Patent Application
20170140680
The present invention relates to a placard for use with a vehicle, and particularly to an electronic placard.
Placards are mounted on trucks and other vehicles carrying cargo. The placards communicate important information regarding the contents of cargo being transported or the hazard type associated with the cargo being transported. The information contained on the placards is particularly important when an accident or other incident occurs which may compromise the containment of the cargo and pose a risk to the driver of the vehicle or others. For example, a placard may indicate when a hazardous material is being transported by the vehicle or may indicate a hazard type, for example flammable. The information on the placard provides the driver and others with information that enables them to handle the vehicle during an incident in an appropriate manner.
The placards are generally mounted to the exterior of the vehicle and include some type of indicator identifying the characteristics of the cargo or hazard type. When drivers transport cargo from one location to another, circumstances can arise in which it is important to know the contents or hazards of the cargo being transported. For example, if a truck carrying hazardous substance is in a traffic accident that may compromise the containment of the cargo, it may be important to know how dangerous the substance is and what characteristics it may possess. By identifying the type of cargo being transported and/or hazards, professionals can better assess the incident to determine what level of precaution must be taken when addressing the incident.
Typically, placards have been one of two styles: a flip-book style or an insert style. The flip-book style placard includes a predetermined set of images that are fixed to the base of a vehicle. Before transporting the cargo in the vehicle, the driver can “flip” to the image that best identifies the contents or hazards of the cargo. The flip-book style placard is limited to the images provided in the set. When the images or information needs to be updated, the entire flip- book may be replaced. The insert style placard is not limited to a predetermined set of images, but rather, any number of inserts can be created to slide into a housing mounted on a vehicle. However, the insert style placard is limited by the number of placard inserts stored in the vehicle during transportation. For example, if a driver drops off the cargo in the truck and picks up new cargo, the driver may not have access to a placard insert that properly identifies the new cargo or its hazards. Additionally, it is often difficult to read the information presented on the flip-book style and the insert style placards in the dark.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of displaying an electronic placard on a vehicle, the method including positioning an electronic display on a vehicle, providing a controller in communication with the display, selecting a placard from a library of placards using the controller, where the placards relate to cargo carried by the vehicle, and displaying the selected placard on the display.
In another embodiment the invention provides a method of displaying an electronic placard on a vehicle, the method including interfacing with a smart device having access to a library of placard images relating to cargo in the vehicle, selecting a particular placard image to be displayed, and wirelessly communicating the selected placard image to an electronic display on the vehicle.
In yet another embodiment the invention provides an electronic placard system for use with a vehicle containing cargo, the placard system including an electronic display configured to be positionable on an exterior of a vehicle, and a smart device application in wireless communication with said display, said application having access to a library of placard information relating to vehicle cargo such that placard information selected using the smart device application is displayed on said display.
In yet another embodiment the invention provides an electronic placard system for use with a vehicle containing cargo, the placard system including a housing mounted to the exterior of the vehicle, an electronic display secured to said housing, and a controller secured to the housing, where the controller is in communication with said display and in communication with a library of placards pertaining to vehicle cargo, and where the placard information is selected using said controller is displayed on said display.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limited. The use of “including,” “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “mounted,” “connected” and “coupled” are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mounting, connecting and coupling. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and can include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. Also, electronic communications and notifications may be performed using any known means including direct connections, wireless connections, etc.
It should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. For example, “controller” and “control unit” described in the specification can include one or more processors, one or more memory modules including non-transitory computer-readable medium, one or more input/output interfaces, and various connections (e.g., a system bus) connecting the components. Where the terms “controller” and “processor” are used as identifying a unit performing specific functions, it should be understood that, unless otherwise stated, those functions can be carried out by a single controller or multiple controllers arranged in any form. Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the invention and that other alternative configurations are possible.
As shown in
With reference to
The controller 30 is in communication with a library of placards 50. The library of placards 50 contains a plurality of placards 45 that a user may select to show on the display 40. The library of placards 50 may be stored on an internal memory of the controller 30 (
It should be understood that the wireless communication of the controller 30, the display 40, and the library of placards 50 can be carried out through any variety of known wireless communication methods. For example, the controller 30 may wirelessly control the display 40 through Bluetooth communication. Similarly, the controller 30 may be in communication with the library of placards 50 via an internet connection or mobile telecommunications technology. Likewise, it should be understood that the specific placement and configuration of the controller 30, the user interface 35, and the location of the library of placards 50 can vary. In addition, in some embodiments, multiple user interfaces 35 may be incorporated within the placard assembly 10. For example, the placard assembly 10 may include a controller 30 and a user interface on a smart device 70 and in an in-vehicle device 80.
In operation, when cargo is to be stored or transported, the appropriate placard 45 corresponding to the information to be displayed is selected to be shown on the display 40. The driver utilizes the user interface 35 in order to select a placard 45. Although the user interface 35 can be operated in a number of different ways,
Once the driver identifies the appropriate placard 45 in one of the lists described, the driver will select the placard 45 to be shown on the display 40 (step 150). In some embodiments, the user interface 35 will then provide additional information about the placard 45 selected (step 160). This enables the driver to ensure that the correct placard 45 is selected. If the driver agrees with the selection, they can confirm the selection, and the controller 30 will show the selected placard 45 on the display 40 (step 170).
In some embodiments, the placard assembly 10 includes additional safety features. For example, in the case of a power outage, an accident, or some other incident which may present complications to the placard assembly 10, the display 40 automatically retains the placard 45 last shown. In some embodiment, the display 40 provides information in addition to the information presented on the placards 45. For example, a safety scoreboard may appear that provides the number of lost work days. The display 40 may provide training tips or other safety messaging. Safety messaging can include updates on safety conditions based on the current conditions of the vehicle 15, the weather, or other travel conditions, such as the roads. In some embodiments, the additional information is provided in the form of a rotating news ticker that appears on the display 40.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
