WO2002084625A1

WO2002084625A1 - Vehicle monitoring system

Info

Publication number: WO2002084625A1
Application number: PCT/FR2002/001299
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roland Mermoz
Original assignee: Societe Financiere Desormeaux - Groupe Sofide
Priority date: 2001-04-17
Filing date: 2002-04-15
Publication date: 2002-10-24

Abstract

The inventive system for monitoring at least one vehicle (12) comprises a device (20) for determining the position of the vehicle at a given moment. It comprises means (14) for storing a road sheet (16) of the vehicle (12), said road sheet comprising a route upon which said vehicle is to travel and a list of stop-off along said route. It also comprises means (24) for measuring the variance arising from comparison between the position of the vehicle (12) at a given moment and the road sheet (16) and means (26) for triggering an alarm according to the measured variance.

Description

Vehicle monitoring system

The present invention relates to a system for monitoring at least one vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to a monitoring system of the type comprising a device for determining the positioning of the vehicle at a given instant.

Such a system is known which applies to the monitoring of a set of buses.

Generally, a bus traveling along a predetermined route communicates every minute by radio frequency high frequency its positioning to a central office. This exchange contains information relating to the route followed by the bus, the location of all the stops located on this route and the speed of travel of the bus prejudged along this route. In addition, it includes means for transmitting information to signs, indicating the arrival time of the next bus, located in these bus stops, so that the system is able to update these signs.

However, such a system is not suitable for monitoring a set of delivery vehicles whose task is to deliver expected goods to meeting places along their route. The invention aims to create a monitoring system capable of effectively monitoring this type of vehicle.

The subject of the invention is therefore a surveillance system of the aforementioned type, characterized in that it comprises means for storing a roadmap of the vehicle, this roadmap comprising a route followed by the vehicle and a list of meeting points on this route, and in that it includes means for measuring a difference resulting from the comparison between the positioning of the vehicle at the given instant and its road map, and means for triggering '' an alarm according to the measured deviation.

Thus, the monitoring system according to the invention allows a user to be informed and to be able to react, when an excessively large deviation is detected.

The monitoring system according to the invention may also include one or more of the following characteristics: the positioning determination device is on board the vehicle; - the storage means, the means for measuring the deviation and the means for triggering the alarm are on board the vehicle; the system comprises a remote monitoring center and means for transmitting the alarm from the vehicle to the monitoring center; the system includes means for downloading an update of the roadmap, from the monitoring center to the vehicle storage means; - the roadmap also includes a set of variants that can be made to the route;

- the variants are located along the route, in its vicinity; the system includes means for processing a request to replace part of the route with one of the variants, this request being issued by the driver of the vehicle; the route comprises a succession of journey segments, each journey segment comprising information on its length and the estimated speed profile of the vehicle along this segment; the measuring means comprise means for measuring, at the given time, the difference between the time scheduled for a next meeting point on the list and the time of arrival of the vehicle at this meeting point you, estimated from its positioning and its route; the measurement means further comprise means for detecting an abnormal path followed by the vehicle along the route, as a function of the evolution of the distance separating the vehicle from a next meeting point of the list, for a given duration; the measuring means comprise means for measuring, at the given instant, the geographical difference between the positioning of the vehicle and the route; and the device for determining the positioning of the vehicle is a global positioning device of the GPS type.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 schematically represents a monitoring system according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a road map for the monitoring system of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a geographic illustration of the road map of Figure 2; and FIG. 4 represents the steps of a monitoring method implemented in the system of FIG. 1. The monitoring system of at least one vehicle shown in FIG. 1 includes a server 10 on board a motor vehicle 12. The on-board server 10 includes a RAM memory 14 comprising at least one roadmap

16. This RAM memory 14 is associated with a computer 18 in which is implemented a motor vehicle monitoring method 12 which will be described later.

The motor vehicle 12 also comprises a global positioning device 20, of the GPS type, enabling it to know its position in longitude and latitude at all times. This global positioning device 20 is connected to the on-board server 10 and locally transmits the positioning of the motor vehicle 12 at all times to monitoring means 22 integrated in the computer 18.

These monitoring means 22 have read and write access to the RAM memory 14.

The computer 18 further comprises means 24 for measuring a difference between the waybill 16 and the positioning of the motor vehicle 12, these measuring means 24 being activated by the monitoring means 22. Finally, the computer 18 includes means 26 for triggering an alarm, these trigger means 26 being activated by the measuring means 24.

The on-board server 10 is connected to a network 28 for transmitting wireless information by means of a modem 30.

The monitoring system also comprises a remote monitoring center 32 in which a monitoring terminal 36 is installed connected to the network 28 for transmitting wireless information by means of a modem 34.

The monitoring terminal 36 is configured to transmit information for updating the waybill 16, intended for the monitoring means 22 of the computer 18, and for receiving alarm information from the means 26 for triggering computer alarm 18.

It also includes cartographic data comprising path segments and forming a conventional vector map, as well as a conventional operational search engine suitable for calculating an optimal route extracted from this cartographic data. There is shown in detail in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 3, the roadmap 16 stored in the RAM memory 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the route sheet 16 comprises, for example in the form of a data file, a route 40 comprising a succession of route segments 42. This route 40 is the optimal route calculated by the monitoring terminal 36. Each path segment 42 is defined by first and second ends, a length and a speed profile of the motor vehicle 12 along this path segment. Thus, it comprises a first field 44 in which the GPS coordinates of the first end are stored, a second field 46 in which the GPS coordinates of the second end are recorded, a third field 48 in which the length of the path segment is recorded 42 and a fourth field 50 in which the supposed speed profile of the motor vehicle 12 is recorded in this path segment.

Route 40 therefore takes the form of a conventional vector map. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the route 40 comprises for example a first segment of the route 42 between a point A, the starting point of the motor vehicle 12, and a point B. In the field 44 of this segment of path are stored the coordinates of point A, i.e. x _A and y _A. The coordinates of point B, XB and y _B , are stored in field 46, the distance between A and B, d (A, B), is stored in field 48 and the assumed average speed of the motor vehicle 12 V _AB is stored in field 50.

Route 40 also includes a second path segment 42 between point B and a point C. The coordinates of point B, x _B and y _B , are stored in field 44 of this path segment, the coordinates of point C , Xc and yc, are stored in field 46, d (B, C) is stored in field 48 and V _B c in field 50.

Finally, the route 40 comprises a third segment of the route 42 between the point C and a point D, the arrival point of the motor vehicle 12. The coordinates of the point C, x _c and yc, are stored in field 44 of this path segment, the coordinates of point D, x _D and y _D , are stored in field 46, d (C, D) is stored in field 48 and V _CD in field 50.

As shown in FIG. 2, the road map 16 includes, also in the form of a data file, a set of bis routes 52, also consisting of path segments 42, such as the path segments described above. These bis routes constitute all the variants and modifications that can be made to route 40, for example located along route 40, in its vicinity, that is to say in a corridor bordering route 40. Thus , in the event of disturbed traffic, for example, part of the path segments 42 of this set of bis routes 52 can replace part of the path segments 42 of route 40.

Finally, the roadmap 16 comprises a list 54 of meeting points 56, each meeting point 56 comprising a first field 58 of GPS coordinates indicating its position and a second field 60 indicating an instant scheduled for the appointment, namely the day and the hour, for example.

Preferably, the first field 58 of each meeting point 56 corresponds to at least one of the first or second fields 44, 46 of the path segments 42 of the route 40.

We see in Figure 3 that these meeting points are, for example, points B and C.

Thus, the list 54 comprises a first meeting point 56 at point B. The coordinates of point B, x _B and y _B , are therefore stored in field 58 of this first meeting point and the day and the the scheduled time of arrival of the motor vehicle 12 at point B are stored in field 60.

List 54 includes a second meeting point 56 at point C. The coordinates of point C, x _c and y _c , are therefore stored in field 58 of this second meeting point and the day and time provided for the arrival of the motor vehicle 12 at point C are stored in field 60.

The monitoring method shown in FIG. 4 is implemented by the computer 18.

It comprises a first step 70 of calculating an optimal route 40 and of loading the roadmap 16 into the RAM memory 14. As indicated previously, this calculation is carried out by the monitoring terminal 36. It is carried out before departure of the motor vehicle, but can also be carried out regularly during the movement of the motor vehicle.

Charging can be carried out by any suitable means. For example, it can be carried out by downloading files from the monitoring terminal 36. This loading is carried out before the departure of the motor vehicle.

The succession of following stages of this process is repeated periodically by the computer 18, as long as the motor vehicle 12 has not entirely traveled the route 40 entered in the road map 16.

Thus at an instant t, during a step 72, the monitoring means 22 transmit to the measurement means 24 the positioning information of the motor vehicle 12 obtained from the positioning device 30, the route 40 as well as a point 56 of the meeting point file 54, corresponding to the next meeting point scheduled on route 40.

Then, during a step 74 for calculating the time difference, using the information contained in the route 40, the next meeting point 56 and the geographical position of the motor vehicle 12 at the instant t, the measurement means 24 calculate conventionally the time T necessary for the motor vehicle 12 to reach the next meeting point.

In the following test step 76, if t + T is greater than the time of the next meeting point 56 entered in field 60, to which a safety margin has possibly been added, the measurement means 24 in deduce that the motor vehicle 12 will inevitably be late at this next meeting point 56. We then go to a step 78 for triggering an alarm.

Optionally, the measurement means 24 are adapted to calculate a geographic deviation of the motor vehicle 12 relative to the route 40. Thus, during a step 80 of calculating geographic deviation following step 72, from from the information from the route 40 and from the geographical position of the motor vehicle 12, the measurement means 24 conventionally calculate the distance separating the motor vehicle 12 from its route 40.

Thus, in the following test step 82, if the calculated geographical difference is greater than a predetermined threshold for more than a predetermined duration, the measurement means 24 consider that the motor vehicle 12 is lost and we also go to l 'step 78 of alarm triggering.

Also optionally, the measurement means 24 are adapted to detect an abnormal path followed by the motor vehicle 12 along the route 40. For this, during a step 81 following step 72, the measurement means determine the evolution over time of the distance separating the motor vehicle 12 from the next meeting point 56 for a given duration.

Thus, in the following test step 83, if during this given period the distance increases or decreases unexpectedly (for example too slowly) the measuring means 24 consider that the motor vehicle 12 is lost and we also go to alarm triggering step 78.

Also optionally, the measurement means 24 are adapted to conventionally detect other types of anomalies, such as prolonged parking of the motor vehicle at a given location. During the alarm triggering step 78, the measurement means 24 activate the alarm triggering means 26 by transmitting to them information relating to the difference measured during the previous step 76, 82 and / or 83 Thus, the alarm triggering means 26 transmit an alarm message to the monitoring terminal 36, containing the information making it possible to identify the origin of the alarm. Following this step 78, or following steps 76, 82 and 83 if no deviation has been noted by the measurement means 24, we go to a test step 84. During this step, the tracking means 22 detect a possible request for a change of route 40, sent by the driver of the motor vehicle 12 in the event of traffic disruption, by any appropriate means. If such a request is detected, we pass to a step 86 of modification of the route 40. During this modification step 86, the tracking means 22 replace, in the roadmap 16, part of the path segments 42 of the route 40, by a part of the path segments 42 of the assembly 52, corresponding to a route bis required by the driver of the motor vehicle 12.

Following this step 86, or following step 84 if no route change request 40 has been detected, we pass to a last test step 88.

During this step, the tracking means 22 detect the possible arrival of a message from the monitoring terminal 36 via the modem 30, this message comprising a modification request for updating the roadmap 16. This request is issued by an operator of the monitoring terminal 36, when for example, a new meeting point 56 not initially planned at the start of the motor vehicle 12 must be added to the list 54 of meeting points. In this case, at least one new route segment 42 must also be integrated into the route 40, to allow the motor vehicle 12 to reach this new meeting point 56. Such a request can also be regularly issued by the monitoring terminal 36 when the latter regularly calculates the optimal route 40 and therefore wishes to update the roadmap 16 on board the motor vehicle.

If a request for modification of the roadmap 16 is detected, we go to a step 90, during which the tracking means 22 load into the roadmap 16 the new meeting point 56, placed after the meeting points 56 initially loaded, and the new route segments 42, placed in the route 40.

The succession of steps is repeated from step 72.

It clearly appears that a monitoring system according to the invention makes it possible to anticipate the deviations resulting from a comparison between the position of a vehicle 12 and its roadmap 16, that these deviations are geographic deviations with respect to the route 40 followed by the vehicle 12 or time differences with respect to meeting points 56 fixed in the road map 16.

Another advantage of the monitoring system described above is to limit the exchange of information between the vehicle 12 and the monitoring center 32, in particular by avoiding the vehicle 12 from transmitting its geographic coordinates to the surveillance center 32, thanks to the boarding of the server 10 on board the vehicle 12.

Finally, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. In fact, as a variant, during the test step 76, the measurement means 24 activate the alarm triggering means 26, as soon as the result of the calculation of the instant of arrival of the vehicle 12 at the next point appointment 56 allows to conclude that in a predetermined period of time, such as thirty minutes for example, the vehicle will inevitably be late if it continues to drive at the same speed. Also in a variant, the route comprises additional fields comprising additional information available in the vector mapping databases, conventionally accessible via the Internet or on CD-ROM and installed on the local hard disk of the monitoring terminal 36. This additional information include, for example, traffic congestion or information displayed on signposts along the route. They are downloaded to the storage means 14, via the network 28 described above.

Also in a variant, the wireless information transmission network 28 is replaced by any other information transmission means, such as a microwave link or a data transfer means by smart card, for example. In this case, the system does not require the use of modems 30, 34.

Finally, as a variant, the operational search engine for an optimal route from a vector map can be loaded on board the vehicle.

The invention applies to the surveillance of vehicles such as delivery trucks, but can also be applied to the surveillance of boats, planes or other vehicles.

Claims

REVENDICATIONS1

1. System for monitoring at least one vehicle (12), the system comprising a device (20) for determining the positioning of the vehicle (12) at a given instant, characterized in that it comprises means (14) for storage of a road map (16) of the vehicle (12), this road map comprising a route (40) followed by the vehicle and a list (54) of meeting points (56) on this route (40 ), and in that it comprises means (24) for measuring a difference resulting from the comparison between the positioning of the vehicle (12) at the given instant and its roadmap (16), and means ( 26) of triggering an alarm as a function of the deviation measured, in that the route (40) comprises a succession of path segments (42), each path segment comprising information (48, 50) on its length and the estimated speed profile of the vehicle (12) along this segment, and in that the measuring means (24) comprise measuring means, at the given time, the difference between the time scheduled for a next meeting point (56) in the list (54) and the time of arrival of the vehicle (12) at this meeting point you, estimated from its positioning and its route (40).

2. Monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for calculating the route (40) followed by the vehicle (12) from a set of vector mapping data.

3. Monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the device (20) for determining positioning is on board the vehicle (12).

4. Monitoring system according to claim 3, characterized in that the storage means (14), the means (24) for measuring the deviation and the means (26) for triggering the alarm are on board the vehicle (12).

5. Monitoring system according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a remote monitoring center (32) and means (28, 30, 34) for transmitting the alarm, from the vehicle (12) to the center surveillance (32).

6. Monitoring system according to claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the route calculation means (40) are located in the remote monitoring center (32).

7. Monitoring system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises means (36) for downloading an update of the roadmap (16), from the monitoring center (32) to the storage means (14) of the vehicle (12).

8. Monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the road map (16) further comprises a set (52) of variants that can be made to the route (40).

9. Monitoring system according to claim 8, characterized in that the variants are located along the route (40), in its vicinity.

10. Monitoring system according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it comprises means (22) for processing a request to replace part of the route (40) with one of the variants, this request being issued by the driver of the vehicle (12).

1 1. surveillance system any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the measuring means (24) further comprise means for detecting an abnormal path followed by the vehicle (12) along the route (40), as a function of the evolution of the distance separating the vehicle (12) from a next meeting point (56) from the list (54), for a given duration.

12. Monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the measuring means (24) comprise means for measuring, at the given time, the geographic difference between the positioning of the vehicle and the route (40).

13. Monitoring system according to any one of claims 3 to 12, characterized in that the device (20) for determining the positioning of the vehicle is a global positioning device of GPS type.