System and method for selective on-board processing of machine data

• US 20080059005A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Greiner, Jonny Ray, Sorrells, Giles Kent, Gordon, Richard Lee, Grichnik, Anthony James
• Application Number:
  US11/513,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059005A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2054 Fleet management
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/267 Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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

A method for selective on-board processing of machine data includes receiving operation data associated with a machine and collecting the received operation data in an on-board processing unit of the machine. Required data associated with a data analysis task of the on-board processing unit may be identified and the received operation data may be analyzed based on the identified required data. The method may also include determining whether required data associated with the data analysis task is accessible by the on-board processing unit, based on the analysis. If any portion of the required data is inaccessible by the on-board processing unit, the inaccessible portion of the required data may be requested from an external system.

Claims

1. A method for selective on-board processing of machine data, comprising:

receiving operation data associated with a machine;

collecting the received operation data in an on-board processing unit of the machine;

identifying required data associated with a data analysis task of the on-board processing unit;

analyzing the received operation data based on the identified required data;

determining whether required data associated with the data analysis task is accessible by the on-board processing unit, based on the analysis; and

requesting, if any portion of the required data is inaccessible by the on-board processing unit, an inaccessible portion of the required data from an external system.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving the requested portions of the required data from the external system; and

storing the data received from the external system in an on-board database associated with the on-board processing unit.

3. The method of claim 2, further including performing the data analysis task in response to receiving the requested portion of the required data from the external system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the required data is accessible includes one or more of:

searching the received data indicative of operations associated with the machine; and

searching data stored in an on-board database associated with the on-board processing unit.

5. The method of claim 4, further including performing the data analysis task of the on-board processing unit if every portion of the required data is accessible by the on-board processing unit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the external system includes a project management system and the data analysis task includes a validation process whereby certain operations of the machine are authorized by the project management system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the external system includes a project management system and the data analysis task includes a validation process, whereby the machine is registered to a particular geographical area by the project management system.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the data analysis task includes a production schedule, whereby tasks associated with the machine are scheduled based on operation data associated with one or more other machines operating within a particular job-site.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes periodically collecting operation data from one or more sensing devices associated with the machine.

10. A computer-readable medium for use on a computer system, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

11. A method for selectively controlling the flow of data in a machine environment, comprising:

receiving operation data in an on-board processing unit of a machine;

determining data requirements associated with a plurality of data analysis tasks of the on-board processing unit;

comparing the data requirements associated with each of the plurality of data analysis tasks with the received operation data;

identifying, based on the comparison, one or more data requirements that are not satisfied by the received operation data; and

collecting data associated with the one or more data requirements that are not satisfied by the received operation data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the collecting includes providing, to an external system, a request for the data associated with the one or more data requirements that are not satisfied by the received operation data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the collecting includes:

locating, by an external system, the data associated with one or more data requirements that are not satisfied by the received operation data; and

transmitting the located data to the on-board processing unit of the machine.

14. The method of claim 13, further including performing one or more of the data analysis tasks of the on-board processing unit if each data requirement corresponding to the one or more data analysis tasks have been satisfied.

15. A system for selective processing of machine data, comprising:

an on-board processing unit communicatively coupled to at least one monitoring device associated with a machine, the on-board processing unit configured to;

receive, from the at least one monitoring device, operation data associated with a machine;

store the received operation data in the at least one on-board storage device;

identify data requirements associated with a plurality of data analysis tasks of the on-board processing unit;

analyze the received operation data with respect to the data requirements;

determine whether required data associated with the data requirements of each of the plurality of data analysis tasks is accessible by the on-board processing unit, based on the analysis; and

request, if any portion of the required data is inaccessible by the on-board processing unit, the inaccessible portion of the required data from a project management system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the on-board processing unit includes an electronic control unit associated with the machine.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the project management system is communicatively coupled the on-board processing unit and configured to:

locate data requested by the on-board processing unit, in response to the request; and

provide the requested data to the on-board processing unit.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the on-board processing unit is further configured to perform one or more of the data analysis tasks of the on-board processing unit if the required data associated with a respective one or more data analysis tasks is accessible by the on-board processing unit.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the on-board processing unit is further configured store, in a task queue, any data analysis task having data requirements that include the inaccessible portion of the required data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the on-board processing unit is further configured to:

receive the inaccessible portion of the required data from the project management system; and

perform one or more data analysis tasks stored in the task queue, in response to the receipt of the inaccessible portion of the required data.