Method and apparatus for changing either driver behavior or vehicle behavior based on current vehicle location and zone definitions created by a remote user

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9358986-B2
Application number	US-201414206760-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Apr 1, 2012
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A remote user can define one or more zone based driver/vehicle behavior definitions. Current vehicle location is analyzed at the vehicle or remotely to determine if the vehicle is approaching or has arrived at a location for which a zone based driver/vehicle behavior has been defined. For zone based driver behavior definitions, a display in the vehicle automatically displays the zone based driver behavior definition to the driver. In some embodiments driver compliance is tracked and non-compliance is reported to the remote user. For zone based vehicle behavior definitions, a vehicle controller at the vehicle responsible for controlling the defined behavior is reprogrammed to impose the defined behavior (no regeneration at location, max speed at location, no idle over 2 minutes at location, etc.). Once the vehicle has left the zone, the controller programming reverts to its prior state, and/or zone based driver behavior definition is no longer displayed.

First claim

The invention in which an exclusive right is claimed is defined by the following:

1. A method for controlling at least one of vehicle behavior and driver based on a location of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:
(a) enabling a remote user to define a location and a zone based behavior to impose at that location, wherein the zone based behavior comprises requiring that vehicle lighting must be placed into a specific state while the vehicle is at the location, to be implemented by one of at least a vehicle controller or a driver;
(b) automatically collecting vehicle location data during operation of the vehicle;
(c) automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the location for which the zone based behavior has been defined; and
(d) when the vehicle is within the predetermined distance, automatically implementing the steps of:
(i) for vehicle controller implementation, automatically using a vehicle controller associated with the vehicle lighting to impose that vehicle lighting specific state so long as the vehicle is within the predetermined distance of the location; or
(ii) for driver implementation, automatically using a vehicle controller to present the required driver behavior for that location, for placing the vehicle lighting into the specific state, to a driver of the vehicle, using at least one of a display and an audible announcement.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor remote from the vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:
(a) automatically conveying the vehicle location data collected during operation of the vehicle from the vehicle to the remote processor; and
(b) when the vehicle is within the predetermined distance, automatically conveying the zone based behavior defined for that location to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor at the vehicle, and further comprising the step of automatically conveying to the vehicle from the remote user the location and the zone based behavior to impose at that location defined by the remote user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor at the vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:
(a) automatically conveying the location for which the zone based behavior has been defined from a controller remote from the vehicle to a controller at the vehicle;
(b) when the controller in the vehicle determines that the current vehicle location is within the predetermined distance of the location, automatically conveying from the controller at the vehicle to the remote controller a request for the zone based behavior defined for that location to the vehicle, such that step (d) of claim 1 can be implemented.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location corresponds to at least one of a warehouse, a tank farm, a port, and a user defined geofenced area.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of enabling a remote user to define the location and the vehicle behavior comprises the step of enabling the remote user to define a geofence.

7. A method for controlling vehicle behavior based on a location of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:
(a) enabling a remote user to define a location and a vehicle behavior, comprising a vehicle lighting specific state, to impose at that location;
(b) automatically collecting vehicle location data during operation of the vehicle;
(c) automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the location for which the vehicle behavior has been defined; and
(d) when the vehicle is within the predetermined distance, automatically using a vehicle controller associated with the defined vehicle behavior to impose that behavior so long as the vehicle is within the predetermined distance of the location.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor remote from the vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:
(a) automatically conveying the vehicle location data collected during operation of the vehicle from the vehicle to the remote processor; and
(b) when the vehicle is within the predetermined distance, automatically conveying the vehicle behavior defined for that location to the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor at vehicle, and further comprising the step of automatically conveying to the vehicle from the remote user the location and the vehicle behavior to impose at that location defined by the remote user.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor at vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:
(a) automatically conveying the location for which the vehicle behavior has been defined from a controller remote from the vehicle to a controller at the vehicle;
(b) when the controller in the vehicle determines that the current vehicle location is within the predetermined distance of the location, automatically conveying from the controller at the vehicle to the remote controller a request for the vehicle behavior defined for that location to the vehicle, such that step (d) of claim 1 can be implemented.

11. A method for requiring specific driver behavior based on a location of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:
(a) enabling a remote user to define a location and a driver behavior, comprising placing the vehicle lighting into a specific state, to require at that location;
(b) automatically collecting vehicle location data during operation of the vehicle;
(c) automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the location for which the driver behavior has been defined; and
(d) when the vehicle is within the predetermined distance, automatically using a vehicle controller to present the required driver behavior for that location to a driver of the vehicle, using at least one of a display and an audible announcement.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor remote from the vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:
(a) automatically conveying the vehicle location data collected during operation of the vehicle from the vehicle to the remote processor; and
(b) when the vehicle is within the predetermined distance, automatically conveying the driver behavior defined for that location to the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor at vehicle, and further comprising the step of automatically conveying to the vehicle from the remote user the location and the driver behavior to require at that location as defined by the remote user.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically analyzing the current location of the vehicle is implemented by a processor at vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:
(a) automatically conveying the location for which the driver behavior has been defined from a controller remote from the vehicle to a controller at the vehicle;
(b) when the controller in the vehicle

Assignees

• Zonar Systems Inc

Inventors

• Hunt Bryan

Classifications

• B60W50/08 Primary

  Interaction between the driver and the control system · CPC title

• F02D41/26 Primary

  using computer, e.g. microprocessor · CPC title

• F02D2200/701

  Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal · CPC title

• F02D41/2487

  Methods for rewriting · CPC title

• F02D41/029

  the exhaust gas treating apparatus being a particulate filter · CPC title