Smart monitoring system and method of operation

• US 9,794,652 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Delta Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Nohra, Tanios Elias, Allemang, Spencer C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THANG DUC
• Application Number:
  US14/528,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 34087007, 340 101- 106, 3405721-5729, 340901, 340988, 340995, 3404255, 340531, 340 54, 340691, 340393, 34082506, 3408253, 340385, 25112904, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Systems and methods are described that can provide a fleet management solution for a fleet of power equipment and other power equipment machines. The fleet management solution can include receiving a wireless signal corresponding to a power equipment machine according to a wireless protocol. The fleet management solution can also include determining a status information corresponding to the power equipment machine based on the wireless signal. The fleet management solution can also include performing an action related to the power equipment machine based on the corresponding status information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a fleet comprising a plurality of power-equipment-machines lawn mowers, each of the plurality of lawn mowers comprising a central control module, each central control module comprising;

a plurality of monitors, each configured to record data related to a parameter of operation of the lawn mower, wherein the recorded data comprises at least one of information related to hours of engine operation, oil pressure, fuel level engine temperature, location, movement and/or dwell time at a location, mechanical wear, unique signature identification, and time stamping;

a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium to control operation of the plurality of monitor'"'"'s and store the recorded data as inner-active data; and

a single short range transceiver to broadcast the inner-active data periodically and receive additional data according to a short-range wireless protocol; and

a handheld primary device to communicate with the central control modules of the plurality of lawn mowers, comprising;

a first transceiver to receive a plurality of signals broadcast according to the short-range wireless protocol from the plurality of lawn mowers, wherein each of the plurality of signals comprise the inner-active data for a respective lawn mower;

a central control module to determine status information for the plurality of lawn mowers based on the respective inner-active data;

a display module to render a visualization comprising a maintenance schedule for the fleet based on the status information for the plurality of lawn mowers; and

a second transceiver to transmit at least one of the inner-active data and the status information to a remote device according to a long-range wireless protocol,

wherein the remote device sends information related to the maintenance schedule to the handheld device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless protocol comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second transceiver of the handheld device receives a long-range signal from a remote device comprising a fleet management property based on the plurality of inner-active information for the plurality of lawn mowers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the long-range wireless protocol facilitates transmission of at least one of a text alert and a short message service (SMS) message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendered visualization comprises at least one of location information, proximity information, a time stamp, and information about the status of one lawn mower device related to statuses of the plurality of lawn mowers in a fleet of devices.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a handheld primary device comprising a non-transitory memory and a processor, a plurality of wireless signals from a fleet comprising a plurality of lawn mowers, each short range wireless signal transmitted from a control module within one of the lawn mowers in according to a short range wireless protocol, wherein each short-range wireless signal comprises inner-active data collected in response to operation of the respective lawn mower;

transmitting, by the handheld primary device, the inner-active data corresponding to the plurality of lawn mowers to a computing device located at a remote location according to a long-range wireless protocol, wherein the computing device determines status information for at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers based on the respective inner-active data and an action to be performed by the at least one of the lawn mowers based on the status information; and

controlling, by the handheld device, at least one of the lawn mowers to perform the action according to another short range wireless signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the controlling at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers to perform the action further comprises determining a location of the at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the long-range wireless protocol comprises at least one of a text protocol and a short message service (SMS) protocol.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the controlling at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers to perform the action further comprising tracking a location of the lawn mower based on the corresponding status information.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the controlling at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers to perform the action further comprises wirelessly alerting a user of the lawn mower of maintenance due for the lawn mower based on the corresponding status information.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the controlling at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers to perform the action further comprises;

logging a portion of the inner-active data for the lawn mower for a time period.

12. A handheld mobile device, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing machine executable instructions; and

a processor to access the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and execute the machine executable instructions, the machine executable instructions comprising;

a short-range transceiver to receive a plurality of wireless signals according to a short-range wireless protocol from a plurality of central control modules, wherein each central control module is located within a respective lawn mower in a fleet and each of the plurality of wireless signals comprises inner-active data collected in response to operation of the respective lawn mower, wherein the inner-active data comprise a received signal strength indicator (RSSI);

a central control module to determine status information for a plurality of lawn mowers based on the respective inner-active data;

a global location unit to determine location data for each of the plurality of lawn mowers based on the respective RSSIs a received signal and associate the location data for each of the plurality of lawn mowers with the status information for each of the plurality of lawn mowers; and

a long-range transceiver to transmit another wireless signal comprising messages related to the status information and the location for at least one of the plurality of lawn mowers to a device at a remote location according to a long-range wireless protocol.

13. The handheld mobile device of claim 12, wherein the central control module determines a maintenance schedule associated with the plurality of lawn mowers based on the status information for the plurality of lawn mowers.

14. The handheld mobile device of claim 12, wherein the central control module determines an operator associated with one lawn mower of the plurality of lawn mowers base on the status information from the plurality of lawn mowers.