Data collection system and method for fleet management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9973831-B2
Application number	US-201314383582-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2013
Priority date	Mar 8, 2012
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed a data communication system and method for a fleet management system configured to assist with monitoring and managing a fleet of one or more powered machines and one or more human operators.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fleet management system for assisting with management of one or more pieces of equipment and one or more equipment operators, the fleet management system comprising:
an identification unit configured to be worn or carried by one of the one or more equipment operators, wherein the identification unit comprises an identification unit transmitter communicably coupled to an identification unit memory, wherein the identification unit memory comprises stored therein an operator identification code uniquely associated with a specific operator, and wherein the identification unit is configured to wirelessly communicate the operator identification code via the identification unit transmitter; and
an equipment data sensor associated with a specific piece of equipment, the specific piece of equipment being one of the one or more pieces of equipment, the equipment data sensor comprising a processing device communicably coupled to a sensor memory, a receiver, and at least one sensor configured to sense data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an engine revolution per minute (RPM) sensor,
wherein the processing device of the equipment data sensor is configured to:
use the receiver to receive the operator identification code transmitted by the identification unit transmitter;
store the operator identification code in the sensor memory with the data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment, wherein the data about the operation of the specific piece of equipment or specific piece of equipment's environment comprises sensed RPM of an engine of the specific piece of equipment between start and shutdown of the engine; and
sense a measure of strength of signals received from the identification unit transmitter and a second identification unit transmitter associated with a second identification unit, the second identification unit transmitter being associated with a second operator identification code;
wherein the measure of the strength of signal received from the identification unit transmitter and the measure of the strength of signal received from the second identification unit transmitter are used to determine which of the operator identification code or the second operator identification code is associated with an actual operator operating the specific piece of equipment.

2. The fleet management system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device of the equipment data sensor is communicably coupled to a transceiver comprising the receiver and a transmitter, and wherein the processing device is further configured to:
use the transceiver to communicate the operator identification code and the data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment to a remote data management server.

3. The fleet management system of claim 2 further comprising the data management server, wherein the data management server is configured to utilize the operator identification code and the data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment to provide a user of a fleet management portal with information about the specific operator associated with the identification code and the operator's use of the specific piece of equipment associated with the equipment data sensor.

4. The fleet management system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a plurality of identification units each comprising a different operator identification code stored therein, each operator identification code uniquely associated with a different operator of the one or more equipment operators;
a plurality of equipment data sensors each associated with a different piece of equipment of the one or more pieces of equipment,
wherein the data management server is configured to receive data from each of the plurality of equipment data sensors, the data from each of the plurality of equipment data sensors comprising one or more operator identification codes and data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment, and
wherein the data management server provides the user of the fleet management portal with information about the plurality of operators and operation of the one or more pieces of equipment.

5. The fleet management system of claim 2 , wherein the equipment data sensor's processing device is configured to use the transceiver to communicate the operator identification code and the data about the specific piece of equipment, operation of the specific piece of equipment, or the specific piece of equipment's environment to the remote data management server via at least one data communication system.

6. The fleet management system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a data communication system comprising a wireless transceiver communicably coupled to a network interface coupled to a global communication network,
wherein the data communication system uses the wireless transceiver to receive the operator identification code and the data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment from the equipment data sensor, and
wherein the data communication system uses the network interface to communicate the operator identification code and the data about operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment to the remote data management server via the global communication network.

7. The fleet management system of claim 5 , wherein the data communication system comprises a base station or satellite station located in a storage facility for storing the specific piece of equipment or in a vehicle for transporting the specific piece of equipment.

8. The fleet management system of claim 1 , wherein the equipment data sensor comprises a power source, the sensor memory, the receiver, and the at least one sensor.

9. The fleet management system of claim 1 , wherein the equipment data sensor can be installed on a plurality of different types of equipment without modification of the equipment data sensor's components.

10. The fleet management system of claim 1 , wherein the equipment data sensor comprises a self-powered device that wirelessly senses the data about the specific piece of equipment, operation of the specific piece of equipment, or the specific piece of equipment's environment so that the equipment data sensor can be installed on a plurality of different types of equipment, at the factory or after-market, by adhering the self-powered device to the specific piece of equipment without further modification of the specific piece of equipment.

11. The fleet management system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a temperature sensor, and wherein the data about the operation of the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment further comprises temperature data associated with the specific piece of equipment or the specific piece of equipment's environment.

12. The fleet management system of claim 1 , wherein the engine RPM sensor comprises an antenna configured to sense engine RPM by sensing electromagnetic waves generated in an ignition cable in the specific piece of equipment.

13. The fleet management system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a magnet attached to an engine flywheel, wherein the engine RPM sensor is configured to sense the magnet on the engine flywheel to sense engine RPM, and wherein the equipment data sensor is powered at least in part b

Assignees

• Husqvarna Ab

Inventors

• Mejegård Peter
• Wahlström Per
• Holmberg Stefan
• Birging Torbjörn
• Dávila Garcia Francisco Javier
• Philpott Gary
• Wahlgren Håkan

Classifications

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06Q10/06

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

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G08G1/20 Primary

  Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles · CPC title

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title