Sensor-based automated transit maintenance system

• US 10,338,577 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Inventors: Behrooznia, Rasheed
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Testardi, David A
• Application Number:
  US16/116,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20190066411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0262 Confirmation of fault detection, e.g. extra checks to confirm that a failure has indeed occurred
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/187 Machine fault alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/14 checking the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for implementing a sensor-based transit maintenance system. A plurality of sensors are located at a plurality of transit locations within a transit system. The plurality of sensors are configured to collect a plurality of sensor measurements of at least one transit location device. A transit server may receive sensor data comprising the plurality of sensor measurements. The transit server may determine, based on the sensor data, that a current or future defect exists within the transit system. The transit server may determine a transit location of the plurality of transit locations at which the defect is located. The transit server may generate maintenance instructions for addressing the defect and send the maintenance instructions either to a portable electronic device or to one of the at least one transit location device at the transit location.

Claims

1. A transit maintenance system comprising:

a plurality of sensors located at a plurality of transit locations within a transit system, wherein the plurality of sensors are configured to collect a plurality of sensor measurements of at least one transit location device;

a transit server comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving sensor data comprising the plurality of sensor measurements;

determining, based on the sensor data, that a current or future defect exists within the transit system;

determining a transit location of the plurality of transit locations at which the defect is located;

generating virtual and non-virtual maintenance instructions for addressing the defect; and

sending the non-virtual maintenance instructions to a portable electronic device and the virtual maintenance instructions to one of the at least one transit location device at the transit location; and

a display device located at the transit location, wherein the display device is configured to display a scannable code such that the portable electronic device is configured to access the virtual maintenance instructions upon reading the scannable code.

2. The transit maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving transit data from at least one of the plurality of transit locations, wherein the transit data includes ridership information, and wherein it is determined that the defect exists within the transit system further based on the transit data and the sensor data.

3. The transit maintenance system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensor measurements includes a raw measurement of a transit location device of the at least one transit location device, wherein the raw measurement corresponds to one or more of voltage, current, capacitance, inductance, temperature, and frequency.

4. The transit maintenance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of local data collectors located at the plurality of transit locations, wherein each of the plurality of local data collectors is configured to;

receive at least one of the plurality of sensor measurements from at least one of the plurality of sensors; and

send the at least one of the plurality of sensor measurements to the transit server.

5. The transit maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating, based on the sensor data, a defect likelihood score;

comparing the defect likelihood score to a threshold; and

in response to determining that the defect likelihood score exceeds the threshold, determining that a future defect exists within the transit system.

6. The transit maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the portable electronic device, a message indicating that the defect has been addressed.

7. A method comprising:

receiving sensor data comprising a plurality of sensor measurements of at least one transit location device, wherein the plurality of sensor measurements are collected by a plurality of sensors located at a plurality of transit locations within a transit system;

determining, based on the sensor data, that a current or future defect exists within the transit system;

determining a transit location of the plurality of transit locations at which the defect is located;

generating virtual and non-virtual maintenance instructions for addressing the defect;

sending the non-virtual maintenance instructions to a portable electronic device and the virtual maintenance instructions to one of the at least one transit location device at the transit location; and

displaying, by a display device located at the transit location, a scannable code such that a portable electronic device is configured to access the virtual maintenance instructions upon reading the scannable code.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving transit data from at least one of the plurality of transit locations, wherein the transit data includes ridership information, and wherein it is determined that the defect exists within the transit system further based on the transit data and the sensor data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of sensor measurements includes a raw measurement of a transit location device of the at least one transit location device, wherein the raw measurement corresponds to one or more of voltage, current, capacitance, inductance, temperature, and frequency.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor data is received from a plurality of local data collectors located at the plurality of transit locations, and wherein each of the plurality of local data collectors is configured to receive at least one of the plurality of sensor measurements from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating, based on the sensor data, a defect likelihood score;

comparing the defect likelihood score to a threshold; and

in response to determining that the defect likelihood score exceeds the threshold, determining that a future defect exists within the transit system.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the portable electronic device, a message indicating that the defect has been addressed.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving sensor data comprising a plurality of sensor measurements of at least one transit location device, wherein the plurality of sensor measurements are collected by a plurality of sensors located at a plurality of transit locations within a transit system;

determining, based on the sensor data, that a current or future defect exists within the transit system;

determining a transit location of the plurality of transit locations at which the defect is located;

generating virtual and non-virtual maintenance instructions for addressing the defect;

sending the non-virtual maintenance instructions to a portable electronic device and the virtual maintenance instructions to one of the at least one transit location device at the transit location; and

displaying, by a display device located at the transit location, a scannable code such that a portable electronic device is configured to access the virtual maintenance instructions upon reading the scannable code.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving transit data from at least one of the plurality of transit locations, wherein the transit data includes ridership information, and wherein it is determined that the defect exists within the transit system further based on the transit data and the sensor data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of sensor measurements includes a raw measurement of a transit location device of the at least one transit location device, wherein the raw measurement corresponds to one or more of voltage, current, capacitance, inductance, temperature, and frequency.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the sensor data is received from a plurality of local data collectors located at the plurality of transit locations, and wherein each of the plurality of local data collectors is configured to receive at least one of the plurality of sensor measurements from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating, based on the sensor data, a defect likelihood score;

comparing the defect likelihood score to a threshold; and

in response to determining that the defect likelihood score exceeds the threshold, determining that a future defect exists within the transit system.