Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Apparatus, System, and Method

Abstract

A mobile device for use in an electronic logging device (ELD) system may include a processor and one or more memories which store, singularly or in combination, one or more instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the mobile device to carry out one or more operations. The one or more operations may include reading a machine readable code configured to be coupled to a vehicle, connecting to an ELD dongle based, at least in part, on the machine readable code, receiving data from the ELD dongle, and generating one or more mobile device reports based, at least in part, on the received data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mobile device comprising:
 a processor; and   one or more memories which store, singularly or in combination, one or more instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the mobile device to carry out operations comprising:
 reading a machine readable code configured to be coupled to a vehicle; 
 connecting to an electronic logging device (ELD) dongle based, at least in part, on the machine readable code; 
 receiving data from the ELD dongle; and 
 generating one or more mobile device reports based, at least in part, on the received data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The mobile device of  claim 1 , wherein the received data is encrypted at the ELD dongle by a secure chip. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile device of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile device further carries out an operation of transmitting received data to a remote server to generate one or more remote server reports. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile device of  claim 1 , wherein the ELD dongle is communicatively coupled to the mobile device using a Bluetooth connection. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile device of  claim 4 , wherein the machine readable code is a matrix barcode, the matrix barcode being representative of at least one of a passkey or an address for establishing the Bluetooth connection between the ELD dongle and the mobile device. 
     
     
         6 . An electronic logging device (ELD) dongle, comprising:
 a processor; and   one or more memories, which store, singularly or in combination, one or more instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the ELD dongle to carry out operations comprising:
 receiving vehicle data using a diagnostics communication interface, the diagnostics communication interface being communicatively coupled to a diagnostics port of a vehicle; 
 encrypting the received vehicle data from the vehicle using a secure chip; and 
 transmitting the encrypted vehicle data to a mobile device. 
   
     
     
         7 . The ELD dongle of  claim 6 , wherein the encrypted vehicle data is transmitted to the mobile device using Bluetooth. 
     
     
         8 . The ELD dongle of  claim 7 , further comprising an ELD dongle base and an ELD head detachably coupled to the ELD dongle base. 
     
     
         9 . The ELD dongle of  claim 8 , wherein the ELD head includes a mobile device communication interface configured to communicatively couple to a mobile device. 
     
     
         10 . The ELD dongle of  claim 9 , wherein the mobile device communication interface communicatively couples to the mobile device in response to the mobile device reading a machine readable code configured to be coupled to a vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . An electronic logging device (ELD) dongle comprising:
 an ELD dongle base;   an ELD head detachably coupled to the ELD dongle base, the ELD head including a mobile device communication interface configured to communicatively couple to a mobile device; and   a diagnostics communication interface, the diagnostics communication interface being configured to communicatively couple the ELD head with a diagnostics port of a vehicle.   
     
     
         12 . The ELD dongle of  claim 11 , further comprising a secure chip, the secure chip encrypting data received from the vehicle. 
     
     
         13 . The ELD dongle of  claim 11 , wherein the mobile device communication interface communicatively couples to the mobile device using Bluetooth. 
     
     
         14 . The ELD dongle of  claim 11 , wherein the mobile device communication interface communicatively couples to the mobile device in response to the mobile device reading a machine readable code configured to be coupled to a vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The ELD dongle of  claim 14 , wherein the machine readable code is a matrix barcode. 
     
     
         16 . A mobile device comprising:
 a processor; and   one or more memories which store, singularly or in combination, one or more instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the mobile device to carry out operations comprising:
 connecting to an electronic logging device (ELD) dongle; 
 receiving data from the ELD dongle; 
 transmitting the received data to a remote server for generation of one or more remote server reports; and 
 generating one or more mobile device reports based, at least in part, on the received data. 
   
     
     
         17 . The mobile device of  claim 16 , wherein the mobile device connects to the ELD dongle in response to the mobile device reading a machine readable code configured to be coupled to a vehicle. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile device of  claim 17 , wherein the machine readable code is a matrix barcode. 
     
     
         19 . The mobile device of  claim 16 , wherein the received data is encrypted at the ELD dongle by a secure chip. 
     
     
         20 . The mobile device of  claim 16 , wherein the ELD dongle is communicatively coupled to the mobile device using a Bluetooth connection. 
     
     
         21 . An electronic logging device (ELD) system comprising:
 an ELD dongle configured to be communicatively coupled to a vehicle;   a mobile device configured to be communicatively coupled to the ELD dongle, wherein the mobile device communicatively couples to the ELD dongle in response to the mobile device reading a machine readable code; and   a remote server configured to be communicatively coupled to the mobile device.   
     
     
         22 . The ELD system of  claim 21 , wherein the machine readable code is a matrix barcode. 
     
     
         23 . The ELD system of  claim 21 , wherein the mobile device receives data from the ELD dongle. 
     
     
         24 . The ELD system of  claim 23 , wherein the mobile device transmits the data received from the ELD dongle to the remote server. 
     
     
         25 . The ELD system of  claim 24 , wherein the mobile device generates one or more mobile device reports based, at least in part, on the data received from the ELD dongle and the remote server generates one or more remote server reports based, at least in part, on the data transmitted by the mobile device. 
     
     
         26 . The ELD system of  claim 21 , wherein the ELD dongle includes a secure chip for encrypting data transmitted to the mobile device. 
     
     
         27 . The ELD system of  claim 21 , wherein the ELD dongle includes an ELD dongle base and an ELD head detachably coupled to the ELD dongle base.