Automotive vehicle and asset management system therefor

• US 8,193,923 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rork, Joseph Paul, Whitaker, Matthew, Lee, Chiwei John, Wu, Yitah Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Application Number:
  US12/417,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

An automotive vehicle includes one or more computers. The one or more computers are configured to, in a first mode of operation, receive and store, at a plurality of instances, inventory information about assets in a vicinity of the vehicle, and identify patterns in asset inventories based on the inventory information and a history of vehicle locations associated with the inventory information. The one or more computers are also configured to, in a second mode of operation, generate output representing at least one suggested vehicle destination based on the identified patterns and assets detected in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle comprising:

one or more radio frequency receivers configured to detect signals generated by activated wireless identification tags in a vicinity of the vehicle, the signals representing identifiers embedded in the wireless identification tags; and

one or more computers in communication with the receivers and configured to

in a first mode of operation, record occurrences of detected identifiers for each of a plurality of detection events and identify a pattern of two or more identifiers being repeatedly detected during a same detection event for the plurality of detection events, wherein the two or more identifiers form a pattern set of identifiers, and

in a second mode of operation, determine whether a detected identifier belongs to the pattern set of identifiers and determine whether other identifiers belonging to the pattern set of identifiers have also been detected in the vicinity of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to, in the second mode of operation, generate output representing an alert if any of the other identifiers belonging to the pattern set of identifiers are not detected in the vicinity of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 wherein the output includes information identifying the other identifiers not detected in the vicinity of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record, by date, occurrences of detected identifiers.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record, by time, occurrences of detected identifiers.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record, by vehicle location, occurrences of detected identifiers.

7. An asset management system comprising:

one or more radio frequency transmitters configured to generate activation signals for wireless identification tags affixed to assets in a vicinity of the one or more transmitters;

one or more radio frequency receivers configured to detect signals generated by activated wireless identification tags in the vicinity of the one or more transmitters, the signals representing identifiers embedded in the wireless identification tags; and

one or more computers in communication with the transmitters and receivers and configured to

in a first mode of operation, record occurrences of detected identifiers for each of a plurality of detection events and identify a pattern of two or more identifiers being repeatedly detected during a same detection event for the plurality of detection events, wherein the two or more identifiers form a pattern set of identifiers, and

in a second mode of operation, determine whether a detected identifier belongs to the pattern set of identifiers, determine whether other identifiers belonging to the pattern set of identifiers have also been detected in the vicinity of the one or more receivers, and generate output representing an alert if any of the other identifiers belonging to the pattern set of identifiers are not in the vicinity of the one or more receivers.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record, by date, occurrences of detected identifiers.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record, by time, occurrences of detected identifiers.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more receivers are positioned on or within a vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record, by vehicle location, occurrences of detected identifiers.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to activate the one or more transmitters upon vehicle start-up.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to activate the one or more transmitters upon vehicle shut-down.