FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and a system for remotely monitoring payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle. This invention particularly relates to a system and method which can detect, compute and communicate payload pilferage and unauthorized fill of payload in vehicle to authorized users. The method and system of the present invention are also capable of taking necessary actions which includes but not limited to, immobilizing the vehicle when payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill is detected.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles are the key component for the transportation of payload which includes people and goods. Safe and cost effective transportation of payload are some of the key business drivers of vehicle industry. The problems and challenges which inhibit these business drivers are as follows:

Safety: Pilferage of payload during transportation in vehicle which result in loss for the shipping companies , transporters and consignee Cost effectiveness: Unauthorized payload fill during transportation in vehicle which will increase the operating cost of transporter due to increase in fuel consumption of vehicle due to additional load. Also it may lead to potential vehicle overload situations in which case the durability of vehicle components will get affected .This may increase maintenance cost of the vehicle and reduce revenue opportunities due to increase in vehicle down-time. Today vehicle owners do not have a system based methodology for addressing the aforementioned challenges.

The profitability of vehicle owners is decreasing due to these challenges.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method which can detect, compute—, communicate and/or prevent payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system which can detect, compute, communicate and/or prevent payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly the present invention provides a method for remote monitoring of payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of
configuring and storing authorized loading and unloading geographical locations and the corresponding payload details for a scheduled trip of a vehicle in a memory of a remotely located computing and communication apparatus;

sending a trigger commenced from said apparatus to a onboard wireless communication device of the vehicle for monitoring the payload and geographical location of the vehicle with date and time;

measuring the payload of the vehicle using a plurality of load sensors and the geographical location of the vehicle using a geographical location sensing unit;

communicating the measured payload and the geographical location information of the vehicle with the date and time to said apparatus;

computing the received payload and geographical location information with the information stored in the apparatus to determine payload pilferage, unauthorised payload fill, authorized loading and authorized unloading;

communicating the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill information, if any, to the onboard wireless communication device of the vehicle.

The present invention also provides a system for remote monitoring of payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle, said system comprising:

a computing and communication apparatus for configuring and storing authorized loading and unloading geographical locations and the corresponding payload details for a scheduled trip of a vehicle,;

a plurality of load sensors for measuring the payload of the vehicle;
a geographical location sensing unit for sensing the geographical location of the vehicle;

a onboard wireless communication device for monitoring the payload and geographical location of the vehicle and communicating the measured payload and the geographical location information of the vehicle to said apparatus;

means for computing the received payload and geographical location information with the information stored in the apparatus to determine payload pilferage, unauthorized payload fill, authorized loading and authorized unloading;

means for communicating the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill information, if any, to the onboard wireless communication device of the vehicle; and

means for generating reports and sending alerts to the authorized user from said apparatus.

The system of the present invention is configures to measure the payload of the vehicle in real-time using load sensor(s) mounted on the vehicle which can sense and measure the deflection of load transferring member(s) of the vehicle. The measured payload information along with associated geographical location of the vehicle is communicated through wireless communication by means of Onboard wireless communication device (B) to the Computing and communication apparatus (E), which can be situated remotely.

The Computing and communication apparatus (E) will detect pilferage or unauthorized payload fill in real-time based on the change in the payload quantity data collected and its associated geographical location of the vehicle. If the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill is detected by the Computing and communication apparatus (E), it will immediately send a command signal to the Engine Control Unit (C) of the vehicle through onboard wireless communication device (B) to cut off the fuel supply to the vehicle's engine and provide warning to driver. Thereby, the vehicle can be immobilized after payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill is detected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a system according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a flow chart explaining the operation of the method and the system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred system in accordance with the present invention is shown in figure 1. The system comprises of the following components:

load sensors (A) mounted on the vehicle which comprises at least the wired/ wireless output control/data channels;

onboard wireless communication device (B)which comprises atleast the input control & data channels, output control & data channels, processing unit, clock, memory, wireless network transmitter & receiver, geographical location sensing unit and intra-vehicle network communication interface;

geographical location sensing unit can include but not limited to global positioning system receiver or wireless network transmitter & receiver (like GSM/CDMA).

computing and communication apparatus (E) which comprises atleast the processing unit, clock, memory, wireless network transmitter & receiver and wired network transmitter & receiver;

engine Control Unit (C) which comprises atleast the intra-vehicle communication interface , input control/data channels & output control/data channels, control mechanism for controlling the amount of fuel injected into engine and Display (D); and

mobile communication device (F) which comprises at least the clock, memory, processing unit and wireless network transmitter & receiver.

The method of monitoring of payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill and the operation of the system are explained in the flow chart shown in figure 2.

The authorized loading and unloading geographical locations for the payload and the corresponding payload details for a scheduled trip of a vehicle are configured and set in the memory present in the Computing and communication apparatus (E), by the authorized vehicle administrator before the trip starts for the vehicle. The authorized loading and unloading geographical locations for the payload in the vehicle can be identified by computing and communication apparatus (E) by using the geographical database information stored in its memory. Subsequently a trigger command is sent by the computing and communication apparatus (E) to the onboard wireless communication device (B) in the vehicle to start monitoring the payload and the geographical location of the vehicle.

Load sensors (A) mounted in the vehicle provide atleast the payload information in real-time to the Onboard wireless communication device (B) through its wired/wireless output control/data channel(s) by measuring the deflection of load transferring members of the vehicle. The load transferring members can include but not limited to chassis, frame, suspension, axle and tyres.

Once the trigger command is received from the computing and communication device (E), onboard wireless communication device present in the vehicle shall acquire atleast the payload information from load sensors (A) in real-time through its input control/data channels either through wired or wireless communication medium inside the vehicle.

Onboard wireless communication device (B) will also monitor date, time and geographical location of the vehicle in real-time through its geographical location sensing unit along with payload:

The geographical location sensing unit can include but not limited to global positioning system receiver or wireless network transmitter & receiver. The global positioning system receiver sense the geographical location through methods which include but not limited to, through the real-time position signal inputs received from satellites. The wireless network transmitter & receiver sense the geographical location through methods which include but not limited to, through the real-time cell location inputs received from base station.

Onboard wireless communication device (B) shall transmit atleast the following parameters in real-time from the vehicle to the computing and communication apparatus (E) through wireless communication medium:

i. Payload of the vehicle
ii. Geographical location of the vehicle
iii. Date and time

Computing and communication apparatus (E) detects and computes the Payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill based on the real-time payload information obtained from Onboard wireless communication device (B) present in the vehicle, in the following manner:

i. When Payload (t previous) > Payload (t present) and this event is happening at the location which is neither authorized loading nor unloading location as set in memory of Computing and communication apparatus (E), then event of payload pilferage is detected and the amount of payload pilferage is also computed as Payload(t previous) - Payload(t present) and this information is stored in its memory so that it can be notified to the authorized user.

ii. When Payload(t previous) < Payload(t present) and this event is happening at the location which is neither authorized loading nor unloading location as set in memory of Computing and communication device (E), then event of unauthorized payload fill is detected and the amount of unauthorized payload fill is also computed as Payload(t present) - Payload(t previous) and this information is stored in its memory so that it can be notified to the authorized user. Where Payload (t previous) - Payload data at time t1 Payload (t present) - Payload data at time t2 when Payload (t previous) < Payload (t present) or Payload (t previous) > Payload (t present) Where t1 < t2 and t1 & t2 represent time Computing and communication apparatus (E) detects and computes the authorized loading and unloading of payload based on the real-time payload information obtained from Onboard wireless communication device (B) present in the vehicle, in the following manner:

i. When Pay load (t previous) > Pay load (t present) and this event is happening at the location which is authorized unloading location as set in memory of Computing and communication device (E), then event of authorized unloading of payload is detected and the amount of authorized unloading is also computed as Payload (t previous) - Payload (t pres) and this information is stored in its memory so that it can be used by the authorized user.

ii. When Payload (t previous) < Payload (t preSent) and this event is happening at the location which is authorized loading location as set in memory of Computing and communication device (E), then event of authorized payload fill is detected and the amount of authorized payload fill is also computed as Payload (t present) - Payload (t previous) and this information is stored in its memory so that it can be used by the authorized user. Where Payload (t previous) - Payload data at time t1 Payload (t preSent) - Payload data at time t2 when Payload (t previous) < Payload (t present) or Payload (t previous) > Payload (t present) Where t1 < t2 and t1 & t2 represent time

When Computing and communication apparatus (E) detects either Payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill, associated events are registered in its memory. These associated Payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill events are communicated to the Onboard wireless communication device (B) present in the vehicle. Onboard wireless communication device (B) receives Payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill events and it will send a fuel cut off command to Engine Control Unit (C) through its intra-vehicle network communication interface.

Engine Control Unit (C) receives the fuel cut-off command through its intra-vehicle network communication interface and it will cut-off the fuel supply to the engine through its control mechanism for the purpose of vehicle immobilization. It also provides the fuel cut-off status information to vehicle driver through its display (D) and also it provides this information to the onboard wireless communication device (B). The onboard wireless communication device (B) will send the fuel cut-off status information to Computing and communication apparatus (E). The Computing and communication apparatus (E) will store the fuel cut-off status information in its memory so that the authorized user can retrieve these information.

The computing and communication apparatus (E) is configured to provide the following information atleast by means of reports to the authorized users, which include but not limited to:

a. Loading report:

This includes information on Authorized payload loading location, date & time, time duration and load filled

b. Unloading report:

This includes information on Authorized payload unloading location, date & time, time duration and unloaded amount

c. Load pilferage report (if any):

This includes information on Payload pilferage location, date & time, time duration and pilfered load

d. Unauthorized load fill report (if any):

This includes information on unauthorized payload filling location, date & time, time duration and load filled

The computing and communication apparatus (E) is also configured to send alerts to a mobile communication device (F) with regard to following events, which includes but not limited to:

i. Authorized pay load loading and unloading alerts

ii. Payload pilferage alerts

iii. Unauthorized payload fill alerts The aforementioned alerts will also include information about geographical location, date and time stamps.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the claimed invention. Various modifications and alterations to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention. Thus, the claimed invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

We Claim:

1. A method for remote monitoring of payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of configuring and storing authorized loading and unloading geographical locations and the corresponding payload details for a scheduled trip of a vehicle in a memory of a remotely located computing and communication apparatus;

sending a trigger commenced from said apparatus to a onboard wireless communication device of the vehicle for monitoring the payload and geographical location of the vehicle with date and time;

measuring the payload of the vehicle using a plurality of load sensors and the geographical location of the vehicle using a geographical location sensing unit;

communicating the measured payload and the geographical location information of the vehicle with the date and time to said apparatus;

computing the received payload and geographical location information with the information stored in the apparatus to determine payload pilferage, unauthorised payload fill, authorized loading and authorized unloading;

communicating the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill information, if any, to the onboard wireless communication device of the vehicle.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the payload is measured in real-
time by measuring the deflection of load transferring members of the vehicle.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the onboard wireless communication device receives payload information from the sensors through wired or wireless communication medium.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the geographical location of the vehicle is monitored in real-time by geographical location sensing unit comprising global positioning system or wireless network transmitter and receiver.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the step of transmitting a fuel cut-off command signal to the engine control unit through onboard wireless communication device when payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill is detected.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the step of displaying the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill information and the fuel cut off status information in a display located inside the driver cabin and communicating to the onboard wireless communication device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the step of providing atleast the following information to the authorized user through wired/wireless communication network:

loading report including atleast information on authorized payload loading location, date & time, time duration and load filled;

unloading report including atleast information on authorized payload unloading location, date & time, time duration and unloaded quantity;

load pilferage report including atleast information on payload pilferage location, date & time, time duration and pilfered load;

unauthorized load fill report including atleast information on unauthorized payload filling location, date & time, time duration and unauthorized load filled.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the step of sending alerts to a mobile communication device about authorized payload loading and unloading, payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill.

9. A system for remote monitoring of payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill in a vehicle, said system comprising:

a computing and communication apparatus (E) for configuring and storing authorized loading and unloading geographical locations and the corresponding payload details for a scheduled trip of a vehicle,;

a plurality of load sensors (A) for measuring the payload of the vehicle;

a geographical location sensing unit (B) for sensing the geographical location of the vehicle;

a onboard wireless communication device (B) for monitoring the payload and geographical location of the vehicle and communicating the measured payload and the geographical location information of the vehicle to said apparatus;

means (E) for computing the received payload and geographical location information with the information stored in the apparatus to determine payload pilferage, unauthorized payload fill, authorized loading and authorized unloading;

means (E) for communicating the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill information, if any, to the onboard wireless communication device of the vehicle; and

means (E) for generating reports and sending alerts to the authorized user from said apparatus.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the payload is measured in real-time by measuring the deflection of load transferring members such as chassis, frame, suspension, axle and tyres of the vehicle.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the geographical location unit comprises a global positioning system or wireless network transmitter and receiver for monitoring the geographical location of the vehicle in real-time.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, comprising an engine control unit (C) to cut off fuel supply to the engine of the vehicle in case of the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, comprising a display (D) located inside the driver cabin for displaying the payload pilferage or unauthorized payload fill information and the fuel cut off status information.

14. The system as claimed in claim 9, comprising a mobile communication device (F) for receiving alerts relating to authorized payload loading and unloading, payload pilferage and unauthorized payload fill.