# US 2014/0195071 A1 · Emergency event based vehicle data logging > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195071 A1 - Document ID: US20140195071A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/203,927 - Filed: 2014-03-11 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-14 - Assignees: Zonar Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Zonar Systems, Inc. - Inventors: BRYAN HUNT - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195071A1 ## CPC - G07C 5/085: {using electronic data carriers} - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - 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 ## Abstract System and method for enabling predefined events to be used to trigger the collection of vehicle position data. A combination GSM device and GPS device is used to collect vehicle position data and to convey that position data to a remote computing device for review and/or analysis. There is a tradeoff between collecting too much data (cell phone bill is too high) and collecting too little data (value added analytics cannot be achieved without sufficient data). The concepts disclosed herein relate to method and apparatus to enable the data collection/transmission paradigm of such a GSM/GPS to be varied (or triggered) based on the detection of one or more predefined events. This enables data which can contribute to value added analytics to be acquired, without wasting airtime on unimportant data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for changing a data logging paradigm used to collect vehicle data from a vehicle, the change in the data logging paradigm being implemented in response to the activation of emergency equipment, the method comprising the steps of: (a) collecting vehicle data from the vehicle during vehicle operation according to a defined logging paradigm; (b) determining if an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle has been activated, the item of emergency equipment comprising at least one element selected from a group consisting of: (i) an emergency siren; (ii) an emergency light; (iii) an emergency communications data link; and (iv) a panic button; and (c) in response to determining that the item of emergency equipment has been activated, modifying the defined logging paradigm to collect additional vehicle data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data includes time indexed geographical position data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of combining data defining the item of emergency equipment that was activated and the geographical position data together at the vehicle to produce emergency encoded position data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of conveying the emergency encoded position data to an external device, the external device comprising at least one of an external memory and a remote computing device that is physically spaced apart from the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the step of conveying the emergency encoded position data to the external device is implemented in real-time, using a relatively long range wireless data link. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the step of conveying the emergency encoded position data to the external device is implemented when the vehicle returns to a vehicle storage facility at the end of a shift. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the step of conveying the emergency encoded position data to the external device is implemented using a relatively short range wireless data link. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data logging paradigm returns to the defined logging paradigm once the item of emergency equipment emergency equipment is deactivated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data logging paradigm remains modified until at least one of the following events: (a) the item of emergency equipment is deactivated; (b) the vehicle is turned off; (c) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time; (d) a predetermined period of time elapses; (e) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and (f) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location. ### Claim 10 A telematics system for use in a vehicle, the telematics system being configured to collect at least one type of vehicle data during operation of the vehicle, the system comprising: (a) at least one data collecting component for collecting vehicle data; (b) a memory for storing vehicle data; (c) a processor for implementing the functions of: (i) triggering the logging of vehicle data according to a predefined data logging paradigm; and (ii) changing the predefined data logging paradigm to collect additional vehicle data in response to the activation of an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle, the item of emergency equipment comprising at least one element from a group consisting of: (A) an emergency siren; (B) an emergency light; (C) an emergency communications data link; and (D) a panic button. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one data collecting component comprises a positioning sensing component for collecting geographical position data from the vehicle during vehicle operation, the geographical position data being time indexed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the processor further implements the function of combining data defining the item of emergency equipment that was activated and the geographical position data together at the vehicle to produce emergency encoded position data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, further comprising a data link for conveying the vehicle data to at least one of an external memory and a remote computing device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the data link comprises a relatively short range wireless data link. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the data link comprises a relatively long range wireless data link. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the processor further implements the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm once the item of emergency equipment emergency equipment is deactivated. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the processor further implements the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm after at least one of the following events: (a) the item of emergency equipment is deactivated; (b) the vehicle is turned off; (c) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time; (d) a predetermined period of time elapses; (e) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and (f) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for controlling the automatic logging of vehicle data during the operation of a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of: (a) triggering the logging of vehicle data according to a predefined data logging paradigm; and (b) changing the predefined data logging paradigm to collect additional vehicle data in response to the activation of an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle, the item of emergency equipment comprising at least one element from a group consisting of: (i) an emergency siren; (ii) an emergency light; (iii) an emergency communications data link; and (iv) a panic button. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory memory medium of claim 18, wherein the machine instructions, when implemented by the processor, further carry out the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm after at least one of the following events: (a) the item of emergency equipment is deactivated; (b) the vehicle is turned off; (c) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time; (d) a predetermined period of time elapses; (e) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and (f) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The non-transitory memory medium of claim 18, wherein the machine instructions, when implemented by the processor, further carry out the function of combining data defining the item of emergency equipment that was activated and geographical position data together at the vehicle to produce emergency encoded position data. ### Claim 21 A method for generating and using emergency encoded position data from a vehicle equipped with a geographical position tracking component to determine at least emergency based operational characteristic of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: (a) collecting vehicle data from the vehicle during vehicle operation according to a defined logging paradigm, the vehicle data including time indexed geographical position data; (b) determining if an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle has been activated, the item of emergency equipment comprising at least one element from a group consisting of: (i) an emergency siren; (ii) an emergency light; (iii) an emergency communications data link; and (iv) a panic button; (c) in response to determining that the item of emergency equipment has been activated, modifying the defined logging paradigm to collect additional vehicle data; (d) conveying the vehicle data to a remote computing device, the vehicle data including at least the time indexed geographical position data and data defining an identify of any emergency equipment that was activated during vehicle operation, such data collectively comprising emergency encoded position data; and (e) analyzing the emergency encoded position data to determine at least one operating characteristic of the vehicle. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the step of analyzing the emergency encoded position data to determine at least one operating characteristic of the vehicle comprises the step of displaying a route traversed by a vehicle with emergency equipment activation data overlaid on the route, the emergency equipment activation being determined by data included in the emergency encoded position data. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the data logging paradigm remains modified until at least one of the following events: (a) the item of emergency equipment is deactivated; (b) the vehicle is turned off; (c) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time; (d) a predetermined period of time elapses; (e) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and (f) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location.