Operator interface for wireless sensing and system and method thereof

• US 10,430,057 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Junck, Christopher A., McKinley, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Posigian, David S
• Application Number:
  US15/375,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20180164994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An apparatus to wirelessly monitor selected sensors of a machine having a plurality of sensors includes a touchscreen display configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI) and a processor or processing circuitry that receives and analyzes data wirelessly transmitted from the selected sensors. Selection of the sensors can include display on the GUI of a first user input to receive a selection to select the machine from a predetermined list of machines, a second user input to receive an input to identify and monitor one or more operating characteristics of the machine, and a third user input to receive one or more inputs to individually associate sensor identifiers with graphics corresponding to the candidate sensor selection locations to select the sensors from which to receive and analyze data to monitor the one or more operating characteristics of the machine.

Claims

1. A self-contained apparatus comprising:

a housing;

receiver circuitry including an antenna, the receiver circuitry provided at least partially in the housing;

wireless sensor interface circuitry provided in the housing and electrically coupled to the receiver circuitry;

processing circuitry electrically coupled to the wireless sensor interface circuitry and configured to;

detect, in a wireless transmitting and receiving range of the self-contained apparatus, one or more machines at a worksite, including a first machine having a plurality of sensors; and

identify the one or more machines detected at the worksite, including the first machine; and

a touchscreen display physically coupled to the housing and electrically coupled to the processing circuitry, the touchscreen display being configured to display a graphical user interface generated using the processing circuitry;

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to;

control the graphical user interface to display a first user input to select the first machine from a list of the one or more identified machines;

receive a first operator input on the displayed first user input selecting the first machine from the list of the one or more identified machines;

control the graphical user interface to display a graphic of the first machine responsive to receiving the first operator input on the displayed first user input;

control the graphical user interface to display a second user input to identify one or more operating characteristics of the first machine to monitor;

receive a second operator input on the displayed second user input identifying the one or more operating characteristics of the first machine to monitor;

control the graphical user interface to display graphics corresponding to predetermined candidate sensor selection locations on the displayed graphic of the first machine associated with the identified one or more operating characteristics of the first machine to monitor responsive to receiving the second operator input on the displayed second user input, wherein none of said displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations were immediately previously displayed prior to being displayed in response to receiving the second operator input on the displayed second user input;

control the graphical user interface to display a third user input including a plurality of identifiers shown on the graphical user interface that correspond in number to a number of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations to individually select one or more sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine to wirelessly monitor, wherein each of the plurality of identifiers individually correspond to a respective one of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor locations;

receive a third operator input dragging and dropping at least one of the plurality of identifiers to the respective one of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations;

identify an operator-selected set of sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine responsive to the third operator input, the operator-selected set of sensors including at least a first sensor of the plurality of sensors of the first machine corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of identifiers dragged and dropped to the respective one of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations and being less than a total number of sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine;

initiate the receiver circuitry to wirelessly receive sensor signals from only the operator-selected set of sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine responsive to the third operator input;

control the wireless sensor interface circuitry to receive and aggregate sensor data from the receiver circuitry corresponding to the sensor signals from the operator-selected sensors;

analyze the aggregated sensor data from the wireless sensor interface circuitry; and

control the graphical user interface to display real-time information, based on the analyzed sensor data, corresponding to the identified one or more operating characteristics of the first machine and the operator-selected set of sensors.

2. The self-contained apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first user input includes a drop-down menu of the list of the one or more identified machines.

3. The self-contained apparatus of claim 1, wherein each machine of the list of the one or more identified machines is a different type of machine.

4. The self-contained apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator-selected set of sensors are a same type of sensor.

5. The self-contained apparatus of claim 1, further comprising memory electrically connected to the processing circuitry, the memory storing sensor selection location templates that identify all sensor selection locations for each machine of the list of one or more identified machines, the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations being based on one of the sensor selection location templates associated with the first machine.

6. A method of comprising:

detecting, by processing circuitry electrically coupled to wireless sensor interface circuitry provided in a housing of a self-contained apparatus, in a wireless transmitting and receiving range of the self-contained apparatus, one or more machines at a worksite, including a first machine having a plurality of sensors;

identifying, by the processing circuitry, the one or more machines detected at the worksite, including the first machine;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, display of, on a touchscreen display physically coupled to the housing and electrically coupled to the processing circuitry, a graphical user interface generated using the processing circuitry;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the graphical user interface to display a first user input to select the first machine from a list of the one or more identified machines;

receiving, by the processing circuitry, a first operator input on the displayed first user input selecting the first machine from the list of the one or more identified machines;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the graphical user interface to display a graphic of the first machine responsive to the first operator input on the displayed first user input;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the graphical user interface to display a second user input to identify one or more operating characteristics of the first machine to monitor;

receiving, by the processing circuitry, a second operator input on the displayed second user input identifying the one or more operating characteristics of the first machine to monitor;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the graphical user interface to display graphics corresponding to predetermined candidate sensor selection locations on the displayed graphic of the first machine associated with the identified one or more operating characteristics of the first machine to monitor responsive to receiving the second operator input on the displayed second user input, wherein none of said displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations were immediately previously displayed prior to being displayed in response to receiving the second operator input on the displayed second user input;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the graphical user interface to display a third user input including a plurality of identifiers shown on the graphical user interface that correspond in number to a number of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations to individually select one or more sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine to wirelessly monitor, wherein each of the plurality of identifiers individually correspond to a respective one of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor locations;

receiving, by the processing circuitry, a third operator input dragging and dropping at least one of the plurality of identifiers to the respective one of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations;

identifying, by the processing circuitry, an operator-selected set of sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine responsive to the third operator input, the operator-selected set of sensors including at least a first sensor of the plurality of sensors of the first machine corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of identifiers dragged and dropped to the respective one of the displayed graphics corresponding to the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations and being less than a total number of sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine;

initiating, by the processing circuitry, receiver circuitry, including an antenna, provided at least partially in the housing and electrically coupled to the wireless sensor interface circuitry, to wirelessly receive sensor signals from only the operator-selected set of sensors of the plurality of sensors of the first machine responsive to the third operator input;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the wireless sensor interface circuitry to receive and aggregate sensor data from the receiver circuitry corresponding to the sensor signals from the operator-selected sensors;

analyzing, by the processing circuitry, the aggregated sensor data from the wireless sensor interface circuitry; and

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the graphical user interface to display real-time information, based on the analyzed sensor data, corresponding to the identified one or more operating characteristics of the first machine and the operator-selected set of sensors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the operator-selected set of sensors are a same type of sensor.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined candidate sensor selection locations are based on one of a plurality of sensor selection location templates associated with the first machine stored in memory.