Automated operator-equipment pairing system and method

• US 9,986,311 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Inventors: Mejegrd, Peter, Wahlstrm, Per, Holmberg, Stefan, Birging, Torbjrn, Dvila-Garcia, Francisco Javier, Philpott, Gary, Wahlgren, Hkan
• Primary Examiner(s): Padot, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US14/383,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 705 715, 705 723, 3405721, 3405731, 34053921
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method for automatically pairing one or more operators with one or more pieces of equipment where each of the one or more operators carries an identification unit having an identification code stored therein, and where each piece of equipment includes an equipment data sensor configured to wirelessly receive the identification code in any identification units within a particular range may include receiving a plurality of different identification codes in data received from a particular equipment data sensor where for each of the different identification codes the data comprises signal information about strength or frequency of the one or more wireless signals through which each identification code was received by the particular equipment data sensor, and determining an operator of the equipment associated with the particular equipment data sensor based at least in part on a comparison of the signal information associated with each identification code.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically pairing one or more operators with one or more pieces of equipment where each of the one or more operators carries an identification unit having an identification code stored therein, and wherein each piece of equipment comprises an equipment data sensor configured to wirelessly receive the identification code in any identification units within a particular range, the apparatus comprising:

an input device for receiving a plurality of different identification codes in data received from a particular equipment data sensor, wherein for each of the different identification codes the data comprises signal information about strength or frequency of the one or more wireless signals through which each identification code was received by the particular equipment data sensor; and

a processing device communicably coupled to the input device and configured to determine an operator of the equipment associated with the particular equipment data sensor based at least in part on a comparison of the signal information associated with each identification code,

wherein, in response to receiving at least two identification codes in association with data received from the particular equipment data sensor, the processing device is configured to determine the operator of equipment associated with the particular equipment data sensor based at least in part on comparing a frequency of association of each respective identification code with instances of data received at the particular equipment data sensor;

wherein the processor is configured to determine an operator associated with the particular equipment data sensor based on an iterative comparison of a plurality of different characteristics associated with data having an association with multiple identification codes, and the different characteristics include ranking by number of synchronized hits, average synchronized hits received signal strength indicators, average search received signal strength indicators, and number of search sessions won.

2. A method for automatically pairing one or more operators with one or more pieces of equipment where each of the one or more operators carries an identification unit having an identification code stored therein, and wherein each piece of equipment comprises an equipment data sensor configured to wirelessly receive the identification code in any identification units within a particular range, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of different identification codes in data received from a particular equipment data sensor, wherein for each of the different identification codes the data comprises signal information about strength or frequency of the one or more wireless signals through which each identification code was received by the particular equipment data sensor; and

determining an operator of the equipment associated with the particular equipment data sensor based at least in part on a comparison of the signal information associated with each identification code, wherein determining the operator comprises, in response to receiving at least two identification codes in association with data received from the particular equipment data sensor, determining the operator of equipment associated with the particular equipment data sensor based at least in part on comparing a frequency of association of each respective identification code with instances of data received at the particular equipment data sensor;

wherein determining the operator comprises determining an operator associated with the particular equipment data sensor based on an iterative comparison of a plurality of different characteristics associated with data having an association with multiple identification codes, and the different characteristics include ranking by number of synchronized hits, average synchronized hits received signal strength indicators, average search received signal strength indicators, and number of search sessions won.