Vehicle fleet control system and corresponding vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle fleet control system (10) comprising a plurality of vehicles and a remote control apparatus (124), wherein each vehicle (100) comprises an integrate electronic controller (102), a position sensor (170), a memory (168) containing a map of a road network (M) and an integrated visualisation device (166); wherein: the remote control apparatus (124) is configured to receive a list of activities, determine an optimal route to be followed to perform such activities, and transmit the list and the optimal route to the corresponding vehicle (100); the integrated electronic controller (102) is configured to receive and to send, to the integrated visualisation device, such list of activities and such optimal route; the integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to visualise the list of activities and the optimal route, and to provide navigation instructions related to the optimal route; the integrated visualisation device (166) is further configured to detect a feedback related to the list, and to transmit (F) the feedback to the integrated electronic controller (102); the integrated electronic controller (102) is further configured to receive (F) and send (TUS), to the remote control apparatus (124), said feedback; and the remote control apparatus (124) is further configured to receive (TUS) the feedback and transmit it to a vehicle fleet manager and / or to produce a second list of activities as a function of the feedback.

Description

[0001] “Vehicle fleet control system and corresponding vehicle”

[0002] ****

[0003] TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

[0004] Technical Field

[0005] The embodiments of the present description refer to a vehicle fleet control system.

[0006] Specifically, various embodiments of the present description refer to solutions for vehicle fleet control systems.

[0007] Technical Background

[0008] The so-called task management systems of vehicles in fleets are more and more widely used, since they enable decreasing the time necessary for the organization and the management of such activities, while at the same time increasing the efficiency and the safety of the vehicles belonging to such fleets.

[0009] Most systems developed for the management of fleets are based on the use of receivers of positioning systems, for instance receivers of the Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0010] In this way it is possible to locate the vehicles belonging to a fleet, for instance in real time, thereby obtaining a current position for each vehicle in the fleet.

[0011] The current position of a vehicle in a fleet may be used, for example, to manage the route that such vehicle has to follow in order to perform one or more activities associated therewith, for example by trying to minimize the travelled distance and / or the time taken to perform said one or more activities, and / or to coordinate a plurality of vehicles in the same fleet.

[0012] Moreover, such fleet management systems usually comprise a fleet manager interface, which enables said fleet manager to determine and order the activities to be performed by each vehicle in the fleet, for instance by obtaining for each vehicle in the fleet a list of the activities to be performed.

[0013] According to known solutions, each vehicle in the fleet comprises an additional hardware device, for instance a mobile device or a dedicated hardware device, comprising at least one visualisation device configured to visualise the next activity to be performed, and / or the list of the activities to be performed by the vehicle.

[0014] Some known solutions, therefore, by means of special additional hardware devices, offer functions related to the management and the visualisation of the activities to be performed by the vehicles in a fleet, therefore leading to the absence of a connection between such additional hardware devices providing such functions and the components integrated in the vehicles.

[0015] Moreover, the provision of such additional hardware devices into the vehicles in the fleet requires non-negligible cost.

[0016] Therefore, solutions that facilitate a greater connection between the hardware devices used for managing the vehicles in the fleets and the vehicles themselves would be advantageous for increasing the efficiency of such management.

[0017] Object and Summary

[0018] An object of one or more embodiments is to facilitate solving the previously described problems.

[0019] According to one or more embodiments, such previously described object may be achieved by means of a vehicle fleet control system, for instance of vehicles for both commercial and non-commercial activities, which is integrated in the vehicle.

[0020] Therefore, the present detailed description refers to a vehicle fleet control system, said system comprising a plurality of vehicles and a remote control apparatus, wherein each vehicle in said plurality of vehicles comprises:

[0021] - an electronic controller integrated in the vehicle, comprising a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with said remote control apparatus via an asynchronous communication protocol, the integrated electronic controller being configured to store a list of activities to be performed by said vehicle,

[0022] - a position sensor, to determine the current position of the vehicle, and a memory comprising data in the form of a map of a road network,

[0023] - a visualisation device integrated into the vehicle, configured to visualise said list of activities and said map; wherein said remote control apparatus is configured to receive, from a vehicle fleet manager, a first list of activities for at least one vehicle in said plurality of vehicles, to determine a first optimal route that the vehicle has to follow to perform said activities in said first list of activities as a function of the current position of the vehicle, and to transmit said first list of activities and said first optimal route to the corresponding vehicle; wherein said electronic controller integrated in the vehicle is configured to receive said first list of activities and said first optimal route from said remote control apparatus, and to send said first list of activities and said first optimal route to said integrated visualisation device; wherein said integrated visualisation device is configured to visualise said first list of activities and said first optimal route on said map, and to provide navigation instructions related to said first optimal route; wherein said remote control apparatus is further configured to receive, from said vehicle fleet manager, a modification of said first list of activities, to produce a second list of activities as a function of said modification, to determine a second optimal route which the vehicle has to follow to perform said activities in said second list as a function of the current position of the vehicle, and to transmit said second list of activities and said second optimal route to the corresponding vehicle; wherein said integrated electronic controller is further configured to receive said second list of activities and said second optimal route from said remote control apparatus, and to send said second list of activities and said second optimal route to said integrated visualisation device: wherein said integrated visualisation device is further configured to visualise said second list of activities and said second optimal route on said map, and to provide navigation instructions related to said second optimal route; wherein said integrated visualisation device is further configured to detect a feedback, by a driver of said vehicle, related to said first list of activities and / or to said second list of activities, and to transmit said feedback to said integrated electronic controller; wherein said integrated electronic controller is further configured to receive said feedback from said integrated visualisation device and to send said feedback to said remote control apparatus; and wherein said remote control apparatus is further configured to receive said feedback from said at least one vehicle, and to transmit said feedback to said vehicle fleet manager, and / or to produce a third list of activities as a function of said feedback.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, said first optimal route and said second optimal route:

[0025] - minimize a distance travelled by the vehicle to perform the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities, respectively; and / or

[0026] - minimize a time taken by the vehicle to perform the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities, respectively; wherein, preferably, said minimization operations are performed based on current and / or historical traffic patterns, windows for performing the activities in said first list of activities and said second list of activities, respectively, shift times of the driver of said vehicle, and / or a typology of the vehicle.

[0027] Moreover, preferably, said providing navigation instructions related to said first optimal route and to said second optimal route via said integrated visualisation device comprises:

[0028] - sending, via said integrated visualisation device, said first optimal route and said second optimal route, respectively, to a navigation system integrated in the vehicle;

[0029] - determining and sending, via said integrated navigation system, said navigation instructions related to said first optimal route and to said second optimal route, respectively; and

[0030] - receiving and providing, via said integrated visualisation device, said navigation instructions related to said first optimal route and to said second optimal route, respectively.

[0031] According to a further preferred characteristic, said visualising:

[0032] - said first list of activities and said first optimal route on the map, and

[0033] - said second list of activities and said second optimal route on the map, via said integrated visualisation device occurs in response to the selection of a notification by the driver of the vehicle, preferably a pop-up notification, wherein said notification is visualised and selected via the integrated visualisation device.

[0034] Always preferably, said remote control apparatus is configured to order the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities based on:

[0035] - said first optimal route and said second optimal route, respectively;

[0036] - a predetermined order, said predetermined order being selected by the vehicle fleet manager, preferably wherein said predetermined order is obtained based on priority values associated with the activities in said first list of activities and said second list of activities, respectively, said remote control apparatus being further configured to determine said first optimal route and said second optimal route, respectively, based on said predetermined order of the activities; and / or

[0037] - a combination of the previous orders, wherein a first set of said activities in said first list of activities and in said second list is ordered based on said first optimal route and said second optimal route, respectively, and a second set of said activities is ordered based on said predetermined order.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment, said remote control apparatus is configured to:

[0039] - determine, in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to perform an optimisation operation of the first or the second optimal route associated with the vehicle, a third optimal route that the vehicle has to follow to perform the activities in said first list of activities or in said second list of activities, respectively, wherein said third optimal route is obtained as a function of the current position of the vehicle and a current traffic pattern, and

[0040] - transmit said third optimal route to the corresponding vehicle.

[0041] According to a preferred embodiment, said remote control apparatus is configured to:

[0042] - send or not to send said feedback of said vehicle to said vehicle fleet manager in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager, indicating to receive or not to receive said feedback of the vehicle, respectively; and / or

[0043] - provide the vehicle fleet manager with data on the performance of the activities in said first list of activities or in said second list of activities, preferably providing a filtering operation of said data on the performance of the activities, in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to receive updates on the performance of the activities in said first list of activities or in said second list of activities, respectively.

[0044] According to a preferred embodiment, said integrated electronic controller is configured to execute an application, preferably a webportal or webwidget application, and to send application visualisation signals to the integrated visualisation device, and said integrated visualisation device is configured to receive said application visualisation signals and to visualise, based on said application visualisation signals, an interface of said application; wherein said application comprises a fleet management application and a notification application, said notification application being configured to manage said receiving operations of said first and said second list of activities and of said first and said second optimal route, and to send said first and said second list of activities and said first and said second optimal route to the fleet management application; said fleet management application being configured to receive said first and said second list of activities and said first and said second optimal route from said notification application, and to manage said memorization operations of said first and said second list of activities, said sending operations of said first and said second list of activities and of said first and said second optimal route to said integrated visualisation device, and said receiving and sending operations of said feedback.

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment, said fleet management application is configured to:

[0046] - receive the current position of the vehicle and the map of the road network, determine navigation instructions based on said current position, said map of the road network, and said first or said second list of activities, and send said navigation instructions to the integrated visualisation device;

[0047] - receive login data from the integrated visualisation device and send said login data to the remote control apparatus, wherein said remote control apparatus is configured to receive said login data and to perform a login operation based on said received login data; and / or

[0048] - receive logout data from the integrated visualisation device and perform a logout operation based on said logout data.

[0049] According to a preferred embodiment, said remote control apparatus is configured, in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager, to:

[0050] - subscribe or unsubscribe said vehicle fleet manager to / from the vehicle fleet control system; and / or

[0051] - insert or remove a given vehicle from the plurality of vehicles comprised in said vehicle fleet control system.

[0052] According to a preferred embodiment, said plurality of vehicles comprises at least one vehicle with an electrical traction motor, and wherein said first and said second optimal route related to said vehicle with the electrical traction motor are further optimized based on:

[0053] - positions of a plurality of charging stations for vehicles with electrical traction motor;

[0054] - a current battery level of a battery of said vehicle with the electrical traction motor;

[0055] - an expected battery level of the battery of said vehicle with the electrical traction motor, said expected battery level being measured after performing the activities in said first list of activities and / or in said second list of activities; and / or

[0056] - a current load level of said vehicle with the electrical traction motor.

[0057] According to a preferred embodiment, at least one vehicle in said plurality of vehicles is configured to contain objects, and each of said objects comprises a corresponding RFID, Radio-Frequency IDentification, tag, wherein each RFID tag is configured to send, to a remote reader, data indicating the presence, in said at least one vehicle, of a corresponding object which comprises the RFID tag, wherein said remote reader is integrated in said at least one vehicle and is configured to receive, for each of said RFID tags, said data indicating the presence of the corresponding object in said at least one vehicle and to send, based on the received data, a presence signal indicating the presence of the corresponding object in said at least one vehicle to said electronic controller integrated in the vehicle; wherein said integrated electronic controller is configured to receive, for each of said RFID tags, said presence signal indicating the presence of the corresponding object in said at least one vehicle, thereby obtaining an indication of presence of the corresponding object; wherein said remote control apparatus is configured to receive, from said vehicle fleet manager, an inventory list comprising at least one identifier for at least one object that is to be present on the at least one vehicle, and to transmit said inventory list to the at least one vehicle; wherein said electronic controller integrated in the vehicle is configured to receive said inventory list from said remote control apparatus, and to send said inventory list to said integrated visualisation device; wherein said integrated visualisation device is configured to visualise said inventory list; wherein said electronic controller integrated in the vehicle is further configured to:

[0058] - detect whether an indication of presence has been obtained for each object corresponding to an identifier of said inventory list and, if at least one indication of presence has not been obtained for at least one object corresponding to an identifier of the inventory list, to generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device; and

[0059] - detect whether at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said inventory list has been received and, if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said inventory list has been received, to generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device; wherein said integrated visualisation device is configured to receive said alarm signal and to visualise, based on said alarm signal, an alarm notification.

[0060] According to a preferred embodiment, said remote control apparatus is configured to receive, from said vehicle fleet manager, a modification of said inventory list, to produce an updated inventory list as a function of said modification, and to transmit said updated inventory list to the at least one vehicle; wherein said electronic controller integrated in the vehicle is configured to receive said updated inventory list from said remote control apparatus, and to send said updated inventory list to said integrated visualisation device; wherein said integrated visualisation device is configured to visualise said updated inventory list; wherein said electronic controller integrated in the vehicle is further configured to:

[0061] - detect whether an indication of presence has been obtained for each object corresponding to an identifier of said updated inventory list and, if at least one indication of presence has not been obtained for at least one object corresponding to an identifier of the updated inventory list, tp generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device;

[0062] - detect whether at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said updated inventory list has been received and, if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said updated inventory list has been received, to generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device; wherein said integrated visualisation device is configured to receive said alarm signal and to visualise, based on said alarm signal, an alarm notification.

[0063] According to a preferred embodiment, said integrated electronic controller is configured to:

[0064] - remove, in response to a modification of said first or said second list of activities resulting in a removal from said at least one vehicle of said at least one object that is to be present on the at least one vehicle, an identifier corresponding to said at least one object removed from the inventory list;

[0065] - add, in response to a modification of said first or said second list of activities resulting in an addition of at least one additional object in said at least one vehicle, an identifier corresponding to said at least one additional object added to the inventory list;

[0066] - determine and send position data of the at least one object corresponding to the at least one identifier comprised in said inventory list to the remote control apparatus; and / or

[0067] - receive weight data related to the at least one object corresponding to the at least one identifier comprised in said inventory list from said RFID tag via said remote reader integrated in the at least one vehicle, and estimate the weight of a load of the at least one vehicle.

[0068] One or more embodiments refer to a corresponding vehicle. Therefore, the solutions as described in the following description facilitate obtaining a greater connection between the hardware devices used for the management of the fleet vehicles and the vehicles themselves, thereby increasing the efficiency of such management.

[0069] Brief Description of the Figures

[0070] One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the annexed Figures, wherein:

[0071] - Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary vehicle fleet control system according to embodiments of the present description;

[0072] - Figure 2 shows a block diagram comprising a vehicle fleet control system according to Figure 1 , and an interface for a fleet manager according to embodiments of the present description;

[0073] - Figure 3 shows an example of use of a vehicle fleet control system according to the block diagram of Figure 1 ; and

[0074] - Figure 4 shows a further example of use of a vehicle fleet control system implementing an RFID scanner function.

[0075] The Figures are provided in order to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the embodiments, and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0076] Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

[0077] In the description provided in the following, one or more specific details are illustrated with the purpose of offering an in-depth understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present description. The embodiments may be obtained without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, known operations, materials or structures are not illustrated or described in detail in order not to obscure certain aspects of the embodiments.

[0078] A reference to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” throughout the present description means that a particular configuration, structure or characteristic described with reference to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as “in an embodiment” or “in one embodiment” which may appear in one or more instances in the present description do not necessarily refer to one and the same embodiment. Moreover, particular configurations, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable way in one or more embodiments.

[0079] The references provided herein are for convenience only, and therefore do not define the extent of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

[0080] In all the figures provided, and throughout the following detailed description, unless the context indicates otherwise, similar parts or elements are denoted with similar references / numbers, and a corresponding description will be omitted for brevity.

[0081] As stated in the foregoing, solutions as described herein aim at facilitating the achievement of a greater connection between the hardware devices used for the management of the fleet vehicles and the vehicles themselves, thereby increasing the efficiency of such management.

[0082] Embodiments of solutions as described herein tries to facilitate the achievement of said object, for instance by integrating the functions performed by such additional hardware devices directly within the vehicle, for example by using the infotainment of the vehicle and the switchboard or one or more Electronic Control Units (ECUs).

[0083] In fact, by integrating the functions performed by such additional hardware devices directly within the vehicle, it is possible to obtain a greater and more reliable connection among the components configured to perform such activity management functions and the components configured to perform other functions of the vehicle.

[0084] It is noted that such activity management functions may also be performed by components which are configured to perform other functions (that is, by components configured to perform both activity management functions and other functions of the vehicle), for example, both the switchboard or one or more electronic control units and the infotainment system of a vehicle may be configured to execute both activity management functions and other functions, thereby further enhancing such connection and the possible interaction between the components.

[0085] Such a choice of integrating the functions performed by such additional hardware devices directly within the vehicle may advantageously allow to implement the functions related to the management and the visualisation of the activities to be performed by the vehicles of a fleet without having to add further components.

[0086] In this way, the vehicles belonging to a fleet may not be equipped with additional hardware devices and therefore, in addition to the increased efficiency deriving from the integration of such activity management functions directly on the vehicle, it is possible to reduce the costs for the management of a fleet since it is no longer necessary to provide each vehicle of the fleet with a respective additional hardware device.

[0087] For example, a further advantage of such integration may consist in a higher reliability of the activity management functions, because such activity management functions may no longer be dependent on a battery supplying the additional hardware devices which are employed in the known solutions.

[0088] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary vehicle fleet control system 10 according to embodiments of the present description.

[0089] It is noted that some components of such vehicle fleet control system 10 may not be present in embodiments of the present solution, or else they may be implemented by means or one or more equivalent blocks.

[0090] It is noted that embodiments of the present solution may comprise additional blocks with respect to what has been described for the vehicle fleet control system 10 of Figure 1 .

[0091] The vehicle fleet control system 10, for example for vehicles for commercial and non-commercial activities, that is commercial vehicle fleets (vehicle fleets used to deliver and collect goods, passengers or employees performing a service on site) or non-commercial vehicle fleets (which are used for instance in activities other than previously described), comprises:

[0092] - a plurality of vehicles (it is noted that, for clarity, Figure 1 only shows one vehicle 100 and, since the other vehicles in such plurality of vehicles are equivalent to vehicle 100, the block diagram of a system 10 comprising a plurality of vehicles may be obtained simply by starting from the block diagram of Figure 1 and repeating a number of times the block related to the vehicle 100); and

[0093] - a remote control apparatus 124.

[0094] Each vehicle 100 in such a plurality of vehicle comprises at least:

[0095] - an electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100, for instance a switchboard, an electronic control unit, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a control logic or any other processing device integrated into said vehicle 100, comprising a wireless communications interface configured to communicate with the remote control apparatus 124, for example, by means of an asynchronous communication protocol (for example, a Message Queuing Telemetry Transport, MQTT, protocol);

[0096] - a position sensor 170, for example a GPS receiver or the like, configured to determine the current position of the vehicle 100;

[0097] - a memory 168, configured to store data in the form of a map of a road network M; and

[0098] - a visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, for example a visualisation device integrated in the infotainment system of such vehicle 100.

[0099] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present solution, the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100 is configured to store a list of activities to be performed by such vehicle 100, and to send such list of activities to the visualisation device 166, for example, in response to a request by a driver to visualise said list (for instance, a request received via a feedback signal F).

[0100] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 is configured to receive and visualise such a list of activities.

[0101] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may also visualise the map of the road network, for example, by receiving it from such memory 168 by means of a map signal M.

[0102] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may also visualise the current position of the vehicle 100, for example, by receiving it from said position sensor 170 via a position signal POS.

[0103] The remote control apparatus 124 is configured to receive, from a vehicle fleet manager (for example, by means of an interface as shown in Figure 2), for instance through management signals Ri , R2, R3, and R4, one or more lists of activities for one or more vehicles belonging to the vehicle fleet.

[0104] Each of such lists of activities may be associated with a corresponding vehicle 100, and may comprise the activities to be performed by said vehicle 100.

[0105] The remote control apparatus 124 may be further configured to determine one or more optimal routes based on the one or more lists of activities, wherein each optimal route is associated with a corresponding vehicle 100 and corresponds to an optimized route, for example, with respect to the distance to be travelled, to the time taken and / or the like, in order to complete the activities comprised in the list of activities associated with such vehicle 100.

[0106] Said one or more optimal routes may be determined based on the current position of the respective one or more vehicles, for example, an optimal route associated with a corresponding vehicle 100 may be determined based on the current position of said vehicle 100.

[0107] Said one or more optimal routes may further be determined based on the current and / or historical traffic patterns, on the delivery windows (for example, when a customer associated with a given activity is available), on the shift times of the drivers, and / or on the typology of the vehicle considered to perform a given activity.

[0108] The remote control apparatus 124 is configured to transmit, for example via the asynchronous communication protocol, the one or more lists of activities and the one or more optimal routes to the corresponding one or more vehicles 100.

[0109] Each vehicle 100 is therefore configured to receive, from said remote control apparatus 124 and via the electronic controller 102, and specifically via the wireless communication interface, the corresponding list of activities and the corresponding optimal route which it has to follow to complete the activities in the list.

[0110] Therefore, the electronic controller 102 is further configured to send the corresponding list of activities (as described in the foregoing) and the corresponding optimal route received via the wireless communication interface to the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, for example via a route visualisation signal VP.

[0111] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 is configured to receive, from said electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100, the corresponding list of activities and the corresponding optimal route, and to visualise said list of activities and said optimal route, for example, by projecting such optimal route onto the map of the road network received by said memory 168 via the map signal M, and / or also visualising the current position of the vehicle 100 received by said position sensor 170 via the position signal POS.

[0112] The visualisation signal 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may be configured to provide navigation instructions related to the optimal route, in such a way as to facilitate reaching the location where the next activity of the list of activities is to be performed, for instance by sending said optimal route to the navigation system of the vehicle 100 (that is, the navigation system integrated in the vehicle 100) and receiving from said navigation system of the vehicle 100 such navigation instructions.

[0113] It is noted that such sending the optimal route to the navigation system of the vehicle 100 may be performed since the activity management functions and, for example, the list of activities and the corresponding optimal route are available within one and the same environment which also comprises the navigation system of the vehicle 100, that is, since such activity management functions are integrated in the vehicle 100.

[0114] Therefore, such sending of the optimal route to the navigation system of the vehicle 100 (that is, to the navigation system integrated in the vehicle 100) and the consequent possibility of providing, via the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, navigation instructions related to the optimal route, may be an exemplary function which may advantageously be achieved by means of such integration of the functions performed by the additional hardware devices (as used in the previous solutions) directly within the vehicle (as in embodiments of the present description).

[0115] In fact, by using an additional hardware device, it would not be possible to send the optimal route to the navigation system integrated in the vehicle 100 in order to obtain the corresponding navigation instructions, unless a pairing process is performed between the additional hardware device and the vehicle 100.

[0116] Such pairing process between the additional hardware device and the vehicle 100 may be costly in terms of time and may provide an unstable connection with the vehicle 100.

[0117] For example, the stability of such a connection may depend on a battery supplying power to said additional hardware device.

[0118] For example, if the additional hardware device is a mobile device, for instance a smartphone or the like, the stability of such a connection may further depend on the position of said mobile device; for example, such connection and such pairing process may have to be re-established every time the driver moves away from the vehicle 100, for example to complete activities in the list which require moving away from the vehicle 100.

[0119] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may be configured to visualise the corresponding list of activities in response to the selection of a notification by the driver, for instance a pop-up notification, wherein such notification may comprise information about the activities to be performed.

[0120] Therefore, solutions as described herein enable the fleet managers to define one or more lists of activities, specifically one or more lists of activities for one or more vehicles of the fleet, for instance a list of activities for each vehicle of the fleet.

[0121] Each of the one or more lists of activities may contain one or more activities that are to be performed by a corresponding vehicle and, for example, for each of such activities, said list may comprise indications about the position and / or the time when the activity is to be performed.

[0122] Each of the one or more lists of activities may further comprise, for each of the one or more activities which it contains, a title of the activity and a related description, contact information about a customer associated with such activity (for example name, address, telephone number or the like), performance details (for example the starting and ending date, the starting and ending time or the like) and / or additional information for the considered activity.

[0123] In embodiments of the present solution, the remote control apparatus 124 is further configured to receive one or more modifications of the one or more lists of activities (or modifications for a subset of said lists of activities), therefore offering the fleet manager the possibility to modify the one or more lists of activities which have been determined previously.

[0124] Such modifications may be, for instance, the modification of one or more activities in the list (for example changing the position thereof and / or the time when they are to be performed), the creation of one or more new activities to be performed and which have to be introduced into the list, and / or the deletion of one or more activities from the list.

[0125] In this case, the remote control apparatus 124 is configured to produce one or more further lists of activities, for example a further list of activities for each list of activities for which modifications have been received, based on the one or more modifications received.

[0126] The remote control apparatus 124 may further be configured to determine one or more further optimal routes, for example a further optimal route for each list of activities for which modifications have been received, based on the one or more modifications received and on the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0127] The remote control apparatus 124 is configured to transmit, for example via the asynchronous communication protocol, the one or more further lists of activities and the one or more further optimal routes to the corresponding one or more vehicles concerned with such received modifications.

[0128] Each vehicle 100 comprised among the one or more vehicles concerned with such received modifications is therefore configured to receive, from said remote control apparatus 124 and via the electronic controller 102 and, specifically, via the wireless communication interface, the corresponding further list of activities and the corresponding further optimal route that it has to follow to complete the activities in the further list.

[0129] Therefore, the electronic controller 102 is further configured to send the corresponding further list of activities and the corresponding further optimal route received via the wireless communication interface to the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, for example by means of a route visualisation signal VP, for example in response to a request by a driver to visualise said further list (for example, a request received via a feedback signal F).

[0130] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 is configured to receive, from said electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100, the corresponding further list of activities and the corresponding further optimal route, and to visualise said further list of activities (for example, in place of the previous list of activities) and said further optimal route (for example, in place of the previous optimal route), for example by projecting said further optimal route onto the map of the road network received by said memory 168 via the map signal M, and / or also by visualising the current position of the vehicle 100 received from said position sensor 170 via the position signal POS.

[0131] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may be configured to provide navigation instructions related to the further optimal route in such a way as to facilitate reaching the location where the following activity of the further list of activities is to be performed, for example by sending said further optimal route to the navigation system of the vehicle 100 (that is, to the navigation system integrated in the vehicle 100) and by receiving, from said navigation system of the vehicle 100, said navigation instructions.

[0132] The visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may be configured to visualise the corresponding further list of activities in response to the selection of a notification by the driver, for example a pop-up notification, wherein said notification may comprise information about new activities to be performed, updated activities and / or deleted activities.

[0133] It is noted that the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to order the activities contained in a list of activities, or possibly in a further list of activities, as a function of the corresponding optimal route, or possibly of the corresponding further optimal route; in other words, the activities in a list of activities (or in a further list of activities) may be ordered based on the order of apparition of the locations where said activities are to be performed within the corresponding optimal route (or within the further optimal route).

[0134] Therefore, the activities in a list of activities (or in a further list of activities) may be ordered, for example, based on a total distance to be travelled, on a total time taken, and / or the like, for completing the activities in the list, that is, by following the same criteria used for the optimization of the optimal route (or of the further optimal route).

[0135] It is noted that the remote control apparatus 124 may, in response to the reception of a signal which indicates to order the activities in one or more lists according to a predetermined order (or a subset of the activities in the one or more lists according to a predetermined order), to order the activities in said one or more lists of activities according to the received instructions.

[0136] For example, said signal indicating to order the activities (or a subset thereof) of one or more lists may comprise a priority value for each of the activities in said one or more lists (or in said subset) to be used for said ordering. It is noted that the remote control apparatus 124 may, in response to the reception of a signal which indicates to optimize again the optimal routes, be configured to optimize again the optimal routes of each vehicle of the fleet (or of a sub-group of vehicles of the fleet) based on the current traffic conditions.

[0137] In embodiments of the present description, the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 may be configured to detect a feedback, for example a feedback provided by the driver in response to the visualisation of the corresponding list of activities, of the corresponding route and / or or of any other event which concerns an update of the status of the activities in the list, and to transmit said feedback, for example by means of a feedback signal F, to the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100.

[0138] Examples of feedback regarding updates of the status of the activities in the list may concern: delays in performing one or more activities, reasons for the delays, foreseen times for the performance of one or more activities influenced by delays, failures in performing one or more activities, reasons for the failures, completion of the performance of one or more activities, a selected activity to be performed next, or the like.

[0139] In this case, the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100 is further configured to receive said feedback, for example via the feedback signal F sent by the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, and to send, for example via the wireless communication interface, said feedback to the remote control apparatus 124.

[0140] The remote control apparatus 124 is therefore configured to receive said feedback from the vehicle 100, that is, from the vehicle which integrates said electronic controller 102, and to transmit the feedback to the vehicle fleet manager (for instance, by means of a fleet manager interface), and / or to produce a further list of activities comprising modifications obtained based on such feedback (for example, by removing from the list an activity which the driver notifies as completed, or the like).

[0141] It is noted that the remote control apparatus 124 may respectively, in response to a request from the fleet manager indicating the reception or the silencing of the feedback, send or not send one or more feedbacks to the vehicle fleet manager. It is noted that said signal may be sent for all the vehicles of the fleet or for a sub-group of the vehicles in the fleet, and / or that it may have different values for different vehicles in the fleet, for instance by indicating to receive the feedbacks for a sub-group of the vehicles in the fleet and to not receive the feedbacks for the remaining part of the vehicles in the fleet.

[0142] The fleet manager may request updates on the completion of the activities in the lists of activities of one or more vehicles in the fleet, for example, by sending a request to the remote control apparatus 124.

[0143] In this way, the fleet manager may take decisions based on the activities which have been completed by the vehicles or generally by the fleet.

[0144] In this case, the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to provide the fleet manager with a report of the activities completed by the vehicles in the fleet (or by a sub-group thereof), therefore providing, for example, a further filtering function, in order to allow the fleet manager to be able to select the activities of interest only.

[0145] To sum up, embodiments of the present solution refer to a vehicle fleet control system 10, for instance, vehicles used in commercial and noncommercial activities, said system 10 comprising a plurality of vehicles (for example, a plurality of vehicles 100 as described in the foregoing) and a remote control apparatus 124, wherein each vehicle 100 in the plurality of vehicles comprises:

[0146] - an electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100, for example a switchboard, an electronic control unit, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a control logic or any other processing device comprised and integrated in said vehicle 100, comprising a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with the remote control apparatus 124 via an asynchronous communication protocol, for example an MQTT protocol, the integrated electronic controller 102 being configured to store a list of activities to be performed by said vehicle 100,

[0147] - a position sensor 107, for example a GPS receiver or the like, to determine the current position POS of the vehicle 100, and a memory 168 comprising data in the form of a map of a road network M,

[0148] - a visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, for example a visualisation device comprised in the infotainment system of said vehicle 100, configured to visualise the list of activities and the map M (which is for instance obtained from the memory 168 via a map signal M); wherein the remote control apparatus 124 is configured to receive, from a vehicle fleet manager, a first list of activities for at least one vehicle 100 in the plurality of vehicles, to determine a first optimal route that the vehicle 100 has to follow to perform the activities in the first list as a function of the current position (POS) of the vehicle 100, and to transmit the first list of activities and the first optimal route to the corresponding vehicle 100; wherein the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100 is configured to receive the first list of activities and the first optimal route from the remote control apparatus 124, and to send the first list of activities and the first optimal route to the integrated visualisation device 166; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 is configured to visualise the first list of activities and the first optimal route on the map M, and to provide navigation instructions related to the first optimal route; wherein the remote control apparatus 124 is further configured to receive from the vehicle fleet manager a modification of the first list of activities, to produce a second list of activities, that is, a further list of activities, as a function of the modification, to determine a second optimal route that the vehicle 100 has to follow in order to perform the activities in the second list as a function of the current position POS of the vehicle 100, and to transmit the second list of activities and the second optimal route to the corresponding vehicle 100; wherein the integrated electronic controller 102 is further configured to receive the second list of activities and the second optimal route from the remote control apparatus 124, and to send the second list of activities and the second optimal route to the integrated visualisation device 166; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 is further configured to visualise the second list of activities and the second optimal route on the map M, and to provide navigation instructions related to the second optimal route; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 is further configured to detect a feedback, by a driver of the vehicle 100, related to the first list of activities and / or to the second list of activities, and to transmit such feedback to the integrated electronic controller 102, for example via a feedback signal F; wherein the integrated electronic controller 102 is further configurated to receive the feedback from the integrated visualisation device 166, for example via said feedback signal F, and to send said feedback, for example via a feedback signal of the activity status update TUS, to the remote control apparatus 124; and wherein the remote control apparatus 124 is further configured to receive the feedback, for example via the feedback signal of the activity status update TUS, from the at least on vehicle 100, and to transmit it to the vehicle fleet manager, and / or to produce a third list of activities, that is, a further list of activities, as a function of the received feedback.

[0149] Moreover, the first optimal route and the second optimal route may:

[0150] - minimize a distance travelled by the vehicle 100 to perform the activities in the first list of activities and in the second list of activities, respectively;

[0151] - minimize a time taken by the vehicle 100 to perform the activities in the first list of activities and in the second list of activities, respectively; or

[0152] - minimize, in a combined fashion, both the distance travelled by the vehicle 100 and the time taken by the vehicle 100 (for example, by assigning different weights to the minimization operations) to perform the activities in the first list of activities and in the second list of activities, respectively; wherein, preferably, said minimization operations may be performed based on current and / or historical traffic patterns, windows for performing the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities, respectively (for instance, delivery windows), shift times of the driver of the vehicle 100, and / or a typology of the vehicle 100.

[0153] In embodiments of the present description, the operation of providing navigation instructions related to the first optimal route and to the second optimal route via the integrated visualisation device may comprise:

[0154] - sending, via said integrated visualisation device, the first optimal route and the second optimal route, respectively, to a navigation system, for example the navigation block 118 of Figure 1 , integrated in the vehicle 100;

[0155] - determining and sending, via the integrated navigation system 118, the navigation instructions related to the first optimal route and the second optimal route, respectively; and - receiving and providing, via the integrated visualisation device 166, such navigation instructions related to the first optimal route and to the second optimal route, respectively.

[0156] In embodiments of the present description, the operation of visualising the first list of activities and the first optimal route on the map M and the second list of activities and the second optimal route on the map M via the integrated visualisation device 166 may occur in response to the selection of a notification by the driver of the vehicle 100, preferably a popup notification, wherein said notification is visualised and selected via the integrated visualisation device 166.

[0157] In embodiments of the present description, the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to order the activities in the first list of activities and in the second list of activities based on:

[0158] - said first optimal route and said second optimal route, respectively;

[0159] - a predetermined order, said predetermined order being selected by the vehicle fleet manager, preferably wherein the predetermined order is obtained based on priority values associated with the activities in the first list of activities and in the second list of activities, respectively, the remote control apparatus 124 being further configured to determine the first optimal route and the second optimal route, respectively based on the predetermined order of the activities; and / or

[0160] - a combination of the previous orders, wherein a first set of the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list is ordered based on the first optimal route and on the second optimal route, respectively, and a second set of activities is ordered based on the predetermined order (for example, the activities having higher priority are ordered in a predetermined fashion, in order to be performed first, and the remaining activities are ordered in such a way as to minimize the time taken and / or the distance travelled by the vehicle 100 to complete the performance thereof).

[0161] In embodiments of the present solution, the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to:

[0162] - determine, in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to perform an optimisation operation, that is, to optimise again, the first or the second optimal route associated with the vehicle 100, a third optimal route that the vehicle 100 has to follow to perform the activities in the first list of activities or in the second list of activities, respectively, wherein the third optimal route is obtained as a function of the current position POS of the vehicle 100 and of a current traffic pattern, and

[0163] - transmit said third optimal route to the corresponding vehicle 100.

[0164] In embodiments of the present solution, the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to:

[0165] - send, for example via a feedback signal of the activity status update TUS, or not to send the feedback of the vehicle 100 to the vehicle fleet manager in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to receive or not to receive such feedback of the vehicle 100, respectively; and / or

[0166] - provide the vehicle fleet manager with data on the performance of the activities in the first list of activities or in the second list of activities, (that is, data regarding the activity status in a list, for example indicating the completed activities, the failed activities, the delayed activities, the activities to be performed, and the like), preferably providing a filtering operation on such activity performance data (for example, enabling a selection of subsections of the received data based on filtering criteria), in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to receive activity performance updates in the first list of activities or in the second list of activities, respectively.

[0167] As described in the foregoing, Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary vehicle fleet control system 10 comprising a plurality of vehicles, wherein each vehicle 100 in such plurality of vehicles comprises the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100, the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, the memory 168 and the position sensor 170.

[0168] It will be noted that the description of such components has already been provided in the foregoing, so that it will not be repeated in order not to overburden the present document.

[0169] For example, the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100 may be configured to send one or more visualisation signals to the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, in such a way as to visualise, via said visualisation device 166, a webportal application 104, and specifically an interface of said webportal application 104 for the driver. The webportal application 104 may comprise a plurality of applications, for example a first fleet management application 106 and a second notification application 108.

[0170] It is noted that a webportal application 104 may be regarded as a website or a web application, and may use the same languages thereof, for example HTML (“HyperText Markup Language”), CSS (“Cascading Style Sheets”), JavaScript, or the like.

[0171] It is noted that, unlike the mobile applications for iOS or Android operating systems, a webportal application 104 is not available in application stores such as Google Play, App Store and the like; therefore, a user cannot autonomously instal a webportal application from the vehicle / from the webportal itself, but he may obtain it for instance by subscribing to an online service.

[0172] Said online service may then be used both by the fleet manager, for instance via a web page, and by the driver of the vehicle 100, for instance via an application which is installed and updated (for example by means of over-the-air updates which are received, for instance, via the wireless communication interface of the electronic controller 102, in real time) on the electronic controller 102, and which is visualised by the visualisation device 166 (for example, by a visualisation device comprised in the infotainment system).

[0173] It is noted that such application 104 may also be a webwidget application, that is, a web application inserted as an element of a host web page, but substantially independent from the host page, having a limited or absent interaction with the latter.

[0174] It is noted that also for webwidget applications 104 similar considerations apply as regards the use of the service.

[0175] The first fleet management application 106 is configured to send route visualisation signals VP to the visualisation device 166, and to receive feedback signals F from it.

[0176] Such first fleet management application 106 comprises at least an activity visualisation block 110, configured to:

[0177] - receive, via an activity update signal in the application TUA sent by the second notification application 108, the list of activities related to the vehicle 100 and the corresponding optimal route; and - send, for instance via the route visualisation signal VP, the received list of activities related to the vehicle 100 and the corresponding optimal route to the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100.

[0178] Said activity visualisation block 110 may be further configured to send, to the remote control apparatus 124, via an activity feedback signal T, the list of activities related to the vehicle 100.

[0179] The first fleet management application 106 may further comprise an activity detail visualisation block 112, an activity status update block 114, a navigation block 1 18, a login block 116 and a logout block 120.

[0180] The activity detail visualisation block 112 may be configured to store the details related to the activities to be performed by said vehicle 100, and to send such details of the activities to the activity visualisation block 110, for example if the driver requests to visualise such details, or to the remote control apparatus 124, for example via an activity detail feedback signal TD.

[0181] The activity status update block 114 may be configured to receive, for instance from the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100 and via one or more feedback signals F, the feedbacks provided by the driver related to the status update of the activities in the list, and to send, for example via a feedback signal of the activity status update TUS, such received feedbacks to the remote control apparatus 124.

[0182] The navigation block 118 may be configured to receive the current position POS of the vehicle 100 from the position sensor 170, and the map signal M from the memory 168.

[0183] The navigation block 118 may be configured to determine navigation instructions as a function of the list of activities of the corresponding vehicle 100, of the current position POS and of the map signal M, and to send said navigation instructions to the activity visualisation block 110, for example, if the driver requests to receive navigation instructions in order to reach the location where the next activity in the corresponding list of activities is to be performed.

[0184] The login block 116 may be configured to receive login data, for example from the driver and via the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, and to send such login data to the remote control apparatus 124, for instance via a login signal L.

[0185] The logout block 120 may be configured to receive logout data, for example from the driver and by means of the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, and to execute a logout operation from the fleet management application 106 as a function of such logout data.

[0186] The second notification application 108 may comprise a front-end notification block 122, configured to:

[0187] - receive, via an activity update signal Til sent by the remote control apparatus 124, the list of activities related to the vehicle 100 and the corresponding optimal route; and

[0188] - send, via the activity update signal in the application TUA, said list of activities related to the vehicle 100 and said corresponding optimal route to the fleet management application 106.

[0189] To sum up, the integrated electronic controller 102 may be configured to execute an application, preferably a webportal or webwidget application, for example the webportal application 104, and to send visualisation signals of the application to the integrated visualisation device 166; and the integrated visualisation device 166 may be configured to receive said visualisation signals of the application and to visualise, based on said visualisation signals of the application, an interface of the application 104; wherein the application 104 comprises a fleet management application, for example the application 106, and a notification application, for example the application 108, said notification application 108 being configured to manage, for example in a front-end notification block 122, the reception operations of the first and the second list of activities and of the first and the second optimal route, and to send, for example through the same front-end notification block 122, via an activity update signal in the application TUA, said first and said second list of activities and said first and said second optimal route to the fleet management application 106; the fleet management application 106 being configured to receive, for example in an activity visualisation block 110, via the activity update signal in the application TUA, the first and the second list of activities and the first and second optimal route from the notification application 108, and to manage the memorization operations, for example in an activity detail visualisation block 112, of the first and the second list of activities, the sending operations, for example by means of an activity visualisation block 110, via a route visualisation signal VP, of the first and the second list of activities and of the first and the second optimal route to the integrated visualisation device 166, and the reception operations, for example by means of an activity status update block 114, via a feedback signal F, and the sending operations, for example by means of the same activity status update block 114, via a feedback signal of the activity status update TUS, of the feedback.

[0190] In embodiments of the present description, the fleet management application 106 may be configured to:

[0191] - receive, for example in a navigation block 118, for instance a navigation system integrated in the vehicle or an interface configured to communicate with said integrated navigation system, the current position POS of the vehicle 100 and the map of the road network M, to determine, for example in the same navigation block 118, navigation instructions based on the current position POS, on the map of the road network M and on the first or second list of activities, and to send, for example by means of the activity visualisation block 110, the navigation instructions to the integrated visualisation device 166;

[0192] - receive, for example in a login block 116, login data from the integrated visualisation device 166 and send, for example by means of the same login block 116, via a login signal L, the login data to the remote control apparatus 124, wherein the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to receive the login data and to perform a login operation based on the received login data; and / or

[0193] - receive, for example in a logout block 120, logout data from the integrated visualisation device 166, and perform a logout operation based on the logout data.

[0194] The remote control apparatus 124 may comprise a WebPortal environment 126, a CIOT environment 128, configured to enable a communication with specific vehicles in the plurality of vehicles and to activate or deactivate one or more fleet management services for each of such vehicles, and a CCL 130, configured to comprise one or more components for the management of a catalogue comprising said one or more fleet management services.

[0195] The CCL 130 may be configured to receive an unsubscribe / subscribe signal U / Si from the fleet manager, for example by means of a fleet manager interface.

[0196] Said unsubscribe / subscribe signal U / Si may indicate, for example:

[0197] - to unsubscribe or to subscribe, for example, a corresponding fleet manager interface (202 in Figure 2) and / or a user who may use said interface (that is an operator, a fleet manager), from / to a service; and / or

[0198] - to activate or deactivate the fleet management service independently for each vehicle in the fleet, that is, to insert or remove a given vehicle 100 from the plurality of vehicles comprised in the vehicle fleet control system 10 and managed thereby.

[0199] It is noted that said CCL 130 may be configured to receive a given unsubscribe / subscribe signal U / Si from / to a given service if such service is comprised in said catalogue comprising such one or more fleet management services, wherein said catalogue may be modified as a function of said one or more components for the management of the catalogue.

[0200] For example, such activation or deactivation of the fleet management service independently for each fleet vehicle may be advantageous for instance if a given vehicle 100 cannot be used for a given period of time, and therefore the service associated therewith may be temporarily suspended.

[0201] The CCL 130 may be configured to notify the CIOT environment 128, for example via a second unsubscribe / subscribe signal II / S2, said indication of, for example, unsubscribing or subscribing said fleet manager from / to a service, and / or to activate or deactivate the fleet management service independently for each vehicle of the fleet.

[0202] Therefore, the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured, in response to a request by the vehicle fleet manager, to:

[0203] - subscribe or unsubscribe the vehicle fleet manager to / from the vehicle fleet control system 10, for example by means of a corresponding fleet manager interface, or as a user who may use an interface already subscribed to the vehicle fleet control system 10; and / or

[0204] - insert or remove a given vehicle 100 into / from the plurality of vehicles comprised in the vehicle fleet control system 10, for example if a vehicle 100 has to be inserted into a fleet, removed from a fleet, suspended from the fleet, or the like.

[0205] The CIOT environment 128 may comprise an Internet-of-Things, loT, hub 136, and an activation management block 138.

[0206] The activation management block 138 may comprise a (de)activation service block 142, configured to receive from the CCL 130 the second unsubscribe / subscribe signal II / S2, and to send, based on the indications of said received second unsubscribe / subscribe signal II / S2, an activation service signal AS to the WebPortal environment 126.

[0207] Internet-of-Things hub 136 may comprise an event broker 140 configured to receive, from the WebPortal environment 126, an activity update signal Til, and to send said activity update signal Til to the vehicle 100.

[0208] The WebPortal environment 126 may comprise a WebPortal back- end block 132 and a fleet management application back-end block 134.

[0209] The WebPortal back-end block 132 may comprise a WebPortal notification system 144 and a vehicle and / or manager listing block 146.

[0210] The vehicle and / or manager listing block 146 may be configured to receive, from the activation management block 138, the activation service signal AS and, for example, to modify some vehicle and / or fleet manager lists based on said activation service signal AS.

[0211] Such vehicle and / or fleet manager lists may comprise, for each fleet, identifiers for each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles of the fleet, and identifiers for each fleet manager of said fleet.

[0212] For example, a fleet manager list may comprise information about the managers who are entitled to use such fleet management system and about a corresponding fleet that they are entitled to manage.

[0213] For example, a fleet manager list may be modified if a fleet manager has been unsubscribed or subscribed from / to the service, for example it is possible to add to the list an identifier of a corresponding interface for a fleet manager (202 in Figure 2) and / or an identifier of a user who is entitled to use such interface (that is, an operator, a manager of a fleet).

[0214] For example, a vehicle list may comprise information about vehicles belonging to fleets which are managed by such fleet management system and about a corresponding fleet wherein each of them is comprised.

[0215] For example, a vehicle list may be modified if the fleet management service is activated or deactivated for a given vehicle in the fleet, for example if a given vehicle cannot be used for a given period of time, and therefore the service associated therewith may be temporarily suspended, or if it is necessary to add a new vehicle to the fleet or remove a vehicle which is no longer operating.

[0216] The WebPortal notification system 144 may be configured to receive, from the back-end block of the fleet management application 134, the activity update signal Til, and to send such activity update signal Til to the Internet-of-Things hub 136.

[0217] The back-end block of the fleet management application 134 may comprise an API (Application Programming Interface) and event display block 148, an activity management block 150 and a block for managing the operators 152.

[0218] The API end event display block 148 may comprise a front API display block 154 and a partner API display block 156.

[0219] The front API display block may be configured to:

[0220] - receive, from the vehicle 100, the activity feedback signal T, the activity detail feedback signal TD, the activity status update feedback signal TUS and / or the login signal L;

[0221] - if the login signal L is received, to send such login signal L to the block for managing the operators 152; and

[0222] - if the activity feedback signal T, the activity detail feedback signal TD, and / or the activity status update feedback signal TUS are received, to send such received signals to the activity management block 150, for example by means of an activity recovery signal RT.

[0223] The partner API display block 156 may be configured to receive a plurality of management signals, for example the signals Ri , R2, R3, R4, or others, which are generally denoted with the reference R, and to send the received signals to the activity management block 150, for example via an activity, report and route management signal TM, and / or to the block for managing the operators 152, for example, via an operator management signal OM.

[0224] The activity management block 150 may comprise an activity API block 158, for example an API block of the CRUD type (“Create, Read, Update and Delete”) and an activity memorization block 160. The activity API block 158 may be configured to receive the activity recovery signal RT and / or the activity, report and route management signal TM, and to send, based on the received signal, an activity memorization signal TS to the activity memorization block 160, and / or the activity update signal Til to the WebPortal back-end block 132.

[0225] The activity API block 158 may further be configured to send the signals received from the vehicle 100, that is the activity feedback signal T, the activity detail feedback signal TD and / or the activity status update feedback signal TUS, to the fleet manager (for example, by means of a fleet manager interface).

[0226] The activity memorization block 160 may be configured to memorize the one or more lists of activities associated with the vehicles in the fleets, to receive the activity memorization signal TS from the activity API block 158 and to modify such memorized lists based on the received activity memorization signal TS.

[0227] The block for managing the operators 152 may comprise an operator API block 162, for example a CRLID API block, and an operator memorization block 164.

[0228] The operator API block 162 may be configured to receive the login signal L from the front API display block 154 and / or the operator management signal OM, and to send an operator memorization signal OS to the operator memorization block 164.

[0229] The operator memorization block 164 may be configured to memorize the login and operator management data, to receive the operator memorization signal OS from the operator API block 162 and to modify said memorized login and management data based on the operator memorization signal OS which has been received.

[0230] Figure 2 shows a block diagram 20 comprising a vehicle fleet control system according to Figure 1 , and a fleet manager interface 202 according to embodiments of the present description.

[0231] It will be noted that the parts, the elements and / or the components which have already been described with reference to Figure 1 are denoted by the same references as previously employed in the latter figure, and therefore the description of such previously described elements will not be repeated in the following not to overburden the present description. Figure 2 shows a partner environment 200, for example an environment belonging to a company to which a fleet manager belongs to, which comprises a fleet manager interface 202 which may be used to perform the operations described in the foregoing.

[0232] In this regard, said fleet manager interface 202 may comprise an activity management block 204, a report management block 206, a first operator management block 208, a vehicle management block 210, a route management block 212, a second operator management block 214 and a service unsubscribe / subscribe block 216.

[0233] The report management block 206 may be configured to send, in response to indications of a fleet manager, a first management signal Ri indicating operations of creating, reading, updating and / or deleting reports, that is CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update and Delete) to be performed on reports.

[0234] Such reports may contain, for example, a history of the performed operations, a list of the actions completed by each vehicle or by the fleet, or the like.

[0235] The activity management block 204 may be configured to send, in response to indications of a fleet manager, a second management signal R2 indicating operations of creating, reading, updating and / or deleting activities, that is CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update and Delete) to be performed on activities.

[0236] The first operator management block 208 may be configured to send, in response to indications of a fleet manager, a third management signal R3 indicating operations of creating, reading, updating and / or deleting operators, that is CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update and Delete) to be performed on operators.

[0237] The route management block 212 may be configured to send, in response to indications of a fleet manager, a fourth management signal R4 indicating operations of creating, reading, updating and / or deleting routes, that is CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update and Delete) to be performed on routes.

[0238] The vehicle management block 210 and the second operator management block 214 may be respectively configured to manage the vehicles present in the fleet and the operators, that is, the fleet managers, who are entitled to use the interface, for example, by means of an authentication procedure comprising a login step.

[0239] The service unsubscribe / subscribe block 216 may be configured to send, in response to indications of a fleet manager, the unsubscribe / subscribe signal U / Si to the remote control apparatus 124, for example in order to unsubscribe / subscribe, for example, a fleet manager interface 202 or a user who is entitled to use such interface, that is, a fleet manager, from / to a service, and / or in order to activate or deactivate the fleet management service independently for each vehicle in the fleet, as described in the foregoing.

[0240] Figure 3 shows an example 30 of use of a vehicle fleet control system 10 according to the block diagram of Figure 1 .

[0241] In the following is considered, for example, a scenario wherein a fleet manager 302 uses a vehicle fleet control system according to the block diagram of Figure 1 .

[0242] The fleet manager 302 may access the fleet manager interface 202, 300a, for example, by means of an authentication performed via respective login credentials, and is then enabled to start a suitability process 304 and a subscription process 306 for a given vehicle, that is, a process to add that given vehicle to the vehicles which may be managed by means of the vehicle fleet control system 10 and, specifically, to a vehicle fleet in consideration.

[0243] The suitability process 304 comprises:

[0244] - inputting, by the fleet manager 302 and via the fleet manager interface 202, 300a, a vehicle identification number VIN, for example, into a list of vehicles, and

[0245] - obtaining a suitability confirmation, for example, via said fleet manager interface 202, 300a.

[0246] Said vehicle list may comprise, for example, the identification numbers of the vehicles belonging to a vehicle fleet under consideration, that is, to the vehicle fleet to which said given vehicle has to be added.

[0247] The subscription process 306 comprises subscribing, by the fleet manager 302 and via the fleet manager interface 202, 300a, said given suitable vehicle, which has been added to the vehicle fleet under consideration, to the fleet management services, for instance via the service unsubscribe / subscribe block 216.

[0248] Once that such given vehicle has been subscribed to the fleet management services via the subscription process 306, such given vehicle may be considered as belonging to the vehicle fleet under consideration, and may use the fleet management functions described in the foregoing.

[0249] It is noted that such suitability 304 and subscription 306 processes may be performed only once, and they will maintain their validity as long as said given vehicle is being used in the vehicle fleet under consideration and as long as such fleet management functions are being utilized.

[0250] Based on the subscribed service 306, the fleet manager 302 may select the service to use and the corresponding indications to transmit to the fleet manager interface 202, 300ain such a way as to generate, for example, one or more of the management signals Ri, R2, R3, and R4.

[0251] Examples of possible services for the fleet management may be:

[0252] - a fleet management service wherein the list of activities is not optimized;

[0253] - a fleet management service wherein the list of activities is optimized with respect to an optimal route, that is, with respect to the distance to travel, to the time taken for the completion of the activities, or the like; and

[0254] - a fleet management service wherein the list of activities is optimized with respect to locations of charging stations of electrical vehicles and / or with respect to an optimal route.

[0255] A possible daily use 308 of the vehicle fleet control system 10 may, for example, comprise the following operations, which may take place in the remote control apparatus 124, 300b in response to indications provided by the fleet manager 302;

[0256] - creating 310 a first list of activities (for example, creating each of the activities of the list and inputting the details necessary for each of them, so that the driver is enabled to complete such activities) and assigning 312 said first list of activities to the driver of such given vehicle (it will be noted that in this step a plurality of lists of activities may be created, for example, one for each vehicle of the fleet, and may be assigned to the respective drivers);

[0257] - sending 310 such first list of activities to such given vehicle (or the plurality of lists of activities to respective vehicles of the fleet), for example via a respective activity update signal Til received 314 from the electronic controller 102 integrated in such given vehicle; and

[0258] - if requested, updating such first list of activities via a request to the fleet manager interface 202, 300a, thereby generating a second list of activities for such given vehicle.

[0259] As stated in the foregoing, said visualisation device 166 integrated in said given vehicle may be configured to visualise said first list of activities in response to the selection 316 of a notification by the driver of said given vehicle, for example a pop-up notification, wherein said notification may comprise information on the activities to be performed in said first list of activities.

[0260] Alternatively, said visualisation device 166 integrated in said given vehicle may be configured to visualise said first list of activities in response to the selection 316 of the fleet management application 106 by the driver, for example, by means of said visualisation device 166 integrated in said given vehicle, for example, the visualisation device of the vehicle infotainment system.

[0261] It is noted that the visualisation device 166 may request the driver to input 318 a respective unlock PIN (Personal Identification Number) before visualising said first list of activities.

[0262] Therefore, said visualisation device 166 may visualise said first list of activities in a step 320.

[0263] In response to the visualisation of said first list of activities on said visualisation device 166, the driver may perform 322 one or more among the following actions:

[0264] - visualise 322 all the activities on the list, for example in a predetermined visualisation mode;

[0265] - visualise the details 330 of one or more activities in the list (for example on said visualisation device 166), for example by means of a selection 328 by the driver of a detail revision option;

[0266] - send the destination of a next activity to be performed to the navigation system, for example by sending it to the navigation block 118, for instance via a selection 332 by the driver of a send option to the navigation system; and

[0267] - provide updates 324, for example via the feedback signal F sent by the visualisation device 166 to the electronic controller 102, about the status of the activities to the fleet manager and, optionally, the driver may receive 326 a confirmation that the status has been correctly sent to the fleet manager.

[0268] It is noted that, if a driver selects 332 the option of sending to the navigation system, the vehicle fleet control system 10 may be configured to automatically update 332 the fleet manager about the start of said next activity, that is, the activity for which the navigation instructions will be provided.

[0269] In response to the selection 332 by the driver of the option of sending to the navigation system, said navigation system, for example the navigation block 118, may be configured 334 to open automatically and to visualise navigation instructions.

[0270] In response to the arrival to destination of said given vehicle, that is, to the location where said next activity in the list has to be performed, said vehicle fleet control system 10 may be configured to visualise 336 a message requesting the driver for a confirmation to send an update (for instance, to indicate the arrival to the location of the next activity for which the navigation instructions have been provided, or the like) to the fleet manager.

[0271] In response to the completion of said next activity for which the navigation instructions have been provided, for instance, after a restart of the vehicle and the stop for performing the activity, the vehicle fleet control system 10 may be configured to visualise 338 a message requesting the driver for a confirmation of the activity completion, for example, for sending an update (for instance activity completion, activity failure, or the like) to the corresponding fleet manager.

[0272] As stated in the foregoing, the information which is known to the fleet manager about the status of each activity may be updated 340 (for example, based on the activity feedback signal T, on the activity detail feedback signal TD, and / or on the activity status update feedback signal TUS) and, in response to the update of said status, said fleet manager may for example update 342 said first list of activities via a request to a fleet manager interface 202, 300a, thus generating a second list of activities for said given vehicle. Moreover, in response to the update 340 of the information known to the fleet manager about the status of each activity, the fleet manager may, in a step 344, inform one or more customers associated to the activities the status information whereof has been updated.

[0273] It is noted that, in variant embodiments of the present solution, the vehicle fleet control system 10 may be configured to manage a fleet which comprises one or more electrical vehicles.

[0274] In such a case, such vehicle fleet control system 10 may be configured to optimize both the one or more lists of activities and the one or more optimal routes, also taking into consideration the locations of the charging stations of the electrical vehicles.

[0275] Specifically, an optimal route optimized considering the locations of the charging stations of the electrical vehicle may further be optimized also considering the drive range of the electrical vehicles, so as to avoid the discharge of one of them before it reaches a corresponding charging station.

[0276] It is noted that the order of the activities in said list of activities may be modified as a function of the location of the charging stations, and possibly also as a function of the drive range of the electrical vehicle to which such a list of activities is associated.

[0277] Therefore, an optimal route which is optimized considering the locations of the charging stations of the electrical vehicles and the drive range thereof may help avoiding conditions wherein the electrical vehicles of the fleet have a drive range insufficient to complete the activities of the respective list of activities, and therefore are forced to go back to a charging station in order to be charged, with consequent costs for the fleet in terms of time and money.

[0278] For example, a fleet manager may set a desired battery level value for completing all the activities of the list of activities and a vehicle load value, so that the optimization process may take them into consideration.

[0279] For example, the optimization process of a list of activities and of the corresponding optimal route may be performed again when relevant details of one or more activities of the list are modified.

[0280] To sum up, the plurality of vehicles may comprise at least one vehicle with an electrical traction motor, wherein the first and the second optimal route related to the vehicle with the electrical traction motor may be further optimized based on:

[0281] - locations of a plurality of charging stations for vehicles with electrical traction motor;

[0282] - a current battery level of a battery of the vehicle with the electrical traction motor;

[0283] - an expected battery level of the battery of the vehicle with the electrical traction motor, said expected battery level being measured after performing the activities in said first list of activities and / or in said second list of activities, that is after the completion of all the activities of a list associated to a vehicle; and / or

[0284] - a current load level of the vehicle with the electrical traction motor.

[0285] It is noted that, in embodiments which vary with respect to the present solutions, the vehicle fleet control system 10 may be configured to implement an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) scanner function.

[0286] The RFID technology may be used to track the details of the shipments, for instance in order to facilitate obtaining an accurate localization in real time.

[0287] The RFID technology is based on the placement of a physical tag on an object, for instance a parcel or a tool, said physical tag being configured to use the radio waves to send data to a remote reader.

[0288] Such data may include details about the position, the delivery times and the like, therefore helping to evaluate the efficiency of performance of the activities in the list.

[0289] The RFID scanner function is based on the use of the RFID tags to track the objects transported within the vehicles used both for commercial and for non-commercial activities, for example in order to detect whether a given object is in a given vehicle, to detect whether a given object is not in a given vehicle, or the like.

[0290] For example, a vehicle fleet control system 10 which implements, by means of RFID tags positioned on the objects within one or more vehicles, an RFID scanner function, may be configured (for each of the vehicles equipped with such RFID scanner function):

[0291] - to detect whether all the objects requested for completing the activities in a corresponding list of activities are present in the vehicle;

[0292] - to detect whether in the vehicle there is at least one object which is not requested for completing the activities of the corresponding list and, in this case, for example, to send a notification signal to the driver, for example by means of the visualisation device 166;

[0293] - to detect (preferably automatically, that is, without any action by the driver) whether, upon completion of an activity in the list, the objects requested for completing such an activity are still in the vehicle, and / or if objects are missing which are not requested for completing such an activity and, in such cases, for example, to send a notification signal to the driver, for instance by means of the visualisation device 166;

[0294] - to alert (preferably in real time) the driver of the vehicle if an object is missing or is different from the expected one, for example to send a notification signal to the driver, for example by means of the visualisation signal 166:

[0295] - to geolocate the objects present in the vehicle, therefore keeping track of their movements; and / or

[0296] - to estimate the weight of the load of the vehicle.

[0297] Figure 4 shows an example 40 of use of a vehicle fleet control system 10 implementing an RFID scanner function.

[0298] It is noted that the parts, the elements and / or the components which have already been described with reference to Figure 3 are denoted with the same references which have been previously used in the latter figure, and therefore the description of such previously described elements will not be repeated in the following in order not to overburden the present description.

[0299] In a step 402, a fleet manager 302 may assign, for example via a request sent by the fleet manager interface 202, 300ato the remote control apparatus 124, one or more information data to each RFID tag, for example a corresponding activity in a list of activities wherein the object corresponding to said tag is requested, a vehicle which has to transport the corresponding object, the weight thereof, or the like.

[0300] Therefore, said fleet manager 302 may generate 404, for example via a request sent by the fleet manager interface 202, 300ato the remote control apparatus 124, an inventory list for each vehicle 400 comprised in a fleet and configured to transport at least one of the objects comprising an RFID tag. Said inventory list may comprise, for example, one or more identifiers for the one or more objects which have to be present, that is have to be transported, by a given vehicle 400 configured to transport at least one of the objects comprising an RFID tag and comprised in the fleet.

[0301] Said fleet manager 302 may further assign 404 each of the generated inventory lists to a corresponding vehicle configured to transport at least one of the objects comprising and RFID tag, for example, by sending each of said inventory lists to the electronic controller 102 integrated in the corresponding vehicle 100, 400 by means of the remote control apparatus 124.

[0302] In a step 408, the inventory lists of the vehicles 400 in the fleet, configured to transport at least one of the objects comprising an RFID tag, may be updated for instance in response to the completion of one of the activities of a corresponding list of activities (for example, if the completed activity envisaged loading or unloading objects comprising an RFID tag) or to the update of the activities of such corresponding list of activities (for example, if the update envisages a new activity for which a further object comprising an RFID tag is required, or the like).

[0303] For example, said update of the inventory lists may be performed by sending the updated inventory lists to the electronic controllers 102 integrated in the corresponding vehicles 100, 400 by means of the remote control apparatus 124, or by updating them automatically within the electronic controller 102 in response to the detection of a change in the corresponding list of activities.

[0304] In response to the generation of an inventory list associated with a given vehicle 100, 400 and / or to the update of said inventory list, the electronic controller 102 integrated in said vehicle 100, 400 may be configured to receive 406 a notification from the remote control apparatus 124 comprising said (possibly updated) inventory list, and to send 406 said received notification to the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, 400, which may be configured to visualise said notification.

[0305] Also in this case, said visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, 400 may be configured to visualise said (possibly updated) inventory list, in response to the selection 410 of said notification, for example a pop-up notification, by the driver, and / or to visualise said (possibly updated) inventory list in response to the selection 410 of the fleet management application 106 by the driver, for example by means of said visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, 400, for example the visualisation device of the vehicle infotainment system.

[0306] If the remote control apparatus 124 and / or the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 100, 400 detect a missing correspondence between the identifiers comprised in the inventory list and the objects contained in the vehicle 100, 400, a further notification may be sent 412 to the visualisation device 166 integrated in the vehicle 100, 400, said further notification being indicative of the kind of error detected and being used to signal said missing correspondence to the driver of the vehicle 400.

[0307] Therefore, the fleet manager 302 may monitor and revise 414 the inventory lists, for example by means of the fleet manager interface 202, for example in real time, and may generate 416 one or more reports.

[0308] To sum up, at least one vehicle, for instance the vehicle 400, in the plurality of vehicles, may be configured to contain objects, and each of said objects may comprise a corresponding RFID, Radio-Frequency IDentification, tag, wherein each RFID tag is configured to send, to a remote reader, data indicating the presence in the at least one vehicle 400 of a corresponding object comprising the RFID tag, wherein said remote reader is integrated in the at least one vehicle 400 and may be configured to receive, for each RFID tag, the data indicating the presence of the corresponding object in the at least one vehicle 400 and to send, based on the received data, a presence signal indicating the presence of the corresponding object in the at least one vehicle 400 to the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 400; wherein the integrated electronic controller 102 may be configured to receive, for each of the RFID tags, the presence signal indicating the presence of the corresponding object in the at least one vehicle 400, thereby obtaining an indication of presence of the corresponding object; wherein the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to receive, from the vehicle fleet manager, an inventory list comprising at least one identifier for at least one object which is to be present on the at least one vehicle 400, and to transmit the inventory list to the at least one vehicle 400; wherein the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 400 may be configured to receive the inventory list from the remote control apparatus 124, and to send the inventory list to said integrated visualisation device 166; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 may be configured to visualise the inventory list; wherein the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 400 may be further configured to:

[0309] - detect whether an indication of presence has been obtained for each object corresponding to an identifier of the inventory list and, if at least one indication of presence has not been obtained for at least one object corresponding to an identifier of the inventory list, generate and send an alarm signal to the integrated visualisation device 166;

[0310] - detect whether at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of the inventory list has been received and, if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of the inventory list has been received, generate and send an alarm signal to the integrated visualisation device 166; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 may be configured to receive the alarm signal and to visualise, based on said alarm signal, an alarm notification.

[0311] In embodiments of the present description, the remote control apparatus 124 may be configured to receive, from the vehicle fleet manager, a modification of the inventory list, to produce an updated inventory list as a function of said modification, and transmit the updated inventory list to the at least one vehicle 400; wherein the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 400 may be configured to receive the updated inventory list from the remote control apparatus 124, and to send the updated inventory list to the integrated visualisation device 166; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 may be configured to visualise the updated inventory list; wherein the electronic controller 102 integrated in the vehicle 400 may be further configured to: - detect whether an indication of presence has been obtained for each object corresponding to an identifier of the updated inventory list and, if at least one indication of presence has not been obtained for the at least one object corresponding to an identifier of the updated inventory list, generate and send an alarm signal to the integrated visualisation device 166;

[0312] - detect whether at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of the updated inventory list has been received and, if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of the updated inventory list has been received, generate and send an alarm signal to the integrated visualisation device 166; wherein the integrated visualisation device 166 may be configured to receive the alarm signal and to visualise, based on said alarm signal, an alarm notification.

[0313] In embodiments of the present description, the integrated electronic controller 102 may be configured to:

[0314] - remove, in response to a modification of the first or of the second list of activities resulting in a removal, from the at least one vehicle 400, of the at least one object which has to be present on the at least one vehicle 400, an identifier corresponding to the at least one object removed from the inventory list, for instance in response to a modification of a list of activities associated to the vehicle 400, which results in the deletion of one of the activities in the list, wherein the deleted activity was associated to one of the objects comprising an RFID tag, the identifier corresponding to the object comprising the RFID which was associated to the deleted activity may be removed from a corresponding inventory list associated with the vehicle 400;

[0315] - add, in response to a modification of the first or of the second list of activities resulting in an addition of at least one additional object in the at least one vehicle 400, an identifier corresponding to the at least one additional object added to the inventory list, for example in response to a modification of the list of activities associated with the vehicle 400, resulting in the addition of a further activity to the list of activities, wherein the added activity is associated to one of the objects comprising an RFID tag, the identifier corresponding to the object comprising the RFID tag which is associated with the added activity may be added to a corresponding inventory list associated with the vehicle 400;

[0316] - determine and send position data of the at least one object corresponding to the at least one identifier comprised in the inventory list to the remote control apparatus 124, for example, in order to track said at least one object; and / or

[0317] - receive weight data related to the at least one object corresponding to the at least one identifier comprised in the inventory list from the RFID tag (which may contain weight data related to the object wherein it is comprised) via the remote reader integrated in the at least one vehicle 400 (that is, said weight data contained in the RFID tag may be sent by said RFID tag to the integrated remote reader, which is configured to send such weight data to the electronic controller 102) and estimate the weight of a load of the at least one vehicle 400.

[0318] Therefore, the solution described in detail in the present document leads to obtaining a vehicle fleet control system which enables integrating the fleet management functions directly into the vehicle, without the need of additional hardware components.

[0319] As a consequence, it is clear that the solution described in the present detailed description may facilitate obtaining a greater connection between the hardware devices used for the management of the fleet vehicles and the vehicles themselves, thereby increasing the efficiency of such management and simultaneously reducing the costs for equipping said vehicles with said hardware devices.

[0320] Without prejudice to the basic principles, the details and the embodiments may vary, even appreciably, with respect to what has been described, by way of example only, without departing from the extent of protection.

[0321] The extent of protection is defined by the annexed claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Vehicle fleet control system (10), said system (10) comprising a plurality of vehicles and a remote control apparatus (124), wherein each vehicle (100) in said plurality of vehicles comprises: an electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (100), comprising a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with said remote control apparatus (124) via an asynchronous communication protocol, the integrated electronic controller (102) being configured to store a list of activities to be performed by said vehicle (100); a position sensor (170) configured to determine the current position (POS) of the vehicle (100), and a memory (168) comprising data in form of a map of a road network (M); a visualisation device (166) integrated in the vehicle (100), configured to visualize said list of activities and said map (M); wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to receive from a vehicle fleet manager a first list of activities for at least one vehicle (100) in said plurality of vehicles, determining a first optimal route that the vehicle (100) has to follow to perform said activities in said first list of activities as a function of the current position (POS) of the vehicle (100), and transmit said first list of activities and said first optimal route to the corresponding vehicle (100); wherein said electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (100) is configured to receive said first list of activities and said first optimal route from said remote control apparatus (124), and to send said first list of activities and said first optimal route to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to visualize said first list of activities and said first optimal route on said map (M), and to provide navigation instructions related to said first optimal route; wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is further configured to receive from said vehicle fleet manager a modification of said first list of activities, producing a second list of activities as a function of said modification, determining a second optimal route that the vehicle (100) has to follow to perform said activities in said second list of activities as afunction of the current position (POS) of the vehicle (100), and transmit said second list of activities and said second optimal route to the corresponding vehicle (100); wherein said integrated electronic controller (102) is further configured to receive said second list of activities and said second optimal route from said remote control apparatus (124), and to send said second list of activities and said second optimal route to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is further configured to visualize said second list of activities and said second optimal route on said map (M), and to provide navigation instructions related to said second optimal route; wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is further configured to detect a feedback, from a driver of said vehicle (100), related to said first list of activities and / or to said second list of activities and to transmit (F) said feedback to said integrated electronic controller (102); wherein said integrated electronic controller (102) is further configured to receive (F) said feedback from said integrated visualisation device (166) and to send (TUS) said feedback to said remote control apparatus (124); and wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is further configured to receive (TUS) said feedback from said at least one vehicle (100), and to transmit said feedback to said vehicle fleet manager and / or producing a third list of activities as a function of said feedback.

2. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to claim 1 , wherein said first optimal route and said second optimal route: minimize a distance travelled by the vehicle (100) to perform the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities, respectively; and / or minimize a time taken by the vehicle (100) to perform the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities, respectively; wherein, preferably said minimization operations are performed based on current and / or historical traffic patterns, windows for performing the activities of said first list of activities and said second list of activitiesrespectively, shift times of the driver of said vehicle (100), and / or a typology of the vehicle (100).

3. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said providing navigation instructions related to said first optimal route and to said second optimal route via said integrated visualisation device (166) comprises: sending, via said integrated visualisation device (166), said first optimal route and to said second optimal route respectively, to a navigation system (118) integrated in the vehicle (100); determining and sending, via said integrated navigation system (118), said navigation instructions related to said first optimal route and to said second optimal route respectively, and receiving and providing, via said integrated visualisation device (166), said navigation instructions related to said first optimal route and to said second optimal route respectively.

4. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said visualizing: said first list of activities and said first optimal route on the map (M), and said second list of activities and said second optimal route on said map (M), via said integrated visualisation device (166) occurs in response to the selection of a notification by the driver of the vehicle (100), preferably a pop-up notification, wherein said notification is visualized and selected via the integrated visualisation device (166).

5. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to order the activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities based on: said first optimal route and said second optimal route respectively; a predetermined order, said predetermined order being selected by the vehicle fleet manager, preferably wherein said predetermined order is obtained based on priority values associated with the activities of said first list of activities and of said second list of activitiesrespectively, said remote control apparatus (124) being further configured to determine said first optimal route and said second optimal route respectively based on said predetermined order of the activities; and / or a combination of the previous orders, wherein a first set of said activities in said first list of activities and in said second list of activities is ordered based on said first optimal route and said second optimal route respectively and a second set of activities is ordered based on said predetermined order.

6. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to: determine, in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to perform an optimisation operation of the first or second optimal route associated with the vehicle (100), a third optimal route that the vehicle (100) has to follow to perform the activities in said first list of activities or in said second list of activities respectively, wherein said third optimal route is obtained as a function of the current position (POS) of the vehicle (100) and a current traffic pattern, and transmit said third optimal route to the corresponding vehicle (100).

7. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to: send (TUS) or not to send said feedback of said vehicle (100) to said vehicle fleet manager in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager indicating to receive or not to receive said feedback of the vehicle (100) respectively; and / or provide to the vehicle fleet manager data on the performance of the activities in said first list of activities or in said second list of activities, preferably providing a filtering operation of said data on the performance of the activities, in response to a request from a vehicle fleet manager indicating to receive updates on the performance of the activities in said first list of activities or in said second list of activities respectively.

8. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein:said integrated electronic controller (102) is configured to execute an application (104), preferably a webportal or webwidget application, and to send application visualization signals to the integrated visualisation device (166); and said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to receive said application visualization signals and to visualize, based on said application visualization signals, an interface of said application (104); wherein said application (104) comprises a fleet management application (106) and a notification application (108), said notification application (108) being configured to manage (122) said reception operation of said first and said second list of activities and of said first and said second optimal route, and to send (122, TUA) said first and said second list of activities and of said first and said second optimal route to the fleet management application (106); said fleet management application (106) being configured to receive (110, TUA) said first and said second list of activities and of said first and said second optimal route from said notification application (108), and to manage said memorization operation (112) of said first and said second list of activities, said sending operation (110, VP) of said first and said second list of activities and of said first and said second optimal route to said integrated visualisation device (166), and said reception (114, F) and sending (114, TUS) operations of said feedback.

9. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to claim 8, wherein said fleet management application (106) is configured to: receive (118) the current position (POS) of the vehicle (100) and the map of the road network (M), determining (118) navigation instructions based on said current position (POS), said map of the road network (M), and said first or said second list of activities, and send (110) said navigation instructions to the integrated visualisation device (166); receive (116) login data from the integrated visualisation device (166) and send (116, L) said login data to the remote control apparatus (124), wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to receive said login data and to perform a login operation based on said received login data; and / or receive (120) logout data from the integrated visualisationdevice (166) and perform a logout operation based on said logout data.

10. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to, in response to a request from the vehicle fleet manager: subscribe or unsubscribe said vehicle fleet manager to / from the vehicle fleet control system (10); and / or insert or remove a given vehicle (100) from the plurality of vehicles comprised in said vehicle fleet control system (10).

11. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said plurality of vehicles comprises at least one vehicle with an electrical traction motor, and wherein said first and said second optimal route related to said vehicle with the electrical traction motor are further optimized based on: positions of a plurality of charging stations for vehicles with electrical traction motor; a current battery level of a battery of said vehicle with the electrical traction motor; an expected battery level of the battery of said vehicle with the electrical traction motor, said expected battery level being measured after the performing of the activities in said first list of activities and / or in said second list of activities; and / or a current load level of said vehicle with the electrical traction motor.

12. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein at least one vehicle (400) in said plurality of vehicles is configured to contain objects and wherein each of said objects comprises a corresponding RFID, Radio-Frequency IDentification tag, wherein each RFID tag is configured to send to a remote reader data indicating the presence in said at least one vehicle (400) of a corresponding object wherein the RFID tag is comprised, wherein said remote reader is integrated in said at least one vehicle (400) and is configured to receive, for each of said RFID tags, said data indicating the presence of the corresponding object in said at least one vehicle (400) and send, based on the received data, a presence signal indicating the presence of the corresponding object in said at least onevehicle (400) to said electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (400); wherein said integrated electronic controller (102) is configured to receive, for each of said RFID tags, said presence signal indicating the presence of the corresponding object in said at least one vehicle (400), obtaining an indication of presence of the corresponding object; wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to receive from said vehicle fleet manager an inventory list comprising at least one identifier for at least one object that is to be present on the at least one vehicle (400), and transmit said inventory list to the at least one vehicle (400); wherein said electronic controller (102) integrate in the vehicle (400) is configured to receive said inventory list from said remote control apparatus (124), and send said inventory list to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to visualize said inventory list; wherein said electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (400) is further configured to: detect if an indication of presence has been obtained for each object corresponding to an identifier of said inventory list and, if at least one indication of presence has not been obtained for at least one object corresponding to an identifier of the inventory list, generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device (166); and detect if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said inventory list has been received and, if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said inventory list has been received, generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to receive said alarm signal and to visualize, based on said alarm signal, an alarm notification.

13. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to claim 12, wherein said remote control apparatus (124) is configured to receive from said vehicle fleet manager a modification of said inventory list, producing anupdated inventory list as a function of said modification, and transmit said updated inventory list to the at least one vehicle (400); wherein said electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (400) is configured to receive said updated inventory list from said remote control apparatus (124), and to send said updated inventory list to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to visualize said updated inventory list; wherein said electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (400) is further configured to: detect if an indication of presence has been obtained for each object corresponding to an identifier of said updated inventory list and, if at least one indication of presence has not been obtained for at least one object corresponding to an identifier of the updated inventory list, generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device (166); and detect if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said updated inventory list has been received and, if at least one indication of presence of an object not corresponding to an identifier of said updated inventory list has been received, generate and send an alarm signal to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to receive said alarm signal and to visualize, based on said alarm signal, an alarm notification.

14. The vehicle fleet control system (10) according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein said integrated electronic controller (102) is configured to: remove, in response to a modification of said first or said second list of activities resulting in a removal from said at least one vehicle (400) of said at least one object that is to be present on the at least one vehicle (400), an identifier from the inventory list or from the updated inventory list, said identifier being corresponding to the at least one removed object; add, in response to a modification of said first or said second list of activities resulting in an addition of at least one additional object in said at least one vehicle (400), an identifier to the inventory list or to theupdated inventory list, said identifier being corresponding to the at least one additional object added; determine and send position data of the at least one object corresponding to the at least one identifier comprised in said inventory list or in said updated inventory list to the remote control apparatus (124); and / or receiving weight data related to the at least one object corresponding to the at least one identifier comprised in said inventory list or in said updated inventory list from said RFID tag via said remote reader integrated in the at least one vehicle (400) and estimating the weight of a load of the at least one vehicle (400).

15. Vehicle (100; 400) comprised in a vehicle fleet control system (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said vehicle (100; 400) comprises: an electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (100; 400), comprising a wireless communication interface configured to communicate via an asynchronous communication protocol, the integrated electronic controller (102) being configured to store a list of activities to be performed by said vehicle (100; 400); a position sensor (170) configured to determine the current position (POS) of the vehicle (100), and a memory (168) comprising data in form of a map of a road network (M); a visualisation device (166) integrated in the vehicle (100; 400), configured to visualize said list of activities and said map (M); wherein said electronic controller (102) integrated in the vehicle (100) is configured to receive a first list of activities and a first optimal route, and to send said first list of activities and said first optimal route to said integrated visualisation device (166); wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is configured to visualize said first list of activities and said first optimal route on said map (M), and to provide navigation instructions related to said first optimal route; wherein said integrated electronic controller (102) is further configured to receive a second list of activities and a second optimal route, and to send said second list of activities and said second optimal route to said integrated visualisation device (166);wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is further configured to visualize said second list of activities and said second optimal route on said map (M), and to provide navigation instructions related to said second optimal route; wherein said integrated visualisation device (166) is further configured to detect a feedback, from a driver of said vehicle (100), related to said first list of activities and / or to said second list of activities and to transmit (F) said feedback to said integrated electronic controller (102); wherein said integrated electronic controller (102) is further configured to receive (F) said feedback from said integrated visualisation device (166) and to send (TUS) said feedback.

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