said boundary coordinate data points of an entity.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein said imaginary polygon is a rectangle.

14. A system for monitoring the travel of a vehicle within a set of predefined geographic entities and determining in which of the entities the vehicle is presently located, wherein the location of said vehicle and the boundaries of said entities can be defined by coordinate data points in a common coordinate system, said system comprising:

a vehicle position determination system installed on-board said vehicle for generating a present vehicle location point;

a memory, said memory storing for each said entity a set of ordered coordinate data points representing the boundary of said entity, and at least three coordinate data points wherein said points can be joined to form an imaginary polygon which substantially encloses said geographic entity boundary; and

a processor coupled with said position determination system and said memory for comparing said present vehicle location point to at least one set of said polygon coordinate data points and for a said polygon having said location point lying therein, comparing said location point to said boundary coordinate data points for the entity corresponding to said polygon.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said at least three coordinate data points comprise the coordinate extremes of said boundary coordinate data points of an entity.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said at least three coordinate data points comprises substantially fewer data points than said set of boundary coordinate data points.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein said imaginary polygon is a rectangle.

18. The system of claim 14 further comprising a transceiver and antenna coupled to said position determination system for transmitting said present vehicle location point to an off-board computer.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein said position determination system is a global positioning system.