Equipment management methods and systems

• US 20060268482A1
• Filed: 11/03/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chen, Lien, Lin, Jung-Cheng, Lai, Chia-Shun, Ke, Zhi-Yue, Lin, Zen-Jay
• Application Number:
  US11/266,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/62
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/147 using electro-magnetic technology, e.g. tags or radar
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 3/02 Clothing

Abstract

An equipment management system. A detector detects at least one protector in a detection field thereof utilizing wireless communication techniques. A database stores an equipment rule for an area. The equipment rule comprises predetermined types of protectors and predetermined number for each type. A processor automatically determines if the equipment rule is satisfied by determining if the types of protectors actually detected in a period and the number of each detected type are equal to the predetermined types and numbers.

Claims

1. An equipment management system, comprising:

a detector detecting at least one protector in a detection field thereof utilizing wireless communication techniques;

a database storing an equipment rule for an area, wherein the equipment rule comprises a plurality of predetermined types of protectors and a predetermined number for each type; and

a processor coupled to the detector and the database, automatically determining if the equipment rule is satisfied by determining if the types of protectors actually detected by the detector in a period and the number of each detected type are equal to the predetermined types and numbers.

2. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, and each of the protectors is attached with a RFID tag.

3. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an output device, when the equipment rule is not satisfied after the period, providing an alert indicating a first predetermined type has not been detected by the detector.

4. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the number actually detected of a second predetermined type is not equal to the predetermined number thereof, the output device indicates the difference therebetween or the predetermined number of the second predetermined type.

5. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the alert comprises an image.

6. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the database further stores an image of a simulated person and a predetermined location corresponding to the first predetermined type, further comprising:

a display showing the image of a simulated person and indicating the first predetermined type relative to the image of a simulated person according to the predetermined location.

7. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the equipment management system is a portable device with a stand-alone power supply.

8. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detector simultaneously detects the protectors by utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA) techniques.

9. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the database further stores equipment rules and a schedule corresponding to the area, the schedule comprises correspondence between the area and the equipment rules with respect to work hours associated with the area, the processor further retrieves the equipment rule according to the schedule.

10. An equipment management system, comprising:

a detector detecting at least one protector in a detection field thereof utilizing wireless communication techniques;

a database storing an equipment rule for an area, wherein the equipment rule comprises predetermined types of protectors and a predetermined relationship between the required number of each type; and

a processor coupled to the detector and the database, automatically determining if the equipment rule is satisfied by determining if the types and number of protectors actually detected by the detector in a period match the predetermined types and relationship.

11. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the detector comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, and each of the protectors is attached with a RFID tag.

12. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the predetermined relationship comprises a proportion of the respective required number of each predetermined type.

13. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processor calculates a predetermined number of each type utilizing the predetermined relationship and the actual number of a first type detected by the detector.

14. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

an output device, when the actual number of a second predetermined type is not equal to the predetermined number thereof, indicating the difference therebetween or the predetermined number of the second predetermined type.

15. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the database further stores an image of a simulated person and a predetermined location corresponding to the second predetermined type, further comprising:

a display showing the image of a simulated person and indicating the second predetermined type relative to the image of a simulated person according to the predetermined location.

16. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the equipment management system is a portable device with a stand-alone power supply.

17. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the detector simultaneously detects the protectors by utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA) techniques.

18. The equipment management system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the database further stores equipment rules and a schedule corresponding to the area, the schedule comprises correspondence between the area and the equipment rules with respect to work hours associated with the area, the processor further retrieves the equipment rule according to the schedule.

19. An equipment management method, comprising:

storing an equipment rule for an area on a database, wherein the equipment rule comprises predetermined types of protectors and a predetermined relationship between the required number of each type; and

automatically determining if the equipment rule is satisfied by determining if the types and number of protectors actually detected in a detection field utilizing wireless communication techniques in a period match the predetermined types and relationship.

20. The equipment management method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the predetermined relationship comprises a proportion of the respective required number of each predetermined type.