Equipment data sensor and sensing for fleet management

• US 10,104,453 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Inventors: Mejegard, Peter, Wahlstrom, Per, Holmberg, Stefan, Birging, Torbjorn, Davila Garcia, Francisco Javier, Philpott, Gary, Wahlgren, Hakan
• Primary Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US14/383,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 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 Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to an equipment data sensor arranged on a powered machine. The equipment data sensor includes a processing device coupled to one or more sensors for obtaining values of at least one parameter associated with running of the powered machine, a memory, and a short range transceiver configured for wireless short range communication arranged to receive short distance communication signals, wherein the processing device is configured to register, in the memory, one or more values of the at least one parameter and an associated operator identifier received over the short range transceiver.

Claims

1. An outdoor power equipment data sensor arranged on an outdoor powered machine, comprising:

a processing device coupled to a plurality of sensors for obtaining values of at least one parameter associated with running of the outdoor powered machine, the outdoor powered machine being configured to operate for grounds care, landscaping, or forest work, and the outdoor powered machine being a handheld tool or a tool comprising a cutting element;

a memory; and

a short range transceiver configured for wireless short range communication arranged to receive short distance communication signals,

wherein the short range transceiver is configured to receive a communication signal including an operator identifier associated with an operator of the outdoor powered machine during the running of the powered machine; and

wherein the processing device is configured to register, in the memory, one or more values of the at least one parameter and the associated operator identifier received over the short range transceiver,

wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is a revolutions per minute (RPM) sensor configured to determine RPM of one or more engine components operating in the outdoor powered machine, wherein the RPM sensor comprises an antenna configured to sense the RPM of the one or more engine components by wirelessly sensing electromagnetic waves created by pulses generated by the one or more engine components, and wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to the RPM of the one or more engine components and the plurality of sensors are contained within a printed circuit board mounted to the outdoor powered machine.

2. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a long range transceiver configured for wireless long range communication arranged to establish a connection with one or more base stations, wherein the processing device is configured to send the one or more values of the at least one parameter and the associated operator identifier to a remote server over the connection.

3. The equipment data sensor of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors include a tilt/vibration sensor configured to detect movement of the outdoor powered machine, wherein the processing device is configured to determine a search mode for the one or more base stations based at least in part on detecting movement using the tilt/vibration sensor.

4. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, wherein the RPM antenna is further configured to wirelessly sense RPM of an engine crankshaft of the outdoor powered machine based on electromagnetic waves emanating from an ignition cable.

5. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, wherein the RPM antenna is further configured to wirelessly sense the RPM of an engine in the outdoor powered machine based on a magnetic field generated by a magnet located on an engine flywheel of the engine.

6. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, further comprising an oscillator configured to control start-up of the processing device and the short range transceiver and to operate as a clock, wherein the processing device is configured to register a timestamp in the memory along with the one or more values of the at least one parameter and the associated operator identifier.

7. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more capacitors configured to regulate power from a power source; and

an opto-coupler configured to prevent damage to electrical components caused by rapidly-changing voltage.

8. The equipment data sensor of claim 7, wherein the power source is a battery, and wherein the equipment data sensor is self-contained and operates independently of the outdoor powered machine.

9. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors include a temperature sensor, and the at least one parameter corresponds to a temperature of the outdoor powered machine measured by the temperature sensor.

10. The equipment data sensor of claim 1, wherein the associated operator identifier corresponds to an operator of the outdoor powered machine, and wherein the short range transceiver receives the associated operator identifier from an identifier unit carried by the operator.

11. An equipment data sensor comprising:

a plurality of sensors for obtaining values associated with running of an outdoor powered machine, the plurality of sensors being disposed on a printed circuit board mounted on the outdoor powered machine, the plurality of sensors comprising a revolutions per minute (RPM) sensor, the RPM sensor comprising an RPM antenna configured to sense the RPM of an engine by wirelessly sensing electromagnetic waves created by pulses from an ignition cable of the engine of the outdoor powered machine when the engine is running, wherein the RPM antenna is configured to generate more than one type of output based on an operational characteristic of the outdoor power machine, wherein each of the more than one type of output comprises RPM pulses corresponding to the electromagnetic waves,

wherein the RPM sensor is arranged on the outdoor powered machine configured to operate for grounds care, landscaping, or forest work, the outdoor powered machine being a handheld tool or a tool comprising a cutting element.

12. The equipment data sensor of claim 11, wherein the pulses from the ignition cable correspond to a spark generated by a spark plug operated in the engine.

13. The equipment data sensor of claim 11, further comprising at least two integrated circuits and at least two inverters for protecting the RPM antenna from noise generated from internal high frequencies.

14. The equipment data sensor of claim 13, wherein one of the at least two integrated circuits is configured to set an input impedance of a filter circuit configured for receipt of the electromagnetic waves received by the RPM antenna, and one of the at least two inverters, which is coupled to the one of the at least two integrated circuits, is configured to invert an output of the filter circuit.

15. The equipment data sensor of claim 14, wherein another one of the at least two integrated circuits is configured to modify a voltage of the output of the filter circuit, and another one of the at least two inverters, which is coupled to the another one of the at least two integrated circuits, is configured to invert the modified voltage output of the filter circuit where the modified voltage output achieves a hysteresis voltage.

16. The equipment data sensor of claim 15, wherein the another one of the at least two inverters outputs the RPM pulses to a processing device for determining the RPM of the engine where the modified voltage output achieves the hysteresis voltage.

17. A method for monitoring the running of an outdoor powered machine, comprising:

capturing data regarding running of the outdoor powered machine using a plurality of sensors installed on the outdoor powered machine, the outdoor powered machine being configured to operate for grounds care, landscaping, or forest work, the outdoor powered machine being a handheld tool or a tool comprising a cutting element;

capturing an operator identifier associated with an operator of the outdoor powered machine during the running of the outdoor powered machine using a short range transceiver;

registering the data regarding the running of the outdoor powered machine and the associated operator identifier in a memory; and

transmitting the data regarding the running of the outdoor powered machine and the associated operator identifier to a remote server,

wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is a revolutions per minute (RPM) sensor configured to determine RPM of one or more engine components operating in the outdoor powered machine, wherein the RPM sensor comprises an antenna configured to sense the RPM of the one or more engine components by wirelessly sensing electromagnetic waves created by pulses generated by the one or more engine components, and wherein at least some of the data regarding the running of the outdoor powered machine corresponds to the RPM of the one or more engine components and the plurality of sensors are contained within a printed circuit board mounted to the outdoor powered machine.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

entering a base station search mode to search for one or more base stations, wherein the transmitting the data and the associated operator identifier is based at least in part on receiving an acknowledgement of a base station search package transmitted to a located base station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the base station search mode comprises an active or a passive mode selected based on whether the data regarding the running of the outdoor powered machine is prepared for transmission.