Emergency event based vehicle data logging
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.
1. In a telematics system for use in a road vehicle, the telematics system being configured to collect and log at least one type of vehicle data during operation of the vehicle, and comprising:
(a) a geographical position sensing component for collecting geographical position data from the road vehicle during vehicle operation, the geographical position data being time indexed;
(b) a memory for storing road vehicle data;
(c) a real time wireless data link;
(d) a processor for implementing the functions of:
(i) collecting and logging vehicle data at a first collecting and logging frequency, according to a predefined data logging paradigm and periodically using the real time wireless data link to send this data to a remote computing device;
(ii) the improvement comprising, in response to the activation of an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle, increasing the amount of vehicle position data collected per unit of time by collecting and logging data at a second collecting and logging frequency that is higher than said first collecting and logging frequency, 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; and
(iii) returning to the predefined data logging paradigm to collect vehicle data at said first collecting and logging frequency, once the item of emergency equipment is deactivated;
wherein the processor further implements the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm to collect data at said first collecting and logging frequency after at least one of the following events:
(a) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time;
(b) a predetermined period of time elapses;
(c) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and
(d) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location.
2. The system of claim 1 , 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.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data link comprises a relatively short-range wireless data link.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data link comprises a relatively long-range wireless data link.
5. In a non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for controlling the automatic collection and logging of vehicle geographical position data during the operation of a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of:
(a) collecting and logging vehicle geographical position data at a first collecting logging and frequency according to a predefined data logging paradigm and sending the geographical position data over a wireless data link to a remote computing device;
(b) the improvement comprising in response to the activation of an item of emergency equipment at the vehicle, increasing the amount of vehicle data collected per unit time by collecting and logging geographical position data at a second collecting and logging frequency that is higher than said first collecting and logging frequency, 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) returning to the predefined data logging paradigm to collect vehicle data at said first collecting and logging frequency, once the item of emergency equipment is deactivated;
wherein the machine instructions, when implemented by the processor, further carry out the function of returning to the defined logging paradigm to collect and log data at said first collecting and logging frequency after at least one of the following events:
(a) the vehicle remains motionless for more than a predetermined period of time;
(b) a predetermined period of time elapses;
(c) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to a fleet vehicle storage yard; and
(d) the vehicle arrives at a location corresponding to an emergency location.
6. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 5 , 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.