# US 11,897,387 B2 · Vehicle monitoring device, vehicle, and vehicle monitoring system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,387 B2 - Document ID: US11897387B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/904,674 - Filed: 2020-06-18 - Published: 2020-10-08 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-26 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Tsukasa Okada; Kensho Teranishi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897387B2 ## CPC - B60Q 1/307: {mounted on loading platforms} - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - B60W 40/1005: {Driving resistance} - B60W 40/107: Longitudinal acceleration - G01C 21/28: with correlation of data from several navigational instruments - G01L 5/00: Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes - G06T 7/62: of area, perimeter, diameter or volume - G07C 5/0841: {Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B)} - G08G 1/00: Traffic control systems for road vehicles (arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 {; automatic vehicle control B62D}) - B60W 40/13: Load or weight - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A vehicle monitoring device includes a positioning device, a distance calculator, a first imaging device, a volume calculator, and a work calculator. The positioning device measures a position of a vehicle including a loading platform. The distance calculator calculates a movement distance of the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle measured by the positioning device. The first imaging device captures an image of a load mounted on the loading platform. The volume calculator calculates a volume of the load based on the image captured by the first imaging device. The work calculator calculates a work of the vehicle based on the movement distance and the volume of the load. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle monitoring system comprising: a first camera that captures an image of a load mounted on a loading platform; and a circuit that calculates a volume of the load based on the image capture by the first camera, wherein the circuit performs: extracting a partial image indicating the load based on a difference between a reference image and the image of the load mounted on the loading platform, the reference image being captured by the first camera when the load is not mounted on the loading platform; and calculating the volume of the load based on a ratio at which the partial image occupies an entirety of the image. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein: the first camera detects a distance from the first camera to the load, and the circuit calculates the volume of the load based on the detected distance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle monitoring system emits an alarm when the volume of the load has suddenly decreased during a movement of the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle monitoring system emits an alarm when an acceleration of the vehicle has suddenly decreased. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle monitoring system emits an alarm when a product of a speed of the vehicle and the volume of the load has exceeded a first threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A vehicle comprising: the vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1; and the loading platform. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising an elevating mechanism that loads the load onto the loading platform and unloads the load from the loading platform. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising: a server. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the server records a position where a volume of the load has suddenly decreased during a movement of the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the server records a position where an acceleration of the vehicle has suddenly decreased. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the server records a position where a product of a speed of the vehicle and a volume of the load has exceeded a first threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the server performs: recording a movement route of a movement without a change in a volume of the load; and when a movement distance of the movement route has exceeded a second threshold, searching for a movement route having a movement distance that is shorter than the movement distance that has exceeded the second threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the server records a range where a volume of the load has kept fluctuating over a movement distance that has exceeded a third threshold during a movement of the vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the circuit calculates a work of the vehicle based on a movement and the volume of the load. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 14, wherein the circuit applies a greater weight to a movement in a vertical direction with respect to a ground than a movement in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground, to calculate the work of the vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 14, wherein the circuit multiplies the volume of the load by a density of the load to calculate a weight of the load, and calculates the work of the vehicle based on the movement and the weight of the load. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the circuit calculates a position of the vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 17, further comprising: a second camera that is provided in the vehicle to capture an image of a rear direction of the vehicle, the rear direction being reverse to a traveling direction of the vehicle, wherein the circuit: extracts a feature point of the image captured by the second imaging device; and calculates the position of the vehicle based on the feature point of the image.