System and method for wireless delivery of event data

• US 7,536,457 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2006
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• APPLICATION: US 20070260363A1
• Time in patent office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/227, 709/228, 709/250, 709/223, 709/224, 709/229, 455/452.1, 719/318
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30312 Storage and indexing structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30371 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/30377 Details of updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• 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: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

Driving events are captured at an event detector in a vehicle and stored in an associated data storage area. The output of a sensor in the vehicle is monitored, and the stored driving event data is sent to an evaluation server over a wireless communication network when a data transfer condition is detected. Driving event data is sent to the evaluation server when a predetermined output from the sensor is detected and the vehicle is in the transmission range of an access point. The predetermined sensor output may be from a motion sensor in the vehicle indicating that the vehicle is substantially stopped, or from a vehicle location sensor indicating that the vehicle is within transmission range of an access point.

Claims

1. A method of transferring stored event data from an event detector in a vehicle to a remote evaluation server, comprising the steps of:

capturing driving events at an event detector in a vehicle and storing the captured driving events in a data storage area;

monitoring the output of at least a first sensor in the vehicle;

detecting an access point and sending the stored driving event data to said-access point over a wireless link, said detecting and sending responsive to a data transfer condition being detected;

searching for an access point in response to detection of at least said predetermined output from said first sensor, the data transfer condition comprising a combination of said predetermined output emanating from at least said first sensor and detection of the proximity of the vehicle to said access point; and

transferring the data from said access point to an evaluation server only when said predetermined sensor output is detected and the vehicle is in sufficient proximity with said access point to support wireless communications between said event detector and said access point;

said data transfer condition comprising at least detection of a predetermined output from said first sensor.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said monitoring step comprises monitoring of the outputs of a plurality of sensors and said data transfer condition comprises a combination of predetermined outputs from a plurality of said sensors and the detection of proximity of the vehicle wit the access point, and said searching step occurs in response to detection of predetermined outputs from one or more of said plurality of sensors.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of searching for an access point comprises attempting to contact an access point at predetermined time intervals.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the duration of said time intervals are determined by a backoff algorithm which is reset when at least said predetermined output from said first sensor is detected, the backoff algorithm having a time interval which increases after at least one failed attempt to find an access point.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the time interval increases after one failed attempt to find an access point.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the time interval increases after n failed attempts to find an access point, where n is greater than one.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said access point is a docking station of a fleet yard.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined sensor output comprises a predetermined value that is a non-zero threshold value.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said sensor is a motion sensor, and said predetermined sensor output comprises a signal indicating that the vehicle'"'"'s motion has ceased.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said motion sensor is an accelerometer.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the predetermined threshold value is approximately 0.08 G, where G is the acceleration of gravity, and an output of 0.08 G or less indicates that the vehicle'"'"'s motion has ceased.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the driving event data from said access point to an evaluation server comprises transferring the data over a wired network.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the driving event data from said access point to an evaluation server comprises transferring the data over a wireless network.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of transferring the driving event data from said access point to an evaluation server comprises transferring the data over a combined wired and wireless network.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of deleting stored event data from a local storage area of the event detector when the data has been transmitted from the local storage area to the evaluation server.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of monitoring the output of at least one sensor in the vehicle comprises monitoring the output of at least one position sensor in the vehicle to determine when the vehicle is within the range of an access point of a wireless communication network, whereby stored data is downloaded to said access point whenever the vehicle is in proximity with an access point.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said step of monitoring the output of a position sensor comprises monitoring the output of a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) sensor.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of confirming when stored driving event data has been successfully sent to the access point, and deleting the stored driving event data from the event detector upon said event detector receiving continuation that the data has been successfully sent to the access point.

19. A system for wireless transfer of driving event data, comprising:

an event detector in a vehicle for capturing and storing driving event data;

at least one sensor in the vehicle for detecting a vehicle parameter;

an evaluation server remote from the vehicle;

a transmitter connected to the event detector for transmitting the stored driving event data to the evaluation server over a wireless communication network;

the event detector comprising a processor for monitoring the output of said sensor for a predetermined value of said vehicle parameter and for controlling the transmitter to transmit stored driving event data responsive to a predetermined data transfer condition of said event detector, the data transfer condition comprising at least detection of said predetermined value of said sensor output;

wherein said sensor is an acceleration sensor and said predetermined value comprises a threshold value which corresponds to the vehicle being substantially stopped.

20. The system as claimed in claim 19 wherein the predetermined threshold value is approximately 0.08 G, where G is the acceleration of gravity.

21. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to search for a docking station in proximity to the vehicle whenever said predetermined threshold value of at least said one sensor output is detected, said predetermined data transfer condition comprising detection of at least said predetermined threshold value in combination with detection of sufficient proximity of the vehicle to a docking station to support wireless data transfer therebetween.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said processor is configured to attempt to contact a docking station at predetermined backoff time intervals after detection of at least said predetermined threshold value.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said processor is configured with a backoff algorithm which increases the backoff time interval subsequent to least one failed attempt to contact a docking station.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said backoff time interval increases after one failed attempt to find an access point.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said backoff time interval increases after n failed attempts to find an access point, where n is greater than one.

26. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors in the vehicle for detecting one or more vehicle parameters, and said processor is configured to search for a docking station in sufficient proximity to the vehicle to support wireless data transfer between said transmitter and said access point whenever the output values of the sensors are each above a predetermined threshold value for each sensor.

27. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said processor is configured to delete the stored driving event data on confirmation of transmission of the stored driving event data to a docking station.

28. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein one said sensor comprises a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) sensor and said processor comprises means for monitoring the GPS sensor output for location of the vehicle within transmission range of any access point of a wireless network, whereby said transmitter transmits all currently stored event data over the wireless network to the evaluation server when the vehicle is within transmission range of an access point.