Method and apparatus for controlling site-specific operations

• US 20050211777A1
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Wetzel, Robert Alan, Venneman, Patrick Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4063 Monitoring general control system G05B19/4062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42249 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/20 Checking timed patrols, e.g. of watchman
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/14 Quality control systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling a site-specific activity at a plurality of remote locations, for example, the inspection of geographically remote equipment or the gathering of data for a census. A mobile operator transports a portable tool (14) to a plurality of locations where a site-specific activity is to be conducted. The portable tool includes a location detection device (32). Processing of data using the portable tool is enabled only when the portable tool is located proximate a designated site, as determined by the location detection device. In various embodiments, the enabled site-specific activity may include data recordation, data transmission, data reception, data processing, and/or the display of a data entry form.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a site-specific operation to be performed by an operator using a portable electronic tool when at a designated site, the method comprising:

using a position detection device associated with the portable electronic tool to determine a current location of the portable electronic tool; and

enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation when the position detection device determines that the current location of the portable electronic tool is proximate the designated site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to record information relating to a condition at the designated site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to record information relating to a physical object at the designated site.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to record information relating to a piece of operating equipment at the designated site.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to record information relating to a person at the designated site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to record information relating to an activity at the designated site.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to transmit information to another location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to receive information transmitted from another location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to process inspection data relating to equipment located at the designated site.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to display selected information relating to the designated site.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to display a data recordation form.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation comprises enabling the portable electronic tool to populate data into a data recordation form.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a proximity between the portable electronic tool and the designated site necessary for enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded by the operator to perform the site-specific operation is selected to be a site-appropriate value.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing travel directions via the portable electronic tool to assist the operator in arriving at the designated site.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the position detection device to determine the current location in three dimensions; and

enabling the portable electronic tool to be commanded to perform the site-specific operation when the current location of the portable electronic tool is within a respective proximity value of the designated site in each of the dimensions.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the respective proximity values are not the same for all three dimensions.

17. A computer readable medium for use on a portable computing device associated with a location detector, with the medium including program instructions which when executed by the computing device allow the computing device to perform a site-specific operation under the control of an operator when proximate a designated site, the program instructions comprising:

a software code module controlling operation of the location detector for determining a current position of the computing device relative to a designated site; and

a software code module enabling operation of the computing device under the control of the operator to perform the site-specific operation when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module enabling data storage on a memory device when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module enabling operation of a transmitter for transmitting data from the computing device to a remote location when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module enabling operation of a receiver for receiving data from a remote location when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module enabling the computing device to process data related to the designated site when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module enabling the computing device to display information related to the designated site when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module enabling the computing device to display a data recordation form related to the designated site when the current position of the computing device is proximate the designated site.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising a software code module providing travel directions via the portable electronic tool from the current position to the designated site to assist the operator in arriving at the designated site.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the software code module for determining the current position determines the position in three dimensions, and the software code module enabling operation of the computing device comprises a required proximity value in each of the three dimensions.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the software code module enabling operation of the computing device comprises required proximity values that are not the same in each of the three dimensions.