Outdoor power equipment fleet management system with operator performance monitoring

• US 10,380,511 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• 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, Philpott, Gary, Wahlgren, Hakan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chong Cruz, Nadja N
• Application Number:
  US14/383,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: 705 712
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/008 by doing functionality tests
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/00 Measuring linear or angular speed; Measuring differences of linear or angular speeds G01P5/00 - G01P11/00 take precedence; direction and speed indication G01P13/045; counting mechanisms G06M
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a fleet management system that assists a fleet, such as a landscaping crew, forestry company, grounds care manager, or the like, with management and monitoring the fleet'"'"'s collection of outdoor power equipment, like lawn mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and/or the like, and the operators of the outdoor power equipment. In this regard, embodiments of the invention are directed to systems and methods for automatically gathering data about one or more pieces of outdoor power equipment and one or more human operators of the equipment, processing the data into more useful data and data formats, and providing useful feedback, data, and tools to users of the system to assist with management of one or more fleets.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication device including a memory;

a powered machine provided with said communication device, the powered machine being a handheld outdoor power equipment and comprising an equipment data sensor and a GPS-unit for registering geographic positions of the powered machine and engine speed data of an engine of the powered machine;

an identification unit associated with an operator ID-code for an operator of the powered machine, the identification unit being a separate entity from the powered machine and configured to be worn or carried by the operator, wherein the identification unit is further configured to communicate said operator ID-code to the communication device; and

a server,

wherein the communication device is configured to obtain values of parameters associated with running of the powered machine, receive the operator ID-code, and store at least said values and said operator ID-code in said memory,

wherein the parameters associated with running of the powered machine include geographic positions of the operator and the engine speed data of the powered machine,

wherein the equipment data sensor comprises an RPM sensor that is configured to sense RPM of the engine of the powered machine,

wherein the RPM sensor comprises an RPM antenna that is configured to sense electromagnetic waves created by pulses when the engine is running,

wherein the pulses and frequency of the electromagnetic waves vary with the RPM of the powered machine and are used to sense the engine speed data,

wherein the communication device is further configured to;

collect and evaluate the engine speed data together with the geographic positions of the operator, obtain and store the engine speed data and geographic positions of the operator together with a time stamp during an operating time period while the operator is working in a specific area, and transmit the obtained data to the server, and

wherein the server is configured to pair the geographic positions of the operator with the engine speed data obtained and determine, for each geographic position, whether the engine was in idle mode or in active operating mode.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameters further include at least one of temperature, vibration exposure, fuel consumption, oil temperature, battery voltage, oil pressure, transmission temperature and inclination of the powered machine.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said RPM is used for calculating an amount of vibration exposure during running of the powered machine.

4. A data collection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device is powered by being connected to at least one electromagnetic coil that is energized by at least one magnet provided on a rotating flywheel of the engine of the machine.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine further includes a control module for at least controlling a fuel supply to the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is connectable to or connected to the control module at least through a power supply connection so as to be supplied with power through said connection.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine further includes a control module for at least controlling a fuel supply to the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is configured to receive values of the at least one parameter from said control module.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine further includes a throttle position sensor for sensing the position of a throttle valve of the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is connectable to or connected to the throttle position sensor at least for sequentially obtaining values representing the position of the throttle valve.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine further includes a control module for at least controlling a fuel supply to the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is an integrated part of the control module.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device further comprises a warning system arranged to alert a user of the powered machine in response to said obtained parameters being indicative of poor performance of the powered machine.

10. A system comprising:

a communication device including a memory;

a powered machine provided with the communication device, the powered machine being a handheld outdoor power equipment and comprising an equipment data sensor and a GPS-unit for registering geographic positions of the powered machine and engine speed data of an engine of the powered machine;

an identification unit associated with an operator ID-code for an operator of the powered machine, the identification unit being a separate entity from the powered machine and configured to be worn or carried by the operator, wherein the identification unit is further configured to communicate the operator ID-code to the communication device; and

a server system,

wherein the communication device is configured to obtain values of parameters associated with running of the powered machine, receive the operator ID-code, and store the values and the operator ID-code in the memory,

wherein the parameters associated with running of the powered machine include geographic positions of the operator and the engine speed data of the powered machine,

wherein the equipment data sensor comprises a processing device communicably coupled to transceivers, a battery, memory and sensors contained within a printed circuit board and communicably coupled to the processing device and configured to collect data related to the powered machine, and a GPS-unit for registering geographic positions of the powered machine, wherein one of the sensors of the equipment data sensor is an RPM sensor and is configured to sense RPM of the engine of the powered machine,

wherein the RPM sensor comprises an RPM antenna located on the printed circuit board and is configured to sense electromagnetic waves created by pulses when the engine is running, wherein the pulses and frequency of the electromagnetic waves vary with the RPM of the powered machine and are used to sense the engine speed data,

wherein the communication device is further configured to collect and evaluate the engine speed data together with the geographic positions of the operator, obtain and store the engine speed data and the geographic positions of the operator together with a time stamp during an operating time period while the operator is working in a specific area, and transmit the obtained data to the server system,

wherein the server system is configured to pair the geographic positions of the operator with the engine speed data obtained and determine, for each geographic position, whether the engine was in idle mode or in active operating mode, and

wherein the server system is further configured to estimate vibration as a function of the engine speed for the powered machine or operator over a defined period time.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the parameters further include at least one of temperature, vibration exposure, fuel consumption, oil temperature, battery voltage, oil pressure, transmission temperature and inclination of the powered machine.

12. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the RPM is used for calculating an amount of vibration exposure during running of the powered machine.

13. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communication device is powered by being connected to at least one electromagnetic coil that is energized by at least one magnet provided on a rotating flywheel of the engine of the machine.

14. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the machine further includes a control module for at least controlling a fuel supply to the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is connectable to or connected to the control module at least through a power supply connection so as to be supplied with power through said connection.

15. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the machine further includes a control module for at least controlling a fuel supply to the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is configured to receive values of the at least one parameter from said control module.

16. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the machine further includes a throttle position sensor for sensing the position of a throttle valve of the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is connectable to or connected to the throttle position sensor at least for sequentially obtaining values representing the position of the throttle valve.

17. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the machine further includes a control module for at least controlling a fuel supply to the engine of the powered machine, wherein the communication device is an integrated part of the control module.

18. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communication device further comprises a warning system arranged to alert a user of the powered machine in response to the obtained parameters being indicative of a predetermined performance of the powered machine.