Facilities management

• US 9,280,902 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DSG Global, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DSG Tag Systems Incorporated (DSG Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silzer, Robert Sr., Bratvold, Kirk, Doaga, Alex, Singer, Clinton Jordan, Kurland, Ariel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDMAN, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US13/356,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A system for facilities management can include a tag device having a transceiver and a facilities management process. The facilities management process can include an application service for receiving the location of the tag device from the transceiver, at least one geographical work zone, and a tracking module configured for recording a time period the tag device is within each geographical work zone.

Claims

1. A system for facilities management, comprising:

a tag device having a transceiver;

a facility vehicle with the tag device attached to the facility vehicle;

a facilities management process embodied on a computer-readable tangible medium, comprising;

an application service for receiving a location of the tag device from the transceiver and determining movement of the tag device;

at least two geographic work zones, wherein each geographic work zone comprises a geographic area maintained within a golf course facility and designates a crew or an organizational division providing maintenance or work, a manager responsible for an area, a type of work, and terrain;

a tracking module configured for recording a time period the tag device is within each geographic work zone; and

an efficiency module configured to compare the time period the tag device is within a geographic work zone to the pattern of movement within the geographic work zone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the facilities management process further comprises:

at least one geographic home zone, wherein each geographic home zone represents an area where equipment is stored, maintained, or repaired,

wherein the tracking module ceases recording the time period for the geographic work zones when the tag device is within the at least one geographic home zone.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the tracking module records a non-work time period when the tag device is outside geographic work zones and the geographic home zone.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver functionally connected to the tag device and configured for providing the location of the tag device.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an inertial measurement unit (IMU) functionally connected to the tag device and configured for detecting motion of the tag device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery sensor functionally connected to the tag device and configured for monitoring at least one of a battery usage and battery voltage of a battery for the facility vehicle;

or

an engine sensor functionally connected to the tag device and configured for determining when an engine of the facility vehicle is running.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein recording the time period includes recording an entry time and an entry date when the tag device enters at least one geographic work zone and recording an exit time and an exit date when the tag device exits at least one geographic work zone, and wherein the tracking module records a distance within the geographic work zone.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the tracking module calculates a facilities management value selected from the group consisting of labor costs, fuel usage, power usage, average time in the geographic work zone, last time the geographic work zone was maintained, and at least one of the time period, the entry time, the entry date, the exit time, and the exit date for each geographic work zone, wherein the facilities management value is used to monitor efficiency.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a graphic user interface displaying a map representation, the at least two geographic work zones, the at least one geographic home zone, and the location of the tag device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the facilities management process further comprises a scheduling module that schedules the facility vehicle or comparing periodic activity of the facility vehicle with prior periodic activity of the facility vehicle using information provided by the tracking module.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the facilities management process includes an alert in an alert hierarchy when the tag device enters or exits the at least one geographic work zone, wherein the alert hierarchy arranges alerts based on at least one of a location, a priority, a work crew, a distance traveled in the geographic work zone, moving time, idle time, a time of day, and a facilities management category, wherein the alert identifies an inefficiency or a work activity requiring attention.

12. The system of claim 1, further including a communication device attached to the facility vehicle configured for providing instructions to a user, wherein the communication device is a display or a radio.

13. A vehicle management system, comprising:

a plurality of vehicles equipped with a tag device and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

a vehicle management process embodied on a computer-readable tangible medium, comprising;

an application service for receiving a location from the GPS receiver;

at least one geographic work zone, wherein each geographic work zone represents a geographic area maintained within a golf course facility;

at least one geographic home zone, wherein each geographic home zone represents an area where golf course equipment is stored;

a graphic user interface for displaying the map representation, the at least one geographic work zone, the at least one geographic home zone, and the location of the tag device on each vehicle;

a tracking module that records a time period the tag device on each vehicle is within each geographic work zone, wherein one or more tag devices located on individual vehicles are grouped into individual work groups; and

an efficiency module configured to compare the time period the tag device is within a geographic work zone to the pattern of movement within the geographic work zone.

14. The vehicle management system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is further equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for detecting motion of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle management system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle management process further comprises a scheduling module configured for scheduling the vehicle at a future time in at least one geographic work zone.

16. The vehicle management system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is further equipped with a communication device for providing instructions to a user, wherein the communication device is a display or a radio.

17. A method for managing facilities, comprising:

equipping a plurality of vehicles with a tag device having a transceiver;

designating a zone in a geographic work area in which each of the vehicles operate, wherein each geographic work zone represents a geographic area maintained within a golf course facility by the vehicle;

monitoring motion of the vehicles within each geographic work zone;

monitoring a location of the vehicles;

transmitting the location and motion via the tag device to a vehicle management process embodied on a server and comprising computer-executable instructions for comparing the location of the tag device to the zone;

recording a time period when the location of the tag device is within the zone;

aggregating different ones of the plurality of vehicles into individual work groups; and

determining the total amount of time spent by discrete work groups in each zone and comparing the amount of time spent by discrete work groups to a pattern of movement of each work group in each zone.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying the location of the tag device, the zone, and a map representation of the geographic work area and a geographic home area on a graphical user interface, wherein the geographic home zone represents an area where equipment is stored, maintained, or repaired.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising reporting the time period of the tag device in the zone in at least one of a displayed report and a printed report.