Monitoring of route and schedule adherence
AssigneeTrimble Navigation Limited
InventorEric Klein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for monitoring the movement of a vehicle along a selected route R to determine whether the vehicle is (i) adhering to that route and/or (ii) adhering to a selected time schedule along that route. Adherence to the route R requires that the vehicle travel within a corridor of selected positive width that surrounds a path defining the route R. Adherence to the time schedule requires that the vehicle move past one or more specified locations along or adjacent to the route R within a specified time interval. The method provides an electronic map with a visually perceptible display that indicates the present location of the vehicle and allows implementation of a snap-to-route command that displays the location on the route R that is closest to the present location of the vehicle.
Claims12
Apparatus for monitoring adherence of a vehicle to a selected vehicle route from a vehicle monitoring station, the apparatus comprising:
- location determination (LD) means, carried on a selected vehicle, for receiving LD signals from an LD signal source spaced apart from the vehicle and for determining and recording the location coordinates corresponding to a location L(t.sub.s) of the vehicle at a selected time t=t.sub.s ;
- a computer, carried on the vehicle and communicating with the LD means, having an electronic map of a selected route R, where the selected route is approximated by an ordered sequence {P.sub.k }.sub.k of path segments P.sub.k, numbered k=1,2, . . , K (K.gtoreq.2), with path segment P.sub.k' (1.ltoreq.k'<K) being intersected by path segment P.sub.k'+1, in at least one point and with each path segment P.sub.k being surrounded by a corridor segment C.sub.k having a width approximately equal to 2d.sub.k, measured in a direction approximately perpendicular to a general direction of the segment P.sub.k, where d.sub.k is a selected positive distance;
- where the computer determines the perpendicular foot .pi..sub.k (L(t.sub.s)) of the location L(t.sub.s) on at least one of the path segments P.sub.k, determines the distance D.sub.k (L(t.sub.s)) from the location L(t.sub.s) to the perpendicular foot .pi..sub.k (L(t.sub.s)), and determines whether the distance D.sub.k (L(t.sub.s)).ltoreq.d.sub.k for at least one index value k;
- where the computer determines that, when D.sub.k (L(t.sub.s)).ltoreq.d.sub.k for at least one index value k, the vehicle is adhering to the selected route R;
- and
- where the computer determines, when D.sub.k (L(t.sub.s))>d.sub.k for all index values k, that the vehicle is not adhering to the route R, and the computer then transmits at least one of (1) a signal indicating that the vehicle is not adhering to the route R and (2) the location coordinates of the vehicle for at least one selected time t=t.sub.s', for which D.sub.k (L(t.sub.s'))>d.sub.k, to a selected vehicle monitoring station that is spaced apart from the vehicle.
Apparatus for monitoring adherence of a vehicle to a selected time schedule along a selected vehicle route from a vehicle monitoring station, the apparatus comprising:
- location determination (LD) means, carried on a selected vehicle, for receiving LD signals from an LD signal source spaced apart from the vehicle and for determining and recording the location coordinates corresponding to a location L(t.sub.s) of the vehicle at a selected time t=t.sub.s ;
- a computer, carried on the vehicle and communicating with the LD means, having a selected time schedule for the vehicle stored therein, where the time schedule is represented by at least one ordered time schedule triple (TI.sub.n,L.sub.n,d.sub.n) in an ordered sequence {(TI.sub.m,L.sub.m,d.sub.m)}.sub.m of one or more time schedule triples of values, where TI.sub.n ={t.vertline.t.sub.n-.DELTA.t.sub.n .ltoreq.t.ltoreq.t.sub.n +.DELTA.t.sub.n } is a selected time interval, with t.sub.n and .DELTA.t.sub.n being selected times and with .DELTA.t.sub.n >0, L.sub.n is a selected location in a region through which the vehicle passes, and d.sub.n is a selected positive number;
- where the LD means and computer are used to determine, for a sequence of one or more selected times t=t'.sub.r,u in an ordered sequence {t'.sub.r,v }.sub.v of such times, lying in a chosen time schedule time interval TI.sub.r with associated selected location L.sub.r, the location L(t'.sub.r,u) of the vehicle at the time t=t'.sub.r,u, to determine the distance between the location L.sub.r and the location L(t'.sub.r,u), and to determine whether the distance between the location L.sub.r and the location L(t'.sub.r,u) satisfies the relation distance .vertline.L.sub.r -L(t'.sub.r,u).vertline..ltoreq.d.sub.r for at least one selected time t'.sub.r,u in the time interval TI.sub.r ;
- where the computer determines that, when the relation distance relation .vertline.L.sub.r -L(t'.sub.r,u).vertline..ltoreq.d.sub.r is satisfied for at least one selected time t'.sub.r,u in the time interval TI.sub.r, the vehicle has adhered to the selected time schedule in the time interval TI.sub.r ;
- and
- where the computer determines that, when the relation distance relation .vertline.L.sub.r -L(t'.sub.r,u).vertline..ltoreq.d.sub.r is not satisfied for any selected time t'.sub.r,u in the time interval TI.sub.r, the vehicle has not adhered to the selected time schedule in the time interval TI.sub.r.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.