Engine speed data usage system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10685299-B2
Application number	US-201314383161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2013
Priority date	Mar 8, 2012
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A fleet management system is provided for outdoor power equipment and is, in some embodiments, configured to estimate operator performance and/or skill for a particular operator based at least partially on engine speed data sensed during the particular operator's use of one or more pieces of equipment. Embodiments of the invention also provide an apparatus configured to receive data comprising RPM values of a rotating component of a piece of outdoor power equipment sampled throughout a period of operation of the piece of outdoor power equipment, and further configured to generate a RPM histogram for a particular operator and/or for a particular piece of outdoor power equipment in order to use the RPM histogram to determine additional information about the particular operator, the particular piece of equipment, and/or the particular period of operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive an equipment identification (ID) code, an operator ID code, and RPM data from an equipment data sensor located on a piece of outdoor power equipment located remotely from the apparatus, the equipment data sensor being in communication with an RPM sensor affixed to the outdoor power equipment, the RPM sensor being configured capture the RPM data by sensing revolutions per minute of a motor shaft of the outdoor power equipment or sensing electromagnetic waves generated by components of the outdoor power equipment that vary with revolution per minute of an engine of the outdoor power equipment, the RPM data being sampled throughout a period of operation of the piece of outdoor power equipment, wherein the operator ID code is sampled by a short range transceiver associated with the equipment data sensor and the RPM data comprises RPM values of a rotating component of the piece of outdoor power equipment;
a memory having one or more parameters stored therein as a function of RPM determined through testing of a particular model of equipment or type of equipment;
a processing device communicably coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processing device is configured to:
generate a RPM histogram for a particular operator and/or for a particular piece of outdoor power equipment based on the RPM data,
determine a total parameter value or an average parameter value over the period of operation using the RPM histogram and the function,
determine additional information about the particular operator, the particular piece of outdoor power equipment, and/or the period of operation, wherein the additional information comprises information about skill, experience, performance, exposure, or safety of an operator associated with the operator ID code,
generate an output based at least partially on the additional information determined about the particular operator, the particular piece of equipment, and/or the period of operation, and the total parameter value or the average parameter value; and

a network interface communicably coupled to the processing device and configured to:
cause the output to be transmitted to a client computing system or the piece of outdoor power equipment and displayed on a user interface, wherein the output comprises a data chart or an alert.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is part of fleet management system and is configured to wirelessly receive the ID code automatically from an ID unit held by the operator during use of the piece of outdoor power equipment.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parameter comprises vibration.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parameter comprises fuel consumption.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parameter comprises a measure of wear and tear.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parameter comprises noise.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the additional information comprises information about maintenance needs of the equipment.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the output comprises a warning or other electronic notice.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the output comprises information sent to the piece of outdoor power equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the output comprises information sent to display device over a network so that the information can be displayed to a remote user.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive an equipment identification (ID) code, an operator ID code, and RPM data from an equipment data sensor located on a piece of outdoor power equipment located remotely from the apparatus, the equipment data sensor being in communication with an RPM sensor affixed to the outdoor power equipment, the RPM sensor being configured capture the RPM data by sensing revolutions per minute of a motor shaft of the outdoor power equipment or sensing electromagnetic waves generated by components of the outdoor power equipment that vary with revolution per minute of an engine of the outdoor power equipment, the RPM data being sampled throughout a period of operation of the piece of outdoor power equipment, wherein the operator ID code is sampled by a short range transceiver associated with the equipment data sensor and the RPM data comprises RPM values of a rotating component of the piece of outdoor power equipment;
a memory having one or more parameters stored therein as a function of RPM determined through testing of a particular model of equipment or type of equipment;
a processing device communicably coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processing device is configured to:
generate a RPM histogram for a particular operator and/or for a particular piece of outdoor power equipment based on the RPM data,
determine additional information about the particular operator and/or the particular piece of outdoor power equipment based on the consistency of the RPM histogram associated with the operator over two or more work sessions, wherein the additional information comprises information about performance of the operator,
determine a total parameter value or an average parameter value over the period of operation using the RPM histogram and the stored function, and
generate an output based at least partially on the additional information determined about the particular operator, the particular piece of outdoor power equipment, and/or the period of operation, and the total parameter value or the average parameter value; and

a network interface communicably coupled to the processing device and configured to:
cause the output to be transmitted to a client computing system or the piece of outdoor power equipment and displayed on a user interface, wherein the output comprises a data chart or an alert.

12. An apparatus comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive an equipment identification (ID) code, an operator ID code, and RPM data from an equipment data sensor located on a piece of outdoor equipment located remotely from the apparatus, the equipment data sensor being in communication with an RPM sensor affixed to the outdoor power equipment, the RPM sensor being configured capture the RPM data by sensing revolutions per minute of a motor shaft of the outdoor power equipment or sensing electromagnetic waves generated by components of the outdoor power equipment that vary with revolutions per minute of an engine of the outdoor power equipment, the RPM data being sampled throughout a period of operation of the piece of outdoor power equipment, wherein the operator ID code is sampled by a short range transceiver associated with the equipment data sensor and the RPM data comprises RPM values of a rotating component of the piece of outdoor power equipment;
a memory having one or more parameters stored therein as a function of RPM determined through testing of a particular model of equipment or type of equipment;
a processing device communicably coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processing device is configured to:
generate a RPM histogram for a particular operator and/or for a particular piece of outdoor power equipment based on the RPM data,
determine additional information about the particular operator and/or the particular piece of outdoor power equipment based on a comparison of the RPM histogram of the operator to a baseline histogram stored in the memory of the apparatus, wherein the additional information comprises information about performance of the operator,
determine a total parameter value or an average parameter value over the period of operation using the RPM histogram and the st

Assignees

• Husqvarna Ab

Inventors

• Mejegård Peter
• Wahlström Per
• Holmberg Stefan
• Philpott Gary
• Wahlgren Håkan

Classifications

• G01D21/00

  Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• G01M99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• G01M99/008

  by doing functionality tests · CPC title