Mobile asset data management system

• US 8,676,670 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ehrman, Kenneth S., Ehrman, Michael L., Jagid, Jeffrey M., Pinzon, Joseph M., Hecker, Yaron, Pimentel, Leonard
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US11/762,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,470 Days
• Field of Search: 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/32 in combination with an identity check
• 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: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/76 : Group identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A computerized vehicle control system for managing data associated with mobile assets (e.g., vehicles). The system includes an asset monitor, a user input device, a data storage device, a mobile wireless transceiver and a mobile asset processor. The asset monitor is in communication with a mobile asset for collecting monitored data associated with the mobile asset. The user input device is adapted to receive input data from a user. The data storage device is adapted to store the monitored data and input data. The mobile asset processor is adapted to determine that an event associated with the mobile asset has initiated; receive the collected data associated with the event from the asset monitor; determine that the event has completed; and store the collected data to the data storage device.

Claims

1. A system for managing data associated with mobile assets, comprising:

a first asset monitor coupled to a first mobile asset for collecting monitored data from a plurality of sensors associated with the first mobile asset;

a user input device for receiving input data from a user;

a data storage device for storing the monitored data and the input data;

a mobile wireless transceiver for transmitting data to a management computer; and

a mobile asset processor adapted to;

determine that, as the result of at least a first sensor and a second sensor of the plurality of sensors reaching a predetermined threshold, an event associated with the first mobile asset has initiated;

receive the collected data associated with the event from the first asset monitor;

determine that the event has completed; and

store the collected data to the data storage device;

wherein the first sensor, the second sensor, or both are not an acceleration sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user output device for displaying information to the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user output device is adapted to display predetermined collected data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the user output device is adapted to display the collected data to the user.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile wireless transceiver is adapted to transmit alerts to a management computer, and the user output device is adapted to display said alerts to the user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless transceiver transmits the collected data to a management computer only after the mobile asset processor determines that the event has completed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises location data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a time when the event initiated.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a time when the event completed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a vehicle number associated with the first mobile asset.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time during which the first mobile asset was in motion.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time during which an engine associated with the first mobile asset was idling.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount time that a lift associated with the first mobile asset was used.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of times the first mobile asset impacted another object.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a fuel level associated with the first mobile asset.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an odometer reading associated with the first mobile asset.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a battery ID associated with a battery installed on the first mobile asset.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a battery level associated with a battery installed on the first mobile asset.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of times that the first mobile asset started from a stopped position.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of times that the first mobile asset stopped.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises vehicle data.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises vehicle inspection data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the mobile asset processor is further adapted to determine whether vehicle inspection data should be collected a second time.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the vehicle inspection data is collected the second time from a second user.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises OSHA checklist data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the mobile asset processor is further adapted to determine whether OSHA checklist data should be collected a second time.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the OSHA checklist data is collected the second time from a second user.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises when an operator logs on to the first mobile asset.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time an operator is logged on to the first mobile asset.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile asset processor is further adapted to summarize the collected data to create a summarized data record.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile asset processor summarizes the collected data by combining related data to reduce a number of data entries sent to the management computer.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the summarized data record comprises data collected during the user'"'"'s working shift.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the mobile asset processor summarizes the collected data by eliminating duplicate data entries.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile asset processor is further adapted to associate the collected data with a user that has logged on to the first mobile asset.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of mobile assets in use.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of mobile assets in use by type of mobile asset.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of mobile assets in use by area.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time a mobile asset is in use.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile asset processor is further adapted to summarize the collected data to determine a number of mobile assets needed in an area.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein the management computer is adapted to determine a maximum number of mobile assets used concurrently.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the management computer determines that one or more mobile assets can be eliminated.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the total number of mobile assets eliminated is less than or equal to the difference between a total quantity of mobile assets operating in the system and the maximum number of mobile assets used concurrently.

43. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile asset processor is further adapted to determine a number of mobile assets needed at a first time of day based on past monitored usage.

44. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second asset monitor coupled to a second mobile asset for collecting monitored data associated with the second mobile asset, and wherein the management computer is adapted to compare the collected data from the first mobile asset to the collected data from the second mobile asset to determine whether the first mobile asset is being used concurrently with the second mobile asset.

45. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second asset monitor coupled to a second mobile asset for collecting data associated with the second mobile asset, and wherein the management computer is adapted to compare the collected data of the first mobile asset to the collected data of the second mobile asset.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the collected data of the first mobile asset comprises time of use of the first mobile asset, and the collected data of the second mobile asset comprises time of use of the second mobile asset.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the management computer is further adapted to determine whether the first mobile asset is being used concurrently with the second mobile asset.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the management computer is further adapted to determine that the second mobile asset is not necessary if it is determined that the first and second mobile assets are not being used concurrently.